MetCPA

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

Isaiah 40

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Prayer Letter 22nd June 2018

Hello everyone,

I appreciate the response from last week’s PL. Thank you.

Prayer request from an Officer in Sussex, this news is now about a fortnight old. Ongoing Prayer is vital please.

Last week was a very sad week in my town – Burgess Hill – as a 15-year-old boy was missing and then found dead on Thursday last week. This was obviously devastating for his family and those in his school. This has personally affected my niece and nephew and has impacted on many families in the area. Amazingly, the school reached out to a group of church youth workers, asking for their help in providing bereavement. Please pray

  • For God to provide comfort and healing in this tragic time
  • Thanking God for the school reaching out to the youth workers, and the prayers and conversations that came from that
  • For wisdom for teachers and youth workers in providing support

Another request from Sussex on behalf of an Officer.
P is currently off sick with testicular cancer. I have visited him at home last week and he has requested that I pass his details on for a prayer request.
He was diagnosed 2 months ago with testicular cancer and had a very urgent operation. Although the operation went well, his follow up treatment has been very difficult.
His blood test indicated that his cancer cells are really high, indicating that he needs very aggressive Chemo therapy. It also indicated the cancer may have spread. However, a follow up test showed the levels much lower. He has a third test which again showed the levels as really high. His medical team state this is very unusual and he is unsure what will happen next.
P is a very committed Christian and has asked me to forward a prayer request.

We have this week celebrated Father’s Day. Lots of mixed emotions on such a day. For me, it was preceded by training I undertook on Safeguarding and Mental Health. Truly sobering training.

In both sessions; dysfunctional Dads was mentioned. This in turn becomes traumatic for the Children and results often in you as Police Officers being involved. As I have said before, I so admire you in such work.

But….. we have our Heavenly Father. Below a verse which is a favourite of mine.

Is 40. 28.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

My Prayer is that you know that inner love that Our Heavenly Father has for you.

Please feel free to contact me at any time by clicking here

Many Blessings. In Him. Alice.

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Prayer Letter 13th Oct 2017

Hello Everyone,

I trust you are well.

Very many thanks for the responses I received following last week’s Prayer Letter.

  • I have received a number of requests for Prayer for Officers, family and friends who are far from well. Also difficult complications in their lives. Please join me in Prayer for these people.

Amongst the replies last week came –
“What an amazing privilege we have to call our creator and author of life, our Father!
How apt also at that particular moment for you at the Celebration Service for the Police in London last Tuesday, should He be wanting to remind us that His strength is our strength, and if we put our hope in Him, we have no need to fear our own human weakness.
Thank you for your testimony, which has given me hope and strength to face a new day, and a new week.”

So I am repeating the verses I read at the Celebration last week in London with the Christian Police Family.

Isaiah 40. 28 – 31

Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall.
But those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength, they will rise up on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

May you, like the Officer whom I quoted above, receive “Hope and Strength to face a new day and a new week“.

Please feel free to make contact at any time by clicking here, or by adding a comment below
Thank you for who you are and all you do.

Many Blessings in Him
Alice.

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Prayer Letter – 6th October 2017

Hello Everyone,

I trust you are well.

On Tuesday evening this week, I had the pleasure of attending a Celebration Service with the Christian Police in London; held in the Westminster area.

I twice walked past the place where PC Keith Palmer was horribly murdered back in March. Less than 24 hours earlier of those walks in that area was the massacre in Las Vegas. Again, I thought about the work that you are prepared to head for, every day and every night. Many – Many Thanks.

I was very unexpectedly asked to take the final Prayer for the evening’s Celebration not long after I arrived for the Service. I found that very daunting, but it was pointed out by one of the Officers there how apt for the person who writes the weekly Prayer Letter to be able to Pray over the Police at the Service.

As I thought about this action I would be undertaking, to mind came

Isaiah 40. 28 – 31 Do you not know?
Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall.

But those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength, they will rise up on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

I decided to read it as a proclamation and encouragement over the Police standing there in front of me, speaking it slowly to individuals as I looked around the Congregation. I would encourage you to read it for yourselves and take on board the enormity of the sayings.

Later I discovered it was to have been part of the Preacher’s Sermon, but he ran out of time. It would seem it was important enough for God to want it spoken to the Police and gave it to me instead. Amazing privilege was mine.

