Jason E. Fort's Blog, page 7

Is YOUR Head in the Sand?

We live in a world where everyone yearns to feel safe. Yet all around us is evidence that various people with evil intentions will stop at nothing to carry out their plans to hurt others. There are all sorts of reasons and motives behind these plans and schemes, but for simplicity sake we will just chalk it up to the driving force of evil. And yet, we have talking heads in mainstream news, and political figureheads that ignore the real issue of evil, and instead want to have the general public ill-prepared for when the 'wolves' out there decide to strike. They do this by re-directing blame to inanimate objects, and policies, and rules. This message is not noble. This message in this crazy world full of mad people ignores the problem of evil. This message sets people up for failure. This message sets people up to be victims. This message is what sets people up to get killed.How, one might ask? Simply put - denial.And why would we deny anything? When do we as humans deny things?Why, whenever the truth makes us uncomfortable, that's why.Why would people want to deny the truth that evil is real and evil exists? Let's answer that by getting you to think. If a government or world-wide group of elite and wealthy people wanted to make sure people didn't believe in God, what is one thing they could also try to make the public think? One answer could be that they could get the public to not think evil is real, either. Look at the evidence all around us, permeating every facet of society and media influence in the world today. Let's look at some basic principles that can be assumed true if one believes in God, and then look at examples of common themes in a common worldview that refute those assumptions:There is a God or creator who is in control... vs. I AM IN CONTROL, AND THERE IS NO GOD;The world was created... vs. evolution;Marriage is a sacred institute between a man and a woman... vs. gay marriage or "sexual orientation" and gay marriage;Boys are boys and girls are girls, and there are just two genders... vs. gender preference/ any # of genders;There is absolute moral truth, and God is behind that truth... vs YOU get to define your own truth (sound familiar, Oprah fans?);There are God's laws that we should not break... vs. Make your own truth and follow your own rules - Oh, wait!But isn't a mixed signal being spread here? Let's get this straight; the world would like us to think that we can define ourselves what is right and what is wrong, individual to individual, but we can post rules and signs that say NO GUNS HERE or we can tell people they shouldn't have guns... and THAT WILL KEEP US SAFE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!WHAT?!You see? It is a complete avoidance of the real issue at hand... EVIL.If a person wants to commit evil acts, the only thing that stops them from doing such is either an outside physical FORCE, or their choice not to do it. We can rely on the fact that societies have agencies, or 'forces for good' (see what I did there?) to intervene when people do things that are evil and violent, to some extent. But are those entities everywhere, at a moment's notice?No.But they want you to open up your borders. They want you to open up the sexual options. They want you to open up your home. They want you to accept everyone who is different (which is fine), yet if you differ in opinion from the elite mainstream, YOU will not be accepted. They want you to deny there is a God. They want you to deny that evil exists. They want you to deny that there are people out there who don't care about laws. They want you to deny the fact that there are people out there who will hurt you simply because you don't believe what they believe. They want you to deny that anyone else can be in control except you... YET-They want you to trust THEM. They want you to not deny THEM acess. They want you to follow laws that THEY see fit. They want you to trust them to protect you at all times, but not protect yourself. 'THEY' are people in high places whose ultimate goal is complete control, but they want you to think you are in control. They are people who would benefit one day, just THOSE AT THE VERY TOP, from one government to control us all.Have you stopped to think about any of this? Have you always just felt safe in your own 'bubble'? Do you just trust the government to respond to every threat you ever face? Do you just do what THEY want you to do, sticking your head in the sand while the evil is around you, and just deny that it's even there?Maybe it's time you started watching everyone around you, or maybe you already do. Maybe it's time you asked yourself, is it really possible to have your own truth, without it effecting everyone else around you? Is that any way for our continued existence as living beings on this planet? Maybe it's time you asked your friends and family around you to start thinking, what will you do if this happens; what will you do when THAT happens? Do you plan for evil people at all? Will evil people follow the rules once all those rules are in place? If you're a rule follower, and I am not, can the government assure you 100% that I can't hurt you? Have you ever thought about an active shooter coming to your place of work? Have you ever thought about a mugger coming around the corner and trying to take your possessions? Have you thought about what you would do if someone invades your home in the middle of the night, and they happen to be armed and ready to hurt you when they do it?Or has the mainstream convinced you that all that stuff just exists in video games and movies?Is your head in the sand?

Protect Them, Then!

