Productive Day(s)

So I failed to blog for the last 2 days. I guess it started on Thursday when I worked an early morning shift for the first time in awhile. It was busy, but I came home on time. We are very fortunate because Ben was willing to babysit Ruth on short notice. This was the 3rd time Amy and I left Ruth with a babysitter. The first time was when she was 2 months old when Amy's mom watched her while Amy and I went out to dinner. The second time was this past December when Suzanne watched her while we went to the small group Christmas party at the Kennedys. I guess there were other days where Amy and I both worked and her parents babysat and that was for six or seven hours before Amy came home from her shift. Suzanne also came to Chicago to watch Ruth in the hotel room for an afternoon while we both had oral boards. Anyway, I digress. We had a great dinner with the Kennedys and came home to watch some basketball (Mizzou held off a Memphis comeback). Uncle Ben had successfully changed a poopy diaper for Ruth so it was a landmark night. On Friday, we met with Steve and Lisa at the Firewheel Starbucks for a leadership meeting (Lisa in her work out gear and me in my bball attire). We had great discussions and prayer at the end. The Kahn family headed to church so that I could play basketball. Amy and Ruth were kind enough to watch. We grabbed Bubba's chicken on the way to Target where Amy got nursery decorations. It was such a productive day. Amy decked out the nursery/Ruth's room while I went through my Baylor inbox and through the new T-sheet materials that we will be implementing. The night ended with more March Madness (MSU came back to beat KU).

Today, I woke up on my own and finished looking at the T-sheets and typed my thoughts on the changes. Kimbell came over to play guitar. I learned some good things from him. The Kahns then went to hang out with the Arzes. We had a great time chatting. It worked out great and hopefully we can spend more time with their family. We then went to Suzanne's to see her, Tim, and Aunt Janie. I got to see the end of the Pitt/Nova game that ended in a game winning shot at the buzzer by Villanova. Did I mention that I love March?
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1 Corinthians 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

I forget daily that I was bought and redeemed. This body and soul belongs to Christ. We must treat it like a temple. I guess the key is remembering that the Holy Spirit is within us and connecting with this fact.
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1 Corinthians 7:4 "The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife."

As it was mentioned in the previous chapter, we were bought for a price. In addition to belonging to God, we also belong to our spouse in an Earthly view. This is a wonderful gift of marriage and companionship that the Lord has provide for us. I am so thankful for my wife.
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1 Corinthians 8 was a little confusing to me. I felt it was like Leviticus in that it was referring to idols, sacrifice, and food. I am going to move on now that I have caught up from the last few days when I missed out on my Scripture reading. I hear my guitar calling...

Rainy Day

Ruth and I got up to go to the gym while Amy slept since she was post night shift. We came home to pick Amy up for lunch. We also did some grocery shopping and found a toy guitar at the kid's resale store so that Ruth can rock out with me. At home, Amy and Ruth took an afternoon nap while I reviewed patients from my last night shift and did call backs. It has been raining constantly since we got home. I have enjoyed the sunny and So Cal weather so hopefully these days of rain will pass quickly. We went to church for dinner and small group to study the first half of Ephesians 5.
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Ephesians 5:8-9 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)"
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1 Corinthians 5 didn't give me much that I wanted to comment on so I will talk about Ephesians instead. I want to live in the light. I want to be dead to the things of this world and only care about God's truth. My prayer is that I will try to do so.

Work and Family and Work

I had a good shift overnight and came home to sleep while Ruth went to her first swim lessons. We went to eat at IHOP for lunch where Ruth always eats a good amount of eggs. I went to the hospital for some meetings and continue to learn so much from Steve. I am not ready to be director, but perhaps over time I can take some valuable lessons from Steve and gain the experience needed to take that next step. I met Amy, Ruth, Angela, and Will for dinner at Bubba's which was featured in the recent Texas Monthly's cover story about the best affordable meals in the state. Amy drove to work the overnight shift while the rest of us went to the playground by White Rock Lake. It was a diverse crowd of families which brought up questions of what school environment is best for our children. I'll leave further discussion and debate regarding public vs private vs home school for another day. Anyway, Ruth had a bath and played with toys in her room. I think we will go watch the Curious George movie that we just bought and call it a night and look forward to Amy coming home in the morning.

