Saturday, July 09, 2022

My Wife, Linny's Angiography Goes Incredibly Wrong in 2019. Here Is The 2022 Update

 

 


My wife, Linny O’Hara, was scheduled for an angiograpy on Friday, October 11th, 2019.

A cardiologist who has been in practice for at least 30 years performed this procedure. He said that he cleared an 80% blockage in a stent that had been placed in her heart in 2016.  The stent had been clogged with plague and naturally occurring tissue.

He also found another blockage, and used a catheter with a balloon to enlarge and remove that blockage.

SHE WAS AWAKE DURING THE ENTIRE PROCEDURE, DESPITE BEGGING TO BE ANESTHETIZED!

After the procedure, the doctor came into the waiting room and told us he had intended to insert the cardiac catheter into Linny's radial artery, but she went into spasms. He had to instead insert the catheter into her femoral artery, which caused the procedure to be extended.

At that time she nor I were not aware of several things. One was, why did she not have anesthesia. We did not know the other issue either, which was in removing the catheter, the guide wire the physician was using had apparently punctured her femoral artery, and this puncture caused bleeding into her the rear of her abdominal perineum to occur.

Apparently doctor was not aware of the fact that he had punctured her artery.  He sent her to cardiac care for overnight observation before releasing her to go home. Which is the routine procedure.

That morning the nurses in the cardiac care unit monitored her blood clotting factor for the next four hours, before removing 'the plug'. This procedure required two nurses to perform. A blood sample from the site was taken and placed on a slide on the electronic device. This occurred multiple times prior to removing the plug.

Later that evening, Linny was still feeling weak and bad. A couple of nurses asked her if she could walk to the bathroom. She made it to the toilet, where she fainted and passed out. An emergency Code Blue was called.

At least 20 doctors, nurses, and lab technicians came running down the hall and into her room. They lifted her off the floor, revived her, and to make a long story short, much lab work was ordered.

After I pointed out that Linny's pain was radiating from her groin, above the incision one of the nurses yelled, "damn, she is bleeding!". As the nurse applied manual pressure to her groin, and it was noted that her blood pressure immediately improved. The head nurse put in a call to the cardiologist. An emergency CT scan was then ordered. That was when the site of the bleeding was discovered.

The order was placed for her to be immediately moved to cardiac ICU. And a vascular specialist was called in for possible emergency surgery. I overheard the nurse's phone conversation. It was late in the evening and he DID NOT want to come in to the hospital. Eventually he relented and showed up.

Over the phone this vascular doctor ordered an unusual tourniquet called a ‘Femostop’. The nurses had to call several different units before one was finally discovered. It was placed on her in the cardiac care unit, prior to her being moved to Cardiac ICU.

This Femostop device was placed around her lower abdomen. It consists of a plastic frame that has a large plastic ball on one side of it, with straps that go around the groin which can be tightened by inflating a manometer similar to that on a blood pressure cuff.   The ball was squeezed into the site in her groin where the cardiologist had made the large incision to insert the heart catheter into the femoral artery. This gave substantially more pressure than a nurse could manually apply.

After being transported to Cardiac ICU, Linny had to wear this device for over 3 hours. By the time I was allowed into the ICU, I found her screaming in absolute agony, and she was naked, wreathing, and out of her mind in pain.

Weeks later, after later reading the literature, I do not believe the device was used following manufacture directions. The manometer was to be inflated to the systolic pressure and gradually deflated. In the ICU, the deflation occurred only after the 3 hour period had ended. Many institutions no longer use this device. However it appeared the hole in her femoral artery developed the desired blood clot.

Late that same evening a male nursing assistant and two male RN's made three unsuccessful attempts to put a 'straight' urinary catheter into her bladder. One RN even announced, "I cannot find the hole". This was not just embarrassing and painful, but intrusive for any woman. And due the trauma caused by the Femostop, and the blood loss made the cauterization incident much worse for Linny. She later developed a urinary tract infection, which was healed by medication.

The next morning a female nurse placed a Foley catheter in Linny without any problems. This achieved the desired results, and the container immediately filed up with almost 5,000 cc's of urine. Anything over 3000 cc's is considered dangerous to the bladder.

All night Friday and most of the day and night on Saturday she was in and out of consciousness. Around 4 am on Sunday morning she was given 2 units of blood, and then she began to perk up. Why did they wait so long?  We will never know.

The next day she was visited by another doctor in the cardiologist practice. Instead of apologizing, he explained that ‘it seemed the guide wire used by the doctor may have punctured her femoral artery. The was a known complication that occasionally occurs’.  I did not respond to the man, but thought, yeah it may occasionally occur to an incompetent careless doctor! 
 
He did not explain anything about us incurring additional medical bills for her extended stay in the intensive care unit caused by the cardiologist error, or why little or no anesthesia was used during the procedure.  Why did that physician say, "You don't need it!"?  Seeing my wife in her semi-conscious state, I was too much in shock when I spoke with this man to ask him the questions that I later should have asked him.

She was released from ICU late on this Sunday afternoon, and moved to a step-down cardiac care unit where she was on Sunday evening October 13th. At that time, we were told a doctor has ordered another CT scan for October 14th, to check that all bleeding has stopped.

But the CT scan was later cancelled and we were told that "It was an expensive, and unnecessary test since her blood pressure is back to normal now, and her blood work shows that she is no longer low on blood". It was just assumed that the bleeding has stopped.