This is not a political post. Although I can get political, that's not my intention. This isn't a matter of opinion. This is to suggest a real solution to the problem of evil people shooting up schools in America. You want to keep this tragedy from happening - PROTECT OUR CHILDREN - end of sentence !Here's the thing, I am not talking about arming teachers. I was a teacher before I was ever a police officer. Although I totally get some teachers wanting to protect the students, and to act as a protector against the 'bad guys', teachers have enough to worry about regarding the needs of their students in crisis. Let the teachers focus on the students; let the teachers be their guidance during these times; let the teachers try to maintain calm and cut down the panic.What I am talking about is similar to what most high schools already have, along the same lines as school resource officers (SROs). There are some areas in my home state, South Carolina, where some middle schools and high schools have SROs. But there are not SROs at the elementary schools. There are many middle schools that do not have them. And some of the largest high schools only have one, similar to the school in Parkland, Florida, which was a school of more than 3000 students. This - is not enough.Yet our very own school shooter in South Carolina, the teen named Osborne from the Townville shooting, said he picked an elementary school because he knew they had no SRO. Ask any person out there, good guy or bad, cop or gang banger, who he is less likely to mess with: a group of unarmed, defenseless individuals protected by a few people at a desk i ncontrol of a door button to unlock the school, or a trained officer strapped with his own M4? Hmmmm, I will give you a minute to think about that.Now look, I understand emotions are high right now. I feel horrible for the students affected by the trauma and loss. I agree that this should never happen again. But thinking emotionally to solve this problem - is not going to keep it from happening. Truth be told, as long as evil exists, the possibility of it happening again never truly goes away. But we sure as heck can make some efforts to protect our kids. Laws will not protect them from criminals.What do we use to protect the things that we hold in high value? The President is protected by the Secret Service. Fort Knox gold or wherever our gold may be now - protected by armed personnel. Banks scattered throughout the country hire themselves some armed security. Crowds of people in Time Square in New York at New Years are protected by heavily armed police officers. Top Secret projects are protected by armed soldiers. Hospitals, which are mostly run by liberal think tanks - are even protecting themselves more nowadays with armed personnel. Political figures everywhere have armed bodyguards. Extra armed security precautions are put in place when important dignitaries are coming to a football game. And yet the most valuable thing to all of us, the most precious treasure this country offers to the rest of the world - OUR CHILDREN - isn't value enough to be protected by armed personnel? That's just crazy talk.We spend billions on our military - and I am all for that. But we could spend some of that on a security force for our schools. We spend billions on people to depend on the government. If they don't want to tend to themselves enough to get a job, maybe that money could be spent differently. How much money is WASTED on something like Planned Parenthood? Hmmm, let's see, lobbyists and supporters of abortion could spend their money on protecting children - oh, but wait... I've said too much!Why is it that we can spend billions on trying to find a cure for something that has seemed pretty incurable for as long as we've known of its existence, but we can't spend money to protect our most precious assets?Our children, like them or not; millenials or post-millenials or not; snowflakes or not; liberal or not; conservative or not... love the way they act or not - the fact of the matter is they are our future. If we keep leaving them defenseless, we will have no future.And if we keep aborting them, we will have no future.And if we cannot teach them to treat other people better, we will have no future.And if we keep teaching them that their own truth is relative and not absolute, we will have no future.And if we can't change their hearts, we will have no future.And if we keep letting them think family is not important, we will have no future.But changing laws won't fix this problem long term or short term; laws work to deter people who wouldn't think about being a criminal anyway.Let's take our time working on the long term solutions by working on our kids to set them up for a brighter future with the way we treat each other.But pundits want to say #Neveragain, and say they want to protect our children. Well, the short term fix would be to put as much deterrence against evil as we can afford in place - we're the richest country in the world for Pete's sake! Heck - start a new branch of the military. The Shepherd or Sheepdog Corps, to protect our most precious flock!You say you want to protect our children? Protect them, then!

The Fighters

How many true fighters have you met in this world? I've had the privilege to know a few people in my lifetime that I consider to be true fighters. Whether they've made it pretty far in life against the odds, or they have a certain persona about them that just tells you they would fight to the death to remain true to themselves - I know a few folks whose photos should be next to the word FIGHTER in the dictionary. Why? Because there is just something about some people you meet or get to know, that just tells you there is a line you don't cross with them - and that's ok. Just don't cross that line, and they will give you anything. The true fighters don't go out picking fights, but they will not be anyone's door mat. They will stay true to who they are, and they will go down swinging. I thought I would dedicate a blog post to those people today. First of all there is my obvious example. My dad was such a fighter when he was younger, his friends AND his own mother told me about a certain nickname - Stomp-Ass, apparently well-earned by the man. My dad was the youngest of three children, raised in a single parent home, and eventually the man of the house at 14 years old. My grandmother didn't have a lot of money, and yet somehow my dad ended up growing up to be the most stable and decisive leader of the family after my Granny was gone. My dad has survived both a heart attack and cancer. My dad still climbs on my parents' rooftop and fixes up the house after all that; stubborn and dedicated and hard working as ever. Although there were times that yes, my brothers and I felt the strength of our Dad's hand (or belt!) at our backsides growing up - there were also many times I can recall when I saw the protective side of my dad. I knew my dad meant business - and so did the rest of my church basketball team - and everyone in the gym for that matter, when he jumped to the defense of our team as some really poor officiating was letting some old school basketball bullies run amok on the basketball court, flagrant fouls and body slams along the way. I even saw the fighter in dad's eyes when one time - ONE TIME - I tried to insert myself in business that wasn't mine trying to tell my dad how to parent my brother. All it took was the flash of those eyes, and that one time was all it took. Lesson learned. But let's face it - my dad's a fighter. I have written before about how he is my hero, so you know I don't write this to make him look bad. He is one of these tough personas I mentioned; someone who would die fighting before he ever became untrue to his own nature. I like to think I am like him in this respect. Someone else I know who is a fighter - one of my best friends, who for privacy we will just call him, the Marine. This friend of mine has overcome a lot of things in his life. Even before those 'real life things' hit him, when we were kids, my friend was known to talk a good game. He would back it up - but he probably brought some of it on himself; that's ok - I was almost always on his good side. But my friend, the Marine, took on the life of a Marine. He got married - and divorced. He went to fight in Iraq, came back home, and when problems at home may or may not have arisen again - he went back to Iraq and fought some more. The Marine friend of mine came back, still served his country as a recruiter, injured his back, and took on a new profession. Through more family difficulties, on top of it all, he lost his mom... who was always one of my favorite 'other mommas'. Fast forward, he battles PTSD, and is winning. My friend, the Marine, is a fighter. I will always cherish his friendship, and his inspiration. Does anyone wonder why I would pick his persona as the basis for one of my main characters in the novels I write? And finally, on to the fighter who inspired this post. Out of respect for his privacy, I won't name him. But we'll just call him the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant just left our hospital public safety team today for the last time. The Lieutenant is a 100% pure New Yorker through and through, who happens to be a transplant down south. The Lieutenant worked most of his professional career as a fire inspector for the NYFD. The lieutenant was in the military as a young man. My friend the Lieutenant will tell anyone who asks, he grew up down the block from John Gotti. A straight-up Brooklyn accent and eyes of a fighter, this friend of mine has been a security officer as long as I have been a police officer (a couple of years longer actually). He has been right there in the thick of it when someone resisted arrest with us, getting his hands just as dirty as any officer under his authority and rank. Friendly whenever folks were friendly to him, friendly whenever he knew he was supposed to be, even if the aggressor wasn't - abrupt and tough when he knew it was called for... no matter what, the people who worked around him have utmost respect for him. How do I know? Today, we said a temporary goodbye to him professionally, because my friend the Lieutenant, has cancer. But his fighter spirit is contagious. I know it because I've been inspired by it; officer after officer shook his hand with the grip of camaraderie, pulling him into a tight embrace. And everyone who knows the Lieutenant, had something similar to say because we all know the fighter he is: something along the lines of 'keep on swinging'. "This guy" I'd tell him, pointing my thumb over at him, if I could see him this instant. 'This guy' is one of the toughest hombres I've met, and the other thing you see when you look into his eyes? A heart of God. My friend the Lieutenant has a heart for people; a heart for his family; a heart for the people he worked with; and a heart for the tough life he lived. Yep - he's a fighter, and he'll keep swinging. So what about you? Do you know some people in your life that are real fighters? The world we live in, the politically correct world, the bleeding hearts out there - they will tell you that this world doesn't need fighters. But if not for the fighters, we wouldn't have people out there willing to fight for you - for me. Fighters are here because this world has darkness. Until Jesus comes again, you can either succumb to some of that darkness - or you can be a fighter. There are more things to fight out there than people, and who knows - maybe, just maybe, the Good Lord blessed some of the fighters we know.

