Occupy Jerusalem

The Occupy Wall Street movement started when the Canadian editor of an anti-consumerism magazine proposed the occupation of Wall Street on September 17, 2011. His call to action went viral and spawned a worldwide movement. Groups representing the “99%” protested a variety of causes and many engaged in criminal behavior causing millions of dollars of property damage. These protesters required public safety agencies to clear encampments; make arrests and restore order. Media reports spun the movement as representing the economically trampled on one hand or as anarchists trying to take over the world on the other. I saw firsthand in San Francisco how a small group of people disrupted communities and disrespected people who chose not to be part of their movement.

Behind it all is a man not really interested in meaningful reform proclaiming, “We will wreck the world.” He and his followers are self described anarchists. His first act of defiance was to jam a quarter into a shopping cart dispensing machine in a Canadian supermarket parking lot rendering it inoperable. “I didn’t stop to analyze whether this was ethical or not. I just let my anger flow.” What followed was a philosophy that espoused the hatred of big business in any form. “Let your anger out. When it wells up suddenly from deep in your gut, don’t suppress it -- channel it, trust it, use it. Don’t be so unthinkingly civil all the time. Rage drives revolutions.”

With the beginning of Lent, we celebrate and remember a very different Occupy movement in Jerusalem. Occupy Jerusalem took place 2,000 years ago on what we call Palm Sunday. Matthew 21 describes it this way, “The disciples…brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?’ The crowds answered, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.’”

This “occupy” movement started with one man and twelve apostles. This was no call to anarchy but a call to repentance. Jesus would unite God to man on the cross and break the power of sin. If Jesus and his followers were part of the 1%, it was only to reach the 99% that were perishing. Where one man called followers to anarchy to, “wreck the world,” Jesus called people, by grace, to be saved through faith.

1 John 4:4-6, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”

John 1: 1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Chef Stories – God Stories: A Wedding Menu with a Prayer

Imagine standing at the altar of a church on your wedding day with your bride ready to take vows as husband as wife. Without warning, the back door of the church opens and in marches a group people led by an angry looking woman. They march into the sanctuary, down the aisle and up to the altar. The woman climbs the steps and announces to the bride, “He’s still married to me!” She rounds on the groom thrusting court papers at him states, “And you’re served.”

This happened in Santa Barbara and my cops responded to sort the mess out. The wedding went on as planned with an police officer standing in as one of the groom’s men to keep the peace! Not a good start to a lifetime of happiness. Most wedding plans don’t include a strategy to call the police. Wedding plans do include food as part of the marriage celebration. If you call Belleci’s Catering on the Monterey Peninsula in California you will get a lot more than a fancy dinner. Andy and his wife, Terrie, are Christians that live out their faith in their workplace. Cooking is more than a business; it is a means to ministry. This might not be a cop story, but it is an amazing story of faith, forgiveness and how the Spirit of God calls us to ministry and, through us, changes lives forever. The food is really good too!

In 1975, Andy and Terrie were on the verge of getting divorced. Terrie started going to church at a local Catholic parish and talked Andy into joining her on a marriage encounter weekend. Andy was not a regular church attendee but he went to confession during the retreat for the first time in many years. He told the priest not to get his hopes up because he had no intention of returning to the faith because of one weekend. The priest was patient, told Andy there was no pressure and Andy gave his confession. Later on, Andy was by himself completing an exercise where he wrote a letter to his wife telling her everything that was on his mind. In the middle of writing this letter, Andy felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way that was nothing like he had ever felt before. All the anger, resentment and unwillingness to forgive his wife fell away. A short time later, Terrie showed up and Andy said, “It’s over.” Terrie started to panic and Andy was quick to explain what that meant. In a few months, Andy and Terrie will celebrate 45 years of marriage.

Andy’s reputation as a chef is well known, however; he does not see his popularity as a culinary master (My assessment!) as worth anything. Andy watches people spend thousands of dollars and countless hours preparing for their wedding day and very little time learning how to communicate. “I don’t want to be popular; I want to see marriages flourish.” When Andy meets a couple to plan their menu, he always asks this question, “Oh by the way, have you done any pre-marital counseling?” Andy takes the time to tells his story. He shares the hope he has in Christ and how God saved his marriage. Over the years, Andy and Terrie provided marriage “tutoring” for free to hundreds of couples. Catering is more than a job, it is a means to ministry.

