Saying goodbye to Q2

It’s that time of the year again!  Finals begin in a week!  Eeek!

I’ve provided this schedule pretty selfishly, asking that you would lift up my classmates and I in prayer as we try to stay strong to the end of this Winter Quarter.

I'm also becoming like my mother, grandmother, and sister, and am developing an addiction to crossing things off to-do lists. Ahh... simple satisfaction!

Feb. 28 - Complete D.O.ctor exam and last anatomy lab and quiz

March 1 - OTM quiz, Immunology clinical case presentation

March 2 - Complete D.O.ctor practical
March 3-  Anatomy clinical case and quiz

March 4 - Block exams: Immunology final exam, Anatomy exam, Physiology exam; Anatomy lab report due

March 7 - OTM written comprehensive final

March 8 -  OTM practical, part I; Anatomy lab comprehensive final

March 9 - Anatomy written comprehensive  final

March 10 - OTM practical, part II

March 11 - Physiology comprehensive final

Here’s some encouragement that I received from Scripture this week at church.  I’m claiming them as my finals passages.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders [like facebook and food blogs] and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary or lose heart.”  Hebrews 12:1-3

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.  To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”  Colossians 1:28-29

This is love

This evening, I typed these chunks of verses out on a sheet of paper and passed them out to my dear friends.  After an fun-filled hour of goofiness, food, and fellowship, it was time to reflect on love, as seen in I John chapters 3 and 4.  As we went around the room and listened to each other read, I became overwhelmed by the depth of God's love for us, as well as the importance of our response.

Do you understand that He loves you?  Can I help you understand?  These verses might not make sense if you don't.  If you do believe that you are loved by the God of the universe, what is your response?

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (3:1) 

 “For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. ¹³ Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”  (3:11-15)

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”  (3:16-17)

 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”  (4:7-9)

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”  (4:10-12)

“This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”  (4:13-16)

“This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”  (4:17-18)

“We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”  (4:19-21)

Beautiful

Last summer, Pastor Mike told a story about a young man who had been blind from birth.  Over time, he met a girl.  A very special girl.  He and this girl fell in love.  This girl was the daughter of a well-respected surgeon.  As he asked his future son-in-law questions about his vision impairment, the doctor realized that with a fairly simply surgery, this young man would be able to see.  Shortly before the wedding, the young man was able to undergo the surgery. 

The doctor that performed the surgery offered to take the bandages off his eyes a few days early so that he would be able to be visually involved in the days prior to the wedding ceremony.  He opted to wait to have the bandages removed only moments before taking his place at the altar, seconds before his bride walked down the aisle on her father’s arm.  The first face that his eyes focused on was that of his bride.  As she approached the front of the church, he clasped her hands and whispered in awe, 

“My love, you are far more beautiful than I could have imagined.”

On occasion, I become frustrated because I cannot see the face of my God.  How am I to believe in the unseen?   People say that He is beautiful, and that they see Him all around them.  I suppose that is true, but I can’t actually SEE Him.  I think I "see" Him as I see the wind- I cannot actually see the wind itself, but I watch as its effects sweep across the prairie.  

But I think that is only a shadow of the beauty of Jesus.  Nature’s beauty, as well as the beautiful examples we have from His life, are only a mere glimpse of who He truly is.

Sometimes I wonder what it will be like when I first catch a glimpse of Him.  I try to imagine the glory of those first few moments together- His face containing the beauty of the sunrise and the stars and the flowers and the mountains and smiles and all things beautiful all added together, emitting an ethereal glow.

*sigh*  But that is only my imagination.

Someday... someday, I will see Him.

Someday, I will have the blinders removed from my eyes as I enter the throne room for the wedding of the church to the Lamb.  I imagine that I will walk down the pathway to where He waits for me in utter awe.  My eyes have just been opened to invisible.  I imagine that I too will say something like, 

“My love, you are far more beautiful than I could have imagined.”  

Actually, I’ll probably be speechless.

Beautiful by Phil Wickham

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who You are
You're beautiful

I see You there hanging on a tree
You bled and then You died and then you rose again for me
Now You are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we'll sing
You're beautiful

I see Your face, I see Your face, I see Your face
You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

Merry Christmas

Christ’s birth and kingdom are foretold by Isaiah 

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

 ² The people walking in darkness
   have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
   a light has dawned.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
   will accomplish this.

The Gospel brings peace to the whole creation

Isaiah 11:6-9

 ⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
   the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
   and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
   their young will lie down together,
   and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
   the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
   on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD
   as the waters cover the sea.

Mary is told of her chosen role

Luke 1:26-37

 ²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 

 ²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 

 ³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 

 ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

Luke tells of the birth of Jesus

Luke 2:8-16

 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

The star leads the wise men to Bethlehem 

Matthew 2:1-11

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 

 ³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 

 ⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
   who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 

 ⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 

 ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

John unfolds the mystery of the incarnation

John 1:1-14

 ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

 ⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 

 ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 

 ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

words

I love words.

Here are some of the words that surround me as I sit at my desk:

Words of motivation...

I got this card in the mail this week from my brother Daniel :)

Words of inspiration...

Words of identification...

Words of thanks...

"Thank You God" in Inupiaq

Words of challenge...

Words of detailed description...

Words of togetherness...

Words of encouragement...

Words.  I love 'em.


One of the Greek words for word is logos.  It could be said that this means, "the embodiment of a conception or an idea."  What a beautiful way to describe such a precious gem!

A few synonyms for logos are "saying," "communication," or "account." In many places in the New Testament, it seems that the term is used to give emphasis to a colloquialism or something that a speaker is attempting to get across to an individual or group of people.

This is very interesting when we see how this logos is used in the introduction of the book of John: 

John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the logos, and the logos was with God, and the logos was God. He was with God in the beginning."

and then again in John 1:14:

"The logos became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

What is this word of which John speaks?  It is clearly a logos of God.  What conception or idea is God attempting to embody?  To whom is He conveying it?

According to the passage, it is a word straight from God, in fact it even is God.  It is a descriptor of the glory of His perfect only Son.  As such, this logos is ancient, from the very beginning.  It is the description of all the grace that we give each other, and all of the grace that we too often withhold.  This is the logos of which John speaks.  In a world of deception and lies, this logos was filled to the brim with truth.

What kind of a word could possibly be this wonderful?  It sounds like a word only fit for heaven.

But no, John tells us that this word was wrapped in flesh and dwelt among us.  Now we have defined the "to whom."  It is a logos to the world.


What is this word?  And if it is a word that is defined by human likeness, who could possibly be described by this definition?


This Christmas, may we share words of encouragement, of inspiration, of thanks, and togetherness, but most importantly, may we seek to define that wonderful word, the logos.  I challenge you to try to figure out just what idea God wanted to share with us through His logos, which He spoke into the world on that first Christmas night.

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel- which means, 'God with us.'"   Isaiah 7:14

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped;
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place 
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."                          Philippians 2:5-11

 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth"        John 1:1-15