Preparation

Advent is a season for spiritual preparation. It's the coming of the new liturgical year; it is a period of expectant waiting; it's an opportunity to connect once again - or to strengthen connections to the G-d that chooses each of us and desperately wants to be with us. Advent calls us to prepare a place for G-d in our lives - hopefully at the center. All too often that gets lost in all the preparations for Santa Claus and other secular holiday distractions which cause us to lose our way and to focus on things other than our spiritual health and well being. I have been in a state of preparation for the last three years - and I didn't know it. I thought that I was being called to begin a non-profit focused on re-integrating all faith communities into the broad public health system - and healthcare system. Indeed, this seemed to be all that it was and I went on my merry way filling the days with meetings and obtaining IRS 510c3 designation, etc, etc, etc. However, I was being prepared for something much more by the indwelling Holy Spirit. I was being prepared for the reality that I couldn't transform healthcare alone. I was being prepared for the reality that the charity would not be financially viable. I was being prepared to have to discern again what it was that I was being called to do. This last year was wrenching and painful and necessary. Now I stand on the cusp of a new calendar year with a new perspective on what it is that I am supposed to be doing. I have accepted that I'm called to seminary and have gone back to work full-time as a pharmacist to allow this to happen. The seminary I am planning to attend has created a new venture that seeks to re-create the Memphis Congregational Health Network in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area (what I've been trying to do). They are looking for a Program Manager part-time, and I've applied. Anyone want to suggest that G-d is not active and has not been preparing me for this exact mission? Hard to sell that one at least to this believer. What is G-d preparing you to do? It is hard to see the activity when you're deep in the mix - but slowly the plan shows itself. I pray this Advent season for each of you that you will be lead to discover G-d's plan for your lives. It is truly amazing. Peace for the journey, Dan

Advent

Haven't written in a while - still struggling to find the new rhythm in my work patterns. I think that I'll be moving to writing once weekly on Saturdays instead of twice weekly as I have been for the last 2+ years. So, if you're setting your notifications, look for my musings on the weekend from now on. It's Advent, the start of a new liturgical year and the season of anticipation. I'm musing on that, especially as I have a number of things on my heart now days. I'm finding that I'm identifying with the young Mary who had overwhelming things happen to her and yet we're told that she "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." I'm amazed at the spiritual maturity of someone who is thought to have been around 14 years of age when all this happened. It is easy to be overwhelmed at this season. Much busyness and parties and shopping and..... It seems to never end until we are so worn out and cynical that we can't enjoy the season for the great gift that it is. Maybe we should return again to the simplicity of Mary and Joseph and the living G-d who comes to us naked and helpless and urgently requesting our love and attention (as only babies can do). Maybe we should look again at the grace and the peace that is promised as well as the coming of the new convenant. It is much to treasure...it is much to ponder. So, during this Advent season I offer this prayer for all of you that the light of G-d might descend once again to your heart. That you might be "strangely warmed" as John Wesley was, and that you might ponder who G-d is for you, and what G-d coming to Earth might hold for your life. May the peace that passes all understanding be yours now and forever. Amen! Dan

Willpower

Finished a very one-sided conversation with my almost 19 year old son just now. Classic interaction with a member of the so called "Entitled Generation". Not making enough money 'cause he's working at a Mom & Pop hardware store for minimum wage. Spends all his free time when not in college classes stuck somewhere in the internet, living virtually. It struck me as I was talking about the need to actually start living and deciding about what he was going to do (including finding another job, registering for next semeter's classes, etc) that the internet has become this generation's drug-of-choice. They've decided to "tune out" of life by living in a fantasy land of someone else's making. Growing up in the 60's and 70's at the tail end of the Boomer Generation, illicit drugs and alcohol were our ways of tuning out. Big decisions which were quite anxiety provoking could be avoided by smoking some weed, drinking, popping some pills or a combination of some or all of the above. While scientists have delineated the hazards of these activities, we're just now starting to come to grips with the societal implications of this massive escape into virtuality. Colleges are teaching classes to their students on how to talk to each other. Few people walk or run without music blaring in their ears - ignoring everyone they pass. Communities suffer because there's no one left who is paying attention to them. When asked what the real issue was, my son posited that he needed "willpower". He is addicted (dependent really) on the virtual world. It allows him to escape to a land that he can control and that he can regenerate when he makes a poor decision. Real life is certainly harsher than that - but it doesn't have to be. We can recreate a world that is engaging and supportive. We can overcome this new "drug" problem. It's going to take all of us and our collective willpower to break free from this habit. Do we have any willpower left - or is it too late? Time will tell, won't it. Peace for the journey, Dan

A parable

Sorry for the delay in posting - can't believe it's been almost exactly a month. I've recently started back to full-time pharmacist shift work and it's thrown me for a loop scheduling wise. I offer a parable as an act of forgiveness. I used this parable in a sermon yesterday about eternity and eternal life. Thanks to my dear frined Karen Michaels for sharing the story with me. From: Rebbe Zusha, a much revered Hassidic teacher from the 1800's... G-d created all people and loves them very much. However, some of G-d’s children do not love G-d as much. To differentiate those that love G-d and choose to follow G-d from those that don’t, G-d made all people without elbows. G-d then created a large banquet for all G-d’s people and invited them to sit and eat their fill. Two distinct patterns emerged among the guests, those in hell thought only of themselves and were frustrated because they couldn’t bend their arms to get food and drink to their mouths. They railed at G-d over their predicament and yet made no changes in what they were doing. Those in heaven sat down across from each other and shared the meal. They lifted their arms full of G-d’s bounty and gave each other food and drink until they were sated. They praised G-d for G-d’s love and gracious abundance and for the other child of G-d who loved them enough to see to the needs of another first. Great parable isn't it?! I promise you that the visual of people trying to eat without elbows will stick with you. We talk a lot about how bad things are and how they never change. Maybe it's not the "things" that need to change! Peace for the journey, Dan

Minimizing

Sorry I missed posting on Monday - I've got a new work routine and it's throwing a wrench in my "usual and customary" schedule. Today's musing is all about the problem of minimizing. Psychologists and behavioral therapists know that the process of minimization is one of a set of disordered thought patterns that humans get into. Minimizations are those thoughts that do what the name implies - it takes a situation and falsely reduces the impact of it on others. One of the problems in healthcare, especially with physicians, is the common practice of minimizing the impact of procedures on the lives of those they are acting on. Case-in-point, I've had two conversations in the last week with folks about the benefit/burden of surgical procedures on loved ones who are nearing the end of their lives. In both cases, physicians have told the families that a given procedure is straight forward and easy to perform. In both cases, they are absolutely correct - the act of the procedure in both cases is quite easy for an experienced physician to accomplish. However, the burden of living with the procedure is never discussed. This is one of my main problems with the way that our healthcare system currently operates. There is no real informed consent - decision makers are only given one side of the story and are expected/led to make a decision without full disclosure of the likely long-term issues. Couple this with the fact that in both cases the patient in question had done no end-of-life planning or advanced directives and the situation quickly becomes a nightmare for an already stressed out family unit. The mantra of Medicine "first do no harm" has been co-opted into don't harm the patient with an intervention, but don't tell them the real burden of living with the intervention. For example, one of the people needed a tracheostomy to facilitate mechanical ventilation. This is an "easy" surgical procedure, but the burden is then living with long-term mechanical ventilation in a skilled nursing facility probably bedridden for the rest of the person's life - at significant societal and family cost. The alternative is no procedure, extubation without reintubation, being kept comfortable and pain free as the person breathes their last surrounded by family and friends. Which would you choose for yourself or a loved one? I urge all of you to make and Advanced Directive and Medical Power of Attorney soon. Discuss your wishes and make clear what you feel is important to being alive. If you don't the medical minimizers might just come calling. Peace for the journey, Dan

Generativity

Musing today on the ability of G-d to create things and to take those things already created (us in particular) and transform them/us to make them/us new. YHWH is THE Creator and as such has the unenviable task of putting up with all that the children are doing to that creation (and other creatures). I marvel these days at the endless patience and persistence it takes to continue to work against all the wrong-headed (and hearted) things that we do to each other and the world. Jehovah is keeping the promise made to Noah and not just throwing us all out with the bath water (again). Hard to believe that this isn't our fate...but it's not. We're at the beginning of the Jewish New Year, year 5300+; G-d is nothing if not faithful. I was talking with a friend just a short while ago about a critical illness and the realities that lie ahead for the loved one in question. The ill person is a life-long Catholic and believer, yet that person did nothing to plan for the end of their life. One could argue that believers are taken care of by our loving Creator and thus don't need to plan (that's a Calvinistic predestination approach), or that G-d will miraculously intervene, or that heaven is as good as we're told and we can't wait to get there.... More likely it is that we avoided the decision as long as we could and now we have to pay the piper. After all, all of us will die at some point in the future - life is 100% fatal. Difficult decisions present us with opportunities to discern what's important and what's real. How do I really feel about the choice between long-term mechanical ventilation through a tracheostomy (hole in my throat) versus extubation and being treated comfortably while I breathe my last breaths in this life? How does my view of YHWH influence this decision? Granted, I've seen this scenario played out thousands of times in the last 25 years so I know something about the suffering associated with the former choice. Spiritually, it comes down to whom do I trust? Do I trust my generative Creator who "knows what plans I have for you" or do I trust a fallible human physician who can't know the future? In G-d all things are possible, even the very hardest of things. Hope comes when we look to G-d to do the things that we can't and to create the outcomes that we most need. This week, look to G-d to generate new things in your life. Take a moment to think about what you'd like at the end of it as well. Some planning and advanced directive creating will be invaluable to you (and your decision makers) down the road. It will generate conversation and a new thing for you and your family - thanks be to G-d! Peace for your journey, Dan