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1 Corinthians 4:3 "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God."

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This is something that I would say ranks right behind wanting Ruth to understand the love and sacrifice of Christ. Once she understands that He died for our since so that we are saved, I want her to understand that everything in this world is rubbish and to not worry about what others think of us when they judge us. The greatest misuse of my time and the instigator of me taking the wrong path in life resonated from me trying to please other people or wanting the approval of others. "It is the Lord who judges me." If we could all just forget about the other wannabe judges and only care about Him, this world would be a whole lot less complicated. How can I convey this to my kids when I don't live this way myself? I must incorporate this belief into everything I do and then pray that my children will believe this when I try to instill this value onto them.

Cloudy, windy day

I woke up to go to the gym and saw Juleeta there. On the way home, I decided to stop by Target to get Ruth a soccer ball and goal. We all had lunch at her little table. Amy and I went put up the clothes that were now too small for her. We also pulled out all her old infant clothes (for the twins) which were good memories. After we took a nap, Amy cut my hair. We met the Kennedys and Keri and Eliot for dinner at La Duni at the mall. It was a nice patio where we could see the kids play in the mall outdoor courtyard. With bed holds at the ED, I didn't have to go into work until 10pm so we got to hang out a little longer. I am sure once RME and PCE close at 11pm, it will get busy along with a possible mass exodus after floor beds open for some reason.
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1 Corinthians 3:3 "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?"
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The division of the church seems to come from quarreling. It reminds me of the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis where the demon and his apprentice are trying to get believers into trouble. My prayer is that I stand strong with my family, small group, our church, and fellow believers in our goal which is to glorify Him and live a Christ-like life. There will be disagreements and differences but we must be united in Him.

Family and Friends

We went to church and had small group prayer requests. Ben, Mom, and Dad met us for lunch across the street from the church at Macaroni Grill. We said goodbye to Papa and Yaya. Ruth fell asleep on the way home, but woke up soon after she was in bed. It was a fun afternoon watching basketball and hanging out with the Harveys, Brookshires, Kennedys, and Catings. After everyone left, we cleaned up really fast and headed over to Suzanne's since she had invited us over earlier in the day. Ruth had fallen asleep on the way over to see Aunt Suzanne and Uncle Tim but woke up when she heard the puppies. We came home and turned on the sprinkler system for the first time. It was quite a busy day, but it was so much fun to spend time with everyone. What a week it has been with all of the visitors over to our house. We wouldn't want it any other way.
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1 Corinthians 2:6 "We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began."
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Many times I look to the wisdom of today's world and today's leaders. I forget about the more important truth that we are destined for. I pray for the Spirit to guide me daily in not looking to this world for answers or approval, but to Him who has great plans for us.
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A big praise I have is for the wonderful small group we are in. It is great to know people who have much in common with us. In addition to being married with young kids, we can all follow Christ and keep each other accountable. We also differ in other ways, but that is how we learn more about each other and ourselves in order to improve. We are glad to be plugged in to a great group of believers. My prayer is that we continue to grow closer together and closer to God.

late entry for Sat, March 21

We got up to get ready to host Angela's baby shower. Dad and I went to get the balloons and breakfast for Amy. Ruth and I took Mom and Dad to the lakehouse so that they could check on it. I found some wedding gifts stored there so I brought them back. We picked Amy up and went to Firewheel where Ruth enjoyed playing on the train and steps over the stream. She had a little fall and abrasions on her legs but she didn't cry and got back up and continued to go up and down the steps again. We all had some shaved ice at Bahama Buck's and then headed to the Catings to drop off food since they just have their new baby. We stopped at Central Market in Plano to get the food, and Ruth enjoyed playing on the slides there. After saying hello to the Catings, we got food at Chinatown and the Thai restaurant on Forest Lane. Ben and Raj joined us at home for dinner. We watched the NCAA tournament to finish off the day.
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1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
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It is a good reminder of how the Gospel appears to the non-believer in contrast to Christians. It is controversial, but powerful to us who believe.

Work and Family

I slept in until time to go to work. After work, I met Amy, Ruth, Mom, and Dad at Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We came home and watched some March Madness.
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Romans 16:17 "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them."
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I don't have much to say about this passage. I'll be on the lookout.
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My prayer is for a great weekend with my family.