Or at least is feels like it is far away from home. In reality I suppose that it is not really so far, only about 18 hours of driving and still within the United States of America. And since this cotenant is really only a small part of the world and our world is only a small part of our solar system which is only a minuscule part of the universe which must still be infinitely smaller than God then I suppose that New England is actually rather close to Tennessee. In any case, this is the promised post that contains a little bit about our honeymoon. Perhaps if you continue to check out this page from time to time you will be fortunate enough to see some photos of Vermont sometime in the next couple of weeks. But enough about that… at least for now.

The last post was about our wedding. We left the reception in exceptionally good spirits and even drove around the block and then headed out a different direction so that is would look like we made a wrong turn the first time while in reality it did not matter which way we turned there since we could get to our next stop by turning either direction. Hopefully our little antic succeeded in putting a smile on the faces of some of our friends and family . We had decided not to travel far on our wedding day so we made arrangements to stay someplace about an hour away in Cookville, TN. We left Cookville on Monday after a delightful stay and began journeying northeast. We had reservations at a nice little motel in PA Monday night and then drove the rest of the way to Twin Mountain New Hampshire the next day.  We had rented a cabin for the rest of the week and spent the week around there sightseeing, spending time together, hiking, cooking, and in general having a good time. We did enjoy not having a schedule and not having any pressure of having to be at some particular place at a particular time.

 Tuesday evening we went for a walk on the property where the cabin was. We saw a beaver swimming around, found deer tracks, and were eaten alive by mosquitoes! 

Okay, so the mosquitoes only tried to eat us, they actually only succeeded in sucking our blood and leaving us with itchy little welts that lasted for several days. On the way back to the cabin we came across a turtle laying her eggs. It was fascinating to watch her laying them one by one, then arranging them with her  feet and finally carefully packing the dirt around them. We left her alone just  before she finished covering up the spot. I don’t think she ever noticed that we were there, or if she did then it did not seem to bother her.

 

Wednesday we went out for a drive just enjoying the area that we were staying in. We came across a little lake with clear water and some lovely mountains in the background. There was a short trail there in the woods around the lake. We enjoyed seeing some ferns growing there, looking at a small stream, walking along the edge of the lake and watching a butterfly, and it was also delightful to just look at the blue sky and white clouds while breathing  in the clean air.   We also stopped and saw a few waterfalls and enjoyed the view from a scenic overlook where we could see down the valley.

Thursday morning we were a little bit lazy taking our time about getting up and going. We noticed that it was a very clear day and so we decided to head over to Mt. Washington. On the way to Mt. Washington we stopped at the Cog Mountain Railway which is a railroad that climbs to the top of Mt. Washington (which is the highest peak in New England). The railroad is so steep that the train would slide backward on the tracks so they have installed a gear  system in the center of the track that the train uses to climb the mountain and again to slow its descent.  After leaving the railroad station and museum we traveled for about an hour over to the other side of  Mt. Washington where the auto road is just to find  out that there was a special event going on and only motorcycles were allowed that day. They did give us a coupon for a discount the next day which was nice. Friday was nice and clear also, with just a few fluffy white clouds. We did drive to the top of Mt. Washington and enjoyed listening to the history of the mountain as we traveled the 8 miles of winding road to a height of 6,288 feet (actually we walked and climbed the last 100 feet or so). The temperature dropped quite a bit (around 20 degrees) during the  ascent to the upper 40s and lower 50s which we are  told is rather warm and balmy for them at the top. The weather station at the top has record extremely  cold temperatures and strong winds (over 200 mph) and holds a record high of around 60 degrees!

Saturday we took a trip through the countryside to Burlington, VT where we planned to spend the next 6 weeks. It rained part of the day but we did pass through some beautiful countryside. Sunday we left New Hampshire, stopped at the Flume (named for the flume on a mill – the channel that water passes  through to get to the wheel) where there is a narrow gorge with water flowing through it. It is a beautiful area with multiple waterfalls and two covered bridges, nature trails and creeks, rocks and trees, benches to sit on, picnic areas, and just in general very lovely. At the Flume we spent some time reading the scriptures and worshiping the Lord. It was a beautiful  place to sit and meditate and worship! Surely God had made wondrous things that should inspire our hearts to give Him praise and glory! He is worthy of all that we can give to Him! And what a loving Father He is! After leaving the Flume we traveled the rest of the way to Burlington, VT where we will be spending  the summer. Hopefully this little update has accomplished two things: 1) given you a glimpse into a week in our lives, and 2) made you at least a little curious about the next chapter in the life of Philip and  Bethany Sutherland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philip and  Bethany Sutherland. Yes, you did read that correctly. It does say Philip and Bethany Sutherland.  So for some of you this is old news, indeed, just over three weeks old to be exact. Perhaps you have been checking my site almost impatiently every few days – has he updated it yet? How long until he will FINALLY get an update on here? Doesn’t he know that it is important news?

