Serving as a physician in the emergency department of a busy hospital is hard work. It is as simple as that. And the experience is nothing like what is portrayed on television. There are intoxicated people that curse at you, and other patients that are angry because they had to wait to long in the waiting room. There are others that are admitted because they are hearing voices. “ER docs” as we call them here in Texas treat sick babies…
Stories of people traveling back to an earlier time in their life makes for a decent movie plot. But it is not reality. If for some extraordinary reason that opportunity presented itself, I do not think returning to 7th grade would top my list. In fact, I seriously doubt it would make the top 10 on anyone’s list. Despite such automatic hesitancy I came as close as I ever will to returning to that formative time period in life last…
I took advantage of a beautiful day in Chicago this afternoon, and went on a walk around the lake that surrounds the retreat center where I am participating in a quarterly retreat that is a part of a two year residency. The air was crisp, but the thankfully it was a sunny day. Last summer the trees that border the lake were green and breathtaking. It was obvious this afternoon that I arrived in Chicagoabout two weeks too late to enjoy…
I am a self proclaimed anti-social human being on Monday’s. Sundays are typically 15 hour people intensive days for me. By the time Monday morning around, I am feeling somewhat reclusive. Consequently I enjoy playing a round of golf by myself on Monday after enjoying a Taco Villa burrito in a similar state of solitude. But today was destined to be different. A couple in front of me on the front 9 holes at the golf course asked me to…
I have never been a minority. I don’t really think that I have ever been discriminated against either. (Although I have encountered people that simply don’t like ministers. No matter whom you are or what you have done.) Yesterday I got a tiny glimpse into what life is like for a person that others have determined to be inferior. I am one of the hosts for a wonderful friend from Chihuahua Cityin Northern Mexico this weekend. In fact, he is…
In less than two years, we will be empty nesters. I hear tales of children coming home when they are well into their adult years, but that is highly unlikely in our family. Our boys have always been really independent in a positive way. In recent months, I find myself thinking a lot like people in that stage of life. My days of teaching teenagers in a Sunday school context at church are nearly over. Coaching debaters at the high…
I was sitting on a plane at the Milwaukee airport getting ready for takeoff last April when I received word via text message that a childhood friend had passed away a few moments earlier. And then on a Saturday in June as I was putting the finishing touches on a sermon, I received a similar message about another friend from my formative years. He lost his battle with brain cancer that morning. Both of those guys lived on the same…
By the time Friday rolls around, I find myself exhausted and ready for a very short break before the day that ministers actually work…Sunday. For someone that only works one day a week I sure am tired on Friday afternoons. In recent weeks, I have found that Friday rolls around and I have experienced a certain degree of grouchiness to accompany the fatigue. I decided today to put an end to it. During my daily walk this afternoon I started…
Enlightened people can very difficult to be around… Over the years I have interacted with individuals that have experienced a time of spiritual enlightenment or renewal in their life. I have known others that have had a similar life occurrence in the academic realm. It would be nice to think that the spiritually enlightened among us are now closer to God, and thus able to make a significant difference in the world we live in as a result. The same…
When I was a kid, my father shared this phrase with me on repeated occasions: You are talking when you should be listening. His timing was always perfect. He only chose to tell me that when I was spewing off my opinions prematurely or expressing inaccurate information. Choosing to listen instead of talking is not a bad idea in many situations. But there are notable exceptions to that rule. Proper discretion should be used when listening. We should we be…