1. Trans-Siberian Orchestra

We as a family have gone to see TSO in concert every year recently…until this year.  But hope springs eternal.  I am trying to convince them to take a spontaneous road trip to Little Rock or Birmingham and scalp for tickets.  ;)

2. X-mas playlist

Visions of a perfect Christmas holiday well-spent include the sounds of Manheim Steamroller, TSO, and Bryan Duncan’s “Christmas is Jesus” album playing softly in the background.  Pristine perfection.

3. Nativity scene

Yes, a nativity scene may seem a bit cliche.  I mean, it’s not like that’s what the Christmas holidays is really all about, right?  ;)  But the one at our house holds a special significance.  I will always cherish those memories of my mom slowly opening the cardboard box and handing us the individual hand-painted pieces wrapped in packing paper.  It was almost like an early Christmas when I would open each one and see which piece I got to place in the nativity.  I hope one day to carry on my mother’s tradition and paint my own nativity scene pieces to share with my children.

4.  Eggnog

Yet again, my family presents the essence of weirdness on this subject.  Every year, my dad buys cans of the Borden’s eggnog.  He opens one at a time.  And he drinks it.  One 2 ounce glass at a time.  And you think I’m joking.  When we were younger, my sister and I would stand, wide-eyed, as dad would bring out the revered can.  We, in hushed whispers, would ask for just a taste of the heavenly concoction.  And graciously, our dad would fill half of that 2 ounce glass and hand it to us to savor by the Q-tip-full.

5.  Christmas morning Cinnamon Rolls

Every year for as long as I can remember, our household would wake Christmas morning to the delectable scent of cinnamon rolls.  My mother is an accomplished cook, but her cinnamon rolls have to be at the top of her culinary arts list.  Two years ago, I was convinced to try and “stand in” for my mom and make the fabled cinnamon rolls.  Let’s just say most people ended up eating cereal that morning.  Last year, though, I overcame my fears of failure and of under-rolling the dough, and produced a favorable version of mom’s cinnamon rolls.

But more than the music and the eggnog and the food is the family that I am blessed to share the Christmas season with.  I have been blessed beyond words with a family and an extended family that love Christ, love each other, and find joy in serving one another.  So while the music is fun to listen to, it’s nothing unless listened to in good company.  And while eggnog and cinnamon rolls are good eats, they lose their charm if not originating from a loving heart.

Merry Christmas, one and all.  Cherish your families and make sure they know how much they are appreciated and loved.

I woke up in darkness
Surrounded by silence
Oh where, where have I gone?
I woke to reality
Losing its grip on me
Oh where, where have I gone?

(O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up again me.
Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.)

Cause I can see the light
before I see the sunrise

(“But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.”)

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

(“I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain.”)

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

(“I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves
Against me round about.”)

Late have I loved you,
you waited for me,
I searched for you…
what took me so long?

I was looking outside
as a love would ever want to hide
I’m finding I was wrong

(“Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For you have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.”)

Cause I can feel the wind
before it hits my skin

You called and you shouted
broke through my deafness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

You shattered my darkness
washed away my blindness
now I’m breathing in
and breathing out
I’m alive again!

(“Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing be upon Your people!”)

“Alive Again” – Matt Maher
Psalm 3 – King David

Ok.  The Fall.  I think everybody who reads this (all three of you) is pretty familiar with the story.  Well, I was wondering, did Adam and Eve sweat before the Fall?  What do you think?  Hmmm…

This came up briefly during a study session the other night, but seeing as the Neuromuscular Junction was slightly more present on our minds at the moment, it didn’t really get to be fleshed out.  Well, let’s go to the text and see what that says.

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

16 To the woman he said,

17 And to Adam he said,

There have been several occasions over the last few weeks where I have thought “I need to blog about this”.  Alas! the troubles and travails of vet school!  Five tests in the span of two weeks (although I am not trying to complain) would stifle even Michelangelo’s creative talents.  However, here is a short note I just had to get out between classes this morning:

This past Sunday, one of the college students “guest-taught” the Sunday School.  His topic was Wisdom and the Call of Salvation.  I don’t want to get into the particulars right now because they are irrelevant.  What I do want to address is the use of a verse out of context – a practice that sadly happens too often in America’s churches.  2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”  The student pointed out (with strong emotion) that this verse discredits the view that “God loves some people, and not other” or that “God wants some people to go to heaven and others to hell”.  While I disagree that these two statements enumerate in any form or fashion the Reformed position, I will leave that dissertation up to smarter people than I.  My point is simply the misconstrued interpretation of this verse.

Who was 2 Peter written to?  Well, let’s look at verse 1 of chapter 1: “to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”.  So this book is written to believers, to those who have already been called by God and are partakers of His grace.  So, then, let’s look at verse 3:9 again:

“…patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Who is the “you” in this verse?  It would be the same group that Peter has referred to this entire book – the elect, the believers.  So who does God not want to perish?  The elect.  The believers.

Just one more thought that might make this easier to understand.  If I were to stand up in the middle of a group of people and exclaim, “I don’t wish that any of you should be left out, so you should all come to my house for lunch!”  What does the word ‘all’ mean in this instance?  The whole of the human population?  I hope not or else I’d have to order more spinach creme puffs.  Just to say, you have to read a portion of Scripture in light of the context and how language works.  Just because I say everyone should come over does not mean literally, everyone.  Just because I say I love peanut butter and eat it all the time, does not mean I walk around with an IV drip of Jiffy.  And just because a verse can be construed and distorted to give the appearance of support to your doctrinal position, does not make it Truth.

Ok, so hopefully my more substantial post which I began this morning will make it to the press soon, but until then…enjoy!

