How You Smell Can Reveal State of Your Health

© 2016 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

Did you know that the smell coming from your body can reveal the state of your health? That's the story coming last week from a team of researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, headed by Mats Olsson, an experimental psychologist.

The researchers have discovered that several diseases have signature smells. People with yellow fever have been reported to smell like a butcher's shop, those with the glandular disease Scrofula like stale beer (no report on how to distinguish such persons from those who stayed in the tavern too long), and those with diabetes like rotten apples.

Although the news is about fresh research, the idea of bodily smells serving as diagnostic keys has been around in the medical circles for a long time. In fact, the smell of a patient's urine was one of the major diagnostic tools in medieval England. (See also, for example, the 1976 article "Smell as a Diagnostic Marker" in the links list below.)

Part of what's new, however, is the hope is that we can learn to detect by their smell who is contagious, and thus can avoid such persons and stay healthy. Olsson's team has been exploring how odors can reveal when someone is sick or recently infected.

Olsson's team has found that the disgust many people experience when encountering unpleasant odors activates a mild immune reaction to help protect them from disease. "Emotional disgust is there to keep us healthy," Olsson said.

Another driver of this research is the idea that human bodily smells can be early detection tools that can lead to treatment sooner and thus save lives. Cancer cells, for example, are thought to release compounds that smell different from those released by healthy cells. It appears that human noses are not sufficiently sensitive to note the difference, but some dogs can sniff it out.

When the TWW team was discussing this story, one member commented that perhaps reading bodily smells was part of the technology in the medical tricorder Dr. McCoy used to diagnose illnesses in the futuristic Star Trek TV series and subsequent movies. The team member meant his comment to be lighthearted, but in light of this news story, it doesn't seem all that farfetched.

More on this story can be found at these links:

How Your Smell Can Reveal If You're Sick. CNN 
Meet the Dogs Who Can Sniff Out Cancer .... CNN  
Smell as a Diagnostic Marker. Postgraduate Medical Journal 

The Big Questions

1. Are there any of the five senses through which God does not communicate with us? Explain your answer.

2. When you walk into your church and take in the smell of the building, what memories are triggered? What role do those memories play in your life of faith? Has any church past or present that you've worshiped at had a distinctive smell? Was it pleasant or unpleasant? Did others notice it? Was it an essential part of worship or accidental?

3. Thinking of smell as a figure of speech for how others perceive the effect of your commitment to Christ, in what ways do you emit the "fragrance of Christ"? Do you emit any smell of spiritual illness or dysfunction?

4. When has the "smell" of someone's story or joke caused you to realize that something unholy was afoot?

5. What might it mean that two of gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus were scent related? (Frankincense was used in the temple and in homes as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, and myrrh was an expensive perfume, used by royalty or for embalming.)

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Genesis 8:20-21
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of humankind … nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done." (For context, read 8:13-22.)

After the great flood, Noah and his family came out from the ark and offered animal sacrifices to God. According to the verses above, the smell of the sacrifices being burnt emitted an odor that was "pleasing" to God and led him to say he would never "again destroy every living creature."

The Hebrew word translated as "odor" is rêah?, which, in other places in the Old Testament is also rendered as "savor," "smell," "fragrance," "scent" and "aroma." Of the 61 appearances of this word in the Old Testament, 43 refer specifically to sacrifices made to God and appear in Genesis-Numbers and Ezekiel. For the people of the Old Testament, the smell of burning sacrifices helped them understand that they were reaching out to God.

Questions: What smells are typical of worship services in your church? Do any of the following communicate to you that you are reaching out to God or that God is reaching out to you: the smell of lit candles, of communion bread, of eucharistic wine, of (in some denominations) incense, of anointing oil, the pine scent of the Advent wreath, the smell of lilies at Easter, or (in some denominations) the smell of a love feast being prepared or the dry paper smell of hymnbooks? Why? Do you consider the smells that may come from a church kitchen or fellowship hall associated with a fellowship meal worshipful? An intrusion? A distraction?
Are you allergic to certain smells? Do you find perfumes pleasant or sickening? Should a church be segregated according to scented and unscented?

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. (For context, read 2:12-17.)

Paul refers here to Christ leading his followers in "triumphal procession." While he's not talking about Christians conquering the lands, Paul is possibly alluding nonetheless to the victory marches powerful rulers initiated after winning battles or to the processions toward the temple of some of the local gods. In both cases, aromatic substances were often burned in incense containers carried by some of the processors.

But Paul is switching the analogy to speak of Christians emitting the "aroma of Christ." Paul is likely thinking of our lives, lived for God, as a sacrifice of thanksgiving from which the pleasing smell of authenticity arises and which is a testimony to those around us to the goodness of God and the changes wrought in our lives by Christ.

It is often said that actions speak louder than words. Paul offers a slight adaptation here: He says that the life of faith, in which one offers oneself as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, has a fragrance that is noticeable and that commends itself to others.

In battle victory marches, some the associated smells marked the death of those defeated -- a "fragrance from death to death," but faithful followers of Jesus emit "a fragrance from life to life."

