Cracked Pottery

Isaiah 46:8, "O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand."

How many items of cracked pottery do you own? Long forgotten terracotta containers in a garden shed, a backyard or garage. Broken over the years but not so much to throw away. I have a clay fire place that I burn wood in once in awhile. Over the years, the continuous heating and cooling of the clay caused cracks to appear. You might call it character, but it will be only a matter of time before it breaks apart. Yet when the fire roars it looks so cool! The flame shoots through the spaces and I don't pay much attention to the brokenness of the container.

Cops see a lot of brokenness in the course of a career. Stuff that stays with you long after an arrest is made, a case is investigated or a body is mended. I can testify to the fact that there is evil in this world and we live in total depravity. More often than not, total depravity links directly to the abuse of drugs and alcohol. It makes no difference if a person is a homeless alcoholic or a teenager addicted to drugs, the effects of abuse become evident over time with every arrest or failed attempt at sobriety. The damage inflicted is greater than what is done to a human body, it destroys relationships; separates us from friends, family and God. Yet even in the darkness of addiction, healing can happen and a spark can ignite the fire of a human soul.

One afternoon, I was using a radar gun down the street from a school and caught a guy driving well over the posted speed limit. The man pulled over and when I got to the driver's side window, the distinctive smell of marijuana wafted from the car. I told the guy I stopped him for speeding and he was more then willing to admit his poor driving. Anything  to take the focus off of the blue haze floating out of his car window. I asked to see his driver's license, registration and proof of insurance. After he handed everything over, I told him, "Now give me the rest of the marijuana you were smoking."

After a moment of surprise and a fleeting attempt to deny he was smoking pot, he handed over a small plastic bag with what was left of the green, leafy substance. I searched his car and noticed a key chain with a trinket shaped like a Tupperware bowl. It was the small white pebble inside that got my attention. It was cocaine. The guy was arrested and went to jail. I managed to turn a traffic infraction into a felony arrest. A good days work.

Months passed and the following year on July 4th, I was walking a foot patrol through a beachside parking lot when a man I did not recognize called to me from a rather nice, fifth wheel camper. It was the man I arrested. He told me that it was because I caught him that he turned his life around. Taking me by the arm, he brought me over to his RV and introduced me to his family. He announced with joy that I was the cop that helped him stopped using drugs. He insisted I sit with him and eat. He was a new man. The scars remained but a light of peace shined in his eyes.

"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."  Job 33:4

I don't know if this man was a believer, but I do know that when the Spirit of God dwells in you, people don't see the imperfections of our exteriors, they see Jesus. It is through our brokenness that God's grace shines through. We are created by God and when filled with the Holy Spirit, it is that light that shines though through the cracks. As the grace and mercy of the Holy Spirit grows in our hearts, the old pottery falls away and people see who we are intended to be in Christ.

Consider the words of 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 and 16-18:

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed - always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

The Big Show

Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way."

The Big Show is a term used in professional baseball when a player makes the roster of a major league team. Only one in 200 high school ball players will ever get this chance. If you were able to accomplish one Big Show moment, what would it be? A promotion? A successfully negotiated contract? A lifetime achievement award? For me, my selection to Deputy Police Chief with only fifteen years of experience was one of those moments.

What if achieving a Big Show moment meant you had to compromise your faith? This blog post tells the story of Terry Davis. Terry is a Christian who did not compromise when his Big Show moment was within reach. He stood in the dugout of success looking out at a major league field. His name was on the roster, it was his turn to bat, the bases were loaded and he was going to hit a grand slam. God told him to leave the dugout and go to the parking lot. Terry obeyed.

Terry is the CEO of Tri-California Events, Inc. (Tri-California) He was the marketing, special events and tourism director with the County of Monterey and started the Wildflower Triathlon in 1983. In 1994, Terry accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and started an event management company with his wife Betsy. In 2000, the Lymphoma Society asked Terry to develop and manage a marathon event to raise money for cancer research. At this point in his career, he was a AAA minor league organizer but that all changed when Nike decided to be the major sponsor of the event. Nike guaranteed that the Lymphoma Society would receive $3,000,000 a year as a major sponsor. The venue for the marathon was in the San Francisco/Bay Area. Terry would become a major league player in the event management world. Many are called, few are chosen.

