Southland Burning

This afternoon I drove home to Loma Linda with a classmate after surfing at Huntington Beach. We happened to drive into the thick of what is now being called the Freeway Complex Fire. At one point, with thick smoke on one side of the freeway and large flames on the other we could feel the intense heat coming through the car windows. My car now smells like a campfire. Pray for the firefighters and those who have lost their homes.

I snapped these photos on the freeway with my iPhone.

...and you're sittin' on top of the world.

On Saturday I checked off one of the goals I set for myself when I moved to Southern California to go to medical school. The goal was to try surfing and when I finally got around to it I was not disappointed with the experience. I headed down early in the morning with two of my classmates, one with some surfing experience and the other a first-timer like me. We went to Huntington Beach, put on our wetsuits and walked down to the ocean's roar. The biggest obstacle for me was overcoming my fear of the ocean. I'm not the strongest swimmer and growing up my grandparents, who lived on the Washington coast, constantly hammered the dangers of the ocean into me. I know that their words were wise ones but they didn't exactly help me to paddle out into the surf my first few couple of times. I slowly became more comfortable though with being thrashed around by waves and then getting back on my surfboard after a little time spent out at sea. The conditions were pretty choppy on Saturday but I was still able to ride a couple of good waves on my belly. The one time I tried to get up I ended up driving the nose of my board down into the water and then going head first over my board. Overall it was a great experience though and I plan on trying to make a habit of it and becoming somewhat decent. 

The two classmates I went with both catching a wave.

Nude Hippies

... or the hike to Deep Creek Hot Springs.

So last night, after our Christian Medical and Dental Association meeting, some of my housemates and I decided to go for a hike on Saturday. We took out the trail book I had recently purchased and located a nearby hike that looked interesting. The hike was to Deep Creek Hot Springs outside of Hesperia, California. The drive up was interesting and involved a good amount of time on dirt roads. The first thing that made this hike interesting was that the trailhead was on private property. We arrived at the "ranch" payed a fee to park and got a free trail map. The weather was perfect for a hike to hot springs, being sunny but also breezy and cool. As we began the hike through the desert populated with agaves, ephedra and ocotillo, I began to think about some of my preconceived notions about the kind of people who hang-out at hot springs. The only other hot spring I had ever been were on the Owyhee River outside of Ontario, Oregon. At that time it had just been my family so I don't really know how I had come of formulate these preconceived notions short of reading about Esalen in Big Sur, Calif. So I had to laugh when we came into view of the springs and what is the first thing that I see? A big naked hippie. 

The springs were actually very nice and are located right next to Deep Creek which is a sizable stream for the middle of a desert. When we got to the springs we were lucky to find that the top pool, above the few other people there, was free so three of us jumped in. The water was about the same temperature as your average hot tub and only smelled very faintly of sulfur. To make the conformity with my preconceptions complete, we smelled the scent of a certain herb being smoked down below as we enjoyed our time in the pool. Overall it was a very interesting hike and I was not disappointed by the hot spring. Here are some nudity-free pictures for your enjoyment:

Deep Creek, near the hot springs.

This is the top pool we found and hung out at for a while.

Jenks Lake to Dollar Lake Saddle

Today I enjoyed a beautiful hike in the San Gorgonio Mountains. I went with a friend from Christ's Church, Frank, who has hiked the area extensively and suggested this trail. We had planned on a short eight mile hike but the day was so beautiful that eight turned into sixteen, eight in, eight out. We gained about 3500 feet of elevation and ended up at just about 10,000 feet at the Dollar Lake Saddle about five miles from the summit of San Gorgonio. After today's hike I am even more determined to summit San Gorgonio as soon as possible. As I hiked I ran through the list of pharmaceuticals I'm about to be tested on but I also enjoyed conversation concerning our faith with a fellow Anglican and brother in Christ. The scenery was much more beautiful on today's hike compared to last week's summit of Old Baldy. Here are some of the pictures:

Looking up at the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio, highest point in Southern California.

That's me at the saddle looking to the southwest. Behind me, in the haze, is the Inland Empire, where I go to school and where I'm currently writing this blog.

Frank and I at the saddle.

Old Baldy - Mt. San Antonio

Today I climbed Mt. San Antonio, the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains. At 10,064 feet it is also the highest point in Los Angeles County. I was lucky enough to find a classmate to take a break from studying and climb with me. It was an easy climb with a few steep areas and a round trip of about ten miles. Jon brought his Bible up so we took a break at one point and took turns reading out loud some of our favorite Psalms. We ended up reading the 1st, 23rd, 51st, 104th and 139th Psalms. As usual it was wonderful to be reminded of God's goodness and majesty in the beauty of the mountains. Here are some pictures from the hike:

Summit of Mt. San Antonio, looking West.

