Why John McCain Chose Comfort Care

John McCain died last evening.  It was only one day after his family announced that he had decided to discontinue treatment for brain cancer.  John McCain chose comfort care.  Comfort care is a term I have become familiar with during the ten years I have worked part-time for a hospital chaplaincy service.  Comfort care means the patient has decided to cease treatment for a terminal condition.  Instead of prolonging the suffering the patient, or in some cases the family, decides to keep the patient comfortable and let nature take its course.

I think John McCain was able to peaceably make that decision because he knew Jesus.  While John McCain’s religious roots were Episcopalian, he and his family worshiped regularly at North Phoenix Baptist Church.  While he never talked much about his faith, he privately acknowledged the how his relationship with God had impacted his life.   McCain once stated that his faith in God was reinforced when he was kidnapped and tortured by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. He scratched the first seven words of The Apostles’ Creed on his cell wall, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty” and prayed fervently while incarcerated.  One of John McCain’s best friends in the Senate was Chuck Schumer.  In a recent conversation Chuck Schumer asked John McCain about his relationship with God.  “I am okay with God,” he responded.

Believing in God and acknowledging Jesus as our Savior allows us to place ourselves into God’s hands when a medical crisis or emergency arises.  We realize that not even death can separate us from the love of God.  We are always people of hope.  Heaven awaits those who know and confess Jesus as their Savior.  As the end draws near we can be at peace.

I have always believed that the strongest testimony that we can give to unbelievers is found in the manner in which we handle death.  We are always people of hope.  We might grieve and mourn, but we also rejoice and praise God for the victory that has been won.  That faith heritage needs to be passed on from generation to generation.

Motown Memories

I recall a Friday night in the summer of 1964.  A friend and I were with our dates at the Michigan State Fair.  We were not there for the rides or the food.  We didn’t even visit the auto exhibits.  The real attraction was the Motown Review.  Over the course of two hours we heard The Temptation, Four Tops, Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas and The Supremes.  Junior Walker and the All Stars were on stage the entire time, serving as the house band.  Somewhere toward the end of that evening I recall remarking to my friend, “It does not get any better than this.”

The memories of summers in Motown came back yesterday as I heard the news of the death of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.  While Aretha did not record for Motown Records (she signed with Atlantic Records), she was very much a part of local culture.  Aretha Franklin grew up in the same neighborhood as Smokey Robinson and other Motown stars.  Two of the more famous artist Levi Stubbs, the lead singer in the Four Tops, and David Ruffin, lead singer for the Temptations, have already gone to join the heavenly choir.  I am sure they welcomed Sister Aretha with open arms.

Music is a big part of my life.  My favorite radio station is Sixties on Six on XM Radio. I know almost all the words by heart.  A favorite game when my grandsons are in the car is the stump grandpa.  I name the artist and year for almost every song that is played.  That is because there seems to be a memory attached to every song.  I can attach them to who I was with and what I was doing.

While it is vital that I share my faith heritage, I want my children and grandchildren to understand the context that I grew up in.  God has been good and music is one of the gifts that continues to bring joy to my life.

Never Trust Anyone Over 30

“Never trust anyone over 30.”  It is a declaration that is rooted in the turbulent 60’s.  Environmental activist and New Left leader, Jack Weinberg, is credited with making the statement in 1964.  While Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and even the Beatles expressed disdain for anyone of 30, it was Jack Weinberg who spoke it first on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.   It became a rallying cry for a generation that called for change.  It was not just the about Vietnam War, immigration and the environment were also big issues.  Hippies and other protesters pointed out the hypocrisy of those over the age of 30.  The insinuation was that once you passed a certain age you lost perspective.  The causes you once viewed as so important got lost as you climbed both the chronological and economic ladder.

During my years in youth ministry I heard my share of claims of hypocrisy aimed at adults over a certain age.  Typically the line of demarcation was the point at which you were old enough to move into a leadership position, whether in the church or government.  In the minds of many youth, those in position of authority had checked both their brains and moral standards at the door when they assumed their positions.  Many teens were aware of the lifestyle the leaders lived behind the veneer of their positions.  Yes, the kids would use the word “hypocrisy” to describe the behavior of older church members, especially those in leadership positions.

From my perspective, we are all hypocrites in God’s eyes.  We all can join Paul in saying, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do” (Romans 7:18b).   Hypocrisy is part of our human nature, but then so is grace.  If we acknowledge and confess our hypocrisy, God is always quick to forgive.  Herein, I believe, is the key to overcoming the generational gap and sharing the heritage of faith.