If We Are The Body............

My best friend and I are currently debating why I'm going to a house church. It's interesting how easily that leads into arguing over the purpose of the church and man's role within the body of Christ. As a kid, I learned most of the Westminster Shorter Catechism by heart. The first question, right off the bat is "What is the chief end of man?". Any schoolchild who went to PCCS could answer: "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever". 

Now, to me, that seems pretty simple. Not easy, but simple. As Christians, we are called to pursue a relationship with God through Christ and share that relationship with others. Salvation is an invitation. It is not a demand. Like Frank Viola's book "From Eternity To Here" explains, Rebekah was not forced to move to Jerusalem and marry Isaac. She chose to go. God is the same way. 

When the early church began, new Christians did not have the structured setup we in America have come to realize. Today, here, the goal of church on Sunday is to be educated and guided toward correct doctrine and theology before moving on to apply to our daily living. While I agree that doctrine is important, I believe the modern church has moved away from the vision of Christ's early disciples. 


To quote the tired phrase, "Don't go to church; Be the Church" It is not about about a building or a given structure, but rather about the fellowships and relationships that come from meeting as believers and seeking Christ. 

Initially, the church was body of believers coming together to share what God had done and to celebrate a new relationship with a personal God. Worship was meaningful and corporate, there was no strict liturgy and pastors were just like everyone else. 

Like everything else in life, Christianity is about a relationship. It's closeness and intimacy with the one person who can love you more than anyone else. The doctrine and theology are important, but without the relationship, without love, we have nothing. 

More to follow..............

Liability and Responsibility

"The people in the Gulf have my commitment that BP will meet its obligations to them.”

Words from President Barack Obama last week regarding the oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico offers little comfort to Americans concerned about the President’s leadership qualities.

While some may find them comforting, Obama’s promises and band-aid solutions could be frightening to others. One has to ask how BP’s $20 billion in relief funds will eventually be spent.

By appointing Kenneth Feinberg to the fund and selecting the judiciary panel, President Obama now has direct control over BP investments. The President has taken the reins using his own selected pay czars, which begs the question of whether this situation is the President’s responsibility in the first place. While the oil spill and the ramifications that followed cannot be blamed on any one individual, it is not the President’s job to offer assurance on BP’s behalf.

Once again, the government is stepping in to take over when the private companies can’t pull the weight. Much like the big three auto deal, President Obama has failed to understand his responsibilities. In an order to make himself relevant, the President feels the need to do something, anything to help.

The mistake lies in the President’s inadequate leadership and BP’s complete lack of preparation. 65 days after the oil rig caught fire, BP and the US Government are still fighting to come up with a reasonable solution. Perhaps the President was concerned about having his picture snapped with an oil executive considering his past track record? Or maybe he was simply unsure of his responsibilities in the first place. Regardless, it is time for Tony Hayward and President Barack Obama to step up to the plate, sit down, and figure it out.

Providence

This morning my mom called me much earlier than she usally does just to say hi and let me know how the kids and new kitties are doing.

She mentioned that the Tacoma News Tribune was running a feature on our family and a follow up to her kidney transplant a few weeks ago.

I casually scrolled over to the article expecting the usual blurb on Mom's medical history and work as a volunteer at the local fire station.

After reading the article to my mom over the phone, I found myself crying at my desk. Kris Sherman had finally told the story I'd been wanting to tell for about two years. Below is a link to the article and a copy of the text.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/27/1202502/providence-leads-to-transplant.html

‘Providence' leads to kidney transplant

Donation: Events bring women together, resulting in the gift of a kidney

KRIS SHERMAN; Staff writer

Published: 05/27/1012:05 am | Updated: 05/27/10 5:13 am

Some would call it a string of fortunate coincidences.

Tammy and Larry Aegerter and Michelle and Mark Braunschweig call it providence.

There was a conversation between airline passengers. A call for help in a church bulletin. A grandmother’s broken hip. An introduction at a party in celebration of menopause.

All led to twin surgical suites at the University of Washington Medical Center, where Michelle Braunschweig gave Tammy Aegerter her left kidney May 5.

Tammy, a 44-year-old Dash Point-area mother of seven, was in extreme need. A rare disease destroyed her kidneys years ago. The organ her brother donated in 1991 had failed. Now she’s recovering well. Michelle, a 39-year-old Auburn mother, says she’s feeling fine, though she’s still moving a bit gingerly.
Two years ago the women didn’t know each other.