Andy’s ministry does not stop at planning a menu and offering marriage tutoring. He is intentional about gathering with the husband and wife together during the reception for the single purpose of praying a blessing over the couple. Andy recognizes that throughout scripture the offering of a blessing is a message of hope. It is something we are not accustomed to doing in our culture today. He only takes a few minutes, but for Andy, it is the proper dessert for a commitment for a lifetime. “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6: 24-26)

Missing the Point

Downtown Santa Barbara is a maze of walkways, one way streets, pedestrian malls, shops and restaurants. It is a popular area for petty criminals who move in and out of parking lots, municipal parks and other gathering spots to panhandle, drink alcohol, sell and use drugs or steal. The skill of a cop is measured by the ability sneak up on people while in uniform. I made it a practice walk through these areas and get the drop on crooks engaged in illegal activity. My goal, make the downtown as unwelcome as possible for scofflaws.

One afternoon, I made my way into a parking lot off State Street using a fence and cars to conceal my approach. I spotted a group of four people huddled between two parked cars, passing a joint between them. I got close enough to smell the scent of burning marijuana and was about ten yards away before they figured out they were getting busted. One of the four took off on a dead run. The race was on.

The good thing about a pot smoker is that they lose wind quickly especially if they get caught in the middle of getting high. The guy lasted about a block and gave up when he saw I was closing the gap. It turned out he was 14. I put the cuffs on and walked him back to my car. I knew the three guys he was with and asked why he was hanging around with adults. He told me they were the friends he hung out with when he skipped class. Driving to the station, I learned that he lived in Montecito, a very wealthy area of Santa Barbara, and this kid lacked nothing. He talked about the electric car his parents bought for him to drive around their property. It was clear that this was just a teenage kid hanging around with 20 something druggies.Why?

After we got to the station, I put him in a holding room and called his parents. It took a while for Mom and Dad to arrive so I got to talk to him at length. I realized that he had every financial advantage but was ignored by his parents. They didn’t spend time with him. The result, he had the cash to buy dope and “friends” that were more then happy to spend the quality time with him that he was looking for. This was true, of course, until he got arrested.

I left the boy in the holding room and went to finish up the paperwork. One of my partners walked by and recognized the last name. He began telling me about the various businesses the parents owned in Santa Barbara and how they were “very important” in the community. I told him I didn’t care who they were or what they owned, they were lousy parents.

So what to do? I was not going to be confrontational or disrespectful but I was not going to keep quiet. It did not matter if they liked what I had to say, this was a kid at risk. Mom and Dad arrived and I told them who their son was with, what he was doing and the consequences that he faced. I made this statement, “I think what your son needs right now is some love and attention.” 

The Mom paused for a moment and asked with all seriousness, “Do you think a boarding school is in order?”

If there was a misdemeanor Bad Parenting law on the books, I would have scratched her a ticket on the spot. Press hard, three copies. FAIL.

In Mark 9, and in contrast to Bordering School Mom, a desperate father asked Disciples of Christ to heal his son tormented by an evil spirit. The spirit rendered the child mute, causing him to convulse, foam at the mouth, gnash his teeth and fall to the ground rigid. The Disciples could not heal the boy and were arguing with the “teachers of the law” when Jesus showed up.

I think that two things were going on at this moment. First, we have a father hoping that the Disciples of Christ would heal his son where doctors could not. Second, the Disciples and teachers were more interested in debating whether or not the condition was caused by the sins of the family rather than figuring out how to help the child. Jesus rebuked the group for being an unbelieving generation. The father asked Jesus to heal his son but hedged by adding “If you can…”

"'If I can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (9:23-24) Jesus healed the boy. The disciples asked Jesus why they could not drive out the evil spirit. Jesus told them that kind of evil can only be driven out by prayer.

Missing the point is nothing new. We can get wrapped up arguing about procedures and rules or become so self focused that we are incapable of compassion, forgiveness or mercy. We cause CHAOS (Christian Has Arrived On Scene). Are we part of the next unbelieving generation or do we stand firm in faith, living the gospel each day as a witness to the world that we get the point?

