Save the Mustache, Save the World!

Marilyn, Lisa and the Philly Phanatic (Honker!) last March

Most of my readers are aware that last week the contest to Save or Shave my 35 year old mustache to raise money for Lisa Jewett's battle with cancer ended. We raised about $900 and you voted to save my old friend, so it all worked out well in the end! Marilyn, Lisa and several other very vocal friends are quite happy not to see my upper lip go naked. I am pleased as well, although I must admit having to shave it would have made for a great video and a great blog post. Just like with FOX News, my blog is better when there is sensational video to back up a fairly boring or fictional story!

So with my mustache safe and the contest over, you may be wondering why I am writing about this again today. It's simple really. You see, the Save It of Shave It? competition was never really about saving the mustache- it was about saving the world! You may wonder how keeping this furry thing on my upper lip could save the world, and it is a legitimate query. It won't. But a great man once told me that ministry in the name of Jesus is not really about changing the world- it's about changing the world for just ONE person. And that was what the mustache battle was really all about. We set out to help change the world for Lisa. And here's why today's post is important; we aren't done yet. Lisa still faces chemo again tomorrow, then surgery and then most likely more chemo. Even with health insurance the bills will mount. She has medicines to buy, food to purchase and rent to pay. She will not be able to return to her job as a 1st grade teacher until March at the earliest. There is much to be done. You may be finished saving my mustache, but we are not finished saving Lisa from huge financial stress. It's not a charity or a worthy cause, dear friends. This is a ministry, and one we can all share in. We may not be able to help everyone in need, but we can help one person. We can pray, we can give and we can love. And we SHOULD do it, because Jesus commands us to care for one another. We can be heroes.

So please keep Lisa in your thoughts and prayers, especially as we begin another cycle of chemo tomorrow. Please let her know she is loved. And if you are financially able, please visit her Go Fund Me Page (just click and go!) and make a donation. You have already saved my mustache. Now let's get busy saving the world!

Because of Jesus,