Planning began in earnest. Terry worked with vendors, government organizations and Nike executives to build an event to exceed everyone's expectations. In the middle of getting all the pieces in place, he received an e-mail from the Nike marketing group wanting to put a female twist on the event naming it the Nike Goddess Marathon. Terry read the message and his heart stopped cold. This was a sports event to help people with lymphoma and a woman battling cancer does not feel like a goddess.

Terry had invested a lot of time and energy into planning the event and knew this would change the course of his career. Yet Terry was a Christian first. He followed the one, true God; not a Greek deity.  Terry said, "My God doesn't want me to work for a goddess." He sent an e-mail recommending Nike to change the name of the event with all his reasons. Nike reps responded and indicted they were going to keep the name.

Terry told God that he wanted to do the event. God told him no. He sent a letter to Nike respectfully stepping down as race director; explaining his concerns about the name of the event and that as a Christian, he would not compromise his faith. He wrote that he would assist with the transition to a different event organizer. He was at peace.

In the weeks that followed, Terry visited all of the people, government agencies and vendors explaining why he stepped down. He shared the faith he had in Christ and people could not believe he would walk away from the money, the prestige and the fame.  Terry listed to God not the world.  Three weeks later, Nike marketing dropped Goddess from the event name, seemingly agreeing with Terry it was not a good choice of a title. It was renamed the Nike Women’s Marathon.

This was not the end of the story. Three months after the race, Nike would ask Terry back to organize the 2001 event. Without Goddess in the name, Terry was comfortable that he could honor God with the event.  He has done so ever since. Standing firm in faith allowed Terry to share the hope he has in Christ with countless people. 

 

There is no compromise, we are called to share our faith and incorporate it into our business lives. With each opportunity to tell people about the meaning of the resurrection of Christ, we chip away at the stone of unbelief. Terry continues to sow seeds of faith in the triathlon marathon and event business community witnessing and helping people to become totally committed to Jesus Christ along the way.

Where is God calling you to step out in faith in your workplace?
 

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On January 8, 2013, Terry lost his oldest son Nick in a solo motorcycle accident at Westmont College.  This post is in the memory of Nick Davis. Pray for Terry and his family that they are comforted as they deal with the loss of Nick.  For more information  go to nickdavismemories.com .

And then there was Sunday.

This week I attended the memorial service for Detective Sergeant Butch Baker and Detective Elizabeth Butler. Two Santa Cruz Police Officers gunned down last week by a suspect in a misdemeanor sexual assault case. 7,000 people representing countless law enforcement offices, fire departments, politicians and community members gathered at the HP Pavilion in San Jose to remember the lost, comfort the living and to be encouraged in faith.

 
Butch leaves behind a wife, two daughters and a son. He was months from retirement after serving over thirty years as a police officer. His son is just beginning his career as a Santa Cruz Police Officer and now follows in his father's footsteps. I watched this young man bury his head in his white gloved hands as a recording of a dispatcher called his dad's radio call sign three times with no response. It ended with the dispatcher broadcasting, "Detective Sergeant Loran "Butch" Baker, end of watch February 26, 2013." My heart was broken.

Elizabeth leaves behind her partner and father of their two small boys. Her five-year-old son wore his mother's police hat during the service. His father brought him to the stage and asked him if he wanted to say hi to the crowd. A small voice simply said, "Hi." My heart was broken again.

