The following is the invocation Iwill give later this morning at the opening ceremonies of this year’s MCPA Executive Training Institute.
Dear God,
We give thanks today for the opportunity to gather in the spirit of public safety leadership. We are all individuals with differing faiths, beliefs and convictions. However, we come together this week with a common spirit, a higher spirit, a spirit dedicated to professional growth and development of law enforcement leadership.
Many are called to serve in this world, fewer are called to protect and still fewer are called to lead those who protect. It is said that there is no greater sacrifice than for someone to lay down his or her life for another. Additionally, there is no greater responsibility than to lead those who are called to protect, those who are willing to lay down their lives to protect the freedoms that are the foundation of this nation.
Please guide us this week as we carry out our mission of leadership. Help us to develop and grow in our strength, wisdom and compassion as law enforcement executives.
We also pray for those who have been called to protect the freedoms this country enjoys by serving in the armed forces. We pray for all military personnel, but specifically for the Minnesotans who are deployed over seas and whose duties put them in harms way. Protect them as they carry out their missions and bring them home safe when their missions are accomplished.
We ask for blessings on the food we receive this week as nourishment for our bodies, the information presented as nourishment for our minds and the fellowship we share as nourishment for our souls.
Amen
