Study hard, play hard

Med school is intense. We spend at least 10hrs (more on test weekends like this one) in cadaver lab, 14hrs in lecture, and probably 15-20hrs studying a week. Sometimse I get cabin fever, and sit outside, or go to a park (like I did today--Council Crest Park, the highest park in P0rtland), or just sit in the recliner in the living room. Or I go for long walks or short runs. But med school is such a unique and interesting experience, and I'm forming friendships with very cool people, some who have similar interests, and some who do totally wacky things and come from all walks of life. A couple Fridays ago I had a group of people over to play one of my all-time favorite games, Scrabble. I think there's quite a few people who like scrabble in our class, and we even suggested double points for anatomy words. I was suprised however, how laid back people were--I was all ready to be really competitive, instead we sat around chatting in between plays and listening to classical music in the background. There was a free BBQ earlier that evening and so we all went to that which was really nice 1 because of free food, but 2 because we spend so much time in class together that it was nice to just get to hang out. This week we've been working on the abdomen and the abyss, that is, the pelvis. There is a LOT that lives in your pelvis. We also had a few lectures on angiography, which is a method for visualizing arteries and veins by either injecting contrast or dye into them and watching it with x-rays or using a computer to create 3D images of the pathways they travel. It's really quite beautiful, especially when the arteries are all curvy twisty, like the splenic artery which gives blood to your spleen. Tomorrow we have exam 2 and it's defintely taken a lot of studying--only 3 weeks of material, but we've covered A LOT. Our exams are both written and practical, meaning we take a multiple choice test and a test where we identify structures on cadavers.

Friday I decided that I was going to organize an ultimate frisbee game for Saturday afternoon--and boy was Saturday a beautiful day! There was about 9 of us, and so we got a good run in, and some of the people there were quite good with the disc. But then we were tired, and took a break and just tossed them around, which eventually turned into doing cartwheels and handstands and sumersaults. Yes, that's right. a bunch of med students playing gymnast on a soccer field. It was a great break from studying.

So you might wonder, do you do anything else besides study? After preceptorship on Thursday night my great Uncle and Aunt who were missionaries in Argentina for 36 years were in town from California, so we had dinner together with family at Home Country Buffet. I love those buffet places, though it's hard to control oneself there, especially with unlimited desert options and all the kinds of things that I don't cook for myself like PRIME RIB steak. Oh man--I haven't eaten beef in quite a while. But as Jessica often tells my dad, "You don't get your money's worth when you're sick, you get it when you're full." Good wisdom Jess, but hard to follow.

Today is Sunday and (besides studying for our major test) it has been a good Sabbath. I am liking Sundays more than I used to I think. I mean, I love giving and serving at church, and loving people and greeting them and I miss my home church family. But at the moment, I have no responsibilities at church, and so in some ways it is more restful. Not saying that I will always be without responsibility (because eventually I want to be involved). Especially for as stressed I have been this weekend--it's like "I don't want to be stressed, I shouldn't be--I'm going to be fine." But my body tells me I am--tense muscles, tense head. Anyhow, that's one reason I love worshipping God through song and so I have really enjoyed going to churches that let you sing your heart out and raise your hands and stand if you want or sit or move to the beat or be quiet within your soul. I think my current favorite worship song is "Blessed be Your Name" because it speaks so clearly that worship is a sacrificial act--"when the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say, blessed be the name of the Lord." When I sing this song--"blessed be your name...on the road marked with suffering...when the sun's shining down on me...in the land that is plentiful..when there's pain in the offering...blessed be your name"--I can thoroughly relate my life situation to the fact that praise should not be bordered or bound by anything.

There is such a mixture, such diversity to the Body of Christ--one triune God and one salvation but many different parts and styles. I'm not sure where I fit in the whole spectrum, but while trying to find a place to fit, I am learning more about myself and what is important to me. It's tough, I'll admit, especially when, at some big churches, you don't know anyone there and no one knows if you're new or if you have been going there for a long time. But all that comes with time I think, and it's going to be important in the long run to find a church format/structure? and such that is going to work for me and one that I can serve in and partner with. Format/structure might include how they form community, what they teach, prayer, worship, outreach, mission, and vision. One thing I really desire is for church to be a place I feel confident bringing unchurched people, friends and classmates. Unfortunately, it's not something I've been good at in my former churchgoing years. Last Sunday at a church I went to we watched a short DVD asking us to contemplate why we go to church--out of duty? because we always have? because that's what you do on Sundays? It compared our habitual religiosity in the modern world to the pharisee's habits of washing cups, hands, pots, etc. that Jesus refused to participate in to make a point. His point being, that it was what was on the inside, the motive, that God really cares about, delights in when we go to church or pray or do anything in Him, and that he doesn't like it when we do religious things just because and then they become empty meaningless non-relational, even hypocritical, acts. Something worth thinking about.

Well, I have thrown my thoughts onto you, take them as you may.