DAILY...  DUTY...  RESULTS...

Today I am composing in the midst of a blizzard, something that does not happen here often.  By late afternoon we had over 8 inches of snow in my yard and everything is deeply covered...  It is drifting...  And we could get more tonight with temps at 22 degrees....  Sunday is forecast for only a 30 degree high temperature with only 38 degrees for Monday with temps in the teens and 20's tonight through Monday night.  Tidewater Virginia is well covered and snowed in.
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Abundantly - (adjective)
1) exceeding some number or measure or rank or need
    a) over and above, more than is necessary, superadded
        1) exceeding abundantly, supremely
        2) something further, more, much more than all, more plainly
    b) superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon
        1) pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent.
(Italics and underlined for emphasis)
(From Blue Letter Bible Lexicon.)

4053. perissos per-is-sos' from 4012 (in the sense of beyond); superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); by implication, excessive; adverbially (with 1537) violently; neuter (as noun) preeminence:--exceeding abundantly above, more abundantly, advantage, exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, vehement(-ly).
(Emboldened and underlined for emphasis)
(From Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)
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John 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (KJV)

John 10:10  The thief (evil action in this world) comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). (AMPLIFIED BIBLE)
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John 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (KJV)

John 4:23   A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. (AMPLIFIED BIBLE)
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 In last week's message I spoke of our living in a world in turmoil.  I spoke of the view of my Commander-In-Chief of how this world would continue in it's chosen path (the path it has chosen)...  Some would be bad and get worse...  Some would be good and maintain being good...  Some would be in right standing with Him and continue expanding that right standing.  Since nothing remains static in the activities of this world that means that the bad will get worse...  The good will get better...  And those in right standing with Him will progress in wisdom and rightness.

In our world today there are far too many of the bad who will get worse...  Too few of the good who will get better...  And far too few of those in right standing with Him who will progress in wisdom and rightness that only they and God will see because the rest of the world will not acknowledge His kind of Wisdom and Rightness!

The fight for peace through the Peace Keepers is to keep society safe and keep themselves safe while they are doing it, if possible...  And if safety is not possible, to pay the price necessary to achieve peace.  There is a constant temptation to get drawn away from the path of rightness into the path of not so right and then on into the path of just plain wrongness that becomes evil and destructive to both the people and the Peace Keepers.

Long ago, people came to John the Baptist asking for directions...  Among them were soldiers, the Peace Keepers of their day in the 1st Century AD.  (Luke 3:10-14, AMPLIFIED)  
And the multitudes asked him, Then what shall we do?  And he replied to them, He who has two tunics (undergarments), let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do it the same way. 
Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?  And he said to them, Exact and collect no more than the fixed amount appointed you.  (Tax collectors made their profit by collecting whatever they could get above the tax they had to turn in to the Roman Occupation powers)
Those serving as soldiers also asked him, And we, what shall we do?...
And he replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing wrongfully,
and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies)
and with your allowance (wages).
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Romans 13:1-8
LET EVERY person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God's appointment. (But take into account that all those in authority do not choose to submit to right and peaceful, unselfish actions - emphasis, DRS)
Therefore he who resists and sets himself up against the authorities resists what God has appointed and arranged [in divine order]. And those who resist will bring down judgment upon themselves [receiving the penalty due them].
For civil authorities are not a terror to [people of] good conduct, but to [those of] bad behavior. Would you have no dread of him who is in authority? Then do what is right and you will receive his approval and commendation.
For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, [you should dread him and] be afraid, for he does not bear and wear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant to execute His wrath (punishment, vengeance) on the wrongdoer.
Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath and escape punishment, but also as a matter of principle and for the sake of conscience.
For this same reason you pay taxes, for [the civil authorities] are official servants under God, devoting themselves to attending to this very service.
Render to all men their dues. [Pay] taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.
Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one's fellowmen, meeting all its requirements].
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Peace Keepers deal with the thief daily.  They deal with the people who create the evil and they deal with the people upon whom the evil is perpetrated.  All society needs the Peace Keeper because there are among us those people who will do anything to anyone in order to get the things they want.  These people who create evil start small and progress onward until they are stopped...  If they are not stopped, they become evil personified. 

All humans are born with a conscience but as we grow we are assaulted by a condition of temptation to want things we do not have and the human decides he must have...  Then he decides to take some action to get what he wants...  Put two infants in a play area with one toy in the possession of one child.  Watch to see how long it takes to have the other child take an action to get the toy into his possession...  It takes a mature, right purposed adult human to train the little ones in how to govern their wants and how to avoid the temptations that lead to fights and war.  Wanting is not wrong...  Improper, anti-social or illegal, bullying actions to get what one wants is what is wrong and must be controlled.

In today's world we have too many that need training and too few to train them. 
Times have changed...  Customs have changed...  Values have changed... 
Peace Keepers are the ones who inherit the problems brought on by lack of training and discipline in the lives of the young generation coming up...  And in the lives of the ones who are intentionally taught to inspire terror and destruction among all the rest of the people to force them to submit to the whims and wills of the ones who are bent on causing destruction in order to rule the lives of others they can frighten and terrorize into submitting to them.

This was not the design of life in the mind of the Creator!!!  Life more abundantly means the intent was for us to receive so much life that it would be more than we need...  And have enough to give life away to others not as fortunate nor as disciplined as the ones who have learned properly and are putting life to proper use.  Evil comes to steal, kill and destroy...  My Eternal Captain came that we could have life by learning from Him and have so much life that we could give life away to others who need it but do not have it.  These are the two ultimate choices in today's world...  Evil and destruction...  Or Life and Abundance!