A different doctor visited her on Monday,  October 14th and released her from the hospital later that afternoon. He admonished her to "just take it easy".

On Wednesday, October 16th, that cardiologists office called our home to ask if she was feeling any better. She let them know that she was not, and was unable to do much other than sleep, and it was  now hard for her to breath. They ordered her to go the the emergency room right away.

She arrived at Saint Elizabeth Edgewood's emergency room around noon.  X-rays and blood work were ordered. We overheard a doctor in the hall ask someone, "I'm not going to get involved in a hornets nest for treating her?".  That doctor arrived about an hour later with the results, and stated that Linny had pulmonary embolism in both lungs. She was immediately put on blood thinner. He indicated this was an extremely terrible situation, and it was probably caused by the 'retro-peritoneal' blood that had pooled in her body, which was being absorbed.

Linny spent almost eight hours in the emergency room on intravenous blood thinner, and fluids. She was then transferred to a coronary step-down unit. She was in and out of consciousness during this stay. She was released five days later on Sunday October 20th.

About a week later she was asked to come into the cardiologist office at 380 Centre View Blvd., Crestview Hills, KY 41017 to see Dr. Kami Tehrani. He seemed unaware of the situation. He reviewed her chart, examined her and noted that her blood pressure was very low. He reduced the amount of Carvedilol that she was taking, and suggested that she monitor her blood pressure. She already does this routinely.

Linny was put on Eliquis. The first month was free. However as she is on Medicare, any manufacture discount does not apply. This medicine, with her prescription health insurance would cost around $240 a month, which I was set to pay.  She was seen by our family doctor, Gigi Tcheng in mid-November. Dr. Tcheng had enough samples of Eliquis to give Linny a two month supply. We are very grateful. It was not until weeks afterward were we aware why doctor Tehrani did not glean much from reading her chart.  The cardiologist that botched the procedure had erased all of his clinical notes.

Not only was my wife's life almost prematurely ended by some physician malfeasance, but I had to take off work for over two weeks, without pay, to take care of her.  

On October 11th, 2019, I noted on the surgical procedure board in the outpatient waiting room for the Cauterization Lab well over 60 patients that were having procedures done. I doubt if any of those other patients were injured.

I am grateful that my wife is now on the mend. For anyone reading this, please keep her in your prayers.

UPDATE TO THIS ON 07/10/2022 

There are a few things that I left out of my original account, as well as the update to our lives as of nearly three years after the fact. The doctor that performed the angiograpy in 2019 had obviously suffered from a stroke. His facial feature were distorted; right sided drooping of his eye, and lip. His speech was effected. In short he should have let someone else perform the procedure. He was entirely at fault for causing her harm.

We were associated with his office because our school friend was Linny's doctor and we expected that  he would take care of the procedure. He was one of the best cardiologists in Northern Kentucky. However, Rick’s wife was dying of cancer, and he took a leave of absence from the practice to spend time with her. Rick eventually retired following his wife’s death. His partner took over his practice. 

As a younger man I worked as an Operating Room Technician. I participated in many surgeries, by passing instruments to surgeons, procuring equipment, helping prepare patients for surgery, and transporting patients to the recovery room. I saw first hand who the excellent surgeons were, and who were the also rans. There were actually some of them acted like children who did not get their way or when things went wrong.  I actually recall one of these men physically harming their anesthetized patient. I am reminded f what you call a physician that graduates last on his medical boards; Doctor.

The doctor that performed and botched the angiograpy on my wife was angry and ranting that he could not insert the catheter up her radial (wrist) artery. So he literally ripped that catheter out. Remember that Linny is a registered nurse and was awake through most of this procedure due to inadequate anesthesia. She heard everything. She was causing him extra time in the cardiac categorization lab. 

Make no mistake, this doctor was totally at fault and damn near killed my wife. I have not mentioned his who he is, but you can reach out to me should you want to know his name.  

During her time in the Cardiac Stepdown Unit, when they were watching over her for recovery as I previously noted a nurse got her up to use the bathroom, and she fainted. Well that was not exactly as it seemed. Let me expound.

Due to the fact that she was bleeding internally, my wife briefly died. Linny told me she was out of her body and felt the most wonderful peaceful feeling. She saw thousands of people, although they seemed like shadows, she knew they are all praying for her and touching her. Then she then came back to life when the code was called. She heard a lot of people screaming when she came to. 

I knew none of this until later. I was panicked, paralyzed, praying, and trying to keep out of the way, but I will never forget that moment.

After I initially posted this information on my blogs and on Facebook some of my friends who were attorneys suggested we should file a lawsuit. Our effort to do this was very eye-opening. 

We reached out to one of the best malpractice attorneys in Northern Kentucky. At first he was quite interested. A week later his office called to say he was unavailable due to health issues, but suggested a large firm from Covington, Kentucky. 

We then contacted St. Elizabeth Hospital and obtained all medical records from the hospital, and from the doctor’s practice. We took them to the attorney, the records were copied and we kept the originals. 

About a week later we were informed they did not want to pursue the case for two reasons:

One was that any type of medical procedure incurs an inherent risk of life. We should have known this. 

The second reason is that St. Elizabeth Hospital is THE ONLY hospital in Northern Kentucky. This lawsuit and the doctor’s action would be peer reviewed by the hospital board  in order to go forward. The board would side with their doctor, therefore legal action would be unwinnable. 

A month after this, the first attorney’s office notified us stating that since St. Elizabeth is the only hospital in Northern Kentucky they would prevail. Suing them was a waste of time. 

