Faith Behind The Blue Wall
Clarence Hines
Author Bio
Clarence Hines is a retired Detective Sergeant with the St. Louis Police Department where he served for 21 years. Clarence served in many specialized units during his career with the police department. He served in units such as the Intelligence division, Narcotics, Violent Crime Task Force and also served as a Police Academy Instructor. Clarence received numerous Chief letters of commendation for outstanding service in Law Enforcement.
He currently serves as a Criminal Justice Instructor, Ordained Minister and Associate Pastor in St. Louis. Clarence is a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary and holds a Masters Degree in Theological Studies. He also serves as a Police Chaplain and writes a monthly faith based column in a police newsletter. Clarence has a strong passion for teaching and enjoys spending time with his students and his family. He feels that true greatness can only be achieved in service to others. Clarence is hard at work on his second book with the idea of helping teachers connect with their students. Clarence has been happily married to his high school sweetheart Julia for 20 years. He lives in St. Louis with his wife Julia and two children Clarence Jr. and Jessica. Clarence plans on someday visiting Israel and Kenya.
Description
What does it mean to live your “Faith Behind The Blue Wall?” As you read the pages of this book you will discover incredible insights about being a Law Enforcement officer as you walk through Biblical accounts. If you are looking for a book that is simple to read, yet will challenge your thought process, then this book is for you. From the start of this book you will be drawn into the stories in which Clarence Hines shares as he begins the journey as a young boy wanting to serve and protect. As you read the Introduction, you will not want to put this book down. You will begin to think you’re in his grandpa’s store years ago as he begins this journey. Often referred to as the “Blue Wall of Silence”, most people give little consideration to the sub community that is law enforcement. Most officers and soldiers accept the inherent dangers of their vocation without reservation; however, are rarely prepared to deal with the residual emotional effects of policing a community and defending our borders. Because of the strong professional standards and polished uniformed image of our warriors of justice, most people never stop to consider that because officers and soldiers encounter so much brokenness on a daily basis, they themselves can eventually break. This book is a personal career devotional for the entire law enforcement community and their families to bring them face to face with the loving presence of the God of Grace who called them, understands them, protects them, loves them and seeks to heal them. Throughout its pages, the law enforcement community will find transformative vocational meaning and purpose as they favorably live out their faith in the tough terrain of defending a city or nation. Through the often overlooked stories of soldiers and law enforcement officers in the bible, they will learn valuable lessons and gain priceless pearls of wisdom to better protect and serve our communities. Families and Communities will have never before seen access to the inner struggles and daily obstacles officers must overcome to serve them. Chaplains and clergy will be better informed and equipped to minister to the needs of their law enforcement congregants and parishioners.
Book excerpt
I can remember it just like it was yesterday. I was 7 years old at the time and I was a very normal child, full of life, innocence and vigor, as most seven year olds are. My grandpa Bennie owned the local corner store which also served as the neighborhood hangout. I was proud my grandpa owned and ran his own business. It gave me a sense of pride and hope, even in a neighborhood of hopelessness. He would occasionally allow me to earn a honey bun or bag of chips by tearing down boxes. Mostly, it was where I often hung out, listened and observed the older neighborhood men as they talked about everything from girls, jokes and even how to commit crimes and get away with it. My grandpa’s corner store is where I received my education to street life and picked up on the skills that would later serve me well in my call to a life of community service in law enforcement. I was enamored with the daily excitement of the corner store, which included dice games, pool tournaments, nearby drug sales and even prostitution. I saw it all and was like a sponge soaking it all up. It may be hard to understand but I never felt like I was in any real danger. Truth is I didn’t worry about it much. It was home. Anyway, it seemed most of the older people in the neighborhood went out of their way to ensure I was protected and stayed on the right side of the law. A couple of my uncles, who were neck deep in the rackets, would often threaten me in an attempt to scare me away from “the life” (crime). They didn’t have to worry. By the grace of God, there was never any part of me that wanted to be like the men from the old neighborhood. I was never drawn to their lifestyle, although I cared for a lot of them. I always had an unsettling inner feeling like I was called to stop them from doing wrong. I never talked about it though. That was not the sort of thing you said in the neighborhood I grew up in. My feelings were fully manifested one day when two men running from the police ran into my grandpa’s store to take up refuge in the back storage area. They had apparently led the police on a high speed chase and abandoned the stolen car after crashing. When the police came looking for them, as was usually the case, there were no witnesses willing to talk. Everyone in and around the store became quiet. The police detectives, with a disappointed look were preparing to leave when to their surprise; they discovered there was one witness in the store. That witness was me. I knew I couldn’t let them get away with running from the police, I mean the police were my heroes and they needed my help. I looked up to them