Last year at this time I set forth to not read a new book in the year 2009 until I had finished all the books that I had started, but not finished. This turned out to be one of the toughest resolutions I have ever stuck with because there are so many new and wonderful books that come out every year that I ended up buying, but not reading, and while plodding through some of the books I realized why I never finished them in the first place.
Below is my list and how I did on the books. All things considered I finished a good chunk of the books, but I had a lot of distractions as every month I would get a new book from one of my Attending Doctors to read and complete a review allowing me to be able to keep the book. I debated about this and my resolution, but rationalized it by the fact that reading the books were for work, not pleasure and it was helping my resume for applying for a job.
Yea I know it was a shady thing to do...
So this year?
I resolve to:
1) Floss nightly
2) Stretch every time before and after I exercise (I am getting old)
3) Run at least one 1/2 marathon
4) Change at least one diaper (this one should not be hard)
5) Not faint when I become a father
6) Continue to bike to work as much as possible
7) Try to finish the books below
Happy New Year of 2010!
List of books:
The Life of Eric Liddle: Catherine Swift: done
Desires in Conflict: Joe Dallas: did not touch
KJV Apocrypha: still reading
Celebrating the Wrath of God: Jim McGuiggan: done
Out of the Silent Planet: CS Lewis: done
Perelandra: CS Lewis: done
That Hideous Strength: CS Lewis: did not touch
The Exemplary Husband: Stuart Scott: did not touch
The Power of a Praying Husband: Stormie Omartian: did not touch
Tramp for the Lord: Corrie Ten Boom: done
Jewish Cultures and Customs: Steve Herzig: done
Foundational Faith: John Koessler: still reading
Sharing Your Faith with a Hindu: Madasamy Thirumalai: did not touch
Happiness is a Choice: Frank Minirth and Paul Meier: done
Every Living Thing: James Herroit: done
The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank: done
Life for Every Married Couple: Ed Wheat: done
Systematic Theology: Wayne Grudem: still reading
Gang Leader for a Day: Sudhir Venkatesh: done
Death by Love: Mark Driscoll: done
The Autobiography of Hudson Taylor: Hudsdon Taylor: done
The Life of Samuel Morris: Lindley Baldwin: done
The Life of Mary Slessor: Basil Miller: done
The Old Testament: Mark Driscoll: done
The New Testament: Mark Driscoll: done
The Joy of Fearing God: Jerry Bridges: did not touch
The Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales: Oliver Sacks: done
Tozer on the Holy Spirit: AW Tozer: still reading
The Two Kinds of Decay: Sarah Manguso: done
My Utmost for His Highest: Oswald Chambers: done
Unceasing Worship: Harold Best: still reading
Help Yourself: Dave Pelzer: done
That Incredible Christian: AW Tozer: still reading
To End All Wars: Ernest Gordon: done
Make My Life a Prayer: Keith Green: done
Rags of My Soul: T. Byram Karasu: done
Heinz Kohut and the Psychology of Self: Allen Siegel: still reading
Mnemonics and More for Psychiatry: David Robinson: still reading
Psychoanalytic Case Formulation: Nancy McWilliams: still reading
Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Nancy McWilliams: still reading
Principles and Practice of Psychopharmacology: Phillip Janicak: still reading
The Screwtape Letters: CS Lewis: done
Serial Killers: Joel Norris: still reading
The Complete Book of Running: James Fixx: done
Integrating Psychotherapy and Pharmacology Beitman: still reading
Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry Volume I and II: Kaplan and Sadock: still reading
House Officer Series: Neurology: Howard Weiner: still reading
Introduction to Supportive Psychotherapy: Winston: still reading
Motivational Interviewing: Bezalel Dantz: still reading
Telling Yourself the Truth: William Backus: done
Clinical Manual for Diagnosis and Treatment of Psychotic Depression: Anthony Rothschild: done
Concise Guide to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Mina Dulcan: still reading
Quick Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-IV-TR: APA: still reading
The Merk Manual: still reading
Desiring God: John Piper: still reading
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
"tow guy" again
This morning on my way to work I was once again approached by the same well dressed man with the same story (see previous blog post). I told him that he had told me the exact same story and faster than a young child on Christmas morning he was out of there as he quickly walked away.
But he was dressed nicer than I am with all of my Christmas clothes and he is out in the cold at 7:45am, so he has to be making some money.
Oh well, hope everyone had a great Christmas.
