MetCPA

Supporting officers and staff to be the best that they can be

Graham Norman

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Prayer Letter from Alice

Good Day All

In the absence of Alice, I have the pleasure of writing the prayer letter today.  I hope you are well Alice, and enjoying Newday! J

Earlier in the week I knew exactly what I was going to write, but on my way into work today it has all changed.  I often worship and pray on my way into work and listen out for what God is saying.  Today I felt the need to deal with some of the things I have been holding onto.

The issue of stress in the police force amongst officers and staff is well documented.  Like with a lot of you I have been dealing with quite a lot of stress this year.  I have lost some of my resilience and ability to deal with day-to day stuff like my boys making lots of noise, or just simply messing about.  It has affected my health quite significantly – I have lost weight, and I during bouts of it I have to really watch what I’m eating.  I have had to give up completely caffeinated coffee, and can only drink one or two cups of caffeinated tea a day.  I don’t know about you but the amount of caffeine I drink really helps to keep me going – it’s a bit of a nightmare!  Stress can be a good thing but too much of it can be bad.

I have carried a lot of responsibility this year, more so than in previous years, and I have been holding onto that too much.  Some examples of this are – the work I do was inspected a few weeks ago and the results are not looking good.  I am holding onto that.  I can’t in any way influence the report that is to come out or affect the changes that I fear will come.  On Wednesday I was suddenly given a piece of work to do that should have been 5-weeks ago by somebody else.  It hadn’t been done and I was told to give it my urgent attention.  This was not my work to do – I had never done anything quite like it, and given the volume of paperwork involved had no clue what I was expected to do.  [Why would you do that just before someone is due to go on leave?!] I held onto that.  I am responsible for training a civilian colleague who has just joined the team.  In the future he may replace me as a supervisor in the team as Sgt’s posts are being civilianised.  He has just been given a whole load of project work to do, which will take him away from the training he needs to do his core functions.  I have held onto that.

I have held on to these [and more!] and they have screwed me up inside.  Stress! Stress! Stress!

This type of stress is not good.   These things are beyond my control and I cannot change decisions made.  So today I decided, I needed to do some business with God.  At the heart of things I wanted, I needed control, and I still wanted that, but I have had to give up the right to have control and the right to know what is happening.  God’s in control, and he is “for us and not against us.”  We need to have faith that God’s plan for our lives is the best plan.  We need to have faith that our best days are ahead of us.

One of Alice’s favourite passages for the prayer letter is Psalm 46 verse 10 “Be still and know that I am God.”  This is the passage for you today.  We need to deal with the disappointments and discouragements that we have well, and we need to ask forgiveness in order to truly give it up and receive the healing we need.  We need to be mindful, and when our pattern of thinking takes us along the path of stress, we need give it to God and say “Your will be done” and accept and not question perhaps why things are happening.  We are called to be salt and light wherever we may be, and this starts with our attitudes.  We are not perfect but Jesus makes us perfect.

If you, like me, suffer with stress, then perhaps today is a day to start doing some business with God.  Let go of some of t hose things you have been holding on to and deal with it well.

I hope you have a good weekend.

Be blessed and be mighty.

In Jesus name

Simon

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Prayer Letter from Alice

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for your Prayers for our 3-year-old little one with Leukaemia and the Officer in The Met, following the Op to sort out a nasal/facial injury. I have no update on the Daughter. The Officer is progressing.  Please keep Praying.

I received the following from an Officer a few weeks ago.

“I was just reading the Intranet headlines as I sit in the early hours of my night shift and was moved by this headline….

“The trial of Andrew Hill, 54, will take place at the Old Bailey, London, from Monday, January 14. He will face 11 charges of manslaughter by gross negligence in connection with the crash of a vintage Hawker Hunter fighter jet at the RAFA Shoreham Air Show on Saturday, August 22, 2015”

 

How quickly time passes and we forget tragedies that for others are with them for life, not only those who have lost loved ones, but the emergency services, our colleagues, pastors, friends, families and communities still affected and moved by this tragic accident.

Please Pray for all concerned in this Tragic Accident and as the Trial takes place.

For us who belong to Christ, we have numerous promises in the Bible that He is with us no matter what weighs us down in this world, I searched for a verse and came upon this one immediately.

Psalm 55:22

“Cast you burden on the Lord,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved”

How Blessed we are that we have a Lord who cares for us no matter how dark the clouds of this life can be”.

God Bless you and keep you. May His Face shine upon you and give you His Peace

Alice.

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Christmas Message 2017

More people attend church on the run up to Christmas than at any other time of the year.  Whether it’s to see their kids perform in a nativity play or to sing carols, this is the time of year that the harvest comes to us.  Second only to the gift of Jesus himself, I think that this is one of the best gifts that the Lord gives us each year.

‘Then he said to his disciples “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”’.  This extract from Matthew’s gospel tells us of what Jesus said when he saw the crowds as he wondered from town to town proclaiming the good news.  Matthew tells us that Jesus had compassion on them because ‘they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd’.

