(this is what happens when stress causes sleep to be of highesty commodity and insomnia to dwell in abundance)
Enjoy...savor....reflect...
"It should not be necessary here to site statistics to show how many Brazilians (and Latin Americans in general) are "living corpses," "shadows" of human beings, hopeless men, women, and children victimized by an endless "invisible war" in which their remnants of life devoured by tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, infant diarrhea...by the myriad diseases of poverty (most of which in the terminology of the oppressors are called "tropical diseases")...[Many] fear that in facing the needs and suffering of the world we may simply adopt an emotional protest in favor of palliating the manifestations and symptoms of poverty and injustice without going on to analyze the causes of the latter, to denounce a regime which encompasses this injustice and engenders this poverty."
At the risk of plagarism, I'll leave it to you guys to decide from where this quote was derived. No Googling, Yahoo, etc....that's cheating :o).
5.25.2006
5.19.2006
Books that Changed My Life
It's crazy how a few letters on a page grouped into a meaningful order of words can have such an impact on a person's life. Here's a few that have changed mine (in chronological order):
1. The Bible
A gimme. Hands down the best action-packed, romance, supernatural, who-dunnit, love story I've ever read. I don't think Christ or the message of Christ is what turns people off of Christianity. I think it's those who call themselves Christians but never actually learn about Christ or what he represents to humanity who disuade people from Christianity.
2. Mrs.Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Gotta love senior high AP English.
3. The Chance to Say Goodbye by Janice Cross Kerlee
The events and my connection to the events more so than the book. Still a nice read.
4. Jesus MD by Dr. David Stevens
A great reminder to me of why I'm studying my tail off this month.
5. Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things by Watchman Nee
Definitely a life-changer that made me realize God isn't Santa Claus and prayer is not a submission form for my every whim and want.
6. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
Every leader of short term (or long term) missions should read it. 'Nough said.
7.and the latest...Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
Why did I not read this before? If I ever doubted about going into missions, all doubts have been erased.
So if you're not drowning in Step 1 notes, check out some of these. Even if you are, they're still a good excuse to take a study break :o).
"Throughout all our personality we are God's, and since God has made our whole selves, there is great joy is realizing who is our Creator. This realization is to permeate every area and level of life. In appreciation of beauty, mountains, music, poetry, knowledge, people, science...God is there, to reflect the joy of His presence in the believer who will realize God's purposes in all things" -Pete Fleming Through Gates of Splendor
1. The Bible
A gimme. Hands down the best action-packed, romance, supernatural, who-dunnit, love story I've ever read. I don't think Christ or the message of Christ is what turns people off of Christianity. I think it's those who call themselves Christians but never actually learn about Christ or what he represents to humanity who disuade people from Christianity.
2. Mrs.Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Gotta love senior high AP English.
3. The Chance to Say Goodbye by Janice Cross Kerlee
The events and my connection to the events more so than the book. Still a nice read.
4. Jesus MD by Dr. David Stevens
A great reminder to me of why I'm studying my tail off this month.
5. Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things by Watchman Nee
Definitely a life-changer that made me realize God isn't Santa Claus and prayer is not a submission form for my every whim and want.
6. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
Every leader of short term (or long term) missions should read it. 'Nough said.
7.and the latest...Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
Why did I not read this before? If I ever doubted about going into missions, all doubts have been erased.
So if you're not drowning in Step 1 notes, check out some of these. Even if you are, they're still a good excuse to take a study break :o).
"Throughout all our personality we are God's, and since God has made our whole selves, there is great joy is realizing who is our Creator. This realization is to permeate every area and level of life. In appreciation of beauty, mountains, music, poetry, knowledge, people, science...God is there, to reflect the joy of His presence in the believer who will realize God's purposes in all things" -Pete Fleming Through Gates of Splendor
5.15.2006
Let the Fun Begin
School's out which for most people means relaxing in the warm Southern sun, hanging out by the pool, and catching up with old friends. In the past this has been my summer as well as random trips to foreign countries, excursions to the Wild West, or informing the umpteenth Grand Ole Opry customer that Opryland no longer exists, even if they did come all the way from California to see it.
However, this summer is going to be different. No, I'm not about to embark upon some crazy adventure to another continent or endeavor to save the world one popsicle stick at a time. As of today, I'm moving to Quillen College of Medicine's Medical Library for a month. Yes, you heard me. I'm packing up my belongings and setting out for the bowels of academia's dwellings. So don't expect any fancy postcards. In fact, you can address any cards, calls, or visits to" some random study room on the basement floor, QCOM Medical Library, Mountain Home, TN." If you do so, don't expect profound thoughts for a reply. It will probably be in the form of a paragraph of random medical details such as:
Trisomy 13 is a cause of holoprosencephaly, patent ductus arteriosus is characterized by a "machine gun-like" sound, a mass in the abdomen of an infant with elevated VMA levels is probably a neuroblastoma, etc.....
