This Week: Back to Subspecialty Surgery & Other Random Things...

My first (and hopefully last) cast

This past week I finished up with anesthesia and returned to ENT. For the last half of the clerkship I am on the Riley Children's Hospital/Otology service. So far I've seen how to care for adults and children with hearing loss both acquired and congenital - in addition to ear infections, tonsillitis, vertigo, and other "bread and butter" ENT related things. It's not anesthesia hours, but I am still really enjoying learning from my residents and attendings.

Friday I sat in on a surgery in which they were reconstructing a 10 year-old's ear canal with the hopes of helping her hear better after subsequent surgeries and prosthesis. This was the longest surgery I have been in thus far - basically my whole morning- which really isn't that long compared to like a GI service, but it was a good way to practice going longer than two hours without food...

Throughout my subspecialty month we have had 6:30AM lectures 2-3 times per week (Yes...What?!) on the different surgery subspecialties. Most have been pretty interesting but I think know it would be a little better if they were later in the day...(jus sayin'...) And it probably wouldn't be so bad if I was allowing myself to drink coffee. Anyway, this week we got to learn how to cast in orthopaedics clinic. That was pretty cool :-)

Last Monday, I had another OB appointment and got to see the how Baby J is growing. He or she looks great! The ultrasound tech said even if we had wanted to find out the sex of the baby, we would not have been able to, because for the majority of the time he or she was sitting crossed legged and hiding all the goods. We did get some funny shots of the little kiddo laying back kicking their feet up (see below). That was pretty cute :-D

Straight reclining in the womb...Can you see that cute little leg?!

Today, I woke up really feeling like I need to renew my mind and rekindle my fire for Christ. Honestly, I have had this tugging at my spirit for a while, but yesterday was one of those "knock-you-on-your-feet" type days and all I could do was be quiet for a while and think. There are quite a few things weighing on my heart over the past few months and I really feel like part of my restlessness is because I haven't been still enough to hear what God is saying to me... I'm listening now, Lord. Really...

Despite a not-so-good day yesterday, God is still so good to us and I have so much to be thankful for. I hope you all are having a great weekend. Happy Sunday!

Post-Church Breakfast



Music Monday

A little old school...shout out to my Grammy :-)

Music Monday: Back to the Grind!

Back to school today and one step closer!

 

More.

Something in my spirit keeps telling me that I need to go to a new level.

I need to stretch.

I need to be more of an example.

I need to bear more fruit of the Spirit.

I need to continuously exercise my faith.

I need to be more kingdom and eternity-minded.

I need to actually get involved in my church.

I need to stop depending on my feelings and more on what God says.

I need to look outward to help others instead of always looking at how I can help myself.

I need to REALLY get into a habit of dwelling in the Word and not falling out of it.

I need more of You, Lord.

Music Monday

We watch and we wait Lord we anticipate...
the moment, you choose to appear.

We worship we praise until there's no debate,
and we recognize you're already here.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hal-le-lu-jah
Hallelujah... you're already here.
Hallelujah...You're already here.
Oh God.

We watch and we wait Lord we anticipate...
the moment, You choose to appear.

We worship we praise until there's no debate,
and we recognize You're already here.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hal-le-lu-jah
Hallelujah... You're already here.
Hallelujah...You're already here.
Oh God.

Hallelujah... Hallelujah

You're here

The balm for my wounded soul
You're here,
God, because You choose to make us whole.

Music Monday

I am believing God for favor in everything that my family and I touch, and of course, for a successful school year. Faith in action is praising him in advance, so that's what I am going to do...

Happy Monday!



I've had my share of ups and downs,
Times when there was no one around,
God came and spoke these words to me,
Praise will confuse the enemy.

I've had my share of ups and downs,
Times when there was no one around,
God came and spoke these words to me,
Praise will confuse the enemy.

I started singing,
I started clapping,
I started dancing,
People were laughing,
They knew my problems,
They knew my pain,
But I knew God would take them away.

