This is my favorite Easter Song and it’s been running through my head all day. So I thought I would share it with you on this blessed day…

The Easter Song by Keith Green

The Empty Tomb

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

– 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

May the Lord bless you as we celebrate His resurrection and His victory over sin and death…

This historic quote came from John Adams’ summation to the jury during the trial of the British soldiers accused of murder in the Boston Massacre. Adams was actually representing the soldiers.

I was reminded of his quote when I read a post on the Ethics Alarms blog, a site by John Marshall that I refer to frequently for excellent commentary and insights on ethical issues. There is also an excellent treatise on the ethical dilemmas faced by Adams during the trial posted at the Legal Ethics Forum.

This quote about the stubborn nature of facts reminds me of the working definition of Truthfulness as defined by the Character Training Institute:

Earning future trust by accurately reporting past facts.

Facts are indeed stubborn, but they can be reported inaccurately. It is even possible to technically tell the truth and still be deceptive by the way in which we “spin” the facts.

However, someone with a reputation for accurately reporting facts, especially if they are willing to tell the truth to their own hurt, pumps huge amounts of trust into any relationship. And as our Coactivity Maxim states:

The power for effective change rests within our relationships…

I know what you’re thinking: “It’s already March 12. Why is Nash just now posting the Character Quality of the Month?”   Hey, I was in Cancun! Give me a break…!

Here’s a great working definition of Tolerance from the Character Training Institute in Oklahoma City:

“Realizing that everyone is at varying levels of character development.”

When you take the time to think about it, this definition really makes sense. We are all works in progress. Hopefully we are progressing to better character, not worse…

We call character definitions like this “working definitions” because they can be used in the workplace to identify and commend observable behaviors that result from good character. A wise supervisor, or a wise parent, can use definitions like this to make the “character connection.” This is a huge paradigm shift because it forces you to focus on the character quality that produced the achievement (the seed) rather than on the achievement itself (the fruit).

It is a fundamental maxim of character development that if you focus on achievement to the exclusion of character, you actually encourage bad character. I examine this concept in more depth in the training videos “The Law of the Harvest“, “Character v. Achievement“, and “Making the Character Connection“.

Although this site is designed primarily for police, the principles are timeless and universal and can apply to virtually any relationship. The 49 Character Qualities as defined by the Character Training Institute provide a powerful tool for any leader…

This video was sent to me by a friend back home. It features the Tussing Elementary 3rd grade class singing a tribute to our military. I would love to see a similar one commemorating our law enforcement heroes as well…

My wife and I have arrived safely in Cancun. I hope to be able to record some video posts from here but have not had a chance to do so yet. So I’m uploading some posts that I recorded before I left Kabul. I hope you enjoy…

Sheriff Ray

I am going on leave to Cancun today!  I hope to be able to post more from the beach once I get there. So please check back to see the latest Police Dynamics videos…

See you on the beach…!