These are the times that try men's souls!

 Presidential Election 2012. Barack Obama wins reelection.  The morning of Tuesday November 6th 2012 the first thing I did was say a prayer.  It went something like this:  

"Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day and the blessing of living in the greatest country this earth has ever known.  It was no mere accident but your divine hand that created this place.  Today a free America elects a President for the next four years, in my heart of heart's I believe Mitt Romney is the best person for the job.  I know that my wishes will not always align with the votes of other free men and I will not always get what I want.  I also know that you have blessed Man with free will, even if that free will causes us to make mistakes. Regardless of the results of our own choices you still remain Lord.  You rule over all of the leaders and kings on earth.  I pray that your righteousness infects whoever wins this election.  I know that you have a plan for all of us and pray that regardless of Romney or Obama, YOUR will and not mine is done.  I pray that America remains in Your favor by its people continuing to choose Love, Charity and Faith and walk with your despite what earthly king rules over them.  I finally pray that you will help me, my family and my countrymen walk with Christ through our time here on earth so that we may dwell with him for eternity.  You are the way, the truth and the light and give my life to you. Amen."

Obama won the election. 

"THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated."  ~ Thomas Paine

I will live my life for Christ!  I will do the best I can to do the best I can, not to earn salvation but to please my God.  Christ has bought and paid for my salvation, it CAN'T be earned. I will try to do good because I LOVE my God...PERIOD.  I will fail more often than I succeed BUT I will not quit!  

CA Propositions 2012 - My Voter's Guide

So after some spirited discussion over the 11 State ballot initiatives on the November 2012 ballot, I came up with the following results.  You should know that while a consensus was reached on most of the initiatives, there were some where at least one person strayed.  A strategy we used on some of the more confusing props, was "When in doubt, Vote it out!" So, here it is:

Proposition 30 - Temporary Taxes to Fund Education/Public Safety   (Consensus - NO)

Proposition 31 - State and Local Government Budget initiative (Consensus - NO)

Proposition 32 - Union dues/payroll deductions for Political Contributions (Consensus - YES)

Proposition 33 - Auto insurance/driver history (Split - YES)

Proposition 34 - Death Penalty Initiative (Split - NO)

Proposition 35 - Human Trafficking/Sex Offenders (Split - YES)

Propostion 36 - Three Strikes Law (Split - NO)

Proposition 37 - Genetically Modified Food Labeling (Consensus - NO)

Proposition 38 - Income Tax Increase for early childhood ed. programs (Consensus - NO)

Proposition 39 - Income Tax increase for Business pertaining to Clean Energy (Consensus - NO)

Proposition 40 - Redistricting State Senate Districts (Consensus - YES)

A Facebook repost from Jake Ebert

Made homebrew today. In advance, I’d like to thank the gov’t for the roads to get me to the store and my teachers for helping me learn to read so I could understand the recipe. (Sorry mom and dad, you did nothing). If the beer is great and I sell it, I’m wondering if the gov’t would let me off the hook for the 40% I owe on every cent of profit. In exchange, I won’t ask the gov’t for reimbursemen

t if the beer is gross and I have to pour it all out. It’s about risk…and yes, I’m going to claim “I built it.” I don’t think I’m “smarter than you” or I “work harder” than you. It’s simply a statement about beer. Lest anyone thinks this is a political statement, I ask that you please don’t take me out of context. And yes, I’m buzzed!

Epic Fail!

The Epic Fail!  It’s become a popular phrase amongst today’s youth, popularized by Katie Perry and other Pop Icons.  The following is from the Urban Dictionary:

Epic- Anything great, spectacular, or large/monumental in nature

Fail- An inability to complete an objective, task or job either assigned or volunteered for.

Epic Fail -A mistake of such monumental proportions that it requires its own term in order to successfully point out the unfathomable shortcomings of an individual or group.

I’m writing this post today to say that failure IS an option.   While reading a book called, “Sifted” I came across a quote by President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.  Not my favorite President for various reasons but nonetheless I found great wisdom in the following quote:

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

Epic Fail! 

General Washington lost many battles throughout the revolution. Epic Fail!

Thomas Edison had many inventions/ideas that did not pan out.  Epic Fail!

Jonah ignored God, a storm threatened to capsize his vessel and all onboard.  He was thrown overboard and swallowed by a giant fish.  Epic Fail!

Failure is often the crucible that forges greatness!  We learn much from our own mistakes and can become better for it.  But more importantly than lessons learned is the mere fact that we truly live by playing the game! 

