One More Book

One more book (for now). But first, I can hear you asking "how does a med student have time to read all these non-medical books?" Well, you need to know- I'm an avid reader. That's one of those phrases that gets thrown around but what does it really mean? Well, for me it means a couple of things. One, I'm addicted to books. When I get really stressed- like so stressed chocolate chip cookies won't cut it (and that's really stressed!)- the best "therapy" I know is to wander around in a bookstore- for hours. My mom is always amazed at how long I can spend in a bookstore. I tell her the longer the better- I spend several hours browsing books, I end up buying just a few. If I tried to leave real quickly, I'd end up buying everything I saw instead of spending time figuring out what I really want. At least, that's what I tell myself. Anyway, being an avid reader also means that I wish I could read a lot of books on a lot of subjects all at once- and I usually try! But what this lack of patience usually ends up meaning is that I get a few chapters into a book, and think it's really good- but then get distracted by another really good book that I can't wait to read... and before you know it I have 5 or 10 or 20 books lying around, all with bookmarks at various places, and if I want to finish any of them I have to start back at the beginning because it's been too long since I started it and I can't remember the part I've read! Finally, and most relevant to this blog, being an avid reader for me means that once I start a book, I can't put it down until I finish it. Wait a minute! I just said exactly the opposite! Well, maybe I should put it this way. If I start a book and don't finish it right away, I probably won't finish it because I'll get engrossed in several other books before I have a chance to get back to it. But when I do pick up a good book, I usually want to read and read and read... I can sit for hours at time, and it's quite normal for me to read an entire book in 2 days. So how can a med student read so many books? I very carefully choose when to pick up a new book- I choose a time when I know I can devote several hours to it for the next few days without compromising my "obligations" to school. So, true to form, yesterday I picked up "Uncharted" by Angela Hunt (a Christian novelist). Now, the last time I read a novel (I'm not even sure I remember which one it was!) I had the usual sense of "guilt" for spending so much time reading a novel- the overachiever med student in me thinks I should be more productive than that- but I actually don't read novels that often, and when I do they are carefully chosen and usually speak to me in powerful ways (otherwise I lose interest and go study instead!) Anyway, after reading "Uncharted" I felt no such guilt. It makes such a powerful statement, I still feel my heart skip a beat when I think about it, and feel far too challenged by it to regret taking time to read it. It's an allegory, about 6 friends from college who promise to stay close but lose touch until many years later when one of them dies and the other 5 are reunited. It's very well written and grabs your interest quickly, but as you get deeper into the book and the allegory begins to come together, it is all that the subtitle promises: expect the unexpected. Please read it- let me know what you think. It has such a power, is so different from what you expect. The subtitle truly says it all... and this book will leave me thinking and pondering and wondering for days... until some new book grabs my fancy! (And actually, tomorrow is my day off so I might just go hunting for a book right now...) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

