Faith & The Hero: 2011 IACP Officer Of The Year

I had the honor to meet the 2011 IACP Officer of the Year at a recent Below 100 Training Event. I knew I was going to meet Mike before the event and honestly, I didn't know what to think.
If you aren't familiar with the West Memphis Shootout that killed two officers, you can read about that here.

Mike Neal told me that when he entered the parking lot, he knew two officers were dead and he saw two more laying down after being shot. In his mind, these suspects had killed four police officers and his statement was that he decided to "take the fight to them."

In the video below, you will see that Mike did just that.



I spoke with Mike for some time and I was impressed by this heroic deed but I was more impressed by his humble attitude and his faith in Jesus Christ. He discusses that importance below.

Centurion Radio #30: The ODMP

The Officer Down Memorial Page is one of the most popular law enforcement websites. They have compiled a web page for over 21,000 officers that have died in the line of duty. Listen to this interesting interview of the founder, Chris Cosgriff.

Courageous Movie Outreach: Gospel Presentation

I can't say enough at how important and special our relationship is with Berean Baptist Church in Ohio. They personally deliver vests to officers in their state and they helped us with an outreach of the Courageous Movie to Law Enforcement in their area. There is a reason we are thankful for this partnership and for Pastor Cuenin's weekly sermons that we post. It is because of their God Honoring approach to a Biblical Message of the Gospel.

Following the showing of Courageous, Michael Coughlin presented the Gospel to those that attended. Here is a video of that presentation.

Centurion Radio #29: Courageous Movie

Join us as we discuss the Courageous Movie with a representative from Provident Films and the Director of the Centurion Law Enforcement Ministry, Chaplain M.C. Williams.

180 Movie: A Must Watch Documentary

Courageous Movie Review: "They Needed Rifles"

As the Director of a Ministry to Law Enforcement, I will admit that when I found out the newest movie from Sherwood Pictures would be a law enforcement theme, I was excited. I had kept up closely with the previous movies made by Sherwood Baptist Church and they just kept getting better. Fireproof came out in 2008 and took Christian Movies to a new level and my thought with Courageous was clear. If it was anything close to Fireproof, then it would be an incredible resource for our ministry in reaching law enforcement.

This week, after 460 pre-screenings of the movie, I found myself in a room with about 30 church leaders and law enforcement officers and I watched Courageous for the first time. The movie comes out on September 30, 2011, and my verdict is in....It is not only as good as Fireproof (see our review here) but takes Christian Movies to a level we have never seen before. That value is not only in the professional look of the movie and the plot line and good acting but also in it's unwavering approach to the Bible, God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When so many movies that are labeled "Christian" tend to be just good "Family" Movies, I can tell you that Courageous does not waver and has not bent to the echoes of Hollywood on generalizing spirituality in an effort to appeal to the masses. It is for this reason, that I can whole heartedly recommend this movie and I am honored to have been able to watch the progress it has taken and I believe when it opens, it will shock the secular movie industry with it's success.

It doesn't take long to see that this movie doesn't have the look of a typical low budget movie. In fact, I hesitate to even say it is low budget but I'm certain that on opening weekend it will certainly be the lowest cost movie made and with that said, you will not get that impression. The opening scene will make that clear for you.

Just after the opening excitement, we get the theme of this movie when the Sheriff tells his men about the dangers of not being a good father and tells them that "when you clock out, go home and love your families."

We see many other sub-plots in the movie which is done by design. Simply, there will be something for everyone here. Officers speak about their absentee fathers and how it affected them and discussions on marriage occur.

"People do not fight for their marriage anymore....divorce happens because people make it an option"

And just when you thought Courageous would settle into discussions about family, parenting, etc. a tragedy occurs and the emotional roller coaster begins. Ths is when you begin to see that the men and women behind Sherwood Pictures are their own voices. It is clear that no one outside the ministry is dictating these plots and scenes. The emotion continues and quite honestly it has been a little over 24 hours since seeing the movie and it is still not over for me. I don't think it ever will be and I have no doubt as my life continues, I will experience things that will revert me back to this movie.

This is the beauty of Courageous.

The emotion and the comedy and exhalting Christ in the midst of it was so refreshing.



"We have a living hope because Jesus lives....Make sense of this for me."

It has almost become a cliche in the Christian Genre that someone in the movie becomes saved and all of a sudden great, earthly things start to happen. Of course we know that Biblically, becoming a Christian can bring great hardship (Matthew 10:22, Acts 9:29, Acts 9:15-16, Matthew 10:17-22) and I so appreciate the honesty in the Movie Courageous. You see real life with real questions and real struggles. In short, you see sinners, saved by grace, struggling to live their faith and that is real life and that makes Courageous an unbelievable resource for every Christian and Non-Christian.

In closing, I want to thank Joel & Crystal Jones. I was originally scheduled to see this movie last March but I was travelling at the time. They went in my place and gave me the information I needed to pursue this movie further. Their confidence in the movie was important to me. Michael Coughlin has also been a huge help to our ministry. He also went to the movie in April and wrote an excellent review for our ministry. Michael has also been instrumental in helping us with our outreach for this movie that aims to give free showings to law enforcement across the country. You can find out more details on that here.

And you may wonder why I've titled this as "They Needed Rifles"? For that explanation, you will need to watch the movie......and trust me, they needed rifles.

Run

Preached In Times Square Church, New York City, the Sunday after September 11, 2001.

Courageous Movie: Gun Range Gospel

Are You Amazed?

Our latest sermon preached by Travis Yates, Director of Ten-Four Ministries.

Interview With Air 1 Radio

Air 1 Radio is a National Christian Radio Station with over 250,000 listeners each day. We were very blessed to have been interviewed by them today and we have received numerous requests and questions in the last 24 hours. You can listen to that interview below.

Centurion Radio #28: Lives Behind The Badge

I had a great time interviewing Kristi Neace today on Centurion Radio. She is a national advocate for police wives and has written several books on the subject. I highly recommend this interview to any police officer or spouse.

Centurion Radio #27: 2000th Vest Donation

Listen to internet radio with TenXFour Ministries on Blog Talk Radio

Centurion Radio #26: Heart Of A Warrior

Listen to internet radio with TenXFour Ministries on Blog Talk Radio

Armor of God: Vest #2000

Courageous: An Arresting Movie

Centurion Radio #25: Adopt An Agency

Centurion Radio #24: Line of Duty Deaths

Memorial Ride To Benefit Armor of God Project

The Iron Shields Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club will be holding a fundraiser for the Armor of God Project on August 27, 2011.

If you are in the area, we encourage you to attend the 3rd Annual Detective Chuck Smith Memorial Ride. You can see the flyer on the event here.

The Doctrine of Salvation

Here is the newest sermon from Pastor Eric Cuenin. Over the next few years, we will be providing you his sermons from the Book of Ephesians.

Centurion Radio #23: Shift Work