Trying new things

Trying new things seems to come hard for people. We get into a particular mode of operation and then we don’t want to change. We find even that when we do change something, that the ‘new’ way becomes entrenched as the "way we’ve always done it" very quickly.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s many churches decided to reach out with bus ministries. That was a radical concept at the time. As we reached into the 1980’s and 1990’s the effectiveness of such ministries declined, but operation continued because it was ‘traditional’. During the 1990’s a trend towards worship teams accelerated and became mainstream. Performance-oriented worship became the norm. A backlash occurred during the early part of this century and as effectiveness of performance-oriented worship declined more worship experience became ‘participant-oriented’. Still, there were those who were reluctant to change.

In my own personal life I have explored this to some degree. I thrive on trying new things, especially those things which many people consider to be not ‘worth the effort’. Years ago when my mother died I took over her crochet materials. Learning to crochet with her materials in hand not only resulted in a sense of accomplishment, but helped me through my grief. When I wanted a kilt the only way I could afford it was to make my own…a daunting job, but it turned out quite well and sufficed for my purposes. When I left the hospital this last March I came home with ideas of making my own yogurt and hard cheeses. This was for two reasons…it is cheaper and better quality than I can buy at the store, and people kept telling me it couldn’t be done at home. I found that going on the SCD diet encourages you to make things you would otherwise buy, because it is not possible to buy certain products, like truly lactose-free yogurt or nut-flour pita bread.

So, what should we try next in our church? Is it possible we are selling ourselves short by not making some changes? Not principles or doctrine, you understand, but methods. I like the way that Rick Warren put it in his book, “The Purpose Driven Church”. We are surfing on the wave of the Holy Spirit. Our job is not to make the waves, but to find where the Spirit is moving and cooperate with Him. When we do that, we will see ministry multiply like never before. Jesus said, “ …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8) Our power, too, is promised when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. It is already there, waiting, we just need to be available and watch for Him to act.

Surf on, dude!

SCD and the doctors

Life gets more and more interesting as we get older it seems. Two years ago and I would not have been able to tell you what ulcerative colitis or pancreatitis were, but I have now become somewhat of an expert in them. I can tell you standard courses of treatment, criteria for diagnosis, and progress of the conditions. I can also tell you some things you probably don't want to hear, even the doctors don't particularly want to listen.

One of the lessons I learned over the last few months is that the nurses who you meet can be much more open-minded than doctors. Take, for instance, the case for dietary treatment of UC. There is a diet that has existed since the 1950's called the "Specific Carbohydrate Diet" (SCD for short) which is used to treat not only UC, but Crohn's, Celiac and even some forms of autism. The diet is gluten-free, lactose-free and disaccharide-free. If you talk to your doctor about it you will be told the same thing I was told. "There is no study proving a connection between diet and effective treatment of UC. Medicine and surgery are your only options. A diet won't hurt, but it probably won't help."

Most nurses will tell you that this is a bunch of baloney...at least when the doctors are out of earshot. Why? Because there are no studies being conducted to prove the connection, and doctors rely on large-scale double-blind studies to base their treatment upon. Why no studies? Most of them are sponsored by large pharmaceutical companies who will make no money, and in fact will lose money, if such studies are performed. The nurse who explained this to me has two degrees in nutrition in addition to her nursing degree and has been in healthcare fro 25 years. Moreover, she took her health care into her own hands when the doctors gave up on her.

Other treatment options I discussed with my doctor included things he had either not known of or decided not to tell me (like using "Low Dose Naltrexone"). I needed to at least know what these options were before having them dismissed.

The moral of the story is that you must advocate for yourself, or have someone in a position to do so. Treatments may be out there, but you may not get a completely unbiased opinion from your doctor alone. Listen to your nurses, do your own research. Along with the conditions that come with being a little older comes a certain degree of assertiveness and that most Biblical of characteristics, wisdom. "How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!" Proverbs 16:16 Gain understanding of yourself, your body and your conditions and it will be better than having gold or silver.