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| THE FOURTH THING
A wise man once said that there were three things too wonderful for him, four that he did not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the middle of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid. (Proverbs 30:18,19)
I'm not exactly sure the context of Agur's thoughts - whether he was commenting on the fatal attraction that leads a man to be reduced to a loaf of bread (Proverbs 6:26) or the magic of a couple falling in love & growing into a single unit in marriage. Given the first three are positive, I tend to think it's the latter.
And as summer winds down after a busy season of weddings, my thoughts turn again to that mystical connection made between a man & his mate. That two rotten sinners should be called into a relationship of love & commitment boggles the mind. Why would anyone willingly enter into such a contract? Nevermind the "richer-poorer, sickness-health, good times & bad" business. Why would you tie yourself to a selfish, capricious, stubborn person for life? If there is a calculus of such things, it seems either to be blind or visionary. It is blind if it downplays the trial of being married to such a sinner. But on the other hand, if it sees the hidden value in being redeemed together, in supporting each other on a race to be like Christ, then it is visionary.
And there it is, simple as breathing, clear as a mountain spring, warm like the late summer sun - the only thing in Creation that was "not good" was for Adam to be alone. Did you notice that it went from "good" to "very good" once Eve entered the scene? What God has called together, let no man (including the spouse) tear asunder. | | |
| As I approach my first medical missions trip outside this continent (and packing up my apartment for a move), I'm thinking about missions in a broader sense and came across this journal entry from Autumn 2005.
"We need missionaries to pro-mia, pro-ana communities, missionaries to American Muslim communities...people who will live in there with them, will pray consistently for their friends, and seek to give each what he/she needs to come to Christ. We need missionaries to Mormons, to atheists, to Buddhists, to 'cultural Christians'...any group whose identity comes from anything other than a common relationship to Christ is a ripe target for the good news about Jesus. That means prostitution rings, fraternities, sports teams, band groupies...where will we find such missionaries? high schools? colleges? parties?
Problem: in a sense, it's easy to outreach Mormons; we're comfortable with their lifestyle, they already believe in a god and trust the Bible. But how do you outreach pornographers, lesbians & gays, drug dealers? I wish we had more information on what Christ did at those parties He attended with tax-collectors & sex workers. Yet maybe those questions are premature. At the start, let us not ask how to push this 'Revolution' into every part, but how we ought to begin. I must be willing to carry this Revolution to UM Med School, to my friends in Ann Arbor, to my Frisbee team, to my neighbors. We're connected by career, sport, and geography. My aim is that we might all connect to Jesus. Engaging that mission might stir things up...especially in the way I've been living my life." | | |
| FINDING BEAUTY IN DESTRUCTION
Driving home today I beheld a rare but beautiful sight - a ragged edge of fire burning across the mountains east of Pasadena, like the edge of a smoldering newspaper. And as the last drops of sunlight drained westward, the billowing smoke plume lit up like an island in the sky, rising downward to kiss the hillside from whence it came. There was an eerie beauty in that moment. As if even the destructive power of a brush fire could not escape from playing its role in the magnificent tapestry of life. And in that moment, driving into the darkening horizon, I realized that there is beauty even in destruction. | | |
| A SMATTERING OF END OF YEAR ADVICE
Teaching is the best way to learn.
Tell yourself every day, "It's not about me." (Thanks D Fritze)
If you're planning on flying below the radar, just remember to pull up before you hit the rocks.
It's more important what you leave than what you take.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is destruction.
Patience > Power; Grace > Greatness
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| SISYPHUS
Today I felt like my medical efforts were like spitting into the ocean...against a very stiff offshore breeze. Sometimes it is good to feel small...don't know if this was one of those times. | | |
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