Chloe and Nxaha

            Do the names Cleo and Nxaha mean anything to you?   If not, here are some clues.  They both lived in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park.  They both wore tracking collars.  They were both recently involved in killings.  They are both Lions.
          Now I imagine that you recognized Cleo.  She became famous because she was recently killed by a trophy hunter from the United States.  The media picked this up and it spread like wildfire.  It was in the newspapers for days, with big headlines.  The internet and Facebook were filled with stories condemning the hunter.  TV personalities expressed their hate for the hunter.  Bob Barker of the Price Is Right said the dentist hunter should be stalked just like he said Cleo was.  Jimmy Kimmel cried over Cleo's death.   The media promoted out cries from all over the country for various punishments of the hunter who was even forced to close his dental practice and put many of his employees out of work.  The corrupt government of Zimbabwe called for his extradition so that he could be punished by the kangaroo courts in their crooked country where money and bribes do all the speaking.  The media promoted this story and the public responded with hate.  Unfortunately, even some of my good friends on Facebook cried for his punishment and the elimination of hunting.  Several airlines said that they would stop shipping products of hunts. This gentle, pet-like lion, Cleo, quickly became an international star.
          Unfortunately the dentist was judged guilty by the public before all the facts in the case were even known.  And we still don't know all the facts.  However, hunters must depend upon their guides to take care of all the legal procedures and lead them on legal hunts.  It would be assumed that his experienced guide did all that.  And it now appears that they did not set a snare for Cleo as reported.  Apparently the lion was drawn there by another animal which had died.  And, assuming he had all the legal papers, the dentist would not be a poacher but would have been approved to make the kill to help control the population of one of that country's most vicious killers.  Trophy hunting is essential to the very weak economy of that country and to the preservation and control of the animals there.
          But the purpose of this blog is not to defend the hunter or big game hunters. I don't really know if he did something illegal or not and neither do any of you readers. My purpose is to share the hypocrisy of the media and its many gullible followers.
         Now who is Nxaha?   He was a lion with a tracking collar in the same area where Cleo lived.  A few days ago he attacked and killed a 40 year old safari guide who was on a walking - not hunting - safari with six foreign guests.  Unfortunately such events are rather common in that area.  Cleo and Nxaha were not pets but vicious killers who attack villages and their inhabitants regularly.  They are feared killers.
          But, you say, I have not read or heard anything about Nxaha.  No you probably haven't. It's not something the media will share.  I read two paragraphs about it under "In brief" in our local newspaper.  I have not seen it on any network news program or on the internet or even on Facebook.  I've seen no comment from Bob Barker and I have not heard of Jimmy Kimmel crying over the sad death of this human guide.  And there have been no comments from animal rights activists either.  And most likely you won't hear anything.
           It just goes to show you that the media controls what we hear and molds public opinion.  And the life of a vicious lion is more important and newsworthy than that of a human life and certainly of the lives of thousands of babies who are killed daily.  What a sad situation.

Two Weeks

         My favorite season of the year is almost here.  I love the cooler temperatures that come with it.  I love to see the leaves change colors and become such beautiful displays of God's creation.  I love freshly picked apples.  I love the smell of fireplaces being used.  And it reminds me of the words from the great hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" - "summer and winter, springtime and harvest, sun, moon and stars in their courses above, join with all nature in manifold witness to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love".
          But I also love that the season brings the return of my favorite sport, football.  I look forward to watching the Eagles, the Steelers and the Ravens.  But in a little less than two weeks I get to watch my favorite college football team, the Penn State Nittany Lions. Watching them becomes a Saturday priority and I seldom miss a game.
          Many folks think that I must have graduated from Penn State since I have followed them so closely for many years.  I did attend one class there, but that is all.  However, while attending Susquehanna University, I traveled with the football team as the school's NCAA statistician for four years.  That was when they had great teams and I have many great memories of those years.  Then for 25 years I covered high school football games for area newspapers and that was an exciting job.
          I guess I always had an interest in Penn State football but it wasn't until I attended my first game at Beaver Stadium that I became hooked on the excitement of following their teams.  When I learned more about how to get there, where to park, and the seating arrangements, attending games became something I looked forward to.
          And after attending a few games with me, my wife began to enjoy the atmosphere as well.  There is something special about the fun of tailgating, smelling the food, watching folks prepare for the game and then seeing the band march to the stadium.  When our health was better we also used to enjoy walking downtown and getting caught up in all the excitement there.  Then there is the pregame festivities with the teams warming up, the band arriving and performing, the drum major appearing and making his flip to the cheers of thousands, and then the teams entering.  And of course the games are usually very exciting with sometimes more than 100,000 fans cheering on the teams.  All of this made a special day that we both enjoyed.
          But getting good tickets and finding good parking was a major issue.  When we first started going we would put a sign on our car "We Need 2" and then begin the trip to Happy Valley.  Sometimes we would be stopped by someone even before we got out of Lancaster County.  And almost always we made our purchase before even crossing the Susquehanna River above Harrisburg.  And I never paid more than face value.  And we were always successful, except once, and that was for the Alabama game.  But even for that big game we were stopped and offered tickets but at twice the face value.  I said no and at Lewistown we decided to head home and watch that game on television.
          The best years were the ten years when an elderly gentleman from Columbia used to sell me most of his tickets for the season.  They were good seats and during those years the handicapped parking was at the north end of the stadium, very near these seats.  We were able to get in and out very quickly and that was great.  But things changed.  He passed away and his son sold the seats to others or used them himself.
          Then they moved the handicapped parking to a different location, farther from the stadium.  And as we got older we also became more selective of seating locations.  We still were able to get some good tickets from some sources that I found, but we found that the handicapped shuttles would only run when they were full.  So that meant to beat the crowds at the end of the game we often had to run/walk a considerable distance to get to our car.  And as we got older this became more of a problem.
         The best experience was the year my oldest son was able to get a suite from one of his customers.  Outstanding view and accommodations.  Plenty of food and parking right next to the stadium.  A once in a lifetime experience for us.
         But the end of our trips unexpectedly came two years ago when they again moved the handicapped parking area, this time away from the stadium to an area hotel lot.  This meant not being part of the main tailgating and being forced to depend upon the shuttles which only run when they have a full load.  Too far to walk and too inconvenient. So now we spend our Saturdays in front of a television and while we can see the game very well, we miss all the excitement of being there which television can't provide.
          Will I ever go back again?  Yes, I would love to, if I could get good tickets with seats that are easy to get to, as well as reserved parking in one of the reserved lots close to the stadium.  But unless you know the right people, those are impossible or very expensive to get.  And I don't know the right people and I don't have a fortune to spend.
          Now what type of season will they have this year?  I have no idea.  They are rebounding well from the Sandusky scandal and the NCAA sanctions.  And that is a story for another blog.  Franklin has been a very successful recruiter but he hasn't yet proven that he is a good game coach.  And they are now playing in what might be the toughest conference in football with Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.   But win or lose, I'll be watching and cheering them on!  Now less than two weeks to the first kick-off!

