Christian Living

There’s a lot that defines us as people, but perhaps nothing more than work. When meeting someone new, “What do you do for work?” is one of the first topics discussed. It’s an abbreviated way to get to know someone, a quick way to put someone “in a box.” As …

I remember what it was like as a police recruit in training. In many ways, it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. Now as a field training officer, I get to watch my trainees struggle through the same training program, and it reminds me of how long and …

In the many years before I was a Christian, I used to hear believers talk about their “spiritual gifts”. They would describe their ability to sing or teach or perform a certain task, and for the life of me, these abilities merely sounded like “natural talents”. I came to the …

To work as a police officer at my agency, applicants go through several steps. If the applicant passes the written, physical, and psychological test, in addition to the interview and background investigation, we hire them and send them to a 7-month academy. If the recruit does well in the academy …

As a police officer, I recognize the fact that the world is a dangerous place. All around us are a variety of people and situations ready to hurt or take advantage of us. I bet you take steps in your daily life to protect yourself from danger. It may be …

At the age of thirty-five, it seemed like I had everything I could possibly want. I’d graduated at the top of my class in my undergraduate and graduate programs, earned the honor recruit award at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Academy and was in an incredible job assignment, working as a …

I can still remember my last full day as a police officer. Granted, I still get to consult on high profile cases, but I can still remember the last time I was paid for a day’s service as a regular sworn police officer in our law enforcement agency. When I …

A recent Gallup Poll (released on December 24th) chronicles the continuing decline of religious influence in America. In 1952, 75% of Americans said religion was very important in their lives. Today, only 51% report this to be true. In addition, most Americans now believe religion is losing its influence on America. …

Many Christian leaders are concerned about the impact visual media is having on Christianity in America. Their concern centers largely around the moral messaging in contemporary movies, television series, and commercials – most of which runs contrary to the teaching of the New Testament authors. But that’s not the biggest …

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll measures the degree to which Americans think it’s important for political candidates to have strong religious beliefs. While the data is nuanced, the poll found that “just 25 percent of Americans say it’s very or extremely important that a candidate has strong …