Category: Coronavirus

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Research Fellowship Completed!

Legacy leadership: Influences on pastoral approaches to financial leadership

Timothy B. West, D.Min, and Lucinda C. West, Ph.D.

Yesterday we were sitting on the back porch contemplating some finishing touches. By noon, we hit “enter.” We submitted our final paper to Villanova and our research fellowship is finally finished (YAY!). It was a two year project. We had to pare it down to 24 pages to meet their requirements, which only barely covered all the interesting findings. We will have a few articles to submit to journals after this.

If you remember, we originally planned to look at how pastors from the four money scripts approach financial leadership of their congregations. As it turns out, our sample was largely from one money script (money vigilance), so we had to scrap the idea of comparing groups. In fact, one of the scripts was completely missing from our sample (money status).

We only surveyed Church of God pastors, so it would be interesting to do another survey with multiple denominations to see if the dispersion of money scripts is greater across tribes or if this is a pastoral phenomenon. We think someone in the next cohort might have taken that bait.

We did do a few correlational analyses of the larger sample, but mostly focused on the themes that emerged from the interviews with pastors. We found four basic themes. For the purpose of this project, we highlighted one theme “legacy leadership.” Basically this entails the legacies brought into the equation by money scripts, family of origin, mentors, and pastors as mentors passing on legacies to their congregations. It was very interesting to hear how their families, mentors, and scripts influenced their decision-making as it pertains to finances.

We also found three other themes of financial leadership which were discussed briefly and will be brought out in more detail in our other articles. Those included spiritual leadership, visionary leadership, and practical leadership. Again, it was fascinating to hear how pastors lead finances based on these themes. Once it’s posted in the Villanova archives, we’ll let you know where you can read it.

In our second residency, we were asked by Scott Thumma (a well-known researcher in the church world, and one of the mentors at Villanova) to submit a brief article based on our findings as part of a larger project he is conducting. They are exploring the effects of the pandemic on churches. His project is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University.

This was a side finding in our study, but it was interesting to hear what pastors had to say about the pandemic. Our article just got published on their website, and they paid us a small stipend for the submission. Here’s the link if you’d like to read that one.

Something Better

It is wonderful to be married to someone who carries the same interests, passions and vision as I have. We want to see the Kingdom of God expand. We love the church world. We want to see pastors succeed and congregations flourish. We both enjoy doing research and are task oriented enough to see it through (even when we get a little tired of the topic).

After we submitted this research project, we asked, “what now?” We decided it’s time for us to relax a bit. I’m still working on my books, and this freed up some time to create illustrations (more on that in another blog). But it probably won’t be long before we are on to the next big project.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

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Medicare and Reload

Today is the first day of treatment since my Medicare kicked in. I wasn’t sure how it would work out, so I checked in early with high hopes to manage expectations. They assured me, it’s all taken care of. They assured me. there’s no charge for today’s visits. Whew! I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.

I also saw my oncologist this morning. I had a nice chat with the nurse about our recent motorcycle trip up north, and we talked about my mother-in-law’s passing. I also learned that my doctor recently had covid, so we aren’t the only ones. It’s going around, even amongst those who have been vaccinated. He apparently caught it at a conference. We laughed about how he holed up in a hotel to quarantine from his family. Since he couldn’t go out for food, his wife would bring him meals and leave it on the floor outside the door “like I had leprosy.” The quarantine is worse than the virus, in some cases. My caregivers have been with me for more than five years now. We have developed a good rapport, so it’s always pleasant when I go and see them.

My doc said he has to reload both of my infusions during this treatment, because it’s been more than six weeks since my last treatment (thanks Covid 🙄). Yesterday was exactly six weeks. If I had come in on Tuesday, we could have just reloaded the one. Herceptin has to be reloaded after four weeks, and Perjeta after six weeks. We try not to do that, but times like these it’s hard to avoid.