Safe and Quiet?

        If you ask a person what they think about Lancaster County, their answer will probably depend upon where they live.  If they haven't been here in recent years they will probably respond with things like it is a peaceful place filled with Amish and Mennonites.  It is filled with beautiful farms and houses with beautiful window boxes.  Horses and buggies are everywhere.  It is a quiet, safe area untouched by the problems of the world.
          Now there would be some truth to such replies.  We are blessed with some of the best farmland in the world.  There are areas of the county which have Amish and Mennonites and spectacular farms.  We have good schools, many churches, plenty of shopping areas, fine restaurants and good entertainment sources.  But things are changing and we are no longer untouched by the problems of today's society.  And safety and security are growing concerns.
           We now have only one daily newspaper and it is a shadow of what we used to have with two competing daily papers.  It is loaded with ads and many useless features and news articles are short and limited.  But last Thursday's issue highlights some of the changes we are facing in this county.
          On the front page was an article about an incident in Columbia involving the Confederate Flag.  A man, his daughter, her friend, and his girlfriend where recently attacked by a group at Walmart.  He was chased and followed by ten to 15 people carrying knives and yelling racist terms and making threats.  His truck was keyed and dented by fists.

          All of this action was apparently related to "rebel runs", the practice of flying a Confederate flag in the back of your truck and then driving through town.  These runs are organized informally.  250 trucks recently participated in a run in Ephrata and 50 took part in the one in Columbia.  They have also happened in other local towns.  Good old quiet Lancaster County!
          A second article talked about an Ephrata Township man who was charged with aggravated assault and making terroristic threats.  He is said to have punched and kicked a woman in a Walmart parking lot.  He reportedly confronted the woman because she had cut him off on the WalMart access road.  He pulled her unto the ground by her hair and punched and kicked her "numerous " times, injuring her.  Good old safe, quiet Lancaster County.
         A third article, hidden on page three,  told about bullets which struck the home of a military recruiter in Mountville.  Several shots were fired in a drive-by shooting.  Two rounds pierced the front window and entered the living room.  Fortunately the U.S. marine recruiter who lives there was not injured.  Good old safe Lancaster County.
          Now the good news is what was not in Thursday's publication.  The usual police report was not included, possibly because there was not enough space in this limited newspaper.  There were no reports of anyone actually getting shot - there is an average of one shooting per week in Lancaster City.  No news of drug busts.  No Turkey Hills or minute marts robbed. No bank robberies.  No pedestrians hit by a hit and run driver.  No prostitution arrests.  No homes broken into.  Actually, unless LNP just had no room to include them, this was an unusually quiet day in Lancaster County.
          Now I have lived here most of my life.  It has been a good area in which to raise my children and I doubt that there are too many places left that are safe and quiet.  Sinful man has been successful in ruining many of the things that humans long for.  And, unfortunately, it will only get worse.  And I am not being a pessimist, just a realist.
          But, as folks often say, I have read the end of the book and I know how life as we know it now will end.  There is a day when Christ will return and rule the world.  Only then will we who are His children experience true peace and the lives that we long for.  And that is the hope that we live with as things all around us get worse and worse. 
        Marantha!