I've had my share of ups and downs,
Times when there was no one around,
God came and spoke these words to me,
Praise will confuse the enemy.

I started singing,
I started clapping,
I started dancing,
People were laughing,
They knew my problems,
They knew my pain,
But I knew God would take them away.

That's why I praise him with my hands,
That's why I praise him with a dance,
He's given me a second chance,
Come on let's praise him in advance.

That's why I praise him with a song,
When things are right and when they're wrong,
He's given me a second chance,
Come on let's praise Him in advance

Praise Him, Praise Him
Praise Him, Praise Him
Praise Him, Praise Him
Praise Him in advance

Praise Him, Praise Him
Praise Him, Praise Him
For my life, (I will) Praise Him
Praise Him in advance

Praise Him, Praise Him
Praise Him, Praise Him
When I'm broke, (I will) Praise Him
Praise Him in advance...

Gotta Have Patience...

Pastor Ramsey is still talking about the mechanics of faith. Tonight he talked about how along with faith, we need to have patience. A lot of it resonated with me so, of course, I want to share:

"Patience is the Partner of Faith" Hebrews 4:14

• The faith process always involves a FAITH FIGHT. This means that at some point what you are believing God for is going to be challenged by your circumstances.

• Sometimes when what you are believing for doesn't seem to work out on your clock, you start to re-interpret the plan of God and say things like "Maybe this just isn't God's will..." or we may try to go around God to get to what we want; this is not faith in action...

• Our words frame the world we live in. For that reason, we need to practice "mouth management". Not everything we think or feel needs to be tweeted, on Facebook, said etc. , because what comes out of our mouth either releases the assistance of angels or demons.

• Our confession should be based only on the Word, because God doesn't do what we say, but He has to do what He says.

• I need to make sure that what I am talking about is what I want to be seeing - our words create images.

• Hebrews 12:6 "follow folks with faith AND patience". This means that I need: 1. faith 2. patience 3. faith mentors - you have to surround yourself with the right people

• Hebrews 6:12 do not become sluggish or lazy while waiting for His promises. "Pray like it depends on God but work like it depends on you."***

• When we try and give birth to what we are believing for prematurely, that's not God's will...ex: if we are believing for a marriage and that is what God has for you, you cannot try and give birth to that vision too soon. The end result will be that you have a premature relationship. Then you have to give it oxygen and everything else just to make it survive... (I thought this was a GREAT analogy)

• Your faith will stop the devil from being able to consume you in that certain situation. So you have to keep your faith!

• He closed by saying if you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven still mad at God about something He hadn't yet done for you? This is a sign that you are deceived into thinking that happiness is a location. Why can't you declare the goodness of the Lord in your situation? If you cannot rejoice in God for what He's done today, then you obviously don't have enough faith to get what you want tomorrow... "I got bills, but guess what? I can pay them!"

• When you keep your attitude satisfied, it makes you even more appreciate when what you are believing for comes to pass.

Have a great rest of the week everyone! This definitely filled me up and challenges me to put some more of my faith in action...

xoxo

Music Monday

This is another favorite of mine:



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I climbed up to the highest mountain
I looked all around, couldn't find nobody
Went down into the deepest valley
Looked all around down there, couldn't find nobody
I went across the deep blue sea
Couldn't find one to compare... to your grace, your love, your mercy
Nobody greater... nobody greater than you

Searched all over... couldn't find nobody
I looked high and low... still couldn't find nobody
Nobody greater... nobody greater no... nobody greater than you

Nobody can heal... like you can
Oh most holy one you are the Great I Am
Awesome in all your ways and mighty is your hand
You are He who carried out redemption's plan
You are He who carried out redemption's plan

Searched all over... couldn't find nobody
I looked high and low... still couldn't find nobody
Nobody greater... nobody greater... nobody greater than you

Nobody greater... nobody greater... nobody greater than you...