It’s going to be a long wait. I have 90 minutes of Herceptin and 60 minutes of Perjeta. Usually it is 30 and 30. I’m going to hit The Woodlands during rush hour. Oy vey…

My computer is full of juice, I have my Diet Coke by my side, and a warm blanket is on my legs. I’m ready to go!

I forgot to put on my port cream, but Warren is a good nurse. I didn’t feel a thing. He got good blood return and no problems with the port. Thumbs up…👍.

While sitting here, I received a text from a friend, whose friend was just diagnosed with breast cancer. They found it on her first mammogram. Fortunately they caught it early, and she can have a lumpectomy. It doesn’t matter the stage, it’s still hard to hear.

I am always empathic toward those who are newly diagnosed. The emotions are overwhelming. If ever you have heard a doctor say the “c” word, you know what I’m talking about. I pray for these women, as it’s a tough road. It’s a change in identity. We are part of a club we never wanted to join. Fortunately, there are lots of treatment options and we are living longer than we ever have in the past. God has blessed some amazing people with great knowledge and skills to treat and even cure the worse of cancers.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

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Again and Again…Darn Pandemic

This time it was Tim. He was away from me for several days, so we don’t think he caught it from me. I was no longer having symptoms.

We had our last day of worship at Parkgate Community Church on July 10th, and they gave us a nice reception to say thanks for the work we’ve done over the past nine and a half months. Tim was their Interim Pastor; I helped with worship and kiddos, as well as revising the bylaws. Their new pastor starts next week.

We packed up our Airstream on Monday July 11th and put her in storage. We’ve been living there half-weeks while Tim was Interim pastoring in Pasadena. Everything seemed to be going well until Tim started feeling a little under the weather later that night. He tested positive for Covid the following day. I tested negative.

No RV to quarantine to this time and I really didn’t want to go to a hotel. So we set up a barrier between us and steered clear of each other until he got better. He had congestion, cough, and fatigue for about a week. Then he had fever blisters that lasted another week. No kissing! 🤪😳😂😭

We were supposed to leave on our big trip Wednesday, so we had to make some last minute cancellations. Our original plan was to stop over and see his mom in Arkansas, then drive northeast to Villanova for our research residency, head west to Wisconsin and ride a rental bike in the Lake Superior Touring Rally, then head home. That all changed.

We postponed the visit with his mom and ended up doing our residency by Zoom (three days of listening to research projects). We weren’t the only ones who were recovering from Covid, or feared being in person, or for whatever reason didn’t want to make the trip. They opened up the option to everyone, which was super kind of them. About half the cohort was on Zoom.

Tim was feeling much better by the time his quarantine had ended, just in time for us to make the second half of the trip. The bike rental was non-refundable, so we really didn’t want to cancel that one if at all possible. We drove the Mini Cooper (“Coop”) to Arkansas where we visited with his mom, then on up to Madison Wisconsin where we picked up the bike and rode to Marquette Michigan for the start of the rally. The next day we rode to Minnesota where we stayed overnight in International Falls and then on to Grand Portage. Back to Duluth to catch up with the rally. We cut the trip short when we heard about Tim’s mom passing. More on that in the next blog.

Not everyone who has cancer is as fortunate as me. My treatment is keeping the breast cancer at bay. While I still have problems with neuropathy, brain fog, and fatigue (to name a few), living with metastatic breast cancer doesn’t mean I have to sit on the couch and watch television all day. Although it is tempting at times! It is tempting to use cancer as my excuse for doing nothing. Sometimes I do rest, purposefully.

I recently joined a class “Active Living After Cancer,” as a boost to my motivation to stay active. It was really hard right after surgery, and during Covid, but now I’m ready to get back into it. I am reminded of Paul’s words in his second letter to the Corinthians; these are “light and momentary trials.” We are still living life to the fullest.

On our motorcycle trip we looked for famous landmarks, took long walks in the evenings, and ate the local cuisine. In the daytime I used my muscles to stay on the bike. (Check out my next blog for more pictures from our motorcycle trip.) We fought the rain and cold, looked for healthy food options (always followed up by an ice cream of some sort 🤪), and enjoyed hot showers after every day’s ride.