Just an Ounce

My professional world is healthcare. I have worked in it steadily since the mid-1980's and have seen much change. However, much of the change has been in the form of new technologies and therapies for diseases that are a direct result of the life choices we as Americans make. Stuffing down endless amounts of junk food and red meat, washed down by sodas and/or juice and/or alcohol, all while living an increasingly sedentary life. Really, what do we expect our bodies to do with that kind of mistreatment? This week as I cared for the next in a long line of physiologically broken people, a couple of old adages came screaming back into my mind. "An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure." Very similar to "a stitch in time saves nine". The sayings contain great wisdom that was hard won. By getting out ahead of the issue, one can prevent in large measure (9 to 16 times from these sayings respectively) future misery. This is not to suggest in anyway that everything can be cured through prevention and planning, however, there is a compelling amount of rigorous scientific data to show that vaccinations, good dental care, controlled use of alcohol, not smoking, modest and consistent exercise and seatbelts save a tremendous amount of lives and money. Since none of the medicines that we currently have actually cure any of the most common ailments (asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and stroke) it appears that the only cost-effective approach to these diseases is to do everything we can to prevent them in the first place! The main poblem is that we lack the self-discipline to do what it takes to become healthier. The other problem is that our healthcare system and insurance carriers do not value prevention as highly as they should. In fact, many plans do not incent or often cover the very basics of prevention and promotion of communal health. Couple that with the mythology surrounding vaccinations and the relative risk associated with them, and there is a perfect storm that wrecks prevention before it can even get started. Morally and ethically this is wrong - both at an indivdual level and communally. When we don't care for ourselves we show a uge lack of gratitude for the lives that have been given us. We should be ashamed! This weekend, think about all the prevention that you've let slide. Make an action plan to get the information that you need and implement one new healthy activity or preventative act. You'll be very glad you did - and so will all the rest of us who ultimately have to pay your healthcare bill. Peace for the journey, Dan

Seven Words

I was grabbed by a provocative and challenging article in the most recent Christian Century journal (September 5, 2012) entitled, "The Gospel in Seven Words". The CC asked 15 theologians, academics and spiritual writers to explain the Gospel in no more than seven words. Not surprisingly, each of the fifteen had a slightly different take on their descriptions, but all are powerful, insightful and blessed. I've dedicated myself to using one each week in my daily devotional time to see what "pearls of wisdom" I might receive. Additionally, it got me thinking about how I would answer the same question, and more broadly, how I would answer a question of describing my faith in just seven words. Musing on this topic I was also struck by a question of how I might describe my work, my life, all the things that I feel are important and illustrative of who I am as a member of the human family. Over the years I have been on groups that have created mission statements. These statements of purpose are at best supposed to be no more than 9 words in length. Each of those was challenging as one tries to distill down to the essence what it is that the organization is put on earth to accomplish. My own organization, Possibilities Journey Inc, has a mission statement that is 17 words long: "To co-create a model of health care that fully engages faith communities to optimize health, wellness and wholeness." It's probably time to revisit that and see if it truly reflects who we are and who we want to become (or are becoming). This week, I invite you to take the challenge to describe your faith, the Gospel, your spiritual beliefs, the meaning of your life, or another important piece of who you are in seven words or less. It will be challenging, but I know that you will find it a blessing as well. Peace for the journey, Dan

Learning Impaired

Two days from now a new report will be released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on creating learning organizations in healthcare. The wag in me says that this is an oxymoron. One of the main lessons I've learned in being in hospitals over the last 25 years is that they rarely learn anything and if they do, they learn painfully slowly. Thus, I've come to regard the whole system as "learning impaired" from the standpoint of being able to realistically change its behavior or learn from itself. Case-in-point, we have talked endlessly about making decisions on the basis of empirical evidence (evidence-based medicine), yet day in and day out in practice I interact with prescribers who do not know and/or follow guidelines from the late 1990's! The learning impairment comes from many places in my humble opinion - I'll highlight my top 3. The first is the overall focus on dollars rather than outcomes. When the obvious focus is on running a business, then everything else is secondary. Until this is redefined, the system will not change it's focus. Secondly, physicians have always practiced autonomously - even though their decisions drive the costs in healthcare. I had a pulmonologist (lung doctor) tell me honeslty a few years ago that he knew he was supposed to treat asthma a certain way, but though he might see 6 persons with this disease a day, he would probably treat them at least 3 different ways. Until all physicians (and other prescribers) are held to strict treatment protocols, there will be no functional learning (it will just be personal bias). Finally, physicians always treat lawyers first prior to treating patients. Decisions are based on risk mitigation for litigation, not necessarily on what is best for the person. Learning can not happen until tort reform is enacted (not going to happen when approximately 2 out of 3 legislators are lawyers). I applaud and agree with the IOM's conviction that healthcare needs to become a learning environment. However, the forces aligned against this are formidable, and a think-tank like the IOM can not change this. ACA (aka Obama-care) takes us a number of steps in the right direction - and while certainly not a panacea, it will move us a bit towards the goals we'd all like to see healthcare learn to achieve. Peace for the journey, Dan

Public Health Crisis

Missing in much of the public debate in America about the health care system is the alarming lack of public health professionals. In a report by the American Schools of Public Health in 2008, 23% of the public health workforce (around 110,000 professionals) are due to retire before the end of 2012. This decrease in these necessary but below-the-radar people results in Health Department closures and restriction of needed services for those persons at risk and in need. What is our country doing about this and why has it taken so long to identify this need? Just yesterday, the Obama Administration announced approximately $50 million in funding for 37 training programs and the CDC to promote Public Health as a viable career option to health professionals. This will not be an immediate fix, but it does go a long way to stem the tide of ever falling numbers of people who's job it is to look out after our communal health. Now, it should not be that these folks are the only ones to look after the health needs of the community. However, they are the folks with the training and education to help mobilize the communal resources in effective and efficient ways to achieve better health for all. This week, find a public health professional and say thank you! In spite of the Republican rhetoric to the contrary, raise this new initiative up and say thank you to the Obama Admininstration for funding these programs. Finally, look to your local Public Health Department and ask how you might help out. I've joined our local Medical Reserve Corps, you might do the same, or offer your expertise as a volunteer in another meaningful way. Communal health is everyone's responsibility - don't shirk yours anymore. Peace for the journey, Dan

Relational Poverty

I was struck this morning by a phrase from an interview in the August 22nd Christian Century magazine. The interviewee is a young Mennonite pastor who was reflecting on what it means to be a Mennonite. His answer reflected on how difficult it is to be in community nowadays and specifically how "...I find it helpful to remember that our church has been called to share God's love in a mission context of significant material prosperity and relational poverty...." He hit it right on the head, didn't he?! We in America, and really in the developed world, live very affluent and individualistic lives. We're seduced by the corporate marketing machine to buy whatever we want (whether we need it or not) and to pursue our own salvation while ignoring the "other" or simply writing a check to salve our guilty souls. The relational poverty piece is hitting home again right now as I deal with adult behaviors (of just a small number of adults) that wish to follow their own theology rather than the teaching and polity of The United Methodist Church. They are working through subterfuge and inuendo to try and alter the current operating philosophy which is holding them accoutable for less than optimal Christian behavior. They are so impoverished in their ability to relate to the larger community of faith (both our church and the larger UMC) that they are finding themselves on an island with a growing chasm of separation. They want to return to the way things have always been - even though the leadership and congregation have moved on from this worldview. I honestly don't know if they will continue to attend - and I'm struggling with my own frustration with them and the desire to just see them leave which will end this issue. Relational poverty is exhibited in just that frustration. We're called to love enemy and neighbor as self. The inability to relate well to those challenging situations comes directly from my still evolving spiritual self that has not been completely transformed. When I haven't taken care of my own spiritual self, and have let myself become weary (physically and spiritually) then I can not deal with the other in a loving way. This week, seek to recharge your spiritual battery and bank account so that you can engage in matters like this from a place of spiritual affluence. It will make all the difference. Peace for the journey, Dan

Real Gratitude

I was reading "Naked Spirituality" by Brian D. McLaren this morning as part of my daily devotional. From it came a new Hebrew word "dayenu". Dayenu is used in a special song of thanksgiving and gratitude during the Passover Seder meal. The song has 15 stanzas and details 15 special gifts from G-d to the Hebrew people. Dayenu means "that would have been enough". Thus, when the Jews remember the release from captivity from Egypt they sing, "Dayenu! (that would have been enough)". However, G-d continued to bless G-d's people and after each gift/miracle the people remember it by singing "Dayenu!". It struck me how little we think about the daily gifts of such a gracious and loving G-d. It also struck me about the bounty of the gifts that G-d bestows each and every day. I found myself saying, G-d has given me all the days up until now...Dayenu!. G-d has given me a loving and faithful wife...Dayenu! G-d has gifted me with skills to be a pharmacist...Dayenu! It creates in me a feeling of real gratitude that is different from feeling good about all the blessings in my life. By acknowledging that each gift in and of itself would have been enough of a blessing for the whole of my life, I acknowledge that I am truly blessed beyond my ability to comprehend - and certainly beyond any ability on my part to have earned. That's the great part of grace...I do nothing to earn the gifts that G-d bestows. It is a truly humbling experience to have discovered dayenu. This week, I invite you to explore the concept of dayenu - that would have been enough - in your own life and the lives of those around you. I suspect that the same feeling of being overwhelmed and really grateful will surround you, as it has me. At least, I pray that this will be true for you. Peace for the journey, Dan

