Thankful

I just finished a relentless week of being on call every other day and am now rewarded with a week off. The week was full of penetrating trauma (stabbings and shootings). Not many happy outcomes and very hard emotionally, but I felt privileged to minister to the family and friends. Not a typical Christmas, but an opportunity I am thankful for.

In other news, I have a whole new appreciation for my health. I had the biggest health scare of my short life a couple of weeks ago. Everything is ok, but for a few days I faced my mortality in a way I hadn't before. Through the process I have learned the value of not making patients wait over a weekend for test results if at all humanly possible.

Enough of the heavy topics. South Bend here I come!

Primal

I just finished reading Primal by Mark Batterson. The essence of this book is an exhortation to return to our first love for God: "Go back to that place where God opened your eyes and broke your heart with compassion for others. Go back to that place where the glory of God flooded your soul and left you speechless with wonder. Go back to that place where thoughts about God filled your mind with holy curiosity. Go back to that place where a God-given dream caused a rush of adrenaline that filled you with supernatural energy."

He then breaks down our love for God into the four components Jesus spoke about in Luke 10:27, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind."

Here are a few of the thoughts from each section:

Heart:

• If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, you cannot be okay with suffering or injustice or starvation.


• It’s much easier to act like a Christian than it is to react like one. Anyone can put on an act. But your reactions reveal what is really in your heart.


• Establish an income ceiling. Most people spend more money as they make more money. Their standard of living goes up in direct proportion to their income. What if every Christ-follower gave away everything above and beyond their predetermined income ceiling?

Soul:

• Awed silence in the presence of divine beauty is a form of worship that is often deeper and truer than sung words.


• The Bible is not an end in itself. In other words, the goal of knowing the Bible isn’t Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God. Anything less is bibliolatry. The truth is that most of us are already educated way beyond the level of our obedience.

Mind:

• Learning isn’t a luxury; it’s a stewardship issue.


• God wants to sanctify every part of your mind for His purposes: sanctified logic, sanctified intuition, sanctified imagination, even a sanctified sense of humor.


• God doesn’t just want you to worship Him; He wants you to know why you worship Him.

Strength:

• God loves it when we break a sweat serving His purposes.


• Anything less than leveraging all our strength for God’s purposes is boring at best and hypocritical at worst.


• God ideas don’t become reality without some blood,sweat, and tears. Oh yeah, and loss of sleep. But that’s the true test of love, isn’t it? If you love someone or something enough, the expenditure of energy isn’t seen as a chore. It’s a privilege. It’s not something you have to do, it’s something you get to do. Love turns work into worship.

Here are a few other quotes:

• Which do you love more: your dream or God? Do you love God for what He can do for you? Or do you love Him for who He is? In its purest, most primal form, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is loving God for God. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else.


• The impact God has planned for us doesn’t occur when we’re pursuing impact. It occurs when we’re pursuing God. -Phil Vischer, creator of VeggieTales.


• How much happier you would be, how much more of you there would be, if the hammer of a higher God could smash your small cosmos. -G.K. Chesterton


• Let God be as original with other people as He is with you. -Oswald Chambers

Check this book out!

Professionalism

When I decided to become a surgeon I knew I would have to work with some doctors that were more difficult to work with. I have been fairly fortunate to this point to be sheltered from some of the uglier sides of these individuals. I guess I've graduated to the uncensored side of surgery.

In the past week I have witnessed the 3 most horrific displays of a lack of professionalism among doctors that I've ever seen. All 3 were in the operating room and 2 of the 3 happened during the same 30 minute surgery by both the anesthesiologist and surgeon...with a 3rd year medical student observing it all (and nearly getting hit by a flying instrument). I'm still not quite sure what to do in these situations. My MO so far has been to just ignore it and keep working (and laugh about it endlessly afterwards with other residents). All three were basically huge temper tantrums by doctors. They all ended up looking like adult children with serious issues. Any suggestions on what to do when my staff doctor is screaming, throwing instruments, kicking people out of the OR...? The good news is that I have never been the cause or focus of the anger. Either way it is an incredibly awkward situation.

Giants

Everyone needs to check out the blog post, "The Wet Wipe Warmer Incident" by Rob Wegner, the Pastor of Life Mission, at Granger Community Church. Rob and his wife Michelle have had a profound impact on my life. They were the leaders of the youth ministry when I was in 7th grade and wondering what Christianity was all about. They were there when I gave my life to Christ, felt God's call to the mission field, went on my first mission trip, and countless other milestones in my life. Needless to say I love them, have tremendous respect for them, and can't wait for the day when I can be more involved in the incredible work God is doing through GCC in India alongside them.

Please read the post by Rob. It has been banging around in my head for days as I remember the battle I'm meant to be in and how easy it is to get distracted. Thanks Rob!

Colts Game

I took Tara to the Colts vs Titans game for her birthday. It was kind of selfish really since I wanted to see them play, but it worked out well for both of us. The warmup time before the game was actually more fun than the game since we could stand in the first row and really see the players getting ready for action. My foam colthead did not disappoint (thanks Kerwyn!). Tara's blueberry face was great as well- it was supposed to be blue on one side and white on the other but go figure white facepaint doesn't work well on a white person. So instead she resembles Violet from Willy Wonka.
The only bad part of the day (but also very comical) was the lady behind us who was hacking up a lung through the whole game as she shouted, "Be there" with every Peyton Manning throw.
I'm even more of a diehard Colts fan after the game. Superbowl here we come (preferably vs. the Vikings just to rub it in with the family).