The Shack

If you haven’t already, pick up the book The Shack and read it!!!

http://www.theshackbook.com

Without giving it away, the book will challenge how you view God. It will cause you to question the hurts in your life. It will cause you to reexamine why you believe what you believe regarding God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Essentially, the book is about a man, Mack, who loses his daughter. Mack comes from a colorful background and is confronted with how he’s going to deal with his daughter’s loss. It is during this dealing that He learns who God is and what He’s about.

The story will challenge your theology, for sure! Bear in mind, it is not inspired Scripture, but I believe it does an excellent job at describing the heart of God.

Let me know your thoughts from reading it.

Family Remembrances

With Granny’s passing, I began to realize that I want to provide my children and grandchildren a legacy that will offer many generations past me a sign pointing to God and Jesus Christ.

Going through the items in the house and determining what to do with what, I came across The Story of a Lifetime: A Keepsake of Personal Memories. This book asks questions that helps one put their story down in a way to pass to those after them.

So for the next few entries, this is what I will write about. Please consider the questions and post your answers. I’m interested in seeing what other have to say too.

2 Funerals, 6 Days and the body of Christ

We just buried Donna’s grandmother. She passed away on Friday. The entire sequence of events is still a bit fuzzy. But we think she called a few people and told them she wasn’t feeling well. She then called 911. By the time EMS arrived, she was at the Judgement. EMS transferred her to ETMC in Crockett where she was eventually pronounced dead.
When I first got the call it was that Granny was ill. It wasn’t until we arrived at the hospital that I discovered what happened. Simply put, Granny was a very ill woman. The physician explained that typically we don’t see patients in her condition live past the age 50. The fact you’ve gotten 30 more years out of it is that much better.
So in the past eleven days, I’ve had a 9-day-old baby of a good friend pass away and my wife’s 80-year-old grandmother pass away. In less than a week, I’ve attended two funerals. Talk about emotionally draining.
But here’s the thing. I’ve seen some amazing grace, love and kindness bestowed by strangers to strangers.
The week before last, I was in Nebraska. It was Wednesday night and my flight was Thursday morning. I decided to attend a Bible study at a local church in the town I was visiting. First Baptist Church of Falls City was very welcoming. I think I was the youngest among the 8 or 10 that were there. They happened to be studying the same area of Scripture that my home church is studying.
From this little church in Nebraska, I found love, acceptance and a desire to do God’s will. They offered me a breath of air in the time that I was away from my family.
While up at Granny’s, I decided to visit their small church. This time I took Jonathan, Donna’s sister’s friend. There, the pastor preached on Revelation 5. He spoke of the amount of celebration that goes on in heaven. He referenced many of the old Baptist hymns. I learned that celebration, celebrating God, celebrating all of the incredible things He has done for us is good.
From this little church in Pennington, I again found helpers, love and a desire to do God’s will. They offered comfort in a time of grief. They offered prayers for our family.
So what is my conclusion here? It is simply that we I need the body more than ever before. I need to learn to depend upon others in the body of Christ. I need to participate as part of the body. I need to become one with the body and enjoy the fellowship that God has put us all in.
Praise God for all that He has done. Praise Him one and all. Praise Him!

Tuesday and Physics II

So Tuesday was rough! The funeral, while certainly honoring of the parents and those who have supported my friends, was rough. The gospel was preached, but it was still rough. Never before have I been to the funeral of an infant. And never before have I been at the graveside when the men with the shovels came to bury the deceased. And never before have I sobbed that much during a funeral. That was rough! Please continue to keep my friends in your prayers.

Right before the funeral I received an email. My Treō picks up my email and flashes. I decide to read what it is and see that my Physics class has changed. This summer, I was going to take a five-week Physics II class through the VCT program at Blinn College and Galveston College. The class consisted of online activities and an in-person, one day, lab session, a Saturday from 8am to 8pm!

The email was from my professor. He explained that he’s had to change the lab date. No longer on the Saturday, now on the following Monday. This sucks for several reasons:

        1) This isn’t what I agreed to.

        2) I need the lab on Saturday to prevent missing work.

        3) I already scheduled a beach house in Galveston for that weekend.

Now I can’t go to the lab, a very important part of the course. So once I got back to the office, I emailed the professor to see if there’s another way.

Nope... This is it. A Monday. No other options

So I emailed Blinn to see what needed to happen. They tell me to email the prof. Not good!

Finally today, I got the class removed and taken care of. No longer taking Physics II this summer. Instead, am spending that Saturday on the beach.

The fall will still have biology and chemistry. We’ll see how it goes!

Mourning

I think I’m beginning to learn what it means to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn.

