"Faith is taking the first step when you don't see the whole staircase." -MLK
Here I am moving across the country alone, again. There is always such a catch-22 to starting over and voluntarily trading the familiar for the unknown. It is both extremely terrifying and unexplainably enticing.
The last few days in Dallas completely exposed my fears, doubts, and selective memory in regard to the adventure. I selectively packed away the challenges, loneliness, and difficult lessons from Aspen, and only chose to remember the rainbow & sunshine moments. That was, of course, until I wondered through my empty Dallas apartment and immediately realized those not-so-perfect experiences would soon reappear in NC. The goodbyes quickly became very tearful.
However, starting over forces self-growth and maturity that sparks a reliance on Christ like never before. Fortunately, the rather unpleasant lessons from Aspen make this time much easier: they taught me who I am.
Yes, that sounds silly. Surely by age 24 I should know “who I am”. I did, in theory. But being away from a constant support system brough forth the reality that I am not a PT, a student, an Aggie, a Porch volunteer, or even a blonde haired blue eyed small town Texas girl. Those things may describe me, but my identity is defined by the one who loves me: Christ.
Being in NC for a few days, I’m beginning to settle in quite nicely. So far, despite missing everyone from home, I love it here. The scenery is breathtaking, the people are Texas-friendly, and the weather has been phenomenal. But perhaps the best part of this new beginning is that I’m not trying so hard. I know who I am and that I can trust in the plan of the one who loves me.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Internally Disconnected
Just one of many stories from my life in Parkland! REALLY funny. But really NOT funny.
I was consulted to see this morbidly obese patient prior to neurosurgery. She was functional, but needed to lose about 100 lbs. Based on behavioral change psychology, she presented in the ACTION stage, READY to take the next step, WANTING a new lifestyle, and ASKING me for help. PERFECT! THIS is why I went to PT school! So what did I do? Hours and hours of research, provided tools, community resources, personal and family education, asked her to write down HER goals and HOW she would achieve them, copied and highlighted motivational resources, and plus a TON of additional work for her. Our final session was entirely discussion of what SHE wanted, and I gave her the tools and motivation to be successful.
At 8:15 the NEXT morning, I went to see my first patient of the day and saw her lying in the ICU bed. Her head was wrapped in post-surgical bandages, she was attached to a plethora of monitors, and she was eating an entire pint of Blue Bell Rocky Road! Honestly, it happened! It's sort of funny now, but I was so stunned at the time that I almost dropped my clipboard. SHE wanted to change, but didn't even stay on the wagon 24 hours. My look, inherited from my Mother, apparently said it all. She lowered her spoon and started explaining. I smiled, conversed politely, then walked away.
My composed emotions transitioned from aggravation, to disappointment, to humor, then purely heartache. She helped me realize just how internally disconnected we are. More often than we acknowledge, there is a severance in the link between our head and our heart. We KNOW what is best, but that’s not what we actually want. Relationships are such a prime example of this catch-22. Why do we ladies fall (heart) for the "bad boys" KNOWING (head) that we will get hurt? Why do guys love (heart) dysfunctional girls that past has proven will burn you (head)?
It’s often hard to find that balance when the head and the heart don’t line up. John Mayer talks about the internal struggle in “Half of my Heart” and Paul describes it in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” I honestly believe this internal struggle adds spice to life, opportunities to learn, and challenges to overcome. The components are separate entities, but connected make us who we are. That’s the reason for Matthew 22:37, “Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'” We can’t pursue God half-way. We have to LOVE the Lord, YEARN for the Lord, and KNOW the Lord. Though we struggle, doubt, question, and search, God molds us as we grow. But after the internal struggle plays out, actions dictate the result. We either eat the ice cream or we don’t.
I was consulted to see this morbidly obese patient prior to neurosurgery. She was functional, but needed to lose about 100 lbs. Based on behavioral change psychology, she presented in the ACTION stage, READY to take the next step, WANTING a new lifestyle, and ASKING me for help. PERFECT! THIS is why I went to PT school! So what did I do? Hours and hours of research, provided tools, community resources, personal and family education, asked her to write down HER goals and HOW she would achieve them, copied and highlighted motivational resources, and plus a TON of additional work for her. Our final session was entirely discussion of what SHE wanted, and I gave her the tools and motivation to be successful.
At 8:15 the NEXT morning, I went to see my first patient of the day and saw her lying in the ICU bed. Her head was wrapped in post-surgical bandages, she was attached to a plethora of monitors, and she was eating an entire pint of Blue Bell Rocky Road! Honestly, it happened! It's sort of funny now, but I was so stunned at the time that I almost dropped my clipboard. SHE wanted to change, but didn't even stay on the wagon 24 hours. My look, inherited from my Mother, apparently said it all. She lowered her spoon and started explaining. I smiled, conversed politely, then walked away.
My composed emotions transitioned from aggravation, to disappointment, to humor, then purely heartache. She helped me realize just how internally disconnected we are. More often than we acknowledge, there is a severance in the link between our head and our heart. We KNOW what is best, but that’s not what we actually want. Relationships are such a prime example of this catch-22. Why do we ladies fall (heart) for the "bad boys" KNOWING (head) that we will get hurt? Why do guys love (heart) dysfunctional girls that past has proven will burn you (head)?
It’s often hard to find that balance when the head and the heart don’t line up. John Mayer talks about the internal struggle in “Half of my Heart” and Paul describes it in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” I honestly believe this internal struggle adds spice to life, opportunities to learn, and challenges to overcome. The components are separate entities, but connected make us who we are. That’s the reason for Matthew 22:37, “Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'” We can’t pursue God half-way. We have to LOVE the Lord, YEARN for the Lord, and KNOW the Lord. Though we struggle, doubt, question, and search, God molds us as we grow. But after the internal struggle plays out, actions dictate the result. We either eat the ice cream or we don’t.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Wit, Wonder, & Wisdom of the Week
"Congratulations on completing the academic portion of this program. I will see you again at GRADUATION." -Dr. Querry
"Definitely friends forever. Maybe we should get bracelets and make it official?" -Tara
"Suppose one has a broken jaw, because that one was kicked in the face..." -Phillip
"I will crush your bones if we don't hang soon." -Daniel
"The kids respect you more when you admit you don't know." -the teachers in my CG
"Yeah, authenticity isn't quite as valued in medicine. Saying, 'Good question, let's google it' usually doesn't go over well." -me
"Life would be so much easier as a dog." -Tara
"It's okay that your life isn't exactly what you pictured. Nobody's is. And it's okay to not be 100% satisfied with that. Take time to mourn those unmet expectations. Then close the book. Move on with God's plan for your life, trusting that HIS plan is much better than YOUR plan." -Lori
Everbody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them -John Ortberg
"EVERYBODY comes with a mat." pg 47
Roof Crashers: describing the men carrying the paralytic to see Jesus
"Then one guy gets an idea, probably the youngest guy, the tattooed and pierced guy because he's an outside-of-the-box thinker." pg 49
"The irony of the masks is that although we wear them to make other people think well of us, they are drawn to us only when we take them off." pg 80
"Non-forgiveness costs YOUR heart...you start out holding a grudge, but in the end the grudge holds you." pg 165
"People who love authentic community always prefer the pain of temporary chaos to the peace of permanent superficiality." pg 181
"We complicate our faith and lives in many ways, but at the core, our purpose is simple: we are called to love." pg 214
"Jesus is ruler over Harvard and Oxford and TEXAS A&M." pg 231
Ruthless Trust -Brennan Manning
"The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future." pg 12
"Of what avail is our life of prayer, our study of Scripture, theology, and spirituality, if we do not trust the insights that we have received?" pg 20
"The more we let go of our concepts and images which always limit God, the bigger God grows and the more we approach the mystery of his indefinability." pg 56
"The kabod Yahweh, the absolute glory of God, is revealed in Jesus as absolute love, and we can only be brushed by it. Nevertheless, we are made for that which is too big for us. We are made for God, and nothing less will ever satisfy us." pg 103
"Our disappointments arise from presuming to know the outcome of a particular endeavor." pg 139
"It is through immersion in the ordinary --the apparently empty, trivial, and meaningless experiences of a routine day-- that life/Life is encountered and lived." pg 156
"How glorious the splendor of a human heart which trusts that it is loved!" pg 148
"Definitely friends forever. Maybe we should get bracelets and make it official?" -Tara
"Suppose one has a broken jaw, because that one was kicked in the face..." -Phillip
"I will crush your bones if we don't hang soon." -Daniel
"The kids respect you more when you admit you don't know." -the teachers in my CG
"Yeah, authenticity isn't quite as valued in medicine. Saying, 'Good question, let's google it' usually doesn't go over well." -me
"Life would be so much easier as a dog." -Tara
"It's okay that your life isn't exactly what you pictured. Nobody's is. And it's okay to not be 100% satisfied with that. Take time to mourn those unmet expectations. Then close the book. Move on with God's plan for your life, trusting that HIS plan is much better than YOUR plan." -Lori
Everbody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them -John Ortberg
"EVERYBODY comes with a mat." pg 47
Roof Crashers: describing the men carrying the paralytic to see Jesus
"Then one guy gets an idea, probably the youngest guy, the tattooed and pierced guy because he's an outside-of-the-box thinker." pg 49
"The irony of the masks is that although we wear them to make other people think well of us, they are drawn to us only when we take them off." pg 80
"Non-forgiveness costs YOUR heart...you start out holding a grudge, but in the end the grudge holds you." pg 165
"People who love authentic community always prefer the pain of temporary chaos to the peace of permanent superficiality." pg 181
"We complicate our faith and lives in many ways, but at the core, our purpose is simple: we are called to love." pg 214
"Jesus is ruler over Harvard and Oxford and TEXAS A&M." pg 231
Ruthless Trust -Brennan Manning
"The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future." pg 12
"Of what avail is our life of prayer, our study of Scripture, theology, and spirituality, if we do not trust the insights that we have received?" pg 20
"The more we let go of our concepts and images which always limit God, the bigger God grows and the more we approach the mystery of his indefinability." pg 56
"The kabod Yahweh, the absolute glory of God, is revealed in Jesus as absolute love, and we can only be brushed by it. Nevertheless, we are made for that which is too big for us. We are made for God, and nothing less will ever satisfy us." pg 103
"Our disappointments arise from presuming to know the outcome of a particular endeavor." pg 139
"It is through immersion in the ordinary --the apparently empty, trivial, and meaningless experiences of a routine day-- that life/Life is encountered and lived." pg 156
"How glorious the splendor of a human heart which trusts that it is loved!" pg 148
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The James Experiement: Day 5- James 5
Finally the Finale!
Major Themes: Worldly gains are irrelevant, be patient, be prayerful
Action: Being patient, thinking about what is really important
Lessons Learned: VERY few people knew about the week as it was occuring. My friends who did were messing with me saying, “Traci, gosh traffic is really slow.” And me responding with “Isn’t this such a great opportunity for quality time? I’m so glad that traffic is going 4 mph!” Hilarious.
But the original intent of Day 5 was to tie up the James Experiment through describing the relationship between patience, faith, and trust in the midst of our puzzling, unknown futures. Unsatisfactorily, it resulted in vague Christian clichés like “Cling to the Cross” and “Give it to God.” Maybe it’s just me, but what do those actually mean? I’ve read James 5 about 20 times in an attempt to connect it all, but honestly, “In your ocean I’m ankle deep.” –NeedToBreathe.
The last several weeks have instead taken me extremely far from James 5. Lately, the study of God’s Word has nullified my ability to simply correlate the over exaggerated Biblical lesson-of-the-day with the 2010 application, and brought forward the reality that God cannot be reduced to a 1 page blog, a 24 year old’s thoughts, or a ridiculous, 5 day investigation. I am moving toward the place where all that matters is “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” –Revelation 4:8.
When observant, almost everything from the brightness of a starry night in Aspen to the hugs of 1st graders (elementary sub=opportunity to practice patience) brings out the truth in Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” This reminds me of just how BIG God is, and how minute I am. It’s quite humorous what I think I have figured out, when in actuality my perception of life is so narrow compared to someone just 10 years older. What makes me think I can even attempt to understand the Lord? “He (Christ) is the Beyond-in-our-midst, and though in our midst, still beyond anything we can intellectualize or imagine. Jesus Christ will always be a scandal to the murky, immodest theory-making of the intelligentsia, because he cannot be comprehended by the rational, scientific, and finite mind.” –Ruthless Trust, pg 55. My mind clearly is scientific, and I must comprehend everything. Concepts need to make reasonable sense, be explainable, and of course answer my favorite questions of why & how. However, the philosophical statement of “the Bible is beyond logic” challenged my haughty expectations. Zophar (Job’s friend giving horrible advice) actually makes a legitimate point in saying “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” –Job 11:7. No, we can’t. And we should value that.