Also from that Service, “All of you are the light in the darkness of this world, in which you are called to serve”.

Please feel free to contact me privately by clicking here, or adding a comment below

Many Blessings in His Name

Alice.

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Thursday 16th February 2017

Today’s exhortation – God helps the weak

This might come as a shock to many as it did to me, but the phrase “God helps those who helps themselves” is not in the bible! Nowhere in the bible does it say that. The phrase originated from Ancient Greece. However we are exhorted to be disciplined and hardworking. We are to step out in faith to take hold of God’s promises. Eg. When Jesus said to Peter, “Come,” Peter had to get out of the boat to see that he too could walk on water, but it wasn’t his own doing. What the bible does say is that He helps those who look to Him as their only source of help for their problem. If you say, “My problem is that I am weak.” God says, “That is not a problem. I Am your strength.” My strength is made perfect in weakness!”” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The bible also says “For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat…” (Isaiah 25:4). “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah‬ ‭40:29-31‬). Amen

Francis Hans-Jorie

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Reflection September 2016

Good afternoon! I hope you are all well. There has been a minor delay with this month’s reflection as I am writing it from my sick bed at home…..So read on and I will be back with you all sometime next week!

A person is a person- It doesn’t matter how small they are!

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
Psalm 127 3-5

Children- They are hard work! Let’s be honest most of us who have children didn’t really think that it would be as hard as it is did we; those of us who don’t have children don’t believe it can be that hard do you? And those of us with grown up children are probably thinking back on what raising children was like and chuckling!
I always used to laugh at my parents when they used to say towards the end of the summer holidays ‘We’ll be glad when you go back to school’…… I could never understand it because my brothers and I used to have a great time with my mum and dad!!! But now I have children of my own I can understand why the children going back to school is such a good thing- we get to have a rest!!! Having looked after Abigail and Holly during the summer there were days when I didn’t stop- with Abi wanting to ‘help’ and having to watch everything Holly is doing the hours seem to blur and my energy levels seemed to run out very quickly!
On the plus side I have managed to catch up with some quality film viewing whilst looking after them- I have watched Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek forever after, Frozen and various other animated films of which I now know the scripts of…… My suggestion to Abi of watching something different was met with a raised eyebrow and Holly shouting ‘Shrek’ as only a two year old can!
Now that summer is over Abigail has started in year 4 at school- so now she has two pieces of homework a week instead of last year’s one- this in reality it means that ‘Daddy Man’ has two pieces of homework a week now- Which means I have learnt all about Celtic roundhouse, times tables and Roman armies so far…….. But honestly I can say that I wouldn’t want to be without Abi and Holly and watching them grow, change and develop is a real blessing for me as a Dad- even if it does mean watching Frozen…….
The reality is that whether your children are, two, eight or Forty two they are still your children and that making sacrifices for them is the business of parenting! My mum and dad stay in regular contact with my brothers and I and are always making sure that we are Ok! Our responsibility as parents never goes away- as we grow up and move out, make our own decisions and mistakes our parents are still our parents and I know in my case that my mum and dad are there if I need them (even if I don’t need them to help me with times tables or watch Frozen with me!)

As Christians we believe that we have a heavenly father who loves us totally- who sacrificed everything when he gave his son Jesus to die on the cross for the things we have done wrong- There is no better example of a parent making sacrifices than that one thing!

Our heavenly father is ever present and we read in Isaiah 40: 28-31:

‘Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’

Our Heavenly father never grows tired or weary- can you imagine never being tired as a parent???
As a parent I know that I am truly blessed with wonderful children- even when I am tired and they aren’t I love them totally and the small sacrifices I make for them are simply me putting that love into action! We are also blessed to have a heavenly father whose love for us is so strong that he sacrificed his son on the cross in the ultimate act of love to pay for our wrong doing- That is Love in action!
Love in action is what we are about as Christians- it isn’t simply about your own children or family but also about the others around us! We can see every day the work that is going on all around us in the Police service and wider community to try and make our communities better- whether it be the local food banks, street pastors or angels or a multitude of other work that is going on that if formal or not!
So this month whoever is around you whether it be children, parents, family, colleagues, friends or people you don’t know be the person who puts love into action and in whatever way you can show love in action for them……… even if you are tired and even if they do ask you to watch Frozen!
God Bless

Keith