Lots of metaphors here.  The crowd were those who were as yet unbelievers, they were also the harvest and the sheep, who, without a shepherd to protect and guide them would be ripped to pieces by wild animals (destroyed by satan).  The workers are those of us who are willing to go into the fields and reap for the Lord.  The shepherd, of course, is Jesus.

The key statements here are that Jesus has compassion on them, that the harvest is plentiful, but that the workers are few.

Compassion: We, as followers of Jesus, also should have compassion on unbelievers.  As I attend churches bursting at the seams with unbelievers, I often have pity in my heart.  If only they could hear the Gospel and share the joy that we have.  It should be our greatest sadness that they ever leave a church without accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

The harvest is plentiful: It was in Jesus day and it is today.  Church attendance is growing year on year, and also increasing in numbers at Christmas according to a recent survey published by the evangelical alliance.  More people seem to be interested in ‘spiritual’ things than ever before.  There is a new openness.  I often think that certain people will no way want me to tell them the Gospel, but in almost every case I have been surprised by their openness to hear.  There are billions of people that do not know the true Gospel, many of your friends, family and neighbours will be among them.

The workers are few:  When was the last time you told someone the Gospel?  Are you involved in outreach?  Sadly there are many Sunday Christians who fold Jesus up after church and put him in the boot of their car ready for next Sunday!  But we need to be aware that even though there are few Christian workers, there are plenty of thieves who will happily raid our fields and steal the Lord’s harvest.  In the old testament there are stories of when the Israelites turned their back on God and their neighbouring tribes would regularly raid their fields.  We see this happening today with cults and other religions raiding our fields, not to mention the world itself with all its distractions taking a huge chunk of the Lord’s harvest.

So, when God so lovingly brings the harvest into our churches this year, be determined to give a strong Gospel message.  Forget conforming to the worldly Christmas, with messages confusing santa with Jesus or preaching Christian morality, fire up your combine harvesters and reap a good harvest for the Lord!

Have a safe and peaceful Christmas.

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Estates week of prayer 2017 is just around the corner 2-9th July….

Estates week of prayer 2017 is just around the corner 2-9th July….

LONDON ESTATES 24-7….2017!

Hello praying people!

It feels like a long time since last years week of prayer for estates and yet here we are, a month to go until we can gang up and pray, 3-9th July 2017.

Interesting day today too. I wonder how your vote will affect your local estates? My vote is that prayer changes things far more than policy and our policy should be to pray, in all circumstances.

As prayer leads us on adventures it is about getting out there and seeing change and transformation on the streets and in peoples very homes. That’s why this year we want to keep the week really simple. Here the vision…

#PRAYERWALK

So if you only have little time, just prayer walk around your local estate. If you have a little more time then invite your friends too. If you have more time than that how about prayer walking another estate. If you’ve got more time still then organise a prayer walking tour of estates in your area!

And, of course, pray in as many ways as you like and let us know over e-mail or social media the estates your praying for. We want #noestateunknown and to build a map for more prayer and more mission in London’s Council Estates.

Watch out for the website revamp too and more thoughts, resources and news there.

Your Kingdom come, your will be done on our council estates as it is in heaven Jesus. Amen.

Mark B
Vale Estate, W3

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Lead Ambassador’s Easter Message

Easter – The beginning of the end

That my God should die for me

I can still remember the exact spot I stood a few years back, when I first heard the words from the Wesley hymn ‘And can it be’ (although it was the slightly more upbeat version by the band Phatfish).  I’d been a Christian for just under ten years by this time.  I understood grace, I was born again and I loved Jesus.  However, when I heard the words ‘That my God should die for me’ they hit me like a hammer, tears rolled down my face.  You see, I knew that Jesus the man had died for me, and believe me, I was grateful, but when it occurred to me that God himself had died for me, I was truly undone.

 

Mind blowing

Think about it.  The most powerful being that ever was and ever will be, He who can create a universe that we still can’t see the end of, who can create life itself, this ‘person’ dies for you and me.  Not only that, but we scorned Him, we laughed as He died and suffered and turned our backs on Him, spat at His feet (yes, if you have ever sinned then you have done all this).  So not only is he the most important being that has ever been, but we are the most hateful.  Would the Queen give her life to save a virus that was going to make her suffer? Not a great analogy I know, but it’s the closest I can think of.

 

I’m trying to express the enormity of what happened that first Easter and what happens each time a non-believer surrenders their life to Christ.  Each time I think about it, it leaves me speechless!  I utterly have no adequate response.

 

Ultimate leadership, ultimate God

I am shortly due to attend my inspector’s public order course.  The last time I attended shield training was at Hounslow about two decades ago!  My memories of the inspectors position in public order training then was somewhere at the back, well away from the action, barking orders at the sergeants, who, in turn, then barked orders at the PCs who themselves had all the bricks and petrol bombs thrown at them.