In the book “Crazy Love,” Francis Chan addresses the magnitude of God. I loaned out the book, so I am unable to quote it exactly, but my thoughts mixed with Chan’s insight produce something like this: How could we worship, surrender to, and be completely in awe of a comprehendible, tangible God? I couldn’t. Knowing that I probably have a paradigm shift weekly, how great could a God be that is fully understandable at any lifestage? Rather than worshiping an explainable God that we incongruously personify and project our concepts of human characteristics on, we instead rest in the God of the Scripture, the God of Abraham, of David, of Paul, of Peter. I CAN be completely enamored with a God who is mysterious, captivating, and unfathomable; a God of unending anonymity yet unexplainably near. “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.” –Deuteronomy 10:17. He is a God “full of compassion and mercy.” -James 5:11. And He is a God who has measured the waters in the hallow of his hand, and marked off the heavens with the breadth of his hand. He has held the dust of the earth in a basket, and weighed the mountains on scales… The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. -Isaiah 40:12,28 (paraphrased).
God is a God beyond all understanding, and that quality alone makes Him more than worthy of our praise, adoration, and unending search to know Him.
Major Themes: Worldly gains are irrelevant, be patient, be prayerful
Action: Being patient, thinking about what is really important
Lessons Learned: VERY few people knew about the week as it was occuring. My friends who did were messing with me saying, “Traci, gosh traffic is really slow.” And me responding with “Isn’t this such a great opportunity for quality time? I’m so glad that traffic is going 4 mph!” Hilarious.
But the original intent of Day 5 was to tie up the James Experiment through describing the relationship between patience, faith, and trust in the midst of our puzzling, unknown futures. Unsatisfactorily, it resulted in vague Christian clichés like “Cling to the Cross” and “Give it to God.” Maybe it’s just me, but what do those actually mean? I’ve read James 5 about 20 times in an attempt to connect it all, but honestly, “In your ocean I’m ankle deep.” –NeedToBreathe.
The last several weeks have instead taken me extremely far from James 5. Lately, the study of God’s Word has nullified my ability to simply correlate the over exaggerated Biblical lesson-of-the-day with the 2010 application, and brought forward the reality that God cannot be reduced to a 1 page blog, a 24 year old’s thoughts, or a ridiculous, 5 day investigation. I am moving toward the place where all that matters is “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” –Revelation 4:8.
When observant, almost everything from the brightness of a starry night in Aspen to the hugs of 1st graders (elementary sub=opportunity to practice patience) brings out the truth in Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” This reminds me of just how BIG God is, and how minute I am. It’s quite humorous what I think I have figured out, when in actuality my perception of life is so narrow compared to someone just 10 years older. What makes me think I can even attempt to understand the Lord? “He (Christ) is the Beyond-in-our-midst, and though in our midst, still beyond anything we can intellectualize or imagine. Jesus Christ will always be a scandal to the murky, immodest theory-making of the intelligentsia, because he cannot be comprehended by the rational, scientific, and finite mind.” –Ruthless Trust, pg 55. My mind clearly is scientific, and I must comprehend everything. Concepts need to make reasonable sense, be explainable, and of course answer my favorite questions of why & how. However, the philosophical statement of “the Bible is beyond logic” challenged my haughty expectations. Zophar (Job’s friend giving horrible advice) actually makes a legitimate point in saying “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” –Job 11:7. No, we can’t. And we should value that.
In the book “Crazy Love,” Francis Chan addresses the magnitude of God. I loaned out the book, so I am unable to quote it exactly, but my thoughts mixed with Chan’s insight produce something like this: How could we worship, surrender to, and be completely in awe of a comprehendible, tangible God? I couldn’t. Knowing that I probably have a paradigm shift weekly, how great could a God be that is fully understandable at any lifestage? Rather than worshiping an explainable God that we incongruously personify and project our concepts of human characteristics on, we instead rest in the God of the Scripture, the God of Abraham, of David, of Paul, of Peter. I CAN be completely enamored with a God who is mysterious, captivating, and unfathomable; a God of unending anonymity yet unexplainably near. “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.” –Deuteronomy 10:17. He is a God “full of compassion and mercy.” -James 5:11. And He is a God who has measured the waters in the hallow of his hand, and marked off the heavens with the breadth of his hand. He has held the dust of the earth in a basket, and weighed the mountains on scales… The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. -Isaiah 40:12,28 (paraphrased).
God is a God beyond all understanding, and that quality alone makes Him more than worthy of our praise, adoration, and unending search to know Him.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Day 4- Take 2
The James 4 post basically focused on what WE DO (or not do). In reality, WE TRUST GOD. That's it. TRUST GOD. Like David, who is described as 'a man after God's own heart.' TRUST GOD.
Instead of reading my post, listen to this. It's better. Seriously. YOU WILL BE GLAD. Or if you are too-cool-for-school, then don't, whatever. But you will be missing out on a paradigm shift. (note-if it's not yet posted, it will be soon):
itunes/podcasts/watermarkradio-theporchchannel/livingtheadventure(4/27/10)
PS- The finale (Day 5) will come eventually. When I have time to write it!
Instead of reading my post, listen to this. It's better. Seriously. YOU WILL BE GLAD. Or if you are too-cool-for-school, then don't, whatever. But you will be missing out on a paradigm shift. (note-if it's not yet posted, it will be soon):
itunes/podcasts/watermarkradio-theporchchannel/livingtheadventure(4/27/10)
PS- The finale (Day 5) will come eventually. When I have time to write it!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The James Experiement: Day 4- James 4
Major Themes: Submitting to God; Not boasting in the future
Action: Nothing. See where God takes the day.
“Would I believe you when you would say,
Your hand will guide my every way?...
And I will walk by faith,
Even when I cannot see.
For because this broken road
Prepares your will for me.”
-Walk By Faith, Jeremy Camp
Lessons learned: In trying to develop the action for day 4, a very wise friend asked, “If YOU plan it, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of submitting to God?” So true. Therefore, I woke up without a plan, and spent the morning praying about James 4 then Luke 22:42 “Not my will but Thy will be done” and asking God to show me what that should look like for the day.
Okay, so probably not ideal for EVERY day, but for ONE day = spectacular. Basically, I spent the entire day in the Word, loving and serving other people, easily changing my non-existent-plans to fit someone else’s, and continually praying. I didn’t check off a single item on my extensive to-do list, try to figure out the fall in NC, research residency programs for next year, freak-out about my 25th birthday 10 months away, or even plan the weekend. Although atypical for me, it really happened. And it was phenomenal. God used this to show me how much of the present I waste living in the future, when often He has something better in store. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” –Proverbs 19:21
In regard to not boasting about tomorrow (James 4:13-17), the concept of TODAY can be difficult. I am a planner, especially a future planner. Confident in MY abilities (really?), I like to orchestrate the way I want things to turn out. James says otherwise. “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” –James 4:14.
The clarity of this section made me curious as to why it is so. I love to plan the future, what’s wrong with that? Our entire lives we’ve been told to prepare for later. Elementary gymnastics makes a better cheerleader, high school choices dictate college opportunities, on-and-on. So, why this lesson, James? Perhaps God is simply trying to protect us by keeping us from overplanning. How? I think sometimes we can be so focused on “our plan” that we completely miss the phenomenal opportunities that God is giving us in something else. It’s the "can’t see the forest for the trees" syndrome. On top of that, when we get too wrapped up in our plan, we have to face the harsh reality of unmet expectations when it doesn't work out. Unfortunately, a planner has to swallow this frequently, and thankfully God has reined me back over past year or so.
Example: Here’s how the wrong way often looks, in say a job situation. You find this job that has potential of being fantastic, so naturally you get really excited. You fill out the application, rock the interview, and are super pumped about the 3rd callback with the office tour. You begin picturing yourself in this job, who your work friends will be, what you will wear the first week, etc. It seems promising, so you zealously tell your friends and family who become completely stoked too. Next, you go spend your first paycheck (which you haven’t actually earned) on snazzy business clothes. As you are walking on sunshine in flashy new heels, your future boss politely tells you they have hired someone else. WHAT? You. are. crushed. In reality, your non-boss did nothing wrong. The pain was self-inflicted because you let this future-fantasy run away in your head, rather than adhering to Solomon's advice to "...guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." -Proverbs 4:23. You invested prematurely, and in this instance your plan didn’t jive with God’s plan. Still, you are left with the stinging pain of disappointment from unmet expectations. I've mostly done this the hard way, and am FINALLY learning the right way. One (of many) vital lesson from James 4: God is actually trying to prevent us from hurting ourselves. The quicker we learn this, the less heartache we encounter.
Real world application in MY head, so take it with some salt. I honestly think it is very wise to have a general idea, an overall direction, some concrete goals, and a vision in life, in addition to seeking Christ. But when we legitimately, presumptuously overplan, and think "THIS is EXACTLY what I want," it is a self set-up for a catastrophe. Thankfully, even though we regularly wound ourselves, Jeremiah 29:11 is reassuring. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
Action: Nothing. See where God takes the day.
“Would I believe you when you would say,
Your hand will guide my every way?...
And I will walk by faith,
Even when I cannot see.
For because this broken road
Prepares your will for me.”
-Walk By Faith, Jeremy Camp
Lessons learned: In trying to develop the action for day 4, a very wise friend asked, “If YOU plan it, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of submitting to God?” So true. Therefore, I woke up without a plan, and spent the morning praying about James 4 then Luke 22:42 “Not my will but Thy will be done” and asking God to show me what that should look like for the day.
Okay, so probably not ideal for EVERY day, but for ONE day = spectacular. Basically, I spent the entire day in the Word, loving and serving other people, easily changing my non-existent-plans to fit someone else’s, and continually praying. I didn’t check off a single item on my extensive to-do list, try to figure out the fall in NC, research residency programs for next year, freak-out about my 25th birthday 10 months away, or even plan the weekend. Although atypical for me, it really happened. And it was phenomenal. God used this to show me how much of the present I waste living in the future, when often He has something better in store. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” –Proverbs 19:21
In regard to not boasting about tomorrow (James 4:13-17), the concept of TODAY can be difficult. I am a planner, especially a future planner. Confident in MY abilities (really?), I like to orchestrate the way I want things to turn out. James says otherwise. “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” –James 4:14.
The clarity of this section made me curious as to why it is so. I love to plan the future, what’s wrong with that? Our entire lives we’ve been told to prepare for later. Elementary gymnastics makes a better cheerleader, high school choices dictate college opportunities, on-and-on. So, why this lesson, James? Perhaps God is simply trying to protect us by keeping us from overplanning. How? I think sometimes we can be so focused on “our plan” that we completely miss the phenomenal opportunities that God is giving us in something else. It’s the "can’t see the forest for the trees" syndrome. On top of that, when we get too wrapped up in our plan, we have to face the harsh reality of unmet expectations when it doesn't work out. Unfortunately, a planner has to swallow this frequently, and thankfully God has reined me back over past year or so.
Example: Here’s how the wrong way often looks, in say a job situation. You find this job that has potential of being fantastic, so naturally you get really excited. You fill out the application, rock the interview, and are super pumped about the 3rd callback with the office tour. You begin picturing yourself in this job, who your work friends will be, what you will wear the first week, etc. It seems promising, so you zealously tell your friends and family who become completely stoked too. Next, you go spend your first paycheck (which you haven’t actually earned) on snazzy business clothes. As you are walking on sunshine in flashy new heels, your future boss politely tells you they have hired someone else. WHAT? You. are. crushed. In reality, your non-boss did nothing wrong. The pain was self-inflicted because you let this future-fantasy run away in your head, rather than adhering to Solomon's advice to "...guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." -Proverbs 4:23. You invested prematurely, and in this instance your plan didn’t jive with God’s plan. Still, you are left with the stinging pain of disappointment from unmet expectations. I've mostly done this the hard way, and am FINALLY learning the right way. One (of many) vital lesson from James 4: God is actually trying to prevent us from hurting ourselves. The quicker we learn this, the less heartache we encounter.
Real world application in MY head, so take it with some salt. I honestly think it is very wise to have a general idea, an overall direction, some concrete goals, and a vision in life, in addition to seeking Christ. But when we legitimately, presumptuously overplan, and think "THIS is EXACTLY what I want," it is a self set-up for a catastrophe. Thankfully, even though we regularly wound ourselves, Jeremiah 29:11 is reassuring. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
The James Experiement: Day 3- James 3
Major Theme: Tame the tongue; do not be double-minded
Action: Only speak when spoken to, and have completely positive responses.
Lessons Learned: When I told my best friend about this experiment, she laughed hysterically at me. Then, kind of switched her tone and said, “You are giving up eating AND speaking?”. Implying, “Should we be concerned about you?”. It. Was. Awesome.
