I'm back...

Well, I found a computer that will let me blog, however, my time is very short. So, here is a list of the happenings thusfar.

1) My window unit A/C is in the shower (yes, in the shower just below the shower head).
2) The only TV channel I can get is CNN-China (yes, China)
3) I have been mistaken for a man of questionable sexual orientation. (really, it was NOT my fault)
4) There is some GREAT landscape that I sit infront of as I do my evening studying.
5) The phrase, "It's good enough for government work" applies here in particular situations.
6) I have great preceptors.
7) I just found a radio station that I like!
8) I have lived through a dust storm.
9) When camping in CO, use 3 pairs of socks. It gets cold at night.

I am not sure about my next blogging time so stay tuned.

Extra bonus blog…

I did not realize that I would have access to a computer this evening but I had a good start to my adventure today and I wanted to share.

A friend gave me a CD with some silly songs on it, thanks doc, and I was almost crying as I was driving down the road listening and laughing to/with it. Then the song “If The Devil Was A Man” by Chris Tomlin and Ross King came on. This too is a silly song but it had a catchy tune so I let the song repeat and I listened to it again.

The song talks about sins we just cannot seem to ‘kick’. If we claim to be a Christian the Bible tells us to conform our minds (ie. thoughts & motives leading to actions) to the mind of Christ. As we spend time studying the Bible, praying, and listening to God through prayer and medication on His Word, we come to understand more about God’s character.

This song talks about cursing, gossip, lust and pride. These and other sins (yes they are sins not just character flaws) can at times seem to overwhelm us. Even at times appearing as ‘unbeatable’. I realized however, that when I come to this feeling of inadequacy and defeat by the devil or my own sin, I need to remember that God is full of grace and mercy. If I will correct my unrepentant heart/attitude (make an attitudinal adjustment—that’s just for the pharmacy students!) God is consistent/reliable to forgive my sin and to clean my heart once again. I also realized I need to remember that in the final evaluation, a Christian will not be defeated by a reoccurring or lingering sin nor by any temptation the devil may consistently hurl our way. In the end, the devil will be defeated and my shortfalls will be corrected by Jesus; either now as my mind is being conformed to the likeness of Christ or in the final evaluation when I am unshackled from my fleshly nature once an for all.

Whatever our reoccuring sin, when it creeps up on us or stares us in the face, right then, we need to press into our relationship with Jesus through prayer or scripture and ask God to help us resist the current temptation. Doing this will not be for the sole purpose of avoiding the current sin and obtaining yet another gold star on our 'heavenly good works' classroom pictogram. Doing this will enrich our relationship with God and mature us as believers.

On the road!

Well, today I packed Bessie (aka: Betsey, ole gal) and she is taking it like at trooper. I did not hear any complaining. It could be that I gave her an oil change and new breaks earlier this week and today I gave her a new battery. She’s a whole new gal!

Tomorrow I set out for my ‘extended academic adventure’! I’ll start bright and early around 11 - 11:30 am. I am not sure of my computer access outside the country (Texas) so I will try to up date you as best I can. I will be traveling through the weekend so this is likely to be the last post until at least Monday.

Thanks for staying tuned, I look forward to posting about my adventures and interacting with you, the reader, via email as permitted.

Good evening,
Hopper

The New On-Star!

Today I discovered (in a test situation) that one does not have to pay the exorbitant On-Star fees for the service of unlocking one's car! If you give an extra 'beeper' to someone you trust, you can call them, hold your cell phone close to your car and have them punch the 'open' button. Your car will open! Just like the On-Star service and without the fee!

Here's to willing parents that will hold on to my extra set of keys while I am on my extended academic adventure; just in cast as I am traveling across the country and lock my keys in my car. I have only done this once in my life but now I will not have to wave $20 around and give it to the first teen-aged passerby that can break into my car in less then 30 seconds!

Road Trip!!

I am starting a new blogging series. In a few days I will embark on an extended academic and educational endeavor that will stretch my current knowledge and no doubt broaden my understanding of healthcare. So in preparation I’m starting a list of a few essentials. Please make mention of anything you think I have forgotten.

1. Work related mumbo-jumbo...check.
2. Hiking boots, tent, and mountain bike…check, check, and pending check!
3. Harmonicas, juice harp, axe…triple check!
4. Snacks for the road...check!

The Pond No. 5

This morning while doing some things around the house I decided to take a listen to The Pond. This was the lesson I learned.

Whining is annoying. No one likes to hear it. One can not always get what one wants.

Woodchuck

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

My Will

D.C. Talk has a song called, “My Will”. The first look—or listen—at this title might make us inclined to think that we need to give up our will so that we can accomplish God’s will. This is sometimes true. But what if our will is to praise our God? Read carefully the chorus lyrics to this song, ‘It’s my will, and I’m not moving. And if it’s Your will, nothing can shake me. It’s my will to bow and praise you. Now I have a will to praise my God.’ Now read Psalm 148. We need to praise our God. As Psalm also says in chapter 67, ‘let all the peoples praise You.’

Why, you say, should we praise God? That’s easy: he bought us on the cross at Calvary; He judges the people righteously; He created everything around us; He first loved us; He provides for our every need, and sometimes our wants; the list goes on forever.

The important thing is that we align our will with God’s. When we do this, what D.C. Talk said is really true: ‘Nothing can shake me.’

Read Hebrews 2

My treasure is _______.

A while back I was reading in Luke 12 when I came upon this verse, ‘For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ At first I just quickly read over this but later I tried to apply it to me. I asked myself, “Self, where if your treasure?” After thinking for a while I had to reply in honesty and I did not like my new realization.

“Self,” I said, “My treasure has been to excel at playing the French horn.” I love God and I loved reading His word but whenever I had a free moment to think I always thought how good I could become if I was practicing more or about music I had recently played.

I am far from where I want to be but now any free thought time is used to reflect on more memorize the Bible. This change in thought has caused my music to plummet (though it did not necessarily have to) but my thought life to focus on God.

So now that I have confessed to having an incorrect treasure, why don’t you check out your own treasure chest? What is in there? Something temporal, or something in Heaven where Christ is?

Read Luke 12:13-34

Focus...

Have you ever started something, maybe a sport just for fun or because you like doing it? Playing for this reason makes the sport so much fun! And when you play for fun winning usually follows, even if not you still had fun, right? After a while, when you start to succeed, winning becomes the main goal and purpose. This pushes fun aside if necessary. At this stage in the game the sport may start to loose its appeal. Why? Because your focus changed from having fun to only being satisfied with winning.

In Genesis 11, the story of the Tower of Babel is told. The people stopped going west and settled in the land of Shinar. There the people started building a city, but more importantly, a tower whose top was to be in the heavens. Later in the story God confuses their language to make them stop. The problem was that the people were building a tower to the heavens to glorify themselves instead of for God and His glory.

As we go through life, let us remember to love and do things for God not to Him or because we love the thing we are doing.

Read Genesis 11:1-9

Willy-nilly stance? I hope not!

Have you ever been in a huge open field with tall green grass? The top of the grass barely reaches your finger tips as you stand still and the grass dances and sways in the wind. You feel strong standing there because while the grass subjects itself to every ebb and flow of the breeze, you just stand there enjoying the wind and warm sun.

When I think of scenes like this it reminds me of what we are supposed to be as Christians. Read today’s scripture reference several times and let it soak in.

The Psalmist is telling us what it takes to be godly and how we can stand firm against issues that we may and will face.

With the many wavering people in today’s world, let us refuse to be moved, changed, in the area of godliness and righteousness. Even when winds and trials come, do not be moved.

Read Psalm 15