Blog – Page 21 – SemperVerus

The Nicene Creed Still Compelling After 1700 Years

The year 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, from which the Nicene Creed was produced.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness Self-Defense: Seeing Temptation as a Threat ]

The gathering of bishops in Nicaea (now Iznik, in Turkey) in 325 was called by Roman Emperor Constantine to settle factionalism in the early church caused by Arianism, a heresy originating in Africa promulgated by the African cleric Arius, who said Jesus was not divine.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare ]

As this RNS article states, in the late spring of 325 at Nicaea, 318 bishops deliberated on controversies on the nature of Christ, both human and divine, and agreed on a standard statement of faith still known today as the Nicene Creed. It defines God as one, manifested in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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

Troublingly, Arianism remains alive and well today among evangelicals, as reported in this BreakPoint article by John Stonestreet and Glenn Sunshine of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Understand the Times and Know What to Do ]

The Nicene Creed, displayed below, is a reminder (just as SemperVerus is) that we must stay true to what is right and stay true to our aim in life.

Church Security Team Pistol Qualification Course

Keith Graves, founder and trainer of Christian Warrior Training, has developed the following 43-round course-of-fire pistol qualification for his church security team.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview with Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training ]

Before allowing people to carry a firearm to protect the congregation, they must demonstrate competency with their weapon; at the very least, safe drawing and re-holstering, accurate shot placement, reloading magazines without prompting, and malfunction and stoppage clearing.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, What to Take to the Shooting Range—Including a Prayer ]

He says, “A proper annual qualification test is a non-negotiable requirement for church security. You know exactly where your incident will occur: in your sanctuary, your parking lot, your classrooms. Your qualification course should reflect that.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Firearms Training: A Directory of Shooting Drills ]

To qualify, he requires that all rounds must be verified on target; any miss from the target is considered a fail. If at any point a person’s firearm has a malfunction or stoppage, it’s up to the person to clear it and continue with the course-of-fire within the set time limit, otherwise it’s considered a fail. He allows 3 attempts to qualify; after 3 the person must practice and schedule another qualification session.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Organizing, Training & Running a House of Worship Armed Congregant Security Team ]

Watch him demonstrate the course-of-fire in the video below:

Self-Defense and Church Security: Breathing and Mental Techniques to Reduce Anxiety

When stress and anxiety take hold during life-threatening criminal or terrorist self-defense and church security encounters, your body can feel like it’s working against you—your heart races, your chest tightens, and your mind starts spinning. But one of the most powerful tools for calming your body and mind is breathing.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Concealed Carry Daily Prayer ]

Spiritual First Aid^™ has created two complimentary resources to help you regain your composure in critical incidents.

1. Breath-Based Grounding Techniques: 3 Evidence-Based Exercises to Reduce Stress and Restore Calm introduces three evidence-based breathing skills to help bring you back to a state of calm and focus:

Box Breathing — a structured method used by Navy SEALs to regulate stress.
Resonance Breathing — a rhythmic pattern to balance the nervous system.
Coherent Breathing — a slow, steady technique that promotes relaxation.

For example, here are the steps in the Box Breathing Pattern:

Over 86% of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Support National Concealed Carry Reciprocity

Imagine if your driver’s license was not officially recognized in USA states other than your own. That would mean every time you drove across state lines, you’d be violating those states’ laws. Now imagine if some states accepted your state’s license, but they added on traffic laws that your state didn’t have. That would mean you’d have to know each state’s particular laws as you drove through them, or you could be ticketed or jailed.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Important Judicial Decisions Regarding Self-Defense Law ]

That’s the current state of affairs in the lawful act of concealed carrying of defensive firearms. The USA consists of a complex patchwork of concealed carry legislation state-by-state that unsuspecting responsible law-abiding armed self-defenders can easily be ignorant of and in danger of unwittingly and innocently violating.