What is the most extravagant meal you have ever had? Mine was a lavish Christmas day banquet after scuba diving on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef. If you are a “foodie,” you will remember certain amazing meals.

Are you a “truthie?” Do you desire truth, to know truth, to discover truth, to discuss truth, to live truth? I am a “truthie,” and I cherish the insights, admonishments and practical realities of truth presented by the Colson Center. That is why I am recommending the Colson Fellowship. I completed the 10-month program in 2022. With a deep dive into cultural relevant truth, using the Bible to guide your worldview, this fellowship will enhance your healthcare practice no matter your specialty. When I began overseeing the development of CMDA’s Bridging the Gap curriculum in 2018, I sought advice from the Colson Center, knowing they had an abundance of practical material that was pertinent to all healthcare professionals, specifically regarding bioethics. I sponsored a CMDA booth at their national conference in 2021. That was a delightful time sharing the benefits of CMDA membership and promoting CMDA’s Learning Center including Bridging the Gap. The conversations were a blessing and new relationships were formed.

Colson Center staff at the event convinced me I needed to complete the Colson Fellowship. Like a typical physician, I told them I did not have time. I looked at the reading list, and of the 12 books, I had read half of them and owned all but one. The book list for our cohort included classics such as Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Knowing God by J.I. Packer. They are worth reading more than once. I had books on my shelf I wanted to read but simply had not yet. Two books I had planned to read included Christopher West’s Our Bodies Tell God’s Story and Greg Koukl’s Tactics. I was encouraged while reading Christopher West’s book, in that it correlated well with the sexuality module in Bridging the Gap. I knew they would be extremely valuable and found them incredibly enjoyable and meaningful. The camaraderie of the fellowship, including discussion of books, podcasts, lecture series, daily Bible reading and joint webinars, was quite valuable. I look at my fellowship program not only as a positive impact in my vocation as a physician, but also in my service to the community. You will be educated with a wealth of information regarding worldviews, cultural trends, bioethics and scriptural relevance. Prior to completing the fellowship, you will be encouraged to develop a project for your community.

During the fellowship, you will be asked to guide and facilitate one or more discussions. You will have options including assigned books, papers, a current event or social issues. I am too old to remember what homework was like, but the lessons online are enjoyable and are to be completed in a timely manner. They are valuable and stimulate rich thinking, with the option of sharing via a chat function. My local cohort included folks from various walks of life, including pastors, stay at home parents, grandparents, other ministry leaders and business people. I am fascinated and intrigued by the unity the Holy Spirit facilitates among fellow believers. There is no other group of people in which that unity is immediate and observable. It reminds me of Jesus’ prayer for His disciples in John 17:20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Jesus’ prayer was not only for His disciples but for those who believe in Him through their message. That is us! The other fascinating aspect of this unity is that it is a witness to the world that “the world may believe.” Jesus also prays, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). We are to be sanctified in truth, in God’s Word. We are blessed today to have organizations such as CMDA and the Colson Center that are an answer to Jesus’ prayer for truth and sanctification.

The Colson Center and CMDA are like-minded organizations with godly leadership. The Colson Fellowship will grow your faith, grow your community and grow your wisdom. I believe there are three keys to be prepared to live in our culture as an ambassador of the King of Kings. First is to pray. Prayer is vital to the ministry of both CMDA and the Colson Center. Second is to be educated. If we want to speak with love and truth in our culture, we need to be educated on the issues and relevance of Scripture, rationality and medical science. Third is to be in relationships with like-minded people. That is true if you are a CMDA member as well as doing a Colson Fellowship. You will develop relationships with fellow believers from all walks of life.

Prayer is essential if our healthcare profession is to be part of our mission. Each module in Bridging the Gap begins with the prayer, “Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower both you and the group to understand truth, to articulate truth accurately, to live truth with relevance according to Scripture and to be a light in this dark world.” This prayer is also extremely practical for the Colson Fellowship.

My books and reading changed in the last year following the death of my son by suicide. I have focused on grief. I am writing and journaling some of this, and I am not certain which direction God will take me with it. I want to address the hopelessness, purposelessness and meaninglessness that is so rampant in our culture. The reason it is rampant is because people are following a truth our culture is teaching, which is not the truth. That is what happened to my son. So, not only do I believe this on a cultural basis, but it has also become deeply personal to me. We must, as the church, not only stand for truth, but we must also pray for truth, we must espouse truth and we must insist the truth be taught, because it is going to save lives.

If you want to make a difference in your community, please check out the Colson Fellowship. You can make the time. If you do make the time, you will be pleased with your decision and understand the value of being a “truthie.”

John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center, is an amazing chef for us “truthies,” and he has amazing sous chefs on staff. To learn more, visit colsoncenter.org.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

About the Author

Brick Lantz, MD, is near retirement as a private practice orthopedic surgeon in Eugene, Oregon. He received his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his medical degree from University of Oklahoma, then he completed residency at University of Arkansas and a fellowship in sports medicine in Australia. He has published more than 19 scientific articles and given multiple scientific presentations. He has participated in multiple Medical Education International (MEI) trips, led orthopedic mission trips for 14 years to Haiti and participated in short-term missions all over the world. He became a lifetime member of CMDA in 1982 and currently serves on the CMDA Board of Trustees. He has been the Oregon State Representative for CMDA for many years. He was the leader of the Church Commission which oversaw the development of Bridging the Gap: Where Medical Science and Church Meet. He is medical director of a local pregnancy resource center. He leads a CMDA undergraduate student club at the University of Oregon. He is board chair of Slocum Research & Education Foundation. He is married to Lissy and they have two adult children, Zach and Ally.