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By Dan Carlson, on September 24th, 2007
This has been a roller coaster weekend for me, my family and our community. It started late Friday afternoon with a drive to Hudson WI for a 6th grade confirmation retreat with my 11 year old daughter and about 50 of her Mt. Calvary church-mates. Pastor Scott has a great strategy to get these kids to understand and appreciate Life and the wonderful relationships it brings. The kids are teamed up in small groups, apart from their parents and with kids they don’t usually hang out with. New friends, new relationships, new perspectives….new life!
Then I got the call from my 18 year old who is a senior at Minnetonka High School. Two of her classmates had just died in a car crash. I was not familiar with the names, but my daughter knew them through school activities that exposed her to new friends, new relationships, new perspectives….new life and now….death.
For those of us in the public safety professions, we learn that death is a inevitable part of life. In most cases we cannot prevent it, but we are simply asked to be there and do what we can when it happens. My son, the student and firefighter now living in Alaska learned this early in his firefighting career. He has embraced his calling to “be there” and also learned how to deal with the death, then move on with the life. My prayer for him, and the rest of those in the profession, is that they never forget to “deal with the death” and the impact it has on their lives, on their body, mind and soul.
So now we have Monday morning. For an 11 year old it is back to school to continue the celebration of new friends and experiences. For the 18 year old it is back to school to continue grieving the loss of new friends and experiences. For the 21 year old it is simply back to work to continue living the experiences of the profession. And for mom and dad? We start Monday sharing the celebration, the grieving, the living, the death…..but most of all the “just being there” that comes from being parents.
Thanks for listening, sharing these stories is one way I find the strength and peace to continue “being there” at home and on the job. So, how do you find the strength?
By Dan Carlson, on September 16th, 2007
So often we are the recipients of the phrase “Take Care” as a good-bye message. It’s a lot like, “See you later”, “How’s it going?” and “How are you?”. Those rhetorical questions and comments that we all say and hear but never really think about. Well, “care” is a word that has often made me stop and think, made me feel, a word that often touches my soul…..and not always in a positive way. One of my first “spiritual” experiences with the word came when someone told me “I realize you really don’t care, but would it kill you to act like you do?”. The reason that this statement had such a big impact was that I really did care. I evolved from that experience and was hit with “I realize that you really do care, but wold it kill you to show it to other people?”.
As I venture off into this new career of ministry, pastoral care and chaplain care are not only nice thoughts, but actually identifiable job responsibilities and duties. There are classes dedicated to professional “care-giving”. As I give this more thought (and this whole post is just coming off the cuff wihtout edits) The Comment “Take Care” isn’t something someone does for you, it is something you do for your self. And in our profession it is a critical job responsibility because if you don’t care for yourself you won’t have the resources to care for others…..and that’s what you are getting paid to do.
So I’m going to end the wandering with that thought since it’s time to get Sophie to her softball game. You will get more on this in the future, it is evolving as a critical idea in the retirement and transition training I’ve been doing. So, Take Care!
By Dan Carlson, on September 15th, 2007
Well, it’s been a year now since this website went live and getting close to a year since I posted my first “About Dan”:
Dan Carlson is currently serving as Police Chief for the City of Eden Prairie Minnesota. He has announced his retirement from police service, effective January 2007, to pursue a second career in the ministry. His 25 year career in law enforcement and his passion for the concept of spiritual fitness training have led him to found Public Safety Ministries Inc. PSMInc is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is “Promoting Spiritual Fitness in the Public Safety Professionsâ€.
It’s probably time to update the information a bit, so here we go:
Dan Carlson retired as Police Chief of the City of Eden Prairie Minnesota in January of 2007. After serving 25 years in the law enforcement profession as a police officer, he has transitioned to a new role serving the profession as a police chaplain. He currently serves as the Chaplain for the Hennepin County and Minnesota Chiefs of Police Associations. Chaplain Carlson is also the founder and president of Public Safety Ministries Inc. a nonprofit ministry with the mission: “Serving Those Who Protect – Promoting Spiritual Fitness in the Public Safety Professions.”
Dan is also pursuing ordination as a Lutheran Pastor through The Minneapolis Synod of the ELCA and Luther Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota. He is “entered” as a candidate for ordination and participating Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program. TEEM is a program run cooperatively between Luther Seminary and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkley California.
So there you have it. I am starting to do quite a bit more speaking and training so it’s probably good to have an updated bio for my presentations. And besides, an old FBI National Academy friend from Maine just contacted me and I felt inspired to update the info.
By Dan Carlson, on September 13th, 2007
I was searching the web the other day and came across this website as I googled “spiritual fitness”. Click on the title below to visit the site. Here is the site intro:
Richards Deployment to Afghanistan
LTC Richard Phillips’ deployment to Afghanistan from January 2007 until ????. I’m Commanding 42 of the finest Soldiers and Airmen in the world here at the Salerno Hospital at FOB Salerno in the Khowst Province of Afghanistan. We have the privilege of providing healthcare to Afghan and US forces as well as Host Nation Civilians/Afghan Nationals.
Here is the entry that talks about spiritual fitness. I was going to post this and provide some of my commentary and perspective. As I read and re-read these simple words I discovered just exactly what I could say to add to this message……..nothing.
And for our spiritual fitness, we have a nice chapel.
All faiths share the same building, so the services are coordinated throughout the weekend.
Lots of people find religion here; maybe it’s the danger, the boredom, or the loneliness. Whatever it is, the best church services I’ve been to have been in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is strange to go to church with weapons racks in the back of the chapel, and handguns visible everywhere. But it’s nice to go to church without any pretension; no worries about what to wear or what you drive or who you are in the community.
There is a purity and simplicity to worship in a combat zone.
By Dan Carlson, on September 8th, 2007
I usually don’t pass these on, but it is about a minister and a sermon and how to live your life and mostly about perspective. I got it from my cousin and for those of you who know my family I’m sure you know which cousin it was……
Four Worms and a lesson…..
A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.
Four worms were placed into four separate jars.
The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:
The first worm in alcohol – Dead.
The second worm in cigarette smoke – Dead
Third worm in chocolate syrup – Dead
Fourth worm in good clean soil – Alive.
So the Minister asked the congregation – What can you learn from this demonstration?
Maxine, who was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said,
‘As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won’t have worms!’
That pretty much ended the service…..
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Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association
Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association
Minnesota National Guard "Beyond the Yellow Ribbon"
Minnesota Emergency Services Chaplain Association
Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
