P0st Apocalyptic........

Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?

Here is some possible good news about video games and the end of the world.

SoutPort Dedication, Part Two

I did not anticipate many of the struggles and challenges we faced, I also didn't anticipate the many ways God would continue to build our Faith, this Church and His Kingdom. He made it abundantly clear that he would touch our world through SouthPort Community Church. Incidently, we were also encouraged during the early days of Southport Church by Rev. Steve Scott's Father, the Pastor who started the original Church of the Nazarene in West Sacramento Fifty years earlier. We owe so much to the vision and desire to touch the community to Rev. Scott and the pioneers who built that Church.

In late 2003, I believed God was calling my family to move on and we made the difficult decision to leave the place where we had seen God do so many things and brought so many wonderful people into our lives. After a time of transition, Pastor Bruce took over the reins of leadership and we left for Tucson in early 2004. While it was difficult to leave dear friends, who are more like family, I am pleased to see continued confirmation that our decision was the right one.

At this time of dedication of a new facility, I want to express my joy in seeing SouthPort Community Church moving into a new phase of ministry. I am confident that the leadership, under Pastor Bruce, will continue to bring you to a closer walk with the Lord, encourage you as you find your life's calling and purpose and help you see the hand of our Lord as he continues to build his Church and change our world.

Whether you were at this Church when we were still here, you started your journey with SouthPort after we left or this is your first Sunday, my family and I want you to know that you will continue to be in our prayers as you seek to grow in the Lord. We still care deeply for all of you and and are very proud and humbled that God let us be a part of such a great Church.

Blessings,

James & Diane Allerton

SouthPort Dedication

SouthPort Community Church, The Church of which I was the "founding pastor", had their dedication of their new facility this Sunday. They graciously asked me to attend, but I was unable to squeeze out the time for a drive or the money for a plane ticket. In lieu of that, they invited me to send a letter to have read to the congregation. I did, they did and here is the first half of that letter. i will post the rest tomorrow:

Phillipians 1:3-6 (NIV) says: "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

As we reflect on the incidents, activities and decisions of our past, their are, inevitably, some things that we are glad we were a part of, and some that we regret. Some events we wonder how we were ever blessed enough to be involved in and some that we wonder how we could have ever been so stupid as to get wrapped up with. And while we learn through all of our past experiences, there are some that we can continue to look back on to build our faith and confidence and to remind us of the joys that God wants to bring to us.

The experiences that my wife and I shared with SouthPort Community Church are among those that we look back on when we need to remember how God works and how wonderful his plan really is.

In April of 1999, ten years ago this month, my family first became involved with SouthPort when, after a lengthy process, we were called to come to this community, help close a struggling established Church, sell the building and lead a planting of a new Church in that wake. Later that year, we stood with just a handful of people and decided that we would be launching the new SouthPort Community Church in the coming spring.

Shootout at Miracle Valley

I went to a presentation today put on by the author of the book, Shootout at Miracle Valley and several of the deputies who were present during the events described in the book.

Are you at all familiar with this? In Miracle Valley, a small town southeast of Sierra Vista, the Rev. A.A. Allen had set up a Church/Bible College/Healing Center in the 1950's. A.A. Allen was one of the pioneer televangelists of the Pentecostal Healing/Prosperity movement.

By 1982, the Church facilities had been taken over by Pastor Francis Thomas and the Christ Miracle Healing Center and Church. they had become involved in increasing confrontations with the police, leading to church members driving to Sierra Vista to attempt to free a fellow Church member who had been arrested. The attempt came to an abrupt end on the highway to Sierra Vista when one of the three bombs church members brought with them exploded, killing one of them.

On October 23rd of 1982, Cochise County Deputies went with about 35 of them to serve some warrants in Miracle Valley. they were set upon by 200 or more church members who came at them with bottles, bricks, sticks, rakes and even shooting at them from distant houses.

The confrontation resulted in a deputy being shot a few times with a shotgun, one deputy succumbing later to injuries sustained from a severe beating and numerous deputies suffering broken knuckles, bruises, lacerations and the like sustained as they tried to defend themselves from the assaults.

In the picture above, Deputy Ray Thatcher was herded by about 5 women with makeshift weapons into a certain part of the field where this all happened. Once he was there, the women retreated for the approach of a rifle wielding man. The man, who turned out to be Pastor Thomas' son, was shot by Thatcher when he raised it towards him. Another man repeated the gesture, picking up the same rifle. The confrontation came to an end when Thatcher had to shoot him too.

The author highlighted the remarkable restraint of the deputies in the face of national media attention leading up to this event and a severe distortion of the facts afterward. I am pretty certain that bottle/brick/stick/shotgun/rifle wielding assailants facing police today might just be shot down en masse. I know that I would not hesitate too much to fire on attackers if I was as beleaguered as these fellows were.

The panel also described how the governor's office tipped of church members that police were coming to arrest some of them on warrants. I suppose it was an attempt to frighten them and diffuse the situation, but it led to the people having weapons and a plan ready to confront officers when they arrived.

The panels members had quite a bit more to say about the whole ordeal that I wont be able to share now, but here are some places to get a few bits:

Here is a blog with a collection of media coverage from the shootout.

Here is the site of someone who wants to get a hold of Miracle Valley and Re-open the Church and Ministries.

Change

To paraphrase a quote I heard today, The only thing about you that will be different five years from now will be because of the books you read and the people you meet.

So, how will you be different in five years? Or , do you prefer to stay the way you are?

Columbine tactics

Yesterday was, almost unbelievably, the 10th anniversary of the killings at Columbine High School in Colorado.

In this horrible event, which I am sure you are familiar with, the swat Team was on scene and ready to go in 45 minutes after the call came out. The police didn't get to some of the injured until hours after the shooting began and was well over. 45 minutes is actually a good response time to call out a SWAT team, the members being either at work somewhere else in regular uniform, or at home. They have to all assemble somewhere with their gear and someone has to bring the vehicles. After a quick briefing, they can do their thing. But, while 45 minutes is surprisingly quick for the cops on the outside, it is an eternity for people in the middle of being shot, or bleeding on the school floor.

As a direct result of this incident, Law Enforcement across the country are now trained in "active shooter" scenarios. At Columbine, the first two officers on the scene stayed back and traded shots with Klebold and Harris, trying to contain the scene and wait for back up, as they had been trained and directed to do. Now, in an "active shooter" situation, the first cops on the scene will team up and go stop the shooting immediately.

A cop might even have to dive in himself, if it will save lives. At the North Carolina nursing home shooting, a lone officer stopped the killings by going in himself and shooting the gunman. No waiting for SWAT, just go in and get it done.

We've done "active shooter" training, chasing a gunman through a school with just a couple of guys. While we were doing it, we got some complaints from parents that violent encounters, event though they were just for training and not done while any kids were around, were happening at the School. Yes, it is much better if nothing bad ever happens anywhere, including schools. But, if it does, it really does help to be prepared.

Here is some more info on how and why Columbine changed police tactics and here is wikipedia's description of the incident.

Just in case

If you have been looking for work, here are some tips on how to nail an interview.

Or read the article and see more clips here.