Carol Lin Reporting

The path to abundance was once a career in news. That path came to crossroads with cancer, and again with an unexpected encounter with a spiritual life. I am now an accidental Episcopalian, thanks to marriage and a search for meaning. I’m experimenting with different writing opportunities. I’d like to share with you a new column I’m starting for St. Francis Episcopal Church in Palos Verdes, CA. Here’s the first column:

“I became a journalist to tell stories that often were left untold, stories about injustice, the impact of poverty, or lack of social services or political will.  Over the years, at KTTV in Los Angeles, then ABC News and CNN, I developed a good nose for news. A good story has momentum. You can feel the energy rising in a room whether it was the White House press briefing room or the living room of someone whose life has suddenly and forever changed. 

St. Francis has this energy. I have felt this since the day I walked in to the chapel on a sunny August morning in 2008 with my husband, Mike.  St Francis is not one story, but many, and yes, they have gone untold. They are not stories by the traditional Associated Press definition of breaking news. There are no car pile-ups,  crimes, or sightings of Paris Hilton or celebrity chefs from the Food Network in the pews.  By stories at St Francis, I mean things that are making headlines in the Kingdom of God, for I do believe that He, in all is wisdom, started the first 24 hour news network in Heaven. News is the beginning of history, personally and professionally. Beginnings are just that, often small and subtle without the context of time. There is news breaking all over the place at St Francis. Have you heard the buzz coming out of the last series of Beta classes? It has redefined Spiritual Formation for me. But sometimes a good story isn’t about what we learn, but what we experience, like the moment I held Bob Bragg’s hand in prayer at the Alpha class where we shared our doubts, hopes and dreams about God and Heaven. There is the story about the boy who knelt by the candles at Taize who prayed for forgiveness after stepping on a lizard on the church path and his Dad holding back his tears of joy as he saw his son, perhaps for the first time, authentically connect with Christ and experience redemption and Christ’s Holy grace.  I hear about the emails that are flying around after a particularly good class or sermon, like about prayer, how to pray, when to pray, and most important perhaps, what comes from prayer.  These stories need to be told.  I’d like to try.

The title of this monthly column is called “Abundance” because, well, I just love the word. It’s like being “for education and against crime” when you’re running for political office, hard to argue with, and thanks be to God, we are actually living our abundant lives at St Francis so much so it’s in our Mission and Vision statement for all the world to see.  

I am a journalist. My goal is to keep it real and tell our story honestly, factually and in the most compelling way I can. I am not a priest, preacher, or Christian scholar (albeit God has blessed St Francis with that leadership) and therefore I am not here to teach. I am here to share. This column is not an advertorial for St. Francis, nor is it meant to be simply feature stories about our members.  Most importantly, this column is not about me. It’s about you.  It’s about reporting on what’s happening in the here and now, our neighborhood in the Kingdom of God.  Got some story ideas? I’d love to hear from you!  Peace be with you. Always.”

If you or a loved one ever faced a life threatening diagnosis, you’ve learned about what worked and what didn’t work. That is the most powerful story in health care today.

SRI International (formerly the Stanford Research Institute) and I are developing TulaHealth, the place where you will find the best wisdom of the crowd. It starts with The Tula Story Project. I am working with non-profits and health care stakeholders to create a database of patient wisdom.
Your donation supports our mission, underwriting the cost of editing and producing. Any amount enables me to donate patient stories to non-profit websites. You’ll see some of these stories right here on Carol Lin Reporting. In April 2009, a Tula Story Project will launch with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation where our stories will help patients find the right information that could save their lives.

1. CancerCare.org
2. TheLungCancerFoundation.org
3. Engage With Grace

“Tula” is based on a Scandanavian word that means “to come together, join us”.

Thank you for doing just that.
I’m here for you,

Carol Lin

Judi Carr’s career as an oncology nurse meant she practiced medicine on a daily basis. Her life as a breast cancer patient means she practices patience and her will to live on an minute by minute basis

I met Rick and Jennifer Carlson on a cold day in Omaha, Nebraska. They’ve been married for more than thirty years and are now navigating through his treatment for Esophageal cancer. It was an obvious question. I wanted to know, after all these years, how cancer has influenced their relationship.

Their love for each other is obvious.