Category — My Life

Janie has just had surgery done on her hand to repair an injury that has developed over some time.  She is able to endure more pain than me. I am of the opinion that doctors are worth going to when pain becomes unbearable - (AFTER they are checked out and they are not incapacitated during a procedure.)

This is her fourth procedure in less than a year.  Prior to that, Janie has never had a surgery - ever. Think there might be a connection between these and the risk we are taking with this church launch?  Hmm.

Since posting about Glenn Beck’s brush with death a few days ago I have carefully read his account of what happened on his day after Christmas ‘routine’ surgery (eerily similar to my ordeal in some ways - near Christmas, though when one completely bleeds out after 75 minutes at a BP of 30 over 10 it is difficult to compare experiences in all ways). 

The ‘I Don’t Give A Flying Rip’ Attitude of Inappropriate Medical Staff

Beck’s description of the nurse who was completely capable of helping him negotiate his way off the couch and out of the room, but didn’t lift a finger was very typical of what I have seen time and again in my medical journey with hospitals.  (Keep in mind, my initial medical melt-down has resulted in eight more surgeries so far - no more I pray!) 

The nurse he mentioned even went so far as to drum his fingers on the door as to say,
“Come on now - I have more important things to do…”  Yeah.  I’ve watched Gray’s Anatomy enough times - there’s a lot of action happening in the back rooms.  I have many doctor friends who have been through residency programs who have laughingly told me since that show has aired this is not far from what occurs - believe it or not - when docs and nurses work in close quarters for 48 plus hours at a time. 

All well and good.  It’s when basic human dignity is overlooked that I become at least a bit agitated. 

The average fourth grader is aware of the Hippocratic Oath.  That first line is a doozy - “First do no harm…”  Now that is the opening line of a novel based on Beck’s experience or mine turned into novel form - just waiting to be inputed into a laptop. 

Just to be clear, as with Beck, I was also saved by some amazing docs.  I regularly, prayerfully thank God for several of those doctors by name the way they live out the very definition of ‘Dedication.’ 

So what’s gone wrong with the system?  Wow - that’s a three day discussion that is perhaps better suited for a round circle discussion with a few ethicists, docs who get it, and a smattering of Beck’s and Sjogren’s to boot - then tape that sucker and play it in HD on pay-per-view. 

This is THE issue folks. 

Nationalized health care? 

Big clue - take notes if you must - ain’t gonna happen - not in the lifetime of anyone reading this blog entry anyway.  If it did, you would really be taking your life in your hands if you showed up to be cared for in such a system.  Ask any Canadian or Brit about their system. 

The only place where such utopian systems come close to functioning are countries with very small populations that are highly capitalized - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland.  To boot, they don’t seem to mind living under the burden of a tax code that begins with each person shelling out 55% and some paying 90% of what they earn in income taxes.  ("Yes we have high taxes, but our children go to school for free and we have healthcare…")

Again, discussion circle needed. 

Back to the Begiune - try a little kindness.

“The kindness of God leads us to a radical life change…” Rom. 2:4, The Message.  How simply profound is that.  I am incapable of ever living in consistent positive attitudes of any sort.  It’s just not in me.

Looks like I will be a guest on the Glenn Beck Show one day in the next week or two.

If you are not a listener to him, (conservative discussion format),

- Beck (this one doesn’t play the guitar and doesn’t have many ideas about doing videos…)

- he had a brush with death during a flubbed surgical experience recently.

“The surgeons messed up? How weird is that…!”

I am downright enthusiastic about bringing this matter more into the spotlight. We are all aware that doctors have lots of rights. The question is, “When do we begin to ask about patient rights?” (Tomorrow ask that…)

Doctors have four or more additional years of schooling beyond what most of us have received - do they deserve those rights without question?

I have discovered in talking with a number of doctors who have served on medical school admissions boards. These people make the final decisions as to who is allowed in and who is rejected into med school. I always wondered what I.Q. admissions boards were looking for - inquiring minds want to know…

Care to take a guess?

There is an exact I.Q. though I suspect no one who has served on such a committee would allow themselves to be formally quoted on this.

The I.Q. being sought is… 122.

Let me rephrase that - just 122.

I am in sync with the numerous books written by Daniel Goldman that I.Q. is a poor indicator of one’s potential in life. Perhaps the case can be made, even, that unless we mentally impaired, all of us are gifted in some way - physically, emotionally, mathematically, etc.

However when it comes to the age old concept of I.Q. - meaning, one’s capacity to take on, assimilate information, creatively solve problems, I have this crazy idea that a surgeon who is in charge of me making it out alive from a surgery, ought to be as intelligent as me.

However, 122 is not even close to being in the ‘gifted’ range of I.Q.

My choice: When it comes to being worked on by a surgeon, turn to someone who is at least 20 points higher than your I.Q.

Apparently that is hard to come by these days.

We have discovered that along the way of launching here we have been under-prepared for all that is needed in terms of some of the essentials of life:

- prayer support for Sjogren’s

- financial support for Sjogren’s

- plans for regular contact with old friends of the Sjogren’s

We have run through an enormous amount of our personal remaining reserves in the time we have been in FL already. 

