True Brotherhood

This image will last a lifetime from my CPE experience:

I turn the corner as an older gentlement exits the endoscopy lab

(for those who are not familiar with the medical language, it involves one's END, one's O, and a SCOPE).

He has this weird, uncomfortable smile, kinda of like, "Boy, that sucked...but something funny is about to happen"

As he passes me, he shouts into the waiting area, "Alright Johnny, your turn...Margerie will be proud." Hestitanly, up stands Johnny for his End-O-Scope-eeeeee!

Nothing like seeing two elderly men going in for colonoscopies to support each other.

Now that is true brotherhood.

for sale

Hey folks:

I am selling an iPod Nano Black 2GB($155)--let me know if you are interested.
Here is the craigslist

"Render unto Caesar"

The above title is one overused piece of scripture that really annoys me.
It is taken a phrase out of context to suggest we have an allegiance or obligation to a political and governmental entity. It is used to suggest that we should submit ourselves to a civil authority. It is used to suggest that if we are "good christians," we should support the US policies--especially if the current President is born again.
However, I am extremely bothered by the way many Christians lump their faith and their citizenship into one mass.
Especially with the current foreign policy situations, where many of us (who have access to internet, reading blogs in english, and statistically read this site) are from the predominant Super-Power, I believe we need to have a better understanding of the full Christian message--rather than misquoting this brief statement.

Jesus asks the man, whose portrait is on the money; the man responds Caesar's; Jesus replies--therefore render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.

Without thinking about the broader message of Jesus, this encounter may suggest that people should submit to Caesar (but even if you read it that way, that only means the money that has Caesar's appearance on it--and therefore one should not fully associate themselves to their civil authority).
I, however, choose to emphasis the final part...give to God what is God's. That would mean EVERYTHING, for everything created belongs to the Creator. That is what was "amazing" about Jesus statement, He undermined the powerful, civil authority.
This means that all of our actions, decisions, financial supports, everything should be given to God.
It is a reading, such as this, which takes Jesus commandments beyond the expected, the easy, the common and allows them to transform ourlives.
Erwin McManus in a Sermon Series called the Controversial Jesus: Conspiracy says,

God never intended for men to dress up like kings, gods. He never intended huge hats, rings, robes and cathedrals. Or to be about titles, and power and privilougs...
He always intended it [the Christian faith] to be about us, everyday, common hurting, broken human beings needing God. And that is where we have missed our mark.

We have made it about ourselves. About using our economic power, our privilege, our political associations, our influential sway; we have used these things to make life about us. About providing not for the hurt and broken, but for sustaining the life we are accustomed to.
Therefore, I am also hesitant to accept what the Second Helvetic says with regard to submission to the civil authority, especially with regards to war. It says that we should seek peace by all means possible, and if we cannot save our people in any other way then it is justified to result in war (5.256).
But as Christians, as followers of Christ, I believe that we have been called to something more. That we should seek peace by all means possible...meaning that we should seek peace even to our death.
Questions I have heard raised:

Shouldn't we have the right to defend ourselves? Yes we have the right, but that does not mean we should.

Of what good will it be if we die? I retort quickly, of what good is a god who would allow Himself to die--oh yeah, an eternal good.?Therefore, render unto God what is God's: "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."?That is asking a lot, so at the very least, please just don't say "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's," for nothing is Caesar's.

pressing on

As I prepare for my second Marathon (Philadelphia on November 19th), I have come across a few resources, training aids and even sermons that have given me the motivation to be out there running in the oppressive summer heat. Last week, it felt like August in south Georgia as the heat index pushed past 100 degrees.
And as some of you know, I am one who sweats (understatement of the year):


Anyway:

Cool Running: This site, passed on from a friend, lets you keep track of your running logs online. It saves your favorite runs in one click you can add the mileage. It keeps track of which shoes you ran in and when it is time to replace them.

Map My Run: This site is awesome. It gives you a hybrid google map that will let you measure point by point a running route. It will also save your favorite loops and post them for others to enjoy. It sounds like they are developing a Training function which will keep your log as well.
An RSS feed of my saved routes can be bookmarked here, while viewed here.

Princeton Seminary Running Group: Yahoo Group of the PTS Running folks who have, or are, or one day might be interested in running 26.2 miles (on purpose).

Runner's World: This not only has the articles from the magazine, but also calculating tools and training charts.

As for the sermons:
Today at PAC the sermon was based around Philippians 3:12-16; Pressing onward. Not focusing on the achievements of the past, but pressing forward. This reminded me of my race in Chicago, where I discovered the power of pushing beyond limits, walls and known expectations.
Also I listened to Mosaic while running today about 1 Corinthians 9:23-25's running the race. His message was focused upon the value and necessity of practice. That while competition is great, it requires strict discipline and practice.