Now they are friends.

But their story differs from those you often hear about people who need transplants and strangers who donate life-sustaining organs.

It’s a six-degrees-of-separation tale. One connection led to another, and another, and another.
The Braunschweigs and the Aegerters, both couples deeply religious, believe Michelle’s left kidney was destined for Tammy from the day Michelle was conceived.

The surgeons who implanted the kidney told Larry the organ was a perfect fit, that everything “was right there.”

Before Tammy was out of surgery, her new kidney began cleansing her blood.

“I’ve never heard so many doctors excited about seeing urine,” she said.

God’s hand brought them together, uniting two families in the process, they say.

“We don’t use the word ‘coincidence,’ ” Mark said.
“Providence,” Michelle added.

THE CALENDAR

February 2007: Tammy is listed on UNOS, the United Network for Organ Sharing, as a transplant candidate.

Sept. 7, 2007: Joe Ferong, stepfather of Larry, sits next to Len Bundy on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Oakland. Bundy, an associate pastor at The Summit church in Enumclaw, would later invite Ferong, a staunch Catholic, to come and worship. Ferong ultimately visits and joins the church.

April 2008: A notice is placed in The Summit’s church bulletin about Tammy Aegerter’s need for a kidney. Michelle Braunschweig sees it and begins thinking about a possible donation.

Nov. 3, 2008: Larry and Tammy Aegerter, in their roles as volunteer firefighters, answer a call at the home of Mark’s parents, Joe and Sherry Braunschweig. Mark’s grandmother, Anna Osthus, who’s in her 80s, had broken her hip. A few days later, Larry and Tammy stop by St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way to see how Osthus is doing. They briefly meet Mark.

Dec. 22, 2008: Larry’s mom, Terri Ferong, throws a celebration of menopause party. Among the guests is Michelle Braunschweig, who is introduced to Tammy. Tammy doesn’t know Michelle is a potential donor; Michelle meets a warm person she thinks she’d like to help.

July 7, 2009: Michelle begins the process of becoming a donor for Tammy.

October 2009: Tammy begins dialysis, her body no longer able to filter her blood. The treatments leave her nauseated, vomiting and exhausted.

Feb. 5, 2010: After months of testing and blood matching, doctors pronounce Michelle a healthy and fit donor for Tammy.

April 2010: Doctors tell Tammy dialysis won’t work much longer. “The kidney was done,” she said.

May 5, 2010: Tammy receives Michelle’s left kidney in a six-hour procedure at University of Washington Medical Center.

THE POWER OF GIVING

The Aegerters and the Braunschweigs discovered along the way they have much in common. Both couples are active in their respective churches – for the Aegerters, it’s Family Life Christian Center in Federal Way; for the Braunschweigs, it’s The Summit, an Evangelical Free church in Enumclaw.

Tammy and Michelle are homeschoolers, teaching core values to their children along with other subjects. Both couples believe in the power of giving, offering comfort and aid.

The Aegerters are volunteers for Pierce County Fire District 13, Browns Point-Dash Point; each has an emergency medical technician certification.

“They are a great, caring, giving family,” Assistant Chief Cliff McCollum said.

Both got their starts in EMT classes McCollum taught. Larry is a firefighter and medical responder; Tammy’s heart aches to learn and perform the more rigorous firefighting duties, but her weakened body holds her back, McCollum said. So she rides out on EMS calls and helps with CPR classes.

Larry has served in the Army, the Air Force and the National Guard, his record totaling about 15 years. He’s currently an active-duty reservist in the 446th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, where he teaches survival skills.

He and Tammy met a few years ago while each was a flight attendant at Horizon Airlines. She was a single mother of five. Their family now includes Katie, 23; Alex, 21; Mya, 16; Max, 14; Noah, 13; Hannah, 11; and Haakon, 3.

The Braunschweigs have one daughter, Kacy, 18. Mark owns a commercial window business. The couple is active in church work: he, in men’s ministry and leadership; she, in the youth program.

Though many people told Michelle they couldn’t imagine giving up a vital organ, she knew she was called to the task. “God just kind of laid it on my heart,” she said.