Traveling or not, we often find ourselves sitting in a Panera Bread while working on ideas for future books, professional efforts, writing children’s books, or whatever job Tim has going at the time. I’d say we are pretty active! Nope..we won’t let this darn pandemic get the best of us.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

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Covid Strikes Again

SOoo… I thought I had a cold. For a week now. No fever or chills, just a very mild sore throat, mild cough and runny nose. Symptoms are almost gone now, as I said I feel great. Well…Turns out I have (had) Covid. I wouldn’t have taken a test but my son was sick tonight and he tested positive at the doctors, so Tim and I both took a home test.

You know those kits that have been piling up which the government keeps sending us? Yeah, that’s the one.

Tim’s was negative and mine was positive. You can test positive for several days or even weeks after you get it.

I thought I was tired all last week because of surgery. I thought I couldn’t get motivated to get off the couch because of surgery. I thought I had a cold. I thought I wasn’t hungry because of surgery. I didn’t throw up this time (although I did get nauseated once, but I thought it was because of … you guessed it … surgery). I’ve been blaming a lot on surgery which was probably due to this stupid pandemic. Who knew? At least it wasn’t as bad as when we got it in December. I have heard this year is not as bad as last year from others who have gotten it again. There is a silver lining.

I might have given it to Bryan 🤷‍♀️ when we saw him yesterday. Or maybe he got it from his daughter. She tested positive a week or two before me. Who knows… According to the tool on the CDC website, I can go outside on June 30, which was yesterday. No travel until July 4th according to the CDC. The only travel I had planned was going back to the RV to go to church in Houston. Looks like I will miss another Sunday at church. 😫😭😫😭

We only have one more week at the church in Pasadena after this one. I hope nothing else goes wrong! I don’t want to miss our last week there.

Tim decided to go to the RV tonight to stay away from me until he’s sure he didn’t catch it. He left pretty quickly after we did the test. He’s supposed to preach Sunday. He took some of those test kits with him as well, just to be safe. We have spent more days apart in the past month than we have in many years of marriage. This kind of stuff will really test a marriage, but fortunately I found a good one. He keeps hanging in there, in spite of all my sickness, scars, and of course weirdness. I wouldn’t trade him for the world.,

Hopefully I’ll be able to join him for the 4th of July, when we will celebrate our Independence from Covid!

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

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Back on Track

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Twenty days have passed since my positive covid test, so they let me back in the building at MD Anderson. I’m back on track with treatment. We had to reload the Herceptin since it’s been more than four weeks. But, I just learned today, the Perjeta doesn’t have to be reloaded unless it has been more than six weeks. Yay! Usually, the drips are 30 minutes each. But this time it was 30 minutes for Perjeta and 90 minutes for Herceptin. That was enough time for us to conduct a research interview without interruption.

That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

À la prochaine…see you next time!

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Covid Jail

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Tim got it on Christmas Eve, and I followed two days later. I was fortunate to spend time with the family on Christmas before it hit me (we didn’t know it was Covid at the time, but everyone who came over did fine). Tim missed all the hoopla as he was in bed all day. We both had a fever, and we both spent about three days in bed. Mine started with a horrible stomach virus, which was different from Tim’s fever and cough. It was so bad both eyes hemorrhaged. 😳 Nearly two weeks later my right eye is still blood red.

MD Anderson did my covid test. It was the fourth day (Dec. 29), and by then I was feeling fine. I honestly thought it would be negative since all my symptoms were basically gone. We were both feeling fine, organizing the garage, and pulling down Christmas. I only went in since I was scheduled for chemo this week.

When it came back positive, that meant I couldn’t step foot back in the building for at least 20 more days. And, my doctor said I should quarantine for ten days (even though the CDC says 5). Apparently the new five day guideline is to keep the economy going. But, if you can stay in for ten I was told it is better to do so.