Imagining Christ

On Sunday, after attending church, I went on a tour of some interesting parts of L.A. with some classmates who know the area well. The highlight of the day was certainly the Getty Center, a museum on a hill in Los Angeles. After a tram-ride from the parking structure to the museum, I was first struck by the architecture. I am not usually a fan of modern architecture but the Getty provided a definite exception. I was also struck by the views of the Los Angeles area. From the Getty you can see the mountains to the East, the Pacific with Catalina Island to the West, and the expanse of L.A. with various landmarks such as downtown and the UCLA campus in between. When we arrive we were greeted by a sign advertising an exhibit called "Imagining Christ." I was at first skeptical, thinking that it would be some kind of heretical new-age thing but this exhibit ended up being the most interesting part of the Getty experience for me. The exhibit consists of art picturing Christ from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The majority of the pieces were amazingly detailed illuminated manuscripts. As I looked in awe at these pieces I imagined the monk in the monastery, painstakingly tracing calligraphy and pictures with perfection. I was thankful to these monks who believed in the truth of the stories these manuscripts told and who contributed to the riches of what is Western Civilization. 

I was most impressed with an illuminated manuscript of Augustine's City of God depicting the Trinity. I believe it was created around 1400. I expected the language to be Latin but according to the display, it was written in French.

A page from Augustine's City of God depicting the Trinity.

We stayed at the Getty until closing time, wandered around third street in Santa Monica and then got dinner in Hollywood before heading back to Loma Linda. It was a great day and it was good to finally see some of what L.A. has to offer.

Joshua Tree

Well, it's been a while. I'm finished with all my exams which means I'm basically finished with my first year of medical school. I am very thankful to God for the multitude of ways that He has provided through this year. For the next three weeks I'm up in the hospital shadowing doctors and then off to Texas for my army training. On Saturday I went to Joshua Tree National Park with two friends from the medical school. Joshua Tree is a beautiful and unique place and hopefully I will return there someday for a camping trip. Here are some photos from the adventure for your enjoyment:

A Joshua Tree - Yucca brevifolia.

Some great rock climbing.

A plain of Joshua trees.

A random lizard.

Aaron, Jon and I on a rock we climbed.

San Gorgonio Mountains - Momyer Creek

On Saturday, after a week of midterm exams, I felt the need to get away so I headed east to the snow-capped San Gorgonio Mountains and found a hiking trail, Momyer Creek, east of Forrest Falls, California. It was a beautiful day and the hike was very enjoyable. I had my best hiking companion with me, my Bible, and I was able to read and pray some Psalms in the solitude of the mountain. Here are some pictures I took with my new digital camera:

This shot shows some of the common flora, an Opuntia cactus and in the background the dry flowering head of an Agave.

I don't know what I'd do with out the time-delay option. It is always interesting trying to find something to balance my camera on in the wilderness though.

Looking back down at the valley of Mill Creek. The hike starts at the valley floor.

The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys. - Psalm 104:18

Palm Springs

On Martin Luther King Jr. day I decided to get out of town to study. I ended up in Palm Springs with four of my classmates. We spent the morning at a coffee shop and the rest of the day at an Italian restaurant. I got some good hours of studying in . . . I can now tell you about all of the many layers of your retina and cornea, among other things. As we were preparing to leave I noticed a beautiful shot of the moon, some clouds and two palm trees. Thankfully, I had my new digital camera my parents gave me for Christmas. I figured this picture was as good of a reason as any to start blogging again. I don't promise I'll be writing anything worth your time but expect a post now and again if you do choose to stop back by.

More Asburians in L.A. . . . Well, actually Pasadena

I got to start my Thanksgiving break by hanging out with a good friend from Asbury, Anna and one of her friends, Allison, who is also in medical school in Texas. Anna is thinking of doing Ph.D. work at Fuller and was visiting there with Joel Green who used to be at Asbury. It was a lot of fun to see Pasadena and just to hang out and catch up.

Asburians in L.A.

Today I unfortunately did not get to worship with my brothers and sisters at Christ’s Church - Anglican, but I did get to go to Korea-town in L.A. and worshiped at the church of one of my classmates. It was a Korean Methodist Church that we went to and I had the great pleasure of meeting an Asbury Seminary graduate, Pastor Park. We chatted for a while and I found that he had gone to Asbury in the nineties and had lived in Larabee. He seemed also to have had a wonderful experience at Asbury as I had. I was impressed with his preaching and the ministry he has in L.A. to mostly Korean-Americans in their twenties. The ministry seems to emphasize the need for community among Christians and today he concluded a sermon series on friendship. He emphasized the need of cultivating friendships that will spur us on spiritually to draw closer to God and do his will. After worship, the church served everyone a very tasty Thanksgiving dinner.