Alright, serious-face now. In our world, words are cheap and flow so freely without hesitation. We say things we don’t actually mean, set expectations that we don’t uphold, and “praise and curse out of the same mouth.” James 3:10. Funny example: A friend was telling us how she caught herself jamming out to worship music in her car, then semi-yelling at some guy in traffic, then immediately switching back to worshiping. How true is that for us all? (sidenote: the only people who actually see your ichthys and college bumper stickers are the ones you cut off in traffic. Not the best marketing technique.)
A few relevant Proverbs:
“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” –Proverbs 17:28
“A gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid a man who talks too much” –Proverbs 20:19
“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” – Proverbs 25:24
This was an eye-opening experiment. A few things I already knew: I extremely value communication, am an avid encourager,and my main love language is words of affirmation. It also wasn't news that I'm verbally expressive, an auditory learner, and a collaborator. Embarrassingly, it was news how much I actually talk to myself. It became apparent that I recite to-do lists when trying to remember, verbally recap and plan out events, regularly read aloud, sing waaaaaaay more than expected, and actually speak to God. These things were discovered because I caught myself doing them. It happened ALL day, or at least the 25% of the day I was alone.
The remaining 75% of the day was divided into equal timeframes of strangers, acquaintances, and close friends. “Excuse me” and “thank you” were replaced with a nod and a smile. At school, someone would have to ask me for the information I really needed and wanted to tell them. In social situations, as a natural conversationalist, I felt ridiculous and kind of left out. It was, however, insightful to sit back and observe rather than always being in the mix. It was also good practice at being a Biblical woman in regard to responding and following. Tangent: If we expect men to be leaders, then we have to patiently give them the opportunity.
Also, sooooooooo many times things came to mind that typically I would just say without a second thought. Being forced keep them in my head, I sadly realized how often those statements didn’t really benefit, encourage, or educate anyone. And they weren’t glorifying Christ. Convicting moment...
God also used this day both to protect me and to teach me to rely on Him. There were a couple of conversations that flowed well because I was only allowed to respond. I unfortunately slipped up a time or two in those chats, but this day mostly prevented me from over speaking. Specifically, one conversation was a prime moment where less-is-best, and thanks to God it happened on my ‘not talking’ day. However, things were by no means picture-perfect, and this extrovert couldn’t talk about it to anyone! I could not call. Or text. Or email. Or facebook. Or gchat. Or contact first anyone in any form. It was killing me! And, it blatently pointed out that I immediately turn to someone other than the Lord. Skipping ahead to James 5:13 it is clear what we should do,"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." Due to a day without carelessly speaking, the situation resulted in me looking to God the way He designed- and He absolutely provided.
Action: Only speak when spoken to, and have completely positive responses.
Lessons Learned: When I told my best friend about this experiment, she laughed hysterically at me. Then, kind of switched her tone and said, “You are giving up eating AND speaking?”. Implying, “Should we be concerned about you?”. It. Was. Awesome.
Alright, serious-face now. In our world, words are cheap and flow so freely without hesitation. We say things we don’t actually mean, set expectations that we don’t uphold, and “praise and curse out of the same mouth.” James 3:10. Funny example: A friend was telling us how she caught herself jamming out to worship music in her car, then semi-yelling at some guy in traffic, then immediately switching back to worshiping. How true is that for us all? (sidenote: the only people who actually see your ichthys and college bumper stickers are the ones you cut off in traffic. Not the best marketing technique.)
A few relevant Proverbs:
“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” –Proverbs 17:28
“A gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid a man who talks too much” –Proverbs 20:19
“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” – Proverbs 25:24
This was an eye-opening experiment. A few things I already knew: I extremely value communication, am an avid encourager,and my main love language is words of affirmation. It also wasn't news that I'm verbally expressive, an auditory learner, and a collaborator. Embarrassingly, it was news how much I actually talk to myself. It became apparent that I recite to-do lists when trying to remember, verbally recap and plan out events, regularly read aloud, sing waaaaaaay more than expected, and actually speak to God. These things were discovered because I caught myself doing them. It happened ALL day, or at least the 25% of the day I was alone.
The remaining 75% of the day was divided into equal timeframes of strangers, acquaintances, and close friends. “Excuse me” and “thank you” were replaced with a nod and a smile. At school, someone would have to ask me for the information I really needed and wanted to tell them. In social situations, as a natural conversationalist, I felt ridiculous and kind of left out. It was, however, insightful to sit back and observe rather than always being in the mix. It was also good practice at being a Biblical woman in regard to responding and following. Tangent: If we expect men to be leaders, then we have to patiently give them the opportunity.
Also, sooooooooo many times things came to mind that typically I would just say without a second thought. Being forced keep them in my head, I sadly realized how often those statements didn’t really benefit, encourage, or educate anyone. And they weren’t glorifying Christ. Convicting moment...
God also used this day both to protect me and to teach me to rely on Him. There were a couple of conversations that flowed well because I was only allowed to respond. I unfortunately slipped up a time or two in those chats, but this day mostly prevented me from over speaking. Specifically, one conversation was a prime moment where less-is-best, and thanks to God it happened on my ‘not talking’ day. However, things were by no means picture-perfect, and this extrovert couldn’t talk about it to anyone! I could not call. Or text. Or email. Or facebook. Or gchat. Or contact first anyone in any form. It was killing me! And, it blatently pointed out that I immediately turn to someone other than the Lord. Skipping ahead to James 5:13 it is clear what we should do,"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." Due to a day without carelessly speaking, the situation resulted in me looking to God the way He designed- and He absolutely provided.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The James Experiment: Day 2- James 2
Major Theme: Faith shows itself through deeds
Action: Coming up with how to live out faith through action for a day was tricky, because we SHOULD do this every day. So, I spent a day NOT procrastinating anything.
Lessons Learned: Educational, but ultimately created more questions.
A few cool things. Got up to the 1st alarm instead of the 3rd snooze, had an efficient and productive day, felt a sense of accomplishment, blah blah blah...Moving on.
A very common verse quoted from James is James 2:26, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” This goes hand-in-hand with one of my favorite quotes: "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." -Brennan Manning (you know you are rocking to old-school DC Talk in your head right now).
Anyway, thinking about these brought to mind a lot of questions about some key areas where we procrastinate our deeds. Mainly, time with God, service, relationships, and witnessing. ****note: I am extremely guilty, and these are my convictions NOT my instructions. Just sharing what I’m learning.****
Time with God: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” – Rev 4:11 (KJV). We are created to worship Him. Yes, it’s that simple.“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” – Exodus 9:16. The most selfless thing God can do is bring us to Himself, because He is the supplier of all our needs. If we believe that, then why is time with God often put off until later? Seriously? It is absolutely ridiculous. Is it because we know He is always there and will forgive us, or because we are doing better than most, so God should be okay with that? Reality check: "He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord." -2 Chronicles 12:14. Seeking God is not doing God a favor. He doesn’t NEED us to join his team, life is not the NFL draft. His plan will happen with or without us. In actuality, we are supposed to yearn after God because the best thing for US is time with HIM. For me, it is extremely apparent when I am and when I am not consistently rooted in the Word. My world is different; full v. empty. Real life application: A few days after my "non-procrastination" day, a friend asked if I would be interested in committing to a year-long daily Bible study. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for the next 365. Answer: yes without hesitation.
Service: “…and I will show you my faith by what I do.” – James 2:18. Honestly, we are never going to have enough time, enough money, or a good “break” at work. Life will never settle down and circumstances will never be perfect. Truth be told, time is dictated by priorities. Are we pulling a John Mayer and “waiting on the world to change” or a Ghandi and “be(ing) the change you wish to see in the world.”?
Relationships: Ahh, this one is fun. To begin, think of Disney combined with chick flicks. Throw in cultural overabundance, instant gratification, ten-thousand books, the positive aspects of marriage, the negative aspects of singleness, the plethora of sappy love songs, and the lack of Biblical examples of dating. What do you get? A fantasy world in our minds, in which we very much procrastinate reality. The last couple of years have really taught me A TON here, but those insights will be reserved for another day.
Witnessing: Confession, I am horrible in this area. Worse, I am actually really good at influencing, convincing, communicating with strangers, and presenting a legitimate case for whatever the topic. My Dad easily envisioned me as lawyer or politician. Sadly, I rarely use this talent for the glory of the Lord. Sure, I'll talk about MY relationship with Christ to anyone. Will I ask them about their's? Christian friends, totally. Others I'm not certain about, not regularly. I'm afraid of offending, ruining a friendship, appearing close-minded, seeming judgemental or unaccepting, and possibly even being that "Christian fanatic". I tend to think another time will be better and less awkward. We'll chat later. Stark contrast to our confused minds, we can always count on Paul to tell it like it is. "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." -Galatians 1:10. So if we are servants of Christ, what should this look like? "Come and follow me" Jesus said, "And I will make you fishers of men." -Mark 1:17. He also told Simon Peter to "Feed my lambs" -John 21:15. Also, "Jesus says to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.'" -Mark 16:15. And of course the great commission."Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," -Matthew 28:19. Paul says, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season..." -2 Timothy 4:2. and "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." -Colossians 4:5. James has an overall sense of urgency. In addition to scripture, one of the most convicting facts came from Penn Jillette, an atheist comedian, magician, and filmmaker, after someone gave him a Bible following a show. Jillette said, "How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w
Action: Coming up with how to live out faith through action for a day was tricky, because we SHOULD do this every day. So, I spent a day NOT procrastinating anything.
Lessons Learned: Educational, but ultimately created more questions.
A few cool things. Got up to the 1st alarm instead of the 3rd snooze, had an efficient and productive day, felt a sense of accomplishment, blah blah blah...Moving on.
A very common verse quoted from James is James 2:26, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” This goes hand-in-hand with one of my favorite quotes: "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." -Brennan Manning (you know you are rocking to old-school DC Talk in your head right now).
Anyway, thinking about these brought to mind a lot of questions about some key areas where we procrastinate our deeds. Mainly, time with God, service, relationships, and witnessing. ****note: I am extremely guilty, and these are my convictions NOT my instructions. Just sharing what I’m learning.****
Time with God: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” – Rev 4:11 (KJV). We are created to worship Him. Yes, it’s that simple.“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” – Exodus 9:16. The most selfless thing God can do is bring us to Himself, because He is the supplier of all our needs. If we believe that, then why is time with God often put off until later? Seriously? It is absolutely ridiculous. Is it because we know He is always there and will forgive us, or because we are doing better than most, so God should be okay with that? Reality check: "He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord." -2 Chronicles 12:14. Seeking God is not doing God a favor. He doesn’t NEED us to join his team, life is not the NFL draft. His plan will happen with or without us. In actuality, we are supposed to yearn after God because the best thing for US is time with HIM. For me, it is extremely apparent when I am and when I am not consistently rooted in the Word. My world is different; full v. empty. Real life application: A few days after my "non-procrastination" day, a friend asked if I would be interested in committing to a year-long daily Bible study. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for the next 365. Answer: yes without hesitation.
Service: “…and I will show you my faith by what I do.” – James 2:18. Honestly, we are never going to have enough time, enough money, or a good “break” at work. Life will never settle down and circumstances will never be perfect. Truth be told, time is dictated by priorities. Are we pulling a John Mayer and “waiting on the world to change” or a Ghandi and “be(ing) the change you wish to see in the world.”?
Relationships: Ahh, this one is fun. To begin, think of Disney combined with chick flicks. Throw in cultural overabundance, instant gratification, ten-thousand books, the positive aspects of marriage, the negative aspects of singleness, the plethora of sappy love songs, and the lack of Biblical examples of dating. What do you get? A fantasy world in our minds, in which we very much procrastinate reality. The last couple of years have really taught me A TON here, but those insights will be reserved for another day.
Witnessing: Confession, I am horrible in this area. Worse, I am actually really good at influencing, convincing, communicating with strangers, and presenting a legitimate case for whatever the topic. My Dad easily envisioned me as lawyer or politician. Sadly, I rarely use this talent for the glory of the Lord. Sure, I'll talk about MY relationship with Christ to anyone. Will I ask them about their's? Christian friends, totally. Others I'm not certain about, not regularly. I'm afraid of offending, ruining a friendship, appearing close-minded, seeming judgemental or unaccepting, and possibly even being that "Christian fanatic". I tend to think another time will be better and less awkward. We'll chat later. Stark contrast to our confused minds, we can always count on Paul to tell it like it is. "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." -Galatians 1:10. So if we are servants of Christ, what should this look like? "Come and follow me" Jesus said, "And I will make you fishers of men." -Mark 1:17. He also told Simon Peter to "Feed my lambs" -John 21:15. Also, "Jesus says to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.'" -Mark 16:15. And of course the great commission."Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," -Matthew 28:19. Paul says, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season..." -2 Timothy 4:2. and "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." -Colossians 4:5. James has an overall sense of urgency. In addition to scripture, one of the most convicting facts came from Penn Jillette, an atheist comedian, magician, and filmmaker, after someone gave him a Bible following a show. Jillette said, "How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhG-tkQ_Q2w
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The James Experiment: Day 1 - James 1
It took me a while to decide whether or not to post this, but I learned a lot, so maybe you can too. First, the community group I am lucky to be a part of is absolutely astonishing. All. The. Time. Second, we just studied James.