However it was very interesting that though the hospital records were complete, the cardiologist erased all of his records of doing the procedure.

Linny was stunned at the time. We only had 12 months to pursue a malpractice suit. So we put aside any notion. She had been through enough and did not need further stress. 

However we determined St. Elizabeth cardiologist, at least the ones that took care of Linny, were incompetent. 

She now sees a wonderful doctor at Christ Hospital, Dr. Wojciek Mazur. He is an excellent physician with a great reputation.  Although Linny has experienced a few cardiac episodes since, it is now due to low blood pressure. She has undergone another angiograpy in 2021 and everything checked out fine. 

Now I am the one having health issues, and Linny is taking care of me. I have a rare form on Parkinsonism and have difficulty maintaining my balance and walking. There is no cure. But I am accepting of my condition. I have what I believe is the best neurologist in Northern Kentucky.

Linny is doing great despite of all this and has stepped forward as my care giver. She does many tasks that I did for her and my family for years,

She recently was able to get her drivers license. Best of all, I have the love of my life by my side. For that I am forever grateful.



Sunday, November 28, 2021

FOR THOSE WHO ARE 60 yrs OLD AND ABOVE PLEASE READ THIS.

 

FOR THOSE WHO ARE 60 yrs OLD AND ABOVE PLEASE READ THIS. This is for you. I really like what is said here and am going to try my best to follow it. Thank you to the person who wrote this. May God bless us all as we strive to be a blessing to others at this age, especially to our children. 
🚩Between 60 and death. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital. 
🚩Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet. 
🚩Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don't feel bad spending your money on yourself. You've taken care of them for many years, and you've taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter, and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money. 
🚩Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well, and get your sleep. It's easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you're feeling well. Stay informed. 
🚩Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together. 
🚩Don't stress over the little things. You've already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don't let the past drag you down and don't let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten. 
🚩Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: "A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection." 
🚩Be proud, both inside and out. Don't stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong. 
🚩Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are. 
🚩ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You'll be surprised at what old friends you'll meet. 
🚩Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideas as you, but they are the future and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday's wisdom still applies today. Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. 
🚩Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it'll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you feel older and harder to be around. 
🚩Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live by yourself 
🚩Don't abandon your hobbies. If you don't have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a kitchen garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. 🚩Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven't seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a park. Get out there. 
🚩Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. 
🚩Pains and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of life. 
🚩If you've been offended by someone – forgive them. If you've offended someone-apologize. Don't drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn't matter who was right. Someone once said: "Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die." Don't take that poison. Forgive, forget, and move on with your life. 
🚩Laugh. Laugh away your worries Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. My valued friends, enjoy peaceful life at this point in your life ... Don't worry... be happy.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Hollywood Squares Chuckles


Q . Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?  
A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness! (The audience laughed so long and so hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!) 

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it? 
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn’t neglected. 

Q. Do female frogs croak? 
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough. 

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be? 
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it. 

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years? 
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes. 

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman? 
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake. 

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married? 
A. Rose Marie: No, wait until morning. 

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older? 
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency. 

Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'? 
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment. 

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking? 
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget. 

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather? 
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily. 

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year? 
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries. 

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score? 
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy. 

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet? 
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom. 

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls? 
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out. 

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do? 
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark? 

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to? 
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark. 

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people? 
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army. 

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do? 
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth. 

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they? 
A. Charley Weaver: His feet. 

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed? 
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh.

Sunday, November 21, 2021

Mike Wilshire - My Friend - Church Pastor - 1949 to October 16, 2021

 

 

I was once told that when you remember someone that has died, the most important thing is that hyphen. They were born, and they died, but that hyphen - represents what they did with their life. Mike Wilshire had a wonderful hyphen!

Me at 19, on the left
 with the guitar


I became a Christian when I was 18 years old. I had played guitar for five years in high school bands. I studied music. So I decided I could write some songs, and I wrote at least a dozen or so pretty good songs. 





I once went to an event called Spiritual Revolution Day that occurred in March of 1971 and met a lot of like minded Christians. At the time they were called, “Jesus Freaks”. They had a similar experience as I did. They were searching for answers and found them in God’s Word; 
The Bible.






The Jesus Movement

The media called this The Jesus Movement. Looking back, it was the Fourth Great Awakening of The Holy Spirit. In my opinion in this diverse age where everything is tied up in politics, racial divides, and justification of sexual identity we could sure use a Fifth Great Awakening.  I have no doubt it will come.

I was able to travel around to churches, coffee houses, and events and share my songs and thoughts and listen to those of other Christians. One afternoon I went to a local park that had a band shell where outdoor concerts were occasionally held. Two guys were playing music there and that is where I met Mike Wilshire and Blainey Shepherd. 

Mike Wilshire -
Photo by Paul Niehaus
 
Here were two young guys, each playing a Martin guitar and singing the most marvelous Christian songs that I have ever heard. Their two part harmonies were unlike nothing I had heard before. So I had to go meet them when they were done. They were so nice. Blaine was relatively shy, but Mike was very outspoken. 

I later saw them at prayer meetings, and some other places where local Christian artists could perform. I pretty much have learned to play guitar by watching and listening to other players, so I was able to learn some of Mike's songs and added them to my repertoire. One song called "Make Me Over" had the most interesting chord changes. It started in D major, the went to D# major, and resolved back to D major in just a few short bars. 

I shared it once in a song writing class and the teacher brought his teacher in just to hear it.