Mission Critical

It's interesting and enlightening to spend time with High Schoolers who are not your own. I'm on mission this week with said teens from my church. I find that time spent with these developing people makes me understand my own teens a bit better and also to have some great hope for our future. From a health standpoint, as I look at these kids, they are all in pretty good shape, they are interested in helping others (we're in far western Maryland) who are much less fortunate than they are, and they are able and willing to leave technology behind for a week to do this event. I find myself wondering why we can't do this with more kids more often - and whether this is the key to our survival as a species? Children are exposed constantly to inputs that are secular and humanistic; it is the way of the world. It's multi-tasking and faster answers to inane questions. It's all about new and better and costlier and have's versus have nots. Yet, at times like mission trips, the better sides of themselves which are unplugged from the chatter come out. What a blessing it is! They can talk and interact and do all the things that we wonder if they've lost. All the bemoaning of a "lost generation" is overblown, at least as I look at the young people in my church. The problem, not all of the young people that are on the rolls at my church come to mission or to Youth Group. How to increase engagement and participation? How to make it more interesting than the noise of the world? How to show the world what is happening and how it can happen? The mission is critical in saving our young people. Mission work and caring for others does in fact change the world. Thanks be to G-d! Peace for the journey, Dan

Compassionate Courage

My family and I had to say good-bye to our beloved yellow Labrador Max on Monday. Max was 8 years old and had developed lymphoma. Over the course of the last 4 months he had started with terrible diarrhea that we treated conservatively, hoping that it was inflammatory bowel disease and not cancer. The end came swiftly when he stopped eating on Friday. We took him to the Vet and after a few hours of evaluation, the news came that he was terminal and did we wish to treat or to euthanize? He was so weak and was suffering, so we decided the latter. All were there to say final good-byes and to love him into the next phase of his life. It struck me once again, given my 20+ years in human intensive care practice, how much more humane our approach to death is in animals than in our fellow humans. Granted, lymphoma in dogs is not curable and my knowledge of the downsides of chemotherapy limits my desire to use those chemicals, but we have the ability to end suffering in a very loving way. In my experience of thousands of human deaths, it is rare to see decision makers be able to make the some kind of compassionately courageous decision that we did for our beloved pet. To be clear, I'm not an advocate for physician-assisted suicide or human euthanasia, however, the whole decision making process around end-of-life needs to be re-evaluated in light of the reality that death is a part of life. Of all the humans that have ever lived, none of them was immortal - something to remember. I'm helping my children (16 and almost 19) work through their grief and their questions around euthanasia. I'm attempting to aid them as they come to grips with the moral and ethical issues surrounding ending the life of a living creature. My sons have been raised in the church and understand the sanctity of life...my younger son asked if we had killed Max. It's a great question and one that led into a moral and ethical discussion of what happened and our intent to ease suffering in the face of certain death rather than a desire to kill. I wish that those discussions could happen in the same way for humans with their healthcare professionals. Too often I have witnessed a lack of courage when it comes to discussions of death from both patients/families and healthcare decision makers. Hospice and Palliative Care show us the way. In future blog posts I will explore this vital service and hopefully dispel some mythology surrounding it. If you haven't done an Advanced Directive or similar instrument; if you haven't discussed what you'd like at the end of your life, now's the time to do those things. We only have today - no guarantees of tomorrow. Peace for the journey, Dan

Me First!

Thinking today about the Olympics and the US's demand of its athletes to finish first. We are gold medal crazy, aren't we?! It saddens me every Olympics to see the hype about gold medals and finishing first - rather than enjoying the competition and hoping that the better person/team wins. The interviews and the personal vignettes are at times so maudlin as to be a farce. This demeans the athletes, their families and support systems, the sport they compete in, their competitors and ultimately the games themselves. Games are to be played for the enjoyment, not for the competition and the winning. I know, I know...it's old fashioned to think this way and a bit naive. If we go back to the Olympic motto and rationale for holding the games in the first place, it was all about the training, preparation and performance. It was never supposed to be about country pride or anything beyond an individual's level. It's now been blown up into the identity of a people. Wow, it's enough pressure to just work hard and long enough to be an Olympian. What does it do to the athlete to have to believe that they carry the expectation of a nation as well?! When we don't have a good and healthy self-concept, we will fill that void with anything. What does it say about oour national self-concept that we put so much into how many medals our athletes get (and how many gold medals)? G-d exists for us to live full lives - to know that life itself is enough. When we don't honor that need to find G-d, we will fill our emptiness with idols - in this case the idol of winning. The thing about idols is they're never satisfied...the thing about G-d is that G-d is always enough. Somehting to consider as you watch and cheer. Peace for the journey, Dan

It's a Virtual Life

Stimulated by my ongoing disagreement with my 18+ year old child, I've wandered into this idea that we've a whole generation (probably more) that are missing out on life. Plugged in to technology and the "World Wide Wasteland" or busying themselves in front of an ever more inane set of television "reality" and other shows, the days pass blissfully by. Will they one day wake up and find that the mind control they've been under has led them to old age without ever having lived. What does that say about the life lessons that are never to be learned and thus never to be converted to wisdom? What will they pass on to the generation after them? Will they pass on a spiritual tradition or just another performance? Virtual living - I see it not just in my own child, but in his generation. I mentioned before how colleges are teaching students how to interact verbally. How to ask each other on dates and how to develop relationships. The saddest piece of all of this is that with the growing on-line university movement, even that part of connecting may soon be a thing of the past (like the Do-do and the Passenger Pigeon). Why am I so worried about this? Primarily because for the previous 10,000 years of human existence we have been depedent on each other for survivial. Working together we have solved (and then created new) problems. The art of compromise was what carried us along and helped to eveolve and transform us. Now what will we do. If I even have a virtual assistant (aka Siri) do I actually even have to communicate with a living human? All religions are focused on helping us create and maintain right relationships with G-d and with each other. The traditions and texts reinforce our interdependence and our inability to be everything to everybody. Without this we will be lost and alone and we will cease to exist. There will be no one looking out for another and one-by-one (or in great gobs in the next world war) we will be eliminated or subjegated - probably both. Technology is wonderful but not as a replacement for G-d and for other people. Time to call our dependence on technology what it is...idol worship. If you don't know what to do about that, come to any faith community and ask. Peace for the journey, Dan

Have You Not Heard?

This week's sermon is based on Isaiah 40, a truly wonderful chapter in an inspired book. There is great wisdom and pathos in the exhilic literature. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked or "cherry picked" for the verses that are comfortable and uplifting. The text asks a number of times, "Do you not know, have you not heard?", calling us to confront the information that we already have about YHWH and G-d's place in our lives. We are really no different from those believers long ago who had forgotten G-d and had gone on to worship other god's. This lead to the ruin of Jerusalem and the exile of the leadership to Babylon for two generations as a punishment. What is it in this day and age that we are ignoring? Are we already in exile for our worship of idols of our own making? The amount of information that we have is staggering, but we make little use of it, nor do we see the knowledge going to wisdom in any meaningful manner. We have forgotten the active role of YHWH in our lives, and all of the good that happens through YHWH's grace. The writer(s) of Isaiah ask us to consider how we're caring for the widow and orphan and stranger. We know that we are supposed to do this (we would want it done for ourselves) yet we spend our time and money on things instead of investing in people and relationships. Do you not know, have you not heard? It's not that we don't know, nor is it that we haven't (in large measure) heard what it is that we are supposed to do. YHWH gave us free will and we use it for our own advancement and comfort. thus we move farther away from YHWH and further into exile. This week, listen to what YHWH might be saying to you. Jehovah is active in the world and in your life. It's time to tune in to the messages and to act accordingly. If we all do this, then the world becomes more peaceable and welcoming - it becomes more like heaven. Peace for the journey, Dan

Just the Facts

Those of you who are of an age (or who get TV Land) will be familiar with Sgt. Joe Friday of the television series "Dragnet". His famous one liner was, "Just the facts..." He always wanted to cut through the bull and get away from opinion and hyperbole. I was reminded of this over the weekend as I was bombarded with political campaign ads which protrayed both presidential candidates in unflattering ways. I'm fed up with the campaign, even though the process in choosing candidates was less onerous that usual this year. I am wondering, however, where can I go to get "just the facts"? I did what most people do in this age of Google, I did a search and here's what I found. Knowing a bit about healthcare as I do, I knew that the attacks on the ACA (aka "ObamaCare") were spurious, but I wanted to know what else was amiss on both sides. I went to www.factcheck.org which runs out of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. This is a well respected, non-partisan group dedicated to sorting myth and hyperbole from fact. Turns out that both sides (as usual) are playing fast and loose with everything from political records to tax burdens. The Obama camp has increased the negative rhetoric in the last few weeks against Mr. Romney, and both have used surrogates on "talking head" shows to move their agendas. The bottom line is that the facts and the truth are what's taken a beating. Making truly informed decisions is key to moving our nation forward. Groups like FactCheck.org are helping us to make those types of decisions. In order to have a democracy and to truly make the best decision we can in November's election, I urge you to get the facts. It is our moral, ethical and responsible mandate - and one that we need to take seriously. Peace for the journey, Dan

Who Cares?