With these words, so I begin the training for my second marathon.

another interest bites the dust

While in Charlotte, I would go to Barnes and Noble for a break between visiting high school students during their lunch. Always in search for some new interest or hobby, I grabbed "Dummies Guide to Motorcycles." Each day, I would go and read a new chapter. Naturally I began with the chapters like, "What bikes best for you?" and "How to look cool riding?" and "What sweat leather jacket will make you look even cooler." You know all the really important stuff.

Then after getting really excited about getting I bike, I began to read the first few chapters. "How to approach an intersection." "How to survive a slide." "How to get a heavy bike off your leg after it is snapped and burned from your inability to lean into a turn."

Suddenly the cool factor seemed to disappear.
Not to mention the fact that my father has to order his jackets a quarter inch shorter on one arm after a shoulder injury suffered in a motorcycle wreck.
Then I read about Ben Rothlesiburger's accident.
One thing I hope not to hear, "You were seconds away from dying."

I guess I will let the motorcycle intertest start collecting dust with becoming a guitarist or a basketball star.

unkept promises

Do you remember what was so trendy last year.
Debt Aid and Trade for Africa.
Remember Live8, it even got the attention of the Eight of the World's Most Powerful Leaders, and they made promises.
Unfortunately, we get distracted easily.
If you have 17minutes and 49seconds, please listen to the ONEcast
Also, if you do not have time to write President Bush and the Congress, you can easily send the Keep Live 8 to remind them of the promises they made last summer.

When Bill Gates gave the tremendous amount of money for aid to the world's poorest, I heard callers and emailers on CNN saying that Gates was misguided by giving that money to people "over there" rather than focusing upon the poor here.
I find those complaints unfortunate because it reveals that Americans do not understand moderate and relative poverty versus extreme poverty. What we face and encounter in America (which is poverty) is mainly relative and occassionally moderate poverty. It is no where near the detramental form of poverty found in Sub-Sahara Africa and Asia called extreme poverty.
Currently in Africa there are households who make $1 per day, and that would be considered moderate poverty for they have an income that can provide gruel for the children.
For more information on the difference between Moderate and Extreme Poverty check out The End of Poverty (Bono wrote the forward) it is a facisnating description of the World's Ecnomic problems.

backsliding

when I went off to college, I gave up on my family roots. I turned my back on how I had been raised. I figured I was my own man and I could make my own decisions. Unfortunately, I was wrong. After having 4 PC laptops in the past 7 years. I decide it was time to repent and return to my childhood. With the new MacBook--this thing is awesome.

As a result of this great purchase I will be unleashing a new blog/photoalbum/portfolio site in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned.

healing prayer

   The other day I met with a patient who was curious about my particular beliefs regarding prayer and healing.
   I know that for many of us it is tempting to pray by hedging our bets. By that I mean we pray in some fashion, "God please do X, but if X is not your will we ask that you would give us the ability to accept your will."
   I have two problems with that. First, it is a weak prayer because we are not boldly making our claims known to God. Second, it really doesn't matter if we accept God's will or not, its gonna happen.
   It fails to pray like Jesus says in John 15:7, which says "If you remain in me and I remain in you ask whatever you want and it will be given to you." Does that mean whatever I ask God will grant--no. The beginning clause is crucial. If we remain in God, whatever we request will not be of our desire but a request that comes through the Holy Spirit.
   Therefore, our prayers are no longer weak because we no longer have to ask God for the ability to accept his will, for we have remeained in him. We can pray boldly because we are speaking the words given to us by the Holy Spirit.
   In the specific requests regarding healing, I think we have falsely limited healing to our temporal understanding of healing. I do not think praying for someone's miraculous physical healing will mean that they will continue to live (even Lazarus died a second time at some point). No, rather I think full physical healing, for Christians, comes only at death, because it is at death that we will be bodily resurrected and reconciled to God.
   I spoke to someone earlier this week about this and they responded, "Yeah, perhaps healing means spiritual healing and not physical healing." I think that response still reveals a limited understanding of healing, if you believe in the bodily resurrection.
   It is only at the bodily resurrection that both our spiritual and also our physical beings will be fully healed and reconciled. It is not just a spiritual healing, which allows the body to decompose in the dirt. It is a full, wholistic healing.
   Therefore, I can bodily pray for a patient knowing that God will "heal" this person because I while I am not bargaining with God (telling him what to do), I am also not hedging my bet. Rather I boldly claim, what I know to be true, that either temporary physical healing (the recover from X) may occur, or that full healing shall occur at our deaths because our wholeselves will be reconciled to our Creator.
   Otherwise what do we do with the fact that Jesus Christ did not heal all the sick people he came into contact with? Was their request/prayer not good enough (works righteousness)?

Of course I would never tell a patient after praying for their "healing" that I really meant their death.

outsourcing

thanks to J.Soyars for this image from GA

Kinda of like Where's Waldo, "Who's Paying Attention"


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