Sally and Mike Wilshire

I eventually got to meet Mike’s wife, Sally Wilshire. Sally grew up in Virginia, and you could sure tell by her lovely Southern draw. It just radiated from them that both Mike and Sally were very special souls. Their love of God and sweet spirits just shown through. And they were both hungry to learn more too. 

I was invited to their home. They were living in an upstairs bedroom at Mike’s mother’s house.  His mother and sisters occupied the lower floor.

The Denems
I learned that Mike had been in a band in high school called The Denems. They had to misspell the band's name since there was another group with a similar name. Mike sang and played bass guitar in this band. 

The band's drummer was a guy named Steve Belew. One summer Steve became very ill and his father bought him a guitar that he could noodle around on while he was bedridden. Steve became VERY GOOD on the guitar. 

Belew then joined a band named Adrian. That band didn’t last long, but Steve liked the name so much that he changed his own name to Adrian Belew. He became so good that he was hired by a few artists and got his break by touring with Frank Zappa and David Bowie. You might have heard of him. But I digress. 

Another friend’s brother eventually replaced Mike Wilshire in the Denems as the bass guitarist after Mike left.

Mike had left high school at age 15 and ran away from home to start playing in bands in NYC that were managed by the mob. He played in bands that toured with little Richard and Jimi Hendrix, before Jimi was “Jimi Hendrix” and not yet famous. Jimi was just little Richard’s guitar player on the road. 




1970 Hippy Commune
Mike Wilshire eventually became the leader of a hippie commune in Virginia Beach in the late 60’s early 70’s where he relentlessly searched for truth in any and all eastern religions and new age Edgar Cayce teachings. 

He met and married Sally during the time at that commune. But nothing he did ever rang true until he encountered the God of the Bible, and that changed his trajectory forever. 

After he and Sally dedicated their lives to God they attended a large congregation in Virginia Beach called Rock Church. 

A friend of mine who has pastored a few churches and was the drummer for the Christian band, Prodigal tells his story about Mike. 

Dave Workman
Pastor Dave Workman recalled that when he was in the 11th grade he rehearsed with Mike Wilshire and Blainey Shepherd. He said they were trying to work out Honky Tonk Woman, and Don’t Let Me down. (I know that Wilshire was fond of Beatles songs. Mike had once told me he taught his son Beatle songs and their chord changes).  However this young trio broke up before it ever got started. 

Dave went on to play drums in the band I have mentioned, "Adrian", and recorded a few songs at The Fifth Floor Studios in downtown Cincinnati. The bass player later left to play in a Pittsburgh band called Borrowed Thyme. The group members moved to Kentucky. 

Dave Workman said he was invited to audition for Borrowed Thyme. Their main guitar player at the time was Sid McGinnis, who went on to be a session guitarist in NYC and play in the Dave Letterman Show band.  The other guitarist was J.P. Pennington who went to Nashville and became a record producer. One of his big hits was with the band Exile. It was called Kiss You All Over. 

Dave was passed over at the audition.

So Workman found himself one day in Kentucky hitch hiking when Mike Wilshire stopped and picked him up and started sharing his faith. Workman said he thought this was sort of cute and totally weird, but it bothered him. He continued to think about Mike's words.

Prodigal (band) 1975 
Dave Workman said he found a job playing drums with a Cincinnati bar band and living in a house with the guys in the band. After a series of events that included getting high and then seeing The Exorcist, Dave turned to The Lord. The band didn’t want a Jesus Freak living with them and split up. 

Workman got a job at a local department store called Swallen's, and it was there he bumped into Mike Wilshire again. Mike asked him what Bible he was reading. Dave, not knowing there was more than one translation or version simply said, “A white one.” Mike suggested he get The Living Bible, which was quite popular at the time. It was conveniently available at Swallen's. 

Since those days Dave Workman has been a Christian drummer and a pastor for at least 50 years now at a few churches and now has his own ministry called Elemental Churches. He is married to a wonderful lady. 

After Mike Wilshire and his wife Sally had a baby they decided to move back to Virginia Beach. This was around 1974. 


By then Rock Church had started a Bible College. Mike and Sally both attended and graduated. I believe Mike was an associate pastor for awhile at this church.




In 1976 Mike and Sally started their own church called Cornerstone Church in Roanoke, Virginia.




Sally and Mike Wilshire

They were co-pastors at the church for over 30 years. During that time Mike’s health deteriorated. I believe he had contracted a terrible disease called histoplasmosis, which is a severe fungal infection that can have adverse effects on a person’s lungs, and sometimes even result in blindness. It was so bad for Mike that he underwent a double-lung transplant some time in 1995.  It is truly a miracle that he recovered and was able to go back to preaching and pastoring his church. 

Mike Wilshire
Over the years, Mike was a wonderful pastor and truly beloved by his congregation. He loved The Lord and it showed. 

Mike Wilshire passed away this past October 16th at the age of 72. He leaves behind his wife Sally, and son Micah. 

Sally is the pastor emeritus of the congregation, and son Micah went on to a career in music. Micah did some recording and then started a band called Wilshire, and later became a record producer in Nashville. 

I have to say that during my brief time spent, during my youth, with Mike and Sally, I truly learned so much about being a Christian, a guitarist (I started to learn finger style guitar from him), and later on about being a married man. Both Mike and Sally were such an inspiration and I doubt they ever realized the impact they had on this man's life.

