The successful film "Moneyball" portrayed the Oakland Athletes and General Manager Billie Beane’s strategy to succeed in the highly competitive economic playing field of Major League Baseball.

This story has relevance to the financial pressures facing the county of Lake.

The movie begins by comparing the on-field payrolls of the Athletics and the Yankees:

– $115 million – New York Yankees;
– $40 million – Oakland Athletics.

Later, we see GM Billie Beane seated in a room with his seven veteran scouts. Collectively, these men have over 150 years of experience evaluating athletes who either desire to wear or currently don a major league uniform.

They are gathered because they must replace three key players who were lost to free agency. Which is to say they were offered much larger salaries by franchises with larger market shares, and they accepted. Go figure.

As the discussion wears on, Beane becomes impatient. He’s exasperated because he believes their thinking is medieval and, in large part, reflects a misunderstanding of how teams win baseball games.

Billie not so subtly interrupts by adding “blah, blah, blah” to the mix.

Enter his head scout, “Gee Billie, was that a suggestion? We’re trying to solve a problem here.”

Beane replies, not like this you’re not. “You’re not even looking at the problem.”

He then goes around the room and asks each scout, “What’s the problem?” Each response is met with disapproval.

Beane opines:” The problem we’re trying to solve is there are rich teams, there are poor teams, there’s fifty feet of crap, and then there’s us.” It’s an unfair game.

Oakland can’t afford to replace a player like Jason Giambi because they don’t have the money that the market demands for another five-time all-star.

He continues, “We are the last dog at the bowl. You see what happens to the runt of the litter. He dies!” “If we try to play like the Yankees in here, we will lose to the Yankees out there” (on the field).

Beane is talking about a game changing shift in how they think about their circumstances.

Oakland’s strategy to overcome their financial constraints included revising how they evaluated players. Beginning in 2002, Beane and his assistants analyzed player statistics from a radically different perspective and established innovative metrics to target athletes who were undervalued given prevailing baseball wisdom.

They looked at their financial circumstances with new eyes and a laser-like focus.

Which finally brings me to the recent community visioning forums and life imitating art.

The presentations by the county administrative officer suggested that the rising costs of providing county services combined with declining inflows to the general fund is the problem.

I am not disputing the conclusion that our current financial situation is unsustainable. The scoreboard tells the story: The county of Lake is down 10 runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

However, I also want to ask, are we certain that we are looking at the problem(s)?

– Is it time to undertake a comprehensive review of the general plan and area plans with an eye on identifying and revising those parts which may be contributing to our economic malaise?

– Bunts and in-field grounders may win you some games, but how do we recruit more “power-hitters” to step up to our economic home plate?

– To borrow a non-baseball cliche, is it time to start thinking out-of-the-box in order to improve the business climate and economic competitiveness of this county?

– How do we dismantle the prevailing thinking which for decades has resulted in Lake County’s finishing last on the economic playing field?

Note: During the 2002 season, the Oakland Athletics set an American League record by winning 20 consecutive games.

Michael Tabacchi lives in Middletown, Calif.

During the earthly ministry of Jesus, there were two things He considered important enough to command us to do: Holy Communion and baptism.

They are vital to our walk as believers in Christ and both are sacraments. And a sacrament means Christ’s real presence in the celebration.

Both are a means of grace allowing us to live in grace. The means of grace point to not only Christ present but also sin forgiven and it is through baptism we are truly wiped clean of our sin as God claims us His own for eternity.

That is why Luther was so intent on making sure we understood the importance of dying and being reborn in our baptism every single day. This rebirth in baptism keeps us reassured of God’s spiritual presence in our life and our sin forgiven for eternity.

Our gospel lesson for this first Sunday in Lent talks about the baptism of Jesus with God saying “You are my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

Just as God reached down to Jesus the day He was baptized, so too He is present in baptism to this day proclaiming to the one being baptized, and to the world, that He is claiming this child, this youth, this adult as a member of the kingdom of God forever and in God’s eyes, with this person, He is well pleased.

So, how can we live in grace through baptism?

Very easy: It is grace abound between the bookends of baptism.

Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan was the beginning of His ministry which is bookend one, and His final words to His disciples, the Great Commission, at the end with His amazing grace and everywhere in between.

Join us this Sunday at First Lutheran Church as we begin our sermon series entitled, “Living in Grace” focusing this week on baptism.

Sunday is also our monthly food cupboard, so join us for Bible study at 9:30 a.m., worship at 11 a.m., a hot lunch following the service, and the food cupboard from 1 to 2 p.m.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572.

Like in medieval times when people wore sackcloth (burlap) to discomfort themselves in recognition of their sin, the ash mark given at Ash Wednesday services is a call to repentance and preparation in the season leading up to Easter, which will be on April 1 for Christians around the world.

The pastor says, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” It focuses on the fact that life here on earth is not permanent. We must prepare for death. The ashes represent a deeper conversion to the Lord.

According to Wikipedia, Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting, is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity. It occurs 46 days (40 fasting days, if the six Sundays, which are not days of fast, are excluded) before Easter and can fall as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.

Ash Wednesday is observed by most Western Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics.

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan.

Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter. Every Sunday was seen as a commemoration of the Sunday of Christ's resurrection.

That is why we worship on Sunday rather than Saturday which is in fact the Sabbath recognized by the Jewish and Seventh Day Adventist folks.

Accordingly, Christians fasted from Monday to Saturday (six days) for six weeks and from Wednesday to Saturday (four days) in the first week, thus making up the number of 40 days.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on the previous year's Palm Sunday, and placing them on the heads of participants.

Ashes were used in ancient times to express grief. When Tamar was raped by her half-brother, "she sprinkled ashes on her head, tore her robe, and with her face buried in her hands went away crying" (2 Samuel 13:19).

The gesture was also used to express sorrow for sins and faults. In Job 42:3-6, Job says to God: I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent[a] in dust and ashes.”

The prophet Jeremiah calls for repentance by saying: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26). The prophet Daniel recounted pleading to God: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).

Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: "That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes" (1 Maccabees 3:47).

Examples of the practice among Jews are found in several other books of the Bible, including Numbers 19:9, 19:17, Jonah 3:6, Book of Esther 4:1, and Hebrews 9:13. Jesus is quoted as speaking of the practice in Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13: "If the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago (sitting) in sackcloth and ashes."

So, this year at First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, we will follow a sermon series on “Living in Grace.” Let’s take a brief look at what is coming up over the next six weeks:

– Feb. 18: Living in grace through baptism. This sermon focuses on how we can live each day anew in our Baptism.

– Feb. 25: Living in grace by taking up your cross. Jesus instructs us that to be a follower, we must recognize that it won’t be easy and we each must bear our cross in life, no matter how difficult things get.

– March 4: Living in grace through a life in Christ. The two go hand in hand, grace and a life in Christ. All we have to do is accept the Lord in our hearts, minds, and souls and we will be filled with the grace of God through faith.

– March 11: Living in grace by faith. Our faith is given to us by God and through that faith we receive the gift of His Grace each and every day. And through our faith we spread the Gospel near and far to those who don’t know Jesus.

– March 18: Living in grace through obedience. Our path in life is not easy yet we must be obedient to the authority of Jesus. Jesus broke down the 10 Commandments into two – love the Lord and love your neighbor. As difficult as it may be, our task is to be totally responsive to His call for unconditional love.

– March 25: Living in grace by being humble. Palm Sunday and the very nature of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem was being humble at a time where He was in the presence of people that would scream crucify Him five days later.

– March 28: Maundy Thursday – living in grace through Holy Communion. The last supper and Jesus’ Words of comfort – this is my body given for you and this is my blood shed for you. And the command He gives us that night, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

– March 29: Living in grace through sacrifice – Jesus is crucified, and we will talk about what it means for each of us to sacrifice things that are secondary to our walk with Jesus. His sacrifice is a reminder to all people of the need to do the same for the sake of the kingdom.

– April 1: Easter Sunday – living in grace because the tomb is empty. A man has risen from the dead. Was He a ghost? Was He an image that popped into the heads of the women there that day … or was it real?