A Question To Be Asked

          Recently I downloaded a small booklet from the Awana website with the title "The Question Nobody Asks About Our Children".  It was written by one of my favorite writers and speakers, Larry Fowler, who is Awana's executive director of global networking.  It shared similar concerns that I have had over the years with our Awana program, as well as serious trends I have seen in Christian families.
          Larry began by stating that the number one question that is asked by church leaders is "how many do we have?".  This question often drives programs, approaches and strategies.  Seminars and conferences share how ministries can increase attendances.  And Fowler says it is a good question - if we are serious about pursuing the Great Commission.  But if we only ask that question, ministry will be inadequate.
          Fowler says that the second question that must be asked, but seldom is asked,  is "how often do they come?'  He says that question will "challenge our approach to curriculum, cause us to reassess our organization, and pour fuel on the fire of parental involvement."
           Now to back up his premise, he consulted with several different churches and when they analyzed their attendance patterns they found the following.  One found that their children attended an average of 1.4 times a month.  Another found that the average child in their church attended just once a month.  Another found that 80% of their children attended less than 50% of the time.  The vast majority of their children attended approximately 15-18 hours per year.  Another reported that out of 154 unique check-ins, one had 100% attendance, 16 75% to 99%, 31 50% to 74%, 31 25% to 49%, and 75 less than 25%. A fifth church reported that of 1,231 individual children, only 52, or 4%, attended at least three times a month.  He also quoted similar statistics from other churches.
           Now church leaders, do you think figures at your church are really much different?  How do you really know?  And parents, what about the attendance of your children?
        Now Fowler talks about a fictional child named Zac.  Zac doesn't come often enough to build friendships.  When he reaches 12 or 13 and being with friends is his highest priority, he will begin to resist going to church with his parents.  He enjoys the energy and excitement of children's ministry but doesn't come enough to connect Bible stories and applications.  He will be in school 60 times as much as he will be in church.  Church is simply a minor part of his life.  And he will spend as much time with media consumption in just two days as he spends in church in a whole year.  He has no close friends at church, learns just a little and has no relationship with a spiritual mentor.  And, according to Fowler, "Here's the kicker: Zac's parents are relying on this pattern for the spiritual growth of their son. ... Zac's parents are less likely to do any spiritual training at home." His real spiritual input is about 15 hours a year.
          Now what is the answer?  Fowler says first, Zac's parents need to become committed to regular attendance.  Sports, vacations, sleeping often prevent this.  I thank the Lord for parents who were there whenever the church had services and they made sure I was with them. That choice was key in my christian growth.  Second, his parents need to serve in a children's ministry so they will bring Zac on a regular basis.  He needs to develop kid-to-kid relationships in church.  He needs to be connected to an adult leader who really cares about him and his regular attendance.  This is an area where I feel that we have really failed over the years in Awana.  Clubbers stop coming and/or drop out, and few leaders ever write or call or follow-up.  They just go missing and nobody seems to care.  And that is sad.  Finally, Fowler believes that the ministry needs to provide some incentives for regular attendance.
          In the booklet Fowler lists specific recommendations for the church, for the children's ministry, and for parents.  While they are too lengthy to fully discuss here, there were a few which stood out to me.  Churches need to redevelop an adult Sunday School program, develop intentional weekday ministries for kids, and promote regular attendance and participation.  He says that pastors in particular must promote this regularly.
         Children's ministries need to track their numbers, inform parents of attendance patterns, structure for relationships, and reinstate appropriate incentives for attending.
         And finally. parents must recognize their own attendance pattern.  Their being absent sets their kids up for spiritual failure and problems later in life.  If regular attendance isn't a priority for parents, it will never be for their children as they grow older.  If the church has multiple services, the parents need to choose one and stick with that one.  And finally, parents need to create opportunities for church friendships.  The number one factor in a child wanting to go to church is friendship - with other kids.
          Fowler concludes be saying, "If we only ask how many do we have and Zac stops coming, there will be a Tommy who comes.  There is no permanent empty chair that shouts Zac's absence.  Tommy will sit in it.  And the "how many did we have?" number doesn't change.  No one will even notice that Zac isn't there any more."  Sad, but  so true.  Unfortunately, not only true about children but adults as well.  If you miss church does anybody miss you?  Does anybody care?
         Is anybody really asking "How often do they come?"

         

The Joys Of Needing A Cane

          My parents always taught me to be considerate of and kind to those who were handicapped and to folks who were older than I was.  Any my Christian values have reinforced those lessons.  I have always tried to open doors for those who have needs, to give them room to move safely, to help them carry their things if needed and to be a help to them however I can.  And I have tried to do the same for elderly people who can't move too quickly anymore.
          But such actions appear to be decreasing in our society today.  I doubt that many teens and children are being taught manners, especially manners in helping those in need.  Much of that blame can be placed on parents who don't accept this responsibility and don't know what their children are actually doing. And many parents are just as bad and thoughtless and set a poor example.
          Now I guess by expressing such thoughts I am showing my age.  Some parents, adults, teens and children are courteous and considerate.  Some still have good manners.  And that is an encouragement to me.  But they appear to me to be a minority in an age where individual rights seem to trump common sense and good manners.  For many the attitude is "me first".
          Six months ago some physical problems forced me to start using a cane.  This has been an eye-opening experience.  I am slowly getting used to having folks rush ahead of me to get in a door at the mall or at stores.  I am getting used to those who let the doors close in front of me. I am getting used to being bumped and cut off.  I am getting used to motorists who don't slow down when I am trying to cross a street or go to my mailbox along our street.  In fact, sometimes I feel that some motorists actually speed up while I am at our mailbox and they see how close they can get to me.  I wonder how many points one gets for hitting an old man with a cane or at least making him almost stumble and fall.  And I haven't even mentioned being sprayed with water by speeding cars from puddles when it rains.
          But I guess my biggest disappointments have come in the way folks from so called Christian homes have acted around me and my cane.  Between our services at church we have a time of coffee and conversation.   Almost every Sunday I am almost run over by young kids who are running to get some food while I am trying to maneuver the opposite direction with my cane and my cup of coffee.  There are times that I have even spilled some coffee when hit by a youngster.  And never have I heard an "excuse me" or "I am sorry" in response. After all, I am in their way. Maybe I should spill the coffee on them or hit them with my cane, but such retaliation would prove nothing and would just get me in trouble with their parents.  And, by the way, where are their parents when this is happening? And I am not the only senior, with or without a cane, who must dodge these children each week.  Maybe this is a topic that should be addressed in our Awana program since it appears that it is not being addressed by parents.
           This summer we have spent two different weeks at a family Bible conference.  Since I am not able to stand for a long period of time and usually need my cane, we made it a practice to get to the dining hall early, sitting on a bench outside the entrance, to be near the front of the line.  That way, when the door opened I could get to the food line and get my meal without having to stand in line and balance my cane and meal.  But what usually happened was that just before the door would open, loads of children and teens would rush to the front.  And when the door opened they would push ahead of me and almost knock me over to get in. Food was more important than manners. And, unfortunately, some adults did the same.  Being a senior with a cane had no advantage and made no difference.  I was fair game and in their way.  And I ask again, where were the parents?   And  were the offending adults just that hungry?
          Years ago, when I was able, I often used to wait at the entrance door and hold the mob back until all the handicapped had a chance to enter the dining room first. I thought that was only fair and was helpful.  Believe it or not, not everyone, including some adults, thought that this wasn't fair and they said so.  Amazing!
          While I don't consider myself to be severely handicapped since I only need a cane, I have learned many lessons about people these past six months.  Showing good manners and being compassionate are no longer common traits and that is sad.  I have been learning myself to be more compassionate to those with such needs and I guess that is a lesson I always need to be reminded of.  And someday these offending folks will also grow old and experience physical problems.  Maybe then they'll understand what I am saying.
          But, let me sure to add, there are still those who do care.  I have seen that as well and I make sure to say "thank you" when I see such a person in action. I have had people let me go ahead of them and some have held a door open for me.  And there are parents who do teach manners and care about what their children are doing.  And that is a ray of light as I age and deal with new physical demands.

