Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

Since Germany...

Well... I flew from Germany to Edinburgh, where I spent two great weeks helping to run a Christian cafe for international visitors to the city. I also went to a nice wedding during that time! Upon arriving back home, I was overcome by tiredness and as a result frittered away the best part of two weeks... Motivation for anything (except cooking rather strangely), was hard to find. Bible study and prayer, aka the listening and speaking parts of the relationship, were scanty at best. However purely by God's grace, I managed get a seminar and Bible study together for a Christian holiday for teenagers, the next stop on my hectic life course! One week with a great bunch of people up in the lake district, hearing the basics of Christianity preached clearly and faithfully from God's word, was what I needed... I'd sold myself to Colossians 2:8. Despite perhaps having the head knowledge, during that week my heart was struck afresh as to the complete sovereignty and enormity of God, and the reality and impact of what it meant for Jesus to be God and man here on Earth. I'm now back home again, this time enjoying a relaxing and productive week. I've realised the importance of rest, am praying once more, and really really enjoying getting stuck into the Bible. Had a nice star-gazing session last night (can't do that in Manch), seeing just how huge the universe really is; and by implication, how much greater it's creator must be :-) . Next stop, Blackburn.

I 'll try and put up some of my reflections on the letter to the Colossians as I work through it (it's awesome!).

Thursday, 30 October 2008

In the blink of an eye, half the year's gone by...

Looks like I haven't written a post since July... Thought I better squeeze one in before November arrives - very much has happened in the world of Aaron Poppleton.

After completing my BSc I've now entered the second stage of my medical degree, where I'm studying/working/shadowing in a clinical (hospital) setting. My first attachment has involved being placed in both the Accident and Emergency and Elderly Care departments. I've met many lovely and helpful people and had a plethora of interesting and exciting learning experiences. However this has of course been compounded with some of the hard hitting realities of a world where there can be great pain, suffering and death. Much to think about - especially when combined with an almost life consuming syllabus!!! God has been good to me, in spite of my decreased time reading his word. I know this is to my detriment and am trying to make amends. It's slightly scary to see as to how the study of medicine fully consumes people; I know this is something I am struggling with myself. A battle as to how one prevents a very good thing becoming one's greatest thing (hopefully the beauty pictured beneath will help me in this battle!) - I will indeed endeavour to keep you posted on this! In the meanwhile, I was recently struck by a particular talk on the nature of God. The bible tells us of the trinity where God is made up of three persons in perfect unity, bound by love. I fear no illustration I could give could ever detail this perfectly, but the human relationship between man and wife - two different people united in a permanent relationship by love for one another as one couple - reflects some of the principles! Either way, the perfect Jesus died for people on the cross to take the punishment that humanity deserved for its selfish lack of desire to serve God (sin). This switch of places means that if we choose to follow Jesus, God sees Jesus' clean conscience and not our dirty ones. That means God will direct the same sort of cosmic loving relationship that we see in the trinity on us!!!! Love that is beyond comprehension and experience in this fallen world. We can feel a little experience of this now - but more is indeed to come. Fantastic Hope.

So the aim for the next three years of med school and beyond, is to remember this hope (whilst at Salford's Hope hospital - lol) and to try to be a doctor that lives to work in a manner that praises and glorifies God.


P.s.
Something I'm currently very excited about! Only four days to go!!!!

Review
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Tuesday, 27 May 2008

Exciting Germany find

In my usual crazy manner I decided to visit my friends in Germany a few weeks back - unfortunately it meant cutting my exam leave that bit shorter... On the plus, as well as having a really great time, I discovered a website called purpose driven life. The website has a daily devotional (a little reminder), reminding you of what it means for you to be a Christian in different situations. There's the option to read them on the website or to sign up and receive via email. My only qualm is its seemingly slightly erratic use of bible translations (switches between literal and more colloquial translations - nothing too heretical though!). Overall however, the content seems generally quite good. My thanks go to Johannes Fischer for this one.