 

The Met is short of public order inspectors at the moment, so I volunteered thinking, well at least it won’t be as dangerous as when I was a PC.  Perhaps they even put inspectors in control rooms these days leading via the heli-telly!  Then I got talking to an inspector colleague, who, to my horror, informed me that nowadays, they put inspectors at the front of the serial! (I’m in my 50s, what was I thinking)

 

But this is like our God.  Easter separates our faith from all others.  In no other religion do their ‘gods’ step down into earth and die for the people they created and love.  This is true leadership, leading from the front at its ultimate extreme.  Not the demanding do, do, do of other religions but the done, done, done of the God of grace.  God not only leads his public order serial from the front, but he tells his PSU to go home and relax, he’ll sort out the riots himself and give his life in the process! Now that’s a God I can truly and freely love!

 

The apostle Paul sums it up in Romans 5:7-8

 

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”

 

Not only death, but life also

As Paul put it, if Jesus never rose from the grave then we (Christians) are of all people to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19).  The hope of all those who follow Jesus is pinned to that one act of resurrection. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then we are still in our sins and condemnation rests upon us.

 

But the truth is that Jesus did rise again! Death was defeated on that first Easter and hope reigns supreme.  And if you have turned to Jesus, all this is yours at no cost to you.  No more striving to keep a demanding law, we have guaranteed eternal life with Jesus.

 

Rejoice Always

Police officers sadly witness some of the worst depths that humanity can stoop to, and it seems like new depths are being invented daily.  But the truth is that everything, even the worst tragedies, pale into insignificance when you see your life in the perspective of Easter.  This is why Paul commands us to ‘Rejoice Always’ (Philippians 4:4 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

 

There is no greater event in history, we are now in end times and they are glorious.  So my brothers and sisters, this Easter and every day, Rejoice, I say again rejoice!

 

If you don’t yet know the joy of surrendering everything to the one who gave it all that first Easter, then ask Jesus into your heart today.  He won’t turn anyone away!

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We need your help!!

20:20:20 Challenge

Many of you will be familiar with the Met Police commissioner’s 20:20:20 challenge, and challenging it has been as we see services cut or consolidated and thousands of jobs lost to cope with the shrinking budget.

Christians from all walks of life will probably have felt the pinch themselves in the current recession.  Many charities are facing budgets issues as people give less and the LCPF has not been exempt from this.

What does the Bible say?

Money is a powerful force for good in the Kingdom of God. It promotes the salvation message to those who need to hear it, it feeds people who are hungry and it helps the needy. So, God asks us to give money to minister to the world in this way.

In 2 Corinthians 9:7 it says:

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Giving is not supposed to be something that Christians are forced to do. It is something that we should be able to do willingly and cheerfully out of our love for God. It is entirely up to the individual believer to decide what to give, rather than any Old Testament law or church dictating how it should be done. God by His Holy Spirit is now in our hearts and we can be led by what He wants us to do for each and every need that He brings to our attention. So, there is a freedom in giving.

However, with this freedom comes responsibility. Freedom is not a ‘get-out’; the onus is on us to be sensitive to God’s leading. He has made us stewards of His provision, some of which He has given to us to look after ourselves and our families. But a portion is for supporting His Work and we should diligently and prayerfully consider each need that He presents to us. If we don’t and we withhold that portion, then His Will is going to be obstructed in some way, so someone may go hungry, someone may suffer through lack of medical care, someone may not hear about God’s love for them, or someone may die not knowing Jesus.

The words of C.S Lewis concerning giving are a good yardstick by which to examine ourselves on this matter:

‘I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our charities expenditure excludes them.’

For most people, giving generally entails some sacrifice. While God rarely asks us to suffer real hardship by foregoing necessities, giving presents a challenge to us as we give up or delay certain expenditures on some things that we would enjoy. To some extent, it requires a dying to self in order to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Our 20:20:20 challenge

The LCPF spends 100% of its income on its vision:

  • The flourishing of Christianity in the Police Service
  • Christians to fulfil their potential in Jesus Christ, to be confident in presenting God’s truth with grace and love
  • Those who are yet to know about Christianity to learn more about Jesus Christ, and come to know him personally
  • The close cooperation between the Police Service and the churches of London, to work together to reduce crime and improve quality of life for all

(We have no paid staff, and no member, trustee or leader claims personal expences)

But we do need money to achieve our vision.  So our 20:20:20 challenge (prayer) is to have 20 people to commit to a salary sacrifice of £20 per month within the next 20 days!

For those in the Metropolitan Police, you can donate direct from the payroll. All you need to do is email office@lcpf.org.uk from your MPS aware email telling us how much you would like to come out of your salary each month (e.g. £20!). Include your pay/warrant number and we’ll do the rest.

If you are from outside the MPS or wish to donate by standing order or make a one off gift, then please email us or click here, and we’ll send you details of what to do.

We pray that you will join us in this challenge!