Don't worry about feeling sorry for me. I'm a medical student. Step 1 is just another crazy rite of passage we have to endure in order to earn our degree. Besides, we're all nerds at heart and what better way to satisfy that nerdiness than spending a month studying? :o)
Time to go pack....
However, this summer is going to be different. No, I'm not about to embark upon some crazy adventure to another continent or endeavor to save the world one popsicle stick at a time. As of today, I'm moving to Quillen College of Medicine's Medical Library for a month. Yes, you heard me. I'm packing up my belongings and setting out for the bowels of academia's dwellings. So don't expect any fancy postcards. In fact, you can address any cards, calls, or visits to" some random study room on the basement floor, QCOM Medical Library, Mountain Home, TN." If you do so, don't expect profound thoughts for a reply. It will probably be in the form of a paragraph of random medical details such as:
Trisomy 13 is a cause of holoprosencephaly, patent ductus arteriosus is characterized by a "machine gun-like" sound, a mass in the abdomen of an infant with elevated VMA levels is probably a neuroblastoma, etc.....
Don't worry about feeling sorry for me. I'm a medical student. Step 1 is just another crazy rite of passage we have to endure in order to earn our degree. Besides, we're all nerds at heart and what better way to satisfy that nerdiness than spending a month studying? :o)
Time to go pack....
5.14.2006
Everything I Ever Needed to Know...
...I learned in medical school...almost...
When I handed in my sheet of 125 ridiculously large darkened circles in the form of the last shelf exam I'd ever have to take for basic sciences, Dr.Brown pointed me to the imported Danish Kringles he'd brought for the class and handed me a small packet of useful information, "Earl's Pearls for the Boards" as an aid to studying for the Step 1 exam. As a tribute to Dr.Brown and his phenomenal pathology course, I thought I'd share some of my own pearls I've learned along the way the past two years of medical school:
1.No matter if you move one hour or twelve, a move to a new city might as well be a move to the moon. There's nothing easy about it.
2.Medical school has been the most challenging thing I've ever done in my life. It's also been the most rewarding.
3. Days in class without days outside make Michele a very cranky person. I have to come to realize that I have an annual quota of outdoor time that has to be met in incremental periods of time.
4.T.V., except House and LOST, rots your brain. Read a book instead.
5. Everyone thinks that the perfect ice-breaker for an aspiring physician is asking "What kind of doctor do you want to be?" My answer at the moment: I haven't a clue. I've ruled out GI surgery, urology, and anesthesiology. The latest flavors of the month are family or pediatric infectious disease. Who knows? Ask me in two years (but remember you'll have to call me Dr.Gourley).
6.Just as we aren't perfect on the outside, we aren't perfect on the inside nor do we stay the same. Life is about learning how to deal with our imperfections and changes and the imperfections and changes of others.
7. How great is our God!!! People wonder how I can be a doctor and be a Christian. How can I not be? From the 6,000 foot peaks of the Smokies to the tiny ridges on my tiny fingertips, are the inscriptions of God's fingerprints. In every biochemical equation, in every anatomical system, in every neurological pathway is evidence of our Creator's handiwork. His design and creativity astound me. If mountains and fingertips had been left up to me to create, we'd have shaded triangles and fingerprint-less stick fingers.
8.Every person is of value. No engineer has ever designed a pump that rivals the efficacy or reliability of our heart nor fabricated a material as strong as our bones. There has never been a computer created that can process the amount of information that our brain does every second. Every day our body defies statistical improbability to create hundreds of thousands of hemoglobin molecules than comprise that which we know as blood. We are an incredible an amazing creation. I think if we could wake up each morning and remember this and remember that everyone else around us is just as amazing, it'd make the world a better place.
9.Diet and exercise have a profound effect on health. Spiritual and emotional well-being have an effect on physical well-being. Likewise, physical well-being has an effect on spiritual and emotional well-being. Most physicians only treat symptoms, not the well-being of a person.
10. Don't press so hard against a closed door that you fail to see the five open ones around you.
11. Sometimes we do so much that we forget to be. We go and do and do some more and never remember the purpose behind our doing. It's important to take a few moments every day to stop and reflect on our purpose for being here.
