V – Do

Church Security: Radio Communications Best Practices

Read this article to learn best practices in radio communications for church security teamsWhen multiple people act as a security team for an activity or event, such as a church service, staying informed with each other is a vital part of the defense plan. Employing two-way radios with ear pieces and push-to-talk (PTT) microphones is a subtle, non-intrusive method to accomplish the goal. The Golden Rules of radio operation are

  • Clarity — speak slightly slower than normal and avoid shouting
  • Simplicity — use simplified language and shortcut phrases
  • Brevity — messages should be short and concise
  • Security — assume more people are listening than only the one to whom you’re speaking.

For effective radio communication, the following specific procedures should be followed. Identify first, by name, the recipient, then second, your name. Once they acknowledge your transmission, proceed with your conversation until it’s complete. Here’s an example:

Portable 5: “Base 23, this is Portable 5. Over”
Base 23: “Portable 5, this is Base 23. Over.”

Portable 5: “Base 23, I have returned from job 734. Are there any messages? Over.”
Base 23: “Portable 5, you have 3 messages. Over.”

Portable 5: “Base 23, I will select them at 1600. Over.”
Base 23: “Roger, Portable 5. This is Base 23. Out”

Spiritual Fitness: How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible?

Buy the book 30 Days to Understanding the Bible: Unlock the Scriptures in 15 Minutes a Day through this affiliate link with AmazonJesus said the greatest commandment ever given by God—the most important one for us to obey—is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

The best way to obey that command is to read God’s communication to us (the Bible) and to communicate back to God (prayer). In this way our love for him will grow richer every day and our soul will grow stronger in our spiritual warfare against evil and personal temptation.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the subject of spiritual fitness ]

But you may be thinking you don’t have enough time in a day to complete the reading of the entire Bible. The reality is you do have enough time, since each book of the Bible can be measured in achievable “chunks.”

Almost half the books in the Bible take less than a half-hour to read. Twenty-three of them can each be read in under 20 minutes!

Here’s a chart (by the website desiringGod) of the average time it takes to read each book of Scripture, shown in the order in which each one appears in the Bible:

Biblical Lessons to Learn De-Escalating Skills

You’ll always prevail against a threat if you’re able to avoid the threat. Proper execution of situational awareness positions you to be aware of warning signs in advance of perilous occurrences, which in turn allows you to maintain enough physical distance as much as possible to stay in control of the outcomes. In his ancient book, The Art of War, late 6th century BC Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher Sun Tzu wrote, “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of being Aware ]

Practicing situational awareness applies to the verbal confrontations you might face as much as to the physical surroundings you encounter every day. The oral skill-set required to keep a heated argument from becoming a deadly altercation is known as de-escalation. It involves knowing what to say and not say, when to say it, and how to say it. That means the coordinated use of our brains and tongues can be just as important in our self-defense strategy as performing defensive shooting drills at the range. An excellent article on the subject is “The Truth About De-Escalation” by John Bostain, president of Command Presence Training, published in Michigan Police Chiefs.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of spiritual fitness ]

The world’s most influential book, the Bible, has plenty to say about the words that come out of our mouths. Consider the following Scripture verses as a framework to help you in building your de-escalation mindset.

  ▶  Death and life are in the power of the tongue…. Proverbs 18:21

  ▶  Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19

  ▶  Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 29:20

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Gentle Response De-Escalation Training for Church Security Teams ]

  ▶  Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:27

  ▶  Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

[ Read the SemperVerus article, on Concealed Carry Daily Prayer ]

Stay On Mission

Stay on mission compass illustrationStaying on mission means you remain committed to your objective—no matter what temptation, disruption, or distraction you encounter—until you accomplish what you set out to do.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Secure Your Base (Your Soul) ]

For the SemperVerus Brotherhood, staying on mission means keeping your soul strong by adhering to the 5 core components of Prepare, Aware, Be, Know, Do, resulting in the strategic element of solidifying your Self-Defense.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, SemperVerus™ Brotherhood/Sisterhood Launches to Help People ‘Stay True’ ]

Staying true to your spiritual, mental, and physical purpose is the way to disallow mission drift and mission creep. It all comes down to intentional decision-making to stay true at every step of your life journey, every moment of every day. If you don’t, you’ll veer off course before you’re even aware of it. It happens one little decision at a time, where you go astray bit-by-bit. You need to build in measures to help you avoid suffering this outcome.