My chemo schedule got interrupted as well.

After mine came back positive, we set out to find a test for Tim. They were all sold out during Christmas week, but a pharmacist friend managed to find us a home test kit. We drove all the way to south Houston to get it.

If you are a regular on my blog, you know how much I love to drive to Houston (not!), but we managed to multitask. The weather was shifting to freezing point over New Year’s weekend, and we needed to winterize the Airstream to avoid any possible pipe breakage. (Lesson learned from last year at this time.) We quarantined in our second home while wrapping up the pipes, avoiding contact with people the whole time.

We took the kit home and Tim turned out positive. So, we both spent time in Covid jail. We had already canceled our trip to Arkansas to see Tim’s mom; we missed all our traditional Christmas Eve traditions and Christmas services; and then we canceled our family plans for New Year’s Eve. It was a very quiet week with just the two of us hanging out at the house. We got a lot of cleaning and organizing done!

In addition, I finalized some videos and uploaded those to YouTube. Subscribe to our YouTube channels for fun stuff! We have two channels. One is for personal stuff, and one is more ministry related. Subscribe to both!

Several pastors and key leaders at the church got it as well. There weren’t enough people to play in the band or watch the children; they ended up cancelling in-person services the first Sunday of the New Year. Pastor Chelsea did an amazing job on the message though. That was worth tuning in for.

Tim was stir crazy once he started feeling better, so we took a few drives in the truck and a couple of times we ordered curbside (contact-free) takeaway during our quarantine. I didn’t wear make-up for a whole week! Tim’s second test a few days later came back negative! He went back to the office on Wednesday after New Year’s.

Me? I’m finally out of quarantine. Yay! I called the doctor last week, but they didn’t get back to me until Monday due to the holidays. She said getting the antibodies at this point wouldn’t help much (your body builds them for up to three months). So we both opted out. Good to know my body will fight it naturally, and even protect me for the remainder of the winter season.

I’m writing this blog from our favorite café (Panera Bread). I’m wearing a mask and steering clear of people even still. Since we were here last year, they added power outlets all around the building for people like us. We have some gift cards that have to be used this month, and of course I get my free tea. We are looking forward to a nice salad. Sitting here makes me feel a little more normal!

Interesting. “Blessed Assurance” is playing on the speaker. In Panera Bread! 🥰 That song is a great reminder to trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus (all the day long).

MD Anderson requires 20 days from a positive test before coming back into the building, but they don’t require a second test or a negative test. On my original schedule I would have had gotten infused yesterday; but, I will soon get back on track. They will have to reload. This means a slightly longer than usual time in the infusion center. It’s kinda nice to have a break.

We scheduled my next treatment for January 20th. Providentially, this new schedule works better for the remainder of the year. There’s the silver lining. 😶‍🌫️ I am truly hoping 2022 will turn out better once we are back on schedule.

À la prochaine…see you next time!

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Annual Squeeze and Chemo Day

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Today I got my annual boob squeeze. Ladies, you know the one. It’s where you first prepare yourself by putting two bricks in the freezer, pressing your boob in between, and then s q u e e z i n g as hard as you can. Be sure to hold your breath! Or you can lay sideways on the driveway, right behind the rear tire of your car, then ask your hubby to back over your boob until it is thoroughly smashed. Yeah, that’s the one. The annual mammogram.

Fortunately, I only have the left one to squeeze, as the other one is my Frankinboob. (You’ll have to go way back through my history, a LONG way back to read that blog. 😂🤪😂)

MD Anderson has nice robes; I’ll give them that! They keep them in a warmer as well. I wanted to take one home with me. 😃 MyChart showed the results within thirty minutes. I think that’s a record! All clear. PTL!