To begin, James is Jesus’s half-brother (or most speculate). If Jesus was NOT drastically different than any other guy, his little brother would be trying to beat him up or cover up his embarrassing blasphemy rather than tell the world to worship Him. Next, James is all about action. Just Do It. No more of this talk, but step up and do something. Quite relevant to Dallas...
James has 5 chapters, and coincidentally, so does a work-week. This inspired me to do a little experiment: to literally and completely alter my life for a week. Each day had a very different predetermined action (some worldly, some biblically), based on the chapter. I'll post day-by-day how it played out…
Day 1: James 1
Major theme: Preservation through suffering, temptation
Action: Obviously the theme applies to every aspect of life. But, I wasn’t going to create a real-life struggle, so I had to make up something, which became a water only fast. Being diligent and hungry? It’s amazing how our “god is our stomach”.
Lessons learned: Not eating takes major focus, more than I expected. Several times, I almost ate something because I was hungry and had simply forgotten that I wasn’t eating. Avoiding temptation in regard to the things that we regularly struggle with takes intense focus as well. We have to consciously make a decision and stick with it. "...rather, train yourselves to be godly." -1 Timothy 4:7
Being hungry also makes one cranky, tired, sick-feeling, and overall less cheerful. To make a water fast more relevant to perseverance in trials, I purposely chose a day where I am expected to be the all-so-ever happy girl as well as be around food all day. It became amazing how much I had to rely on Christ to ensure I was appropriately representing Him, not being either fake or negative, and simply not eating. Hunger definitely heightens your senses in Twilight style proportions –okay maybe not that much –but God’s handiwork became increasingly obvious. Ex: the perfect song at the perfect time. Phenomenal worship to refresh me. Unexplainable peace. A phone call when needed. Also, I realized major opportunities that probably are always there but often go overlooked. It reminded me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 “...But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” God always gives us another way, we just have to stop focusing on our sin long enough to see it.
This day also brought to mind how easily we justify and rationalize our actions. We tend to live in this world of grey, but sometimes things are simply black and white. Often, sin is black and white. Interestingly, the concept of ‘water only’ is very black and white, but I found myself coloring it grey. Did I really mean, ONLY water? What about tea, that’s mostly water? Can I put fruit in it to jazz it up a bit? Of course this is a silly example, but has real world application. I’m quite guilty of living in grey, being able to present a stellar case to convince myself and others that whatever I want to do is 'right' or within the will of God. But in actuality, sometimes it just isn’t. Granted, I’m not talking about what Christians often consider a “major sin” (all sin is the same, but that’s for another day) but rather the things we consider “minor sin”. If you tell a lie to not hurt someone’s feelings, surely that is justifiable, right? What about not confessing a struggle and just pretending it didn’t happen? If it only affects you, will that be okay? I’m not God, so I don’t know the answer. But, life can be difficult, confusing, and messy; maybe we should cherish the aspects that are black and white.
To begin, James is Jesus’s half-brother (or most speculate). If Jesus was NOT drastically different than any other guy, his little brother would be trying to beat him up or cover up his embarrassing blasphemy rather than tell the world to worship Him. Next, James is all about action. Just Do It. No more of this talk, but step up and do something. Quite relevant to Dallas...
James has 5 chapters, and coincidentally, so does a work-week. This inspired me to do a little experiment: to literally and completely alter my life for a week. Each day had a very different predetermined action (some worldly, some biblically), based on the chapter. I'll post day-by-day how it played out…
Day 1: James 1
Major theme: Preservation through suffering, temptation
Action: Obviously the theme applies to every aspect of life. But, I wasn’t going to create a real-life struggle, so I had to make up something, which became a water only fast. Being diligent and hungry? It’s amazing how our “god is our stomach”.
Lessons learned: Not eating takes major focus, more than I expected. Several times, I almost ate something because I was hungry and had simply forgotten that I wasn’t eating. Avoiding temptation in regard to the things that we regularly struggle with takes intense focus as well. We have to consciously make a decision and stick with it. "...rather, train yourselves to be godly." -1 Timothy 4:7
Being hungry also makes one cranky, tired, sick-feeling, and overall less cheerful. To make a water fast more relevant to perseverance in trials, I purposely chose a day where I am expected to be the all-so-ever happy girl as well as be around food all day. It became amazing how much I had to rely on Christ to ensure I was appropriately representing Him, not being either fake or negative, and simply not eating. Hunger definitely heightens your senses in Twilight style proportions –okay maybe not that much –but God’s handiwork became increasingly obvious. Ex: the perfect song at the perfect time. Phenomenal worship to refresh me. Unexplainable peace. A phone call when needed. Also, I realized major opportunities that probably are always there but often go overlooked. It reminded me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 “...But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” God always gives us another way, we just have to stop focusing on our sin long enough to see it.
This day also brought to mind how easily we justify and rationalize our actions. We tend to live in this world of grey, but sometimes things are simply black and white. Often, sin is black and white. Interestingly, the concept of ‘water only’ is very black and white, but I found myself coloring it grey. Did I really mean, ONLY water? What about tea, that’s mostly water? Can I put fruit in it to jazz it up a bit? Of course this is a silly example, but has real world application. I’m quite guilty of living in grey, being able to present a stellar case to convince myself and others that whatever I want to do is 'right' or within the will of God. But in actuality, sometimes it just isn’t. Granted, I’m not talking about what Christians often consider a “major sin” (all sin is the same, but that’s for another day) but rather the things we consider “minor sin”. If you tell a lie to not hurt someone’s feelings, surely that is justifiable, right? What about not confessing a struggle and just pretending it didn’t happen? If it only affects you, will that be okay? I’m not God, so I don’t know the answer. But, life can be difficult, confusing, and messy; maybe we should cherish the aspects that are black and white.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Occasionally, I wish I was a guy.
There is nothing remotely correct in your speculation of the reasoning behind this title, so keep reading.
Story time: Tonight, on the way to celebrate a friend’s birthday and stopped at a red light, I saw him. He had the appearance of any other normal guy I would know. He was about 27 and sporting the vintage rocker look, equipped with worn-out chucks, a V-neck solid white tee, a scruffy beard, and a green travel backpack. Yet, there was something distinctively different about him than other guys I know. He didn’t have anywhere to go tonight.
It was late, it was dark, and it wasn’t a location that people regularly ‘hang out’. Yet there he sat, facing against the traffic, without a jacket, and maintaining a very stoic expression. There was a sense of heartache and desperation in his dark eyes, eyes that were very distant from the cigarette at which he stared. It was apparent that he was floating, that he wasn’t just taking a breather or just had a fight with his girlfriend. He was a gypsy.
Questions immediately started flowing through my head, as I became intensely focused on this stranger. What is his story? Where is he from? How did he get here? Where is his family? Why can’t he stay with them? How long has he gone without a true home? What does he need? What is going on inside his head, his heart, and his soul? How can I help?
And that’s the moment I became frustrated with being female. Why couldn’t I just give this guy a ride, a free late night dinner, and a couch to sleep on while he has time to do what he needs to do? I honestly COULD provide all of those things for him, so why couldn’t I? Maybe it would completely supply his needs. Ahh the frustration of being of the ‘weaker sex’-to quote Peter. Why do we have to live in a world where it is unsafe and unwise for a 24 year old female to help a stranger, to be hospitable, and to take action with love? I knew in my head that everyone who loves me would kill me if I offered the man a ride. Regardless of the intentions.
Someone behind me honks. I snap back to reality, or my reality anyway. The light is green. I have no cash, no food, or anything beyond girly sunglasses and lip gloss to give him. At this point, tears were ruining my freshly applied makeup-as if that is something to be concerned about. How awful it is that I look at this man with a broken heart, and then consciously continue driving? I say a prayer for him because that’s all I safely know to do.
The rest of the drive I ponder his life and mine. He probably has four times as many stories, and he isn’t much older. He’s probably felt more pain and loneliness than I can fathom. He probably knows what really is important in life, and he probably doesn’t concern himself with my everyday struggles.
Life isn’t fair for him. Why is his situation what it is? How did I get the privilege of being born into a phenomenal family knowing I am loved, when not everyone else does? Why do I get to live in a one bedroom apartment, go out with friends whenever the situation arises, to have more books than shelves, and have enough shoes to go two months before repeating, and this guy probably sleeps outside? Why do I get to have an easy go at many aspects of life when some people have to persevere through constant contention? It isn’t fair.
And then I am so absolutely thankful that God isn’t fair. That His grace isn’t fair. That His mercy isn’t fair. That His love isn’t fair. And that His sacrifice isn’t fair. Fair would be bad news. Fair would mean I receive what I deserve. If my “righteous deeds are like filthy rags” then I really do not want what I deserve. Thankfully God is faithful, and he says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9. And because God’s justice isn’t fair, I want EVERYTHING to do with Christ. “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” –Psalm 5:11
Story time: Tonight, on the way to celebrate a friend’s birthday and stopped at a red light, I saw him. He had the appearance of any other normal guy I would know. He was about 27 and sporting the vintage rocker look, equipped with worn-out chucks, a V-neck solid white tee, a scruffy beard, and a green travel backpack. Yet, there was something distinctively different about him than other guys I know. He didn’t have anywhere to go tonight.
It was late, it was dark, and it wasn’t a location that people regularly ‘hang out’. Yet there he sat, facing against the traffic, without a jacket, and maintaining a very stoic expression. There was a sense of heartache and desperation in his dark eyes, eyes that were very distant from the cigarette at which he stared. It was apparent that he was floating, that he wasn’t just taking a breather or just had a fight with his girlfriend. He was a gypsy.
Questions immediately started flowing through my head, as I became intensely focused on this stranger. What is his story? Where is he from? How did he get here? Where is his family? Why can’t he stay with them? How long has he gone without a true home? What does he need? What is going on inside his head, his heart, and his soul? How can I help?
And that’s the moment I became frustrated with being female. Why couldn’t I just give this guy a ride, a free late night dinner, and a couch to sleep on while he has time to do what he needs to do? I honestly COULD provide all of those things for him, so why couldn’t I? Maybe it would completely supply his needs. Ahh the frustration of being of the ‘weaker sex’-to quote Peter. Why do we have to live in a world where it is unsafe and unwise for a 24 year old female to help a stranger, to be hospitable, and to take action with love? I knew in my head that everyone who loves me would kill me if I offered the man a ride. Regardless of the intentions.
Someone behind me honks. I snap back to reality, or my reality anyway. The light is green. I have no cash, no food, or anything beyond girly sunglasses and lip gloss to give him. At this point, tears were ruining my freshly applied makeup-as if that is something to be concerned about. How awful it is that I look at this man with a broken heart, and then consciously continue driving? I say a prayer for him because that’s all I safely know to do.
The rest of the drive I ponder his life and mine. He probably has four times as many stories, and he isn’t much older. He’s probably felt more pain and loneliness than I can fathom. He probably knows what really is important in life, and he probably doesn’t concern himself with my everyday struggles.
Life isn’t fair for him. Why is his situation what it is? How did I get the privilege of being born into a phenomenal family knowing I am loved, when not everyone else does? Why do I get to live in a one bedroom apartment, go out with friends whenever the situation arises, to have more books than shelves, and have enough shoes to go two months before repeating, and this guy probably sleeps outside? Why do I get to have an easy go at many aspects of life when some people have to persevere through constant contention? It isn’t fair.
And then I am so absolutely thankful that God isn’t fair. That His grace isn’t fair. That His mercy isn’t fair. That His love isn’t fair. And that His sacrifice isn’t fair. Fair would be bad news. Fair would mean I receive what I deserve. If my “righteous deeds are like filthy rags” then I really do not want what I deserve. Thankfully God is faithful, and he says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9. And because God’s justice isn’t fair, I want EVERYTHING to do with Christ. “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” –Psalm 5:11
Sunday, April 11, 2010
A little of this, a little of that
Not much time, so a few short and sweet thoughts from this week.
13 miles is a long way to run. But the nagging knee pain, cramps, nausea, and inability to move all day is NOTHING compared to runners high. Nothing. Honestly. Same brain centers that ecstasy stimulates. Nice work God!
23 years of perfect vision. 24, not so much. Unfortunately…
High expectations will always be better than low expectations, even if they are unmet for a while. High expectations require faith. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” –Proverbs 13:11 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1 “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” –Psalm 20:4
Practice board exams, not too scary and turned out fine. Real boards, $1000 test, a bit more scary.
