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Saturday, 19 December 2009

  • Insight

    A guy at the park where homeless congregate on Saturdays in my city made an interesting point while we were talking to him. He compared all the people who come out occasionally to feed them or pass out clothes or preach to getting high - it lasts for a little bit, but when they're gone, what's left? He also felt like he had really experienced God on different occasions, feeling complete peace or joy, but then like a high he would come out of it and have to face reality again.

    So how do we live in those low times between the highs? What is it that Jesus actually offers that is the answer to this problem? Is there really a peace that passes understanding that we can walk in all the time, no matter the circumstance, instead of just getting a taste of it here and there? Or are those tastes supposed to sustain us in the in-between times?

    The gentleman's dream, his vision, was to see all the churches in the city of every background, denomination, race, etc all come out and have a Jubilee together on the streets, all be one together reaching out to our brothers and sisters who can get so easily isolated. Maybe that could be a true "Jubilee" experience, that freed people like this man from the roller coaster of going from one high to another, not able to handle life with it's mundane struggles and difficult emotions and situations.

    All in all, it was a good morning hanging out and talking to people, but it was really hard. People get so tied up with drug addictions, bad decisions, rough circumstances, and isolation. We need to learn and practice being there for each other to prevent things from getting so bad for each other.

Tuesday, 03 November 2009

  • A Quick Summary of Why I'm getting the H1N1 vaccine, and you should too (if you can)

    1. I have contact with people who are susceptible to serious complications from the H1N1 flu (pregnant women, healthy young people up to age 24, people with other medical conditions), and I am a healthy young person under 24, so I guess I fit into that category myself.

    2. From everything I can find from reliable sources (those that back up their arguments with actual studies, reports, or scientific data), the process for certifying the safety of the H1N1 vaccine has been identical to the process followed for previous flu vaccines except that the CDC and FDA have created extra oversight committees to check for unforseen adverse effects and monitor for the possibility of guillan-barre syndrome, since a 1976 swine flu vaccine might have caused GBS in 1 patient per 1,000,000. Also, the vaccine companies ran a few extra safety trials for adults, children, and pregnant women above what was required by the FDA for annual influenza vaccinations.
    The way the testing works (from everything I could find) is that the vaccine companies have to prove efficacy and safety for an initial formulation. After that, they only need minimal studies for the new strains (as it only changes a very small amount of the vaccine, as hard as that is to believe)

    3. A lot of people are worried about the side effects of the vaccine, and talking about how the CDC has even come out and said there might be a risk of Guillain Barre syndrome from this one, and they even pay for medical costs in some cases after vaccines. However, they estimate the risk is at most 1/1,000,000, and:
    "Influenza viruses are infrequent triggering agents of GBS but may play a significant role during major influenza outbreaks"
    Sivadon-Tardy, Valerie et al. "Guillain‐Barré Syndrome and Influenza Virus Infection." Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2009;48:48–56
    Meaning that in major flu outbreaks (like this one), you probably have a much higher risk of GBS from getting the flu than from getting the vaccine.
    The same goes for convulsions and some of the other concerning side effects.

    So, get the vaccine. And spread the word. If someone tells you the vaccine isn't safe, ask them for their sources.

Sunday, 18 October 2009

Saturday, 26 September 2009

  • moments

    Sometimes, life seems like a series of completely perfect moments. If you've ever seen the movie Elizabethtown, it's those moments that would make Kirsten Duntz's character stop and take a picture with her hands. As I tucked my husband into bed and listened to him snore after he had fallen asleep on his homework, I was overwhelmed by joy and happiness in the sheer perfection of that instant. What is it about admiration, beauty, friendship, and hormones that somehow combine to form this thing we call romantic love, and how does it do such powerful things to me? Maybe it was actually a glimpse of heaven deep in my soul. Whatever it was, it's something to tuck away safely and bring out in those in-between times when these moments seem like nothing more than my imagination.

Friday, 25 September 2009

GodsGirl62

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    • Name: Ruth
    • Member Since: 4/23/2004

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About Me

  • I'm married to a wonderful, caring Christian husband. I'm a physician assistant student in Texas that loves to read about what people think and discuss issues current and timeless. I enjoy reading fantasy novels, crocheting, and cooking.

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Pulse

  • Met a family member of two of my patients from the ER who died. Can't sleep now. It's weird, but part of me doesn't want to let go of it
  • I'm watching a PBS special on stem cells that showed Rush Limbaugh making fun of Michael J Fox for his Parkinsons. Wow. Nuts.
  • Part of me knows I should go to bed. Part of me knows that I'll still feel grouchy in the morning even with 9 hours of sleep.