MetCPA

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

Health & Support

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Prayer Walks, Staff Network Day 9th of May & Police Day of Prayer 10th May

The last few weeks some of our members have been attending Prayer Walks in London, I managed to get to one with Les Isaac from Street Pastors, Deborah LCPF Deputy Chair and a whole host of community members in the Penge area.

It was wonderful to be welcomed by Pastor Mel who has organised this walk and had event and she quickly put me to work, I went and spoke with members from the Local SNT who where doing an anniversary of the sad murder of a young man in a nearby park from November.  We then quickly got split into groups and off we went praying and walking asking for God’s influence on the streets, in the homes and with the people of Penge.

It was a wonderful event and other members have attended the Croydon Prayer walk as well as the Lambeth and Lewisham walks so many people out praying in the weather and so glad it was so well attended and we all pray it continues.

Tomorrow some of us from LCPF will be at ESB for the launch of the National Staff Network Day, we will be their to let people know who LCPF are, what we can do in way of help, praying for, praying with or being that friend at the end of the phone. If you are at ESB please feel free to come along and have a chat we will be on the 1st floor all day with out stand and some giveaways.

Very importantly with our family from the CPA we also have the National Pray for Police day on the 10th of May, this event is for anyone across the world in conjunction with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s prayer event “Thy Kingdom Come” to pray for the world and all that is happening within it, please have a look at the event (Link below) or feel free to contact us about it.

https://www.thykingdomcome.global/

I hope you have had a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend, for those of you like me that had to work I pray you got home safely and you have had time to enjoy with your families and friends.

God Bless to each and everyone of you, have a safe week and I look forward to seeing many of you on the 23rd October at our event if not before.

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Prayer Letter 19th January 2018

Hello Everyone,

I trust you are all well and managing to take care of yourselves during this normally difficult time of the year.

Trusting too that the children in our families are improving quickly.
I have received the follow up on one such 9year-old, who seriously damaged both elbows over Christmas…….

L is healing well! The crush injury is miraculously healing which was the worst elbow. The bone though shattered, has returned to the exact shape it should be in, if it didn’t have hundreds of cracks, so it is healing perfectly.

“Thank You, Lord, we ask for continued healing”.

My first PL this year, encouraged you to place your hand into the Hand of God and He would lead you.

Last week, I left with you God’s Promise that He would never leave you nor release His Hold on you.

Today, the following-

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His Mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is Your Faithfulness.

Lamentations 3. 22-23.

Again, please accept my thanks for all that you are and all that you undertake as Members of The Met Police, Surrey and Sussex.

You are in my daily Prayers.

Please feel free to make contact with me at any time by adding a comment below or clicking here

Many Blessings

In Him.

Alice.

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Book Review: The Little Book of Mindfulness

A book review by Karen Newbould

“The Little Book of Mindfulness.”
By Dr Patrizia Collard (2014) Octopus: London

Click here to download a PDF version of this review

“The Little Book of Mindfulness” is a secular book written by Dr Patrizia Collard who is an educator and author.

The book is intended to be a helpful tool for those wishing to practise mindfulness as an alternative form of therapy.  Not only is mindfulness now recommended by the Department of Health it is also noted in the guidelines set down by NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence).  The practice of mindfulness is believed to not only reduce the stress experienced in life, but that it can prevent break downs or becoming ill if practised regularly.  The book is a mix of explanation and a plethora of 5 and 10 minute exercises.

The book commences with an introduction to mindfulness, its benefits and how it all began.  Mindfulness is all about focusing your mind on the here and now and using your senses to really experience whatever you are doing mindfully. There has been over 10 thousand research papers published on the subject and it is used in a number of different areas from parenting, mental health, schools and well-being therapies.  “It is even used in treating the immune system, with some positive outcomes for patients with HIV, ME (chronic fatigue syndrome) and MS.

Before the book goes on to provide descriptions of the mindfulness exercises, it provides a few general tips for carrying them out.  From getting one’s mind clear before starting to ensuring one’s posture is correct when engaging in the exercise, noting that you should never do anything that causes pain.  You could always envisage the exercise in your mind instead of actually doing it!

The book is quite small making it easy to carry, it is compact and easy to read with lots of good snippets of advice, with twelve 5 minute exercises and twelve 10 minute exercises.  Each chapter focuses on a different area one can exercise mindfulness in.  Although this is not a Christian book, there are some parts of the book that a Christian may find helpful, for example, being thankful for nature, for life’s experiences and for our food.  The advice is obviously not given for us to connect to God, but as Christians, being thankful to God for our provisions would be something we would expect to be.