If we don’t take risks we will never know the joy of success.  We will live a mediocre, bland existence.  God does not want this for our lives.  He wants us to trust in him and push ourselves over our physical, human limits and into the realm of spiritual greatness. 

Think of it this way; if you died today, or years from now looking back at your life, will you do it wondering what could have been?  Wishing you could have done more?  Did your life have purpose?  Did you take risks knowing that it may indeed result in an Epic Fail…or were you afraid to fail?  Did you play it safe, living in the realm of human capabilities or did you risk it and allow Christ to take you far beyond? 

In all honesty I will have my regrets at the end of my life, I think anybody who is being truly honest will.  We can’t live everyday and every moment perfectly.  We don’t have infinite knowledge from the time we are born…..we learn as we go… we learn by living.  I need frequent reminders to live fully.  Today I hope you fail, so that tomorrow you can succeed.  Today I hope you know what it feels like to live!  A life checkered with Epic Fails, will simply be looked back on as being EPIC!

Reflection and Gratitude

 This year May 28th is a special day for me and my family.  Not only is it Memorial Day but this year it happens to fall on my eldest son's 6th birthday.  I'm so grateful for the past six years and the blessings our family have been given.  I find myself fortunate to be able to raise a family in the best country on earth. I firmly believe God had a hand in the creation of this great nation just as he did in bringing Westley into our family.  The creation and maintenance of the United States however did not, and does not come, without a heavy price.  It is our military and their families, through their sacrifice, through their toil and blood that we get to call ourselves: "The land of the free and home of the brave!"  God had a hand in the promise of America, but for those who know God as I do, much of his work is done through his creation....US.  We all must sacrifice if America is to remain a bastion of hope in the world.  We all must instill the principles of honor and respect to our younger generations.  I explained to my son the importance of May 28th this year.  It is his birthday.  A time to be happy and celebrate.  It is also Memorial Day a chance to give thanks and reflect.  At six years old he may get caught up in the whirlwind of festivities but he will continue to grow, knowing the true cost of balloons, cake and presents.  He will be proud to be an American.

Prepare for Impact!

Impact!

We must wake each morning and truly think about who we will impact that day.  It must be conscious decision and not something we leave to chance.  Love is a deliberate act not a passive feeling.  It’s not necessarily easy either.  It becomes easy through repetition. Repetition makes it habit.  Like training a muscle or committing some fact to memory.  It’s easiest to impact those who are part of our daily lives.  Impact; however can be good and bad.  If it’s not deliberate and thought out, it is a gamble. 

 I’m trying to get better at impacting strangers.  It’s not easy and I’m not always successful in doing so.  It’s far too easy to get caught up in the routine of life; it’s easy to get caught up in the routine of what I have to do for MY life.  It’s hard to think about others albeit a total stranger first.  Positive impact must be planned and practiced.

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly in these blogs I’m a police officer.  I’m impacting lives on a daily basis but if I approach my job by just going through the motions the impact only scratches the surface….it is not Deep Impact!  The funny thing is to have deep impact; it does not take monumental effort, simply an effort. Kind of like what the bible says about faith…”If you only had the faith of a mustard seed.”  The point is to not leave it to happenstance.

Sometimes positive impact comes through listening to your heart.  I know that might sound cheesy, but I think that is how God speaks to us.  If you don’t believe in God, well that is still where goodness is spoken to you.  For me, I don’t get a lot of clear direction from God.  There is no burning bush, no voice from on High booming down telling me what to do and when to do it.  I rely on the innate goodness given to us as humans, and the moral senses of what is right that has been reinforced through good and loving people in my life.  Some may call it listening to the Holy Spirit.  Call it what you want but act on the prompting of goodness…..even it makes you uncomfortable.

Last year, I responded to a radio call of a mentally disturbed person.  This man was a husband and a father of three beautiful girls.  Dad had been recently began episodes of paranoia….each day getting worse.  Our department’s Psychological Emergency Response Team responded and he was ultimately placed on psychiatric hold and transported to a hospital.  I felt bad for the family and wished there was something I could do.  I sent up a prayer and something inside told me to pray with the family…..I ignored it, I told myself as I got into my patrol car that it would be silly and I would feel totally awkward.  I drove out of the neighborhood and couldn’t shake the feeling.  A mile or two down the main road and I turned the car around.  I had to catch my breath as I knocked on the family’s door.  Mom had a puzzled look on her face.  I informed her that something was telling me to pray for her husband and their family with them.  She broke down.  She ushered her teenage daughters down from upstairs and informed them of why I had returned….everyone was misty eyed.  We held hands in a circle and I offered my short awkward prayer for their family.  Finished, slightly embarrassed and ready to bolt out the door, I was shocked when mom picked up where I had left off, then daughter #1, daughter #2 and daughter #3.  Expressing their gratitude for me. 