But he was dressed nicer than I am with all of my Christmas clothes and he is out in the cold at 7:45am, so he has to be making some money.
Oh well, hope everyone had a great Christmas.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
26th
I always despise December 26th because it is all over. The trash can is full of wrapping paper, the once closed stores are stuffed with people trying to return everything and get a bargain on all the Christmas stuff that they are trying to get rid of. Life picks back up and we go back to our busy lives.
There is something about Christmas when people just stop and enjoy each other. A day of laughing, eating, giving to one another, and catching back up. In some ways Christmas is a glorified Sabbath day that we all collectively take together.
Which leads me to think about taking Sabbaths in this world in which we have Blackberries allowing us to work anywhere, everywhere, and anytime we want to, a world in which how much you have determines your rank in life, a world in which companies expect their employees to put in long hours and if you do not want to, there are several people in line waiting to take your spot, and a world that does not seem to be turning back. Taking a day off from everything seems to risky to do to make sure that you are not falling behind.
But that is the key, falling behind what?
As I think about 2010 I want to re-shift my priorities of what is truly important as a child is going to take up a lot of time and energy. While I want to be a good employee and at some point get a solid job for my family, I do want to be able to set aside work which may result in not being promoted or making as much money as I could in exchange of being a good father, husband, and Christ follower.
So in essence I will be freed from this world of "whose who" by choosing what is more important to me.
There is something about Christmas when people just stop and enjoy each other. A day of laughing, eating, giving to one another, and catching back up. In some ways Christmas is a glorified Sabbath day that we all collectively take together.
Which leads me to think about taking Sabbaths in this world in which we have Blackberries allowing us to work anywhere, everywhere, and anytime we want to, a world in which how much you have determines your rank in life, a world in which companies expect their employees to put in long hours and if you do not want to, there are several people in line waiting to take your spot, and a world that does not seem to be turning back. Taking a day off from everything seems to risky to do to make sure that you are not falling behind.
But that is the key, falling behind what?
As I think about 2010 I want to re-shift my priorities of what is truly important as a child is going to take up a lot of time and energy. While I want to be a good employee and at some point get a solid job for my family, I do want to be able to set aside work which may result in not being promoted or making as much money as I could in exchange of being a good father, husband, and Christ follower.
So in essence I will be freed from this world of "whose who" by choosing what is more important to me.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas 2009
Here we go again, another year coming to a close, another Christmas time approaching as we see the city of Chicago replace all of its Olympic 2016 signs with more jolly and happier signs of the Christmas season.
2009 was a year of ups and downs, but overall a blessed year as we began the year on the Chicago news (Bekah asked "why?" and I responded "why not?") as I partook of a leisurely dip in Lake Michigan with several other Chicagoans as Bekah stood on the shore, so very proud.
February was a very emotional month as we discovered that Bekah's pregnancy was to end earlier than we had hoped, yet we learned so much about God's faithfulness and how we are so wonderfully blessed by friends, family, and coworkers who overwhelmed us with support, love, and prayers. After the whole ordeal we joined some good friends on a "get away" trip to Peurto Rico which was amazing, except for being rear ended by a local who did not speak English being followed by some policemen who also did not speak English...it was funny looking back on it now, but was stressful at the moment.
March through June seem to fly by as we continued to be very busy at work. I continued to be fascinated and honored to be able to work with those struggling with mental illness as I wrapped up my 2nd year of residency. Bekah continued to provide chemotherapy full-time until the end of July when we agreed that it would be better for Bekah to move to part-time work.
We ended June with a great trip to Seattle in which I was able to go to several great independent coffee shops drinking more coffee than one should. We also were able to see flying fish and enjoyed a great day of hiking at Mt. Rainer, except that the humidity ruined our camera...which we discovered later that night as we watched the sunset from the top of the Space Needle.
In July I moved out of the hospital into the outpatient world with my very own office (with my name on the door!) as I started my own clinic (yes with plenty of supervision). It was at that time that we announced that Bekah was pregnant again and she has enjoyed being able to volunteer at different organizations in Chicago since being part-time.
July onward we have been getting ready for our new addition, as my study has transformed into a baby room and I've discovered that even though baby items are small, that does not mean that the price is. Still we are very excited to see what God has in store for us as we move into a new phase of our life: to which people just smile at us and tell us to enjoy things like sleeping through the night, enjoying a quiet meal time, and doing laundry once a week...all which make me wonder what we are exactly getting ourselves into. Because of this advice, in October, we did take one final trip out west to enjoy California and Nevada, visiting family and friends.