Micah Wilshire

Recently his son Micah wrote, “My dad was called home to heaven Saturday night at the age of 72. (Michael Wesley Wilshire). But I didn’t lose him. He was just upgraded. I know God smiled when he entered heaven and told him “well done thou good and faithful servant”. 

"The last 26 years of his 72 were wrapped in physical struggle after his double lung transplant... then later congestive heart failure, loss of one kidney and functioning on 30% of the last one. He was the toughest man I’ve known. 

He was a pastor for 33 years. He positively affected thousands of lives directly and indirectly. He shepherded with humility, grace and with an intellect I’ve only seen once. But before that he was a drugged out hippie musician.

He taught me everything I know about music. How to sing, play drums, guitar and bass, and how to write. And most importantly how to navigate through this world and know the one true God. I’m beyond thankful. I love you dad."

Mike Wilshire's Celebration - His Favorite Song by Don Moen
"When It's All Been Said and Done"


Well done thou good and faithful servant.

Saturday, September 04, 2021

An Underground Church In Kabul Afghanistan Has Been Martyred

 


An “Underground Church” in Kabul, Afghanistan is now at home with the Lord. 🙏🏽 

“We received news that the underground church in Kabul Afghanistan has been martyred. 

Our friends have been in contact and met together last night in deep prayer. The last words she spoke were, “We feel your prayers because this supernatural boldness came over us and we were singing in the Spirit even the kids said mom we will not deny Jesus.

 As they were on the phone they heard screaming and gun shots. God is so powerful they went to be with the Creator filled with joy. We will be fasting tomorrow for the churches.” This is from Ismael Montoya,  evangelist, missionary, and CEO of Christian Brigades.


Happy Birthday In Heaven, Dear Julianne!

 


On this September 1st of 2021 I wish my sister, Julianne, a Happy Birthday in Heaven. You were taken away so quickly and unexpectedly. I hope that you have been reunited with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Auntie, and Dad's mother that you never knew.

In Julianne's loving memory, my wife and I had a memorial bench with plaque installed in front of the Day Care Center where Julianne worked for decades and was such a blessing to multiple generations. 

To visit, go to Child Development Play-Care, 23 E Villa Pl, Ft. Thomas, KY. This is located off South Ft. Thomas Ave., behind St. Thomas School, across the parking lot from St. Thomas Church. 

Linny and I would also like to give a huge “Thank You” to Linda Stapleton Slone and her husband Lonnie for all their help in getting the bench and having the plaque installed. We couldn’t have done it without them. GOD bless you!

Saturday, April 17, 2021

The Jesus Movement

 

The Jesus Movement

It has been 50 years since we experienced The Jesus Movement, so here are some of my thoughts on that wonderful time from a Cincinnati area guy’s perspective. 

The Jesus Movement was the Fourth Great Awakening of The Holy Spirit and to those that experienced it, it was life changing.  In it's simplest form, it was God, His Son Jesus, and The Holy Spirit moving throughout the world. 


D-Day in Cincinnati was March 27th of 1971 when an event called  Spiritual Revolution Day occurred. Now fifty years later I can reflect on this event and the impact it had on my life. 

I was only 18 years old and still in high school. I began wearing a cross, and carrying my Bible with me so I could read it in my free time. At the time I was ridiculed for being A Jesus Freak.  But as a friend of mine wrote in a song, "I just want to be a Jesus Freak for the rest of my life."  Although I am now approaching 70 years of age, I am still a Jesus Freak.


Back then the leaders of the movement that I encountered seemed so old, but truth be told they were probably no more than ten years older than me. I was fortunate to become involved with people that were dedicated to Bible study and building each other up through teaching, prayer, and sharing their faith. I miss those people and those sweet days.

Cincinnati Christian University
I played guitar, sang and wrote some songs that I was able to play for others which people seemed to enjoy. This took me to some places I never expected to go. Many of my friends at the time were going to or had attended Bible Colleges. Due to circumstances I was unable to follow that path, but tried to make up by reading and studying on my own. 

Now for some thoughts on those days that I am writing in these early morning hours.

The Jesus Movement
As stated, the Jesus Movement was Jesus moving across the United States, like a mighty wind, from the West Coast to the East Coast and then across the sea to the rest of the world. During this era we were entrenched in a terrible war. We watched the nightly news and witnessed the carnage. The death toll was much like that of today's pandemic. Young men were forcibly drafted into the military. Many did not want to go and fled to Canada, where they were branded as Draft Dodgers. Others were conscience objectors (to war) and refused to participate. 

During this time a cultural movement for peace and love sprang up, although that movement eventually succumbed, because the free love came with a price, and the peace marches sometimes resulted in violence. I believe that in this time the cries from God’s people were heard which resulted in The Lord God taking pity on us and sending His Holy Spirit to show us His real peace. This was The Jesus Movement. It happened then and it will happen again. Of that I am certain. 

Cincinnati Jesus Paper
And we started with sincere hearts. But as in the parable of the sower, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. The words of Jesus mirror life. I have friends from that blessed time that love The Lord and have blossomed, but I also have friends that have gone on to reject God and His Love. Which brings me to this observation. 

Of the people I encountered fifty years ago, one archetype I ran across I call  "The Crusader." Thankfully I only ran into a couple people that fit this category. During those days they rose up as leaders and seemed to sink their whole being into the cause of The Jesus Movement. I followed a few of these men.  And yes, I know there were women that fit this description. I met some later in life when I was wise enough to avoid them.