I won’t lie it felt good.  But the point is it was not something I wanted to do, but decided to do.  I don’t know what the lasting impact was but I know it was something that family needed at the time.  I look for opportunities like that; I try to think in advance of who I can impact that day.  I’m not always successful, I often forget or an opportunity does not really present itself.  Often the act I choose and the reaction is much more subtle than the example I just listed. 

One.  Start with a planned impact of just one person. 

A Long, Long Way to Go!

I’m writing this post as a testament of current events and a response to a growing sentiment of hate and racial division within the United States of America. America has come a long, long way in the area of race relations as even Martin Luther King Jr. pointed out in the Late 1950’s but he also acknowledged that America has a long, long way to go. Today, is no different, our great country has come a long, long way. We have seen the election of the first Black President, there is much more equality now than in the 1950’s and 1960’s. BUT, things could be much, much better!

As things reach a boiling point in the shooting death of Treyvon Martin, a 17 year old black teenager in Florida who was shot by a Hispanic Neighborhood Watch leader, George Zimmerman, my concern grows for the furtherance of race relations. It has become a hot button, black/white issue with hate propaganda overloading the airwaves. As a local police officer, I wonder how a seemingly local issue has become a national debate? It’s not as if similar crimes have not occurred on a somewhat regular basis across the country. I’m not saying that justice for Martin and/or Zimmerman should be ignored but it seems as if there was an agenda behind this case…an agenda which seems, in part, motivated to set-back race relations. There is so much hate and tension building and no good can come of it.

I began reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s April 1957 speech “A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations.” I found some great insight…King says:

“My friends, I cannot leave you without saying that as we move on let us be sure that our methods are thoroughly moral and Christian. This is one of the basic things confronting our nation. No matter what we suffer. I know it’s really hard when we think of the tragic midnight of injustice and oppression that we’ve had to live under so many years, but let us not become bitter. Let us never indulge in hate campaigns, for we can’t solve the problem like that.”

For the sake of my children I hope the hate rhetoric is quelled quickly. I hope we start hearing the voices of reason. Let our justice system work and not have people take matters into their own hands when it comes to handing out justice. Street Justice is not the answer. The flaws with the process and the system should be addressed through rational and peaceful channels. Lawful channels.

“ Somebody must have sense in this world. And to hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of hate in the universe. We must not use violence. Maybe sometimes we will have to be the victims of violence, but never let us be the perpetrators of violence. For if we succumb to the temptation of using violence in our struggle, unborn generations would be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness and our chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos. We must not use violence.”

I believe we must send a message of love and respect. Approach our differences with humility. If we honor the opinions of others and approach our conflicts through admirable action over pointed words our common ground can be found. What we want as, black, white, yellow or brown is not that much different. We must restore our values. King continues:

“Our aim must never be to defeat the white man or to humiliate him. Our aim must be to win his friendship and his understanding. Oh, no matter how much we are mistreated there is still a voice crying through the vistas of time saying, “Love your enemy. Bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.” And then, and only then, can you matriculate into the university of eternal life. We must get a hold of this simple principle of love and let it be our guiding principle throughout our struggle.”

In this challenging time in America, there is much division over politics and now race. Many of us have not been sucked into the game of words, but I urge everyone to pay attention to what is going on. Apathy today will only cause you to awaken tomorrow to a world you don’t recognize. I am looking for the leaders to emerge. Leaders that will set us on the right path, take the wheel and correct the course of this great nation. Sadly, I have seen few. Our government and our media are not providing the voice that is needed. Be weary of those who speak with charisma, ensure they are sending the right message…

“This means that through this period we will need leaders on every hand and at every scene who will stress this. This is a time for sound and sane leadership. This is no period for rabble-rousers, whether the rabble-rouser be white or Negro. We are grappling and dealing with the most complex, one of the most weighty and complex social issues of the centuries. This problem is deeply rooted in the emotions, deeply rooted in the customs and traditions of the South. And we can’t solve the problem with misguided emotionalism. This is a period for sane, sound, rational leadership. We must be calm and yet positive at the same time. We must avoid the extremes of hot-headedness and Uncle-Tomism. Oh, this is a period for leaders. Leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with humanity. Leaders not in love with money, but in love with justice. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause.”