A Major Failure And Disappointment

         Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  Sometimes a sure thing backfires and fails.  Sometimes you get taken in by a slick advertisement and then you are sadly reminded that advertisements are made to make a sale and often appear better than they actually are.
         If you read my blog of June 24,  "A Golden Crop", you may recall my dilemma in wanting to find a way that I could still grow tomatoes even though I could no longer physically dig up my patch to plant them.  It was during that time that I came upon an internet advertisement that said, among other things: "My neighbors laughed when I ordered ... now THEY ALL want a tomato garden like mine!"  The Garden Patch(TM) GrowBox(TM).  It's the perfect planter for you.  Comes complete with fertilizer, easy instructions and planting guide. • Grows your plants better  • Self-fertilizing  • Self-watering  • No weeding  • No bending   • Works anywhere  • No gardening experience needed.  • Poor soil, rocky, sandy … it doesn't matter anymore   • Guaranteed to work every time.
          Now doesn't that sound great?  How could I miss with such a deal?  So I took the next step and "invested".  In my previous blog I explained about all the costs and work that resulted from that decision.  But I looked forward to having great tomatoes - big, red and tasty.  And how could I go wrong when this season even actually turned out to be an exceptional season for growing tomatoes.  All of our friends have the best crop ever.
         But we have had the opposite experience.  First, we found that we had to lug water to these containers every two or three days to keep these large reservoirs filled.  I guess, as advertised, they were self-watering as long as we kept the reservoirs filled and that physically was a worse job than just digging the garden.  We did find that the plants grew and grew and soon began to produce little tomatoes.  But as each one began to grow, it developed a hard scale or it began to rot and that made it uneatable.  
         I've already picked and thrown about 30 of them away.  Those that are left to ripen are showing the same signs.  How many have we picked that we could eat?  To date, exactly zero.  How many do we expect to get?  I've been forced to drastically lower my expectations - Exactly zero.  We have no idea what has gone wrong, but it is a very major and costly disappointment.  And I believe that I have followed all the instructions completely. They were placed in a good location, I used good potting soil, we've kept them watered and the varieties planted were all well know ones that we have grown successfully before.
         Now they say that the results are guaranteed to work - EVERY TIME.  So I wrote to Garden Patch about our results.  They quickly replied with two offers.  The first was to help us diagnose what had gone wrong.  I sent them the picture shown in this blog for their review.  To date, they have not replied or provided any diagnosis.  The second offer from them was that if I sent the containers back they would refund my purchase price.  However, the shipping cases are long gone.  Why would I have saved them?  And the expense of packing and shipping them back was not part of their offer.  So maybe these marvelous containers will just end up in our weekly trash.
          We did buy a separate patio tomato plant which was not part of this experiment.  Unlike the others, it has produced several tomatoes for us, without any problem.  However, they are rather small and haven't gone very far.  So we will be visiting the local roadside stands in the coming weeks to get our nice ripe tomatoes.  We should have planned on that from the start.
         So, I guess the moral of the story is not to trust everything you see advertised on the internet. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  You are also never too old to learn a new lesson, especially an expensive one.  And, there are no shortcuts to growing a good tasty tomatoes.
P.S. - The company finally responded and claimed the problem was blossom end rot.  I really don't believe that was the problem because the marks and rotting were not at the opposite end of the stem.  And I had sprayed for that as they suggested.

Gentleness?

          My pastor has been speaking on the book of Ephesians this year.  A few weeks ago his message was titled "Balancing the Scale" and was based on Ephesians 4:1-6.  One of the parts of his message was "Characteristics of a Worthy Walk".  He outlined five characteristics that should be part of our walk, including humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and unity.

          One of the illustrations he used was an incident between he and his wife in which his wife's mistake cost him valuable time and much inconvenience.  But he shared how the Lord led him to handle this with gentleness.  I imagine most of the men in the congregation wondered if they would have reacted the same way.  Well my test came two days later.

          A pair of pants that I had been wearing needed to be washed.  As I was changing pants my wife came and took the old pair to immediately put it in the washer.  Understandably she didn't want the dirty pants hanging in our bedroom when they could quickly be washed and ready to use again.  She thought I might need them.

          As I was changing, I grabbed my wallet and a few other items which she had taken out of the dirty pants.  But I couldn't find my keys.  Unfortunately, she had missed checking one of my pockets in which there were my keys, two key fobs and our cell phone.  And they were now all being washed in our clothes washer inside my dirty pants.  They were only in the washer a few minutes before we retrieved them, but that was long enough for a good soaking.  Now the items included the key fob to open our Corolla, the key fob needed to start our Rav4, and of course our only cell phone.

          We went to the internet for help and tried placing them in rice and later even using the vacuum cleaner to try to remove the water.  Thank the Lord I remained calm but I admit that dollar signs were floating around in my head.  I prayed and we left them in the rice overnight.  The next morning I was relived to find that both key fobs worked.  PTL.  But our cell phone still  looked like an enclosed aquarium and that wasn't what I wanted to see.

          Now let me explain about our cell phone.  I signed up for a plan through my employer about 20 years ago.  The plan gives me unlimited phone service for $29.95 a month, with no cancellation fees.  We don't text because it gets too expensive.  And living on a fixed income does not allow us to even have multiple phones or a smart phone.  We have lived successfully with one inexpensive dumb phone.  My main fear was that in replacing this damaged phone I would need to buy a new contract and pay for much more expensive features.  But I continued to pray and the Lord kept me calm.