People have told me they are convinced Janie and I are wealthy - how in the world they got the idea, I don’t know.  That kind of conclusion is tantamount to thinking the worst about someone sometimes. 

This was all planned out carefully of course.  But than again, it only takes a couple of fickle promised givers who end up bailing on commitments. 

Such is life in the three-ring circus called the U.S. Church. 

The net-net is we need to begin to raise funding for ourselves just after Christmas.  If you are a praying person - appreciate your thoughts in this direction.

A couple of days ago we were able to get into the house we have been building for some time.  “Some time” is actually a long, long time.  Depending on how one sees it, this has been up to a three year process.  My ongoing line to the building company has been, “Just a reminder - this is not Aaron Spelling’s mansion!  It’s a ranch for Pete’s sake…” 

It is great to be in a house that is lived in by just our family though.  Quite a difference from the up to 18 people we had been experiencing up until a few nights ago. 

This unclogging of houses has allowed five families to move forward…

My daughter Rebekah has taken the huge step of faith of leaving the predictability of life in her beloved San Diego and moving to Tampa to work with Janie and me in our online book and resource fledgling upstart “business” (it’s difficult to call something a business when we give away the majority of our resources!) 

Rebekah has a phenomenal business mind and is passionate about the extension of God’s kingdom.  In so many ways she outshines me in her skill levels.  It is a good thing to have a child who is “more, better, faster, brighter” than their parent.  Understandably she is excited teetering on impatient with the process we are involved in.  Outflow Resources will be something special come one day soon.

This past weekend Janie and I along with a couple of our key Talent Team guys were in Cincinnati concluding business / doing a big send off / launch from the good folks at VCC.  It was a great time of departure and closing a chapter in our lives after so much invested in that city.  Each service was different though the questions asked of me by Dave Workman were pretty much the same.  It was evident God’s Spirit was at work and doing something unique in each gathering.  I have maintained for many years that when one is open to the leading of the Spirit (not to get weird) it will be pretty obvious that even though you as a speaker stick to the same outline he is up to something different in each case – why?  Because there are significantly different needs present – to the point that enough of the same needs to be addressed in each gathering if we hope to connect with each group.

This weekend is huge for me. 

I have been anticipating this for months, no years. 

I don’t know if I can walk through this alone apart from the nearness of God’s Spirit. 

I am walking across a relational bridge for the last time at one old stomping ground for the last time – concluding a chapter along with Janie – one we invested two decades in.  As we drove into that city with our few things in the 80s we knew it was for a time until we were to move for good to Florida. 

Now we are in the Panhandle State – our destination.  We are working up to launching, gaining orbital strength and giving it all away as easily as possible.

Had an MRI done.  As this was done – and I officially dislike those things – I thanked the tech person, Rachel.  After thanking her several times she came on the patient to tech mic system and asked, “Why do you keep thanking me?” 
“Because you are serving me.”
“In all of my years of working here no one has ever once thanked me for doing their MRI – ever.”
“I think that’s sad Rachel.  You are here doing your job faithfully, serving, and people are so preoccupied with their pain (which is true for nearly all MRI patients including me) that they can’t think to thank you…?  I find that sad.  May I ask you to forgive all of those people for their hardness of heart over those years?” 
Silence on the microphone. 

When the MRI was over Rachel came back in.  Middle-aged, Rachel had read my chart, about my death experience. 
She asked me to tell her about my experience with that.  She listened carefully, asked several questions. 
I happened to have a copy of The Day I Died which I gave to her. 
My friend John waited for me as I spoke to her. 
Finally, I took the risk of asking if I could pray for her – for just ten seconds.  Like over 400 before her she said yes without hesitation. 
I promised her I wouldn’t even close my eyes to pray.  As I began to pray I had a strong sense she had a teenaged daughter she was struggling with that she felt she was in a losing battle – almost like her daughter was leaving her emotionally.  I stepped out and prayed for Jesus to give Rachel his power in this relationship with her teen daughter, etc.  I looked up and Rachel was streaming with tears. 
“So do you have a teen daughter you are struggling with…?”
She shook yes – she was hesitant to speak – on the verge of openly weeping. 

As John and I walked out the door a moment later Rachel had regained her calm a bit.  She said, “You are by far the most interesting patient I’ve had in over a decade of doing MRIs…  I will read your book very carefully…” 

What she called “interesting” was really just God’s Spirit at work in her heart.

I am pressing in to write a book that has been in me for some years.  I have about ninety days from now to have this complete.  Some years ago this would have seemed an insurmountable task, but living in turtle mode, walking a straight line of focus, this is not a problem. 

My first book was written in about six months, but that was twelve hours or more a day with a month taken off twice from speaking to work on the project.  I was incredibly insecure in the task then.  Oh the difference between the rabbitologic approach to life and the turtlific way of getting at it. Night and day really.  It’s 200 heartbeats a minute versus two or three at the most.