Shortly after the mammogram, I had an interesting event at the lab. The bandage didn’t hold ‼️ I was reminded why I don’t typically wear white shirts to the hospital. 😳😳

🥀 As I was walking out to the lobby, the gauze sprung to the floor, and blood flowed swiftly down my arm, dripping onto my blue leather Michael Kors crossbody bag. Somehow, I managed to pick up the gauze, stop the flow of blood, and keep it off my shirt. It also easily wiped off the leather. Another patient jumped to my rescue, and called for help. The phlebotomist was very apologetic. We’ve had lots of conversations during blood draws over the years, so we had a good laugh while she was rewrapping my arm.

Our daughter needed a ride to run some errands, so I met her for lunch between mammogram and chemo. A bit tired, to be honest. They took me in early, then I napped for a while, waiting for the pharmacy to mix the bags.

I get this question a lot…”when will you be done with treatment?”

I’ve been stable for two years now, but they will continue to treat me. I have heard of women with my subtype of metastatic breast cancer going off treatment, after being stable for several years, and others who stay on it for life. My doctor doesn’t take any chances. He is concerned about the potential recurrence. They always see some small spots on my scans, so we don’t want to give them a chance to grow, if it is cancer they see. 🤷‍♀️ And if it does recur, it could come back like a vengeance. So… I’m in treatment for life.

I receive immunotherapy (Herceptin and Perjeta) via infusion every three weeks. It could be worse 🤷‍♀️. At least I get to keep my hair. ❤️ It’s all done in the chemo rooms, and they treat it like chemo, but it’s not actually chemo. Hence my hashtag, #chemonotchemo.

MD Anderson is starting to feel a bit more relaxed, like it used to be before the pandemic. Patients can take a visitor now, and the front lobby is no longer congested with people waiting for their corona screening. There is now one big screen at the entrance with the questions, to which you reply a simple “yes” or “no,” and you are on your way. I heard many comments of thankfulness that we’ve come this far…Breathe!

In all seriousness, if you haven’t had your boob squeezed by a mammography in a while…it’s time to call and schedule an appointment.

À la prochaine…until next time!

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Scans, Scans, Doctors and Chemo

It’s that time again… I’m sure my readers are a bit weary of the same story over and over and over again. Yet, I also know you like to hear updates on what is happening to me and my body.

On Monday I had another routine MRI of my brain. I have graduated to every four months, since I’ve been cancer-free in the brain for a year. My last scan was in January. I don’t even worry about the results any more. I know I will see my radiation oncologist and she will tell me if there is any cause for concern. We met on Wednesday, and once again my brain looks great! It appears the Gamma Knife has done its job. Now we continue to pray no further lesions will develop in my fastidious and quirky brain. (I just asked my husband to provide an adjective to describe my brain…that brought a laugh or two 😂.)

Scan on Monday, Doctor on Wednesday, and more stuff tomorrow.

The Woodlands campus is yet to bring echocardiogram to the center, so I still have to go downtown for that. They scheduled me first thing in the morning, meaning an early rise without time for a walk. I am told morning is the best time to go. But if you ask me, there is no good time to go downtown Houston 😔.

I am required to get an echo every three months. This is a strict rule or they won’t let me get my treatment. Perjeta and Herceptin can be hard on the heart. This is why we started walking, to strengthen my heart. For those who follow me on FaceBook, you already know our routine is to walk anywhere from 3-10 miles in the morning.

Oy vey… I had treatment scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, but this is the best they could do. I do think they are slipping a bit with the schedule, with all the work from home due to the coronavirus. Typically they have my echo on the books at least a week before it is due.

It should be interesting to see how the downtown campus is handling the pandemic. I typically do not get nervous going to get a scan or treatment, but admittedly I am a bit more cautious these days. At least they provide me a mask each time I go in. That’s one thing to be thankful for.

After the echo, I have to give blood, meet with my doc (virtually) and get his blessing for treatment (which I unfortunately can’t do virtually 😂). After all my medical is complete, we are heading to east Texas where he has a meeting, and we will hopefully see our grandson for his second birthday. (Where as the time gone?)

Looking forward to another busy and long day. Did I mention how happy I am that I am not working?

À la prochaine…until next time…

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