          So off I went to visit AT&T at Park City, using my dry key fob. I went fearing what I would find as well as fearing the long walk to the store. This was troubling because my leg problems have limited my ability to walk very far, especially on hard surfaces.  And I continued to pray.

          When I arrived at Park City I was amazed to find that the closest parking space to the entrance was open.  I parked right there.  When I limped into the store I was stunned to see the exact duplicate of our phone hanging on the all.  The problem is that its purchase required a two year contract.  Surprisingly a saleswoman quickly came to my aid.  When I explained the situation she told me that she would sell this phone to me for just $15 plus tax and I could keep my old contract.  Now why was I so amazed when I had prayed about it?

          The Lord reminded me of the folks mentioned in the book of Acts who were gathered and praying for Paul when he was in prison.  When the Lord released him and he showed up at their door they didn't believe that it was him.  Sometimes the Lord answers our prayers despite our weak faith.

          The final obstacle was to replace the 50+ telephone numbers that we had stored, many of which we hadn't saved elsewhere.  So I sent out an e-mail to many of the folks who we call and within about 48 hours responses from most of them enabled me to open a new address book in our new cell phone.

          I am thankful that the Lord allowed me to be understanding and hopefully gentle in my responses.  I am not always that way.  However, I guess in now sharing my "gentle" reaction publicly, I have also failed one of the other characteristics in the pastor's message - humility.

Amazing!!

I just received a telephone call from the Imaging Center that my check is in the mail.  So after four years, three months and two days it appears that my bill, as mentioned in my last blog, is finally taken care of.  Special thanks to the office of Senator Toomey who represented me to Medicare and to the Imaging Center for paying me so promptly when Medicare finally said that they should refund my money.  But, no thanks at all to Medicare which showed incompetence in all of their dealings with me.  This has taught me to keep good records and continue to press the issue when you are treated wrongly, even against a giant like Medicare.

Another Chapter

       If you happen to be a regular reader of my blog, you just might remember the blog that I wrote on March 20, 2015 entitled "Three Years".  In it I shared the problem that I had with the incompetence and carelessness of some medicare employes.
         My complaint was based on the denial of payment of a claim for $285 for a dexascan that was ordered by both my gastroenterologist and my family doctor.  My wife had the very same test at the very same location about the same time.  Her's was paid for and mine was denied ... without explanation.  It was filed again, twice more, with different code numbers and each time it was still denied.  Apparently it was fine for a female to have the test but not a male.
         So I decided to use Medicare's appeal process.  I gathered the many forms needed, completed all the paper work required and sent it to the address which they gave me.  Then I waited and waited and heard nothing.  I finally assumed that it was just rejected again and eventually forgot about it.  But exactly three years later I received the packet back with a note that it was sent to the wrong address.  For three years it was there and nobody did anything with it.  That is gross incompetence in my estimation.
          I decided that I needed some help with this problem so I contacted the office of Representative Joseph Pitts and Senator Pat Toomey.  Pitts never even acknowledged my contact but Toomey assigned a person to my case.  And so, for about four months, this representative has been working on my appeal.  This was a great help and I commend the senator and his office for this.  The senator will get my vote when he runs again.
         But this has still been frustrating because Medicare has replied with such things as there is no record of service on this date - it wasn't even the date I had given them so of course there wasn't any service on that date.  Another time they claimed the appeal was beyond their "generous" time allowed for an appeal.  Of course it was - they lost it. But fortunately Toomey's office kept after it for me.  Finally Medicare agreed to review it again as an appeal from a beneficiary - whatever that means.
          And finally I received a four page Final Medicare Appeal Decision.  I was again turned down because Medicare does not cover this test.  Really?  They have for my wife.   Is this sexual discrimination?
          But the possible good news - Medicare says that the Imaging Center should have been aware that this would be denied and should have informed me of it.  They also claim that they can find no record of them informing me of this fact.  And I certainly don't remember it or I would have reconsidered having the test.  And because of this the Imaging Center is to refund my money, four years and three months after the test.
          I have submitted a letter requesting the refund along with the documentation that Medicare has sent me.  Will they pay me?  If so, how long will it take?  And will I then be "blacklisted" from future service there?   Who knows? I don't. This has been an "interesting" journey with many twists and turns.  Stay tuned to see what happens next.
          P.S. - My wife just had another one of these scans yesterday.  On her instructions it says that Medicare will pay for this once every two years.  So if that is the case, why wouldn't they pay for mine?  I guess I'll never know.

Working Together

       The Lord has blessed me in so many ways over the years, but one of those special blessings has been the opportunity to minister as a team with my wife for about 53 years.  This includes working together in a family ministry for 25 years, in Awana for 33 years, in leading music and hymn sings for many years, in things such as leading departments in Sunday School and preparing offertories for church, as well as numerous other situations.  It is always been a special experience.
          Working as a team just doesn't always work for many spouses.  Sometimes differences in gifts or personalities or opinions just prevent this from working smoothly.  We've known some who tried, but were much more successful doing their "own things".  God still used them, just separately.
         Recently I read a story about a situation involving a wife and husband that didn't have a "smooth" ending.  They were an "interesting team".  Hopefully it is just a story and not a real life situation.  Enjoy!
          A police officer pulls over a speeding car.  The officer says, "Sir, I clocked you at 80 mph. sir."  The driver says, "But officer, I had it on cruise control at 60, perhaps your radar needs calibrating."
          Not looking up from her knitting the wife says sweetly, "Now don't be silly dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control."  As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, "Can't you keep your mouth shut for once?"
          The wife smiles demurely and says, "You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did."  As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, "Come on, woman, can't you keep your mouth shut!"
           The officer frowns and says, "And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine."  The driver says, "Yeah, well you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so I could get my license out of my back pocket."
           The wife says," Now dear you know very well you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving."
           And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU JUST BE QUIET??"
           The officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?"
          "Oh heavens no, officer," she sweetly replies, "only when he's been drinking."

