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By Dan Carlson, on October 8th, 2008
I’m not much of a mechanic, just like I’m not much of a techie. I had an idea for a post as I struggled to get my 4-wheeler running to train the dogs. The thing won’t start, wouldn’t start last year either so my solution was to not train until snow fell. I’m trying to get a head start on training this season so I started puttering with the old Honda before it got too cold, but with no luck. Fortunately my neighbor Duane has been willing to teach me a thing or two and the problem has been narrowed down to the carburetor. I have this great shot of the carb torn apart and I was gonna post it but it’s been so long since I’ve posted a picture I couldn’t figure out how. You’ll have to settle for a downloaded picture (something I still remember how to do) from the Honda site for a graphic:
So what’s my point you might ask? Mechanic fitness training, 4-wheeler fitness, technology fitness training, just like spiritual fitness training requires consistency and care if you want to develop and maintain your ability to perform.
I’ve neglected the Honda so the carb gunked up and quit performing. I’ve neglected my tech skills, they got gunked up and I couldn’t perform a photo upload. But…… with the help a friend who is mechanically in shape, I’ve been able to work on the four wheeler and I see performance right around the corner. With any luck, one of my weblog consultants (Griff, you out there?) will come through in the near future and my photos will soon be up and running too.
Does your soul ever get gunked up due to over use and neglect of care? When it does stop running or is running rough do you have the skills to get it back in shape? And if all seems lost and you’re ready to just park your soul and give up on using it, do you have someone to call to help you get it running again?
Consistent training and available training resources are important aspects of any fitness training programs, physical, intellectual or spiritual. So keep on working out, and if you start running rough, ask for help, and if you don’t know who to ask, give me a call – I know people who can fix things!
Take Care, Dan
By Dan Carlson, on October 2nd, 2008
Hennepin County Chiefs of Police Association
Invocation – October 2, 2008
Dear God,
Once again we give thanks for the opportunity to gather in the spirit of Law Enforcement Leadership.
Today we ask for your blessings on our organizations and our personnel as the face they challenges created by our current economic and political situations. Economic instability and political change often cause fear, which often is expressed as anger, which often results in unrest and disorder in the communities we serve. Guide us and our organizations as we combat that unrest and disorder and help us keep the peace.
Please bless the food we receive today as nourishment for our bodies, the information received as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.
Amen
By Dan Carlson, on October 1st, 2008
Here is a simple message to all of the public safety professionals out there who wonder “Am I making a difference?” The answer is yes. As we go about our daily responsibilities I think we all know, in the big picture, that our jobs have an important purpose. But often we forget that and just see ourselves performing a task and then moving on to the next one. Well I got an e-mail last week that reminded me that, although our duties sometimes become routine, what we do and how we act does have a lasting impact on those we deal with.
Dan,
Some time ago I shared this story with a good friend who is a 27 year
veteran of the DeKalb County department in GA. He suggested that if I was
able, to send you a quick thank you note for helping me years ago.
During the summer of ’83 we were involved in a high speed fleeing incident.
I was on the motorcycle. Thank you for your diligence to stop me that
morning then your kind “hello” 1 week later near the 13th tee at Dahlgreen
Golf Club as a buddy and I played through your threesome on the par 3.
You were doing your duty as an officer but also participating in the
kingdom plan for my life. It’s been more than a couple years since my
friend suggested I write the note and I’m not sure why it came to mind this
AM.
May God continue to bless you and your endeavors,
We have all received a message like this, or like the cop in Georgia, heard one about one of our partners in the professions. I remember the incident, it ended with him dumping his bike on a gravel road, no significant injuries, no resistance, just a kid making some poor decisions. The thing I remember most was that the chase entered a neighboring community and I became a bit “misplaced” (ok, maybe it was lost in a tangle of streets through a lake community tangletown). Fortunately a guy in his yard pointed me in the direction of the speeding bike. Anyway, I’m glad things worked out for the kid and I look forward to having a cup of coffee with him the next time he’s in town.
What you do matters. At work, at home, even on the golf course. It may be 26 years before you have the “proof”, but do your job with a healthy spirit of service and it will matter.
Take Care!
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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