The best story of the day was about when Elizabeth got her first search warrant. Guided by a senior detective, Elizabeth wrote her probable cause for the warrant, got it reviewed by a member of the District Attorney's Office and found a judge who was willing to sign off on the document. She waited in the back of a courtroom until the judge called her into his chambers. The judge, a very thorough and serious man, read through the warrant and raised his right hand so Elizabeth could attest to the information it contained. Elizabeth, in turn, gave the judge a high five! The judge had a look of surprise and shock, the senior detective was horrified and Elizabeth stood there with a big grin on her face, pumped that the judge shared her enthusiasm and triumph!

This was, unfortunately, one of only a few moments of laughter in what I can only describe as a terrible day. The pastor officiating the service closed the memorial by commenting on how the tragedy of the past ten days is reflective of what happened on Good Friday. As Elizabeth and Butch were murdered by an evil man, so Christ was put to death on a cross by evil people who conspired and plotted against him. All innocents; all murdered; leaving us to question why bad things happen to good people. And then there was Sunday...

In the darkness of grief, loss and confusion; a light shined on Easter Sunday. Jesus Christ was resurrected. Raised from the dead, triumphing over evil. It is in this resurrection that we find hope. That all things will be renewed and loved ones lost through death will be reunited. It is in this hope that healing begins.

The service ended and three columns of law enforcement and fire personnel lined the street for blocks to say a final goodbye to Butch and Elizabeth. Taps sounded in the distance and we stood at attention as Butch and Elizabeth, the families and the entire Santa Cruz Police Department left the arena in silence. Only the sound of first responder helicopters flying over in tribute was heard.

It is my prayer that both Butch and Elizabeth will meet Jesus face to face. This time, Elizabeth will high five Jesus not because she has to take an oath, but because both Jesus and Elizabeth share the enthusiasm and triumph of conquering death and knowing peace that surpasses all understanding.

Pray with me that their families and colleagues left behind will find comfort from the loved ones that surround them and that the Holy Spirit will guide them to find peace in the midst of suffering.

"Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves." 1 Corinthians 13:7

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4

A Soldier's Story

1 John 1:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

I am truly blessed to be part of a fellowship of men who serve in the U.S. military. All are officers representing each branch of the armed services. I am amused that the same ribbing between  the police and fire professions exists between the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines (when they can keep up of course). Our group gathers every Thursday for lunch at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey to talk about a passage from scripture, to share about our journey of faith and to encourage each other as husbands and fathers. For me, it is one of the most connected fellowships of men I have ever experienced.

This blog post is about how the group began. It is a story about what happens when you ask God to grow your faith and to realize that how He answers is never exactly what you expect. This is a story about Chu. 

Matthew 7:7, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Chu is a man after God's heart. He reads scripture daily, is the father to two young sons and is a committed husband. He attends Shoreline Community Church weekly, sitting in the second row of the stadium seats, stage right. I spotted Chu one particular Sunday when I was singing on the worship team. He was not hard to miss as I looked out at the congregation. He is built like a linebacker and takes up three seats during worship because he extends his arms wide to receive the blessing of music. He totally engages in worship and the Holy Spirit prompted me to introduce myself and invite him to join the choir. 

Shoreline Community Church is a big congregation and it took a few weeks before I was able to move through the crowd and catch up to him. I suppose it was not very fair to my "new friend" that a stranger would walk right up to him after church, introduce himself and say, "I really think you should sing in the church choir!" Chu was understandably caught off guard. His wife was not. She began to laugh and gave him the, "So what are you waiting for?" look.

He turned me down flat.

Jonah 1:3, "But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord."

It is true that he tried to run but not before I found out that he was a student at NPS. The Holy Spirit was not going to take "no" for an answer so I went to Plan B. 

"No problem. I am starting a men's bible study at NPS and you can help me lead the group! When can we get together for lunch?"

It is important to understand that Chu was praying for God to give him an opportunity to get more involved at church. I showed up the day after he knocked on God's door. Like Jonah before him, Chu stopped resisting and agreed to be part of the group. And so what started with two guys meeting for lunch turned into a group of 12 men laughing together at the absurdities of the life, holding each other accountable and walking together as brothers in Christ.