May this Christmas season be a blessed one for you and your loved ones as always if you are in Chicago please look us up (except around the middle of February).
2009 was a year of ups and downs, but overall a blessed year as we began the year on the Chicago news (Bekah asked "why?" and I responded "why not?") as I partook of a leisurely dip in Lake Michigan with several other Chicagoans as Bekah stood on the shore, so very proud.
February was a very emotional month as we discovered that Bekah's pregnancy was to end earlier than we had hoped, yet we learned so much about God's faithfulness and how we are so wonderfully blessed by friends, family, and coworkers who overwhelmed us with support, love, and prayers. After the whole ordeal we joined some good friends on a "get away" trip to Peurto Rico which was amazing, except for being rear ended by a local who did not speak English being followed by some policemen who also did not speak English...it was funny looking back on it now, but was stressful at the moment.
March through June seem to fly by as we continued to be very busy at work. I continued to be fascinated and honored to be able to work with those struggling with mental illness as I wrapped up my 2nd year of residency. Bekah continued to provide chemotherapy full-time until the end of July when we agreed that it would be better for Bekah to move to part-time work.
We ended June with a great trip to Seattle in which I was able to go to several great independent coffee shops drinking more coffee than one should. We also were able to see flying fish and enjoyed a great day of hiking at Mt. Rainer, except that the humidity ruined our camera...which we discovered later that night as we watched the sunset from the top of the Space Needle.
In July I moved out of the hospital into the outpatient world with my very own office (with my name on the door!) as I started my own clinic (yes with plenty of supervision). It was at that time that we announced that Bekah was pregnant again and she has enjoyed being able to volunteer at different organizations in Chicago since being part-time.
July onward we have been getting ready for our new addition, as my study has transformed into a baby room and I've discovered that even though baby items are small, that does not mean that the price is. Still we are very excited to see what God has in store for us as we move into a new phase of our life: to which people just smile at us and tell us to enjoy things like sleeping through the night, enjoying a quiet meal time, and doing laundry once a week...all which make me wonder what we are exactly getting ourselves into. Because of this advice, in October, we did take one final trip out west to enjoy California and Nevada, visiting family and friends.
May this Christmas season be a blessed one for you and your loved ones as always if you are in Chicago please look us up (except around the middle of February).
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays
Recently there was an article in the Trib where the author made the argument that Christians were being unrealistic about their insistence of other saying and using Christmas in their vocabulary, advertisements, etc. instead of Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings. The author then went on to point out how Christians "hijacked" Christmas time by converting it into their holiday as originally it was a nonChristian celebration.
This article was followed up by me receiving an email about stores that were "naughty or nice" with regards to their use of the word Christmas and therefore as a Christian I should adjust my shopping based on their use of the word Christmas. Further the email sent me to a link in which I could send an email to various companies expressing my frustration(s) of their lack of the word Christmas and inform them that I would not be shopping at their store unless they use the word Christmas. The link also listed several business that started using Christmas in their advertisement after several emails were sent demanding changes in the company's advertisement.
Now I am all about using the word Christmas as I have noticed the "politically correctness" of our society creeping into everything as a vast majority of my co-workers are either Jewish or agnostic and therefore everyone uses Happy Holiday because no one really "celebrates" Christmas, but I am not sure of this movement to "force" people to use Christmas by threatening them with emails stating that we will boycott their store. It just seems that this technique means well, but goes about it the wrong way as they are probably not using the word Christmas in hopes of increasing their income by being more conscious of the buyer and therefore we are trying to beat them at their own game?
I really don't have a solution to "putting Christ into Christmas" or reminding people who is the "real reason for the season" as I always put Christmas in my Christmas letter or Christmas card (notice how I just identified the Christmas letter and card?) and will wish those of a Christian background "A Merry Christmas," but what about my coworkers and those businesses that do not use the word Christmas? How would or should I respond to someone who wished me a Happy Hanukkah?
I guess the whole point of this blog is that as Christian I celebrate the Christ of Christmas and would invite everyone to join me in this celebration of a truly miraculous story, but I would rather work all year round to spread the gospel instead of sending out demanding emails just around Christmas time.
Your thoughts?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
why?