In my case, as my life moved forward. I married, had children, and this took precedent over the Bible study and prayer groups and those that I had befriended and even lived with in the past. 



Spiritual Revolution Day
However there were times when I missed my friends and returned to visit them or attend an old friend's wedding. It was then I  encountered these men that I had not seen for a few years. In each case I found that they had moved on from The Jesus Movement to other causes that they now embraced, putting in that very same fervor to the new crusade just like they put into the cause as leaders in The Jesus Movement. And of course they were very vocal in these new their new found schemes.  As usual they had to be the center of attention. It was most eye-opening. I now avoid them and pity them.

A second observation is that The Jesus Movement was evangelistic and a number of groups involved felt they had the handle on salvation. It was their way or the highway. They could not buy into the concept that God might be bigger than their particular box they put him in. These folks had it all figured out.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, the biggest  problem with the Jesus Movement was people. In most every synagogue on Shabbis, the words to Psalm 133 are sung.  Hine ma Tov u'ma-nayim, Shevet akh-im gam ya-chad, Hine mah Tov umah naʿiym sheveth aḥ-iym gam ya-ḥadh. Translated this is "Behold how good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity." Our youthful minded goal at the time was for this to happen. But denominational prejudice and bone-headed leadership got in the way.


Spiritual Revolution Day
Cincinnati
I became involved with a church that most all of my friends at the time attended.  We were young and lead by a young pastor that was steeped in his denomination’s views. One Sunday my wife had spoken up, without his permission, and invited people to come to our home for Bible study and ‘intercessory prayer’. 

The pastor took this as an affront to his theology. He let me know in all certain terms that my wife was being too Catholic, and I had better straighten her out or else. 

Since I refused to "straighten her out", the “or else” occurred shortly after this encounter when her, myself, and my children were shunned by that church and given The Left Boot Of Fellowship. It hurt for many years. 

I am sure that some of the people that went to the church were probably not aware that this ever  happened. So much for brotherhood, and unity when a person's inherent perspective of what Christianity should look like butts heads with the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 22:36-40.

My take-away from this, after years of pain, is if they do not want me or my wife or my family than they do not deserve our friendship and it is their loss. Heck, I am a great guy! 

In hindsight I can now also see it was a blessing because I do not want to be confined to a group that adheres to the belief in a God that is confined only to their own parameters. Through the years I have been blessed in my life to encounter many diverse people, churches, and groups that I believe came from the seed that fell on good soil. 

Spiritual Revolution Day
Cincinnati
 
Another observation is that we were young and making it up as we went along. We were Free Range Christians hoping to do the right thing. We felt the need to save the world, and share our new found love and joy.  As Larry Norman put it, "There's an underground church and it's following Jesus and hoping to meet people's needs. But we don't have the time to build nice little churches. We're holding our church in the street." At the time we didn't appreciate the fact that some institutions probably had their starts by experiencing what we were experiencing. We were distrustful of many of those mainstream churches. 


During this era there was also a big push for Christian books. that were valuable, and there were many fine authors that shared their knowledge.  However this could not replace the wisdom of Scripture. I had a dear friend that confided in me that she read just about every Christian book that came down the pike, but seldom studied The Bible. That was sad. In 2015 the biggest chain of Christian book stores went out of business.






The same can be said for the Christian music business.  There were so many great singers and songwriters that came out of that era. The trouble is that when Christian music becomes business, what is emphasized by that industry is BUSINE$$. This is not the reason most all of those folks began singing and sharing their songs. I know of several artists that got thoroughly and bitterly trounced by record companies, who controlled the rights to songs that they had written.


  

TBN and CBN
and their campuses
I also recall a time also when I was told there was going to be a Christian television network that would be on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  At the time, as a young believer I thought Wow that was incredible. There were at least two of these networks, and though they are still on the air, they too have put God in their own little box and are serving up their own brand of Christianity to us. In my opinion they have become pathetic.

Another observation is that as the movement grew we were being peddled the latest new thing. For example some Christians and churches believed you had be be totally immersed to be baptized. Other churches merely sprinkled you with some water. I know of one denomination that had to immerse a new believer three times underwater before they received salvation. 

My first baptism occurred on the night I accepted Jesus at a Methodist church revival. I walked out the door, then came back and asked if I could be baptized. The pastor sprinkled me with some water.. A few months later at Spiritual Revolution Day my girlfriend (now my wife) and I went to the Ohio River and were baptized. Many years later when I thought about joining a church in a new city where I was working they demanded I be baptized again since there were no records.  I decided twice was enough and did not join. 

At this time in my life I find this to be inconsequential. I am sad that there are churches and denomination that dwell on such points. 

Another event that arose out of that era, although not new, was speaking and praying in tongues. It grew in popularity for a while and became quite controversial for those that opposed the practice due to their interpretation of scripture. It caused derision within Christianity, which is never a good thing. And that is a shame. I am of the opinion that we need to work out our own salvation and follow the path on which God leads us. Why do we dwell on the minutiae? Behold how good and how pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity.


Perhaps it was the emphasis of speaking in tongues that lead many people from The Jesus Movement to The Charismatic Movement. Although actually The Charismatic Movement actually had it's start during the Third Great Awakening and the Azuza Street Revival in 1906. I believe the new Charismatic Movement possibly signaled the end of The Jesus Movement. It is sad that this a division over speaking in tongues quite possibly fractured The Jesus Movement and our First Love. But I believe other factors were involved, including the fact that most of us just matured in our lives and in our faith.