The Family Name

The Fort family crest pictured above may or may not be our official crest. A project my uncle did back in college supposedly led back to our family being French Huguenots, but this is an English Family crest. There is also another crest from France, same spelling, where the central focus is a lion holding a club. Whichever one started our particular line, both these coats of arms represent strength.But the crest is only one representation of the family.The people from a family are who really matter. And that is something that is lost on society these days except for the most wealthy and elite. Everyone gets so hung up on which group they want to be associated with, which sexual identity, which political identity, which national identity, which professional identity, etc. But what about your family identity?Although I think certain things have been done throughout world history to make people forget about the significance of the family name, God Himself knew what he was doing when he included as one of the Ten Commandments, 'Honor your father and mother'. This command is not something to motivate pride - but honor. And one doesn't have to look much further than the parable of the talents taught by Jesus in the book of Matthew to understand this. Especially if you look at it from the perspective I will try to explain.In the parable, Jesus decribes a master who entrusts his servants with talents, units of money, for a limited time. He trusts the servants to handle the money not just with care, but he expects them to make the best of the value of the money (although in the parable, the master does not tell his servents exactly what he expects). Two of the three servants invest the money and the value increases to more than they had originally. The third servent buries the money somewhere until the master returns. Upon the master's return, he is pleased with the actions of the first two servents because they used their opportunity to honor their master, but he banishes the third servant for giving back to the master exactly what he started with, because he wasted opportunity.So what does this have to do with the family name?Oddly enough, the words I am typing here were inspired by this parable, wise advice from my own father - and the younger but intellectual perception of my youngest brother. Without going into details, after a family get-together, my father spoke on Jesus's words, and my brother spoke on how honored he was to carry the family name. And I was inspired to help others see how these same thoughts and wisdom can be shared and experienced by all of us...even if you are not blessed like my brothers and I with a united family to raise you.So how can this relate to others, what could society learn from this, and how is it available to all people?First, let's look at the parable again. What if we see our times here on Earth as temporary (which it is) or a limited opportunity, and what if we don't get to take our names with us when we perish (not that we'd need to)?Our family name is passed down by our parents. Regardless of what society and media want us to think, what we do in life reflects a lot of what we were taught growing up, and what we do with that knowledge. If we honor our father and our mother, then we use the knowledge they teach us wisely, and other people will see that in our actions. And when people see those wise actions and then associate us to who our parents are, typically they think of the parents' family name. So if we don't squander the opportunity to honor the family name, our parents will be pleased with us. And we can pass that knowledge on to our own children, and they can do the same. And so on, and so forth; that is the way God intended the family to work. Unfortunately, what has happened in society, is the value of family itself has been tarnished, and people don't even care about the family name near as much anymore. People are brought up without both parents; individuals learn to just look out for number one, and the selfishness which has become so prevalent in society passes on down to other children, and the vicious cycle continues. Before long, there is nothing to entrust from a predeccessor anymore, and we have many of the problems we have today.What if people started caring again about what their parents say? Well obviously, due to increased numbers of divorces, fewer nuclear famillies according to biblical design, and influence by the world to always look out for number one, that is a challenge. But what if you have a family of your own? What if it is still early for you? What if you decided that you wanted people to know that your parents taught you well, and you started to show that in your actions on a daily basis? What if, because of the hard work and effort you put into it, your children learn from you, and pass on that knowledge? Despite the dangers of the obstacles I mentioned above, you'd still be making the best of the opportunity given to you - to honor that family name.Now I know, some of you out there that read this, may have grown up in a broken home. Some people may even be orphans, who still persevered by looking out for number one, and they happened to make out pretty well in life, so far. If that applies to you, you are to be commended; there is something to be said for perseverance. But maybe, just maybe, some folks out there could read this and say, well that's all fine and good Jason, but what about those of us who just didn't have that advantage or upbringing?A fair point - but to give you the answer, I still wanted to use my brother's story.You see, through ups and downs of the family, and in my brother's life himself, he has learned something from my father; something that my other brother and I can also say we've learned a little more about through the years just because we are older. My brother has learned the importance of making family a priority. Our father did that his entire life. My mom was always the glue that held us all together, and even mended little breaks along the way - but our dad's focus on family was the driving force, always moving the family forward. Through planning, through his work, even through his goals for fun things, the focus of family by our father was evident. And my brother simply sharing his realization with all of us motivated me to write this. And it made me realize something else.Even if you don't have an earthly family name to treasure; even if you don't have that advantage of still having a mother and father who raised you; even if you've screwed up a lot in life and feel like you have no family name left to honor anyway - the Bible tells us that there is a family name that you can share with millions of others. There is a family of which you can join because of a gift given to us by the Grace of God, in the name of Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever so believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. How is that for a family legacy?The name of Christ is available for us to share as Christians. We can join the family of Christians around the world. We can bring honor to His name by following His commands, and we can pass that information on to other family members. And when we see it as an honor to do so, it becomes infectious; we want to pass it on. We need to pass it on. This is available to people from all walks of life, from murderers to thieves to adulterers, from traitors to abusers, and all you have to do to join this family is believe in Christ and what He did for us with all your heart. But if you truly believe, you will know to turn from those worldly urges and ways.Will you mess up along the way?Absolutely... just like my brothers and I screwed up plenty when we were growing up. Yet somehow our father forgave us, just like our heavenly Father forgives us through His son Jesus.But here's the thing: God has given us ALL lives; limited opportunities while we are here on Earth. He is our ultimate Master, just like the father of myself and my brothers was our master (and boy did we know it :) ). What if I could tell you that being part of this global family, a family of believers, enables you to make the best of an opportunity in a new life, a life in which you are born again - and at the end of your opportunity, when you finally get to meet our Father in Heaven, He sees the work you did with your opportunity, and He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant?"The opportunity is there for the taking for all of us, regardless of the earthly family in which you were raised.So what do you say? Wanna join my Family? Oh sure, the world wants you to think bad things about the name of Christ sometimes... but hey, there's a certain book that told us all that was going to happen. Funny how that works.

