No Tears for the Fallen

There are two professions in which the practitioners understand full well that they may not return home from their tour of duty alive, soldiers during wartime and police officers. These brave men and women that wear the law enforcement badge upon their chests know full well their next call may be their last. Yet, they are willing and able to protect and serve the public at the risk of their own lives. I served for 29 years in a Milwaukee County suburb and the only time I ever shot my firearm was during training. Every day I prayed that God would guide my mind and body to take whatever action was necessary to protect the public. I prayed that if I was put in a position to use any type of force, I would be guided to use no more than what was lawful and necessary. Law enforcement officers are highly trained, skilled in more than just the use of firearms and are dedicated to placing their lives before those they are called to protect and serve, even those who break the law. Now those who put themselves in harms’ way to protect society are in the crosshairs of those that seek to gain political advantage over tragedies that deeply sadden decent citizens. President Obama’s first chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said it best when he declared that no crisis should go to waste.

No law enforcement officer begins his or her tour of duty with intent to cause anyone harm, no matter what color their skin is. To intimate otherwise is propagating a bald faced lie. As in any part of society, some people fall through the cracks, but 99.9% of the 800,000 law enforcement officers in the US treat everyone they meet with respect and want every contact with citizens to end peaceably. As I read the news stories today I am saddened by so many that are rejoicing that at least five Dallas Police officers were gunned down, simply because they wear the uniform and the color of their skin was white. During a peaceful protest, the officers assigned to keep the peace were executed by an assailant that was angered over some recent police shootings. Realize that the incidents are still under investigation and if the officers involved committed a crime they will be held accountable, yet due to the incendiary rhetoric from the left, this depraved individual felt compelled to commit these heinous crimes.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear. They encourage each other in evil plans. They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the human mind and heart are cunning. But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; Psalm 64:2-5,7-8

What has become of our democracy? Evildoers use the freedoms granted by our constitution to create havoc and push our nation towards anarchy. Satan and his minions like Saul Alinsky, should be proud of the bitter hatred that is overcoming our society. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t make our country right again. Pre-judging police interactions with persons of color by our commander in chief simply emboldens those who choose to hate and harm our great democracy. As President Obama now tries to pick up the pieces over the dead bodies of five of our finest with his fine rhetoric at their funerals, it is too little, too late. He has fueled the fire beyond human abilities to quench it. The only way to bridge this societal upheaval is to turn to God. It is always when we think that we have the ability to fix problems of our own accord is when we spiral out of control. The experiment called the “Great Society”, put into place to end poverty, has been an abject failure, trapping so many African Americans into decaying inner cities, enabling men to father, then abandon their children, and pushing God out of their families. A return to God is in order, lest we continue our fall into the abyss.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:28-32

Pray fervently that we come to see the error of our ways before it is too late to turn back. Pray for each and every law enforcement officer that the Lord protects them, as they in turn put their lives on the line to protect us. And finally, pray that those who come into contact with police simply comply, rather than try to escalate situations, based on false pretenses, that would otherwise end peacefully.

Everybody is Doing It!

Guest Post by Sandy Kriefall

I commute to 37th and Juneau Avenue to go to work. A part of that drive each day is down side streets of Milwaukee. One of the first things that caught my attention as I drove to and from work was the number of people who run red lights. I was shocked that when the light turned yellow, not one but two or more cars also went through the now very red light. I have watched countless cars, busses, and trucks fly through intersections after the light has clearly turned red. Everybody seems to be doing it. I was so conscious of it that for a while I actually made a game of counting the number of red light offenders per trip. As time went on, I no longer paid attention to cars pushing red lights; it became a common part of everyday life.

One of the characteristics of sin is that we know it is wrong. When we see it happening around us, initially we are amazed and pay attention to it. We can’t believe someone would actually do that! The Holy Spirit can communicate to our conscience and we heed the voice. But the danger of living in a sinful world is that eventually we become dulled to the sin around us. It is no longer shocking, if you see it enough it becomes a part of everyday life. That voice no longer whispers in our ear and we accept that sinful behavior as a common way of life.
 
