New/Old Healing Conversations

There are sometimes uncanny coincidental events, independently addressing deep issues that we all face.   Both events started with remote video presentations from two universities - one a religious response to a broken health care system and the other political-social response addressing mental health.. 

What was new for me was the revolution in mental health care.  What is clearly identified are the poor outcomes and the barriers to improvement in the epidemic of mental illness.  The author’s answer is not just symptom relief, but recovery and healing.  More than social determinants of health, we are faced with the moral determinants of health. 

The moral dimensions of health care brings me to the other presentation and the Heidelberg Catechism.  This presentation presents a moral alternative to our current health care culture that is “broken”.    It is a fresh way of thinking about the vocation that has called many of us.

For me, both of these presentations address the underlying purpose of healing in healthcare. Both are hopeful visions.  Both are realistic and are complimentary to the other.  What is exciting is that these conversations are occurring.

Marvin

References

Tilburt, J.,(2023) Body and Soul in Life and in Death: Living the Heidelberg Catechism in Healthcare. YouTube

Insel, T.,(2022)  Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health. Penguin.

Hage, M. L. (2012). “Everybody Dies”.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/05/everybody-dies.html

Hage, M. L. (2021). Timing Connections.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2021/09/timing-connections.html

Hage, M. L. (2010). The “Telos” for Christian Healing Agents.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2010/12/telos-for-christian-healing-agents.html

Berwick, D (2020) Moral Determinants of Health

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2767353

Lenten Healing Revisited

 “Sankofa Brid”

“Looking Back to Move Forward”

“…life-shaping belief in God requires things like conviction, formative discipleship, and habits and practices that don’t make sense apart from that belief. It also requires, as we’d like to 

contend here, ongoing immersion in traditions—of inquiry, of practice, indeed of living and being—that can illumine our present circumstances and draw us toward hope-filled futures.”

                                                                                        Andrew Hogue and Gregory Jones 

As we start this Lenten season 2023, we are still at the “intersection” of deep suffering in the world.  The war in Ukraine is taking on a new dimension, the Covid 19 pandemic continues to challenge health care responses, global economies try to respond and deep political divisions show no sign of resolution.  What and where are the Lenten responses?

For me, it is a time of reflection, looking back to see the way forward.  There is a wonderful icon for this response - “The Sankofa Bird”.  This story  is what we practice in Lent as we look back to see what we have forgotten.   It is not nostalgia.  It is not “living in the past”!  It is a catalyst to our living into our Christian calling that we so easily forget.

I have felt the reality in the Lenten stories that are shared in the communities of faith that continue to sing and listen.  These celebrations events are the “good news” that shines in the darkness.

Thanks be to God,

Marvin

References

 

Hogue, Andrew P.; Jones, L. Gregory. Navigating the Future (p. 15). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition. 

Sankofa

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankofa

Previous Lenten Posts:

Hage, M. L. (2021). Promised Healing.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2021/03/promised-healing.html

Hage, M. L. (2021). Healing Memorials.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2021/08/healing-memorials.html

Hage, M. L. (2022). Lenten Peace.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2022/03/lenten-peace.html

Hage, M. L. (2022). “Holy Covid”.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2022/04/holy-covid.html

Healing Informational Technology

In his recent book, “The Chaos Machine”, Max Fisher describes the dark side of social media.  It is a frightening  history.  The reader is left uncertain of an answer to the management of this powerful technology. 

One answer is my yearly January educational experience!  I look forward to January of each year specifically because I get to hear new voices and perspectives of our faith and healing.  It is called the “January Series” from Calvin University.  It is a gift!    

I look for themes among the diversity of presenters.  For this year, I would suggest that “disability” was a strong theme.  Here is my list of favorites in that group:

         Dr. Sara Hendron “What can a body do?”

         Dr. Amy Kenny, “My body is not a prayer request”

         Dr. Kate Bowler, “Life after perfect”

What was most impressive technically was the ability to provide remote presenters, across “time zones” flawlessly as if the presenter was present in the auditorium.  Nate Mook, “The urgent pursuit to nourish the world” did his presentation from Ukraine!  