My 2017 Year in Review

The year 2017 - phew! What a crazy time to be alive, huh?A lot of things happened in 2017...for me personally; for my family; for my country; for the church....for the world.I wanted to end the year with a blog post about everything I learned or observed over this past year, and many of those reinforced my Christian worldview and MY take on the world around us.First, I wanted to talk about the really good things that have happened. One of the highlights for the year is the chance I got to put myself out there on a radio show, over internet radio and even real radio waves from a Christian radio station out in Dove Creek, Colorado. Although I started that short stint as a host in December of 2016, I continued to do the radio show all the way into July. So for 6 months I produced audio segments, and got started on video segments as well, to basically speak my mind but try to share the Gospel in some form or fashion. I want to thank Keith Hardin, the owner of the radio station KDOV, for giving me the chance to attempt to put out radio broadcasts that drew listeners and impacted folks in a positive way. If I were more tech savvy, and if I had more time, I probably would've kept the show up. I did actually gain a few readers for my novels, and received an occasional message from people who heard me on the radio. So I enjoyed the opportunity. Just my luck, shortly after I quit doing the show, my hard drive crashed, and I lost a lot of writing that I hadn't backed up on the cloud. Oh well, you live, you learn. But being a radio show host was kind of cool. I even interviewed several people. Coming up with questions, and hearing the participants' answers was pretty neat. I will never forget my experience with KDOV...so once again, thank you Keith in Colorado :)Secondly, I wanted to reflect on an accomplishment that may seem very minor to many of you out there, but it is a check mark in my law enforcement career that I wanted from the beginning. This past November, I finally became a certified Defensive Tactics Instructor through the South Caorlina Criminal Justice Academy. Some people, friends, family, may know I have always had a fascination with martial arts, but never took any one discipline or style for very long - well let's face it; because it just wasn't practical financially or for family scheduling purposes. But after working the door in a bar or two, and then beginning a career in law enforcement, I had this as a goal early on. When I finally got the chance, I will say it was more challenging than I thought it would be a long time ago, but once I got into the swing of things, I knew I could do it. Not only will this make me more confident in any future potential encounters I may have with others who wish to hurt someone, but now I can teach some effective ways officers can have a 'fighting' chance to protect themselves and others. At the same time, just through learning more about all the threats out there, and the options bad guys have, it reinforced to me the importance of not thinking you're Superman; be proactive with the call for backup. But like I said, this accomplishment made me very happy.Thirdly, I was challenged and pleased at the same time with the growth of my readership of Fortress Books, and the promotion for my books and my brand over the past year. Although I am behind my own self-imposed schedule for releasing my latest book (about halfway finished, but the rest of the process should go fast), I have learned a lot about promoting my own work as a self-publisher. I have learned how much traditionally published authors have going for them... but I have also learned that I am a person pretty set in my ways, and enjoy the independence anyway. I have enjoyed reading comments from people who read my blog posts. I have enjoyed seeing the occasional new review on Amazon (of which I believe I will be getting many more in 2018). And one of the things I have enjoyed most is getting to know my illustrator, Caleb Rivera, a little better over the past year. Caleb has helped me with artwork for all of my books now, and it has been a pleasure getting to know someone who is willing to share this book publishing journey with me. I have learned more over the past year, 2017, about self-publishing and self-promotion than any other year so far. Caleb is open to helping me grow this avenue - this ministry if you will. It's been a fulfilling experience, and I am anxious to see where it goes.Now, I didn't just want to talk about the big things that have gone on with just me. There were also several events in 2017 that impacted me, and I have made several observations through the year. So let's look at some of those:1) 2017 was an even bigger 'Year of the Offended' than 2016. If you share your opinion, on anything at all, even when you don't think it will offend anyone, I discovered that someone, somewhere out there, will find a way to be offended by your thoughts. I can't remember a time in my life prior to 2017 where this has been as big a deal. It hasn't affected me so much personally, because although I speak my mind, I don't set out to offend people. And I have only received so much backlash for saying how I feel about some things. But I have seen overreaction EVERYWHERE, for the slightest little comment or suggestion. It has really been strange.2) 2017 was a year for misinformation. Some of it very deliberate; some of it strangely just missing the mark altogether because of the propensity for some people to believe anything. The funniest thing I read in recent weeks was that CNN and other mainstream media claim 2017 to be a new Golden Age for Media. Really? If you really don't think the media has a deliberate political agenda in this country, go back to 2016 election season. Fast forward to all the fake stories