And The Lord Answers Again

               Music, especially church music,  has always been an important part of my life.  And the Lord really blessed me  by giving me a wife who plays the piano very well and also loves music.  I so enjoy hearing her play throughout the day as she practices or just plays for our enjoyment.  She has played most of her life and has spent over 55 years serving as a church pianist/organist in both Sunbury and Lancaster.   God has gifted her and blessed me with her special gift.  And she has used this gift to minister to many over the years in a variety of situations.
          Recently pianos have been part of four special answers to our prayers.  This situation started with our church piano and developed over many years.  The grand piano that our church had was donated by a former member of our church in memory of her daughter.  It was nice for a home but was not really adequate for our new large church auditorium.  It was often hard to keep in tune and it often bounced when played.  But only the pianists realized its shortcomings. Nobody else did or cared. The organ also had problems and some of our organists stopped playing it because of that.
         When we realized that a new piano was not and would not be a priority for our church leadership, we approached our pastor and asked him what would happen if the church received money for a new one.  He felt that replacing it, and maybe the organ as well, would be accepted if the funds became available.  While we felt that this might be an impossible task without any promotion by the church, we agreed to pray and think about it.
          And, very quietly, over a period of about three years $14,000 was made available for the church for a purchase.  During that time the two of us began to investigate the possibilities and the costs involved. We visited a few stores and watched the internet.  And then, a few months ago, we came upon the new Kawai CP1 digital grand piano.  My wife who does not care for the touch and sound of keyboards was astonished with the touch and sound of this particular piano. My wife fell in love with it and wished that she had one of her own.  It has 1,000 different sounds, uses the latest technology and has the touch of an acoustic grand piano.  The piano and organ sounds are actually much better than the instruments our church had. And when we inquired about the cost, listed at over $20,000, we were amazed when they told us that for the church they could deliver it for just under $14,000.  That was a God thing!
         When we shared that information with our pastor, he decided to take some of the church musicians to see it and play it.  They loved it.  We purchased it.  They removed the old piano and organ and this beautiful black grand piano was delivered and set up.  Since my wife is now only needed to play about once a month, she is looking forward to her first chance to finally play it in church next Sunday.  The purchase of the piano was prayer answer number one.  Actually there were even a few more answers to prayer because the Lord also took care of the removal of the old piano and organ.
          Now I knew my wife had fallen in love with this instrument so I proposed that we consider buying the Kawai CP2.  It has the very same internal parts of the CP1 but comes in a standard home style case.  And because of this it is much less expensive than the baby grand.  But there were three more challenges to take to the Lord in prayer before we could go ahead with the purchase.  First, how to find the money.  Second, how to get rid of our Korg M1 keyboard.  Third, how to get rid of our good piano.  All three challenges needed answers quickly if we were to purchase and save delivery costs by combining it with the church order.
         For over 40 years my wife has played for many weddings and funerals. For some of these she was given a financial honorarium.  After giving a tithe of these gifts to the Lord, I had always placed the remainder in the bank expecting some day to use this to take a big trip.  But with our developing physical challenges it has become apparent that this big trip probably will never happen.  So over the years the Lord provided the funds for the purchase even before we ever thought about such an expenditure. Another God thing!
         Next was the concern about getting rid of our expensive keyboard.  I had reservations about trying to sell it, especially after some of the stories I've heard about Craig's List sales problems.  I mentioned this concern in passing to the piano salesman.  Now they advertise that they do not take trade ins.  So I was shocked when he offered to take ours at a very fair price.  Another concern answered.
         One evening we were headed to York for a meeting and my wife was talking to her friend on our cell phone.  This friend had recently moved to a retirement home and had given her piano away because she felt that she didn't have room for it.  She also had been a church pianist.  While they were talking I think the Lord nudged me to have my wife ask her if she would like our piano. We offered to give it to her if she paid to have it delivered to her house. She was very surprised and said she'd think about it and measure to see if she had any room for it.  We also found out that when the piano movers delivered ours they would also be willing to take our old one to her for a very reasonable charge.  When we talked to her again a few days later, she was excited and readily accepted our offer.  In fact she told us that she had just been asked to begin playing again in her church but had to travel to practice since she no longer had a piano.   She was thrilled.  We were excited.  Transaction was agreed upon. The deliveries are now complete. Our old piano now has a good new home.  Definitely God things.
          So now three of us have new pianos and I am enjoying listening and helping my wife plan and develop new arrangements using a vast number of instruments.  In fact she just completed one for "Be Still My Soul" that actually has the sound of ocean waves in the background.  It is exciting to use this new ministry tool.  And it is even more amazing to see how the Lord provided and answered in His time.  God is so good.

Good Public Relations?