One day I was running late and the light turned yellow. In a split second I had to make the choice to stop or to push the light like I see so many others do. Why shouldn’t I go through too, it would get me to my destination a minute or two earlier. There were no cars near the intersection and there were no officers in sight. I quickly looked in my rear view mirror to make sure no one was behind me, and I made the split second decision to stop. I was very tempted to go through the yellow light that would probably be red by the time I reached the crosswalk but something in my head said ”just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t make it right”.

One of the hardest challenges in living a Christian life is to live with integrity in all situations. The problem is that if you do something once, it makes it easier to do it twice and soon that little voice in your ear fades away and the sinful behavior becomes a way of life you no longer notice. Another example is if we are frequently exposed to an environment where people commonly use foul language, it is easy to pick up words here and there and at some point we don’t even notice the swear words spewing out of our own mouth. It has become normal and by doing it we fit in. The devil enjoys it when Christians act worldly, because it blurs the lines between Christians and non-Christians and makes those who profess to be Christians look like hypocrites.

When we make a conscious effort to not follow the norm of this world but to do what we know is right, even when it is not popular to do so, it is not easy. But it is then that something inside you begins to change. Your sensitivity to sin becomes heightened and you become more capable of making a choice to do the right thing. If a police officer is in view, most of those people wouldn’t go through the red light like they do when no one of authority sees them. But when you make the choice to do what is right no matter if you are alone or in the view of others it transforms your character. When this happens, the Holy Spirit’s voice becomes more noticeable and can guide you when you are not sure of what choice to make and it will strengthen you to do avoid the patterns of this world even when everyone is doing it.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Love thy Neighbor

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, told us to “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” This simple command was so important that it was repeated in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Our Lord teaches that it is the second most important command for God’s people to obey. So, why is it so difficult a task to master? We are by nature selfish beings and since birth we have demanded constant nurturing and attention. Placing anyone else before our own personal wants and desires is contrary to one’s human nature. But, if we try to succeed in this task alone, we are destined to fail. It is only through Christ, that we can accomplish this charge. In John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” When we foolishly try to accomplish these things of our own volition, pushing away the Lord, placing one’s self above Him, is when we will fall short.


To truly love someone is to place them before one’s self. We attend to our loved one’s needs, trying to anticipate their desires, and to fulfill them, even before taking care of ourselves. The object of our love becomes our soul reason for living. This is how our love should be directed at our Lord. When our love is directed to our Lord it completes us. Our Lord loves us so much that He wants to have a full relationship with us. Everything we have, ourselves, our time, and our possessions, are gifts from God. This entire world was created for us by our Father. His love for us is unending. Our Lord gave everything for us, including His life. In the ultimate act of tough love, He sent His only begotten Son to earth as a mortal human being, to suffer and die in our stead. Every piece of flesh torn from our Lord’s body was done so that we would not have to endure the eternal punishment that we so rightly deserve. This was done out of His unconditional love for us. Every sin He carried to the cross belonged to each one of us. Then as our Lord hung on the cross, bleeding and dying, God terminated His relationship with Jesus, leaving Him to die alone with the awful burden of our sins. But, out of that depth of desolation sprang our salvation. Because Jesus suffered the penalty for our sins, died in our place, and was victorious over death, we can now have eternal life with Him.

This salvation is offered freely. We need only to accept, believe and love our Lord. His love for us is beyond all human understanding. Why then is it so difficult to love our neighbors? Why can’t we lift up our brothers and sisters in prayer and in service? Why is it so difficult to speak out for our Lord, who loves us so deeply? With everything God has done for us we should not have to think twice before answering the Spirit’s call and place our neighbor before ourselves. With God’s help, we should strive to reach out to those that need assistance, not only with the physical world, but especially for their spiritual health and well being. The Lord said in Matthew 25:36 “The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Many of our brothers and sisters are falling prey to the false doctrine of bound conscience. By not lifting up their voices to stand up for Scripture as it is assaulted and transformed to fit the needs of the secular world, they are acquiescing to that false gospel. If our Lord can suffer and die for us, we should be able to defend His Word against this false teaching. As our Lord loves us, and through His love, we must support God’s Word and open the eyes of those that would continue on the slippery slope of this modern and enlightened society’s new norms that contradict Scripture. Eternity is a long time and speaking out for our Lord to help our neighbors return to the narrow road that leads to salvation, is the very least that we can do.