It is with great hope that I can one day, years from now, look back on this blog and reflect and say America has come a long, long way since Treyvon-Zimmerman. Now lets keep working towards the next great achievement.

I encourage everyone to look up and read MLK Jr.s entire speech “A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations.”

Stand and fight!

Does evil exist? It’s a fairly simple question. I believe most of us would say yes. What do you do about it? That is a much more complex question. Centuries of human civilization have endured the struggle between good and evil. It seems unlikely that humanity will put an end to this struggle on its own. What do you do about it? Fight? Give-up? Wait until evil confronts you specifically? If the forces of Good and Evil exist then it is reasonable to believe those forces are actively at work. Perhaps you don’t believe in some external supernatural forces, fine then there are internal forces within each of us that dictate our thoughts, emotions and feelings of right and wrong. Regardless the struggle exists and yet many of us go through our day without taking a stand.

Christian author John Eldredge does an excellent job of outlining this ongoing battle of Good and Evil, if you get a chance to read some of his books I recommend you do so. Here are my thoughts, if evil exists, shouldn’t we take an active role in fighting it, in our own lives at a minimum?

I want to shift gears slightly and talk about State sponsored Evil! Sounds scary huh? An entire nation, run by an evil regime, with vast resources at its disposal, ready and willing to carry out its plans. (Begin Sarcasm) Good thing none of those have ever existed (End Sarcasm)

As an American one of the things I’m proud of is the goodness within the people of this country and willingness to stand up to evil….time after time. Has everything this country done been good or just? No. Has every war we’ve entered been for the right reasons? No. Are there global battles that we should not yet be involved in? Yes. Does America have the right to act unilaterally and independent of our allies if we see fit? Your damn right we do and sometimes it is imperative that we do so. The world, to include many of our allies, is to a point, jealous of American dominance. Many wish to see a more global government but I warn you this will only shackle our freedom and destroy the seed of goodness.

Wise council should be sought and our allies respected but we must make our own decisions. When governments such as Iran threaten to annihilate Israel or attack us for supporting them, the answer is not to back down. When rhetoric inside of a nation’s government has been for destruction of a race or people then we should not stay silent and be lured into a false sense of security because the initial attack is not a direct assault on us. Evil ignored is evil at work! We are being flanked!

Good loses to Evil when Good does nothing! But, I’m tired, we’re stretched to thin, we have our own problems! We do have to be smart about the battles we pick and when we choose to fight them, but we also can’t simply refuse to fight because we are exhausted or the odds are stacked against us. Was the ragtag band of American colonial militia a match for the British Empire…perhaps the strongest nation on the planet at that time? Was Normandy an easy gimme! Should David have been able to slay Goliath? The point is I’m sure none of those circumstances were ideal, I know for a fact General Washington had his back to the wall many, many times with an ill-equipped, beat down and broken army but the “Cause” made it worth fighting for and the greatest nation in the world was born.

We need only stand against evil; Providence will see us through!

Remembering Sam

Ten years ago an article from my college’s newspaper, The Daily Aztec, on January 29^th 2002 began as follows:

“The news that a San Diego State student died of meningitis Saturday morning sent shock waves through the university yesterday.

Samantha Graham, a communication senior, is believed to have contracted the disease over Winter Break. She was to graduate this spring.”

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve read a story such as this and thought, Wow, that’s too bad they were so young or maybe saw the headline and not thought much more of it as I continued on with my day. My point is it never really hits you until it hits close to home.

Samantha Graham was a friend of mine, a classmate and co-worker all rolled into one. Her death hit close to home. I had lost older family members but when someone who is your age dies, especially at a younger age, there is something that will rock you to your core. I imagine our military men and women have come to understand this far to well.

Samantha left behind a twin sister, Abby, who I was and am still friends with today. I can’t imagine how the loss of Sam feels for her. I always identified the Graham’s as twins, a pair and it was hard to picture one without the other, even when I was around either of them without the other, I always pictured them as a package deal. Like those broken heart necklaces that were once popular that said “Best” on one side and “Friends” on the other and fit so nicely together; even when they are apart you know there is a match that makes it whole.

Nothing is a bigger test of faith than death, especially when it involves someone we have grown so close with. Jesus Christ did not want to die either and think of the questions of faith even his followers had when our world’s savior breathed his last breath on the cross. Do you think they questioned their faith? I’m reminded of Jesus’ appearance to several of his disciples after his own death on the road to Emmaus from Luke 24:13-32 (Read it).

Death seems so unfair when it comes so early and unexpectedly. Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and was crucified on Good Friday. It was unexpected just as Sam’s death was unexpected.

