There was a time before smartphones. A time before the internet. Perhaps when we relied upon the people to be smart, we were a far more thoughtful nation. It was not possible to scroll through mountains of the inane in a mirage seeking significance. No, its more than perhaps, an ease of technology makes true contemplation more difficult. Not so long ago, if you sought to remember a far-off loved one on a holiday, you had to plan ahead. It required actually writing a meaningful message, as there were no gifs or jpegs. If you sought to leave a written message, you needed to rely on the post office, and you needed a stamp. A particular stamp I first saw as a child comes to mind today. Why that stamp? Why today? Because today is Memorial Day, not the start of summer. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Late yesterday afternoon, Chicago Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso was murdered as he honored his sacred oath. He and other police officers were responding to a domestic-related call of a man with a gun. As Officer Vasquez Lasso was coming to the defense of a victim, and a community, he was wounded by the offender. Despite the efforts of his fellow officers and medical personnel, Officer Vasquez Lasso did not survive the attack. His murder is a tragedy for his family, and a tragedy for a city that struggles against lawlessness. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Martin Luther King, Jr. was an inspiring Christian pastor who advanced the founding principles of America. He lived in turbulent times, and he made a difference. We have long known that it is through adversity that the strength of our character emerges. When individuals of strong character dedicate their lives to improving the lives of millions of others, greatness can occur. Greatness emerged in Dr. King. He challenged his fellow citizens to fulfill the promise of the American creed. His efforts advanced the moral strength of our nation. The legacy of his words and life continue to provide clarity on the importance of character. For this, on the national holiday honoring his birth, we are right to say thank you to Dr. King. [Click the link below to read more.]
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At Secure 1776 we waited a week to issue our New Year’s post to make a point. There is no special magic at the stroke of midnight ending the last day of any December. Not with the dropping of a ball in Times Square, nor with the dropping of a musical note in Nashville. Not with the flipping of the calendar to any January 1st. As far as holidays go, New Years commemorates little more than Ground Hog Day does. Time passes. It is true that most of us seek more time. Time to get things right. Many hope to achieve significant accomplishments, and have more time for enjoyment. Yet, individually and as a society we tend to waste a lot of time. We tend not to spend enough of it seeking truth. Such is the case with the public safety crisis that continues in far too many communities. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Without question, in this world there is suffering. There are many challenges and troubles. Christians understand this worldly reality and the need for salvation. They know as well that there is reason for hope. In all of world history one birth stands above all others. The birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The very calendar of Western Civilization is marked by the time before His birth and the time after. More than two thousand years later, there remains reason for celebration of His birth. As we seek Peace on Earth, faith provides all of us a path for salvation. We have a hope and prayer for a Merry Christmas. [Click the link below to read more.]
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To acknowledge that there is a continuing public safety crisis in our nation is clear. Even in a culture where nearly every aspect of everyday life has divided political overtones, unease about violence and crime is widespread. At a Chicago Police Department (CPD) awards ceremony held yesterday, Chaplain Kimberly Lewis Davis provided an opportunity for clarity. In her opening remarks and prayer, she spoke about the stars that filled the room. Star imagery is particularly impactful in places where the badges worn by police officers are formed in the shape of a star. Chaplain Lewis Davis spoke on how in darkness, the stars provide us light. Her prayer acknowledged the stars that filled the room. In communities across America, such reason for celebration, and yes gratitude, abounds. [Click the link below to read more.]
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On Sunday morning, 7 August 2022, Chicago Police Department (CPD) Star 15013 was formally retired in an emotional ceremony. It was the star worn by Police Officer Ella Grace French. I never had the privilege to properly meet Officer French. But one year ago, in the very early morning hours of 8 August 2021, I was privileged to stand among the couple of hundred CPD members, who met her, as she arrived at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. We were there because on the evening of 7 August 2021, Ella’s tour of duty came to a tragic end. We were there to honor her. To mourn her passing. It was there, for the first time, that I also came to be in the presence of Ella’s mother, Elizabeth French. There were heartbreaking images and sounds that will remain always. But there were also powerful and enduring images of love, courage, and strength. [Click the link below to read more.]
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I suppose the timing of Memorial Day, on the cusp between spring and summer, explains part of the confusion, but there is more at hand here. Memorial Day is not a holiday celebrating the start of summer. Far from it. In reality, Memorial Day is less a day of celebration, and more a day intended to be one of honoring and remembrance. Who are we honoring and remembering? Military veterans? Well yes, but not quite. There is a day on which we are to honor all those who have worn the uniform of the United States of America. That day was established in November 1919, and is now known as Veterans Day. Memorial Day is more specific in its focus. Memorial Day is intended to honor this nation’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who did not return home alive – or return at all – from service in defense of our nation. Have we earned this? Can we earn this? No. Such selfless devotion is always a gift beyond what is owed to any of us. But, as a nation, we can strive to be more grateful and more worthy. [Click the link below to read more.]
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“Good morning” is a greeting that is commonly shared early in the day. The expression acknowledges the start of a new day, as well as a statement of hope. Yet we have also heard the greeting shortened to just “morning.” The shortened expression makes no claim beyond a statement of time. Fatigue and a discouraged sense of what the new day has in store can often explain why the shortened greeting is used. The greeting “Happy New Year” is similar to “good morning,” and it too seeks to express hope for the time ahead. As a nation we lived through 2020, the year like no other. The year 2020 was one with many issues, including significant public safety disappointments. Sadly, relative to violence, 2021 was also a disappointing year. A “happy” new year in 2022 will require resolve beyond the mere use of an optimistic greeting. [Click the link below to read more.]
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It is Christmas Day, a day of reflection, hope, redemption. We remember the many gifts we have received from our own loved ones – and we cherish the fond memories they created for us. With many blessings, I am grateful for the precious gift of more time with family and friends, and with colleagues who have always helped share the work of the mission. At this time of year, the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” comes to mind. It is a story of the consequences that flow from the choices one makes, and most importantly – it is a story about the possibility for redemption. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Last week, several news sites made reference to an internal email sent from a former commander with the Chicago Police Department (CPD). The email was sent to several CPD members by Captain Melvin Roman on his last day before retiring. The email was a “within the family” message. It was subsequently released publicly by someone other than Captain Roman. The coverage of the email – not the email itself – was a spectacle Chicago moment. Anyone who actually knows Mel Roman knows that he is not one to seek the personal spotlight. He has always been the type of leader to focus on the needs of those he was responsible to lead. He delighted in turning the spotlight toward their accomplishments. That fact alone should help us move past the spectacle and seek the leadership lessons that were offered. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Without question, more than any other single individual, Abraham Lincoln saved our union of states. Had it not been for his leadership, including his moral clarity, our nation, “one nation under God,” would have ceased to exist in the 1860s. In the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln reminded the nation that there was much of which to be grateful. In October 1863, President Lincoln issued a thanksgiving proclamation to his countrymen. In November 1863, the words of President Lincoln in the fields of Gettysburg would again stir his nation. There he would remind the nation of the cost of liberty and justice for all. It remains to us, the living, to carry on the work that comes with living in, as Lincoln described, “the last best hope of Earth.” [Click the link below to read more.]
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