Questions: In what ways is it helpful to consider your words and deeds to be a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God? To what degree do you consider your words and deeds to be expressions of your commitment to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself?
How attractive is your "spiritual fragrance" to those outside of Christ? Do you think people catch a whiff of Jesus when they meet you, and think about him even after you depart, because your presence has left a lingering fragrance of Christ behind?

Genesis 27:27 
So [Jacob] came near and kissed him; and [Isaac] smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. (For context, read 27:1-40.)

Smells can be misleading. The verse above is from the story of Jacob convincing his elderly, blind father Isaac that he, Jacob, was his brother Esau. Among other methods Jacob used to deceive his father, Jacob donned his brother's clothes, which had the smell of the outdoors in them. Jacob's goal was to trick his father into giving him the birthright blessing meant for Esau, and he succeeded in doing so.

Question: How do we ensure that the "aroma of Christ" (see 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 above) that comes from us is the real thing?

John 12:3 
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (For context, read 12:1-8.)

This verse can be read both literally and figuratively. No doubt the aroma of the costly perfume did spread throughout the house, but it seems as if John is also telling us Mary's service to Jesus had an effect on the emotional and spiritual atmosphere of the gathering as well.

What the odor couldn't mask was Mary's daring in crossing boundaries that separated women and men in first-century Palestinian society, nor the visceral shock that those in attendance would have felt at Mary's actions and Jesus' acceptance of them.

Garrison Keillor tells a story in Lake Wobegon Days about two old Brethren patriarchs getting together to settle over a meal a disagreement in which both expect to be the victor against the other's "heresy." Not wanting to show favoritism, the host decides not to pick one to pray over the meal, but suggests a silent prayer. Both patriarchs try to outdo the other in piety, silently praying while their stomachs protest, but finally the women put the meal on the table and that breaks the impasse. I wonder if good food and good smells does more for reconciliation than all the scripture quoting in the world.

Questions: What sort of smell arises from your service on behalf of Christ? Is there an odor of reluctance? a fragrance of thanksgiving? a whiff of Christ himself? Explain your answer.

John 11:39 
Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." (For context, read 11:17-44.)
John 6:51 
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (For context, read 6:35-51.)
John 14:2-3 
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. ... And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. (For context, read 14:1-7.)

The verse above from John 11, about the raising from the dead of Lazarus, reminds us that death has its own smell. But the John 6 verse tells us that eternal life has its distinctive smell as well. There, Jesus, the bringer of eternal life, says he is "the living bread," and we all know that the scent of freshly baked bread emitting from the kitchen is one of the smells of home.

In the old TV series M*A*S*H, which was set in a mobile Army surgical hospital during the Korean War, one of the recurring characters was the pompous surgeon Charles Emerson Winchester III. Being near the front lines, that medical unit saw a lot of people die, and in one episode Charles got to wondering what happens when someone passes away -- what is on the other side of that dark barrier. To try to find out, Charles decided to question a dying soldier as he was slipping into eternity. Going to the dying man, Charles shouted, "What is happening to you? What do you see?" The man replied, "I smell bread." And then he died.

Theology has a way of showing up when we least expect it. If bread is a smell of home, then the writers of that episode were preaching some pretty good theology, even if they didn't intend to.

Now consider what Jesus said in the John 14 verses. The Greek word that's translated "prepare" ishetoimazo, and one of its meanings is "provide," which is related to the word "provisions," which is another name for food. So there is some justification for reading Jesus' words this way: "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. ... And if I go and bake bread for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, we can enjoy bread together."

Question: Besides being unending, what do you understand to be the nature of eternal life?

For Further Discussion

1. Comment on this, from TWW team member Misty Wintsch: "My father passed away when my son, Carter, had just turned 4. Five months later, we were Christmas shopping at Strawbridge's and Carter said, 'Mommy, Poppy is here.' I was taken aback and trying to decide what to say to this little boy when I realized there was a man in the middle of the aisle spraying Aramis on passersby -- my dad's cologne. I changed what I was going to say (something like, 'NO, Poppy is not here with us anymore. I told you he's not coming back') to 'There will always be people and places and pictures and ideas and even smells that remind us of Poppy. Isn't that great!?' Of course, I let the man spray Aramis on my 4-year-old and got choked up every time the wind changed all day."

2. Respond to this, also from Misty Wintsch: "I find the notion that our own scent is actually different when we are sick interesting. I know that people who are dying often have a certain odor about them -- but is this article saying that when we are coming down with a cold or flu, we smell different? Well, if that isn't a God thing, I don't know what is. We are subconsciously wise enough to give a wide berth to those with that faint odor? WOW – thank you God!"

3. TWW team member Dave Nerdig said, "I worked my way through college on a road crew. My foreman was accomplished at vulgarity but his most familiar curse was to add the adjective "stinking" to any individual, group, endeavor or piece of machinery. I knew I had arrived when he said I was a [EXPLETIVE] stinking college kid that should be locked up in the desert with all the other stinking[EXPLETIVE] 's so he would not have to put up with the stench." Do you often use images associated with smells as part of your normal conversation? In a pleasant or unpleasant way?

4. TWW team member Jim Berger said, "I am reminded of a comment about new churches that are nested in existing churches. The members of the hosting church said that they had no problem with the schedules. Their problem with the new church was 'the smells'. Kim chi or kielbasa. As a colleague said, 'You can't turn off the smells that's a lingering in the fellowship hall!'" How can we accommodate with olfactories as well as theologies?