that have come out as trash, by supposed 'most trusted news sources', and it becomes pretty evident. It doesn't matter which way someone votes, nobody can deny the intentional misdirection of the news after 2017. Add to that the explosion of fake news sites who make it their business to just publish satire, and - well, you get 2017.3) 2017 was a year where several people woke up to the real threats in this world. Certain threats in the world, like ISIS, have been taken more seriously by current military leaders. And they weren't treated like the JV team. They were treated like a strong threat should be treated - with a much stronger one. Enter MOAB, stage right. In all seriousness though, many of our leaders have taken safety and security of this nation seriously again. Now I am of the opinion that some of the lax approach of dealing with threats such as ISIS was intentional in the past, but at least more of the top dogs who make important defense decisions have their eye on the ball moreso this go-round. Time will tell if that continues to improve. We still see much of the country think with their hearts instead of their minds, and so we offer fugitives 'sanctuary' - which let's face it; if anyone does this on a personal level, it's a crime. But if government leaders do it, it's ok. Oh well, another soap box for another day.4) 2017 was a year where I noticed more attacks on the idea of people being Christians than any year in recent memory. Although certain people in powerful positions are at least not afraid to say 'Merry Christmas' again, the news media, and Hollywood, and TV shows, have fired more shots across the bow at Christianity than any other year I can remember in my lifetime. Some shows did it with subtle shots, almost implied insults at my faith. Some shows or movies did it with flying, or should I say FLAMING colors. The division in this country is becoming more and more clear, and it is my opinion that all the different sources of media in this country have been used to bring this division about to support a certain agenda. And since I mentioned the attacks on Christian beliefs in general that are becoming more prevalent in media....5) 2017 was a year where we saw Biblical prophecy come to the forefront. Oddly enough, the most obvious example came right at the tail end of 2017; the announcement that the USA would move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Suddenly (or perhaps not so suddenly), we have the biggest example of what the rest of the world wants as it relates to the country of Israel. The bulk of the UN wants to shoot down anything pro-Israel, and support anything pro-Palestine. That has become abundantly clear. In Zecharia 12:3, the Bible says all the nations will gather against Jerusalem. Funny how that works, right? Then we can look at the other little signs that things to come are inevitable; the Earth is being primed for takeover for the Antichrist.However, I don't claim to know we are THAT close...yet!So what do I predict for 2018?Well, I don't make precise predictions, because let's face it - if I were psychic, I could make my money elsewhere besides law enforcement. And chances are pretty good I also wouldn't claim Jesus as Lord.But I do speculate as to what things might happen if certain current events do not change, or if they continue progressing the way we see them now.And I think if we keep giving in to political correctness, the country where we live is on its last legs. Although I think we've been given a repreive, placating to people's feelings, and sacrificing safety in order to make people feel better and less offended - well, let's just say, the world will be more than ready for a certain Man Upstairs to return.If the news media continues to focus more on the sensational, and less on truth, the mob will become panicked and more divided.If politicians stick to the idea of wanting to tell their constituents what to think instead of vice-versa, the country will collapse.If we ignore the rising influence of Islam throughout the world and ignore places where they become the majority, Jesus will come sooner. Because let's face it - killing in the name of God or Allah was for the Middle ages, and should've stayed that way. But according to the actual tenets of one religion revealed to a crazy man in a cave, that is the way it has to be. So I guess if you look at it that way, maybe that's what could spur Christ's return? Literally, only God knows.So farewell 2017; hello 2018.I will keep training others. I will keep writing fictional stories with truth embedded within. The world will keep spinning for a time. Astronomers will continue to theorize this and that about things they will never see. Doctors who know how to cure more than they used to will be forced to keep things secret for the sake of the almighty dollar. Secret yet not so secret elite families will rule their roosts and laugh down at the commoners. Pro-football players will continue to kneel for lies. But... Children will still have birthday parties. Dogs will still wag their tails. Parents will still take pictures at graduations. America will still provide Bibles and bottled water to more people than any other country takes the time to do. Cars will still run on gas (mostly) and still continue to cost too much but look so pretty.People will laugh. People will cry. People will smile. People will love. And people will hate.So although I am not a glass half-empty kind of guy, I am a realist.But if you thought this blog post was going to pump anyone full of sunshine - well, sorry to disappoint.In the meantime, I continue to wait for flying cars, and if you've read the book of Revelation or the New Testament, you'll understand why I have mixed feelings on world peace.So - in conclusion, 2017 has been real.Happy New Year

