Politics and Religion Together?!

November is on it's way so my preface is promoting.  I am doing another Reader's Choice and Spouse questions post by the end of November/first of December.  Please forward your questions from yourself, your spouse, or other LEOs.  The most anonymous way is actually commenting (disregard the previous post about email unless you are like all of us with a "burner email").  I have the settings moved to ensure you have anonymity.  And personally, I like that idea.  I will also post the questions posed (and edit/generalize again for anonymity) so we can all answer each other with more than my meager experience.  Sorry for the interruption of post....

Many of you have been fully aware of the political banter happening between some members of our church and certain political parties.  I am not putting any of the full details here because obviously I want you to be uplifted after reading, not more likely to delete this website from your browsing history.  I honestly think a lot of that is just a joke.  The enjoyment I see is the activity of our members in whichever party or group they subscribe to and the outreach to make informed and appropriate decisions.  Some decisions are difficult.  We may feel forced to pick poor choices.  We may feel like nothing we choose matters.  But let me remind you that you are a part of this Earth. And in so being, you are a part of the decisions and voices for good.

Take a look at 3 Nephi 9.  Here the world as the Nephites know it has be utterly let desolate.  Cities have been leveled.  The survivors are mourning and fearing.  Then, the voice of the Lord offers comfort and a question I was left reflecting thanks to my Gospel Doctrine instructor today:

(Verse 13) "O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?"

These are the survivors of terrible tragedy.  These are the more righteous of the people of the Earth.  Any yet they are told to repent of their sins and be converted.  This is a reminder to us all that being on a list of the one true church does not mean we are all set.  We have to be constantly growing in the gospel.  We have to keep progressing.  And we have to be a part of the betterment of others.  Isn't that why you took this career?  Don't give up.  Christ isn't here yet.  And if you take anything from this verse, even if He was here, we aren't done yet.  Your participation in the betterment of this Earth is required if you wish to stay on the right hand of God.  Don't give into the politics.

Now of course I am suggesting discussing both Taboo Topic #1 (Politics) and Taboo Topic #2 (Religion).  Take a deep breath.  Its only taboo because people fear having an opinion and being themselves.  Don't get suckered into anger and don't give into the quietness of fear.  You are part of this Earth!  Now study up on the topics and vote for the people and items YOU discern as best with the assistance of the spirit.  And when you finish, go back to the service you do both at work and not.

Godspeed LEOs.

-LDS Sheepdog

A-Type is only a type

At times, I have always wondered if I am some anomaly in the law enforcement world.  I do enjoy catching "dirtbags," but the concept of being a sheepdog like an attack German Shepard has always been a little foreign to me.  Don't get me wrong, the need to act is not something to compromise.  Safety for sure.  But the need to be a billy club welding authoritarian seems a little much for an 8-12 hour shift.  Thus the title of this post: A-Type is only a type.

Think about the Lord's personality.  He was firm and loving at the same time.  We can be the same.  We can counsel and love while still upholding the laws and consequences of actions.  I have definitely been guilty of letting passion overtake my emotions.  Nothing drives anger more than presumed "righteous" retaliation.  No one should feel less for allowing anger for misdeeds done to the innocent.  But it is when we let that anger fester beyond reasonable that our loss of control can turn situations far worse.  I should have prefaced this entire block by saying I am not suggesting what you personally are doing is wrong.  In fact, I believe pretty much all of you reading are in fact doing right by the Lord and your fellow man.  I am merely putting into your mind the need of constant re-evaluation.

This world we live in can be a cruel judge of character.  23.999 hours a day, LEOs around the world successfully protect the public from the evil out there.  You perform tremendous work even through stress, persecution, and sleep deprivation.  You serve when you are sick, when you are hungry, when you are depressed.  You watch over the community in areas where you are at a ration greater than 1000 citizens per 1 LEO.  And you do all this without a single blemish.  Until the one .0005 second incident when you lost sight.  Then all of the years of work is wiped away to put your blemish on display.  We have seen a lot of this thanks to the wonderful and ever changing age of information.  You could still find yourself in this position regardless of what you do, but maybe this small reminder will help decrease your odds.