Music Monday

There are so many great versions of this song (like CeCe Winans), but I discovered this a few weeks ago via a friend's Facebook post and now it's on my list :-)

O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The works Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;

When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze;

Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul,
My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

What Are You Interested In?

Pastor Cedric was talking on Sunday about how we devote our time and energies to our true interests. This is either something we feel we will benefit from or where we have placed value. With this is mind, if we are going to move the mountains in our lives - an authority that we have been given from God (Mark 11:22) - we need to develop a genuine curiosity, desire, and concentrated focus on what God says. And in order to know what God says, we need to go to His word. This will then ensure that we have faith and not doubt. We must "make a decision about some things" and not go back, because an unstable mind will not be able to test the reliability of God's Word.

These things are:
1. That the Word of God is the truth.
2. That the Word of God is a "Yes" for me and my life.
3. That God has the ability from heaven to influence my life on Earth.
4. That the Word of God works EVERY TIME.

I have been telling myself that I want to read my Bible everyday beyond the devotionals sent to my email inbox, so I finally signed up for some reading plans through YouVersion.

This concept of interests/attention can be applied to our relationships with people too. Are you present in the moments of your life when it is important? Do the people close to you feel like you care about them and value your time that you spend with them?

Kerry Shook is talking about this in his series. He said that the miracle is in the mundane moments of life. Like when you are at home, so we need to BE ALL THERE. We spend so much time impressing people who won't matter when it's all said and done, and we need to build up those relationships that do matter.

Hebrews 13:5 is an example of God's love for us and how love should be:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

So what types of things are you interested in? Does this line up with what you find yourself spending the most time on?

Music Monday

So every time I hear this song, it is so on point. Thank God for blocking those things we know about and the things we don't.

Have a great day!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were dangers awaiting me
Destruction was sure to be
But thank God for Angels
That were shielding and protecting
And looking out for me
Thank You lord

The Devil had a plan to kill me, I know
But God intercepted his plan
And told the devil, no
God blocked it
He wouldn't let it be so
No He wouldn't let it be so

Haven't lived a perfect life
Seems I've done wrong more than I've done right
But thank God for compassion and forgiveness
That kept me from a terrible plight

You see, my life was spinning out of control
The fact that I'm still a live today
Ain't nothing, nothing but a miracle

God blocked it
He wouldn't let it be so
No, He wouldn't let it be so

For I've got work to do
work to do

God wouldn't let me die
Because He knew I had work to do

Oh yes

And I've got life to live
There are blessings
He want's to give
God blocked it,
He wouldn't let it be so
No, He wouldn't let it be so

God blocked it
He wouldn't let it be so

It was the lord
Nobody but Jesus

Romans 8:28

I have always confessed Philipians 4:13 because of my mother. On the way to school she would have us say affirmations about how we were "leaders and not followers", "the head and not the tail", "more than conquerers", and that we "could do all things, through Christ, who strengthened us". But today I also confess Romans 8:28 which says:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[i] have been called according to his purpose.

I think that I am definitely living that one.

Pastor Ramsey said a few Sundays ago that people will try and judge you and where you are today, or say that you don't understand their struggle - when, in fact, they do not know your whole story and how God made a way. He said that this person was "walking in on the movie while the credits were rolling...." LOL! I don't feel like anyone is judging me or anything, but I do feel like I brought my readers in during the middle of the movie, so this is an attempt to catch everyone up :-)


I have so many things to be thankful for, but I never want to forget how far God has brought me because it makes me appreciate the present so much more. This blog is intended to help those who find themselves in less-than-ideal circumstances, and show them that if you trust in God, He will make something BEAUTIFUL even out of the messiness that we create in our own lives, so I wanted to share my testimony with the hopes that one day it could help someone else.
----------

June 2008. It was the summer before my senior year of college at the University of Michigan and I was 20 years old. I was also late. My period had never been late, and I had consistently taken my birth control (for cramps, of course) for four years. So what was wrong? My “boyfriend” at the time was one of my most serious relationships, but by no means were we stable. I decided to buy a pregnancy test – not because I thought I was pregnant, but so I could narrow things down to a more probable diagnosis. I called my partner, Nate, and told him that I would take it and get it over with because I wasn’t pregnant, so it was no big deal.