5. Comment on this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "In the early church, people from different ethnic backgrounds ate meat prepared different ways and were separated by issues involving food -- but bread and fish crossed all the boundaries. A fish-garlic relish could soften the hard bread poor Christians had to eat. Fish was clean where some might consider one or another kind of meat unclean. Perhaps that's why frescoes of communion pictures from the early church always show bread and fish."

Responding to the News

There is a story of a young man named Bill, a college student with wild hair, torn clothing and imperfect personal hygiene. He's a brilliant but off-beat guy who is attending college. Across the street from the campus is a tidy church attended by well-dressed people. They say they want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One Sunday Bill, wondering about Christianity, decides to go there. He walks in with jeans, torn T-shirt, no shoes and wild hair. The service has already started, and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is packed, and he can't find one. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and, when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back, a deacon is making his way toward Bill. The deacon is in his 80s, has silver-gray hair, wears expensive cologne and a three-piece suit. He's very dignified and courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts toward Bill, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

All eyes are focused on the deacon as he gets near Bill. The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.

And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill so he won't be alone during the service.

Be careful how you live. It may only be by catching a whiff of you that some people discover what following Jesus is all about.

Closing Prayer

Bless us, O Lord, with spiritual good health, and help us to do what we need to do to stay that way. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Massive Powerball Jackpot to Be Split Between Three Winners

© 2016 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

This past week we learned that the largest lottery prize ever -- the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot -- is to be split between three winners: one each in California, Florida and Tennessee.

Not all of the winners have yet come forward, possibly because they are first making arrangements to handle the sudden wealth and protect themselves from the possible onslaught of schemers and others hoping to get some of the money.

News about big winners who become multimillionaires overnight typically brings out stories in the media about how previous winners have fared in the long run, and this time is no exception. Some of the tales about previous winners are little more than anecdotes or urban legends. Statements about previous winners -- such as one heard this week from the lips of a talk-show host that "Ninety percent of lottery winners go bankrupt within three years" (perhaps part of the 87 percent of statistics that some say are made up on the spot!) -- are hard to verify.

A January 12 article in The Atlantic says that researchers have tried to answer the question about how recipients of great windfalls do in the long term by "looking into two questions whose answers lottery players assume to be affirmative: Does winning the lottery make people rich in the long run? And does an influx of tons of cash make people happier?" What these researchers learned, however, is that the answers aren't straightforward.

That article cites various studies, but also mentions shortcomings with each study and says that "the overall picture of how lottery winners fare is still very hard to determine. First, many of these results are found by surveying winners, and self-reported data is notorious for its low quality. Second, it's not exactly easy to get lottery winners to surrender their financial records for research, so there are likely large holes in even the most scrupulous research. And finally, the fates of the lottery winners who researchers have the easiest time tracking down might skew negative, because tales of financial ruin are more publicized in the media than tales of stability."

More on this story can be found at these links:

We Have Powerball Winners! CNN Money 
What Becomes of Lottery Winners? The Atlantic 
Experts Shocked by Powerball Winners' Behavior. WND 

Applying the News Story

A first thought many of us may have is that stories about lottery winners have little application to the rest of us. That's because, with the odds of winning big so high -- 1 in 292 million in the most recent jackpot! -- we will never be among those who have to deal with such a windfall. Likewise, we may not be expecting a big inheritance to drop into our lap. And our chances of getting a massive raise or a tremendous cash bonus at work seem remote.

Well, perhaps. But in fact, nothing stays the same forever. We may not be very happy with our present circumstances. We may be simply plodding along, feeling that the sky is closing in on us and past blunders have robbed tomorrow of its promise. But then, something changes. Job opportunities open up, the children grow up and move away, your skills suddenly come into demand, some old stock you bought years ago suddenly takes off, a job buyout occurs, a divorce happens (which, in some cases, can be freeing), retirement comes, and so forth. Any one of those things -- and many more -- can be a windfall of, if not of money, then of time or opportunity. (One man we know spoke of how his life suddenly seemed freed up when his last child left home and the dog died.)

Some of our bonanzas may be large and some may be small, but in either case, one test of what our faith is how we behave when unexpected blessings or new freedoms come upon us. In the context of faith, how we handle great blessings and sudden opportunities can be just as revealing about our faith as how we handle great pains and sudden troubles.

The Big Questions

1. What values, already present in your life, might be enhanced by a sudden influx of wealth? What values in your life might falter under such an influx?

2. How does faith in Christ assist us in those times of life when everything changes in a moment: the birth of a child; the death of a child/parent/spouse; beginning in a new job/city/school/church that may be accompanied by a change in status/ego state/self-image, etc.?

3. How does Jesus model for us dealing with sudden changes of circumstances?

4. Some form of gambling is legal almost everywhere in the United States. How should Christians regard gambling? Why? Is the lottery right, wrong or neither?

5. If you play the lottery, do you also tithe to your church? Why or why not? What value structures are behind those two actions?

