There are times when I feel like traditional processes are impediments to productivity and good outcomes.

For example, Dr. Stephane Huberty of Belgium uses himself as a guinea pig for a cure for myasthenia gravis, an auto-immune disorder, because of a lack of funding for clinical trials.

Dr. James Howard calls Dr. Huberty’s self-injection “insane.”

“I’m not saying the vaccine doesn’t work, but testing like that, well, that’s not proper science.” The lower nanomole/liter measure could be due to other factors, or the placebo effect, Dr. Howard says.

Sometimes, you just have to say, “To hell with ‘good science’–I’ve got @#$% to accomplish.”

(via the Wall Street Journal)

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “

After doing research about the future supply and demand of physician services, I’ve come to this conclusion:

The rationing of care in the United States will be inevitable if the demand for physician services exceeds supply.  Those decisions may be made by the government and/or private entities (e.g. physician practices, hospital systems).  SOMEONE will be denied care in favor of providing care for someone else.  The criterion on how those decisions will be made, I do not know.

Now that right there is just funny.

If you havin’ Church problems then don’t blame God, son …
I got ninety-five theses but the Pope ain’t one.

VERSE 1

Listen up, all my people, it’s a story for the telling
’bout the sin and injustice and corruption I been smelling:
I met that homie Tetzel, then I started rebelling
Once I seen the fat Indulgences that he been selling.
Now the Cath’lics of the world straight up disgracin’ me
Just because I waved my finger at the papacy.
My people got riled up over this Reformation …
That’s when Leo threatened me with Excommunication.
I warned y’all that Rome best agree to the terms.
If not, then you can eat my Diet of Worms!
You think you gone and done something spectacular?
I wrote the Bible in the vernacular!
A heretic! [What?] Someone throw me a bone.
You forgot salvation comes through faith alone.
I’m on a mission from God. You think I do this for fun?
I got ninety-five theses but the Pope ain’t one.
Save me!

CHORUS

Ninety-five theses but the Pope ain’t one.
If you havin’ Church problems then don’t blame God, son …
I got ninety-five theses but the Pope ain’t one.

VERSE 2

One Five One Seven… that’s when it first went down.
Then the real test was when it started spreading around.
Sixty days to recant what I said? Father, please!
You’ve had, what? Goin’ on fifteen centuries?
“Oh snap, he’s messin’ with the holy communion.”
But I ain’t never dissed your precious hypostatic union!
“One place at one time.” Well, thank you Zwingli.
Yeah, way to disregard that whole “I’m God” thingy!
Getting’ all up in my rosary … you little punk.
Your momma shoulda told you not to mess with no monk.
What you bumpin’ me for? Suddenly you sore.
Keep that up, you’ll have yourself another Peasant’s War.
You blame common folk for the smack they talkin’ …
You ain’t even taught them proper Christian doctrine.
With my hat, my Bible, and my sexy little nun,
I got ninety-five theses but the Pope ain’t one.
Save me!

CHORUS

VERSE 3

When I wrote the ninety-five, haters straight up assailed ‘em.
Now they only care whether or not I nailed ‘em or mailed ‘em.
They got psychoanalytic. Now everyone’s a critic,
And getting on my case just because I’m anti-Semitic.
I’ve come back from obscurity to teach y’all a lesson,
Cuz someone here still ain’t read their Augsburg Confession.
I said Catholicism brings a life of excess,
And we all remember what went down with Philip of Hesse!
But you forgot about me and my religious demonstration?
Like you can just create your own denomination?
“We don’t like this part, so we’ll just add a little twist.”
Now we Anglican, Amish, and even Calvinist.
I gave you the power, you gone and abused it.
I gave you God’s truth, you just confused it.
Don’t you never underestimate the s*** that I done …
I got 95 theses but the Pope ain’t one.
Save me!

CHORUS

Shout out to Johann Gutenberg … I see you baby.

I’m starting to wonder if I really believe that God is capable of changing people’s hearts.

Actually, I don’t need to wonder because I already know the answer–I definitely don’t believe that.

Christ loves me as I am (though He is continually sanctifying me as time goes on), so it would be reasonable to believe that His followers would do the same.  So why is it I’m still so terrified of them?

We interrupt your regular programming to congratulate Josh Wagner for getting the free copy of The Medicine by John Mark McMillan.

Thanks, Josh, for being cool and reading the blog!

Now to return to your regular programming.

Going dancing in Uptown Charlotte is always an adventure for me–mainly because I do it so infrequently.

I had one of those adventures last night.

It was me and one girlfriend. She was under 21, so I figured I might try to pass her off as being my DD in order to get her in to the club with me if necessary.

The first place we tried to go to was Suite in the Epicenter. They turned us away despite me telling the bouncer she was my DD.

Actually, there were two “bouncers.” The first one was a lot nicer than the second one–and a lot cuter. I think the second one was overcompensating for being short.

Or something.

Anyway, the second place we hit up was the Breakfast Club, an 80s club a few blocks away. They were much cooler about letting her in.

What I liked about the Breakfast Club wasn’t the music the played, but it was because 1) no one cared how they looked and 2) they didn’t have the most attractive crowd there.

You’re probably reading the second point and thinking, “Wait. What?”

There weren’t a lot of good-looking guys there. That means I don’t worry about how I look and what those would-be good-looking guys think of me. That means I got to focus on just having fun.

Yup.

Will I be hitting up Suite in the future? Sure. I’ll probably be at the Breakfast Club a couple more times before I do go, though. It’s like my training wheels for going clubbing.

The veggiemite’s natural predator…is me.

Who cares about religious activity if you don’t get Jesus!?

- Matt Chandler on 1 Cor 1-4

“It’s about faith, about being held, about being forgiven. It’s about finding joy and finding home. We all want that, but nobody wants religion. Why do people turn away from faith? They’re not, they’re turning away from religion most of the time. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t want to be forgiven or held or find peace or joy in their life. We try loads of other stuff—we think booze or foxy women or whatever will fill it—but it doesn’t fill the hole.”

- Bear Grylls

(I’m still giving away a copy of The Medicine by John Mark McMillan!  Check this post for details!)

So yeah, I’ve been pretty excited about the re-release of John Mark McMillan‘s The Medicine for the past several weeks now.

I like John Mark’s music not because he’s a good Christian songwriter, but because he’s just an amazing songwriter, period (who happens to be Christian).  His songs ooze of quality and I’m not ashamed to blast them out my windows while driving down I-85 in the evenings.

I had already ordered his album via his website, but in an effort to help his album reach the top ten in the iTunes album charts, I decided to purchase an extra copy on there and give it away to someone.

I’m aware that I’m not a super-popular blogger like Jon Acuff or Anne Jackson, but I needed an avenue by which to give away a copy of The Medicine, so this is it.  Plus, I already wrote a thank-you note on the gift certificate that mentioned the blog on it, so it would be kinda tacky if I just went and did it via Facebook, ya know?

So if you want a copy of The Medicine, leave a comment below about the last time a song or album impacted your life.  If you can’t think of the last time that happened, just leave a comment about your favorite song or album, period.  I’ll pick a winner on Monday, July 12th.

During the whole time I was debating whether or not I wanted to keep seeing that guy, the Holy Spirit really tore me up and convicted me over the issue.

When asked about why Jesus was such a big deal in all this, the Holy Spirit gave me the words to say.

Thank you, God, for being with us always.