          Police have really been in the headlines recently.   A few have made some very bad decisions.  Others have been the victim of shootings and attacks by criminals.  Their job is a very dangerous job with many difficult, often life and death, decisions which must be made very quickly.  I admire and respect those who serve in these jobs to protect and help us.  It takes real dedication to put your life on the line each day.  And to them I say "thank you"!
          Now I don't know what type of training they actually receive but hopefully there are lessons in how to react properly with the public.   Maybe it would help if the public would have a chance to rate their contacts with the police, much like hospitals and doctors often do.  This feedback might help improve public relations. 
         I've only ever received one ticket for my driving. Many years ago I turned left at 5:55 pm at an intersection that I had used for many years.  There were no cars approaching in any direction at that time.  But what I missed was a very small sign which said no left turns allowed between 4 and 6 pm. Unfortunately I was 5 minutes too early. However, an officer didn't miss what I did and I was quickly pulled over.  The young officer reminded me of some of the obnoxious students that I had taught over the years.  He quickly told me that I had better learn how to read.  I admitted that I was wrong but he continued to read the riot act to me.  Thankfully he didn't cuff me but he did berate me and then gave me a ticket costing over $150.  I was wrong and was thoroughly humiliated by the way I was treated as a "first-time criminal". Could this stop have been handled betterm maybe even with a little respect?   I certainly think so.
          On Sunday our granddaughter said that she would meet us at Wendy's for lunch after church since her family was away.  We always appreciate having her join us and we looked forward to it.  She left church a few minutes before us since we stopped to talk to someone.
          As we traveled down Columbia Ave. we saw flashing lights and realized that some poor driver had been pulled over by a policeman.  I said to my wife that I certainly hoped that it wasn't our granddaughter.  But as we passed, my heart sank as I realized that it was her. I felt so bad for her. We pulled off the road several hundred yards down the road and waited for her.  I couldn't imagine what she could have done.  She is a safe driver and there really wasn't even a long enough stretch of road for her to have been speeding.  We sat there for a long time - maybe 15 minutes or more - until she was "released".  I couldn't understand why this took so long.
          We then followed her to Wendys and were so relieved to find out that she was stopped because her one brake light was out, not because she had done something wrong or broken a law.  Such things can happen to all of us and she calmly handled the situation very well.
          But as we talked I was very disappointed to learn how she was actually treated.  When the policeman checked her license he questioned if that was really her.  He wanted her to show additional ID.  She then showed him her Lebanon Valley College ID.  She reminded him that the picture on her license was three years old.  Her teeth had been fixed, her hair style changed, and she had lost considerable weight.   But the officer wasn't satisfied with her explanations and wanted to be sure it was really her.  He had to go back to his car and computer and check out her background. That's what took so long.  Finally, convinced that she wasn't a criminal or terrorist, he told her that he would let her go this time with only a warning.  I would have thought that a warning was normal procedure for a faulty brake light and not really a favor on his part.

           Now I guess that I understand that police must be thorough, especially in this day and age.  But I can't help but wonder what he really thought she was - maybe a Christian terrorist?  She was in a Subaru Outback - not your normal criminal car.   She had her Bible on the passenger seat - maybe that was a diversion.   And she was dressed in her Sunday best - much nicer than most troubled girls would be wearing at noon on a Sunday.  A profiler's delight.  Could this whole situation have been handled differently, maybe with a little respect?  I think so.
          Now once again I remind you, I support our police force and would never want their job.  But sometimes some common sense and respect in dealing with "we criminals" would go a long way.
          But we have both learned our lessons. We are both quick learners. I will never ever again turn left at that intersection between 4 and 6 pm.  And she has gotten her brake light fixed.  Cases closed.

A "Golden" Crop

        I certainly am not a farmer.  My mother-in-law who grew up on a farm warned my wife not to marry a farmer.  And she listened.  I would not even call myself a gardener although I've tried it and having a vegetable garden has in some way been a part of most of my life.
          As long as I can remember, my Pappy Wise had a large garden in the back of his house in Sunbury.  Coming through the depression and the scarcity of food during World War II, and with a large family, this was a necessity for them.  And Mammy Wise spent many hours canning vegetables.
         My parents also had gardens whenever they were able to.  In New Cumberland one of my dad's coaching friends let them use a plot of ground on his property.  But, as I recall, it was many blocks from our house and I don't know how dad cared for it since we didn't have a car in those days.  When we moved to Lancaster and dad worked for RCA, he had a plot of ground there where they had a garden.  I can recall often going there to help take care if it.
         After our move to Lititz, dad spent several years cleaning out the many stones in the back of our property and preparing the soil for a garden.  He eventually had a very nice garden there and mother also canned and later froze many vegetables.  When we bought our house in Millersville we had loads of room to garden and mother and dad would plant another garden there, especially for corn.
           Our first home in Silver Springs had a place for a small garden and we began our gardening experiences there.  When we then moved to Millersville we had a much smaller area but we did grow a few things such as tomatoes.  Then we moved to our present location which included loads of room to "farm" and when we were younger we did have a very large garden.  We tried to grow almost everything and it was fun, but almost too much work for us.  And while the boys helped us weed, they really didn't enjoy it. 
          So over the years our garden decreased in size and eventually about all we planted were things like lettuce, spring onions, beets, carrots, beans, and tomato plants.  I love fresh tomatoes, especially on sandwiches with onions, lettuce and sometimes cheese.  Then the land behind us was sold and developed with homes.  Our garden area disappeared.  But I didn't give up.  I found a spot in the backyard which I could dig up and plant 6 to 8 tomato plants each year.  But the ground wasn't good and there wasn't much sun and our crops were generally very small.
          This year I realized that I could no longer physically dig up that area once again so I considered finally giving up completely. But I really wanted to still have some tomato plants. Then I saw an advertisement for boxes that you could purchase which would keep your plants watered and fertilized with just a little bit of effort on the grower's part. No digging required. That seemed almost too good to be true, so I fell for it.
          First I had to buy the boxes - three of them.  Then I found out that I needed to buy potting soil - the regular dirt which I had would not work.  Then I had to buy the tomato plants.  I actually bought four.  While doing the planting and prep work I tore and ruined a new pair of pants which I stupidly was wearing for the first time.  They were ruined before I even paid for them.  Then as the plants grew I found out that my wire containers wouldn't be sufficient so I had to purchase equipment to stake up the plants.  My first tomato showed blossom rot so I had to purchase some sprays for that.
          Now I don't know how many tomatoes I will finally get, but my estimate is that each one could cost me about $4.00 or more!   Suddenly I find myself asking how many tomatoes could I buy at one of the local stands for $4.00.  And I know the answer is many more than one.  So if you'd like to try a real expensive "golden" red tomato, stop by sometime later in the summer and help us enjoy the expensive results of my modern gardening experience. Hopefully I will at least have some to eat and share. 
          This approach to raising some tomatoes really does not now appear to be a great investment.  But hopefully it does give me another interesting memory and something more to blog about.  Notice I didn't say "brag" about, I said "blog" about!