Wellness project = athletic shoes. Went shoe shopping 3 times for school. A girl’s dream! And, the Finishline salesman was thoroughly impressed that I knew the back-story of Adidas and Puma. Wikipedia it. Also, Vibram toe shoes and Sketchers Rockers are not quite the spectacle as advertised.
Friends drop everything when needed. No. matter. what. :) “A friend loves at all times…” –Proverbs 17:17
Chris Tomlin = great praise and worship. Worth it, even if it ends up being a bunch of friends + a bunch of high school kids. Free tickets helped. “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;” –Psalm 84:10
Multiple friends called this week in freak-out moments because I’m the ‘calm’ one. Not sure if that is a compliment or not.
If Mike Modano retires, I might cry.
House is such a thought provoking show. However, his cane is in the wrong hand, and it drives me insane.
1 Large Movie Popcorn + butter has the same amount of fat as 8 big macs. Yes, EIGHT. Gross. This might have ruined my day.
Duke is still the National Champion, Incase you have forgotten. ;)
13 miles is a long way to run. But the nagging knee pain, cramps, nausea, and inability to move all day is NOTHING compared to runners high. Nothing. Honestly. Same brain centers that ecstasy stimulates. Nice work God!
23 years of perfect vision. 24, not so much. Unfortunately…
High expectations will always be better than low expectations, even if they are unmet for a while. High expectations require faith. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” –Proverbs 13:11 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1 “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.” –Psalm 20:4
Practice board exams, not too scary and turned out fine. Real boards, $1000 test, a bit more scary.
Wellness project = athletic shoes. Went shoe shopping 3 times for school. A girl’s dream! And, the Finishline salesman was thoroughly impressed that I knew the back-story of Adidas and Puma. Wikipedia it. Also, Vibram toe shoes and Sketchers Rockers are not quite the spectacle as advertised.
Friends drop everything when needed. No. matter. what. :) “A friend loves at all times…” –Proverbs 17:17
Chris Tomlin = great praise and worship. Worth it, even if it ends up being a bunch of friends + a bunch of high school kids. Free tickets helped. “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;” –Psalm 84:10
Multiple friends called this week in freak-out moments because I’m the ‘calm’ one. Not sure if that is a compliment or not.
If Mike Modano retires, I might cry.
House is such a thought provoking show. However, his cane is in the wrong hand, and it drives me insane.
1 Large Movie Popcorn + butter has the same amount of fat as 8 big macs. Yes, EIGHT. Gross. This might have ruined my day.
Duke is still the National Champion, Incase you have forgotten. ;)
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Hello Dallas
So we all know that God made me a relatively joyful person, but life truly is fantastic. Honestly. "I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me." -Psalm 13:6
So, I actually had no idea how much I loved Dallas, until I was in Aspen. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Aspen too, but I sincerely missed Big D!
Towards the end of the rotation, Dallas was calling my name. God seriously was telling me that is where I needed to be (at this time anyway). God Wink: I found an apartment via telephone on the drive home from Aspen. Nice, I know. Showed up. Loved it. Found out it was WAY cheaper than expected. Signed the lease. The movers showed up. Start-to-Finish about 3 hours. AMAZING!
For the first time in my life, I live alone. Originally, I expected this to potentially get lonely because my roommates have always been spectacular, but I actually love it. Maybe I’m a closet introvert or something, but there is calmness to a solo apartment. The décor matches. It remains clean (or just how I left it). Items live where I think they should. There are not strangers on my couch when I get home. I can dance and sing to ridiculous music. And I can wear whatever I want whenever I want. Really, it is nice, and Tara just lives down the street. Also, I've officially kept a plant alive for 2 years. I think I've qualified for a puppy now. ;)
Life is Dallas has been extremely spectacular since being home too. Friends are incredible and I’d missed them soooooooooooo much. Community group, The Porch, School, other friends, new experiences, everything. Love it! Catching up with people and hearing what God has been doing in their lives sincerely restores my soul. There have been some major life-transformations while I was gone, and it’s so refreshing to hear about them! Oh yeah, I’m running a half marathon that I didn’t train for. Awesome… You would think 7 years of school would make me more intelligent than competitive, but apparently not. School though is great. Some interesting projects, basically zero stress compared to previous semesters, and getting stories from everyone else's rotations. I like it. Also, its been a blessing to see the family often these days. Between Aspen, events, visits, Easter, we've all been together and it's been phenomenal. My nephew Royce makes my heart smile (even though the 2 year old boy can make better sound effects than I). Learning wisdom from my parents, all night Jesus talks with Brian, sitting on the kitchen counter as Mom cooks, solving the worlds political problems with Dad, and hugging everyone in Goldthwaite, TX are moments to remember.
Okay, so now that you all are caught up in the end of Aspen/beginning of Dallas, the blogs are going to change a lot. They will hold much more depth through lessons and insights that God is teaching me rather than a general description of my recent experiences. Hope that’s okay with you! No promises on the projected frequency, but I’ll try. Apparently “You will never have more time than you do right now”-JP.
Have a blessed day!
So, I actually had no idea how much I loved Dallas, until I was in Aspen. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Aspen too, but I sincerely missed Big D!
Towards the end of the rotation, Dallas was calling my name. God seriously was telling me that is where I needed to be (at this time anyway). God Wink: I found an apartment via telephone on the drive home from Aspen. Nice, I know. Showed up. Loved it. Found out it was WAY cheaper than expected. Signed the lease. The movers showed up. Start-to-Finish about 3 hours. AMAZING!
For the first time in my life, I live alone. Originally, I expected this to potentially get lonely because my roommates have always been spectacular, but I actually love it. Maybe I’m a closet introvert or something, but there is calmness to a solo apartment. The décor matches. It remains clean (or just how I left it). Items live where I think they should. There are not strangers on my couch when I get home. I can dance and sing to ridiculous music. And I can wear whatever I want whenever I want. Really, it is nice, and Tara just lives down the street. Also, I've officially kept a plant alive for 2 years. I think I've qualified for a puppy now. ;)
Life is Dallas has been extremely spectacular since being home too. Friends are incredible and I’d missed them soooooooooooo much. Community group, The Porch, School, other friends, new experiences, everything. Love it! Catching up with people and hearing what God has been doing in their lives sincerely restores my soul. There have been some major life-transformations while I was gone, and it’s so refreshing to hear about them! Oh yeah, I’m running a half marathon that I didn’t train for. Awesome… You would think 7 years of school would make me more intelligent than competitive, but apparently not. School though is great. Some interesting projects, basically zero stress compared to previous semesters, and getting stories from everyone else's rotations. I like it. Also, its been a blessing to see the family often these days. Between Aspen, events, visits, Easter, we've all been together and it's been phenomenal. My nephew Royce makes my heart smile (even though the 2 year old boy can make better sound effects than I). Learning wisdom from my parents, all night Jesus talks with Brian, sitting on the kitchen counter as Mom cooks, solving the worlds political problems with Dad, and hugging everyone in Goldthwaite, TX are moments to remember.
Okay, so now that you all are caught up in the end of Aspen/beginning of Dallas, the blogs are going to change a lot. They will hold much more depth through lessons and insights that God is teaching me rather than a general description of my recent experiences. Hope that’s okay with you! No promises on the projected frequency, but I’ll try. Apparently “You will never have more time than you do right now”-JP.
Have a blessed day!
Goodbye Aspen
Oh my gosh, life has been wonderfully crazy! I LOVE IT! Please forgive me for just now updating the blog.
Okay, so let’s wrap up Aspen. There truly aren’t adequate words to describe this incredible experience. Right now, as I ponder those 2 months, I can’t help but smile at how much God taught me in such a short time. It’s funny how the Lord works, because I never actually intended to go to Aspen. It definitely was not in MY plan. But, through other people’s decisions and a spontaneous moment, the Lord changed my life. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” –Proverbs 16:9
For me, a constantly busy and overly involved person, God began to teach me about the peace and serenity in free time, mostly free time with Him. I worked adult hours, and all my new friends had about 3 jobs and therefore were going to work around the time my last patient left. This free time (because I didn’t have friends, lol) gave me such interrupted time with the Lord: time to read, study, podcast, and learn from wiser Christians. I now understand why Paul praises the season of singleness and the undivided time with God.
My best friend Tara came to visit, and it was PHENOMENAL! Despite the fact it took her 20 hours to get here thanks to the weather, we walked in 2.5 ft of snow at 2 am because the taxi couldn’t make the hill, and she had to take a shuttle from Denver because the flight was canceled, it was totally worth it (for me anyway). It was my birthday weekend, and I was quite homesick. We had a blast just catching up on lives, scoping out Aspen, skiing, staying up late talking, taking pictures, making random friends, and slipping on the ice in our cute shoes. Tara is definitely an irreplaceable friend!
My birthday week was so great! More cards, flowers, balloons, letters, and gifts from home were sent than I deserved. It was such a humbling and loving feeling, especially because I was far away from everyone I really knew. My Mom sent me this HUGE basket of food, and my coworkers said “oh wow, you are from the south.” haha. The clinic threw me a party, and we went out to celebrate a few times. Patients brought in cakes, balloons, and presents. Then my welcoming new friends from church took me salsa dancing! They honestly were an answered prayer.
Tying up the loose ends from work was decently easy. Although my coworkers have a special place in my heart, I was ready to move on to different challenges. Saying goodbye is always difficult though, and I might be terrible at discharging patients because I like them too much! Aspen Sports Medicine took great care of me, and we definitely celebrated. And, I will never drink sake again….
Saying goodbye to Pam and John probably was the most difficult part of it all. The experience of living with phenomenal people that basically adopted me for 2 months was definitely the work of God. They both are ALL IN for Christ, and their lives reflect their devotion. Every single day was filled with encouragement, lessons, advice, wisdom, and examples. Pam and I had such a heart-to-heart right before I left, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Honestly, praise God. Seriously, I’m not sure what I would have done without them. I tear up just a bit thinking about them!
Then…My family came to pick me up!!!! Is that not the most adorable thing you have ever heard? Yes, parents, brother, sister, in-laws = Family Vacation!! Oh my gosh we had a blast! Besides being just fantastic, our family is just so fun. It was an opportunity to share my new life, new friends, and experiences they have heard so much about via the telephone. We enjoyed the mountains, fun Aspen-y places, homecookin’, shopping, and just talking. The same ole thing- we all stayed up all night laughing. I LOVE IT! Seeing my family was just the icing on the cake for the entire experience. They made everything wonderful again (yes, that’s from a song).
Basically, in a nutshell, an experience of a lifetime directed by God.
Okay, so let’s wrap up Aspen. There truly aren’t adequate words to describe this incredible experience. Right now, as I ponder those 2 months, I can’t help but smile at how much God taught me in such a short time. It’s funny how the Lord works, because I never actually intended to go to Aspen. It definitely was not in MY plan. But, through other people’s decisions and a spontaneous moment, the Lord changed my life. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” –Proverbs 16:9
For me, a constantly busy and overly involved person, God began to teach me about the peace and serenity in free time, mostly free time with Him. I worked adult hours, and all my new friends had about 3 jobs and therefore were going to work around the time my last patient left. This free time (because I didn’t have friends, lol) gave me such interrupted time with the Lord: time to read, study, podcast, and learn from wiser Christians. I now understand why Paul praises the season of singleness and the undivided time with God.
My best friend Tara came to visit, and it was PHENOMENAL! Despite the fact it took her 20 hours to get here thanks to the weather, we walked in 2.5 ft of snow at 2 am because the taxi couldn’t make the hill, and she had to take a shuttle from Denver because the flight was canceled, it was totally worth it (for me anyway). It was my birthday weekend, and I was quite homesick. We had a blast just catching up on lives, scoping out Aspen, skiing, staying up late talking, taking pictures, making random friends, and slipping on the ice in our cute shoes. Tara is definitely an irreplaceable friend!
My birthday week was so great! More cards, flowers, balloons, letters, and gifts from home were sent than I deserved. It was such a humbling and loving feeling, especially because I was far away from everyone I really knew. My Mom sent me this HUGE basket of food, and my coworkers said “oh wow, you are from the south.” haha. The clinic threw me a party, and we went out to celebrate a few times. Patients brought in cakes, balloons, and presents. Then my welcoming new friends from church took me salsa dancing! They honestly were an answered prayer.
Tying up the loose ends from work was decently easy. Although my coworkers have a special place in my heart, I was ready to move on to different challenges. Saying goodbye is always difficult though, and I might be terrible at discharging patients because I like them too much! Aspen Sports Medicine took great care of me, and we definitely celebrated. And, I will never drink sake again….