So, that’s what we will be doing this Lenten season. It all boils down to what Lent is all about. A focus on our sinful selves and what Jesus had to do to take away that sin. It is a time of reflection, a time to be humble, a time to focus on the Good News of a risen Lord. May it be so in Jesus’ holy name.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif.

Can you keep a secret? That’s exactly what Jesus instructs His disciples to do when He is transfigured on a mountain near Jerusalem (Mark 9:2-9, Matthew 17:1-13, Luke 9:28-36). So, I’ve got to ask you this, “Can you keep a secret?” Seriously …

Secrets, rules, and commands.

Pastor Klaus of Lutheran Hour Ministries tells the following story about a little girl in his congregation.

He writes, “Pastor Klaus, Pastor Klaus. My mommy and daddy told me a secret." That was what a kindergarten student told me years ago. She was almost bursting with the news of her secret. Then she added, "Do you want to know my secret?"

I said, "Honey, if your folks told you a secret, I think you probably ought to keep it." She looked at me like I was dense as a post. "But do you wanna know my secret?" Then, before I could answer, she said, "Mommy is going to get fat. And do you know why?" Since we had gone that far, I played along, "Well, if you won't get into trouble for telling me, no, I don't know why your mommy's going to get fat."

She giggled and said, "I can't tell you why mommy's going to get fat. I can't tell you for another seven months." Then she smugly added, "You see, I know how to keep a secret."

Secrets. Some people can keep them, most can't. Some secrets are worth keeping; others are too good to keep to yourself.

Do you remember the secrets, rules and commands of your past? The secrets that we all broke, “don’t tell anyone about what I am about to say, do you promise?” “Of course, I promise.” And what happens five minutes later? “Guess what John or Sarah or Michael or whoever told me, you won’t believe it … promise you won’t tell anyone?” “Certainly, I won’t say a thing.” Next thing you know, the secret is the cover story of the Daily News!

And how about the rules you had to follow as a kid? You will eat what is put before you, don’t talk back to me, do what you are told, be home by 10:00 p.m. or else, etc., etc., etc.. And of course, the commands … the guidance we receive from our Lord to live a sanctified life. The Ten Commandments.

As such we have secrets, rules, and commands in our lives just as the people in Jesus’ time had.
This is where the Transfiguration readings in Scripture give us an example of all three wrapped up into one. It is all about a secret … Jesus commanding His disciples, “Keep this secret, do not tell anyone what you have just seen.” And to this I have a problem from a human perspective.

Please join us at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Lucerne. Worship is followed by a hearty lunch and a time of fellowship for all.

Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. It’s located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572.

Let’s hope it never happens, but there may come a time in your life when you need mental health care. Your Medicare covers a wide variety of such services, in both hospital inpatient and outpatient settings.
 
If you have Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), you’re eligible for mental health services when you’re admitted to a hospital as an inpatient. You can get these services either in a general hospital or a psychiatric hospital that only cares for people with mental health conditions.
 
If you're in a psychiatric hospital (instead of a general hospital), Part A only pays for up to 190 days of inpatient psychiatric hospital services during your lifetime.

Medicare pays for inpatient hospital stays on the basis of “benefit periods.” A benefit period begins the day you’re admitted to a hospital as an inpatient. It ends when you haven’t received any inpatient care for 60 days in a row.

If you go into a hospital after one benefit period has ended, a new benefit period begins. You must pay the inpatient hospital deductible ($1,340 in 2018) for each benefit period.

There’s no limit to the number of benefit periods you can have. But remember, there’s a lifetime limit of 190 days for inpatient psychiatric hospitals.

After you pay the deductible, Medicare covers inpatient hospital care for the first 60 days with no coinsurance on your part for each benefit period.

For days 61-90, your coinsurance is $335 per day of each benefit period.

If you’re in the hospital beyond 90 days, your coinsurance is $670 per "lifetime reserve day" for each benefit period (you have up to 60 reserve days over your lifetime).
In addition, you’ll pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for mental health services you get from doctors and other providers while you're a hospital inpatient.
 