6. Speaking of windfalls, Christians have received the free gift of salvation from eternal death through trust in the promises of God declared in the death and resurrection of Jesus. That is surely a gain in wealth worth much more than the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot. How have you handled this great gift? What else, if anything, should you do or be doing?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. (No context needed.)
Proverbs 11:28
Those who trust in their riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves. (No context needed.)

These verses are typical of the biblical view of affluence. Notice that neither one condemns being wealthy, but both clearly call for making the things of God a priority. Both also proclaim that the riches that really matter are the blessing of God and the righteousness of those who follow him.

Questions: How has the blessing of the Lord enriched your life? Would having a lot more money change your answer? In what way? Do you count money among your blessings? Why or why not?

Luke 12:13-15
Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus], "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." (For context, read 12:13-31.)

When a man in the crowd asked Jesus to arbitrate in a family inheritance dispute, Jesus declined. But he used the occasion to make a comment about "the abundance of possessions" and then to bolster it with a parable about a rich man who, upon harvesting a bumper crop, decided he had it made. Unfortunately, the man had not tended to his spiritual needs as well as he had his crops, and that night, he died, unprepared for eternity. The parable shows that Jesus was making a statement about priorities -- and also about handling windfalls.

Where the man in the parable went astray was in believing that now having plenty on hand, he owed nothing to anyone, not even God, for his good fortune. He was materially blessed, but his soul was impoverished.

Questions: Assume you had the opportunity to recommend the reading of Luke 12:13-31 to the Powerball winners. What would you want them to gain from reading it? What do you gain from reading it? If you suddenly came into great wealth, what are the first things you would spend it on? Why? When we make declarations about someone else's money, does this text admonish us or encourage us?

1 Timothy 6:6, 8-9 
… there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; … if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (For context, read 6:2b-11.)

These verses are a statement about values. We don't think they're intended to predict that everyone who wins big materially will necessarily "plunge … into ruin and destruction," but they certainly highlight that possibility, especially where godliness is missing in the person's life. And at least some lottery winners have found that plunge to be part of the consequences of the win.

We recall a comment from the character Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof, where Tevya's future son-in-law compares riches to a curse, and Tevya replies, "May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover." He also sings "If I were a Rich Man," cataloging all the things he would do if he were rich, but the thing he desires most is time to spend in the synagogue talking about the scriptures with the rabbis.

Questions: What is your level of contentment regarding your own life? What do you think are the most accurate predictors of whether a huge windfall will turn out to be a blessing or a curse? How is the nature of the winner's life before the win connected to the effect of the win on his or her life?

John 19:24
So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." (For context, read 19:23-25.)

When it comes to the subject of gambling, there isn't much in the Bible that speaks directly about it. There's no commandment that says, "You shall not buy lottery tickets."

This single incident (reported in all four gospels), is the only biblical example of using a game of chance to win a prize -- Jesus' seamless tunic -- but here, the participants didn't have to invest anything personally. There are several other examples of casting lots in scripture, but in those cases, the activity was not used to gain a prize, but to discover God's will or make a choice (see, for example, Leviticus 16:8; Jonah 1:7; Acts 1:26).

Nonetheless, by looking at the effects of gambling on not only winners and losers, but also on the communities where gambling establishments set up shop, at least some of the verses included in this lesson apply.

Questions: What effects, negative or positive, can you think of related to gambling? What biblical principles speak to those things? Does gambling income to game sponsors, including states, Indian tribes, casino owners and others do any good? How do you know?
When voters have been urged to vote to allow gambling in their states, arguments often include that the income will be used to support schools and other important services. Yet seldom does the addition of gambling revenue result in lowered taxes. Why do you think that is?

Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (For context, read 13:44-45.)

Interesting, here the windfall treasure is a metaphor for the kingdom of God, and Jesus' point is that that kingdom is so valuable for our soul that it's worth giving up everything we have to obtain it. In this context, that is not sacrifice, but a joyful spending of what is worth less to receive that which is worth all. Or as Paul put it in Philippians 3:7, "Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ."

Questions: Here Jesus is telling us that finding him and following him into the kingdom of God is the biggest windfall ever, one that we ought not let get away. What, if anything, convinces you that is true? What makes you doubt that?

Matthew 25:29
For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. (For context, read 25:14-30.)

This passage is from the well-known parable of the talents. A man entrusted his slaves with various amounts of money. The two who received more used what they had in business, and made a fine profit for their master. The one who received the least, however, didn’t even bank the money for interest, but hid it in a hole in the ground.

In this parable about Judgment Day, the master represents God, and the slaves represent people -- represent us. God has given each person wealth "according to his [or her] ability." The wealth is not only monetary, but all our abilities (our word "talents" comes from this parable and the Greek monetary unit talanton used in the parable). The slaves who use their money to gain more for the master are richly rewarded by entering "into the joy" of the master. The slave who ignores and doesn't use what the master has entrusted him, that slave is punished -- cast into "outer darkness."

Each of the three slaves in the parable started with nothing. All they had was what the master had entrusted to them. They were judged not by what they received, but by how they used and increased what they had been given.

Questions: What are some things -- big or small -- that God has entrusted you with? How have you used them? How have you failed to use them? What might you do in the future to better use them?

For Further Discussion

1. Someone who had experienced both sides of the financial street once said, "I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better." Respond to that statement.