(P.S. It was amazing how many affirmative fist-pumps, head-nods, and chuckles of agreement came out of me during this…)

Yesterday was our last day of orientation in Vet School. One of the prominent speakers for the morning began his talk with a YouTube rendition of the song “I Can See Clearly Now”.  Then, with the soft plucking of the guitar in the background, he proceeded to urge all of us to find either a song, a book, or an event in our lives, that when we woke up wondering why we were putting ourselves through the misery of vet school, we could focus on this material object…and instantly feel better.  Pardon me for saying so, but I also think a shot of LSD would  satisfy this requirement.

The problem with looking to the material world when we feel depressed or discouraged is that it is often the material world itself that is frustrating us.  When we start to wilt under the intense class load and strike out at those around us from mental and physical fatigue, that is when we begin to realize that maybe we can’t do this on our own.  Why?  Because we are finite, natural beings.  Imperfect.  Flawed.  Overcome with our own pride and self-servience and greed.  Constrained by time and space and the laws of physics.  We wonder if our lives have a purpose, and if not, what’s the point of putting ourselves through the agony of attaining those three consonants after our name when we could just as easily float through our meaningless lives as burger-flippers or 7/11 cashiers?

And somehow a singing hippo or a Joel Osteen book will combat these thoughts and reveal our purpose in life?

Looking to the material world to solve our material problems will never satisfy.  Yes, it may dull the edge of hopelessness for a while, like a snort of cocaine dulls the hunger pains of an addict, but it will never be enough; and over time the dosage will have to be increased as our carnality grows and feeds on itself.  We seek to find an answer, yet somehow know that nothing in this world will completely solve the paradox.

What, then, is the answer?  C.S. Lewis gives us a substantial clue:

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” (C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity)

It is hard to believe that I am actually finally at the place where I have been trying to get for over ten years.  My brain is still trying to capture the reality and excitement of the phrase “I am in veterinary medicine school!”.  We have gone through the coating ceremony:

And the C.O.P.E. Course (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) @ Camp Seminole:

Both of which gave me the opportunity to get to know my classmate, and in a few words…THEY ROCK!!!  My MDL (multi-discipline lab) group is awesome and I have a feeling we’re going to have great fun (probably too much) over the next year (despite the fact that two of them are Ohio State Buckeyes fans…we shall forgive them…eventually).

So today, on this first Saturday as a vet student, I urge you be warned.  This is probably the last Saturday post that will be as long and detailed as this one, as from here on out my days will be filled with classes and work and studying and general disarray.  So farewell, and hope to see you on the other side.

(Almost) Dr. Beck

As the summer is drawing to a close, I encourage all of you to take what is left of your free time and dive into The Circle Trilogy written by Ted Dekker.  There are three books.  The first is Black – for the death of man.  The second is Red – for the blood spilt as a consequence.  The third is White – for his rebirth as Lover and Warrior.

Anyway, the final book in this series is coming out next month, entitle Green.  It will serve as the prequel and sequel to the Black/Red/White saga, bringing the story full circle.

Check them out!

If you are already a fan or want to become part of the circle, join the Forest Guard to stay up-to-date and for a chance to win Ted Dekker books and prizes!!  And please use my Forest Guard number when signing up!  6083

Today’s Saturday Sluggishness has become more serious than first supposed.

I have reason to believe it is due to my being up before 8 o’clock in order to roll on over to a rummage sale and ruefully buy a ridiculously cheap router.

Mistake.

Saturdays are made for blithely bathing in blissful beauty sleep until woken by the wafting odors of wondrous waffles.

Then, after selfishly stuffing one’s stomach,

occupying oneself with an outdoor occupation such as mowing a lawn, painting a door, or taking a dog/child to the park.

Break this tradition, and time trails on like a tuckered-out terrier with too much tonnage on its tongue.

Haha…So, what do you do when the deleterious day deems to drag on in determined depression?

After returning home from a two-month-long employment at Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado, I have concluded that life sucks.  Okay, that may be a slight overreaction, but in all seriousness, I had forgotten how hard it is to leave this:

…and come home to this:

There are so many carnal, materialistic and ultimately futile things that demand my attention and time here at home, that I would give almost anything to spend just one day back at Summit, where the day is filled to overflowing with study, meditation, prayer, fellowship, hard work, worship, and mentoring.  The temporal is nothing; the eternal is everything. I think I can understand more fully now why the life of a monastery was so appealing to so many believers in the 3rd and 4th centuries; it gave them a glimpse of the kind of life God had planned for His divine creature, one that will be fulfilled in the New Creation.  Such a life removed most, if not all, worldly obstacles, leaving the man able to fully glorify God with the emotions of his heart, the sharpness of his mind, and the strength of his body.

In the same way, Summit provides such an atmosphere of shelter and spiritual cultivation.  In this place, spiritual discipline is the norm.  It’s a community of hard workers, of Barnabas’, of children of grace, daily dying to their flesh and living in the redemption of Christ’s cross.  Now more than ever I have been shown the importance of community among believers.  How else can we expect to be challenged? to delve into the nitty-gritty of the gospel? to chase our roots deep into the mulch of the things of God? to wrestle with the mysteries and drink deep of the discoveries? to bear fruit for the nourishment of others, and point to God as the source of everything good and true in ourselves?

So, to all of you who find yourselves slowly being cut off from the community of little-Christs around you, whether through discord or disagreement or distance, I challenge you to not let the “lone ranger” mentality stunt your growth as a part of the body of Jesus.  Find a community wherever you are and start serving!  And if the group you find has problems?  Change it!  Revivals aren’t begun by drifters, but by earth-shakers and wave-makers.  Be a champion of the truth so we can start taking back this land for Christ!

Dive Deep. Drown Willingly.