Happy Friday, everyone!

Today we’re dropping off two Hearts of Mercy & Compassion—two hearts for two heroes, two families who are grieving, two communities who are feeling the weight. On our way to the Best Practices for Ministry Conference here in Phoenix, Arizona, we received news that a police officer and a veteran Marine helicopter pilot died in the line of duty in a crash while intervening in an active shooter event.

You know, Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wages of sin is death.” When the law is broken, there’s always a cost. And sometimes that cost is trust. Sometimes that cost is safety, and sometimes the cost is borne by those who step into danger on behalf of others. And yet, the truth is, all of us have broken God’s law.

All of us have fallen short. But here’s the hope we cling to today: Jesus stepped into that gap, too. He bore the cost we could not pay. He carried the weight of our failure. He laid down his life not because He had to, but because He loves. These Hearts of Mercy & Compassion are not just symbols. They say, you’re not forgotten, your service mattered, and your sacrifice will be honored, your families are not alone.

And He also whispers something deeper: that mercy has the final word, that sacrifice is not the end of the story, and that Christ meets us in grief with redemption. So today we pray for comfort. We pray for peace. We pray for strength for these families, and we pray for protection over those who continue to serve.

Prayer
Dear Lord, we give You great thanksgiving that You have continued to place and call people who are willing to step into danger in order to protect and to serve. We ask that You be with all of our men and women in law enforcement, that You would continue to bless them, and that You would continue to create law and order throughout this land and throughout our country.