Lastly, I would recommend the presentations by Dr. Efosa Ojomo on the creation of markets as as a response to poverty and the educational vision of Calvin University by its Provost, Dr. Noah Toly, “Learning together, living together: What the world needs from Christian liberal arts education”.   These are some of the faithful visions of redemption in our world.

All of this happened with the latest technology but more importantly with the people that have worked hard to bring thousands of learners into this “hybrid” virtual educational space.  They have learned how to engage an intergenerational audience into this growing educational reality.  As I mentioned, this has been a wonderful gift!

Thank you,

Marvin

References:

Fisher, M. (2022). The Chaos Machine. Little, Brown.

Calvin University - January Series 

https://calvin.edu/january-series/

2023 January Series Presentations:

Dr. Sara Hendren, “What can a body do?”

https://calvin.edu/directory/series/sara-hendren

Dr. Amy Kenny, “My body is not a prayer request”

https://calvin.edu/directory/series/amy-kenny

Dr. Kate Bowler, “Life after perfect”

https://calvin.edu/directory/series/kate-bowler

Nate Mook, “The urgent pursuit to nourish the world”

https://calvin.edu/directory/series/nate-mook

Efosa Ojomo, The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty https://calvin.edu/directory/series/efosa-ojomo

Dr. Noah Toly, “Learning together, living together: What the world needs from Christian liberal arts education”https://calvin.edu/directory/series/noah-toly

 

Healing Ecology

“How we meet the built environment depends on both bodies and worlds.” Hendren, Sara

A custom built chair for a Kenyan child with cerebral palsy

“New Prosthesis Day” at Tenwek Hospital

There are books that connect with your experiences but from another point-of-view.  Sara Hendren’s book, What Can a Body Do?: How We Meet the Built World, is one of these.  Her perspective, as a mother and a professor of engineering, explores the reality of disabilities and the environments individuals face.  What connected with me was the variety of the creative design responses.

As she emphasizes, many of the environmental responses are not appreciated and are invisible to the broader community.  It takes creative design responses and deep investigation of our assumptions about the meaning of disabilities to respond in effective ways to create more inclusive  communities.

The larger community responses become the ecology of healing.  I have seen those responses in the development of Friendship Houses here in the United States and the Special Needs Clinic in Africa.

Thanks, Sara Hendren for expanding this important healing conversation.  You can hear her on the “January Series” from Calvin University on January 9, 2023 at 12:30 pm EST.

Marvin

References

Hage, M. L. (2016). Another Kind of Healing.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2016/04/another-kind-of-healing.html

Hendren, Sara. What Can a Body Do? (p. 3). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Friendship House - Western Seminary Holland Michigan

https://www.westernsem.edu/welcome-friendship-house/

Special Needs Clinic - Tenwek Hospital

https://friendsoftenwek.org/medical-specialties/special-needs-clinic/

 

Healing Truths

 

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”      Exodus 20:16 (NIV)

There is a strong modern medical ethic of “truth telling” and “truth finding”.  It is the basis of evidence-based medicine.  With patients, making the clinical diagnosis frequently results in complicated conversations that happen over multiple encounters.  In contrast during my episodes of medical practice in Africa, I learned that family communication was a critical first step in sharing medical information with patients.  It was a stark contrast to the HIPPA environment that informed my Western practice.  

The current cultural “truth” debates have challenged our understanding of how we hear and tell the truth.  The “information age” has challenged our information management as outlined in the recent book by Max Fisher, “The Chaos Machine”.  It is a dark story of the addictive design of the social media platforms.  

During this same time, I read David Meyer’s book, “A Quiet World”, a memoir of his journey  with hearing loss.  It is a “old” book, but valuable as it chronicles the rapidity changing technology of hearing assistive technologies.  

These two perspectives on the values and hazards of our information age, brought me to the importance of truth telling as a communitarian ethic.   I was reminded of a sermon by Peter Jonker at the beginning of the pandemic that pointed to the origins of that wisdom.

Truth telling, at its best, begins with listening that builds and heals communities.  

Thanks,

Marvin

References

Huang HL; Cheng SY; Yao CA; Hu WY; Chen CY; Chiu TY  Truth Telling and Treatment Strategies in End-of-Life Care in Physician-Led Accountable Care Organizations:

Discrepancies Between Patients' Preferences and Physicians' Perceptions. 