Spiritual Revolution Day
Cincinnati 1971

But that is OK. For those of us who lived and participated in The Jesus Movement we enjoyed the blessing of that time by celebrating our second birth and childhood in The Spirit of The Lord. We then grew up to become adults. We were all quite young at the time. Hopefully the seed fell on good soil and blossomed and we still feel called to be Christians and trust God's Word.  I have always been sad that my children did not get to experience the joys of that time. 

Wednesday, October 07, 2020

Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit

 

Excerpted from an article in Brain Picking written by Maria Popova.  She wrote it, and I am sharing it for your edification.


In view of the fact that we are in the midst of the "Silly Season" aka presidential elections, I think it appropriate to post Carl Sagan's 9 Rules for Bull-shit busting and Baloney Detection.

In his book, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, he states, "Through their training, scientists are equipped with what Sagan calls a “baloney detection kit” — a set of cognitive tools and techniques that fortify the mind against penetration by falsehoods: The kit is brought out as a matter of course whenever new ideas are offered for consideration. If the new idea survives examination by the tools in our kit, we grant it warm, although tentative, acceptance. If you’re so inclined, if you don’t want to buy baloney even when it’s reassuring to do so, there are precautions that can be taken; there’s a tried-and-true, consumer-tested method."

Sagan goes stating, "The kit, isn’t merely a tool of science — rather, it contains invaluable tools of healthy skepticism that apply just as elegantly, and just as necessarily, to everyday life. By adopting the kit, we can all shield ourselves against clueless guile and deliberate manipulation." 


Now that we are rapidly approaching the culmination of the election season and subsequent manipulation of the media's version of reality, I thought it might be worthwhile to present Dr. Sagan's method of detecting falsehoods, half-truths, and essential horse pucky that we are being fed from all sides.


So here are Sagan's rules for critical thinking in a world of deceit, baloney that can be utilized when evaluating candidates, religious leaders and pundits that would make P.T. Barnum proud.

1. Wherever possible there must be independent confirmation of the “facts.”

2. Encourage substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents of all points of view.

3. Arguments from authority carry little weight — “authorities” have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts.

4. Spin more than one hypothesis. If there’s something to be explained, think of all the different ways in which it could be explained. Then think of tests by which you might systematically disprove each of the alternatives. What survives, the hypothesis that resists disproof in this Darwinian selection among “multiple working hypotheses,” has a much better chance of being the right answer than if you had simply run with the first idea that caught your fancy.

5. Try not to get overly attached to a hypothesis just because it’s yours. It’s only a way station in the pursuit of knowledge. Ask yourself why you like the idea. Compare it fairly with the alternatives. See if you can find reasons for rejecting it. If you don’t, others will.

6. Quantify. If whatever it is you’re explaining has some measure, some numerical quantity attached to it, you’ll be much better able to discriminate among competing hypotheses. What is vague and qualitative is open to many explanations. Of course there are truths to be sought in the many qualitative issues we are obliged to confront, but finding them is more challenging. If there’s a chain of argument, every link in the chain must work (including the premise) — not just most of them.

7. Occam’s Razor. This convenient rule-of-thumb urges us when faced with two hypotheses that explain the data equally well to choose the simpler.

9. Always ask whether the hypothesis can be, at least in principle, falsified. Propositions that are untestable, unfalsifiable are not worth much. Consider the grand idea that our Universe and everything in it is just an elementary particle — an electron, say — in a much bigger Cosmos. But if we can never acquire information from outside our Universe, is not the idea incapable of disproof? You must be able to check assertions out. Inveterate skeptics must be given the chance to follow your reasoning, to duplicate your experiments and see if they get the same result.

Just as important as learning these helpful tools, however, is unlearning and avoiding the most common pitfalls of common sense. Reminding us of where society is most vulnerable to those, Sagan writes:

"In addition to teaching us what to do when evaluating a claim to knowledge, any good baloney detection kit must also teach us what not to do. It helps us recognize the most common and perilous fallacies of logic and rhetoric. Many good examples can be found in religion and politics, because their practitioners are so often obliged to justify two contradictory propositions."



He admonishes against the twenty most common and perilous ones — many rooted in our chronic discomfort with ambiguity — with examples of each in action:






ad hominem — Latin for “to the man,” attacking the arguer and not the argument (e.g., The Reverend Dr. Smith is a known Biblical fundamentalist, so her objections to evolution need not be taken seriously)

argument from authority (e.g., President Richard Nixon should be re-elected because he has a secret plan to end the war in Southeast Asia — but because it was secret, there was no way for the electorate to evaluate it on its merits; the argument amounted to trusting him because he was President: a mistake, as it turned out)

argument from adverse consequences (e.g., A God meting out punishment and reward must exist, because if He didn’t, society would be much more lawless and dangerous — perhaps even ungovernable. Or: The defendant in a widely publicized murder trial must be found guilty; otherwise, it will be an encouragement for other men to murder their wives)

appeal to ignorance — the claim that whatever has not been proved false must be true, and vice versa (e.g., There is no compelling evidence that UFOs are not visiting the Earth; therefore UFOs exist — and there is intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe. Or: There may be seventy kazillion other worlds, but not one is known to have the moral advancement of the Earth, so we’re still central to the Universe.) This impatience with ambiguity can be criticized in the phrase: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

special pleading, often to rescue a proposition in deep rhetorical trouble (e.g., How can a merciful God condemn future generations to torment because, against orders, one woman induced one man to eat an apple? Special plead: you don’t understand the subtle Doctrine of Free Will. Or: How can there be an equally godlike Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in the same Person? Special plead: You don’t understand the Divine Mystery of the Trinity. Or: How could God permit the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — each in their own way enjoined to heroic measures of loving kindness and compassion — to have perpetrated so much cruelty for so long? Special plead: You don’t understand Free Will again. And anyway, God moves in mysterious ways.)