“I couldn’t imagine – knowing that I have what she needs to save her life – and looking into Tammy’s eyes and saying, ‘No, I can’t do that,’” Michelle said.

She worried initially about the effect an organ donation might have on her family’s finances and her health, but both fears were quickly allayed.

She was healthy enough for the rigorous surgery and could live with one kidney, doctors said. Costs were covered by Tammy’s and Larry’s insurance plans and by a donor program.

THE NEED IS GREAT

The message Michelle wants people to take away from this story is that organ donation might be inconvenient, but the rewards are well worth the short-term pain.

“And at a minimum, list organ donor on your driver’s license,” her husband, Mark, said.
Tammy and Michelle both have O-positive blood. Though not all of the chemistry fit perfectly, there were enough crucial components to make a match.

Most people believe your donor must be a close relative, but with advances in immunosuppresants, that’s no longer necessary, said Dr. Leanna Tyshler of the Northwest Kidney Centers.
The need is great, and kidneys are in highest demand.

About 107,000 patients are awaiting organ transplants in the U.S. according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Nearly 85,000, or about 79 percent, need kidneys. Seattle medical centers – University of Washington, Virginia Mason and Swedish – perform about 240 adult transplants annually, Tyshler said.
A transplant, Mark Braunschweig said, is a wonder to behold.

“I probably cried more on Wednesday (the day of the surgery) than I have in 20 years,” he added.
“Every bit of good news that we received (from the operating rooms) was just an opportunity to rejoice.”

HELP FOR FAMILY IN NEED

Firefighters at Fire District 13 “passed the boot” to collect money for the Aegerters, McCollum said. The Browns Point Diner helped with a spaghetti feed. Though insurance will cover many bills, there are still expenses.

While Tammy was in the hospital, Larry thought he’d surprise her with a bit of remodeling and install a new bathtub. He found a dead rat and four anthills beneath the tub, plus mold and dry rot that ran into the kitchen.
Now an unexpected remodel is under way; doctors banned Tammy and her fragile immune system from the house until two weeks after the work is complete. The family is staying in the home of an aunt who recently died.

Last week, the men of their two churches started remodeling parts of the Aegerters’ 1,200-square-foot house. Their work is just a small part of God’s larger construction project, the families say.
“When you can step back and see all the interweaving, the interconnectedness” that led to Tammy’s transplant, you know a divine hand was building it all, Mark said.

Kris Sherman: 253-597-8659 kris.sherman@thenewstribune.com

MORE INFORMATION
To help: www.tammyskidney.org
To learn more: www.nwkidney.org and www.unos.org

Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/27/1202502/providence-leads-to-transplant.html#ixzz0p92Ym1iV

A Sticky Topic

A recent story in KOMO news covered the King County needle exchange program saying that drug use in downtown Seattle has gone up since the opening of their new center last year. Cocaine and heroine addicts can now flock to the  corner of 10th and Seneca to get supplies for their daily jollies. Drug users simply show up and exchange their used needles for clean syringes.This "service" is free to anyone sober enough to show up. 

While the needle exchange program has apparently been around for years, the new center barely six blocks from where I work is news to me.  The federally funded AIDS prevention program began in Seattle in 1989. Since then, King County has spent an average of 1.1 million tax dollars every year to fund it. 

The King County website offers that "In the last three years, we successfully placed 691 people in drug treatment." The article, however, fails to mention how many of these addicts completed rehab successfully. ..... interesting. 

Personally, I am all for the prevention of AIDS. It is an awful disease, killing 17, 011 people last year, but I don't think that giving free needles to users is the answer.  The tax payers of King COunty have better ways to spend their money.

 You want to get high? Fine. Just don't make me pay for it.

Just keep swimming

After several varied attempts to update the look of this blog, I have decided that my best bet is to just write the damn posts and adjust as inspiration strikes. In my hectic search for employment over the last two weeks, I haven't had much time to review the news, but with the hype over the health care bill and Cash for Clunkers, it's only a matter of time before the local talk show hosts and national comedians give me something I can use.

In the meantime, I would like to commend Rebecca Cammisa on her fairly recent documentary "Which Way Home."

Along the lines "Invisible Children," the documentary follows the stories of several Mexican children on their journey to find better lives in the United States. The film has a liberal bent, but is, in my opinion, worth seeing anyway.