New report out that 30% of adults in the U.S. are caregivers. That's a staggering number of people who, in addition to everything else they are doing, provide care to needy members of their family. Granted, in times past when multiple generations lived together, this was commonplace. In fact, if we went back 100 years, I'm sure that the number of families caring for elders or infirmed members was close to 90%. This is the "modern" age however, where there are nursing homes, assisted living and multi-level living situations - and where family members live far from one another. The amount of time, money, energy and love spent to perform this caregiving is phenomenal -and it is largely unknown. Who trains these caregivers, who supports them, who provides needed respite, etc? The answer is nobody - not the government, not friends or neighbors, sometimes other family members, but it is usually an island unto itself. It has been described that there is an impending crisis of physically and mentally challenged persons who are being cared for by aging parents/siblings. When these caregivers die, who will care for the persons in question? Where are the facilities that could provide the love and comfort that a person's family provided? In the nursing home community a new endeavor known as the "Greenhouse Project" has created home-like environs for elders. Maybe a similar program could be inaugurated to care for others in need who are not elderly. We still need to train a lot of people to give appropriate levels and quality of care, but this might be an approach that could work. For my money, faith communities are a place to begin to provide the caring presence. Here you can leverage a group of people who are predisposed to love each other and to love others mmore than themselves. They are hungry for missional outreach and would love to care for their own. Elders and others who have been members of faith communities would be comfortable with people they know providing care. Hospitals, nursing homes, social service and public health agencies could provide necessary training and oversight. The time is now to see what is coming and create a more caring environment for all. This week, take a look around your circle of friends and see who is providing care to family members. reach out and ask what it is you might do to support them. It will help you every bit as much as it helps them. Peace for the journey, Dan

A Piece of G-d?

Well, so scientists have possibly found the essence of a sub-atomic particle that the popular press has dubbed the "G-d Particle". Mind you, they haven't actually found the particle yet, but they have found the particles produced from the short-lived boson (possibly a Higgs boson). In the world of subatomic physics, this is a big deal as evidenced by the gathering of scinetists and their announcement yesterday. Quite a big deal in that sector of the scientific community, but how big a deal is it for all of us "regular" people? Given the history of scientific discovery, it is quite likely that the finding of this particle will lead to more questions than answers. Many in the scientific community do not like the moniker "G-d Particle". Understandably so, because if we can explain G-d scientifically then (as in the words of many theologians) it is not G-d that we are explaining. It is also quite a bit of human hubris to even suggest that the Creator of the Universe could be so reduced. However, time and again in the spiritual journey, we are called on to become more simple, to put off more esoteric and worldly things and get down to the foundational principles. Loving YHWH with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and neighbor as self. So, could it be that this discovery could hold clues to continue our scientific search for the Creator? Science and religion/spirituality are really not set against each other. Both are engaged in the search for understanding. The problem becomes what we are worshipping. If we worship the scientific model to the exclusion of all other things, then it becomes an idol and we can not find YHWH. If on the other hand the scientific search for the Originator continues to be informed by a healthy faith and belief in something greater than ourselves, then we can celebrate scientific discoveries as YHWH given and blessed. This week, keep searching for that link to the Creator in your own life. Study the Word and spend time with people who are like-minded. Continue to keep an open mind about the balance between Science and Religion. Remember, neither is totally right nor totally wrong. Peace for the journey, Dan

Nothing is Impossible

We stand on the cusp of another birthday celebration for our Country. Another year older - but is it any better? The political rhetoric machine is pumping out messages from all sides. Messages of woe and travail, of pomp and victory - messages devoid of truth and reality. It seems nigh impossible to make any sort of progress in this time. Kind of like the army of King Saul as it was arrayed against the Philistines (1 Sam 17). For forty days the giant Goliath had come out and mocked the army - calling out for one brave Israelite to fight him for all the marbles. It wasn't until a shepherd boy, the son of Jesse (David), heard the giant's remarks while visiting his brothers at the front line, that anything got done. Impossible...nothing is impossible when we have the right orientation and utilize our resources to accomplish the tasks put before us. The problem right now is that we are approaching the Goliath-sized obstacles of our own creation with the same individualistic and egocentric thinking that caused them in the first place. The Israelites couldn't defeat Goliath and the Philistines using their own power - neither can we defeat the enormous problems of our day using our power. Goliath was defeated by a small boy who believed in something else. David believed in the power of things unseen and unnameable. The power of belief and faith is what carried the day. So it is with us. We need to look again at the great gifts we have been given (our assets). We need to use the what we know and truly leverage our data to give us the best information and practices. We need to get together in real-time and in real ways in real places to engage in changing our reality. Our shared effort and sacrifice over time will be what changes things for the better. We need to remember how we are connected and the power that a shared vision can have. After all, a shared vision is what created and sustained the Country over these 200+ years. Together, we can defeat all our Goliaths - it is something to get to work on today. Nothing is impossible with faith. Peace for the journey, Dan

Now What?!

So, the SCOTUS has made its considered decision - a split decision like most expected. However, many seemed to think that the Supreme Court would overturn the legislation. Practically though, there was really no way to stop what had already been put into motion. I believe this to be the great benefit of the ACA - not that it is good legislation (it's not) but that it got many folks moving and creating. If you look around now three years later, look at some of the innovation that is being developed in response to parts of the bill. The big question remains...now what?! The cost to fund the ACA is enormous and the relative benefits of many parts are unclear. The SCOTUS left open the possibility for States to not expand Medicaid, thus to not necessarily take care of all those who desperately need care. It is quite likely, however, given human nature that the States will opt for Federal dollars to help their systems. Will we finally have a floor where no one is without coverage? What will "the powers that be" do? Will they honor their better natures and the spirit of the legislation and find new and inventive ways to distribute the wealth and the health? Hard to know - easy to be cynical about human nature and about the political process. Maybe, just maybe, we have the ability to overcome ourselves and make the right decisions. Time for everyone to get involved and advocate for better health care for all. SCOTUS has cleared the way - now what - now it's time for us. Peace for the journey, Dan

Conflicting Interests

There's an old saw that goes, "Conflict of interest? It doesn't conflict with my interests!" We are in an age where this is painfully brought home almost every day. Whether it is in conversation with my teenagers, in the news cycle, at church (or any other institution), in our government, or with our poitical candidates, the supremacy of the individual over the group is rampant. This week (possibly today) we will hear the results of the deliberations of the SCOTUS on the Affordable Care Act. Now, this is not by any stretch of the imagination a good piece of legislation overall, it can serve as a template for moving forward. Conflicting interests and viewpoints on the high court might well "throw the baby out with the bath water". How do we manage the needs of the many instead of the few? How do we get to a point where the least, the last and the lost are cared for in a way that distributes our resources justly? How long will it be until there is true collaboration and compromise on the monumental tasks that are in front of us as a people? As long as we're focused on raising money for the next campaign, on doing nothing that alienates us from a Lobby, on what is easy and expedient rather than what is difficult and long-term and right, nothing will change. My conversation with my 18 year old just now about the need to change his worldview from one of procrastination and passive-aggressiveness to one of positivity and taking control is illustrative of the larger malaise in our culture today. There will always be conflicting interests and ideals - differing worldviews and ideas about a way forward. No one has a clear picture of the future or of the way forward. This is why we need to work together - this is how the U.S. has moved forward in the past. All of us seeing the big picture and using our individual wisdom to inform a collective wisdom is how we can solve the issues our individuality has created. Once again, faith communities show us the way to form and maintain right relationships. It is counter cultural and thus effective. Peace for the journey, Dan

Integrity

Integrity is the state of being whole or undivided. So much of our world nowadays is exactly the opposite of this. Think about it for a moment and you'll see that this is true. Many people in the U.S. are so focused on themselves and on their getting ahead that they become alienated from all others - they become fractionated and dis-integrated. Thus, our search for health, wellness and wholeness becomes a search for integrity. How can we become integrated again? Integrated with one another and fully connected to a narrative much larger and wiser than ourselves? I was speaking with my Pastor the other day and he asked me what I thought about the section in Matthew that talks about people being salt and light. I gave him my answer and I said that I was struck that the term "salt of the earth" had fallen from our lexicon. Tim (my pastor) said, "I'm wondering if there is an equivalent phrase in today's world that reflects the sentiment of 'salt of the earth'?" We couldn't come up with anything. It's instructive, I think, that our culture has strayed so far away from the sacred and its positive influence on our lives, that we don't even know what's missing! thus we become dis-integrated. Re-integrating ourselves will be a long and intentional process. It will require guides and accountability. It will also require that we begin to see things differently and to desire to develop integrity. When we do, we will also recapture purpose and meaning in our lives - something that we've also misplaced along the journey. This weekend, take a good long look at your life. To what are you integrated and how is that integration affecting your worldview? Seeking integrity in your life will lead to the wholeness that we all seek (whether we realize this or not). Peace for the journey, Dan