begging the question, also called assuming the answer (e.g., We must institute the death penalty to discourage violent crime. But does the violent crime rate in fact fall when the death penalty is imposed? Or: The stock market fell yesterday because of a technical adjustment and profit-taking by investors — but is there any independent evidence for the causal role of “adjustment” and profit-taking; have we learned anything at all from this purported explanation?)

observational selection, also called the enumeration of favorable circumstances, or as the philosopher Francis Bacon described it, counting the hits and forgetting the misses (e.g., A state boasts of the Presidents it has produced, but is silent on its serial killers)

statistics of small numbers — a close relative of observational selection (e.g., “They say 1 out of every 5 people is Chinese. How is this possible? I know hundreds of people, and none of them is Chinese. Yours truly.” Or: “I’ve thrown three sevens in a row. Tonight I can’t lose.”)

misunderstanding of the nature of statistics (e.g., President Dwight Eisenhower expressing astonishment and alarm on discovering that fully half of all Americans have below average intelligence);

inconsistency (e.g., Prudently plan for the worst of which a potential military adversary is capable, but thriftily ignore scientific projections on environmental dangers because they’re not “proved.” Or: Attribute the declining life expectancy in the former Soviet Union to the failures of communism many years ago, but never attribute the high infant mortality rate in the United States (now highest of the major industrial nations) to the failures of capitalism. Or: Consider it reasonable for the Universe to continue to exist forever into the future, but judge absurd the possibility that it has infinite duration into the past);

non sequitur — Latin for “It doesn’t follow” (e.g., Our nation will prevail because God is great. But nearly every nation pretends this to be true; the German formulation was “Gott mit uns”). Often those falling into the non sequitur fallacy have simply failed to recognize alternative possibilities;

post hoc, ergo propter hoc — Latin for “It happened after, so it was caused by” (e.g., Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila: “I know of … a 26-year-old who looks 60 because she takes [contraceptive] pills.” Or: Before women got the vote, there were no nuclear weapons) meaningless question (e.g., What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? But if there is such a thing as an irresistible force there can be no immovable objects, and vice versa)

meaningless question (e.g., What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? But if there is such a thing as an irresistible force there can be no immovable objects, and vice versa)

excluded middle, or false dichotomy — considering only the two extremes in a continuum of intermediate possibilities (e.g., “Sure, take his side; my husband’s perfect; I’m always wrong.” Or: “Either you love your country or you hate it.” Or: “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem”)

short-term vs. long-term — a subset of the excluded middle, but so important I’ve pulled it out for special attention (e.g., We can’t afford programs to feed malnourished children and educate pre-school kids. We need to urgently deal with crime on the streets. Or: Why explore space or pursue fundamental science when we have so huge a budget deficit?);

slippery slope, related to excluded middle (e.g., If we allow abortion in the first weeks of pregnancy, it will be impossible to prevent the killing of a full-term infant. Or, conversely: If the state prohibits abortion even in the ninth month, it will soon be telling us what to do with our bodies around the time of conception); *NOTE: These are Sagan's thoughts, not mine as I believe abortion is wrong.

confusion of correlation and causation (e.g., A survey shows that more college graduates are homosexual than those with lesser education; therefore education makes people gay. Or: Andean earthquakes are correlated with closest approaches of the planet Uranus; therefore — despite the absence of any such correlation for the nearer, more massive planet Jupiter — the latter causes the former)

straw man — caricaturing a position to make it easier to attack (e.g., Scientists suppose that living things simply fell together by chance — a formulation that willfully ignores the central Darwinian insight, that Nature ratchets up by saving what works and discarding what doesn’t. Or — this is also a short-term/long-term fallacy — environmentalists care more for snail darters and spotted owls than they do for people)

suppressed evidence, or half-truths (e.g., An amazingly accurate and widely quoted “prophecy” of the assassination attempt on President Reagan is shown on television; but — an important detail — was it recorded before or after the event? Or: These government abuses demand revolution, even if you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs. Yes, but is this likely to be a revolution in which far more people are killed than under the previous regime? What does the experience of other revolutions suggest? Are all revolutions against oppressive regimes desirable and in the interests of the people?)

weasel words (e.g., The separation of powers of the U.S. Constitution specifies that the United States may not conduct a war without a declaration by Congress. On the other hand, Presidents are given control of foreign policy and the conduct of wars, which are potentially powerful tools for getting themselves re-elected. Presidents of either political party may therefore be tempted to arrange wars while waving the flag and calling the wars something else — “police actions,” “armed incursions,” “protective reaction strikes,” “pacification,” “safeguarding American interests,” and a wide variety of “operations,” such as “Operation Just Cause.” Euphemisms for war are one of a broad class of reinventions of language for political purposes. Talleyrand said, “An important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public”)

Sagan concludes with a necessary disclaimer:



"Like all tools, the baloney detection kit can be misused, applied out of context, or even employed as a rote alternative to thinking. But applied judiciously, it can make all the difference in the world — not least in evaluating our own arguments before we present them to others."