Medicine. 94(16):e657, 2015 Apr.

Fisher, M. (2022). The Chaos Machine. Little, Brown.

Myers, D. G. (2000). A Quiet World. Yale University Press.

Jonker, P.  (11/18/2020) Advance my Neighbor’s Name - Ninth Commandment Devotion

-

Hage, M. (2014). Hearing Stories.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2014/04/hearing-stories.html

Hage, M. L. (2021). Healing Hearing

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2021/02/healing-hearing.htm

Healing Discernment

                                                 

One of the religion scholars came up. Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?”

Mark 12:28 (MSG)

“If we submit everything to reason our religion will be left with nothing mysterious or supernatural. If we offend the principles of reason our religion will be absurd and ridiculous.” (Pensées #173-273)

Blaise Pascal(1623-1662)

We live in times of great uncertainty, debate  and change.  I think it is clear that the technological creativity have brought changes and debate that have challenged our social structures.   We need “tools” and stratagies to address these realities.  Adam Grant’s recent book, “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know”, helped me rethink some of my previous ideas.

I have a long term interest in understanding the nature of “agreement” as it applies to the practice of obstetrics.  The issue is more complex than what we would like to believe and more than a medical issue.  What I have come to believe is that discernment is more than an individual activity that requires careful management of the context and structure of the question.  So before we look for agreement, we need to clearly articulate the question.

The second issue for all of us is creating “safe spaces” where dialogue and discussion will lead to productive outcomes.  These difficult issues always need nuanced responses.  This is where discernment is at its best.  It is not competitive!  It is consensus building.

That brings us to the roll of the church as a place where these conversations and discernment can be put into practice!  This has a long tradition within faith communities  where these are places of discernment more than dogma.  

Thanks to Adam Grant for the clarity that he brings to discernment.

Marvin

References

Grant, A. (2021). Think Again. Penguin.

Hage, M. L. (2012). Thoughts.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/10/thoughts.html

Hage ML: Nonstress test interpretation. Am J Obstet Gynecol 153: 490-495,1985. 

Sacks, J. (2014). The Great Partnership: Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning (Reprint ed.). Schocken.

Healing Ministries

Duke University Hospital Room

“Light shining in from the Nursing Station”

May 2, 2022

“In a church we learn to do ministry together.  We teach each other what Grace looks like and how it feels to be treated like a child of God.”

Douglas Brouwer, September 3, 2006 

Second Presbyterian Church, 

                                                        Indianapolis, Indiana

“Ministry is a robust theological category that brings divine action into human experience, helping us recognize God’s presence, even in a secular age.”

Andrew Root

I have become aware of the challenges to pastoral ministry that resonate with the dilemmas found in the current practice of medicine. 

In mid April, 2022, I contracted Covid and was treated quickly.  I got to see medical care at all levels of its provision.  What was most remarkable was my hospitalization at Duke University Medical Center.  At a time when the U.S. health care system is breaking, I experienced wonderful care from multiple providers at all levels.  What I experienced was based on the implementation of a “Theory of Care“  as articulated by Kristen Swanson.

Swanson’s work is similar to the work of Andrew Root in his series of books looking at the status of pastoral ministry.  What emerges is a thorough assessment of the “malaise” with a return to an expanded and historic response of caring  His prescription is based on a deeper understanding of Western culture as described in the work of philosopher Charles Taylor.  

The good news is that there are robust models of caring that are still working within the the caring professions.  Nursing has demonstrated the reality of that caring ministry.  

Thanks,

Marvin

References

Root, Andrew. The Pastor in a Secular Age (Ministry in a Secular Age Book #2) (p. xxii). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Taylor, C. (2009). A secular age. Harvard university press.

Brouwer, D. J. (2022). Chasing After Wind: A Pastor’s Life. Wm. B. Eerdrmans Publishing, Co.

Swanson,  KM Kristen Swanson’s Theory of Caring

https://pmhealthnp.com/kristen-swanson-theory-of-caring-and-healing/

Hage, M. L. (2017). Healing Charity.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2017/05/healing-charity.html

Hage, M. L. (2016). Healing Doctors.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2016/12/healing-doctors.html