I’m mourning with my friends, Paul and Becky over a 9-day-old baby that I never met. I mourn because Paul and Becky mourn.

Donna and I have had the opportunity to know Paul and Beck for about five years. We met them through a new church start-up called Worship Center Church. Paul and Becky later moved on to Living Hope Baptist Church. Later on, we did too and met again our friends.

We rejoiced with them at the birth of their first baby girl, Kalynn.

We were excited when they discovered they were pregnant again with Abby.

And now we mourn with them in her passing.

In all honesty, this sucks! I hope and pray that I never have to bury a child. Why should any parent have to bury their child? I know that the question of “why?” isn’t legitimate. I know that God is all-powerful and He is not caught off guard by this tragedy. But right now, that doesn’t help the pain.

Philip Yancey explains it best as he deals with the concepts of pain. He explains that pain is necessary. Without it, how could we comprehend warnings? How could we experience discipline? How could we experience great joy and satisfaction?

I know all of this, but it doesn’t stop the pain. It doesn’t even dull it.

All this knowledge does it make me that much more aware of it. But it also makes me that much more aware of God’s presence. Even in the midst of all of this, somehow, God is here and His mercies are flowing. This doesn’t make sense, because the pain is still very real and sensitive, but it is present. God knows what its like to lose a child. He knows what its like to bury a child. He knows because His son, Jesus died for you and I, should we chose to believe and walk in that belief.

http://www.hillierfuneralhome.com/obit-video-tribute.jsp?site=0140&id=31388

The funeral is tomorrow morning. Please pray for our friends, our church and us.

Thanks!

When Tragedy Strikes

I made it back from Nebraska. I stayed at the Check-In Motel (a.k.a. the Bates). After I got home, ate and visited with the family, I decided to mozy back to the office and check in.

Then I got a text message from my wife. A friend’s baby died.

My thoughts?

“Huh? Do what?”

I mean, the baby is only 9 days old. What happened? Why? Surely this is a mistake?!!?

But it wasn’t. Apparently, the baby had an undiagnosed heart defect. And their baby passed on. WOW!

Let me share who this little baby’s family is. Paul is a very intelligent guy. If you ask him how he’s doing, he replies “Normal.” Paul loves people, albeit, he’s shy. He has a hearty laugh and fun sense of humor. Paul is serious and quite honest. He’s a great person and a great dad. Unfortunately, I’m flighty and thus have not been as good of a friend as he is.

Becky is the perfect match for Paul. She is outgoing and energetic. She is always bubbly and always has a smile on her face regardless of the stress she’s going through. Becky is a great mom and the perfect wife for Paul.

We had the privilege of getting to know Paul and Becky from a previous church. Paul and Becky have been to our house numerous times for prayer meetings, HOPE group and as just friends hanging out. They are a beautiful couple and we treasure their company.

Kaylynn is a beautiful little girl with precious golden curls. She is the typical toddler full of fun. And she is dearly loved. Fortunately, we’ve know Kaylynn since she was born and have seen her grow into the little girl that she is.

Abigail was born into a terrific home just 10 days before her death. Despite coming into this messed up world, she was loved well before she was formed in Becky’s womb.

Apparently, Abigail was born with medical problems which no one saw or heard. These medical problems mounted and took her little, young life. She is missed as her family deals with the questions and grief. But one thing is certain. She is with God and Jesus receiving even greater care then what her mom, dad, sister or physicians could ever give her here on earth.

Her funeral is on Tuesday. Please pray for them, us and our church as a whole during this tragic time.

Fly Derrie-Air

I’m traveling today. I’m heading to the great and wonderful place that I’m sure everyone has heard of and desires to travel to. Where is it you ask? Could it be Disney World? What about Disney Land? Hollywood? New York City? What about “The Red Coats are coming” to Boston?

I tell you, No... Eat your heart out... I’m headed to Falls City, Nebraska. Where, according to Hotels.com, there is no hotel within a 50 mile radius. Ahhh. But Hotels.com doesn’t know about the hidden gem just off the Interstate, about 30 miles from Falls City. The Super 8 in Mound City!

Mound City... another highly treasured pin the continental US map. A true hunter’s paradise! In fact, the luxurious Super 8 even post signs requesting people not clean their daily kills in the parking lot and hotel rooms. And they had to close the pool for similar reasons, I’m sure. And they keep an extra set of towels for cleaning the mud off your boots. What great service!

So, I’m traveling to Falls City. Here, people truly are as honest as they come. The area is full of hard-working Americans. These are the people that rise before the sun to start their chores and take care of their farms and families. It full of real American people and truly is a great area.

Incredibly, I have a great opportunity to help a hospital plan for new construction. And I find it quite fun and exciting. We’ll see how it goes...