2. If you have enough money that you do not have to work, how should you spend your time?

3. According to Wikipedia, "Prior to the 20th century, lotteries were used in New York to raise revenue for non-educational needs. New York City Hall was built in part with lottery proceeds. Other lotteries helped build and repair canals, roads, ferries, and bridges. Lotteries also were held for non-public needs. They helped develop New York City's manufacturing industries. Churches were built, rebuilt, or improved with lottery funds.
     "On November 8, 1966, New Yorkers voted to approve a constitutional amendment authorizing a government-run lottery. The referendum passed with over 60 percent in favor. The proceeds of the lottery were to be "applied exclusively to, or in aid or support of, education."
     In light of that information, respond to this comment from TWW team member Liz Antonson: "The above methods do not strike me as kingdom of God methods to social order."

4. Respond to this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "Mike and Mike, on ESPN radio, talked among themselves and their buddies what they would do if they won the lottery. My question is, what is stopping you from doing those things now? You may not be able to write a million dollar check to your church, but you can tithe what you have." 
     TWW team member Ed Hortsch adds, "People talking about what they would do if they won. What are they doing with their money now? How many people actually tithe 10 percent? Or help someone with a five or a ten when needed? Our help to people doesn't always have to be something big. We should be doing what we can with what we have. After all, whatever we have is from the Lord."

5. Comment on this: For some, the prospect of a windfall apparently can reveal a dark side. For the 1991 book, The Day America Told the Truth, some 2,000 Americans were polled about what they'd be willing to do for $10 million. Below are some of the poll results, but like any poll, it only tells what those who were willing to answer the questions said, and there's no guarantee that they did, in fact, tell the truth. Nonetheless, the following percentages of people polled reportedly said that for $10 million, they'd do the following:

• 25 percent would abandon their church 
• 25 percent would abandon their entire family 
• 23 percent would become prostitutes for a week or more 
• 16 percent would give up their American citizenship 
• 16 percent would leave their spouses 
• 10 percent would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free 
• 7 percent would kill a stranger 
• 3 percent would put their children up for adoption

6. Respond to this, from TWW consultant James Gruetzner: "The lottery has some benefits. It is the only tax that people volunteer to pay, and it is a tax that you don't have to pay. One downside is that many who volunteer to pay the tax are those who can least afford it. Another downside is that it encourages greed, not merely on the part of those buying lottery tickets, but upon the part of politicians and bureaucrats who desire the income from the lottery to increase their own power or fame."

Responding to the News

Consider Psalm 16. If you read it with the idea of having received some kind of sudden good fortune, Psalm 16 is very apropos. Imagine that you have some opportunity where you can throw over all that you have declared important and change your life in a self-centered but profitable way. Or, you can do something else with the opportunity, something where the benefit is shared. And now think of yourself praying about that using the words of Psalm 16, but with some other thoughts (included in parentheses) going on beneath the surface.

1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. (Though I'm considering taking refuge in this expected good fortune.)
2 I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." (But if I use this opportunity as I am considering, I will be separating myself from you.)
3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. (But I won't be among that holy if I do as I am tempted.)
4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. (Will I really multiply my sorrows if I use this windfall for my own good alone?)
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. (Yet here I am, rethinking whether I am going to keep you as my chosen portion. Lord, help me.)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. (But I am tempted to take a chance and step over the boundaries anyway.)
7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. (Yes, Lord, please do give me counsel.)
8 I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. (That's what I would like to be able to say. I don't want this unexpected opportunity to change me from whom I have committed myself to you to be.)
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. (May it be so.)
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. (Even now, O Lord, even in the face of this opportunity for blessing others or caring only about myself, do not give me up to my temptation.)
11 You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Yes, I believe that there is a path of life, a way you have established on solid ground that leads between terrain that is not good to tread upon. You've shown me where that path is. Help me to stay on it.)

Closing Prayer

O God, grant that we might experience the richness of your blessings. Help us to be responsible and righteous in our use of our material blessings. And if we come into great material blessings, help us to go forward with humility and generosity, seeking your leading. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Backstage at the Golden Globes: Sacredness, Responsibility and Looking Into the Human Soul

© 2016 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

Last Sunday, the 73rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony, honoring the best in film and television in 2015, was broadcast live on NBC, with awardees including Jennifer Lawrence, Jon Hamm, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson and others.

The Golden Globes are bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for outstanding achievement in film and television. The broadcast of the awards program is a major part of the film industry's awards season,

For purposes of this lesson, our interest is in the backstage comments of two of this year's winners.

One is Brie Larson, who earned the trophy for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama, for the movie Room, which is a thriller about a young woman and her 5-year-old son held captive for years in an enclosed space, who finally gain their freedom.

Among her comments was this: "The idea of someone sitting in a theater has been very sacred to me. That's how I learned about the world. I feel a great sense of responsibility to tell things as honestly as I can and be as vulnerable as I can."

The other is Laszlo Nemes, who received an award as director of the best foreign film, Son of Saul. That picture tells the story of a Hungarian-Jewish prisoner in a Nazi death-camp who is in a work-unit, burning the dead. One day, he finds the body of a boy he takes for his son. He tries to salvage the body from the flames and find a rabbi to arrange a clandestine burial.