Try To Schedule

          We who live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, are blessed with excellent health facilities and doctors.  And we also are not too far away from outstanding medical facilities at Hershey, Philadelphia and John Hopkins in Baltimore.  They say that many areas of the country are suffering from a growing shortage of family doctors and specialists.  But is that beginning to affect us here as well?  And are new regulations also making it more difficult to get available service here?  Well, consider the following.
         In January I needed to see a neurosurgeon.  Just ten months earlier I had surgery done by an excellent local surgeon.  But even though I had just been his patient, I was told that since my problem was with a different part of my spine, I couldn't be seen by him for four months.  And I guess I was fortunate to even get an appointment at all.
          Following up on a call from my eye doctor telling me that I was overdue for my annual diabetic eye exam, I called back to set up the appointment.  Wait time for an appointment?  Two months.
          Several days ago my wife called to get a refill on a blood pressure medicine.  We were surprised when the doctor's office called back and said that she was required now to have a six-month med checkup before they could authorize more refills.  When she replied that she had been to see her family doctor just a week earlier, she was told that this visit didn't count because it was for a different problem.  They could give her the newly required  med appointment in three weeks.
          My wife had also been told that on June 1 she was to call and schedule a dexa scan.  On June 1 she made the call and the first appointment she could be given was the middle of July.  The same day she also followed up on a message from her pacemaker doctor that in June she was to call to set up an August appointment.  When she followed through, also on June 1, she was told that the doctor had no available appointments left for August and that she should call back the end of the month to see if she could get one for September.
          Next on the list that day was a follow-up to a message that in June she was to call to set up her annual colonoscopy for August.  When she called she was told that because she would be 75, she had to first have an appointment with her doctor.  Even though she had just seen him two months previously when her told her to set it up in June, they now said that she had to meet with him again before it could be scheduled.  An appointment was made for August.  And, they couldn't yet give her a date for her 12th annual test. (Note - since this blog was written she now has a date - the end of September.)
          Now in all fairness, we are generally able to get an appointment the same day that we call at our family medical practice, if we make it sound like we really need to be seen that day.  But it won't always be with our doctor.  But if we don't need to be seen that day, it could be two or three weeks until our family doctor has an "available slot".
          And, with today's modern technology and portals, we are finding that doctors who we see regularly have become more willing to respond to messages which we leave for them on their portal.   This is a great new feature, but I assume the time is coming soon when there will be a charge for this convenient service.
          But what "blows my mind" is the fact that if there really is a growing shortage of physicians, which will get worse since so many are reaching retirement age, how can health organizations such as Lancaster General Health keep merging, expanding and opening up new offices.  Obviously there is much money to be made in this business, but will these new facilities be able to be staffed properly in the future?  Will our access to needed medical care really be improved?  Let's hope so ... but I guess time will tell.
          In the meantime, don't delay in making necessary appointments.  If you want to see the best doctors, the process could be frustrating.  Of course, then they could also treat you for anxiety.

          

A Very Special Day

          Today is a very special day in my life.  It is an anniversary of mine that almost nobody even knows about.  It is a special day that is never celebrated, even though it was a day that changed my life. And I don't expect any cards or parties or even congratulations.  But today is my 70th birthday.
         Now those of you who know me say that this just isn't so. Have you really lost it? Your birthday is April 6, not June 12.  And we didn't see it listed in the church bulletin or even projected on the screen at church.  And I am sure that you are older than 70 - at least you look like you are.  And you are right.
         For you see, today is my 70th spiritual birthday.  It was June 12, 1945 that I accepted the Lord as my Savior.  It was my Aunt Ellen who prayed with me when I made that decision in what was then the church parsonage in Sunbury.  I don't know too much about all that happened, but I knew I was a sinner and that Jesus had died to forgive my sins.  And I knew that I wanted to go to heaven.  That all was very clear to me at that time.
          Now I will admit, that I knew very, very little about doctrine ...  redemption, justification, grace, mercy, election, free will, crowns, Holy Spirit were not part of my vocabulary then and I certainly couldn't have even begun to explain them then ... and maybe I still don't fully comprehend them.  But, even as a child, I knew and understood the basics of the Gospel and what Jesus had done for me.  I didn't know it then, but the Holy Spirit had prepared my heart and in childlike faith I believed and responded and I was saved for eternity.
          And I guess the power of that experience has made me really believe that children can become part of the family of God.  And while there is always the danger that we press a child into making a decision before he understands it or having a child respond to us because he likes us, I believe that the Holy Spirit can prepare the hearts of children as He did in my life.  Research has shown that 85% of Christians accepted Christ between 4 and 14 years of age.  What a major mission field.
           Now over the years I grew in the Lord and learned more about Him and His Word.  And I am still learning today.  Thankfully the Lord put many strong believers and examples in my life over the years - my parents, my grandparents, my uncles and aunts, caring pastors and missionaries and a number of close friends.  I am so thankful for my legacy both before and since my birth.  God has been so good and faithful to me.  Great is His faithfulness.
          And the Lord provided me opportunities to serve and grow with my "drug" problem.  You see I was "drug" to church from the day I was born.  Whenever the church had a service, we were there, day and night.  We entertained missionaries in our home.  We ran CEF classes in our home.  I worked at our church camp, Mizpah Grove, several summers while in junior and senior high school.  As a high school student I taught Sunday School and even led the church choir.  And since then the Lord has multiplied opportunities to serve Him ... a family ministry for 25 years, Sunday School teacher and superintendent, church elder for 30 + years, on boards of several Christian organizations, financial secretary for 15 years, Awana for 33 years, Pinebrook for 40+ years, etc.  
          It has been a blessing to have walked with the Lord for 70 years.  I don't know how many more years I will have, but there is no retirement in Christian service, just new and different opportunities.  And my desire is to keep walking with Him daily as long as my life here shall last and then to spend eternity serving and worshipping Him in Heaven.  God has been so good!