Money: the (bad and the) good side

   Have you followed the story from the campus of the University of Missouri? It started back in August with racial slurs, inappropriate actions, some really disgusting stuff, and finally a failure at the top of the University's leadership to respond, all brought about protests calling for action and justice. Before it was over, it seemed like everyone was protesting:

• the Student Body president
• ad-hoc student groups frustrated over racial tensions
• a coalition of on-campus Jewish groups
• nine faculty Deans of various schools/departments on campus
• the University Faculty Senate
• people speaking on behalf of the Republican party
• people speaking on behalf of the Democratic party
• on November 2, one student went on a hunger strike
• elected members of the Missouri State Legislature

But, nothing really happened. Until the threat of the school losing money entered the conversation.

   On Saturday, November 7, thirty football players announced they were boycotting team events (practice, games, etc) until a resolution was delivered. The next day, November 8, the entire team made it clear that they stand united: no football until people resign. So, after more than two months of trouble and protests, which included literally tens of thousands of people, the President and Chancellor both resigned within hours. It is unfortunate that it is widely-held that two people losing their jobs and status was what right looked like. I am glad that the right thing was done. I am not glad that it took the potential loss of millions of dollars of football revenue to finally prompt it. It is clear that money held sway in bringing about a resolution. Sports is powerful, but what does it say when it takes the threat of cancelling a football game before the right thing is done? Money has power, because we let it. [I don't blame the football team - they used the money they generate for good. I worry that we would not see the role we have in propping up an industry that wields such power through profit.]
   The scriptures are clear, it is not money that is the root of all evil, but the love of money (see 1 Timothy 6:10).
   How do you use money? For good? Do you invest in others? Do you give money away as a sign of your belief in God's ongoing abundance? Do you save money as an antidote against the deadly illness of over-consumption? Do you have a healthy relationship with money, or does it control you in ways that are not healthy? Money is neutral - it is the place that we give it in our life and the ways that we use it that cause it to be good or bad. The Ten Commandments start with, "You shall have no other gods before me."
   Grace and peace, Scott

The Ebola Crisis: Stop, Check Your Pulse, Think

   The Ebola crisis is now front-page news every day. As of this week, 4,995 cases and 2,729 deaths have been confirmed through laboratory testing, though the World Health Organization believes that this substantially understates the magnitude of the outbreak. One expert believes that there could be as many as 10,000 new Ebola cases per week by December 2014. How are we to respond? 

   First, let’s get clear on the facts. Ebola is not the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. (I am not kidding, people I know have repeated that to me.) However, it is serious and deadly. This outbreak started last December in Guinea, but Ebola was first identified in 1979. Symptoms start with a fever, sore throat, muscle pain and headaches. Typically, vomiting, diarrhea and rash follow, along with decreased function of the liver and kidneys. Some patients begin to hemorrhage, also, and death is occurring around 50% of the time. No specific treatment for the disease is yet available (information from wikipedia.org). All of this is stark, considering we know that Ebola has spread to two people in the past week in the US. The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted on Tuesday that they failed to do all they should have done to prevent Ebola from spreading in Texas. Agency Director Tom Frieden says, “Ebola is unfamiliar. It’s scary, and getting it right is really, really important because the stakes are so high,” adding that he wishes the CDC had done more from the beginning to train the hospital staff (from the Associated Press).

   Second, let’s stop doing harm. I have been praying for the people affected by Ebola, patients, families and healthcare workers, since June. We all need to pray more and panic less. It should go without saying that gossip and spreading half-truths in this crisis is the opposite of helpful. 

   I came across a post from a friend of mine that captured my hopes so beautifully. Leah Leslie was a Sunday School teacher, the mother of youth, and my co-teacher in Confirmation classes in Fayetteville. She is also a nurse. She wrote this earlier this week:

So in 1979, I had been a nurse for 1 year and heard about a terrible virus that killed homosexual men. Soon, we found that the facts were not correct and fear among healthcare providers was rampant. Nurses refused to take care of patients, and some died alone in their rooms... we had little information so we became hysterical and acted without compassion and reason. It’s easy to be brave about HIV now- we know more. But now almost 35 years later we are again walking in fear. It’s a different virus, but I recognize the same fear. Is fear unreasonable, no, but let’s use it in a different way. Let’s learn from the past, Let’s not act hysterically, Let’s not behave without compassion, Let’s remember to ask questions regarding exposure and travel histories, Let’s isolate appropriately, Let’s use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment, Let’s put on and take off PPE with meticulous attention to detail. Let’s communicate appropriately, Remember, it is the job of the media to excite and sensationalize. Let’s make sure our sources are evidence based. We will be less stressed and our patients will be better cared for. Let’s be an instrument of peace and comfort- not of chaos and fear. Remember the first rule of any emergency is: Stop, check your pulse and then Think.

   Leah’s words of calm, written to any who would hear, apply beyond the world of those who practice medicine. We, who practice faith, should stop, check our pulse, and think in order that we are spreading love and not fear. Grace and Peace, Scott

Body and Soul

   It is widely known that John Wesley, the founder of the movement that now includes an estimated 75 million people worldwide, was methodical in the way he approached theology and practice. He was intentional. He did very little without good reason or for a specific purpose. He was also deliberate to connect how he followed Jesus in his soul with how he lived with his whole body.
   One of the ways Wesley would help the believers in his small groups and soon-flourishing movement to keep both connected was with a question to start every meeting: How is it with your body and soul? It was as penetrating a question then as it is now. To be honest, we often neglect one or the other (or both!). The causes of either one getting out of whack, so to say, are often very similar. We get busy, or fall behind, or get stressed, or get out of our routines. Something more pressing comes along one day and then something the next and, suddenly, we are off track. But both are important. We should be as committed to caring for our hearts as our bodies. 
   If the Season of Lent is preparing my soul for the great joy of Easter, what am I doing for my body? I recommend walking for a great cause as one idea.

   The Open Door Walk Classic is celebrating its 26th year.  Last year is was moved from downtown to the Columbus State main campus. It will again be held this year on Saturday, March 9, at the Mock Pavilion by the Intramural Field at CSU. The main events are a 5K Run that starts at 8:00 AM and the Walk which starts at 9:00 AM . 
   As a member of the Open Door board for the past three years, I have been blessed to witness the amazing leadership and service they offer to families and this community. Open Door is making a difference. I have also seen this event become one of the best-run fundraisers around. Epworth has come out to support this in the past and this year will be better than ever. Of course, our connection to Open Door through its founders at Hamp Stevens over eight decades ago makes this all the more special. Beyond the walking to raise support for Open Door, there will be live music and a hot dog lunch for a small donation. Dogs are welcome, simply bring a rabies record. For more information, visit the Open Door website or call (706) 323-5518. 

   
   May we seek after God's best desires for us with our body and soul. Peace, Scott