On Wednesday my day is full of various lectures and today's unofficial theme was "where is the evidence?" as various lecturers examined commonly held beliefs and looked at the data (or lack thereof) regarding several different topics in Psychiatry. One lecture centered around the notion that chronic stress can cause damage to the human brain (don't stress out about this) and the lecturer said "you should always ask for the proof and research behind any assumption" as we reviewed some fascinating research that did show those with chronic stress did have increased rates of memory difficulties as they aged.
But it was her statement that we should "question everything" that got me thinking, not in a medical context per se as it is beneficial for people to research and ask questions to better the lives of others as evidenced-based medical practices mean better lives for those treated, but what about our life in general...as I see my unborn child growing on a seemingly daily basis. (As a side note he or she had the hiccups yesterday, how cool is that?)
In 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul ends the chapter with some short Twitter-like versus when he instructs us to:16Rejoice evermore.17Pray without ceasing.18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.19Quench not the Spirit.20Despise not prophesyings.21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.22Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Verse 21 grabbed my attention in this world of "if it feels good do it." Paul encourages us to search things out and at the end cling to that which is good.
What about us? Are we seeking the Lord's direction in our prayer and daily readings for the big and small things which then directs our course of action? Can we answer the why questions with a solid affirmation that it is of God? Do we have the faith to trust the Lord even if we don't have several journal articles full of answers?
But it was her statement that we should "question everything" that got me thinking, not in a medical context per se as it is beneficial for people to research and ask questions to better the lives of others as evidenced-based medical practices mean better lives for those treated, but what about our life in general...as I see my unborn child growing on a seemingly daily basis. (As a side note he or she had the hiccups yesterday, how cool is that?)
In 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul ends the chapter with some short Twitter-like versus when he instructs us to:16Rejoice evermore.17Pray without ceasing.18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.19Quench not the Spirit.20Despise not prophesyings.21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.22Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Verse 21 grabbed my attention in this world of "if it feels good do it." Paul encourages us to search things out and at the end cling to that which is good.
What about us? Are we seeking the Lord's direction in our prayer and daily readings for the big and small things which then directs our course of action? Can we answer the why questions with a solid affirmation that it is of God? Do we have the faith to trust the Lord even if we don't have several journal articles full of answers?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Silent Night?
The beauty of Christmas is that Christ did come down from heaven to our world to share in our joys and pain, but I wonder if we have "commercialized" His birth. Let me explain:
Most commercials we see on tv involve people with 2% body fat, no blemishes, have the latest styles on, and are constantly smiling as they do the ordinary things of life including shaving, buying food, and eating. In short, the commercials cut out the reality.
Similarly the Nativity scenes we see all around us look so clean and lets not forget the songs we sing as the favorite hymn Silent Night includes the line: "but little Lord Jesus no crying He makes."
Really? Why wouldn't Jesus cry when He was born in a stable? Further I doubt that Mary would look so great after delivering a baby after her long trip on a donkey. And lets not forget Joseph who walked the whole way and probably still was confused about Mary's pregnancy.
By no means am I trying to be sarcastic or irrevrant, rather I urge myself and others to really take a step back from those beloved versus in Luke 2 and realize the reality of the situation that Jesus really did enter this world in...one with dirty animals, dirty hay, exhausted parents, confused poor shepherds, and you and I.
28 Christmases later I still love the Christmas story.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
here we go
To all:
While on a jog I started thinking about how I can keep my blog open to all yet not make it so obvious. So here is my solution.
I keep this blog open to anyone, but not make it so obvious who I am as I have stripped the blog down to just my typing without a picture or information about me. Yes, as life continues to fly by I will post pictures of myself and others, but I will refrain from using my name and trust that I will be anonymous enough.
Feel free to pass this new address along to others as in the next couple of weeks I will take down the original site and begin to post from here.
This whole process makes me feel kind of secret agent James Bondish. Now off to get a glass of milk, shaken, not stirred.
While on a jog I started thinking about how I can keep my blog open to all yet not make it so obvious. So here is my solution.
I keep this blog open to anyone, but not make it so obvious who I am as I have stripped the blog down to just my typing without a picture or information about me. Yes, as life continues to fly by I will post pictures of myself and others, but I will refrain from using my name and trust that I will be anonymous enough.
Feel free to pass this new address along to others as in the next couple of weeks I will take down the original site and begin to post from here.
This whole process makes me feel kind of secret agent James Bondish. Now off to get a glass of milk, shaken, not stirred.
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