The Humility to Accept Your Own Testimony

I was talking with a friend recently who is struggling with his faith and I shared something that has helped me at times when I've struggled. I actually think that struggles in our faith can be sign of our lack of humility. I think this because it takes humility to listen to and believe the testimonies of others who have faith in Christ and who have seen God's power in their lives, confirming that the promises in Scripture are real. But it takes even less humility to believe our own testimony. It might be sad that many are not strengthened in their faith by the testimonies of others but I think it is a fact for many of those who struggle to believe what the Bible tells us about our God. But even if we can't accept the testimonies of others, are we so arrogant not even to accept our own testimony from a time when we were convinced that God was with us and that we were saved by what Christ did on the cross for us? You see, I have been friends with this man for a while and there was a time when I was greatly strengthened by the strength of his faith. So I reminded him of that time and exhorted him to accept his own testimony. I have actually written down a testimony for myself during a time that I was 100% certain that Christ was God and that He really had saved me from my sins. I wrote it down so that I could read it at a future time if I was struggling. This practice has actually helped me. I know that it is a sign of a lack of humility that I am not as strongly helped by the testimonies of others but I think most of us would admit that we usually trust our own perceptions over the perceptions of others. So when I struggle I have to ask myself, "would you really tell yourself from six months ago or a year ago that 'you are wrong in your certainty about Christ.'?" This practice only works for the person who, even in their struggle, desires to believe what the Word tells us about Christ. Without the desire to believe, this practice will make no difference.

In other news, living in Southern California has been interesting this week. Over the last couple of days I watched a large forest fire work its way down a mountain north of here. Other than that, visibility has been low and I always think I should see someone barbecuing somewhere. Pray for the firefighters and for those who have lost their homes. Pray also for the arsonists who started the fires, that they would realize that their sins make them deserving of a fire that will never be quenched and that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to escape that fate.

Big Bear

Today I made my second foray into the mountains east of L.A. Today my drive and hike were much more interesting than last week when I went to Idyllwild. I drove up to Big Bear Lake, a resort town at 6700 ft. with some ski areas around it. I drove up to one of the ski resorts and wasn’t too impressed by what I saw but I still hope to go snowboarding up here some day. I went to the trusty local Starbucks and asked for directions to a good short hike. The directions I received did not disappoint. The trail was a short but steep ascent onto a rocky ridge southwest of town. Near the top of the ridge are some impressive rock outcroppings. The tops of these outcroppings afford some great views of the lake and the mountains. The area would be great for rock-climbing too.
Well, lectures start on Monday so I’m a little nervous about the real start of medical school. For the last two weeks I’ve been in the hospital every week-day on a team, which has been great, but now things get much more serious. I know that it will be hard work but I also trust God that He will provide what I need. I would appreciate the prayers, though, of any Christians who read this that I would trust God and have a smooth transition into school.

Idyllwild

On Saturday I decided to get up out of the smog and go hiking in some of the mountains east of L.A. I ended up at Idyllwild, somewhere between 5000 and 6000 feet in elevation in a sparsely forested mountainous area. I assumed that hiking trails would be obvious when I got up there, and maybe they were, but all I could find was a guide for short walks. I went on one of these and took in some cool views…More importantly, I talked with God on my hike and I meditated on the words of the 53rd Psalm. It was the Psalm that came up in my regular reading that day. I ended up especially meditating on verse 5, “There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.” Now I am usually uncomfortable when people play fast and loose with Scripture. But when I read this verse, it said something to me that I think is very different from the intent of David when he first wrote it. I think what David was saying was that the enemies of Israel were overwhelmed with dread when humanly speaking there was nothing to dread since the enemies of Israel had greater man-power. God himself overwhelmed the enemies of Israel, causing them to dread, and scattered their bones. But here’s what I got when I first read it: The followers of God were overwhelmed with dread when there was nothing to dread because God will defeat and “scatter the bones,” of the enemies of his people. This really spoke to me because there have been times in my life when I've been in bondage to fear. But if I really believe God’s word, the Bible, and if I believe that God is present with me then why should I fear anything? Why should I be overwhelmed with dread when God will scatter the bones of my enemies? So this Psalm spoke to me about how Satan often deceives Christians into fear when we have nothing to fear. After all, even if we are killed in this life, we will have life-eternal in the glory of the God the Father with the Son and the Holy Spirit. And if God wills that we continue to live in this foreign land then He will deliver us.

I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Amen