The Foolish Immorality of Sean Penn

If you were given the opportunity to meet with a vicious criminal, a drug dealing murderer responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, a recent prison escapee who was a fugitive from justice and who had recently escaped from prison, what would you do?

If you are Sean Penn, you covertly accept the invitation and evade detection in order to meet with the man. You pose for pictures shaking his hand and write a story for a national magazine. You then give the criminal the final edit of the story so he can be sure he is portrayed in a favorable light.

And, because you are Sean Penn, you can be certain that you will face no criminal charges and will suffer no damage to your reputation or future acting opportunities as a result of your arrogance. In the western world, rules and laws are for the little people, not for celebrities.

As I read the story of Mr. Penn’s interview with the Mexican drug lord El Chapo I wondered how we arrived at such a place in our society. I am not so naïve as to expect perfection from famous people but I did expect them to possess some form of a moral compass, to care at least a little about being at least a little bit truthful or nice. I did not think that even the most low-life of celebrities would be supportive ofthe mass murdering head of adrug cartel.

I guess I was foolishly optimistic. I should have known that a man who had been fawned over for his entire adult life and whose talent gave him access to world leaders and power brokers would think he was entitled to meet with anyone he wanted for any reason at any time. Sean Penn was curious as to how a man like El Chapo came to be and his curiosity was all that mattered. Curiosity was more important than justice and fairness or right and wrong.

As I read about Penn and El Chapo the thought occurred to me that we may have cultivated a generation of Sean Penns. Many young people I meet are driven by personal desire more than they are by a moral code. There is no sense of duty to society as a whole orto anyone else individually. This is why so many in the current generation feel comfortable building up massive debt they do not plan to repay, using illegal drugs without regard for the law or future physical harm, orlying in order to get a job they want or a sexual partner they desire. Wanting something is what matters and when something is wanted there is no need to consider if it is right or wrong.

This type of thinking is the natural outcome of the post-modern thinking that dominates the modern world, a philosophy that denies the existence of absolute truth or a transcendent moral code. When we throw away external standards, when every person decides for themselves what is right and wrong, it should not surprise us if we are surrounded by fools like Sean Penn.

While there is nothing I can do to impact Mr. Penn's thinking, I am not hopeless. I have raised children who know the difference between right and wrong and I do all I can to remind others that absolute truth exists, that there is a God and that He has communicated His moral code to mankind. (I have even written a book about it!) The lie of post modernism needs to be exposed, countered and attacked. When truth is lost, only foolishness remains.

- Bart

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Photo by Seher Sikandar for rehes creative licensed through creative commons 

The Responsibility Leaders Avoid

In any job or position there are duties that are challenging and difficult. The temptation to set these tasks aside or to only partially complete them is difficult to resist. It is difficult, but for those in leadership it is important. 

One of the most challenging responsibilities of a leader is the need to discipline or rebuke a member of the leadership team who is failing. Whether the failure be work related or a matter of morality, leadership failures can do great harm to an organization. Allowing such failures to continue is inexcusable. It is inexcusable but it is unfortunately common.

This failure to address sin in leadership is not a recent phenomenon. There are stories of leadership failures dating back hundreds of years. A particularly sad tale of such failure can be found in the Biblical book of 1 Samuel. There we read of a man named Eli who was the chief priest for the nation of Israel. His two sons were serving as priests under him. His sons were immoral men who stole from the offerings brought by the people and who had multiple affairs with the women who served in the tent of meeting.

Multiple reports came to Eli telling him of his son’s terrible deeds. Eli spoke to his sons about their behavior. He told them that he had heard of their sin and how news of it was spreading among the people. He warned them that God would judge them for their actions. Unfortunately, Eli did nothing but talk. He did not remove his sons from their positions of authority or punish them for their deeds. Ultimately Eli and his sons paid for their sins with their lives and the nation suffered tragic defeat at the hands of its enemies. Thousands died.

I have seen similar failures in multiple settings in medical organizations and in churches. I served for a year in a leadership position for a large hospital in Orange County. I watched first hand as the CEO intentionally misled and manipulated others. I soon learned that the instances I had seen were not isolated. Medical staffs leaders and hospital employees related similar tales of promises broken and respect lost. In conversation after conversation people expressed the same question, "How could the Board of Directors not see what was happening?" The greater fear was that the Board did see but was refusing to act. The CEO moved on (he was actually promoted!) to another position but it will take years to rebuild the trust and confidence that was lost. It has been over three years since I dealt with the man and I still do not fully trust the leadership of the hospital and am extremely cautious in all of my dealings with them.

Such failures of leadership are sad in business but they are tragic in churches. Over the years I have seen church elders follow in the steps of Eli on many occasions. I have watched as elders acted as if the fact that an in issue had been discussed meant that it had been addressed. I saw this again recently in the way leaders of a particular church dealt with a pastor who frequently used foul language and was overbearing in his dealings with staff members. The elders knew of the behavior and “addressed it” but continued.

The pastor ultimately resigned for other reasons. As he left failings were hidden further when the elders publicly praised him as a great man on his final Sunday at the church.

As is always the case, the secret of his poor character did not stay secret long. His poor judgment and lack of repentance became evident in his podcasts and Facebook posts. Freed from the constraints of his church position he shared his salty language and questionable theology with the world. He has left his church but the damage his sin caused continues to this day as left behind a divided congregation.

The stories of the CEO, the pastor and Eli the priest are powerful reminders of the tremendous responsibility borne by all leaders. It is up to leaders in business to step up and address failures of leaders and it is up to church elders to shepherd and protect the church, to stand against those whose acitions can cause harm. There are few duties more important than holding other leaders accountable for their words and deeds. When dealing with leaders who are failing mere words are seldom enough. Action is required.