Anyhow, I must fly to get there or spend an entire day driving, which would not be fun at all! Looking for flight information, I came across what appears to be a great new airline, Derrie-Air http://ww.flyderrie-air.com/

These folks look like their doing all things right! Look at the photos of the planes! All seats are first-class! And their rates are rather competitive. They charge per pound. The more luggage you take or the more “you” there is, the higher your fees. Talk about motivation for getting skinny! No hidden fees for handling my bags either! How convenient! Just be sure to read the fine-print at the bottom.

I’ll try to post some photos of the trip, if I can find a hot-spot. In the meantime, I’m off to great new places.

Memorization of Anki

Recently, I decided to start learning a new language.

Okay, really, it’s an old language, just new to me. Why do people say they’re learning a new language when it’s really much older than they are? Aren’t they really learning an old language?

So, I started learning Spanish. From my understanding, learning vocabulary is the best way to learn language. And the best way to learn vocabulary is memorizing words. And the best way to memorize words is flash cards. Or so I thought...

Apparently, there is a whole theory behind memorization. A common and growing theory is called “Spaced Repetition.” Spaced repetition is essentially a memorization technique in which increasing time intervals dictate the next card and when. While the theory has been around a very long time, it has been a bit impractical. Until now...

With the advent of computers, a flash card system can be created that calculates the best time interval and allows cards to be displayed when appropriate. One such computer program that I’ve come to like is Anki. Anki is compatible on both Mac and Windows and also allows you sync your “deck” of facts on their server.

So I have my deck of facts that include physics facts, Scripture memory verses and Spanish words.

This brings me to my actual point. Psalm 119:11 is an oft-quoted verse in support of memorizing Scripture. I have it memorized and will bet that most people are familiar with it. It says, “I’ve hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” But I question the verse’s intent versus the common interpretation. Is memorizing a verse the same as “hiding” it in one’s heart?

So, with Anki I’m re-memorizing Scripture along with physics facts and Spanish vocabulary. I suppose that during my classes, I will be called to memorize lots. Anki, hopefully, will continue to help me do just that.

Virtual College of Texas

What a glorious age we live in. I mean I’m about to take a college physics class this summer. It will last about five weeks. I only attend class one time.

One time!

Did I mention that I only need to go to class once? Thanks to the Virtual College of Texas and my local community college, Blinn, I can take this class virtually. Or rather, in my comfortable living room.

Trough VCT you can take all kinds of classes. For instance, the following classes are offered through VCT and a local community college:

• Accounting (who wants to attend class for that?)
• Anthropology (I guess to give you more time to experience it rather than sitting in a classroom like a light bulb)
• Chemistry (you do the labs in your house... no kidding!)
• Crime in America (I hope there’s no lab for this one!)
• All sorts of computer programming
• All sorts of literature
• All sorts of history

And the list goes on and on... Spring 2008, there were 866 distinct course sections from 25 provider colleges. Thirty-seven colleges had students enrolled in a VCT course. A total of 1,825 students participated.

I had no idea this was even available until earlier in the summer. I stumbled across it while looking up ideas on getting some of pre-reqs finished. I think this is great!

The biggest bummer for this particular course is the class. The single day of class is my lab. Since the provider college is Galveston College, which I didn’t even know existed VCT was discovered, I must travel there. But since its the lab, this is where I get to play with the cool physics toys and build things. Being a family man and always looking to incorporate my family into my travels, I figure we’d all go to Galveston. So, while my family enjoys the beach, I will spend 12 hours in a classroom playing physics.

To top it off, m wife’s mom knows a lady with a beach house in Bolivar. So, we’ll stay there and make a full weekend out of it. Sound fun???

The biggest downside that I see to this is the amount of discipline that will be required to study the material at home. I mean, I could choose to watch a movie, or read a book, or surf the Internet or practice my blogging in hopes of becoming a pro. But instead, with God’s patience and the fruit of the spirit, (you know the last one, self-control) I will have ability to study.

WOW... what a glorious age in which we live!

Cost of medical equipment

I just came across this blog from a medical student. At least I think its a medical student. Anyway, I couldn’t help but post a reply! Read his words first and then come back and read mine.

http://halfmd.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/the-unnecessary-cost-of-technology/

You couldn't have said it better! I work for a company called MEMdata (www.memdata.com). We have built a business on helping hospitals obtain equipment at competitive prices. We act as an equipment-centric, cost-reduction firm and equipment planner.

From what I've seen, department directors within facilities and many end users (including physicians) want to have the latest and greatest technology. The hospital or imaging facility down the street just got the latest wahoo gizmo and thus we need to do the same in order to compete. And it has to be brand X because the sales rep is really nice. Or the technology is infinitesimally better. Or that's the technology that I'm used to and I will only consider brand X.

