The following is the invocation I offered at tonights Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Annual Awards Banquet:

Dear God,

We once again thank you for this opportunity to gather in the spirit of our profession and its mission, To Protect and To Serve.

We thank you for the opportunity tonight to acknowledge and recognize the outstanding contributions that Minnesota law enforcement professionals have made to their communities this past year. It has been said that there are two opposing forces in this world, order and chaos. We thank you God for the presence of these professionals when there is the need to restore order to the inevitable chaos that has a constant presence in this imperfect world.

We also give thanks for the blessing this association has received, for its leaders, for its membership, but most of all for its spirit. It is the spirit of this organization that gives it its strength, its professionalism and its purpose.

Please bless the food we receive tonight as nourishment for our bodies, the stories told as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.

Amen

and the benediction:

Dear God,

We give thanks for the success of this year’s Executive Training Institute. Please continue your blessings on this conference throughout its duration. We ask for your protection upon all who have participated as they travel home to their families and communities and protect them throughout the coming year.

Amen

Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Executive Board Meeting
03/15/07

Dear God,

We thank you today for this opportunity to gather in the spirit of law enforcement leadership. We ask for guidance as we carry out our leadership roles in this association.

Specifically today we ask for guidance and blessings on our upcoming Minnesota Chiefs Conference and Executive Training Institute. We thank you for all the work and preparation the organizers have put into the event. We ask that you guide the organizers and give them the strength and patience they will need to perform their duties. We also ask for safety and protection for all attendees as they travel to and from and participate in the conference.

Bless the food we receive today as nourishment for our bodies, the information presented as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.

Amen

Here is the invocation I offered (or that I would have offered, and actually did offer but no one heard it since the meeting was cancelled. Which brings up the question: “If an invocation falls in the woods but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?) at yesterday’s Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association meeting.

Dear God,

We thank you once again for this opportunity to gather in the spirit of Public Safety leadership. We ask that you bless the food we receive today as nourishment for our bodies, the information we receive as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.

Specifically today we ask for blessings on all of those in the public safety professions who are in transition. We ask that they have personal peace with the change, that they have the strength they need to adapt to the challenges of their new roles, and we ask that they have the patience they need to endure the inevitable time and process needed to successfully transition.

Again we thank you for this time together. Please guide us as we lead those who protect and serve our communities.

Amen

Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Board Meeting

February 15, 2007 Invocation

Dear God,

 

We thank you today for this opportunity to gather in the spirit of law enforcement leadership. We ask for guidance as we carry out our leadership roles in this association.

 

Specifically today we ask for blessings upon Minnesota military personnel deployed around the world. We ask that you bless them with the strength, the endurance and the spiritual peace that they need to safely carry out their missions. Also care for their families and the communities that they left behind. Help us, as an association, do what we can to compensate for their absence until they safely return.

 

Bless the food we receive today as nourishment for our bodies, the information presented as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.

 

Amen

The previous post contained the invocation I intended to share at our monthly meeting today. When I learned we would be honoring the Hennepin County Traffic Officer of the Year, I modified the invocation as follows:

Dear God,

We thank you once again for this opportunity to gather in the spirit of Public Safety leadership. We ask that you bless the food we receive today as nourishment for our bodies, the information we receive as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.

Specifically today we ask for blessings on the officers of our departments who are responsible for enforcing our traffic laws. Keep them safe amidst the hazards of the job and also give them strength and wisdom to carry out their duties.

Again we thank you for this time together. Please guide us as we lead those who protect and serve our communities.

Amen