Becoming Us

Funny how an idea starts...a word or a phrase or a chance encounter. Something connects and resonates and creates a path to an idea. Often I'm sitting in front of a blank blog screen on Mondays and Thursdays waiting for just such an encounter. Today's post comes from a conversation with my soon-to-be High School graduate and from Gary Gunderson's most recent blog post. In both cases the gist of the communication was about focusing on the singular or individual rather than on the communal. My son, in response to my comment aobut going out and exercising by himself said, "No one goes out to exercise without an I-Pod or somenone to go with!" Gary's post was talking about our scientific mindset that focuses on "its" like cancer or viral diseases and not on population issues that determine our lives - and the likelihood of people taking the "cures" that science develops. People nowadays are individually focused and seemingly convinced that if it works for them then it must be ok. However, life is lived in community and in population - no person is an island. It is the antithesis of Ayn Rand's world where people discover "I". In our world we have to once again discover how to become "we" or "us"; and put "I" in its proper balance. Connecting to people holds the answer to integrating science and life. A lot of talk and ink have been generated touting the necessity of technology transfer, but no one seems able to actually get this done. We don't know who we are and what we are doing in our lives. However, our faith communities do know how we are living in community with each other, and the things that are important in our lives. Faith communities are all about learning how to live in community - in right relationship - with each other. Possibilities Journey Inc believes (as do others such as the Congregational Health Network in Memphis) that linking science and medicine with life is the key to becoming a healthier and more whole "us". This week, take a look at your life and your connections. Which ones add to your health and wholeness and which of them contribute to your focus only on "you"? Maximize the us in your life and you'll find yourself growing more healthy. Peace for the journey, Dan

Country Wisdom

My "wood guy" lives about 60 miles away in part of central Virginia. He's a sort that you can find just about anywhere in the South, a do-it-yourselfer with a very practical head and very little formal education. He was driving a forklift at 15 and paving roads, driving dump trucks, etc. Now he's a ways past 60 with bad joints, Type I diabetes and I found out today, just suffered a heart attack. He spent a couple of weeks worth of time at one community hospital and one large university teaching hospital. He was profoundly disturbed by the degree of "education" of the people taking care of him, but the lack of practicality. "They just didn't get the fact that I wasn't gonna pay for the $190/bottle of insulin nor prick my fingers 6 times a day every day." He also threw the hospital folks out of his room at night so that he could actually get some sleep! The good news is that some really fine utilization review person or social worker actually got him signed up for Medicaid finally. I'd been talking to him about it for years (I've known him for about 18 years) but he didn't want "no government hand out thank you very much". Once he realized that he can better care for himself on his limited income, Medicaid became a real blessing. He's now going to see someone about the diabetes-induced nerve damage to his fingers and toes and the diabetes-induced loss of vision. I'm hoping he can get tuned up and be bringing me wood, hunting stories and wisdom for many years to come. What struck me most about the conversation today (they last a mimnimum of 45 minutes) was his take on how poorly run hospitals are from the practical end of things. Nobody asked him how the changes they (the docs) were proposing fit into his life. Since they were trained at a world-class hospital and university, certainly he would see the need to follow their every utterance. To my country friend, most of what they said was impractical from the standpoint of tolerance or cost (usually both). He didn't agree that these professionals knew more about his body and health than he did. I'd have paid good money to be a fly on the wall to see the looks on their collective faces as he told them where they could get off. ;-) Wisdom comes in many forms and it doesn't come exclusively from university training and advanced degrees. My friend has an advanced degree in life and in survival. He proved once again that learning from the university of life often trumps all other forms of wisdom. Something to consider as we grapple with how to revise our currently broken healthcre system. Maybe we should just employ my friend as a consultant - he's have some very practical wisdom to share. Peace for the journey, Dan

Free Will

Yesterday's sermon was built around Genesis 3 - the story of the "fall" of Adam and Eve. Those of you who are familiar with this story know that YHWH created the garden and put man and woman there to live. YHWH told the man that he could have anything he wanted except the fruit of one tree - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. YHWH told Adam that if he did eat it "he would surely die". You know the rest of the story...serpent, twisted words, choices, shame and blame, eviction for all human kind from Eden. Adam and Eve didn't die physically, but their relationship with YHWH surely did. It was the beginning of the use of our free will to sin (to move out of relationship with YHWH) and we've kept on going ever since. One of the fundamental theological questions therefore is, why did YHWH give humans the ability to choose? Knowing that we were made in the image of YHWH, but were not actually YHWH, wouldn't it have been safer and simpler to command us what to do? the answer is yes, it would have made things a whole lot easier for YHWH, however, YHWH seems to not have wanted automatons - YHWH wanted companions, friends and lovers. Commanding us to love YHWH would have created resentment and would not have allowed true and open relationship (love) to develop. Free will is the cornerstone of the ability to truly love and to be in right relationship with YHWH and with each other (the two great commandments). Free will also allows us not to believe in YHWH or anything but our own intellect (thank you Descartes) and abilities - and this is what has caused all the issues that we're currently struggling against in the world. It's all about choices, as a dear friend of mine loves to say. There are choices that lift us and others up, and choices that burden and enslave us and the world. There are choices to live more in tune with YHWH and each other, and choices that move us farther away. Choices for a healthier, less broken and more well life, and choices that further destroy our bodies. Though we are so intelligent we are not wise...Jesus the Christ said it from the cross, "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." We are like perpetual teenagers looking for freedom and independence without responsibility or consequence or insight. Indeed, when we forget to spend time with YHWH, we follow our own idols and gods and we "surely die" to all that can give meaning. This week, take a look at your choices. Evaluate them in light of any sacred text and see how they stack up. I challenge you to make one choice, one act of free will that will move you closer to YHWH and to each other. Peace for the journey, Dan

Cowardice

I was reading some devotions and other material as I do every morning. Father Richard Rohr's "On the Threshold of Transformation" had a devotion for today that talked about the need for true mentors - for someone who can show us the way. As I turn 50, I'm struck by how few mentors there are as we live our lives as adults. People who can model true courage of conviction and show us all a way to be in right relationship with each other. We are surrounded by cowardice, by people who make decisions based on how it affects their individual lives and not on how it affects the larger community. One only has to spend a moment in any news cycle to see that this is so. Life in post-secular (or post-modern) America is truly anti-Kantian, that is, the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. If I can get ahead of you by doing something, then it is ok for me to do it. It's no wonder then that we have a dearth of social programming, that budgets for safety-net program are being slashed while "pork" is at an all time high. There's no ability to compromise in decision making at the local, regional or national levels of society. Everything is polarized and politicized and there are few who are brave enough to consider the narrow way. We've created idols out of everyday things and have thus lost the path to an encounter with the sacred. Rohr says (in the same devotional) in essence that Scripture and other sacred texts are not an end in themselves, rather they serve to point us beyond the words to the "hard facts of reality, life itself, and from there to authentic encounters with God." When we lose the narrative of the sacred in our lives, then there is nothing to point us beyond ourselves and our individual lives. There's nothing to give us the courage of our convictions - because we have no convictions - everything is negotiable. In other words, if we don't stand for something we'll fall for anything! Cowardice is easy, courage is difficult and challenging and ultimately the only way out of our current dilemma. This weekend, spend some time with the sacred texts - doesn't matter which one(s). Discover how those great G-d inspired writings contain large truths and consolation for our world today (and for you as an individual). Discover again how to become courageous through the experience of the leaders and mentors of the past. Peace for the journey, Dan

Mythology vs. Pathology

Interesting concept brought forth by Father Richard Rohr in his book of daily devotions for men called, "On the Threshold of Transformation". He posits on Day 14 that "when we don't mythologize, we pathologize". What he's really talking about here is the problems that occur when humans look only to themselves for answers to the unanswerable. He goes on to say that, "...We lost our ability to appreciate myth around the time of the Enlightenment. Nature, religion, mystery, and ritual all became passe..." So we as a race became "enlightened" by rationalism, science and the scientific method and in the process created a huge idol to worship. Science has given us many things such as creature comforts, improved longevity and health, longer work days, more stress, devotion to media input, etc. Rationalism has sought to understand and control everything - even the truly mysterious and uncontrollable. How many of you took the time to look up and marvel at the "super moons" during the last month? How about the beauty of Spring? The marvel of the rain or the power of the storm? Most I suspect kept your heads down, noses to the grindstone - cursing the pollen and the damp and the inconvenience. Because we really don't have any patience for inconvenience nowadays, do we?! We're so used to living in a controlled environment that any little deviation is seen as a major issue. What happened to our resilience and our ability to make do with what we have? That's our global pathology , isn't it?! Once something is amiss, we see things as wrong or absurd or broken. Nothing can move on until we've righted the wrong, corrected the absurd and fixed the broken...and then we believe we'll be happy and content...but we're not. When we lose our sense of place in the world and universe - when we become bigger than we really are, that's when the lack of mythology really shows. We lose our humility and become as gods, able to give and take with impunity. Then it's also every god for him or herself. A veritable battle of the Titans occurs and this time it's not just a religious tale - it's our post-secular worldview and our life. Recapturing a sense of the sacred is therefore tantamount to preserving us as a species for without the sacred there is no reason to fight for the world that we live in. Our pathology will then finish us off. This week, work to rediscover mythology and the sense of the sacred in your life. Look up at the Super Moon tonight until you feel small and insignificant again. Hike into the forest or wilderness far enough to lose the sounds of the world - feel the thrill of being just a little bit lost. Renew your relationship with a sacred text or ritual. In this way, you can treat your pathology and become healthier and more whole. It will take time and intention, but I know you can do it! Peace for the journey, Dan