Evil comes to take away life...

He came to give life more abundantly... 

That is why I fight evil and why I am in the  command of my Commander-In-Chief and the command of my Eternal Captain so that I may give life away.  According to Romans 8, you and I are ministers of good in God's service to and for the people who want good and we are also ministers that execute His wrath upon those who do wrong will not  change...  And Our calling as Peace Keepers is to stop the bad and promote the good!!!
 
This description applies to all Peace Keepers whether we recognize it or not...  Whether we are disciplined and right acting or not...  Whether we have learned and exercise Wisdom or not...  (Wisdom is the ability to rightly apply the knowledge you have gained).  It takes a time of service for us to learn what works and what does not work.  We are constantly adapting new means and new methods that are developed in the crucible of experience.  If we are good, we are growing in wisdom, knowledge and effectiveness.  If we are mediocre, we are often having problems dealing with what we should have learned how to overcome.  Some people last as Peace Keepers and become among the best there is in this world.  Some people do not learn and grow and eventually are disillusioned and quit or are forced out by one problem or another...  And the key to which we become is heart, survival and attitude. 

If we discipline ourselves to learn and grow...  To self-check, evaluate recognize and adjust our attitudes as needed for greater effectiveness and success...  To see to our own education and training even if no one else provides it...  To keep ourselves fit mentally, physically and spiritually...  And to habitually do this all of the time whether on duty or not...  We will become one of those most effective Peace Keepers that the whole world is in need of!  If we do not learn to do all of these things ourselves we will not ever reach that epitome of effectiveness.

The first purpose of Man according to the foundations of Christianity and Faith is to recognize God and worship Him.  The second purpose of Man, as far as I am concerned, is to learn all useful knowledge and learn how to put it to use.  Wisdom is knowing how to use and rightly apply what you have learned for the benefit of yourself and others in living, being peaceful and keeping the peace.

The reason for the condition of the world today is because it has become dominated by those who wish good only for themselves and the only good they are seeking is pleasant feeling, much treasure and control over everyone who can contribute to their wealth, power or control.

Peace Keepers, by our oath we are committed to opposing this world dominating attitude wherever we are and whenever we have the opportunity.  We do this by patrol, observation and response to intelligence that tells us where and when something needing our attention is happening.

The general attitude of the world with which we must deal is that each one is right in his own eyes and every one else who does not agree with them is wrong...  Yet even in the face of evidence and proof, they will still maintain that they are right and the Peace Keeper should find someone else to which to give their attention.   Al-Qaeda says we have a right to Iraq, leave us alone...  The Taliban says we have a right to Afghanistan, leave us alone,   The speeder says there are drunks who need your attention, leave me alone.  The drunk says there are murderers who need your attention, leave me alone.  The murderer says I don't know what you are talking about, I did not do it, leave me alone.  It is the same with all people who do not want to be peaceful and submit to law and peace keeping.  If this were not so we would have no wars and would not have every kind of lawbreaking in our societies...  Yet knowing all of this my Eternal Captain came here, lived, taught and sacrificed to give us life abundantly and now stands by to see what we will do with His gift and His offer.  I have not found any duty in peace keeping that I could not perform and still belong to Him.

Even if no other Peace Keeper believes in or agrees with what I am saying here, I still must say it.  It comes from 47 1/2 years of experience in every kind of crisis in which man can be involved.  In all of my experience, my Eternal Captain has led me and kept me able to serve and effectively function in all circumstances.  Today I am shut in from serving on the field because a different area of responsibility takes priority.  My 1st priority is to worship my Commander-In-Chief and maintain my relationship with Him wherever I am.  I can do that on the field or any place else.  My 2nd responsibility is to do what I can with what I have where I am and leave the rest to Him or to whomever else is responsible.  If I cannot go out to the field then I am expected to serve to the best of my ability where I am even if that means nothing but prayer, worship, doing Administrative/office work and tending my daughter.  At his stage I must leave service on the field to others.  When my Commander-In-Chief wants or requires my service someplace else, He will provide the way and means to accomplish it by taking care of my daughter or providing someone else to take care of her.

Almost daily I receive the news of the high cost of service in peace keeping to one or more Peace Keepers who went to the field to keep the peace and paid a terrible price of injury or death before the service was complete.  This is one of the costs of maintaining our world as best we are able.  As you go and do, be aware that my Commander-In-Chief and I are intensely aware of what it costs you to serve.  We extend to you our deepest appreciation, thanks and praise for a job well done.  You do your jobs well.  We are eternally appreciative. 

As you go and do...  "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See also to your spiritual needs.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

Donna will be admitted to the hospital Monday, 2/2/10, for more surgery.  A new spot of abscess rose up into the bottom of the wound.  In addition to that spot, I found another tunnel and the two previous tunnels have deepened.  The surgery will be to open the tunnels and remove the abscess and put her back into the treatment the surgeon was using the first two weeks of January that brought so much success.  We are winning this war but it is slow going.  Thanks for the prayers and concern.

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN."  Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL
PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace... it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics...  it means that if the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process.  That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer Virginia Beach Police Dept.,
Senior Chaplain and Administrative Chaplain VBPD,
DCJS Certified Police Instructor,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety) VBPD
Blackwater Alumni
757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
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