A very challenging book

Ok, so here's my next recommended book- Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall. Sound familiar? It's very prominently displayed in the bookstores these days, and was featured on GMA (side note- I am a huge fan of Robyn Roberts!!! But I saw it on the show while I was in a patients room- that usually is the only news I see each morning, whatever the patients have on when I go in to see how they're doing!) Anyway, Elissa was born into the FLDS. What's that you ask? Well, let me give you a little background. About a year ago there was a TV series about "secret people" (can't remember the exact name). The only episode I saw was about a group of Mormons who still practice bigamy. They spent most of the movie with one family, talking about what it was like to have "2 wives" or to be a "sister wife" and trying to send the message that this community is happy and the children do not feel oppressed but happy to be there and free to make their own choices as they grow up. But the movie also mentioned a nearby town- I think about 20 minutes away- which was also known to practice bigamy, but which hated outsiders. The police of the town were chasing the media out, telling them NO outsiders are allowed. The point of the show was that this secretive town was the source of the "rumors" of these secret people who lived in bigamy, were suppressed by their authority figures and forced into that lifestyle, and incredibly hostile to anyone else. And the family most of the show focused on was attempting to dispel that myth. Well, I couldn't remember any of the details- the names or locations of these towns- but I never forgot about it... you can't help but turn the tv off still wondering... Well, then I heard Elissa Wall talking on TV about her book, and about her life growing up in a world of plural marriage- and I was intrigued. Wow. Her story is intense- you have to be ready for it if you're going to read it. Elissa grew up in the FLDS church, as I mentioned. It stands for the fundamental latter day saints. They are only one of MANY offshoots of mainstream mormonism who still believe God commands and requires plural marriage. The group that was so hostile on the tv program I saw very likely was the town where Elissa grew up, part of the FLDS. The town that was so friendly and inviting and the main focus of the show was the "Centennial Park Group." (If you want to know more, go to http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/index.html It is a website meant to explain to mainstream mormons what fundamentalism is and why it's "wrong"- but it is very helpful if you want to understand this subject. If you spend enough time clicking back and forth, you will understand the flow chart on the page the link takes you to. Without any of the background however, you can quickly see how there are many fundamentalist offshoots- just like there are many Christian denominations- and the Centennial group and Elissa's FLDS group are just 2 examples.) In the course of reading Elissa's book and exploring some websites, I learned a LOT. I could write a very long blog here, but I'm not going to. I just want to leave you with this little teaser. If you do pick up Elissa's book, I believe you will be different by the time you finish. It affected me in a very powerful way. I felt such compassion for Elissa and her family, for the people who grow up in these fundamentalist groups, who are SO sheltered and have never heard of a faith in grace, of a life where needn't be constantly afraid of losing one's salvation... Elissa's story captured my heart- I felt compelled to learn more, until I truly understood the history and nature or mormon fundamentalism, so I could pray... and perhaps one day God will lead someone from that background- or still in the midst of it- into my life, and I'll be able to minister to them because I'll have some understanding of where they're coming from. At the same time I was reading this book, the news was reporting the children in texas who were removed from their homes- a very rare but not unheard of event where these small, private groups become very publicly known. I don't know how closely you followed those events, and I don't know what your initial response to it all was, but I guarantee I thought about it very differently after reading Elissa's story. I'm going stop there- if God has put this calling on your heart, wants you, too, to be ready to reach this "people group" in some way, then reading Elissa's book and seeking other resources will stir your heart more powerfully than I ever could. And if you this doesn't interest you at all- then maybe you could just take a minute to think about what you are passionate about. Maybe it's Muslim women, or the orphans in Africa who have AIDS and lost their parents to AIDS, or maybe it's the unborn babies of America, or teens who don't know the trap they're falling into when they try their first illegal drug... you know I could go on and on. Many, many people in this world are in need of the Lord's mercy. Take some time to hear God speaking to your heart, whispering the ones He wants you to reach, and faithfully obey. It reminds me of the movie Amazing Grace- William Wilburforce found himself consumed by a longing to free the slaves. For a brief time, I felt that same all-consuming longing for the FLDS church... I think perhaps that what God meant in Isaiah when He said Jesus (and we also should be) "numbered with the transgressors." Whatever the unique burden He wishes to place on your heart, allow yourself, even if only briefly, to feel the grief that He feels when He thinks of those people, and allow that pain to motivate your prayers. Finally, if you do want to learn more about the fundamental Mormons and how to minister to them, go to http://www.shieldandrefuge.org/ They have a Christian ministry in Utah, and have also made very informative ministry videos which are available online. May we never grow too calloused to hurt for the lost. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Some serious blogging- my first book recommendation

I have some serious blogging to do! Or, at least some serious catch-up to do! I've been working on a blog about a particular topic (it's a secret...) for what seems like forever now... and in the meantime other topics keep piling up. So let me at least get caught up with the books I've read recently! First, there's "Me, Myself and Bob" by none other than Phil Vischer. If by now, you don't recognize the name of "Bob" or "Phil Vischer", then you need to stop here and go rent "Dave and the Giant Pickle." If, however, you do like to waltz with potatoes, you WANT to read on! When I was in the store, I saw a tomato on a book cover and thought "it couldn't be!" But it was- Phil Vischer wrote the story of VeggieTales! What was even more intriguing, however, was that the book promised to explain not just the creation of VeggieTales, but also the downfall- I remember the sense of disappointment when we learned it was to be sold. This wonderful strongly Christian ministry had such a HUGE impact, so far reaching- and with it being sold, I somehow knew the Christian message would be tarnished- likely to be "watered down" by a different company- and then that opportunity to influence not just the church but the lost would be lost. I remember at the time hearing people say "they got too big too quick, mismanaged money..." Well, having read the book, I can say "yes... but no." The first half of the book is fascinating- did you know Larry came first? Do you remember the early days, when we all knew why the characters were vegetables? Do you know how Silly Songs with Larry came about? Or how the first episode was made- literally copied- and how orders were taken? That part of the book is also wonderful for encouraging anyone with a God-given dream to have the courage to recognize and pursue it, and it makes it so clear how God can take very diverse interests, talents and experiences within one life and use them all together for an amazing purpose. But as the story moves along, Phil is so honest, so transparent. He doesn't just explain how VeggieTales went bankrupt, he gives a very thoughtful analysis of why it happened. He examines himself- his motives, his misconceptions, his very personal experience of tremendous success and utter failure. And it's one of the best books I've ever read about facing failure and understanding why God allows us to go through such dark times even when we've had "the purest of motives"- all within a book about people who are made happy by squash! If you've ever failed- or feared failure, if you've ever had a dream and feared or dared to pursue it... or if you've ever wondered how a vegetable can walk without feet and hold things without hands- then you must read this book! Some websites you might want to check-out are http://www.philvischer.com/ and http://www.jellyfishland.com/about/default.html This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.