Politics as Usual

Interesting to watch the political world from a front row seat here a short distance from D.C. It's also not hard to get quite cynical (or savvy) about how things really work here in the "seat of power". It's been said that the standard operating proceedure of politics is division, distraction and destruction. It's not that far off when you think about it. Our politics are divided into two major parties, there is the constant distraction of "mud slinging" between candidates and parties, and the lack of action on major social issues causes destruction of the infrastructure of the Country (e.g., the current state of the power grid). Politics as usual also leaves our healthcare system in a state of division, distraction and duplication. The episodic nature of the reimbursement system, the individualistic nature of the practitioners coupled with non-integrated health information systems, and the need for every hospital in an area to compete for the same patient types (cardiac, emergent, etc) lead to the outrageous cost of the care provided. Local politicians are courted by health care executives to get favorable allowances on everything. Cartainly, local health systems can improve the economy by creating jobs that are usually very stable and high paying. Because of the return-on-investment and favorable tax profile (most hospitals are IRS non-profit designated), everyone wants a piece of the action. Soon the duplication and distraction are in full swing. The answer to "politics as usual"? We need to have integrators that can take the disparate pieces of the political process and have a "big picture" view of the whole. We need to have a view from Washington that allows for the fact that the current politics don't serve the people well on may if not most areas. We need boundary leaders who can see their way past business as usual and create new connections that defeat SOP. If we don't, there will never be any real healing and we'll stay with politics as usual. Time for something new. Peace for the journey, Dan

Island of Illusion

I'm musing on the Memorial Day on a favorite quote of mine (though I've long forgotten the source), "Ahh yes, Washington, D.C., 37 square miles of illusion surrounded by a sea of reality". Having lived outside our national capital for 20 years has proved over and over again the truth of this statement. Every year at this time, thousands of new college graduates head across the Potomac River seeking access to fame and power (or to the famous and powerful or to become famous and powerful). They come to change the world (or at least America) and to make their mark. Most find that there are no jobs or that those jobs are as Administrative Assistants in an entry-level job far removed from the seats of power. Yet still they come each and every year, like the swallows to Capistrano, hoping for something more than the reality that awaits them. We're really no different in our worldview than the politically minded, are we?! We all have our different islands of illusion. Maybe it's the illusion of individualism (I can do whatever I want as long as no one gets hurt); maybe it's the illusion of invincibility (I can do whatever I choose to my body now and deal with the consequences later); maybe it's the illusion of technology (Whatever I do can be undone by technology that exists now or in the future); or the illusion of ever increasing wealth (no matter what I spend [or we spend as a Country] there will always be more money). Put in whatever pet idol(s) you've created and worship. Idols help us create the illusion that reality does not need to be considered - the idol will make it right. Our collective idolatry (making a "good" thing an "ultimate" thing) has resulted in budget deficits of epic proportion, wars we have started with no hope for cessation, a God-less religion that spiritually feeds fewer and fewer people, a rampant individualism and post-secular worldview that negates the reality of needing to be in relationship - and will likely lead to our destruction. This mindless pursuit of new idols is fostered and fueled by the corporate-industrial complex which requies ever higher profits at the expense of the many for the benefit of the exceedingly few. There is a way around this however - and people of the Book know it. G-d tells us how to be in relastionship with one another. Shows us time and again in varied stories how we as broken humans can be healed and forgiven. How we can get back in touch with G-d and with each other in right relationship. How we can put off worldly illusion for the much larger worldview of reality that leads to life eternal (in this life - not after we die). It's time to discover (or to re-discover) the role of reality in our lives. Reality that can save us from ourselves and our collective insanity. Peace for the journey, Dan

On the Edge

Okay, it has taken me a while (better part of 50 years) to put words to what it is that I'm being called to do with my life. This is not to say that I haven't been doing this all my life (certainly all my professional life) it's just that I never knew what to call it. I have called myself a "facilitator" someone who connects others and creates new entitites. However, that wasn't really the right term as I was actively involved in the systems and interventions that I was helping to facilitate. Gary Gunderson wrote a book a few years ago entitled, "Boundary Leaders: Leadership Skills for People of Faith". In it he describes these "boundary leaders" as those persons who exist at the edges of the known - those who routinely cross the artificial boundaries of humanity to solve problems. He says, "The work of boundary leaders is to align the assets of community with the most relevant science and most mature faith." Yep, that's what I'm up to; and it's why I've had to be out on my own trying to create a living 'cause there ain't no job that fits this description. ;-) Life is lived in areas on the edge, on boundaries. Unfortunately, our healthcare is deliviered in silos because of the episodic nature of the beast that has been created by for-profit insurance companies and policies, and the healthcare-industrial complex. Our lives are incredibly complex and interwoven, thus it is of no great surprise that our simplistic way of studying life has yielded little to no impact on health disparities. We continue to focus our social interventions and research on personal conduct (choices) and family history (genetics). What we end up with then (as Gary Gunderson says) is "...a precise answer to the wrong question. Nothing makes us dumber quicker than that."! Boundary Leaders exist in the tension that accompanies the complexities of life lived. They understand that there are complex and varied social, economic and racial patterns to public health that can not be ignored if we are to solve the myriad health problems that confront us. Where do faith communities come in to this mix? Well, that's just where this Boundary Leader is spending his time and effort. If we can just overcome the artificial boundaries of religious doctrine and (for Christians as an example) follow the boundary leaders of our faith (Jesus the Christ in this example) we have the resources in our congregations to deal with all of the social injustices. At last count, 38,000 different sects acknowledged Jesus as their leader and there are a couple billion persons who identify themselves at least nominally as Christian. Add into this the observant Jews and Muslims (all descended spiritually from Abraham) and one has far more than half of the population of the world who profess a belief in the distributive justice of the one true Creator G-d! Following the teaching of these great boundary leaders will allow us to finally realize the world as G-d intends it. This weekend, take a close look at your community (both faith and secular). Where are the areas of social injustice that you are called to intervene? Maybe you'll be called like me to re-invent the healthcare system with an eye towards distributive justice. If so, let's get started. Peace for the journey, Dan

Connections

It's funny how I have to learn some things over and over. You'd think that by the time a person is turning 50 that they might have learned some essential points about living. Well, I certianly have, but somethings just keep hammering me over the head until I say ok. It's like the old Jewish teaching between a rabbi and a student. The student says, "Rabbi, why does it say in Torah that YHWH's words are written on our hearts? Shouldn't YHWH's words be written IN our hearts?" The Rabbi replies, "YHWH has to write the words ON our hearts because our hearts are so hard. The more we learn YHWH's words, the deeper they are etched, until one day they break through the shell into the core." So it is with me and with my learning about the importance of connection. This past weekend was "Change the World" weekend; maybe you participated in it? Churches all over America sent out their congregants into the world to do good deeds. Since it was also Pentecost, the shirts were red in color, and the "fire" burned bright. The importance of the day wasn't the deeds that were done, however, it was the time spent together, connected to each other and to other faith communities, that was truly important. Think about it...in our individualistic world, when does such a thing happen, especially on a large scale? We also confirmed seven young people (2 of whom were baptized as well) yesterday into membership with the church. Connected together with these committed 8th Graders, I had a sense of "rightness" and peace. I felt energized by the work of the Spirit and "knew" that what we were engaged in was right with YHWH. YHWH created us to be in connection to each other and to the larger world. United Methodists talk much about "being in connection" as part of our church's doctrine. However, we tend to fall away from connection to those who are unlike us, who struggle with life, who choose different lifestyles, or who are challenging to be around. Our hearts are indeed hard like the ancient Hebrews who cursed Moses for leading them into the desert, and cursed G-d for giving them manna to eat. It is easy to become disconnected, isn't it? Yet, days like happened this weekend can go a long way to reconnecting us (me). Life would be easier if we could always remember our connectedness to one another. A connection that comes from Creator to each and every one of us. Remembering this connectedness is the key (IMHO) to solving the worlds problems and to finally breaking our hearts of stone. Something to work on this week, I think. Peace for the journey, Dan

Tort Reform Anyone?

OK, I'm not a lawyer and I've got a relatively low opinion of the tort laws that are in place that lawyers are working under. However, it really frosts my nether regions to see the constant T.V. advertisments from "injury" lawyers. You know the ones, "If you've been injured or killed by Drug XYZ, then call us now and we'll try to find you (and us) some money"! Now, I'm sure that you'll forgive my bias as a pharmacist that everything we put into our body has risks and a simple glance at a drug package insert or the PDR should be enough to give anyone pause before ingesting. Having said that, I do believe that in cases where there has been negligence on the part of a prescriber, that tort should play a role in the recovery from injury (or death). Beyond that, however, if one is using an anticoagulant ("blood thinner") whose sole role is to make it easier to bleed (prevent clotting), then if you develop a bleeding event (while taking it appropriately and being monitored equally well) it is an expected adverse effect -end of story. That's not the world we inhabit, however. There must be someone to blame for everything bad or unforeseen that happens to us. Even if it might be a poor (or uninformed) choice on our part, someone else must be culpable as well. Tort laws make it possible for anyone to seek damages for anything. What confounds me is that both lawyers and persons will go looking for this kind of money to try to gain something from a bad situation. Again, I don't have a problem if there was negligence - but for most of the tort that I see advertised, it is a known risk of taking a chemical into one's body. Now, since about 2 out of 3 elected representatives are lawyers, it is unlikely that there will ever be meaningful tort reform. The March 14, 2012, issue of Forbes magazine had this to say: "The actuarial firm Towers Watson estimates that in 2009 the cost of the U.S. tort system was $248.1 billion dollars, which is nearly 2 percent of U.S. GDP and represents $808 per American. A price tag that high has severe consequences for our economy and U.S. businesses." It goes further, "...As a 2011 U.S. Chamber of Commerce report on tort costs notes, the total transaction costs (the cost of defending lawsuits) for 20 of America’s largest companies that participated in the study increased 112 percent from 2000." Seriously, it's time for all us average Americans to wake up and say no to frivolous lawsuits. There is a need to protect people, but not to the tune of 2% of the GDP. Along with Department of Defense restructuring, this needs to be a priority to allow the U.S. economy to get back on track. Something to think about for your weekend - it's a social justice issue that could free up a lot of cash to do a lot of good. It certainly would be put to better use than lining a bunch of lawyer pockets. Peace for the journey, DAn