Backstage, Nemes told reporters, "The Holocaust showed us the monster that exists within human beings. It's a constant possibility we can turn into that [monster] once more, and we've seen that genocide is still going on. I think we have to look into the human soul, and cinema can do that in a very visceral way. It's important for future generations to know that history is not just a postcard, it's something that can be here and now."

More on this story can be found at these links:

Backstage at the Golden Globes. Deadline 
Golden Globes: What the Winners Said Backstage. The Hollywood Reporter 
Golden Globe Awards. HFPA 

Applying the News Story

Many earlier cultures, such as the Greeks and the Elizabethans, had vibrant theaters that taught people their history and culture while entertaining folks across class lines. Christians have not always been comfortable with theatrical presentations as a medium (despite the theatricality of the incarnational Word made flesh).

Yet movies and TV are a significant part of our culture, and they do help shape our perception of reality -- sometimes only entertaining us, but sometimes enlightening us and sometimes misleading us. So it's worth our time to consider their impact not only on the general culture, but on us who are part of the church.

The Big Questions

1. Globe winner Brie Larson said that she learned about the world by sitting in a theater. To what degree do you think your perception of reality is shaped by television and movies? On what personal examples do you base your answer?

2. Sometimes movies and television present a story to serve the director's desired narrative -- or even a country's propaganda aims. How do you seek the truth in the face of untruthful movies? How do you know when they're untruthful?

3. Have you ever set a personal goal because of something you'd seen on screen? Has something you've seen in a flick or TV show ever led you to value something in your own life less than you had previously? Why? Is your life better or worse due to on-screen entertainment and storytelling? What play/movie/show has inspired you? Have you made career/ministry decisions based on such inspiration?

4. What, if anything, do the winners of these awards tell us about the shape of our world and humanity in general? Do they inspire hope for humanity? When has something you've seen in a cinematic presentation suggested an area of concern to be addressed by the faith community?

5. If Larson is right, that in her on-screen portrayals, she has a "responsibility to tell things as honestly as I can and be as vulnerable as I can," what does that say about behavior that does not have those goals in mind?

6. Might films such as Son of Saul, which show some of the horror of the Holocaust, help to prevent genocide in other times and places? If so, when has that happened?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Psalm 101:2-3 
I will study the way that is blameless. ... I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; 
I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. ... (For context, read 101:1-4.)

People often complain that there is "nothing" on television, yet most can't tear their eyes away.

As a solution, some Christians look for TV programs and movies that are "Christian" productions. In our experience, those range from great to ham-fisted and heavy-handed.

Questions: Are these verses a good guide for Christians regarding what we watch on screen? Why or why not? Why do some consider popular entertainment base or fallen? What in your opinion constitutes Christian drama? Do you feel obligated to watch "family"-oriented entertainment?

Colossians 2:16-17 (NIV) 
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (For context, read 2:16-19.)

We chose these words from the apostle Paul because of the reference to reality being found in Christ. Paul's point here is that the religious festivals and practices he mentions are only "shadows" of reality. That's a helpful perspective when we consider how we are influenced by stories we see on screen. To the degree that they shape our perception of reality, it's helpful to compare those perceptions to what we know of the way of Christ Jesus and his claim on our lives.

Question: In what sense is your commitment to Christ useful in deciding what course of action, if any, should be taken in your own life regarding things you see on screen that stir you, inspire you, sadden you, gladden you, etc.?

2 Samuel 12:1 
But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD, and the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor." (For context, read 12:1-15.)

Nathan's story about two men is a work of fiction that he used to deliver God's message to King David after the latter had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed. David did not realize that the full story, which you can read in the context verses, was a fiction, and it led David to conclude that the rich man deserved to die. Only then did Nathan tell the king that he (David) was the rich man.

Like movies about the Holocaust or other wrongs, Nathan's story drove home a point to the one who needed to hear it. To paraphrase Laszlo Nemes, Nathan's story showed David the monster that exists within human beings.

From a plot point of view, Nathan's story shows a kind of dark humor. Like anyone who is the butt of a joke, King David is appalled that Nathan's story is about him. But we on the outside see it coming, and this is a real zinger, the sort that's called "Tables Turned." Some Christians are suspicious of comedy because it is so uncontrolled. Comedy is often ribald, rude, and unprincipled, but it can teach a point.

Questions: In essence, are films anything other than an updated way to tell a story? Why or why not? Is film-making itself a morally neutral activity that can become right or wrong depending on the content of the story? What about stories that seem to have no moral?

Matthew 13:34-35 
Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world." (No context needed.)

Questions: In what sense is listening to or viewing a story a sacred privilege (as Larson suggested regarding sitting in a theater)? When is it not a sacred privilege?

Colossians 3:17 
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (For context, read 3:12-17.)

Paul wrote this to the Christians in Colossae.

Questions: How might this verse apply to those who work in the film industry? How might it apply to we who watch the output of that industry?