Reminded of Mortality

I discovered today yet more recent news about the passing of the mothers of two friends of mine. It does seem that the older I get, the more often I am reminded of my own mortality by the recent passing of someone else. And death seems to get closer and closer to home. But Death does not frighten me near as much one would think it would, unless of course someone else is familiar with the same feeling of limited fright. The other people out there who are believers in Jesus Christ - perhaps you can relate.And yet, there is still that level of fear and awe that is inevitable. Even though my faith has afforded me a level of comfort when I am oft reminded of mortality, that reminder is still somewhat uncomfortable.I am reminded of a recent conversation I had with my son at lunch, discussing the ins and outs of the Marvel comic universe, and which direction we think everything in the movie world (the Marvel cinematic universe, if you will) is going. My son and I, as you may have guessed, love super hero movies and stories. And we are obviously not the only ones; hince all the money comic books and movies have made off such fanatics as myself.And why do people find super heroes so fascinating?Perhaps one reason is because they usually laugh in the face of mortality. The heroes in such amazing stories do not fear Death; in many cases it is because Death seems to have a hard time taking them. And when Death does finally win against one of our heroes, it is seen or depicted in the story as so tragic, and so rare, and so unbelievable. But those stories are just fantasy, aren't they? Most people know that it is impossible for us finite humans, in REAL life, to obtain any kind of immortality; any way to 'resist death's sting'. And here is the conundrum:There is one story... an AMAZING story, that IF TRUE, laughs in the face of Death altogether. This story is about a man who was fully Man, yet Fully God; the very Son of God, who demonstrated His manhood by dying on a cross, and then demonstrated His Divine power through His resurrection and complete conquest of Death. This is a story right out of the BEST SELLING BOOK IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD - and if it were true, it would be the answer to all of our problems.All one has to do is simply BELIEVE in order for this story to give them the same level of, I guess we can call it, comfort, when it comes to the thought of real Death.So here we have a book that has been purchased by more readers than any other book in history. There have been more free copies of the same book given away more times than any other book. And the story inside happens to help us all, in some way, face Death, and face the TRUTH of mortality.Yet so many people, who know the story is there - scoff at the very idea of that story being true.So it all comes back to faith... believing in something we cannot see. We can't see the live events that took place centuries ago in Bethlehem or Jerusalem. We yearn to see a hero conquer death as usual, but somehow Jesus' story doesn't do it for us the same way we expect in our movies, and story books, and comics. But that's the point isn't it?We don't get to dictate or decide when Death finally comes. We have our own ideas of how we would do it if we could. Perhaps there is no irony after all in the fact that the creators of the comic book hero, Superman, were Jewish?But in the end, only God has the final say. Only God decides when to challenge Death, when to prevent it, when to stop it, when to allow it to have its way, and of course when to overcome it.Perhaps it's just more evidence of the sinful nature within us all that still leaves us with that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of our stomachs when we are reminded of our mortality - even when we believe. Because in the end, we finite humans do not like it when someone else is in control.So the good ending, that actually does give us the most important level of control there is in existence besides the very Power of God, and the way even we little humans can tap into overcoming Death itself -is the power to CHOOSE.Because in the end, that is what the ultimate One that is in control tells us.John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What is your Profession?

About eight years ago, I was sitting on a bar stool...at the top of a set of stairs from Main Street, checking IDs as people came through the door of a dining and drinking establishment - whose clientele changed on a weekend basis, every night after 10 PM. I remember one particular night, and a local regular customer with a cowboy hat came strolling in through the door and handed me his ID."Jeff - what are you doing? Everyone here knows who you are," I said as I started to hand his ID back to him."What do you mean what am I doing? What are YOU doing - still sitting here checking IDs, when you should be out there as a police officer?" Jeff asked.As he stood there and reached out to take back his ID, my mind went elsewhere... way down memory lane, back to the year 1982.There I was sitting in my seat in Mrs. Gibson's second grade class, and we were about to have a new session of House-Wise-Street-Wise. In through the door walks this large, strapping police officer in a dark uniform, with a blue triangle on his sleeve, a very pronounced 'cop-stache', and a big shiny silver badge. The man had a presence about him that had every kid in the room entralled in what he had to say - and 'Officer Friendly' (turns out that was his actual name) made a lasting impression on me that day that would bring me back to that moment at the top of the stairs with Jeff. Officer Friendly told us that we should always make wise decisions, and base those decisions on doing what we knew was right versus what we knew was wrong. He said 'do what's right, and you'll stay out of trouble'. He said that people who do what's right also tend to avoid bad situations and even stay out of danger. He said not to do drugs, because all they'd ever bring you is trouble. He said that if you go to the wrong places with the wrong people, bad things happen. That message just made so much sense, and happened to line up with things my own dad said.And I remember thinking back then, "Wonder what it would be like to be like that Officer."Flash forward back to the top of the steps with Jeff. He brought me back to reality after just a split second, "Well... haven't you ever given it any thought?"I handed him back his ID. I thought a moment, then I said to Jeff, "Not in a long time, Jeff. But now that you mention it, I might just have to give it some serious thought."That night I went home late, as I did most nights that I worked at Chicora, and I couldn't sleep because I thought about it until the wee hours of the morning. I came to the conclusion that a career in law enforcement was something I wanted to do - but of course I had to talk to my wife. Later the next day, I brought up the possibility of that kind of job with my wife. I could tell that she had some consternation. But after some discussion, she told me that she was behind me if it was something I really wanted to do. And the rest, after many applications and a few interviews, is history.Now I am a training officer for a growing police department in a large health care system. It is safe to say that after training, and years in service both as a regular officer and training officer, I enjoy what I do. It has taken hard work, some actual blood, sweat, and yes - even tears. But I continue in this job because I have a desire to be good at it, to succeed at it, and to complete a mission. That mission is to protect and serve. To me, this job I have... is a profession.So what is your profession?Someone once said, “Your job may be your occupation, but not every occupation is a profession.”Another person somewhere also once said, “The fact that you work in a profession does not in and of itself make you a professional.”So are you a professional?When you are at your job every day, are you confident in your knowledge of your job? Do you care enough to declare whether or not you are competent at your job as well? Does it matter to you? Are you there just going through motions that were trained by someone else, just to pass the time and draw a paycheck?Or do you take pride in what you do? Do you care about how good other people think you are at your job? Do you continually strive to improve the job you do?Or do you settle for mediocrity?Are you in a position at your job where you are proud when you tell other people about what you do?Are you in a position at your job where you feel like you make a difference?If something happened to you where you work, and you could not return - would the people you work for notice you gone or at least have a task ahead of them trying to replace you?The questions I pose in this post are all questions that really, only YOU can answer... for YOURSELF.I wanted to post on this topic this month because I have posed similar questions to security officers that I trained. I think it is a wise thing to think about when considering how successful you want to be.So as I come to a close, I am reminded of that ever important question that is asked near the end of the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as King Arthur must cross a bridge to reach the grail."What - is your profession?"Can you answer that question before you finish crossing this bridge we call life, from birth, to your death?And one more question for you to ponder - Is it possible for one person to have more than one profession?More on that, on a later post next month.Thanks for reading.Jason E. FortIndependent author, Police Officer

As Iron Sharpens Iron...