Patience and Persistence

I'm musing this morning on the difficulty of discerning truth. Whether it be truth in advertising, truth in the media, truth from my children, or truth within my life, the quest is often daunting and frustrating. We all search for truth in our daily lives. Whether it be in determining political choices, investing time or resources or our gifts in some worth while cause, coming to grips with life choices, we are constantly evaluating input and trying to discern what is true. We want to believe "reputable" sources to deliver truth to us, but we have seen with the rise of the internet that truth can be even more ephemeral than before (e.g., Invisible Children). Some have given up in the search for truth altogether. Others have stated that truth belongs to the individual - "what's true for me is what matters". In the post modern world that we inhabit, the rampant individualism that characterizes this age seems to opt for the least common denominator or the easiest possibility. I shouldn't have to feel uncomfortable not knowing - I can anesthetize mmyself with an easy answer from Google on my smart phone. Don't worry about what is actually true, listen to what I have to say as I tug at your heart strings or constantly repeat the same propaganda until you believe me. Where has the ability to hold the tension of the search for truth gone? We seem to be awash in the quick fix and the sound bite. Where is the content of character which brings the strength of patience and persistence in the face of the unknown? Where is the support for the search for truth? Character comes from believing and living truths bigger than ourselves. It used to come from communities which were populated by principled people. Communities that held each other accountable for the common good. Communities where faith and belief in something ultimate and powerful and mysterious held sway. These communities allowed the time to hold the tension in order to discern the truth. In a world where mysteries are solved in no more than 60 minutes, it is easy to see how we've been mislead to think that finding the truth is quick and easy. What truths are you searching for? What "unknowing" haunts your days and nights? Is it a search for meaning and purpose? Is it a search for belonging and real relationship(s)? Is your search for truth a reaction to living in a sound bite world where everything in reduced to trivia and to individual mandate? The show X-Files used to say, "The truth is out there...", but in order to find it you have to go looking. I believe that you can find your way to the truth, and to the patience and persistence for the journey, in the loving arms of a faith community. Why don't you give one a try this week. Peace for the journey, Dan

Balance

Life seems to always be a balancing act between what we have and what we want. It's also a balance between health, wellness and wholeness and dis-ease. My life right now is out of balance. Over the last two years, things have changed financially due to decisions on my part to start a 501c3, some decisions on my son's part to run afoul of the law (and the subsequent need to hire expensive lawyers), and assorted life issues such as an aging dog who appears to have lymphoma (and associated vet bills to try to manage). This financial imbalance then leads to unbalance in other areas, most especially my relationship with my wife. I find myself wondering, on the cusp of my 50th birthday, is this the law of averages catching up or some foul plan? I haven't come to an answer yet. One thing I do know is that our bodies work best when we balance food, exercise, challenging mind work, sleep and fun. Moving one of those items too far leads to the whole system being out of whack. Once that happens, if nothing changes, then our bodies acclimate to the new "norm" of unbalance. Since our bodies can take a lot of abuse before they break (thank G-d!) we move merrily through life with out paying much attention to the daily damage we're inflicting. Until something happens and the cascade of events is catastrophic. I can't tell you how many hundreds of times I saw this pattern lived out in the intensive care units I was staffing. "He was okay until he came to the hospital!" was a common refrain. Well, this wasn't true. He may have "looked" okay on the surface, but underneath he was a mess. All it took was one major break and the whole house of cards came tumbling down. Balance between all aspects of our life is the key to our journey. Bad or unfortuante things are going to happen to us - it's just the way the world works. This last year of my life has been awful in many ways, but the rest of my life has been better than most people in the rest of the world. While I could spend an inordinate amount of time whining about my "bad luck", I'm instead trying to see what wisdom/life lessons I can pull from this part of the journey. How can I begin to relate better to my family? How can I focus on the good instead of the difficult? Where is G-d in all this trial and travail? This week, take a look at your life and where you might be out of balance. Maybe it's excessive work; maybe it's overuse of alcohol; maybe it's other risky behaviors like not seeing a physician regularly (my current issue) for prevention and monitoring; you fill in the blanks. Make a promise to yourself and important others to do something about this/these imbalance(s). You'll be quite glad that you did. Peace for the journey, Dan

Unknowing

Kind of a funny English word, isn't it - unknowing? Does this mean to unlearn or to forget what we know? Perhaps it means that there is much still that we do not know? In the 14th Century, an unknown (!) monk wrote a classic spiritual treatise called "The Cloud of Unknowing". In it he posits that the spiritual journey is towards a state of mind that allows that though we might get quite close to knowing G-d, we will never reach that point of understanding; there will always be a "cloud" between us and G-d. Since we can not "know" G-d, we must become at peace with our "unknowing" and continue to strive to be as open as possible to whatever G-d has in mind for us. Unknowing isn't popular these days - and I'm sure it wasn't in the centuries past. Humans always want to know the reason behind the things that occur. Why does the weather do like it does? Why do people make the choices they do? How do you make marshmallows? The list of things to be known is endless - as is our pursuit of answers. In my professional space, it is tantamount to malpractice for me not to know something (or at least to not be able to find an answer). Not knowing is simply not tolerated. Science continues to discover things and those discoveries continue to push back the frontier of what is known and what is unknown. Some humans believe that one day we will know everything that can be known...but what will we do then? William Booth once said, "Consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century (that was the 20th) will be religion without the Holy Ghost (Spirit), Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell." What he was saying is that in our certainty that we humans are the end all and be all, we will leave behind the mystery and faith in something larger than ourselves. We have seen his prophecy come to pass and in order to get away from continuing this path, we must become humble again (or maybe for the first time). This week, consider what it is that you don't know about G-d and your relationship with G-d. Consider that the ability to not know can be quite freeing and allow you to just "be" in the presence of the Creator without needing to "do" anything. Free your mind and heart and allow G-d to do what G-d is wanting to do in your life. It will be transformative! Peace for the journey, Dan

Both...And

The human condition is competitive. Whether it is in sports or in everyday life, we are seemingly always competing for things. Our children learn early that competition is healthy and brings all the creature comforts that the world says they need to be truly happy. The Olympic Games come on the T.V. and it's all about who's first, no one talks to the Olympian who comes in 8th out of 8 in the finals (even though they are better than everyone except 7 persons in the world at their sport). It appears on first glance that it is and either-or world...either you're first or you're last. This kind of competitive (exclusionary) thinking leaves a lot of people out of the competition. There are neighborhoods in the U.S. where 50% of the kids don't graduate from High School. I live in a place where I don't know anyone who's child not only graduates from High School, but graduates with multiple AP courses completed and a choice of Ivy League colleges competing for their time and money. Is that really what we were created for?! The G-d that I follow works out of a principle of distributive justice - all good things for all G-d's people. It is a principle of both...and; my wife likes to say "have my cake and eat it too". That's how G-d works when we get out of the way. How is it that we live in a created world and have gotten so far away from sharing equally in all that we have been gifted with? When we survey all of the social injustice that humans have created against each other, it is a wonder that we have been able to live at all. Case-in-point, look at the amount of money we spend each day on healthcare in the U.S. Those with more money or better jobs (likely due to better education secondary to living in better neighborhoods) get adequate or designer healthcare. Those who are less fortunate, well, they get whatever they can find and afford. The American Hospital Association says that there's no way they can follow the new governmental guidelines to help people post-discharge take care of themselves - too costly and too difficult. Either/or or Both/and...? What's the best solution for all of us? We have a world full of either/or, but G-d calls us to both/and. How about you? What's your life narrative? Are you running a competitive race or are you thinking that there's something more that you're called to? Over the course of the next bit of time, consider which of the social injustices taht you're being called to address. Remember, G-d calls us into relationship...into both/and. Peace for the journey, Dan