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14

Behind the Badge – Other Duties as Assigned

Ever hear the words, “Other duties as assigned”? In police work, this happens more often than not. Cops respond to 911 calls for service that don’t have anything to do with law enforcement. “Other duties” might be as mundane as returning a lost wallet to an owner or as heart stopping as delivering a baby! It might not be what we signed up for, but a call to 911 can certainly lead to a temporary “calling” as a marriage counselor, a doctor or a pastor. There will always be “other duties as assigned” moments along a journey of faith. You might even be tempted to say, “I didn’t sign up for this!” But living your faith in ways that are beyond belief is what we are called to do. Jesus said time and again, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

During the month of November 2004, my in-laws suffered the loss of three family members in separate incidents: a wife, a brother-in-law and a nephew. The family plot was in New Hampshire and because it was the dead of winter, the ground was frozen and no burial was possible. The family had to wait until spring to hold a memorial service. A few months into the new year, my brother-in-law called to ask if I would be willing to officiate the service. I said yes.

So how would I lead a memorial service? This would be my first. I asked a few pastors and learned that there was a Pastor’s Bible that had outlines and suggested scriptures for every possible service or event. I also learned that every denomination had traditions, practices and procedures that were very different for putting people to rest. This was going to be more challenging than I thought. It was when I called my good friend, Pastor Tom, that I got the answer I needed. Tom said, “A memorial service has three parts: Remember those who died, comfort the living and preach Christ resurrected.” I could do that!

In April 2005, we gathered at the family plot in New Hampshire. I led a group of 20 or so in singing Amazing Grace and followed the advice of Pastor Tom. I shared how Jesus died on the cross for our sin and the hope we have in his resurrection. It went great. The service ended and the immediate family stayed for the internment. The grave yard attendant came over and uncovered a hole four feet by three feet. I could see there were three small concrete crypts into which he would place each urn. The mood was sad as each one was lowered into place. As the attendant reached across the hole to place the last urn, he lost his balance, dropped my nephew and fell in!

The group went dead silent (pun intended). The poor guy was trying to hold himself up and get out by pushing up on one of the crypts. This was not going to work as his thighs were resting on the edge of the hole and his feet were sticking up in the air at a forty-five degree angle. The only way out for him would be to crawl in the hole, get on his feet and climb out. Now being the only public safety professional in the group I did what my duty called me to. I had a camera in my pocket and everything inside me said, “Take a picture, take a picture, take a picture!” What to do? Help the guy or snap the photo?

The truth of the matter is that my compassion for graveyard guy outweighed my desire to capture a really funny moment with a camera. I grabbed the guy by his ankles and was able to give him the leverage he needed to push himself out of the hole. I asked if he wanted me to place the last urn and he said yes. So there I was, Mike the Graveyard Attendant. Other Duties as Assigned.

So I managed to remember those who passed, comforted the living, preached Christ resurrected and helped a guy out of a grave. I think God gave me the opportunity to offer a visual representation to go along with my resurrection message.

Press Hard, Three Copies

Proverbs 18:2, “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.”

I think this verse should be printed on the bottom of every citation issued for traffic violations. The kinds of excuses people come up with in the attempt to get out of a ticket are endless. You could probably recite them as well as I could. I remember giving an elderly woman ticket for speeding and her parting comment to me was, “I hope your grandmother gets a ticket today!”

If you’ve never gotten a traffic ticket, you should know that the citation has three copies: one to the violator, one to the issuing law enforcement agency and one to the court. “Press hard, three copies,” is a typical instruction given to a violator, especially when they want to argue with the officer at the driver’s side window. Signing a ticket is not an admission of guilt. If you refuse to sign, you go to jail.

I think issuing traffic tickets is like working as a sales associate. You make the pitch, overcome objections, close the sale and get the signature on the contract. Ok…I admit that I have a 100% close rate without trying but I always try to get a “Thank you” with every citation. The “Thank you” is my customer satisfaction measure of success.