It is difficult and uncomfortable to take such action but true leaders rise to the occasion. 

-Bart

Things that Make You Go '"ARRRRRRRRRRGH"

I struggle with stupidity. When confronted with asinine policies, procedures or responses grace goes out the window and I become an impatient, short-tempered jerk. I tell myself that I will do better the next time, but each time the next time comes I find myself struggling all over again.

One of my greatest frustrations is the number of useless forms that have become a part of my life. I somehow missed the memo, but last week must have been National Stupid Form Week.

CVS Pharmacy interrupted my day demanding to know the diagnosis for a patient being prescribed narcotics. While they say they are trying to stop fraudulent prescriptions, my prescriptions are sent through a secure electronic system that is double password protected. One of the passwords changes every 30 seconds, so fraud is impossible. This did not matter to the pharmacist, who had a form to complete.

A perfectly healthy patient came in with Federal Family Medical Leave Act forms from her employer. These forms are to be completed when patients have a serious illness that requires an extended absence from work. She had missed three days with a stomach flu so the forms did not apply. This did not matter to the Human Resources person who apparently could not take any action or make any decision unless there were forms attached.

A Plastic Surgeon’s office sent over forms for “pre-operative clearance” on a perfectly healthy 40 year old man who was getting his nose fixed. The medical literature is replete with studies and guidelines stating that such clearances are worthless and should not be performed. This does not matter to surgical schedulers. They need a form.

A medical supply company sent over forms for new CPAP supplies for a patient with sleep apnea. They needed me to write out an order for new supplies (they are replaced annually) and to submit an authorization to the insurance stating that they were needed. For the insurance I need to include the diagnosis and supporting documentation. Sleep apnea is a chronic disease that never goes away, the diagnosis never changes. The patient has had the disease for years and all of the documentation has been previously sent. This does not matter, as to dispense the supplies someone needs to complete a form.

My problem is that I resist. I try to point out to the person requesting the information that the form is useless and unnecessary. This does not compute. Their request is not a result of reason or necessity. It is a matter of policy. Trying to change a policy is futile. I would have more luck arguing with my dog about eating food dropped on the floor.

I have realized that if I try to change these policies, as foolish as they are, I will end up frustrated, angry and responding in a very non-Christian fashion. Since arguing is pointless and wastes so much of my time I have decided I have only one option left.

I have my nurse do it.

- Bart

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A Dad and His Son on His Birthday

My son is celebrating his 26th birthday. I did some research, and this means that I am really, really old. He is fast approaching the age Lisa and I were on the day he was born. I want to think that I am still young but there comes a time when denial must give way to reality. I can look in the mirror and be blind to the massive bald spot on the back of my head, I can overlook the wrinkles and pretend the gray hairs don’t massively outnumber the blond ones but I can’t ignore the fact that my son is a full grown man working a full grown man job.

He is married, educated and professional in demeanor and appearance.  Those with whom he interacts on a daily basis view him as a handsome young man with a quick wit and a bright smile. I see that too, but I also see things they do not.

I see the little boy who created binge watching 25 years ago, the 1 year old in a onesie sitting in the middle of the couch watching every single Disney Sing-Along-Songs video, over and over and over. I see the two year old running through the house pushing his plastic lawn mower in front of him or climbing all the way into the cabinet under the kitchen sink so he could “fix” the pipes.

I see the 3 year old boy who wore a Dalmatian costume for weeks, barking instead of talking and the 5 year old T-ball player who had a knack for hitting kids in the side of the head with his throws. I see the 10 year old who loved Star Wars (this hasn’t changed, at all).

I see my son, all of him. All 26 years of him. I see the baby, the infant, the toddler, the adolescent and the man, all in one glance. I see not just who he has become, but who he is and how he came to be. When I see all of this I feel very proud. I also feel very, very old.

-          Bart

The Day I Stepped on a Joint

It was the last day of my junior year in high school. There was no classwork that day. Students spent most of their days signing yearbooks and saying goodbye for the summer. Girls would hug one another, often tearfully, and guys would mostly grunt.

A rite of passage that day was juniors taking over the “Senior Quad” which, although not quadrangular, was the place on campus where only seniors were allowed to sit. It was a pretty big deal, and people whooped and celebrated the ascendancy. They then sat down to sign yearbooks and say goodbye.

I was sitting on the grass with my back against a low wall signing a friend’s yearbook when something dropped on the ground next to me.  I turned and saw a still burning joint. About half of the cigarette remained. Without thinking, I stuck out my foot and crushed the cigarette into the ground, extinguishing the joint and with it any hope of it returning to its intended use. The joint’s owner looked at me in disgust and said, “Barrett!” in a mournfully angry tone and walked away.

I later wondered how it was that I had gotten away with my act. Robert, owner of the joint, was known to be hot-tempered (He had once punched me in the face once over some comment I had made in a class). I realized over time that he did not get angry because I had done exactly what was expected of me. I was known to be a devout Christian, someone opposed to drugs. Stepping on the burning joint was perfectly in line with my character. It was as if he blamed himself for being foolish enough to drop his joint next to a known joint killer.

I think of that story often, as it represents an aspect of the Christian faith that many forget. Those who truly embrace the faith should be somewhat predictable in their behavior. In the positive sense, we should be predictably kind, gracious, and faithful and we should live out the tenets of our faith. Our speech should be appropriate and people should expect to hear us talk about what we believe as an explanation for our lives.

In a negative sense, we should be expected to speak out against wrongdoing, and to avoid immorality. There are parties we will not go to, movies we will not watch and celebrations we will not join. Our commitment to our faith and to biblical principles should make us at times boringly predictable.

While some may be offended, that should not be a concern. Like Robert the joint owner, they should know what to expect.

-          Bart

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