Truth vs. Disrespect

I engaged in a conversation last week which pointed out an interesting belief model that is currently at work in our society. The belief model is that one can not state an opposite opinion or opposite set of facts/truths in a conversation without be labeled as "disrespecting (diss'ing)" or "hating" or in older people's language "judging". Many have detailed the demise of appropriate public discourse and debate. Certainly the rise of instant access to media to post one's views and commentary, "Shock Jock" radio, expanded cable programming and blog talk radio outlets, impersonal "Facebook" friends, and a cultural dismantling of relationships all have lent their energy to the creation of this societal monster. Additionally, as chronicaled last year in this blog, the rise of idolatry has lead to the demonizing of anyone with the temerity to hold an opposing viewpoint. Any more it's not just that I'm wrong, but that I'm evil and must be publically humiliated for my error (demonization). The discourse I was having was over the role of the call from G-d to love neighbor as self. Self-less love allows for the knowledge that no one is perfect to undergird our response to errors of word or action. Certainly, labeling things or people or "bad" is judgmental and likely not contributory to ultimately working to address needed behavior change. However, in this milleau, what is the role of prophetic witness and dialogue? My point to the other party was that if we can not engage in frank discussions about right and wrong according to established societal and religious norms, then how can we help but continue to devolve into a "world according to me" and ever decreasing ability to relate? I posited the interaction between King David and Nathan post-Bathsheba/Uriah. How is it that Nathan could speak truth to power and hold the King accountable for his transgressions? In our current world view, Nathan would have been accused of disrespect and literally and figuratively flogged (if not worse). I mean, look at how things worked out for the vast majority of prophets in the Bible...it was not a job description that promised a long and happy life! ;-) We need to work as a society on bringing back honest and respectful public and private dialogue. Conversations that seek the truth while honoring the need to be in relationship. For it is in the building of relationship, especially when there is disagreement, that is the hallmark of unconditional love versus disrespect/demonization. In a discussions with persons holding soft-secular or post-secular (post-modern) worldviews, however, it is very challenging to dissent without being perceived as being disrespectful. It is a constant area of discord between me and my teenaged sons - who have this worldview and who have said worldview reinforced in their peer group. There is a lack of investment in important relationships that says, "I value this relationship more than I value winning a debate". When the relationship comes second, then it doesn't matter how the conversation is conducted. This week, consider how you engage with people, especially with those who are on opposite sides of issues from you. Are you loving and open enough to hear other's viewpoints and engage in a passionate but polite debate? When confronted by a person who is openly hostile to your point-of-view, do you try for relationship or for the win (FTW in today's vernacular)? Engaging in relationship building and truth telling will take a change of heart - are you willing? Peace for the journey, Dan

Radical Hospitality

"In faith, there is no possibility of an uninterrupted success story. The only way you’re going to face your wild beasts and your shadows is by failure and rejection, by people not loving you, by having to learn how to love your wife and your children and those who hurt you—the enemies—those who make you aware of your own incapacity to love." This quote is from today and was contained in the daily meditations of the Center for Action and Contemplation of Fr. Richard Rohr. It struck me between the eyes as I was also working with the most recent Weavings magazine and an article on the 23rd Psalm. In Weavings, a reflection piece by Jan Johnson entitled, "Confidence: I Have Everything I Need" talked about finding confidence with difficult people. She was reflecting on the "...You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..." I admit that I've always struggled with this portion of the Psalm (as have many others) and Ms. Johnson brought it into clarity for me by linking the anointing and overflowing cup with my ability to sit comfortably in the presence of my enemies and offer radical hospitality. Wow!! I then began reflecting on how radical hospitality, or the lack thereof, affects our everyday ability to care for those who are least and lost. Hospitality is really love in action - and the radical nature of that love in action is when we provide hospitality to those whom we find difficult to be in relationship with (aka enemies). Hospitals were originally staffed by women religious as an outflow of this radical hospitality and love and catered to the least and the lost. For most of their history, hospitals were places were people went when they had no where else to go. It's only been in the last 50 to 60 years that hospitals have become places of medical healing (rather than spiritual healing) as technologies and medications have allowed for the possibility of cure. However, as we see clearly in the debate of costs of care, where hospitals used to be in relationship with death, now they keep death at bay and don't invite it to the table. We don't see that death is in fact a part of life - that it too is anointed and given by G-d. We have identified our "own incapacity to love" as healthcare professionals and as human beings. Our incapacity to love each other radically and fully keeps us searching for "cures" and keeps us in an adversarial position with a life reality...death. Therefore we submit our fellow humans to ever more tests and procedures and medicines convincing ourselves that we are doing everything possible (and running up an enormous tab that ultimately always ends in death). We are out of balance and are driven by our fear of failure and of report cards (and yes of the out-of-control legal system). We have capitated the provider-patient relationship out of existence to the point that both sides see the other as enemy rather than fellow travelers on the path. We need to admit our incapacity to love fully and well, this is the only path to healing and wholeness; the only way out of the mess we've created. No set of laws and practice guidelines will ever fix what is fundamentally a spiritual issue (aka a sin). This week, look into your own life to view where you are on the road to sitting down with your enemies. Remember that you are chosen and provided for by a loving and faithful G-d; you are not at the table alone. Remember also that so is your "enemy". Rediscover the road to radical hospitality and bring that back into your daily life. As a sage once said to me, everyday be nicer to everyone than they are to you! Peace for the journey, Dan

Life-long Learning

I heard an amazing tale of survival and faith yeasterday at my church. We've developed a relationship with some folks in Haiti and the sermon was delivered by one of these persons who serves as a translator for United Methodist mission workers. He talked of his survival from the January 2010 earthquake - he was buried alive when a building collapsed around him. While he was buried he prayed and a "voice" told him that though he was buried, he could "still do something". Ultimately he dug his hand and then his head free of the rubble and was able to call out to rescuers. He came through the ordeal with minimal injuries and in fact helped others before going to the hospital to tend to his pain. He titled his message, "The University of Life" and in it he told of how his faith had sustained him during his time of darkness and distress. Life had taught him that though there appeared to be no options, he could always do something. His ability to be in relationship to G-d allowed him to come through the earthquake and the last two years, with an understanding that he is never alone. It got me musing on how my life and life experiences have informed my faith (and vice versa). I've never been through anything remotely as difficult as Jean Claude, but there certainly have been challenges. How about you?! How has your life influenced your faith and your faith journey? I was reading the newest edition of Weavings magazine (Why Are You Afraid?) and there's a writing entitled, "Epektasis". This Greek word means to "stretch forward". Gregory of Nyssa used this term in expanding on the Apostle Paul's letter to Philemon. St. Gregory posits that our whole spiritual life is an ascent towards G-d, a transformational experience that leads us ever onward and upward (think of Jacob's ladder) into a more intimate relationship with the Creator. Is this how you're learning to be - or are you stuck in the past and afraid of the future - in limbo unable to move? Maybe you're stuck in the world, unable to believe in something that isn't "real"? Maybe it's a combination of the above...only you and G-d know for sure. This week, spend some time exploring your fears and the arc of your spiritual journey. If you are stuck in place, ask for help from a spiritual guide or director, church leader, maybe a strong spiritual friend. Look back on your own "classwork" in the University of Life and see what you've already learned, and where the holes might be to get you to the next step on the ladder. Peace for the journey, Dan

First Things...

C. S. Lewis is supposed to have said something to the effect that you can't get first things (priorities) accomplished while focusing on secondary things. This is truth that I've learned both in my personal/professional life and also in the lives of those who populate my world. A large amount of time has been spent in my life trying to discern which of the many competing "things" are those first things. I suspect that is true for you as well. Parenting a newly minted adult (18 years of age) has been a struggle over the last 18 months as I've tried to lead him to decide on what is first in his life and what he'd like to pursue. After those months of hard slogging, we seem to have come to a place where he has come to a decision on what's first...only time will tell if it is "right" for him or not. In my sermon from Sunday I reflected on the need to set G-d first and have no other gods before. It was a sermon directed at focusing on what we're most devoted to...what rules our lives both as individuals and communally. I was reflecting on Psalm 16 and also on Mark 1 where it is important to set your priorities each day with the most important part not changing. It is so easy in our lives to create mini-gods or idols (power, prestige, money, possessions, etc) and lose sight of the first thing that is the only G-d to give life. All of our idols simply steal away our time, energy, resources, spirit and give nothing in return. How often have you found it to be true that "work won't keep you warm at night" or "you can't take it with you"? Pursuit of worldy things instead of "first things" will always leave you wanting and wishing. This week, consider what's first in your life - what you're most devoted to or focused on. Is it G-d or is it something that has become a god in your life? If you are focusing on lesser gods, or letting those rule your life, then you are living a life run by secondary priorities. They may seem important, but in contrast to the "first" priority of G-d and what G-d wants for you to be and to do, there's no question that these things are far less important than they appear. Put G-d first in your life and keep G-d there. If you do, the rest of your life will be filled with meaning and purpose and will take care of itself. Peace for the journey, Dan

Primer

Doing a little painting on my younger son's room this weekend. He's finally outgrown the bed he's had for the last 10 years, and the motorcycle wall paper. He's chosen his color scheme and it was time to do the painting. I was reminded again about the importance of prepping and priming to the overall success of the job. Yesterday I delivered a sermon on devotion and the focus was all about the role of preparation and focusing on what is important. The role of returning for a primer. In days gone by beginning-level students were given books called "Primers". These tomes contained the building block information that the students would need to learn in order to be able to continue to gain knowledge. While kids these days don't use Primers anymore, the concept is still important. For us as spiritual people, the idea of returning to the basics of faith is important as we attempt to continue our spiritual journeys. I found my way back to the Psalms of Ascent (#120-134). These songs were sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. They're know as ascent songs because no matter what road you took, you had to ascend to get to the Temple Mount. Often, one had to make a substantial commitment to journey to Jerusalem, often through wilderness that was lonely and dangerous. It was not something that was undertaken without serious planning and preparation. Focusing on our journey and on our need to get back to the building blocks of faith are important for us so that we do not lose momentum or stop our journey altogether. As everyone knows, once momentum is lost, it takes a lot of energy to get it going again. This week, return again to those articles of faith that are primary to your understanding of your religion. Return to the Book and find your way to the bedrock of your faith. If you haven't read the Ascent Psalms in a while, refresh your devotional time with them - they may just re-ignite your spiritual fire. Peace for the journey, Dan