Saying goodbye to Pam and John probably was the most difficult part of it all. The experience of living with phenomenal people that basically adopted me for 2 months was definitely the work of God. They both are ALL IN for Christ, and their lives reflect their devotion. Every single day was filled with encouragement, lessons, advice, wisdom, and examples. Pam and I had such a heart-to-heart right before I left, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Honestly, praise God. Seriously, I’m not sure what I would have done without them. I tear up just a bit thinking about them!
Then…My family came to pick me up!!!! Is that not the most adorable thing you have ever heard? Yes, parents, brother, sister, in-laws = Family Vacation!! Oh my gosh we had a blast! Besides being just fantastic, our family is just so fun. It was an opportunity to share my new life, new friends, and experiences they have heard so much about via the telephone. We enjoyed the mountains, fun Aspen-y places, homecookin’, shopping, and just talking. The same ole thing- we all stayed up all night laughing. I LOVE IT! Seeing my family was just the icing on the cake for the entire experience. They made everything wonderful again (yes, that’s from a song).
Basically, in a nutshell, an experience of a lifetime directed by God.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Finally an update! Aspen, weeks 6 & 7
Okay, so I’ve been terrible the last few weeks about keeping you updated. Please forgive me.
Aspen Sports Medicine: Life in the clinic has been grrrrrreat! I’m finally beginning to independently get my own patients, and legitimately think like a therapist. Hopefully, lol. My favorite patient is an 11 year old ski racer who tore both ACLs….ouch. He is absolutely adorable, and a really fun kid to treat. We have many other exciting patients, some famous athletes, etc….Aspen definitely protrays a different world. There was also the opportunity to spend time with a renowned spine surgeon, and he is really a great teacher. The experience also reassured me that our spine class was extensive and we are prepared.
Other adventures: Went to Denver for a cheerleading competition of a girl I’ve babysat. Oh wow, it brought back a plethora of memories! While there, had the chance to meet up with Joy, Yvette, and Courtney who are doing rotations in the New Mexico/Denver area. Seeing familiar faces made my heart smile! The following weekend went out with the co-workers to celebrate my birthday, G getting into PT school, and Valentine’s day. We had a blast enjoying fancy Italian food, delicious wine, a great “Jack Johnson-ish” concert, dancing, chatting, etc. Loved it!
God: Have learned more about God than imaginable these past two weeks. Honestly. This is the first time my life really has ‘margin’ where the schedule hasn’t been consistently overlapping. The opportunities of learning are abundant in the middle of God’s creation with free time. Read a TON, prayed, journaled, etc. all apart from the busyness of life. It forces one to consider and ponder the things that activities and plans kept from the mind. This is a season in my life that I will cherish forever! There have also been a multitude of “God Winks” (I recently stole this term). Feel free to ask about them.
Aspen Sports Medicine: Life in the clinic has been grrrrrreat! I’m finally beginning to independently get my own patients, and legitimately think like a therapist. Hopefully, lol. My favorite patient is an 11 year old ski racer who tore both ACLs….ouch. He is absolutely adorable, and a really fun kid to treat. We have many other exciting patients, some famous athletes, etc….Aspen definitely protrays a different world. There was also the opportunity to spend time with a renowned spine surgeon, and he is really a great teacher. The experience also reassured me that our spine class was extensive and we are prepared.
Other adventures: Went to Denver for a cheerleading competition of a girl I’ve babysat. Oh wow, it brought back a plethora of memories! While there, had the chance to meet up with Joy, Yvette, and Courtney who are doing rotations in the New Mexico/Denver area. Seeing familiar faces made my heart smile! The following weekend went out with the co-workers to celebrate my birthday, G getting into PT school, and Valentine’s day. We had a blast enjoying fancy Italian food, delicious wine, a great “Jack Johnson-ish” concert, dancing, chatting, etc. Loved it!
God: Have learned more about God than imaginable these past two weeks. Honestly. This is the first time my life really has ‘margin’ where the schedule hasn’t been consistently overlapping. The opportunities of learning are abundant in the middle of God’s creation with free time. Read a TON, prayed, journaled, etc. all apart from the busyness of life. It forces one to consider and ponder the things that activities and plans kept from the mind. This is a season in my life that I will cherish forever! There have also been a multitude of “God Winks” (I recently stole this term). Feel free to ask about them.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Winter X Games; Aspen, week 5
My apologizes for the delay! I’m a few days behind the usual weekly update.
Winter X GAMES!!! Let’s start here. Phenomenal experience! Okay, so town was crazy crowded, equipped with parties and events and stereotypically ‘yo bros’ everywhere. It was a bit of a mess, and a lot of locals don’t necessarily like this week. However, the games themselves were soooooo spectacular to watch. I only went to a few events, but did get to watch the skiing super-pipe finals. We were standing on the edge of the pipe, literally within reach of the inside, and about half way up. We were at a perfect position where the skiers basically flipped OVER our heads. It was amazing!!! The fantastic tricks these athletes perform are sick! As a PT though, my mind was a bit warped in thinking ‘oohh that’s a concussion’ ‘there goes his ACL’ ‘lumbar spine injury’ etc rather than just enjoying the show. There were a few terrible accidents, but most of the competitors got up and back on the slope. Impressive. Other fun things: Held an X-game medal. Took pictures with a few champions (although not really sure who they are, or what they competed in). Paid $17 for a disposable camera, b/c my batteries were dead. Also, it was FREEZING.
Quotes of the Week:
“They will be back soon.” –a patient, as a few X Game athletes came into the clinic prior to competition
“Do you usually socialize with all the new people you meet a work?” -a patient
“Well typically my new friends are on crutches and taking Vicodin.” -me
“Only you can go on a date, without realizing you are on a date.” –Jodie
“Went drinking for the first time since before surgery, and I swear ALL the alcohol went straight to my knee." -knee patient with excessive swelling
"Ahh, it's free. Bring some beer, and we'll call it even." -ski rental guys
“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." –Brad quoting Kate Moss
“Honey, I am from Dallas. These are flats." –back patient wearing heels! :D
“It is interesting what you just taught me about women. However, I am going to choose to ignore it, and still live in my man world." –Jeb
“You look exceptionally pretty today. Wait, that doesn’t mean you usually look bad, because you always look good. Not to be weird or anything. Okay, I’m just going to stop talking.” –a charming patient
Aspen Sports Medicine: LOVE LOVE LOVE my job! The patients are incredible, and I am now officially beginning to get some responsibility. One of my patients, an 11 year old ski racer with bilateral ACL reconstruction, always provides entertainment and innocent refreshment. He taught me how to play lacrosse on Tuesday, and adorably explained knee anatomy to me, lol. Other things, surgeries, MD rounds, business things, etc are continually a blast. 3 surgeries tomorrow!
Crossroads Church: Definitely changing my life! Praise God!
Winter X GAMES!!! Let’s start here. Phenomenal experience! Okay, so town was crazy crowded, equipped with parties and events and stereotypically ‘yo bros’ everywhere. It was a bit of a mess, and a lot of locals don’t necessarily like this week. However, the games themselves were soooooo spectacular to watch. I only went to a few events, but did get to watch the skiing super-pipe finals. We were standing on the edge of the pipe, literally within reach of the inside, and about half way up. We were at a perfect position where the skiers basically flipped OVER our heads. It was amazing!!! The fantastic tricks these athletes perform are sick! As a PT though, my mind was a bit warped in thinking ‘oohh that’s a concussion’ ‘there goes his ACL’ ‘lumbar spine injury’ etc rather than just enjoying the show. There were a few terrible accidents, but most of the competitors got up and back on the slope. Impressive. Other fun things: Held an X-game medal. Took pictures with a few champions (although not really sure who they are, or what they competed in). Paid $17 for a disposable camera, b/c my batteries were dead. Also, it was FREEZING.
Quotes of the Week:
“They will be back soon.” –a patient, as a few X Game athletes came into the clinic prior to competition
“Do you usually socialize with all the new people you meet a work?” -a patient
“Well typically my new friends are on crutches and taking Vicodin.” -me
“Only you can go on a date, without realizing you are on a date.” –Jodie
“Went drinking for the first time since before surgery, and I swear ALL the alcohol went straight to my knee." -knee patient with excessive swelling
"Ahh, it's free. Bring some beer, and we'll call it even." -ski rental guys
“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." –Brad quoting Kate Moss
“Honey, I am from Dallas. These are flats." –back patient wearing heels! :D
“It is interesting what you just taught me about women. However, I am going to choose to ignore it, and still live in my man world." –Jeb
“You look exceptionally pretty today. Wait, that doesn’t mean you usually look bad, because you always look good. Not to be weird or anything. Okay, I’m just going to stop talking.” –a charming patient
Aspen Sports Medicine: LOVE LOVE LOVE my job! The patients are incredible, and I am now officially beginning to get some responsibility. One of my patients, an 11 year old ski racer with bilateral ACL reconstruction, always provides entertainment and innocent refreshment. He taught me how to play lacrosse on Tuesday, and adorably explained knee anatomy to me, lol. Other things, surgeries, MD rounds, business things, etc are continually a blast. 3 surgeries tomorrow!
Crossroads Church: Definitely changing my life! Praise God!
Monday, January 25, 2010
One Month Already? Aspen, Week 4
Oh my gosh, it has been a full month! Crazy… and kind of sad. Time is going by too fast! This week has been full of phenomenal new experiences, a few challenges, and some homesickness, with the cure being a best friend visitation!
Aspen Sports Medicine: The good news, patients are getting better!!!!!! Yay!! Okay, seriously. Let’s see, many of you care more about this aspect than anything else in the Aspen experience, so I’ll try to fill you in. Conveniently, work encompassed most of my life this week. Tuesday provided a GREAT trip to Vail. We spent the day at the Steadman-Hawkins clinic, one of the most famous orthopaedic surgery facilities in the nation, and watched a really phenomenal hip surgery! For all the medical nerds out there, this was her 5th hip surgery, she had damaged femoral head cartilage, osteoporosis, and unexpectedly NO LABRUM! Dr. Philippon did a spontaneous labral reconstruction with the IT band. It was awesome! We then saw some patients with Dr. Millett and chatted with the other physicians. Dr. Steadman went to medical school at UT Southwestern and still goes back to Dallas to teach! Small world. Dr. Karli then gave a lecture on the use of PRP (plasma-rich platelets) and the up-and-coming evidentiary support. You will be seeing this as injections and in surgeries in the near future, as they are already common here! Okay, back to English. Wednesday mornings are rounds with Dr. Pevny in Aspen, who happens to be an Aggie and a spectacular surgeon. The clinic is going well, and I am really learning more than imaginable. Those of you who know me, know I need more feedback than “doll, you are doing great”, but I’m learning to adapt to that too. Overall, the clinic has just created more questions than before! This dose of clinical skepticism, hopefully which is a healthy dose, keeps my nose in the books. Either way, based on it, we found a mistake in an older edition of the McGee textbook. Crazy! I feel as if UTSW provided a fantastic educational foundation, and in the clinical we are now improving hand skills, clinical reasoning, providing an appropriate plan of care, time/patient management, plus much more. However, I am still very much a student, because my thought process is still extremely textbook. Eventually it’ll be different…..Oh, yeah, most of our patients are post-surgical, so the opportunities to REALLY evaluate patients are limited. However, where there has been the occasion, the therapist and I have come up with the same conclusion! Whew!! That’s a good sign.
Texas Visitation: This week was more difficult than normal in regard to being a bit homesick. Pam, who I live with and have grown extremely close to, was in Denver all week. I worked super late every evening so didn’t have the opportunity to meet with the normal crew, or make it to the young adult group on Wednesday night, or ski, or really chat with anyone. Getting off work late, and then adding in the time change, there was not a good opportunity to talk to anyone from home either. New friends are fantastic, but my close friends are still in Texas and I miss them soooooo much!!! It was a semi-lonely week, but then Jodie made it on Friday!!! Yay! She is such a blessing, and a great friend from college I terribly miss. Jodie is one of those amazing individuals who is completely real, down to earth, always bluntly honest, funny, and a blast to be around. She says things the way they are, and I have missed her friendship dearly! You can be confident you look good around her, because she would politely tell you to change if you didn’t, lol. Unfortunately, both of her flights were delayed, so she was late getting to Aspen, and really late getting home. Overall, her trip was a blast! The weekend with her involved seeing Aspen both day and night, talking, hiking (in the snow), shopping, more talking, laughing, trying new restaurants, the chocolate factory, a lot of laughing when Joey, the teenage chocolate salesman, gave us free hot chocolate then worked hard to impress us with bar-tending flare of the whipped cream can, a lot more laughing when he let us know when he was free to hang out, watching it snow, playing in the snow, slipping on the ice, more talking, a few games of pool, and my personal favorite response to gay ski week, playing “yay” or “nah” in guessing the sexual orientation of almost every guy in Aspen.