I get “the angry with God” feeling! I actually think its ok. I think we are suppose to tell him how angry we feel, tell why it is unfair, how hurt we are. I even think its ok to ask him and ourselves “why” why her, why him, why now, why did this happen? I think it is ok to do all of this as long as you are communicating with God. Go ahead let him have it.

It was August of 1998 and I was beginning my first semester at San Diego State University. I lived in the dorms, Tenochca Hall, 3^rd Floor. The first two female students I met were Samantha and Abby Graham. I can picture the moment still, two beautiful girls with beaming smiles as excited as I was to embark on our college experience. Samantha as it turns out lived above me on the fourth floor the same floor as a young woman who would eventually become my wife, Gina. Gina recalls Sam as being one of the few girls who lived on her floor whom she genuinely liked because of how friendly she was. I eventually went on to work with Sam and Abby as front desk assistants and later resident advisers. Sam and I worked in the same dorm hall and was one of my favorite co-workers. Sam and I even were in the same Spanish class one semester. We both had our own college lives, which kept us busy, and doing our own thing much of the time, but I very much considered her a friend.

At the funeral my heart broke watching Abby and thinking how this was all affecting her. Abby spoke at her sister funeral and it strengthened me. Even though I don’t remember what she said exactly I have always remembered she stood up. I remembered it when my Dad and my Grandpa died and Abby’s strength, even years later, gave me strength.

Odds are if Sam were here today, I’d occasionally message her on Facebook, or click “like” if she commented about the Aztecs going to the sweet sixteen, but I don’t know how much our relationship would grow outside of that. I think of her and Abby much more often than I would have if she were here and as strange as it sounds our relationship has grown. I also know she is in a great place now and that is not just religious talk but a deeply routed feeling which tells me its fact.

This post may have seemed to ramble or seemed to run on, but its my tribute to my dear friend Samantha Graham and also my hope that each person that reads this will remember everyone they have lost and talk to them whenever they feel the need. Just like the Best Friends necklace I mentioned earlier just because you are apart doesn’t mean the other half is not out there somewhere, even in death.

Please visit NMAUS.ORG to make a donation in the memory of Samantha Graham

Be Excellent To Each Other

Sometimes the greatest wisdom is found in the most unlikely places. Two high schoolers, Ted Theodore Logan and Bill S. Preston, Esquire from the 1989 comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure are traveling through history in an attempt to find a few iconic figures for a history report, instead they stumble on much more; the meaning of life. “Be Excellent to Each Other!” and “Party on Dude!”

Three children are playing on a playground when they decide to play a game to see who can climb to the top of the play structure and slide down the slide first. Three parents look on from the side of playground. The race begins in fury of screams and giggles as the three children sprint across the sand towards the play structure. About midway up the play structure one of the kids slips on a stair and falls hard and begins crying. The two other children glance back and one continues onward to the top of the structure, elated to have won, while the other stops in his tracks and returns to his injured companion.

How does the parent of the injured child feel? How does the parent of the child who sacrificed the race for his friend feel? How does the parent of the “victorious” child feel? How do each of the children feel after the event is done and finished?

No amount of success or wealth will matter unless it has been obtained righteously. You will become broken and cynical if you use others as a stepping stone to your climb up the play structure, if you build yourself up on the failures of others. The need for wealth becomes insatiable as you use “stuff” to attempt to heal that brokenness.

Be Excellent to Each Other! Do unto others as you would have them do to you! In business seek to create win-win situations. Don’t make it your goal to put others out of business but simply make your business better. Chances are in your personal life you have come to respect those who have treated you with excellence and not those who have a great resume. When you are at the end of your days you will have little regret if you have treated people right.

Party on Dude! Keep on, keeping on! Enjoy life! First, be excellent to each other, then Party on! You are meant to enjoy life here on earth despite the hardships that come. Hardships will come and hopefully you have some people in your life to help you through them. Hopefully you help others through theirs. We weren’t created to survive, hope that angels are with us and pray for miracles. We were created to rule this earth and bring goodness to one another, to make miracles happen through human actions. Angels do exist and serve a purpose. God allows for true divine miracles to happen but the design is for us to work in concert. The heavy lifting is meant to be shared!

So on Monday morning when you walk back onto the playground; have fun. Race to the top of the play structure and try your best to win...but don’t win at all costs. Don’t run every race, sit on the swings and be your friend’s biggest fan. When your parents tell you its time to go home, look back and reflect on the good times you had and look forward to tomorrow. Party on Dudes!