Your Medicare Part B (medical insurance) covers partial hospitalization in some cases.
 
Partial hospitalization provides a structured program of outpatient psychiatric services as an alternative to inpatient psychiatric care. It’s more intense than care you get in a doctor’s or therapist’s office. This treatment is provided during the day and doesn’t require an overnight stay.
 
Medicare helps cover partial hospitalization services when they’re provided through a hospital outpatient department or community mental health center. Along with partial hospitalization, Medicare may cover occupational therapy that’s part of your mental health treatment and/or individual patient training and education about your condition.
 
Medicare only covers partial hospitalization if the doctor and the partial hospitalization program accept Medicare as full payment.
 
For Part B to cover a partial hospitalization program, you must meet certain requirements, and your doctor must certify that you would otherwise need inpatient treatment.

Under Part B, you pay a percentage of the Medicare-approved amount for each service you get from a doctor or other qualified mental health professional if they accept Medicare rates.

You also pay coinsurance for each day of partial hospitalization services provided in a hospital outpatient setting or community mental health center. The Part B deductible ($183 in 2018) applies as well.

Your doctor or other health care provider may recommend you get services more often than Medicare covers. Or they may recommend services that Medicare doesn’t cover. If this happens, you may have to pay some or all of the costs. It’s important to ask questions so you understand why your doctor is recommending certain services and whether Medicare will pay for them.
 
All of the above applies to people with Original Medicare. If you’re in a Medicare Advantage (Part C) health plan, check with the plan for details of how it covers mental health care.
 
For more information on your Medicare mental health benefits, I recommend this detailed brochure:
https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/10184-Medicare-Mental-Health-Bene.pdf .
 
Greg Dill is Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

LAKEPORT, Calif. – As 2017 came to a close, the team at Sutter Lakeside Hospital enjoyed celebrating successes and the hard work we’ve done to continuously improve the way we care for our Lake County neighbors.

We’ve made drastic strides in quality, innovation and access – and our patients have noticed!

Innovation and access

– The Sutter Lakeside Community Clinic and Family Medicine Clinic nearly tripled the number of patients we care for while also decreasing appointment wait times.

– The Heroes of Health and Safety Fair, a free event executed by SLH in partnership with a number of community organizations, served over 2,500 community members by providing 400 flu vaccines, 150 diabetes screenings, 43 HIV screenings and a number of other health services.

– Our Family Birth Center nurses have educated over 140 families about safe sleep practices. Each family who completes the free safe sleep seminar receives a free Smart Start bundle which includes a Pak N Play, a digital thermometer, a safe sleep sack and a number of other essentials to ensure a safe, smooth transition home.

– SLH leveraged system support to introduce technology such as e-ICU monitoring, video interpretation services and tele-psych to bring advanced care to our community.

Patient-centered, best in class care

– SLH has the second lowest readmission rate in the Sutter Health system. When we send our patients home, we equip them with the care and knowledge they need to stay healthy.

– SLH boasts the lowest sepsis rates in the system. Sepsis, a hospital-acquired infection, kills more than 250,000 people per year. Hospitals throughout the country struggle to battle sepsis, but SLH has consistently led the system in the lowest rates of sepsis by screening for and treating the condition as early as possible.

– SLH has had the most dramatic improvements in emergency room wait times within the Sutter Health system.

– Our hospital’s overall rating has increased by 10 percent according to patient surveys.

– The Center for Medicare Services gave Sutter Lakeside Hospital four out of five stars for quality care, including safety, patient experience and surgical outcomes.

The path forward

– Sutter Lakeside will continue to play an integral role in improving the wellness of Lake County. Community benefit goals will continue to focus on increasing access to healthcare, preventative health education, substance abuse education and services, and housing and homelessness.

– Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic will relocate to Creekside Medical Plaza this spring. The new space will be home for an increased number of providers, and has been designed with patient comfort in mind. The Family Medicine Clinic will also welcome Dr. Elyse Donald, a long standing community physician, later this month.

– Our team will continue to improve patient experience, as well as lead the way in clinical excellence.

Dan Peterson is chief administrative officer of Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, Calif.