"As iron sharpens iron,     so one person sharpens another."------Proverbs 27:17One of the best shows my son and I started watching recently is called FORGED IN FIRE.It is a show about a compeition between bladesmiths. And although most of the blades on the show end up being made of some kind of steel, one trademark of the show is when the bladesmiths go to grind away to fine tune the final shape and sharpness of their blades. And steel is an alloy of iron. So whenever I think of the sharpening of knives (I have a neat little collection myself that I sharpen on occasion), I think of the verse from Proverbs listed above.While most people may think of other verses when they think of the concept of friends, my mind often drifts to this one...especially the older I get. This might not be as true for some people as it is for others, because it really does depend on what your goals and intentions are. If my goal is to be the best model Christ follower I can be, then I think this verse is paramount.     When I was growing up, I tried to pick friends that had similar interests to mine. Although I would never ask for different friends than my closest friends growing up (you know who you are), in those early days I don't think those friends helped sharpen me as much as they helped me find my identity. Hey - that's pretty important, too! But I was reminded today, as I sat across a table at lunch from a man whom I admire and look up to for his accomplishments and shared Christian values, who is just a little further along down this life road then I am (hehe), I realized it is these friends later in life that help sharpen you; they help you focus yourself to a point; they help you realize where you are dull; they help you get out the imperfections; Heck - they can even correct you if they think you are a little warped - HA! If you ever see bladesmiths at work, you may understand that.     But over the years, as I have matured in my faith, I have encountered both older friends and younger friends who have helped do this for me. And it has been most noticeable when it was a friend who shared faith in Jesus Christ. Why is that?     For starters, it goes right along with the verse listed above, that happens to be in a book of the Old Testament written by a man who some say was one of the wisest men to walk the planet. But let's dive even deeper.     If one does not have Christ, or answer to a higher power for that matter, than their inner purpose could be in question. But with Christ, the purpose is clear. And the sharper one is for that purpose, the better suited they are to reach the world for Christ, helping to make disciples of all nations. In the show I mentioned earlier, the bladesmiths must forge blades that have to pass various tests demonstrating how well they serve very specific purposes. While some blades may be very sharp, they may not be very strong. While some blades may be very sharp at the point, they may have a dull edge. While some blades look amazing, the core of the iron alloy may not be structurally sound for the blade to actually serve its purpose. And here is where the analogy gets fun. Like I said earlier, I had friends earlier in life to help me discover my identity. I had friends later who even maybe helped forge a foundation for me, perhaps a foundation of purpose, so to speak. They lit a little fire in me. I had some friends toughen me up, hammer me out, push me around...you're getting the picture, right?     And as I look like an almost complete blade - not so fast! I need to be sharpened. And that sharpening has to come more than once. I may be tested and tried throughout my life. I may even become warped, or bent, and some other iron tool will be used to make me a sharp, working blade once again.     Why did I want to write this today? After eating lunch with my friend Rick, God hit me in the heart because of little things I've been worried about, just to help me understand how blessed I was to have so many friends who contribute to helping me fulfill my purpose. I have friends who will meet me for lunch who can give me inspiration and ideas to make my fictional stories more interesting. I can meet up with friends who will help me re-focus on the things that are important when the craziness of this world gets me down. I have friends who I may have only met in person briefly, but shared their personal faith and beliefs with me through Facebook or interviews, and I discovered we are kindred spirits. I have friends who were part of my youth and helped me find my identity, who happen to still grab my attention sometimes to this day and help me stay sharp.     So I just want anyone reading this to ask yourself, who do you have in your life that keeps you sharp? Who helps bring the best out of you to help you in your purpose for life? Is there anyone who has helped you find that purpose? Perhaps they help you hone your sharp edge often. Or perhaps we all need to be sharpened a little more often. I am mainly thinking out loud here, or rather, on a computer screen - but I am eternally grateful for the good Lord's other pieces of iron out there, that help me maintain that edge. And if you are one of those fellow pieces of ironwork who feels like you've contributed personally to my sharp edges, please accept my sincerest gratitude.God bless you, everyone!