The chapters are short with a mixture of helpful advice and exercises.  Chapter 1 starts with “Being in the Now”, which is a good way to start the book as it is really what mindfulness is all about.   Chapter 2 is about “Accept and Respond” helping us to recognise our feelings including anger which is dealt with through a mindfulness exercise.  Chapter 3 is about “Making your mind up” and Chapter 4 is about “Simply Be.”  Chapter 5 is about “Mindful eating” the exercise encourages us to really take our time seeing, touching, feeling, sensing the food and being mindful about every aspect of the process of eating and how it feels.  It also encourages us to be thankful for the food we are eating and even suggests having a regular time to drink tea which could be dedicated to mindfulness.  Chapter 6 is about thankfulness and it suggests writing all the things we are thankful for down.  This simple task is believed to “lead to better health, less stress and a more optimistic outlook on life.”  The book also suggests finding a peaceful spot where you can sit and write your list and meditate on all the things you are thankful for.  Again, as a Christian, you may want to take this opportunity to thank God for everything on your list and this would then become a prayer, bringing us closer to God.  Finally Chapter 7 is about “Everyday Mindfulness” stating that mindfulness is an attitude rather than a skill.

Like the previous book I reviewed (D is for Depression…), this book is extremely easy to read, and is also written in a style which is conversational.  It is very brief and to the point and has a way of communicating empathy to the reader.  The exercises are easy to find and can be done by the reader or can be explained simply to a friend in need or someone you are trying to help.

As the book is small the exercises are also easy to find again, although they are that simple, that if you find an exercise that you enjoy or that you feel benefits you, then I am certain you would only need to do it once or twice and then you would remember it for future use.

This book is a great non-Christian self-help book for those who are suffering with stress or anxiety as well as other conditions.  That said, I believe Christians may also find it helpful in the sense that mindfulness is proven to work, and that I have no doubt it would bring Christians closer to God through many of the exercises.

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Suffering Part 2

Hi Everyone
The next instalment of Nicky Gumble’s (and God’s!) wisdom on suffering:​
MATTHEW 17:14-18:9
2. God uses suffering to save us
Jesus came to deal with suffering (17:22–23), and ultimately to remove all suffering, through the cross and resurrection.
At the heart of the universe is the suffering of God on the cross: ‘ “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him – and three days later he will be raised alive.” The disciples felt terrible’ (17:22–23, MSG). They did not understand that what humans intended for evil, God intended for good – the saving of many lives. You could say that Jesus ‘lost the battle to win the war’.
What the devil meant for evil, God meant for good. He was able to take the greatest evil ever committed (the killing of the Son of Man) and use it for good (the salvation of humankind).
The healing of the boy with epilepsy (17:18) is a foretaste of a time when there will be no more sickness or suffering. The death and resurrection of Jesus means that no one need ‘be thrown into the fire of hell’ (18:9).
How do we respond?
The importance of faith
There is so much suffering in the world. In this passage we see the terrible suffering (17:15, MSG) of a child with sickness and the resulting suffering of a parent. In this particular case, the disciples’ inability to heal came from their lack of faith (although this is not always the case – some people have prayed for healing with enormous faith but without obvious results). Jesus says that if you have even a tiny bit of faith you can move mountains. ‘Nothing will be impossible for you’ (v.20).
The importance of not causing unnecessary offence
Jesus explains that though he is exempt from paying the tax for the temple (God’s house) because he is God’s own Son, he makes a miraculous payment for both himself and Peter, ‘So that we may not offend them’ (v.27). Although Jesus was willing to cause offence if necessary, he did not want to cause unnecessary offence.
The importance of humility
Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not about achievement, it is about humbling ourselves like a child (18:4).
The importance of being radical
Jesus calls you to be radical about sin (vv7–9), not in order to earn your salvation but in gratitude.
Lord, thank you that at the heart of the universe is the event where you turned evil into good. Help us to trust you and to put our faith in you. Help us to live with child-like humility, depending upon you. Help us to be radical in our avoidance of sin in gratitude for all that you have done for us.
Matthew 17:14 – 18:9
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” [21]
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
The Temple Tax
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
25 “Yes, he does,” he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes —from their own children or from others?”
26 “From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Causing to Stumble
6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc
Provided by BibleGateway.com
God knows us.  He knows all that we go through, and He promises He will give us the strength we need for every situation.  Cling to Him with all your strength, however feeble it may seem.  He never drops the ball, fumbles or makes a mistake.  I guarantee He will get you through anything if you will let Him!
Every blessing
Kate Henry
Leadership Team
London Christian Police Family

www.LCPF.org.uk

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Launch of our Christian Counselling Service

We’ve been working hard to develop new ways to provide assistance to officers and staff who need a helping hand. Today we are pleased to announce the provision of Christian Counselling for MPS officers and staff.

The launch of our counselling service is not intended to replace the services provided by the Met’s Occupation Health department, but is intended to complement them, and provide an extra option for officers and staff to consider. The Occupational Health department provide a range of services including counselling, as well as special services for urgent welfare needs. In an urgent situation please do consider their services (which are available for free) before considering the christian service that we provide.

What is Christian Counselling?

ACC defines Christian counselling as activities which “…seek to help people towards constructive change and growth in any or every aspect of their lives, through a caring relationship and within agreed relational boundaries, carried out by a counsellor who has a Christian worldview, values and assumptions”.

Please find more about this service here