60 seconds later, my legs gave out beneath me when my eyes saw a very positive reading. I cried in disbelief on the floor. This could not happen to me. I was the medical school bound, over-achieving, God-fearing, and constantly planning daughter of Dr. & Mrs. Ransone. When Nate got home, we really did not know what to say or do. When we tried to talk about it, the conversation was short and ended with me saying, “I cannot be a doctor and have a baby. I can’t.” The next day I made an appointment for us to go to Planned Parenthood to talk about my options.

I could tell Nate wanted the baby from day one. Although he had just graduated from college, he was willing to change his plans. I was not. I was always taught “Career. Marriage. Baby,” in that order. I had neither career nor marriage. I didn’t even have a degree and barely a boyfriend. My mom and I were very close, so I told her right away about the pregnancy, but our relationship took a dramatic turn. I really had nowhere to turn. So I prayed. I had been going and going along in life convincing myself that God was always there, but never calling on Him and never truly reaching my potential. Now that I had been knocked on my feet, I wished I had been talking to Him all along.

Planned Parenthood didn’t really help. They gave me a lot of information on abortion services, somewhat counseled me on what having the baby would mean for my life, and said very little I remember about adoption. I still did not know what to do. I just kept thinking about how convinced I was that I could not have a baby and go to medical school, but how devastated I would be if I didn’t have this baby, and then got to medical school and saw a woman living the very thing I thought was impossible.

I had a number of leadership positions on campus, and now that I was pregnant, my shame convinced me that I would no longer be able to serve in a visible capacity – because a pregnant peer advisor, vice president, or organization member would not be a good image. I met with my boss and tearfully told her the news. And that very moment is when God stepped in. She told me that my decision to resign would be totally up to me. That they did not want to see me go, and I would not be their first peer advisor with a child. In fact, a few years ago one of their peer advisors had a baby as a sophomore, and she was now going into her third year of medical school. I arranged to have breakfast with that same girl that week and that is when I knew I could do it! I still get tearful thinking about it now. Within weeks of making a decision to keep my baby, God aligned me with someone who was living the life I deemed impossible, and succeeding! With God, ALL things are possible.

The other campus organizations I was involved in received the news with the same compassion and love as my job. Throughout my pregnancy, my friends were my angels by keeping my spirits lifted, being there to listen, and helping with anything that I needed. I did not tell anyone else about my pregnancy that wasn’t close to me for about the first five months.

Nate proposed that September, and the rest of the semester I was focused on doing well in school and getting into medical school. My pregnancy was what most doctors would call “textbook” free of complications and my senior year grades ended up being one of my best years academically in college. On January 28th I was induced – because I had two medical school interviews lined up for February – and on January 29th I gave birth to Nathan after pushing for 5 minutes. This is another testament to the greatness of my God. After the baby came, I moved in with my fiancé (40 minutes from campus), went to my two interviews, and was back in school after four weeks. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, but I did not want this to stop me from graduating on time. Once again, the favor of God was on me because my professors were all willing to allow me to do work from home while on maternity leave. When I got back to school, I wasn’t behind, and it was as if I never left.

In May 2009 I graduated. Although I had received 14 rejections and was placed on one waitlist for medical school, I was still further than anyone thought I would go a year before. May was a hard month because after the excitement died down from graduation, I realized that my contingency plan if I didn’t get into medical school did not exist. In their rejection letter, Indiana University recommended me for a graduate program to prepare me for medical school the next year that started two weeks after the date on the letter. Although rushed, I packed up the baby and we moved to Indianapolis – my fiancé was unable to leave his job and had to stay in Michigan.