For Further Discussion

1. When it comes to perception of reality, do groups such as the Amish who avoid movies and television have an advantage or disadvantage over those who do not avoid them? Explain your answer in light of the two perspectives below, both from TWW team members who live near Amish colonies:
     Misty Wintsch comments, "I have an Amish friend who loves to go to the theater with me. She asks me questions on the way home if there is reference to something she doesn't understand. She seems to be far less judgmental about it than some of my own congregants. She sees it all as a learning experience which is also entertaining."
     Frank Ramirez says, "I see Amish, especially women, at the local Round Barn Theatre in Nappanee, Indiana, which presents mostly musicals. Some of them seem to love Plain and Fancy, a musical about the Amish that was written by the same guy who wrote Fiddler on the Roof. In the former case, there's a clash of cultures that ends with accommodation instead of conflict. I think it's up to the local bishop as to whether the Amish may go to the theater or not."

2. Respond to Laszlo Nemes' comment that "It's important for future generations to know that history is not just a postcard, it's something that can be here and now."

3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "I was interested in the fact that one of my favorite movies from last year, The Martian, won awards in the comedy/musical category, though it seemed to be neither. There are many funny moments but then, Hamlet is also one of the funniest plays you'll ever watch, yet it ends up with a bunch of dead bodies. I wonder if we trap people in categories and never consider where they might best serve or be served, and if, like the Golden Globes, we could see people in a different light, one in which they shine."

4. Respond to this, from TWW consultant James Gruetzner: "I try to avoid getting news and opinions from TV, radio, movies, videos, podcasts, and the like. Why? They are very good at manipulating the story -- and one's emotions about events -- and much more difficult to fact-check and to discern where truth gives way to falsehood. (Effectively misleading propaganda always starts with what people know to be true, in order to set the stage.) I can remember coming out of of the movie Breaker Morant feeling an almost visceral hatred for Kitchener, and then thinking, "Really, all I know about the guy is his portrayal in the movie" and finding out that he was a much more complex -- and even admirable at times -- gent than was portrayed. I can also remember frustration at discussing nuclear power with people whose understanding came from the movie The China Syndrome."

5. Can you name a time in history when a speech, a film or a literary work, helped to change our perception of the world in a positive way? Is there a time when a speech, a film or a literary work destroyed reputations, hope or faith? Was there a time in your own life when a cinematic work created a healing for you? Was there a time when you experienced an on-screen presentation as destructive?

6. A movie may present truth or may present what someone involved perceives or desires the truth to be. What are the differences?

Responding to the News

This is a good time to affirm with Paul in Colossians 2:17, that Christ is a key to reality.

Closing Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for all the ways you communicate with us. Help us to be clear eyed, so that we can distinguish what is real from the distortions that life brings us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

'Affluenza' Teen Detained in Mexico; Mother Deported to U.S. and Jailed

© 2016 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

Ethan Couch, 18, who had gained notoriety in the United States due to an "affluenza" defense after killing four people and injuring five others in a drunk-driving accident on June 15, 2013, in Burleson, Texas, has been detained in Mexico. He and his mother Tonya Couch had fled there after a video surfaced that appears to show him at a party where people were drinking. He then missed a mandatory December 10 appointment with his probation officer.

During Couch's trial in juvenile court following the accident, where he was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter and was facing as much as 20 years in prison, his attorneys argued that the teen had "affluenza" and needed rehabilitation instead of prison.

The affluenza diagnosis was supported by a psychologist who testified that Couch, who was 16 at the time, was a rich kid whose parents didn't set limits for him and who thus had been coddled into a sense of irresponsibility.

The New York Times reports that affluenza is a term that dates at least to the 1980s to describe the psychological problems that can afflict children of privilege. However, affluenza is not recognized as a medical diagnosis by the American Psychiatric Association. Nonetheless, it evidently became an effective defense in Couch's case. He was sentenced 10 years probation and therapy in a long-term inpatient facility.

According to Wikipedia, and supported by several cited sources, Couch's parents, who divorced in 2007, "have each had their own run-ins with the law, publicized retrospectively in the media following their son's conviction. [Couch's father] Fred Couch has been charged with criminal mischief, theft by check, and assault, but the charges were dismissed. On August 19, 2014, he was arrested for impersonating a police officer, allegedly displaying a fake badge during a disturbance call. In 2013, Tonya Couch was sentenced to a $500 fine and a six-month community supervision order for reckless driving when she used her vehicle to force another motorist off the road."

Couch and his mother were arrested December 28 in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. His mother has since been deported to Los Angeles, where she is being held on a felony charge of hindering apprehension of a felon. Ethan Couch has been moved to an immigration facility in Mexico City, where he is being detained while details of his deportation are being worked out.

Once back in the United States, Couch could face up to 10 years in prison for violation of his parole.

More on this story can be found at these links:

'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch Detained in Mexico. CNN 
'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch: What Happened? What's Next? HuffPost Crime 
What One Official Says Ethan Couch's Life Is Like in a Mexico Immigration Facility.ABC News 
Teenager's Sentence in Fatal Drunken-Driving Case Stirs 'Affluenza' Debate. New York Times 

The Big Questions

1. Couch is hardly the first teen to violate probation and seek to avoid penalty for doing so. But many people view his violation and flight as especially egregious due to his having received a sentence in his drunk-driving case that has to be considered light when compared to the harm he'd done. Should his violation and flight be judged more harshly as a result? Why or why not?