Crossroads Church: Still spectacular as always. Ended the Fast. Amazing experience. AMAZING sermon on Sunday evening about the Power to Change. Recommend podcasting it. Go to http://www.crossroadschurchaspen.com/flash_web/front/1510/media/media.php?a=1 and it should be up soon, for the 1/24/10 service, under the “Jesus is my Homeboy” cover. Yeah, I know what you are thinking about the title. Its great though!
Aspen Sports Medicine: The good news, patients are getting better!!!!!! Yay!! Okay, seriously. Let’s see, many of you care more about this aspect than anything else in the Aspen experience, so I’ll try to fill you in. Conveniently, work encompassed most of my life this week. Tuesday provided a GREAT trip to Vail. We spent the day at the Steadman-Hawkins clinic, one of the most famous orthopaedic surgery facilities in the nation, and watched a really phenomenal hip surgery! For all the medical nerds out there, this was her 5th hip surgery, she had damaged femoral head cartilage, osteoporosis, and unexpectedly NO LABRUM! Dr. Philippon did a spontaneous labral reconstruction with the IT band. It was awesome! We then saw some patients with Dr. Millett and chatted with the other physicians. Dr. Steadman went to medical school at UT Southwestern and still goes back to Dallas to teach! Small world. Dr. Karli then gave a lecture on the use of PRP (plasma-rich platelets) and the up-and-coming evidentiary support. You will be seeing this as injections and in surgeries in the near future, as they are already common here! Okay, back to English. Wednesday mornings are rounds with Dr. Pevny in Aspen, who happens to be an Aggie and a spectacular surgeon. The clinic is going well, and I am really learning more than imaginable. Those of you who know me, know I need more feedback than “doll, you are doing great”, but I’m learning to adapt to that too. Overall, the clinic has just created more questions than before! This dose of clinical skepticism, hopefully which is a healthy dose, keeps my nose in the books. Either way, based on it, we found a mistake in an older edition of the McGee textbook. Crazy! I feel as if UTSW provided a fantastic educational foundation, and in the clinical we are now improving hand skills, clinical reasoning, providing an appropriate plan of care, time/patient management, plus much more. However, I am still very much a student, because my thought process is still extremely textbook. Eventually it’ll be different…..Oh, yeah, most of our patients are post-surgical, so the opportunities to REALLY evaluate patients are limited. However, where there has been the occasion, the therapist and I have come up with the same conclusion! Whew!! That’s a good sign.
Texas Visitation: This week was more difficult than normal in regard to being a bit homesick. Pam, who I live with and have grown extremely close to, was in Denver all week. I worked super late every evening so didn’t have the opportunity to meet with the normal crew, or make it to the young adult group on Wednesday night, or ski, or really chat with anyone. Getting off work late, and then adding in the time change, there was not a good opportunity to talk to anyone from home either. New friends are fantastic, but my close friends are still in Texas and I miss them soooooo much!!! It was a semi-lonely week, but then Jodie made it on Friday!!! Yay! She is such a blessing, and a great friend from college I terribly miss. Jodie is one of those amazing individuals who is completely real, down to earth, always bluntly honest, funny, and a blast to be around. She says things the way they are, and I have missed her friendship dearly! You can be confident you look good around her, because she would politely tell you to change if you didn’t, lol. Unfortunately, both of her flights were delayed, so she was late getting to Aspen, and really late getting home. Overall, her trip was a blast! The weekend with her involved seeing Aspen both day and night, talking, hiking (in the snow), shopping, more talking, laughing, trying new restaurants, the chocolate factory, a lot of laughing when Joey, the teenage chocolate salesman, gave us free hot chocolate then worked hard to impress us with bar-tending flare of the whipped cream can, a lot more laughing when he let us know when he was free to hang out, watching it snow, playing in the snow, slipping on the ice, more talking, a few games of pool, and my personal favorite response to gay ski week, playing “yay” or “nah” in guessing the sexual orientation of almost every guy in Aspen.
Crossroads Church: Still spectacular as always. Ended the Fast. Amazing experience. AMAZING sermon on Sunday evening about the Power to Change. Recommend podcasting it. Go to http://www.crossroadschurchaspen.com/flash_web/front/1510/media/media.php?a=1 and it should be up soon, for the 1/24/10 service, under the “Jesus is my Homeboy” cover. Yeah, I know what you are thinking about the title. Its great though!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Okay, I live here; Aspen, Week 3
Aspen is now my home. They say it takes 19 days to form a habit, and today makes day 20 of Colorado life. Pam and John, the owners of the B&B where I live are absolutely phenomenal. They each have a huge heart, are very wise, and are so encouraging in faith! Finding Crossroads, living with Pam & John, having two bible studies, and making some amazing friends is DEFINITELY a God story. It has all worked out so perfectly!
Aspen Sports Medicine: Splendid! Learning extensive medicine, skills, communication, business, etc. Also treating a bunch of famous people, former Olympic athletes, etc. I usually don’t know who they are. More about the clinic next week.
Traci Lately:
1. Learning to breath…I can run again! Almost fully altitude adapt!
2. Colorado is so healthy! Walk everywhere, church-wide fast, and can’t afford anything to eat.
3. A little girl at the mountain said “excuse me, but you are very pretty.” She made my day, and I wanted to keep her forever! Sadly, I was sitting there with ice on my injured shoulder, a Stella, and Advil. Awesome.
4. Cooking vegan!
5. Great restaurants with new friends (yes, cheated on the Fast).
6. Soup Skol- trial soup competition from all the local restaurants. Awesomeness.
7. Winter Skol- annual celebration of Aspen ski season. Ice sculptures, live music, beer garden, fireworks, etc.
8. Haven’t mastered distinguishing frozen puddles from ones where my foot sinks into 4 inches of water.
9. A lady next to me brought her yappy dog named “Bruiser” to Church. Yes. Inside Church.
10. My co-workers frequently refer to me as “Tex”.
Growing in Faith: Philippians 3:12-14 (check it out) is me right now. I have so much to learn, and am not there at all. Simply in the process.
Like previously mentioned, Pam demonstrates a Proverbs 31 woman well, and I’m really learning a lot about living for the Lord. We have spent quite a bit of time together studying the Word, praying, walking, talking about Christ, and praying for Haiti. Haiti…something similar can happen so fast, to any of us. Is this life all there is?
I don’t believe so… Therefore, God is teaching me (an on-going process) about dying to self and letting Him live in me; ie, pride.
Do I TRULY rely on Him instead of my own talents?
Do I sincerely expect Him to come through?
Have I put God in a bubble? Am I in a bubble?
The other revelation God has given me, going along with pride, is often our lack of reverence for Him. This is the CREATOR we are talking about! I choke on words when speaking to Gerard Butler, but so casually approach the Throne of Christ? (Psalm 8) What? The “Religious” God I’d known for so long is minuscule in comparison to who God actually is, and yet God is often thought of in the following manner: Stand up. Sing. Sit down. Stand up. Bow your head. Say this creed. Tithe. Check the list. Repeat next Sunday. Seriously? What punch did we drink that made us think this is the relationship God desires? Scripture definitely does not agree. Religion and Relationship are such vastly different concepts, and they are so often misconstrued. I’ve been here, but why do we profess the Bible, when, if being honest, we don’t really know what it says? How can we know God’s heart if we never read His word? Or pray? We stand on Biblical bits and pieces we learned in 4th grade VBS, and consequently never become spiritually mature (Heb 5:11-14; 6:1-3; 1 Tim 4:7) As spiritually immature believers, we never develop a defendable faith. How can we expect the world (US Government, etc) to honor Christianity if we can’t defend it? Honestly, it isn’t a chore, obligation, or intimidation to read the Word, it’s a blessing that people all over the world die for. Check out "A Case for Christ".
One spectacular characteristic of Aspen, a city of the ‘world’ very far from the ‘Bible belt’, is that the Christians here are completely on fire for God rather than being complacent. It isn’t cool, expected, or required to be a Christian, the way it is at home. Instead, the smaller church is full of people with Genuine, Sincere, Trusting, Relying, Encouraging, and Deep Faith. I want to be more like this.
The Daniel Fast…It’s been hard this week and I’m hungry. Made everyone laugh hysterically as my face blatantly coveted Devin’s food today. And I’ve cheated a bit, which shows my people pleasing habit because I don’t want to come across as a ‘Religious fanatic’ to a new friend. But who am I trying to please, God or man? (Gal 1:10) Why can’t I trust God? (Romans 1:16-17). Good news, the Fast is requiring me to rely on Him much more, expose my addictions, and live 1 Thess 5:16 much more.
Adieu! Love and miss everyone so much! Thanks for being in my life!
Aspen Sports Medicine: Splendid! Learning extensive medicine, skills, communication, business, etc. Also treating a bunch of famous people, former Olympic athletes, etc. I usually don’t know who they are. More about the clinic next week.
Traci Lately:
1. Learning to breath…I can run again! Almost fully altitude adapt!
2. Colorado is so healthy! Walk everywhere, church-wide fast, and can’t afford anything to eat.
3. A little girl at the mountain said “excuse me, but you are very pretty.” She made my day, and I wanted to keep her forever! Sadly, I was sitting there with ice on my injured shoulder, a Stella, and Advil. Awesome.
4. Cooking vegan!
5. Great restaurants with new friends (yes, cheated on the Fast).
6. Soup Skol- trial soup competition from all the local restaurants. Awesomeness.
7. Winter Skol- annual celebration of Aspen ski season. Ice sculptures, live music, beer garden, fireworks, etc.
8. Haven’t mastered distinguishing frozen puddles from ones where my foot sinks into 4 inches of water.
9. A lady next to me brought her yappy dog named “Bruiser” to Church. Yes. Inside Church.
10. My co-workers frequently refer to me as “Tex”.
Growing in Faith: Philippians 3:12-14 (check it out) is me right now. I have so much to learn, and am not there at all. Simply in the process.
Like previously mentioned, Pam demonstrates a Proverbs 31 woman well, and I’m really learning a lot about living for the Lord. We have spent quite a bit of time together studying the Word, praying, walking, talking about Christ, and praying for Haiti. Haiti…something similar can happen so fast, to any of us. Is this life all there is?
I don’t believe so… Therefore, God is teaching me (an on-going process) about dying to self and letting Him live in me; ie, pride.
Do I TRULY rely on Him instead of my own talents?
Do I sincerely expect Him to come through?
Have I put God in a bubble? Am I in a bubble?
The other revelation God has given me, going along with pride, is often our lack of reverence for Him. This is the CREATOR we are talking about! I choke on words when speaking to Gerard Butler, but so casually approach the Throne of Christ? (Psalm 8) What? The “Religious” God I’d known for so long is minuscule in comparison to who God actually is, and yet God is often thought of in the following manner: Stand up. Sing. Sit down. Stand up. Bow your head. Say this creed. Tithe. Check the list. Repeat next Sunday. Seriously? What punch did we drink that made us think this is the relationship God desires? Scripture definitely does not agree. Religion and Relationship are such vastly different concepts, and they are so often misconstrued. I’ve been here, but why do we profess the Bible, when, if being honest, we don’t really know what it says? How can we know God’s heart if we never read His word? Or pray? We stand on Biblical bits and pieces we learned in 4th grade VBS, and consequently never become spiritually mature (Heb 5:11-14; 6:1-3; 1 Tim 4:7) As spiritually immature believers, we never develop a defendable faith. How can we expect the world (US Government, etc) to honor Christianity if we can’t defend it? Honestly, it isn’t a chore, obligation, or intimidation to read the Word, it’s a blessing that people all over the world die for. Check out "A Case for Christ".
One spectacular characteristic of Aspen, a city of the ‘world’ very far from the ‘Bible belt’, is that the Christians here are completely on fire for God rather than being complacent. It isn’t cool, expected, or required to be a Christian, the way it is at home. Instead, the smaller church is full of people with Genuine, Sincere, Trusting, Relying, Encouraging, and Deep Faith. I want to be more like this.
The Daniel Fast…It’s been hard this week and I’m hungry. Made everyone laugh hysterically as my face blatantly coveted Devin’s food today. And I’ve cheated a bit, which shows my people pleasing habit because I don’t want to come across as a ‘Religious fanatic’ to a new friend. But who am I trying to please, God or man? (Gal 1:10) Why can’t I trust God? (Romans 1:16-17). Good news, the Fast is requiring me to rely on Him much more, expose my addictions, and live 1 Thess 5:16 much more.
Adieu! Love and miss everyone so much! Thanks for being in my life!
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Real World: Aspen, week 2
This week has been quite an introduction to an abundance of new experiences!