12."communication is health...communication is happiness" as is quoted from Virginia Woolf's Mrs.Dalloway. Open communication with our friends and family and especially with God is one of the most difficult and one of the most important things we can do. Start and end each day with raw, honest prayer. Trust me, days are better, not necessarily easier, when this is done.
So there you have it...twelve important lessons I've learned over the past two short years. Many have been learned in "Jonah" moments of my life, but I'm thankful for each one of them. Per usual, I leave you with a quote:
"A problem is a chance for you to do your best." -Duke Ellington
When I handed in my sheet of 125 ridiculously large darkened circles in the form of the last shelf exam I'd ever have to take for basic sciences, Dr.Brown pointed me to the imported Danish Kringles he'd brought for the class and handed me a small packet of useful information, "Earl's Pearls for the Boards" as an aid to studying for the Step 1 exam. As a tribute to Dr.Brown and his phenomenal pathology course, I thought I'd share some of my own pearls I've learned along the way the past two years of medical school:
1.No matter if you move one hour or twelve, a move to a new city might as well be a move to the moon. There's nothing easy about it.
2.Medical school has been the most challenging thing I've ever done in my life. It's also been the most rewarding.
3. Days in class without days outside make Michele a very cranky person. I have to come to realize that I have an annual quota of outdoor time that has to be met in incremental periods of time.
4.T.V., except House and LOST, rots your brain. Read a book instead.
5. Everyone thinks that the perfect ice-breaker for an aspiring physician is asking "What kind of doctor do you want to be?" My answer at the moment: I haven't a clue. I've ruled out GI surgery, urology, and anesthesiology. The latest flavors of the month are family or pediatric infectious disease. Who knows? Ask me in two years (but remember you'll have to call me Dr.Gourley).
6.Just as we aren't perfect on the outside, we aren't perfect on the inside nor do we stay the same. Life is about learning how to deal with our imperfections and changes and the imperfections and changes of others.
7. How great is our God!!! People wonder how I can be a doctor and be a Christian. How can I not be? From the 6,000 foot peaks of the Smokies to the tiny ridges on my tiny fingertips, are the inscriptions of God's fingerprints. In every biochemical equation, in every anatomical system, in every neurological pathway is evidence of our Creator's handiwork. His design and creativity astound me. If mountains and fingertips had been left up to me to create, we'd have shaded triangles and fingerprint-less stick fingers.
8.Every person is of value. No engineer has ever designed a pump that rivals the efficacy or reliability of our heart nor fabricated a material as strong as our bones. There has never been a computer created that can process the amount of information that our brain does every second. Every day our body defies statistical improbability to create hundreds of thousands of hemoglobin molecules than comprise that which we know as blood. We are an incredible an amazing creation. I think if we could wake up each morning and remember this and remember that everyone else around us is just as amazing, it'd make the world a better place.
9.Diet and exercise have a profound effect on health. Spiritual and emotional well-being have an effect on physical well-being. Likewise, physical well-being has an effect on spiritual and emotional well-being. Most physicians only treat symptoms, not the well-being of a person.
10. Don't press so hard against a closed door that you fail to see the five open ones around you.
11. Sometimes we do so much that we forget to be. We go and do and do some more and never remember the purpose behind our doing. It's important to take a few moments every day to stop and reflect on our purpose for being here.
12."communication is health...communication is happiness" as is quoted from Virginia Woolf's Mrs.Dalloway. Open communication with our friends and family and especially with God is one of the most difficult and one of the most important things we can do. Start and end each day with raw, honest prayer. Trust me, days are better, not necessarily easier, when this is done.
So there you have it...twelve important lessons I've learned over the past two short years. Many have been learned in "Jonah" moments of my life, but I'm thankful for each one of them. Per usual, I leave you with a quote:
"A problem is a chance for you to do your best." -Duke Ellington
5.05.2006
For Those Who Doubted...
..in my intellectual capability to recover from an arduous weekend of not studying on Mt.Sterling...guess what??
A is for: Alendrolate, Acyclovir, Albendazole, and the grade on Michele's pharmacology test this morning.
1 down...3 to go...
(if this positive correlation between mountain air and exam grades holds, I could stand to make a fortune...or someone else may have already capitalized on my idea such as the one about "llama rentals for all your backpacking needs")
A is for: Alendrolate, Acyclovir, Albendazole, and the grade on Michele's pharmacology test this morning.
1 down...3 to go...
(if this positive correlation between mountain air and exam grades holds, I could stand to make a fortune...or someone else may have already capitalized on my idea such as the one about "llama rentals for all your backpacking needs")
5.01.2006
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