It could have been my child….That is the though that crosses my mind tonight, as I reflect on the loss of Officer Jillian Smith who served the Arlington, TX Police Department. She was protecting the life of an 11 year old girl from an armed and extremely dangerous perpetrator when she was killed in the line of duty. The man killed the girl’s mother as well. He then turned the weapon on himself, and took his own life. I have…
I have read lots of books on leadership over the years, and for the most part they have been insightful. But theories proposed in books will never be a substitute for real life examples. Today I heard a story that reflects the essence of leadership. The most difficult hours for a police officer working patrol during on nights are from about 4:00 a.m.-6:00 a.m. By that time, even the serious revelers have gone home. As a rule, reports stemming from…
The Battle of the Bulge which began on December 16th, 1944 and continued well into January of 1945 in the Ardennes Forest was the final major German offensive during World War II. The Americans suffered over 70,000 casualties, and some 19,000 deaths during the bloody battle. The fighting of course took place in bitterly cold weather. I recall telling an old WWII Vet several years ago that I had watched the movie: The Battle of the Bulge on television. His…
I enjoy disarming people. I find it to be a challenge. I take pleasure in breaking down the barriers that impede personal interchanges that are genuine. I interact with very polished professional people every single day. They are intelligent and articulate. I consistently learn something from such individuals’. But they can also be full of phony bologna. (In Texas we call phony bologna something else actually…) And that is precisely why there is a need for disarming. When I intermingle…
There is always hope for reconcilation when one party is willing to extend the hand of love and forgiveness. Riding out on a part of a shift with one of the police officers I serve with is always a learning experience. When I rode on a patrol shift recently, the officer was I accompanying took a young man to the county jail for an offense. (I will not disclose the day it occurred or the nature of the infraction for…
This is my second and final rerun blog to complete 2010. I wrote this one almost a year ago, and I still find the thoughts to be challenging. I talk to myself on a very regular basis. But I am not crazy in the least. I know this to be true because I don’t answer myself. My mother always told me that a person is not crazy unless he answers himself. Why would I not believe my own mother? She…
Editor’s Note: I am republishing a couple of my favorite blogs today and tomorrow as the year ends. I originally shared this one in 2009. Life is not Disneyland…. It was a beautiful summer day in 1992. Mom and dad loaded four kids up bright and early, and left the hustle and bustle of life in Dallas for a vacation at Disneyland. Plans were foiled however about fifteen miles southeast of Vernon on Hwy. 287. A car crash left both…
When I did coursework in church history as a graduate student, I was introduced to the term asceticism. The dictionary defines asceticism as: a religious practice of strict discipline and self denial. Based on what I know from history such a definition is not strong enough. When the famous reformer, Martin Luther was a young monk, I am told that ascetic practices led him to be physically self abusive. Unfortunately extreme asceticism has not proven to be a helpful discipline…
This week I am working on a lecture that I am scheduled to deliver in Little Rock, Arkansas in March regarding stress in law enforcement. I am to teach this core training course at the annual Regional Training Seminar for the International Conference of Police Chaplains. I will delve briefly into the concept of post-shooting trauma, but my primary focus will be on the day to day stress of being in law enforcement. One of the principles that I will…
My Christmas Eve passed by safely without meeting any old lovers in the grocery store. And that suits me just fine! Those of my generation will quickly recognize the reference to Dan Fogelberg’s song from 1981: Same Old Lang Syne from the album The Innocent Age. The opening lyrics to the song are as follows: Met my old lover in a grocery storeThe snow was falling Christmas EveStole behind her in the frozen foodsand I touched her on the sleeveShe…