Discernment - How it's helped me in both Law Enforcement and Writing

Discernment - another term for it has been discerning spirits - is a spiritual gift from God given by the Holy Spirit to God's redeemed. How do we know this? First of all, various verses in I Corinthians, I John, Acts, and Hebrews tell us in so many words. But what does it mean?Here are several ways 'discerning spirits', or discernment, is defined:"the God-given ability to distinguish between the truth of the Word and the deceptive doctrines propagated by demons.""the ability to detect motivation and the spirits that motivate.""being able to distinguish, discern, judge or appraise a person, statement, situation, or environment.""to discern good and evil." "to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influence of God, Satan, the world, and the flesh in a given situation."So what spirits are we talking about here?There are three main spirits, with a lower case 's', and this refers to demonic spirits, angels, and human spirits. The human spirits are things like someone having a spirit about them that is prideful, vengeful, spiteful, jealous, lustful, disingennous, addiction/gluttony, obsession, menacing, etc. I see myself as better at determining human spirits... Reading people. Not somuch the supernatural side of things, though I think if I explored it enough or was exposed to the supernatural world, I could develop this gift. So how do I know if I have this spiritual gift?I actualy have taken a couple of Spiritual Gift tests, and scored higher in this category both times; other gifts weren't remotely close, so it stood out. It also makes sense if one knows my upbringing, things I avoided with purpose...even how horror movies and extremely hard core music has made me feel my whole life; very uncomfortable. Add to that the sense of protection I always had, being the oldest brother; later being bigger than friends; having an only son; always breaking up fights (after getting into a few myself growing up). Bottom line, I always felt like I could read people pretty well, and I have even been told that most of my adult life. I also always felt like I could tell if something wasn't quite right; sense of uneasiness before given situations. Kind of bodes well for a police officer.It's obvious how this applies to law enforcement. What about writing? It is what I write about; I write about foreseeable negative or dangerous circumstances in given world scenarios in the national or world spotlight, and try to help people at least open their minds to the potential of such threats, most of those threats existing on the part of evil intentions by certain people and entities in the world around us. Sure - I do it through fiction. I mainly do that so I don't make too many people think I am crazy at once :)Have there been advantages, and possibly even difficulties as you have developed or learned more about this gift?I think this really helped me when I was a bouncer. I truly believe there were strange, almost precise times where I was in the right place, to be that right influence or even corrective influence at a vulnerable point in several people's lives. I think being able to discern people's motives, desires, or intentions helped keep me safe during those days. I think the yearning to be protective as I got older is what lead me to increase my knowledge of self-defense, physical fitness, and even psychological behavior in others. All of those areas are essential to being able to protect oneself and others, and I also learned a lot more about situational awareness in the process. Being aware of your surroundings and especially the people in them can help so much in determing whether there is danger around you or not.I think there were times growing up where some of the experiences I had to have to awaken certain parts of me were difficult. I think my temperament was challenging to get a hold of growing up, especially when I hit puberty, and even a time or two in college. But knowing things like that about myself also comfirmed with me why I should take one certain path instead of another - the one that lead to wise decisions and serving others, or the one that lead to a lack of inhibitions. It was an easy choice for me, knowing it was bad enough if I lost my temper stone cold sober; what would I be like if I were drunk?What has been the most rewarding?I may just be assuming too much here, but the more I have thought about this over the years, the more I have noticed - especially since I got into law enforcement - that people generally feel very safe around me. I don't mean just physically. It seems like everyone I meet, for one reason or another, wants to drop their guard around me and open up and tell me the most personal stuff. They don't necessarily want me to answer or solve problems, but it is like they feel like I am a safe sounding board. I think this has to do with them knowing what they see is what they get. And I don't think someone who is very fake can also be one who is good at true discernment.As usual, that's just my two cents.

The Voice of God... Can We Hear Him Now?

Prayer is our open phone line to God, and He has blessed us with that connection almost since the dawn of man (He spoke directly to Adam and Eve). But can we ever hear the voice of God?I have never claimed to have any supernatural gifts. I have never experienced true supernatural experiences in the physical sense. But I do think that if we are devoted to prayer with God, when we take the time to digest what we ourselves have asked or told God, He can effect our thoughts to know His will in our lives; His direction for us to do what is right by His will. Or, of course, because He IS God, I have no doubt if He were to actually talk, we could actually hear what He has to stay. But I also think we may not hear him at all because there is so much in this world that we allow to interfere with our signal.Let me explain this from a unique perspective that many people may be able to relate to. I wasn't always a police officer. I wasn't always suspicious or cautious and alert. I didn't always try to determine others' intentions. I used to be a pretty laid back, happy-go-lucky guy who just wanted to have fun and get to know people. I used to always assume the best in others, and I was very trusting of others - almost to a fault. Yet part of me was always protective by nature; I always tried to look out for people less fortunate than me; I became bigger and stronger as I grew up, and I enjoyed physical challenges in strength. But I also learned a lot about people through different career paths along the way. And the more I learned, while still prayerful with God, I would ask questions... and I would take the time to listen. And the funny thing about it is the more I listened, before law enforcement, the more I felt like God was leading me towards something, and teaching me strange lessons by some of the unique opportunities presented. Yet I feel like being in law enforcement over the last seven years, I have allowed more and more to interfere with the signal between me and my Lord and Savior. Ironic, huh?While part of me is still that free-spirited, laid back guy, there is a struggle with the strange call to protect. And the vigilance I have taken on both as a training officer and author has lead me to take the focus off what God says sometimes because I've been distracted by the evil I see around me... around us. I listened to a YouTube video that made a similar analogy today, and I thought about how my life and present career may have even interfered with the signal. It is like I have a cell phone and God is on the other end, but I am driving through the mountains. The signal comes and goes, yet God always hears us on His end. So if I keep my eyes on the road, in the direction I am supposed to be on, eventually that signal will come in nice and strong once again. But I can't get too mad about the interrupted signal; if I hang up, that is on me - because God isn't going to cut me off on His end, as long as I accept what Jesus did for me, and try to spread that good news.This analogy inspired me today. There is some reason why, when I was listening out the most, God somehow lead me to feel the need to protect others or teach them things to make them feel safer. But despite the evil that I warn so many people about, that seems to pervade our society and culture, I am still going to take the time to listen. I am going to try to focus on the positive a little more, even though I want to remain alert. I will not become complacent, but perhaps if I don't become too paranoid, then I can find that long straight away on occasion, and I can tune in a little closer to hear the voice of God speaking in my life.So (a friend of mine hates it when you start a sentence this way :) ) what are some of the things in your life, perhaps interfering with your signal, on that open channel to God? Be patient, take time to listen, and focus on the positive things Jesus teaches. Sure, there is a thickness of evil out there. But if we try to listen, and still take time to speak to God, too, then maybe we really can hear Him now.