Keys to the Kingdom

My older brother and I have prankster blood in our veins. Believe me, we got it honest from both sides of our heritage. My family lived in California when I was preschool age and my brother and I had a special box of luscious-looking assorted chocolates. One typical evening, Aunt Pauline and Uncle John came over to visit. As they were preparing to leave, Randy offered our fun-loving uncle a piece of candy from the box. He thoughtfully selected one, bit down on it and nearly lost his false teeth on that piece of rubber cleverly disguised as fudge. We thought that was the funniest thing we’d ever seen and we laughed and laughed at our sidesplitting prank!

I recently drove past my friend’s house and spotted a crow in her yard. I thought it was real, but the others with me thought it was phony. So we had to turn around and take a closer look. Since the bird never moved, I was finally convinced — but it sure looked real at a glance. Dolores told me she named him Billy Bob, but I prefer to call him Bogus Billy Bob.

Are we believers the real deal or just a substandard imitation? That phony fudge might have looked edible, but when the rubber met the teeth, the proof was in the pudding. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8 NLT). We have to be sincere and obedient to God’s Word and His promptings if we want to be real followers of Christ.

Are we aiming at being the best Christian we can be, or are we just pretending to be genuine? There’s one defining factor that separates the genuine from the counterfeit and that’s love. Jesus was teaching His disciples in his last hours on earth and said, “So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re My true followers” (John 13:34,35 TPT). No longer are we to love others as ourselves, but we must love others as Christ loves us. Jesus set a new higher standard of love that’s non-negotiable. Just how well are we maintaining that standard?

If you’re not practicing being a serious Christ follower, you might be able to pull the wool over people’s eyes for a time, but you certainly can’t pull the wool over God’s eyes. He knows if you’re phony baloney or rubber fudge. The good news is that God desires to help you be all that He designed you to be. He will enable you walk in love toward others if you really desire to do so. “Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions“ (1 John 3:18 TLB).

Your heavenly Father does not want you to struggle in your journey of life. He wants you to come to Him and ask for help to be genuine and honest in all your dealings with Him and mankind. Be careful not to look at someone else’s life and wish you were him/her. By definition, that’s coveting. Therefore, it’s not possible to biblically love that individual and covet his/her individuality at the same time. In a nutshell, you’re the only person you are truly responsible for; so keep it bona fide. When you meet God the Father, the only person you’ll answer for is the real you.

The Key: Don’t settle for an imitation of the real thing — especially when it‘s you.

The loss of the hospital was devastating for the future of Bourbon County in general, and economic development in particular. Via Christi and CHC have filled in some of the gaps, but the lack of inpatient beds and some other services are real barriers.

Simply put, when companies have a choice as to where to put their next location, health care is near the top of the list. When people approach retirement age and are looking for a comfortable place to spend their golden years, health care options are a critical driver in the decision-making process. Without a hospital, we don’t measure up.

This is why health care and the hospital building have been Job One for Bourbon County REDI and our new Economic Development Director, Rob Harrington. Mr. Harrington hit the ground running on the topic, reaching out to his contacts in the health care field, landing a real opportunity to reopen our hospital.

Noble Health Corporation has spent much time and many resources in our community over the last two months, considering bringing their expertise in rural health to Bourbon County and our shuttered hospital building. I have met with them several times, as have many of our community leaders, and I have found them competent and compassionate. We have done the work to research their backgrounds and performances in other communities, and we have been impressed with what we have learned.

This group understands that health care in a community is a partnership. It requires listening as well as communicating, giving as well as taking, and learning as well as teaching. A “here it is, take it or leave it” approach will not be effective.

Our community has invested significant dollars in the feasibility process, which is ongoing. This appears to me to have been the right decision. This is a credible company, and gives us the best chance to reopen our hospital in the near future.

One caveat: we can’t expect the hospital to reopen and be all things to all people from the start. We can’t expect to see a high number of beds online. Services will be offered that make sense in our community. An operator cannot make huge investments in equipment and services that are lightly used. We may still have to be referred elsewhere for some tests and procedures that were formerly offered in-house.

If called upon, I hope you will join me in supporting the feasibility research now being performed by Noble Health Corporation. Let’s all pull together to see what we can do to get back on the quality health care map in SEK.

In 1973, the James Bond movie, Live and Let Die was released, the title song written and performed by Paul McCartney.  One of the lyrics notes, “You used to say live and let live,” which seems to be a prevalent attitude of rural Kansans, including those of us in Bourbon County.  That sounds so reasonable and comfortable, but it does not always work when we have decided to live together in communities.  While we need to keep the rules and meddling to a minimum, we need to recognize that our choices impact those around us.

A case in point is the historical district of downtown Fort Scott.  Tremendous investments in downtown buildings have been made over the past decade, both private and public; but, unfortunately, we had a long way to go at the start.  Some owners neglected empty buildings that were no longer economically viable to the point of severe deterioration.  We all recently witnessed the inevitable consequence from years of ignoring the problem.  If we live and let live, the result is live and let die.

We can’t let downtown die anymore.  I have noted in earlier columns that smaller communities which are economically successful have invested in, and preserved, their historic downtown districts, and these have become vital places to gather and to shop.  If we want to be the best that we can be, we can no longer ignore the deterioration of downtown buildings.

What can we do to preserve our historical district?  First, cheer and support those who have made significant investments in buildings in our historical district.  Buy their goods and services, eat at their restaurants, and thank them for their investment in our community.  Be supportive of those who have been downtown a long time and have taken care of their properties.  Also, quit condemning those who made investments that did not go well.  Failure happens even in America.

Most importantly, we have to reevaluate our “live and let live; live and let die” approach to property deterioration.  We must take a measured approach to holding owners accountable for their responsibilities to the properties they own and the community.  We must have common sense codes that are enforceable, and the will and expertise to do so.

Lastly, neither can the city take over every property that is at risk, nor is it desirable for them to do so; but, we must be open to more public/private partnerships, along with grants to bridge the economic gap that exists.  Let’s continue to look for ways to preserve and protect this important asset in our community.