Chu asked, God answered. I was seeking fellowship and I found Chu. Chu knocked, I opened the door.

In two months, Chu will graduate from NPS and along with him Chris, Josh, Ray and Ken. They will leave Monterey and continue their military serve throughout the world to keep us safe and to protect our freedoms. More importantly, they will go out as Christians; men of faith to shine the light in this dark world. My heart is full of sadness that our adventure of faith is going to end. I will continue to pray for them even though we will no longer join together each Thursday at high noon.

Luke 10:1-2, "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"

What is God calling you to do? Who is he prompting you to reach out to and fellowship with?

The Second Mile

Everyone has a detractor; a person who works to undermine your efforts. It might be a peer who gossips about you. Bosses who use their influence to impact your career negatively. A partner who takes credit for your work or manipulates circumstances to make you look like the problem. The Bible is filled with stories of people (and groups of people) who stood against men and women of faith.

Ezra (Chapters 3 and 4) chronicles the effort by the Nation of Israel to rebuild the temple of God following the Babylonian captivity. They had a great start and at moment they placed the final stone in the foundation; God’s people made such a loud, joyful noise that is could be heard for miles. Others living in the region were not so joyful. In fact, they went out of their way to make Israel stop the project from completion. “Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.” (Ezra 4:4-5) They managed to delay the project for 16 years!

Consider Joseph (Genesis 38, 39-41), a man blessed by God and yet sold into slavery by his brothers, accused of sexual assault by Pharaoh’s wife, and left to rot in prison. Joseph would sit in custody for years and yet, in spite of the jealousy and scheming of many, he would later be the number 2 man in Egypt. He would use his management skills to save Egypt, his family and the people of Israel from famine.

Many years ago, I worked for a supervisor who micromanaged and challenged every decision I made. He spun everything to his advantage. If there was a success, it was due to his leadership and skill. If there was a failure, it was someone else’s fault. He was politically savvy and willing to act in his own best interest regardless of how it impacted his rivals or subordinates. The best option for me was to be out of the office but my job required me to work from a desk. To escape this king (notice the lower case k), I made a deal with a local motel owner where drug dealing and other street crimes were the norm. The owner let me set up a room as my office. I could plug into the internet via an Ethernet cable (no Wi-Fi back then) and get stuff done. Call it an early version of a sub-station. I got a place to work in peace and he had a cop car in his parking lot. Criminal activity slowed down in the neighborhood…imagine that.

One toxic leader or co-worker can devastate individuals and teams. The higher they go in an organization, the more negatively that will impact a workplace. It becomes difficult to be positive, to work hard and to do your job when there is little appreciation for what you do. There were times in my professional life when I figured out what I made a minute and watched a clock as a method to cope with a toxic workplace. And yet…

It occurred to me one day that God might be calling me to be that last hope for a toxic co-worker to experience forgiveness and mercy. Jesus makes this crystal clear in Matthew 5:38-42, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

These are very difficult words when the “enemy” is in the next cubicle. A thorn in your side that you interact with 40 hours a week, 160 hours a month, 2,080 hours a year (give or take vacation, sick or holiday time off). God called Moses to stand before Pharaoh, Paul before the Sanhedrin and you before a toxic person at work. One axiom my father always reminded me of when I was frustrated was this, “Your employer owes you a paycheck; you owe your employer a good day’s work.”

If you are in a tough working environment consider this: Your employer owes you a paycheck; you owe your employer a grace day’s work. What is a grace day’s work? It means to do your job not only to exceed the standards and expectations of your position but to do your job beyond what is expected or anticipated even when it’s “just not fair”. It is to be patient and kind; to not be envious; to eliminate pride and boasting about your work; not to be angry or keep a record of wrongs; to protect; to trust; to hope. In this way, you will be a testimony of the grace God gave to you when He died on the cross and for you to become a light in this dark world. It may be that it is your work testimony that leads your boss to salvation.

My God bless you in this New Year and may He show you the wonders of His creation in your workplace.