Ok, now back to the encouragement.  You are your own type.  While we all share qualities befitting a LEO, those qualities are only one part of you.  B-Z types are all still needed.  Do not let anger or fear guide your life.  Practice safety and your verbal judo.  Counsel after custody.  Use all of the talents the Lord has blessed you with.  And remember still the spiritual nature of your talents.  There are many type of sheepdogs in the world (seriously, look it up.  There are a ton).  Be the one Heavenly Father has prepared you to be.

Godspeed, LEOs.

-LDS Sheepdog

PS I am hoping to do another round of both the Reader's Choice and Spouse questions.  The goal is to have the posts by Thanksgiving.  Please forward your questions from other LEOs if they are too afraid to post.  The most anonymous way is emailing me (because I know that was a concern last go around).  I will also post the questions posed to all of you for answering (again, email for anonymity) so we can all learn together.  Thank you.

How are you really?

Today's question is one I have been pondering since General Conference more heavily.  While I would love to dive into the different conference talks, I think that is inspiration best left to you to gain personally.  So after this, go read another talk because this one was amazing.

So how are you doing?  Probably a question up there with, "what's up?" or "how about this weather?" but this time you are reading it... and I actually think you should think about it.  Many might respond, "surviving" or "pretty good" but those answers are lame and not productive in anything more than moving on to the next subject.  Are you feeling downtrodden?  Maybe angry?  Having a trial day?  Or maybe you are having a great time and the world is just peachy.  Maybe you are happy or excited.  Is your mind calling to attention now how you are really doing?  Good.  Let's begin.

The world judges state of mind by others.  Some choose to be optimistic, some pessimistic, some scientific, some existential, and so on.  None of these are how you are really doing.  No accommodation or reprimanding from work can say how you are doing.  The only way you can see how you are doing is by comparing to yourself.  You are your rubric.  You are the graph and chart of your well-being.

Let me hammer this home: you are the only person that matters when it comes to your progression or regression.  Period.  Get off Facebook, Pintrest, Twitter and the like for comparison.  Stop looking at others lives and how great they are compared to you.  Take advice with a grain of salt (yes even mine).  Dive into the scriptures for guidance.  Seek for the spirit in your study and prayers.  Ask the Lord to assist you in your personal advancement.  Be inspired from doctrine.  Go back and review conference (seriously, it was awesome).  Now let's review:

- You are your only comparison standard.  If you are progressing or not, improve and continue.
- Stop using other comparisons not approved by the Lord.  This is a long-term hike, not a race.
- Ask yourself, "how am I doing, really?" often and answer honestly.  It's ok if you use the blow-off comments discussed when it isn't you asking.

I hope this self-reflection helps.  One last piece of advice... with the reminder that I am not the prophet or a set of scriptural doctrine: you are doing better than you think. 

Godspeed LEOs.

-LDS Sheepdog

Tears may fall but good people still rise

Nothing hurts worse than an amazing week followed by tragedy. We were truly blessed by our Prophets and Apostles last weekend. Nothing I would have written could have compared to the amazing spirit felt listening. And yet from that day on, our mourning bands and moments of silence were abruptly and reluctantly returned to the forefront.  And here we are again, trying to find good in a lone and dreary world. Here is my small contribution to your healing:

Satan thrives on your fear and hate. He wants you to be angry and hardened towards those who do ill. Contrast that with what Heavenly Father and Jesus desire. We are here to find joy. This is not to say bad things won't happen, because we are all free to make choices. And others are free to make choices. Sometimes tragedy happens. But as I was reminded in General Conference, this is not the end. We are preparing our lives for our Eternal life.

Don't let bad things crush you. Rise above the filth. Rise above the hate. Rise above the smut. Eliminate the sources of your pain. Replace your time spent digging into the dirt of the world with articles of God. Chatter at work and among friends will happen, but steer the conversation toward something productive. Serve and teach. Live and love. You are the good men and women willing to fight evil so do so to the fullest!

Remember that you are a child of God. He cares about your feelings. Reach out to him.

May you find peace in the whirlwind. Godspeed LEOs.

-LDS Sheepdog