That school year, I realized that I had not been ready for medical school. If I had been accepted that year, I would not have been able to properly adjust to the workload because I had no idea how much work medical school really was going to be. Someone said, “Rejection is God’s protection.” God was definitely protecting me from something I was not yet ready for. As time went on, I grew in my faith in God and my confidence and I completed the school year alone with my son in Indianapolis not only more prepared for medical school, but also more prepared to be the woman I was born to be. In April of 2010, Nate and I got married. In May, I completed the year with two medical school acceptances. It is such an amazing feeling when you know that God is on your side, when you know that ALL situations can work out for good, all you have to do is trust and obey Him.

Last fall I entered Indiana University School of Medicine with a four-year full tuition scholarship. And now my first year is almost over, my grades have been VERY good, and I am balancing my family and school life better than I ever imagined I would be able to. I know that it was nothing but God and His constant mercy and favor that got me where I am today. I could not have done it myself and when I look back and wonder how I got through certain things, I know that God was my strength. I know I did nothing to deserve it, but I also know that if He can do it for me, He can do it for you. Please be encouraged and stand on the promises of our Father, because if you can take the first step in faith, He will do the rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because of my own experience, I really have a desire to help young women who may find themselves in a similar place that I was in that life-changing summer. The other day my mom ran into a girl I knew (much younger) that had recently had a baby. Since then, I have been thinking about her every day. This was the end of my devotional yesterday morning - it was talking about Simon's unexpected call to help Jesus carry His cross on the way to Calvary:

"Never discount your ability to impact your family [or friends] with the message of the cross.

The message can break generational curses. It can reconcile broken family relationships. The cross may serve as the bridge you need to close the chasm that has existed in your family for decades. The cross means many things to many people, but there is one word that sums up its message: transformation. Think about how the cross has transformed your life. I challenge you to share that story with someone you’ve never shared it with. In taking up your cross, don’t ever forget about his." (John C. Richards, Jr.)

So, this is my story, and as you can see, I have been transformed.

He Wants It All...

I am trying to make sure I spend time with God everyday and not just on Sunday - usually in the morning before the craziness of the school day. There are certain songs that I can hear and it immediately sets the tone/environment for some good QT with God. I keep hearing this song on the radio "He Wants It All" that I absolutely love and I did a little research. It's about God walking through the world and calling His children to serve Him. All He wants is for us to let go of our personal motives and give Him our all... It hits close to home because I spent a lot of time this summer figuring out how to use my life as a sacrifice for God. You spend all this time stressing about what that means for you to give your all to God and what you may have to give up, but when you finally let go of doing things your way, the blessings begin to pour out and you realize that you didn't "lose" anything. In fact, it was the best decision you could have made.

The group is called Forever Jones and their story/testimony is amazing. Can't wait for their CD to come out :-D

There's a voice that cries out in the silence,
searching for heart that will love him,
longing for child that will give him their all,
give it all, he wants it all

And there's a God that walks over the earth,
he's searching for heart that is desperate,
And longing for child that will give him their all,
give it all, he wants it all

And he says, love me, love me with your whole heart
he wants it all today
serve me, serve me with your life now
he wants it all today
bow down, let go of your idols
he wants it all today (x3)
He wants it all

There's a God that walks over the earth,
he's searching for heart that is desperate,
longing for child that will give him their all,
give it all, he wants it all

And he says, love me, love me with your whole heart
he wants it all today
serve me, serve me with you life now
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
he wants it all today
bow down, let go of your idols
he wants it all today (x3)
He wants it

Oh oh oh, all of you, more of you
wants it all today oh oh oh
Today, today

he wants it all today, he wants is all today
so give it all

There's a voice that cries out in the silence,
searching for heart that will love him,
longing for child that will give him their all,
give it all

He wants it all...