I use a reverse fast food approach when writing tickets. Instead of asking the Up Sell question, “Do you want fries with that?” I point out all the traffic violations the person committed (there is always more than one) when I stop them and explain, “I will only write you for one.” This approach generally diffuses the tension and makes it a little more palatable for the violator. I am guided by Proverbs 15: 1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

I once spotted a guy speeding down a residential street and in catching up to him, watched him run a stop sign. This conversation followed:

“Hi, I am Officer Aspland. I stopped you for speeding.”

“Yes, I was going too fast.”

“You also ran the stop sign back there before I pulled you over.”

“Yep, I did that too.”

“I’ll tell you what. I will only write you for one, you pick.”

The guy looked at me a little confused and asked which one was cheaper. I told him the speed violation. He thinks for a moment and says: “Ok, write me a ticket for speeding … What am I saying!” I wrote the citation and when I gave him his copy he said, “Thank you … I guess.” Another satisfied customer! (Proverbs 16:24, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”)

Romans 13 talks about governing authorities and some suggest it’s the police officer’s creed, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities exist because they have been established by God…For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.” My job is to hold people accountable for their actions while finding the balance between justice and mercy. I recognize that how I do my job is a testimony of my faith in Jesus Christ.

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalms 90:17

What passages from scripture guide you when you are at work?

Peace in the Midst of Terror

The Will to Survive is a mantra taught to police officers early in their careers. It is a mindset to prepare for the moment when you will fight for your life. There are times when your will is not enough. Where the will of man ends, faith begins. Hebrews 11 starts with this observation: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The chapter goes on to describe how people like Noah, Abraham, Joseph and Moses all lived by faith in circumstances where their own will made no difference. We all have moments like this when the only thing to do is submit to God and trust that He will guide and protect us. As you read this story, consider the following scriptures:

Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” 

Psalm 57:1 “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” 

Psalm 91:9-12 “The LORD is my refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 

Andrew is a Federal Fight Deck Officer and a pilot for a major airline flying 777 aircraft all over the world. On March 11, 2010 at 3:00 in the afternoon he was waking up in his hotel room in Tokyo, Japan when the room began to rock and roll. A California resident, Andrew took the earthquake in stride. He figured it would last a few seconds and stop. He began moving around the room to get dressed and ready for his flight to Hawaii. The problem was the shaking did not stop.

Andrew looked out the 12th story window of a 37 floor hotel and down toward the pool. The 20 x 40 foot pool was three quarters empty with water spilled everywhere. The shaking became more and more violent. He turned his attention to the Tokyo skyline and saw countless 40 and 50 story buildings moving in ways that he describes as “grotesque.” Andrew was in the middle of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.

His room was shaking to the point that he could not stand steady without grabbing onto something. Wood began to splinter and cracks appeared in the walls. It sounded like a tree falling at the point you would yell timber. He was scared but did not panic. In the violence of movement, Andrew moved to the place that he believed was the most sturdy, the doorway of his room. “I knew in my mind it was absurd but I did it anyway. I had to do something.” 

The hotel continued to shake. He watched two Japanese maids in the hallway, running in circles and screaming in terror. Their cries of fear stay with him even today. The stucco was now falling off the walls. He heard the sound of steel popping and grinding. The girders holding up the building groaned making, “obscene noises you have never heard in your life.” Andrew knew that if the building did not collapse, it was likely that it would rock and slam into an adjacent building, falling like a domino. He believed he was facing his death and figured a cadaver dog would find his body in the rubble of the building. 

And yet, in the midst of this tempest, Andrew found himself at peace. He did not fear death. A follower of Christ, Andrew talked to God. “Thanks for a good life Lord. Please take care of my wife and family. Your will be done.” The prayer was simple and short. 

After five minutes of shaking, the earthquake stopped. The building stood and Andrew was not dead. Now his will to survive kicked in. The evacuation training practiced time and again as a pilot was automatic. He grabbed the screaming maids, gathered other guests on the floor and led the group out of the hotel. At one point during the escape, he found himself telling people in a calm, reassuring tone: “Come this way. Come this way.” He realized that he stood facing the group, motioning to people using hand signals as if he was evacuating an airplane. It was a funny moment in the midst of the tragedy. 

When Andrew shared this story with me I told him that God answered his prayer. God protected Andrew and delivered him home to take care of his wife and family. I know that in the midst of disasters, natural or not, God dwells with us. I close with a the following passage from 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”