And we've heard this too in support of the favored brand: "After all... these are patient lives we're talking about!" So the other brands available, all FDA approved, don’t work? Once the sales rep knows you’re hooked, you will pay a premium! We see it all the time.

Another factor working against you and a competitive price is the non-disclosure of price. Look carefully at your next proposal for that piece of equipment. Most have “Confidential” written all over them, especially in the small print at the bottom.

And we’ve heard this all too often: “This is a special price, just for you, so don’t tell anybody…” What??? Why can’t my buddy down the street get the same great deal? Or wait, he’s telling me that he can’t disclose his price to me either. So who really got the better deal?

Yet, I can walk into Wal-Mart, easily see the price of each piece of equipment and make an educated decision. I can walk into the grocery store and compare the cost of Pepsi and Coke, side by side. I can walk onto any new car lot and the price printed right there. And since I know the starting point, I can work from there to negotiate a fair price.

Not so with equipment. “List” price, as they call it, is very easily subject to change and we’ve seen it quickly fluctuate up and down within the same sales quarter. So you can’t even get a firm grip on the starting point to begin negotiations.

Each price is uniquely cloaked and haggled. No problem in haggling if you know what a good price is.

I find it interesting that I can surf the web and see how much people have contributed to political campaigns in my area by zip code. I can see how much my neighbor’s property is worth. And I can see how much my friend wasted on a BMW. But I can’t share or know the price of a piece of medical equipment until a sales person thinks I’m ready to buy. And even then they have to really believe I’m ready to buy or else I get a bloated price (often referred to as the “budgetary quote”), which I can share with no one.

And now the government wants price transparency in medical procedures (which I favor). But we’re still leaving the prices of the equipment to do the procedure cloaked!

And don’t even get me started on the GPO prices and the inflation they cause. Their kickbacks, I mean admin fees, are based directly on the price. The higher the price, the more they receive from the vendor.

The problem is that most hospitals and practitioners don’t know a good price for a piece of equipment. I know this because we’ve built a company helping clients achieve better prices. On average we identify 18% in savings for our clients. It is a crying shame that a 500-bed hospital can pay a premium more for the exact same piece of equipment than a 25-bed hospital. And vice versa, there are plenty of instances when our 25-bed hospitals pay the premium more than the larger institutions.

And we wonder why healthcare costs are skyrocketing! You are absolutely right! Only in healthcare…

Is Blogging a Sport?

I know of people that are able to do this daily.
How?
I mean, I have enough trouble doing this on a bi-yearly basis, let alone daily! How do they find the time to post a blog, edited and spell-checked on a daily basis? Obviously, they have it prioritized better!
Perhaps blogging is like a sport to them. This is their practice and the field of competition is the Internet. They volley words and ideas, looking for others to debate them or simply cheer them on. The tools of the sport are the keyboard and mouse. The audience reads faithfully.
I think if I were to become an athlete, my sport would be something like this. Blogging. Who knows, with enough practice, I might actually get good enough to go pro?!?!? Too bad there’s not a multi-million contract with a team. I guess first, I need to figure out how to prioritize blogging and get my time management skills honed. Got any suggestions?

Back to School

I’ve been the eternal student. I don’t recommend this path either. But nonetheless, when my wife and I married, I was in school. I wanted to go to medical school. But being in school and being married to someone who already graduated and was thrilled to be out of school is difficult! I almost consider it being unequally yoked. Because of the difficulties, I simply concentrated on getting out of school via the quickest route possible. Especially once we discovered my wife was pregnant with our first child, an awesome daughter.

Time goes on and then about three or four years ago, I finally built up the courage to try school again. Soon thereafter, my wife informed me that she was pregnant. With the idea of a second child, the idea of going back to school faded. Instead, we started the adventure of having a second child: a bouncing baby boy. And he’s great!

Then the bug bit again. I prayed. I even fasted a couple of times about it and came to the conclusion that God was telling me that I could indeed begin walking down that path. But I must seek Him first and not let school become my main focus. That sounded great. Until my wife discovered a great surprise. She was pregnant with our third baby. Despite the pregnancy, I started back at a local junior college, this past fall because the baby was due after the semester. I planned the spring off.

So last fall I took calculus and physics. Two very tough classes. Calculus was full of people who had taken the course multiple times. And not passed. That’s intimidating! The physics class was a tad easier. I finished the semester with less than stellar grades. I earned a C in calculus and a B in Physics.

What a disappointment!

So, this summer, I found the second physics class offered via the Internet and my local junior college. I start in just a few weeks. Right now, I re-learn the first part of physics that I only scored a B in. Let’s see...