Aspen Sports Medicine: I’m actually kind-of a PT? What? When did that happen? Week 1 on the very first clinical has been phenomenal! Co-workers, stellar. Wednesday rounds with a fellow Aggie physician, very educational. Scrubbing in on awesome surgeries, such as a total knee arthroplasty, spectacular! It’s so great to be reminded why we entered this profession in the first place: to see patients. And fortunately, I remember more than I thought. whew! However, there is SOOOO much to learn, and embarrassingly more that I didn’t retain from the world of academia. An intern is an interesting place to be though, because we as students were taught “latest” practice, and in the clinic things can be done very differently. It is a learning process of incorporating the clinicians practice with the professors insight to best treat the patient. I feel smart enough to be dangerous, haha.
Crossroads Church: Day 7 of 21 of the Daniel fast (basically going vegan) has been so insightful! This is my first food-fast, so I’m learning how to be hungry for God while teaching self control and opening conversation. And surprisingly, I’m not really that hungry, but rather feel very refreshed and healthy. I do notice an increase in prayer time and more fruitful quite times, and just began the book “The Rewards of Fasting”. More on that later. Also, the young adult group met Wed night, studying the Song of Solomon. Getting new perspectives on loving the Lord has really sparked growth, however, I do miss “Still the one”, TNS, The Porch, and Watermark in Dallas.
Aspen-Life Lessons:
1.When locals say a ski-slope is “fun” or “pretty easy” don’t believe them.
2.High-heels in the winter. Just. Say. No.
3.Pay attention on trails when praying, running, ipod singing, and observing the beautiful scenery: 5 miles away = 5 miles home = 10 miles total.
4.New friends make for new adventures. Yet, old ones are irreplaceable!
5.Randy Rogers Band came to Aspen! People listen to country, but no one is country. They purchased the $600 Stetson at Kemo-Sabe earlier that day.
6. The Mexican food here is terrible.
7.Aspen is a small town, and the people are so welcoming and friendly! Reminds me of small town Texas! :D
Aspen Sports Medicine: I’m actually kind-of a PT? What? When did that happen? Week 1 on the very first clinical has been phenomenal! Co-workers, stellar. Wednesday rounds with a fellow Aggie physician, very educational. Scrubbing in on awesome surgeries, such as a total knee arthroplasty, spectacular! It’s so great to be reminded why we entered this profession in the first place: to see patients. And fortunately, I remember more than I thought. whew! However, there is SOOOO much to learn, and embarrassingly more that I didn’t retain from the world of academia. An intern is an interesting place to be though, because we as students were taught “latest” practice, and in the clinic things can be done very differently. It is a learning process of incorporating the clinicians practice with the professors insight to best treat the patient. I feel smart enough to be dangerous, haha.
Crossroads Church: Day 7 of 21 of the Daniel fast (basically going vegan) has been so insightful! This is my first food-fast, so I’m learning how to be hungry for God while teaching self control and opening conversation. And surprisingly, I’m not really that hungry, but rather feel very refreshed and healthy. I do notice an increase in prayer time and more fruitful quite times, and just began the book “The Rewards of Fasting”. More on that later. Also, the young adult group met Wed night, studying the Song of Solomon. Getting new perspectives on loving the Lord has really sparked growth, however, I do miss “Still the one”, TNS, The Porch, and Watermark in Dallas.
Aspen-Life Lessons:
1.When locals say a ski-slope is “fun” or “pretty easy” don’t believe them.
2.High-heels in the winter. Just. Say. No.
3.Pay attention on trails when praying, running, ipod singing, and observing the beautiful scenery: 5 miles away = 5 miles home = 10 miles total.
4.New friends make for new adventures. Yet, old ones are irreplaceable!
5.Randy Rogers Band came to Aspen! People listen to country, but no one is country. They purchased the $600 Stetson at Kemo-Sabe earlier that day.
6. The Mexican food here is terrible.
7.Aspen is a small town, and the people are so welcoming and friendly! Reminds me of small town Texas! :D
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Vacation: Aspen, week 1
Aspen is absolutely phenomenal!! Here is the recap from the vacation-part of Aspen.
Roadtrip: The drive through OK, KS, then to CO definitely attested to be more fun than typical. There is just something about being from Texas! Everyone wants to be your friend, mention they visited Texas in 1993, and ask if you know their cousin Charley. I secretly love it! We also took tons of fun pictures. See facebook.
Day 1: Arrive in Aspen around 7 pm. The quaint little town sparkles with Christmas lights, glimmers with snow, and the buildings look like Gingerbread houses. It feels like a tangible fairy tale. The drive from Texas to Aspen was simple. However, the half-mile drive up the mountain to the new home was more than the TX vehicle could handle. Haha. Yes, ice, sliding, snow, getting stuck, getting rescued, and ultimately leaving the car in town was quite an eventful experience. *note* WE did not get the vehicle stuck. A friend from Aspen, who thought he could make the hill did. Then he rescued us. It was rather entertaining.
Day 2: Aspen in the day! Lovely! We learned the bus system, became oriented to the town, ate local food, and met quite a few people. The people are great! Everyone is so friendly and helpful. It honestly feels like small town Texas. Aspen is rather small, about 6,000 people, but this week (Christmas-New Years) has about 10,000. There are quite a few restaurants/bars and the scene seems similar to uptown Dallas. Interesting note, there are probably twice as many guys here than girls. It’s a nice ratio. ;-) Either Amber and I became smoking hot upon leaving Texas, or all women get continual attention here. Yet, the guys are very much gentlemen. Oh yeah, minor detail. WE MET GERARD BUTLER!!! We were in line to go to Belly Up, and he was right in front of us. I honestly didn’t believe it was him, until he accidentally bumped into us. So we chatted for a couple of minutes. Mesmerizing eyes, check. Sexy accent, check. Traci forgot her name and has no idea what we talked about, check.
Day 3: Skiing= awesome! Aspen has 4 mountains to ski. Buttermilk. Aspen. Highlands. Snowmass. Buttermilk is the Xgame mountain with the jumps and pipe. Aspen is literally at the base of Aspen mountain. Highlands is BEAUTIFUL! Snowmass is the largest ski acreage in Colorado. Snowmass village is a cute little mountain area. Very cool note. Our charming ski instructor/actor friend gave us free lift tickets. The guys at the rental shop gave us equipment. Honestly, single ladies move to the mountains!
Day 4-6: Visited the clinic, LOVED everyone! Semi-terrified of not remembering anything from school. Spent a lot of time walking around town, getting lost, making more friends, shopping for things we would never actually buy, taking a ridiculous amount of pictures, eating at famous places, including OUTSIDE at Ajax (detailed in the movie Aspen Extreme), and doing the Aspen touristy thing. It was a blast! Because it is a small town, we ran into the same people over and over. NYE: Celebrated with a pro cyclist and fellow medical professional, dressed as Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber. They were hysterical, and very entertaining tourists from Vermont. There are very few people actually from Aspen this week.
Day 7: Love LoVe LOVE the church, Crossroads. I was rather nervous about moving from the network of believers in Dallas to the middle of ‘worldly’ Aspen. God totally provided!! Crossroads is very similar to my Dallas church, Watermark, on a MUCH smaller scale. The pastor, Dan, actually went to DTS. Already have a bible study and a semi-good friend. Pam & John, the amazing B&B owners where I am staying, are so encouraging and wise. The Lord definitely lives in their home! Opposite of my concerns, I have a feeling this will be a fantastic place to grow spiritually!!!!! Oh yeah, Crossroads is doing a 21 day Daniel fast that started today. I’ve never really fasted before, so I’m really excited to see change when being hungry for God!
There you go everyone! That’s the LONG update from this week of vacationing! The rest won’t be daily entries, so no worries mate. In addition, day one of clinical rotation one begins tomorrow! I’m semi-terrified that I don’t remember anything!!! But,extremely excited too. Aspen Sports Medicine, here comes Dallas.
Roadtrip: The drive through OK, KS, then to CO definitely attested to be more fun than typical. There is just something about being from Texas! Everyone wants to be your friend, mention they visited Texas in 1993, and ask if you know their cousin Charley. I secretly love it! We also took tons of fun pictures. See facebook.
Day 1: Arrive in Aspen around 7 pm. The quaint little town sparkles with Christmas lights, glimmers with snow, and the buildings look like Gingerbread houses. It feels like a tangible fairy tale. The drive from Texas to Aspen was simple. However, the half-mile drive up the mountain to the new home was more than the TX vehicle could handle. Haha. Yes, ice, sliding, snow, getting stuck, getting rescued, and ultimately leaving the car in town was quite an eventful experience. *note* WE did not get the vehicle stuck. A friend from Aspen, who thought he could make the hill did. Then he rescued us. It was rather entertaining.
Day 2: Aspen in the day! Lovely! We learned the bus system, became oriented to the town, ate local food, and met quite a few people. The people are great! Everyone is so friendly and helpful. It honestly feels like small town Texas. Aspen is rather small, about 6,000 people, but this week (Christmas-New Years) has about 10,000. There are quite a few restaurants/bars and the scene seems similar to uptown Dallas. Interesting note, there are probably twice as many guys here than girls. It’s a nice ratio. ;-) Either Amber and I became smoking hot upon leaving Texas, or all women get continual attention here. Yet, the guys are very much gentlemen. Oh yeah, minor detail. WE MET GERARD BUTLER!!! We were in line to go to Belly Up, and he was right in front of us. I honestly didn’t believe it was him, until he accidentally bumped into us. So we chatted for a couple of minutes. Mesmerizing eyes, check. Sexy accent, check. Traci forgot her name and has no idea what we talked about, check.
Day 3: Skiing= awesome! Aspen has 4 mountains to ski. Buttermilk. Aspen. Highlands. Snowmass. Buttermilk is the Xgame mountain with the jumps and pipe. Aspen is literally at the base of Aspen mountain. Highlands is BEAUTIFUL! Snowmass is the largest ski acreage in Colorado. Snowmass village is a cute little mountain area. Very cool note. Our charming ski instructor/actor friend gave us free lift tickets. The guys at the rental shop gave us equipment. Honestly, single ladies move to the mountains!
Day 4-6: Visited the clinic, LOVED everyone! Semi-terrified of not remembering anything from school. Spent a lot of time walking around town, getting lost, making more friends, shopping for things we would never actually buy, taking a ridiculous amount of pictures, eating at famous places, including OUTSIDE at Ajax (detailed in the movie Aspen Extreme), and doing the Aspen touristy thing. It was a blast! Because it is a small town, we ran into the same people over and over. NYE: Celebrated with a pro cyclist and fellow medical professional, dressed as Harry and Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber. They were hysterical, and very entertaining tourists from Vermont. There are very few people actually from Aspen this week.
Day 7: Love LoVe LOVE the church, Crossroads. I was rather nervous about moving from the network of believers in Dallas to the middle of ‘worldly’ Aspen. God totally provided!! Crossroads is very similar to my Dallas church, Watermark, on a MUCH smaller scale. The pastor, Dan, actually went to DTS. Already have a bible study and a semi-good friend. Pam & John, the amazing B&B owners where I am staying, are so encouraging and wise. The Lord definitely lives in their home! Opposite of my concerns, I have a feeling this will be a fantastic place to grow spiritually!!!!! Oh yeah, Crossroads is doing a 21 day Daniel fast that started today. I’ve never really fasted before, so I’m really excited to see change when being hungry for God!
There you go everyone! That’s the LONG update from this week of vacationing! The rest won’t be daily entries, so no worries mate. In addition, day one of clinical rotation one begins tomorrow! I’m semi-terrified that I don’t remember anything!!! But,extremely excited too. Aspen Sports Medicine, here comes Dallas.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010: The beginning
There is no time like the present. My dad regularly says, “You aren’t getting any younger”. It is the beginning of 2010, and for me, the initiation of a plethora of new beginnings. 2009 proved to be a year equipped with phenomenal friends, life lessons learned both the easy and the difficult way, exceptional and unforgettable experiences, growing pains in growing up, the birth and death of family, and most importantly, radical transformations through Christ.
As for me, Christmas 2009 sparked a solo move to Aspen, CO for a Sports Medicine rotation. March will spring a move back to Dallas, TX. August will lead me to Raleigh, NC. December brings about PT School graduation. Whew! 2010 should be jam packed with amazing experiences, some a bit scary, but most extremely exhilarating, more learning than imaginable, personal challenges, loving new friends but terribly missing the old, and an all around spectacular ride that requires full reliance on God. I’ll try to keep you posted on here!
As for me, Christmas 2009 sparked a solo move to Aspen, CO for a Sports Medicine rotation. March will spring a move back to Dallas, TX. August will lead me to Raleigh, NC. December brings about PT School graduation. Whew! 2010 should be jam packed with amazing experiences, some a bit scary, but most extremely exhilarating, more learning than imaginable, personal challenges, loving new friends but terribly missing the old, and an all around spectacular ride that requires full reliance on God. I’ll try to keep you posted on here!
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