While the film itself is creative, Ms. Cammisa's efforts to secure the cooperation of the American and Mexican government is impressive. Her film crew was allowed into nearly every aspect of Mexico's processing.

What really attracted me to this film in the first place was the fresh look at immigration from a child's perspective. "Which Way Home" tells the stories you won't hear on the news. The happy endings, the not so happy endings, and even the ending we aren't so sure about come together to make a well acclaimed documentary. The film was released to the public last January and has been making appearances at film festivals and in newspapers across the country.


For more information, take a look at their website and decide for yourself.

Goodnight, Gracie

I can't believe there's only a week left before heading on to DC. After three weeks of shooting and a week of pre-production, it seems as though I've been here forever. Then again, the time really flies on these long days. We made it to Jackson late Wednesday night and have been enjoying the sleep and quiet phones for two days now. It's amazing how calm things are when the four cell phones we have here aren't all going off at once. Amile, our executive producer, has graciously offered me a place to stay at his parents' house where I have eaten huge breakfasts and acquired a few new nicknames. I now understand why Mississippi leads the country in obesity.

I wish I had photos, but the card reader has over 500 pictures I have yet to sort through. Mississippi is such a beautiful state with awe inspiring thunderstorms. Wrap time has been cut short several times as a result of the rain and lightening. Shug, our puppy player and local mascot, had to be carried to the car when she refused to leave the porch! I guess even dogs get scared sometimes.

All in all, with the late nights, long hours, and crazy weather, this has been a true learning opportunity for me. The organization and skill required to build a film like this is something one can only learn from personal experience. We have all had a great time trying new things, and I can't wait to see what the next project holds.

Film Camp in the South

So here I am in Mississippi. That's right, Mississippi. A few months ago, I was offered a job as a film producer for Elysium Films. So, for the next few weeks, I am here in the hot, humid weather having an amazing time and learning so much. For those of you who think that my blog is boring, check out the movie blog explaining all of our local adventures on set.

The film I am helping to produce follows the story of two young boys as they come of age in the deep south. The story is good and the footage is better. The things I've seen have taught me a great deal about color, resolution, and organization. My job in making this story come to life is lining up all the actors, vehicles, and other sundries. It sounds like a simple job until 35 people show up at Riverside High School wondering why they're wearing church clothes.

Even in just the few weeks I've been here, things have been a real trip. We’ve had three days of shooting and things are looking great! Even in just a short while, we’ve grown into a pattern of living that seems to work for everyone. The days are long, but the work is worth the price. We work 12 hour days, generally starting at 7am for the production team, and sometimes not ending until the wee hours of the morning.

Playing the character Fess, John Alex has an energy that brings a smile to everyone’s face. Today, in a rare moment of free time, we went out to the parking lot and decided to cook eggs on the 101 degrees pavement. As you can see, they didn’t exactly fry, but the heat definitely made an impact. The cast and crew has been staying hydrated with the wonderful help of our “crafties” Debbie and Gloria.

On set, things continue to progress. Monday, our first day of shooting, was hectic as we scrambled to compensate for the forecast of rain. As usual, the weatherman was proven wrong when we woke to sunny skies and a heated afternoon. Nonetheless, we decided to shoot in the air conditioned, First Baptist Church before moving to the corn fields near Roy’s Store. Nearly 35 extras showed up to help us with the scenes.

And that was just the first day.

Since then, the team has managed to crash a car, burn down a restaurant and tallied more bug bites than there are mosquitoes in the state. All in all though, this has been an incredibly positive experience.I'm enjoying learning how to be in charge and responsible for *everything*. Living here has been like attending film camp ...... with beer.


To top it all off, Josh Jones, son of our local hero, graciously took a group of us to see the alligators last Sunday. That's right, alligators. Not the ones in safe little cages. the real ones. I snapped some sweet photos of a 14 foot mama and was nearly eaten by a hissing, angry mother protecting her babies nearby. It was quite the southern experience.


I will be sure to update this with photos as often as I can. I've been taking photos of everything and trying to remember the most exciting stuff. Last Sunday was our first day off and would not have been complete without the afternoon out on the boat with the innertubes. Having never been tubing before, I had the time of my life. My friends, Doc and Amile can attest to my physical prowess considering I never fell off once.

In any case, please continue to check the site for more updates and photos as the weeks go by. It's worth the 30 seconds.