2. What do you think Jesus would say about the "affluenza" defense? Why? Does a scripture verse come to mind?

3 How does your commitment to Christ inform your thinking about Couch's current situation?

4. We have no information about whether Couch and his mother have a church connection. But in what ways might they benefit from becoming part of a Christian congregation? Why? How would it affect your attitude toward them if they were members of your church?

5. When have you been excused from a penalty that you truly deserved? Did being spared the penalty change you in any way, and if so, how? In what ways did you behave differently as a result of being excused?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Proverbs 22:15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy, but the rod of discipline drives it far away.(No context necessary.)

Regardless of what we may think of too much affluence as a defense for manslaughter, most of us would probably agree that a lack of discipline of some sort in the home (whether literally "the rod" or not) often has a significant bearing on the attitude, sense of entitlement, development of conscience and behavior of those who grow up in that family.

Questions: Regardless of shortcomings in one's upbringing, at what age should those shortcomings no longer be permitted to excuse bad behavior? If a young person receives only a light penalty due to "affluenza," should some penalty therefore be applied to the parents? If Ethan were your child, would that change your answer?
Regarding your own upbringing, do you feel you were treated more harshly than you deserved? More gently? How would you describe the result of your upbringing? How has that affected the way you treat/treated your own children?

Isaiah 5:11-12 
Ah, you who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger in the evening to be inflamed by wine, whose feasts consist of lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine, but who do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands! (For context, read 5:8-23.)

Isaiah 5:8-23 is a condemnation of wrongdoing driven partly by greed, which can be an ingredient of affluence. But verses 11-12 above, while part of the condemnation, refer to pursuing "strong drink" and being "inflamed by wine" as components of a problematic lifestyle.

Certainly in Ethan Couch's case, alcohol was a huge contributor to the deaths and injuries he caused.

Questions: Who was influential on you regarding alcohol use when you were a teen? 
What have you taught your own children about alcohol use? What do you model regarding alcohol use?

Psalm 139:7 
Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? (For context, read 139:1-24.)

Couch, with his mother's help, apparently deliberately fled to avoid penalty for violating the terms of his probation. In the verse above, the psalmist makes a pertinent observation about flight -- that one cannot escape God no matter where one goes.

The problem, of course, is that one may not have been taught to recognize the voice of God.

Questions: When, if ever, did you try to flee from the consequences of your decisions? What was the result? How have you learned to distinguish the voice of God from the noise of desire and the roar of entertainment? What have you taught your children about hearing the voice of God?

Luke 15:13 
A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. (For context, read 15:11-24.)

This verse is part of Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. To the degree that Couch may be a present-day prodigal, it sounds like he's got this part of the parable down pat. though from reports about his parents, it also sounds like he's lacking someone to fill the role of the parabolic father.

We note too that generations of preachers and other Bible readers have seen in this parable both an allegory about running away from God and the fact that God welcomes us when we "come home," no matter how dissolute we have been.

Questions: If you as a Christian could witness to Couch today, what would you say to him? If you could witness to Couch's mother, what would you say to her? What might you say to the young people in your life about Couch's story and about Jesus' parable of the prodigal?
How receptive are you to receiving prodigals in your personal life? Your congregational life? How have people/congregations responded to your straying?

For Further Discussion

1. Discuss this paragraph from the 2013 article in The New York Times (see the links list above), which was published after Couch received the probation sentence: "Prosecutors said they had never heard of a case where the defense tried to blame a young man's conduct on the parents' wealth. And the use of the term [affluenza] and the judge's sentence have outraged the families of those Mr. Couch killed and injured, as well as victim rights advocates who questioned whether a teenager from a low-income family would have received as lenient a penalty."

2. Consider together the following, also from The New York Times article: "Scott Brown, Mr. Couch's lawyer, said that while the word affluenza may have become an object of fascination, it was never at the heart of the case. His client had already pleaded guilty, and the word came up in hearings on punishment. 'I never used the word affluenza, and never would have used such a cute word in such a serious, tragic case,' Mr. Brown said. 'That's just been blown completely out of proportion.'"

3. Also discuss this, from the same article: "Liz Ryan, the president and chief executive of the Campaign for Youth Justice, a group in Washington that advocates for juvenile rehabilitation, said that in a series of recent cases before the Supreme Court and state courts, advances in neuroscience have been applied to questions of crime and punishment for young people. 'They make mistakes, they're prone to impulsive behavior,' Ms. Ryan said. 'And at the same time, they are capable of change.'"

4. Is there an age at which a parent expects their child to take responsibility for their actions, regardless of legal standards? When should one be expected to know right from wrong, if at all? Is there any circumstance in which a parent would not expect their child to take responsibility?

5. If you are a parent, was there a time you protected your child, whom you knew to have committed a wrongdoing, from punishment by an authority figure?

Responding to the News

This is a good time to review and if necessary correct what we are teaching to and modeling for the young people in our lives.

Closing Prayer

O Lord, we ask that you enable Ethan Couch to learn the life lessons that you desire from the consequences of his actions, including the taking of responsibility for them. Help us to reaffirm the same lessons for ourselves, and to teach them to young people with whom we have -- or should have -- influence. In Jesus' name. Amen.