The answer is yes, I do know that it is important news, in fact, next to the influence that Christ has had on my life I expect that marrying Bethany will impact me more than anything else, even  medical school. But in my defense to this late posting, when one gets married then one would like a little time with the dearly beloved new spouse without even having a thought of updating web sites and sending emails and making extra phone calls. By the way, in case you are wondering, we did have a wonderful honeymoon (perhaps that will be the subject of the next post… 🙂 wait and see).   Currently we are in Burlington Vermont where I am taking a summer class at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. We are enjoying our stay here but will be very glad to return home when the class is completed in another 4 weeks.

So a little about the wedding if you would be pleased to read further through this rambling section of online text that has a few pictures placed in such a way that they may distract you slightly and perhaps help you to see a little of the joy that we are shareing as we begin our new lives together. I can say honestly that the song “A New Walk In Life” (see below) is the testimony of both my testimony and  Bethany’s. Perhaps you would enjoy a word or two about each of the pictures… Well, I don’t have access to most of the wedding pictures yet, so it is possible that I might post more later but here are three to tease you a little.

In the first picture Bethany and I are walking back into the sanctuary to usher out our guests. We decided to do that so that we could have a moment to speak to each of our guests and to shake their hands. I really enjoyed that time with each of them and I am grateful to them for honoring me with their presence. In the second picture we are holding our marraige certificate (given to us by Bethany’s Dad who officiated at the wedding). And in the final picture I hope you can see a little bit of the joy we expireinced as we celebrated the joining of our lives together. We do believe that the Lord led our steps together and we are very much enjoying our new life together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New Walk In Life

I’ve walked this life thus far alone,
Yet not alone for God was guiding me.
Now He says, “My child I’m planning,
A new walk in life for thee”.

I sought the Lord His will to know,
Who will walk this way by my side?
Sharing in life’s joys and sorrows,
Forever with me to abide.

He led my thoughts and steps to you,
To live together now as man and wife.
The gift of God Oh thought so precious,
A richer and a fuller life.

We’ve now begun in this new walk,
Down the corridor of time.
We’ll need your prayers and help from heaven,
To walk this way of life sublime.

(Chorus)
Together we’ll walk (together we’ll walk)
Together we’ll talk (together we’ll talk)
Together we’ll pray (together we’ll pray)
Together we’ll say (together we’ll say)
Not twain but one, Thy will be done.
Lead us now on till life is run.
Together we’ll pray, together we’ll stay
Till life is done (till life is done).

 

 The word “little” actually is rather non-descriptive by itself. Little compared to what? If comparing to a bacteria then little would be invisable to anything except a powerful microscope. On the other hand, a little sea (compared to the ocean) could actually be an object of rather large proportions. The question to be asked then is, what is a little hobby. I supose for the fellow who collects postage stamps or the girl who has a thimble collection it would make sense to say they have a little  hobby. In my case, however, the size of the items involved varies a lot. Sometimes I work with pixels, othertimes with scenery so vast that it makes me feel small and quiet as I veiw the granduer of what God has created. No, my hobby is not so much “little” because of the size, but more because I have a limited amount of time to put into it. I think that I have been too busy the last while, it seems that I have neglected many things that I once enjoyed; there is a time to prioritize,  but there is also a time to enjoy the many good things that God has created and given us to enjoy. In any case, I have been wanting to edit a few photos for a while, to add a scripture to them, to make them into something that would look pleasant upon the nightstand or the dresser top. Today I had a few hours that were not clamed by other activities so I took the time to work on 4 photographs a little.  I have posted them here for you to see. Please, if you enjoy photography, feel free to critic these photos. I still have a lot to learn, and hope to always improve. So now you know, and perhaps you will get a little enjoyment from my little hobby!

Note: All three of the color photos were actually taken in Haiti over the course of several years and each one at a different location. The sunrise over the ocean was taken from a boat. The black and white photo was taken one morning at a job site where we were building a pole barn in middle Tennessee. For me it is the clouds in this photo that really make the picture.

 

 

 This morning I want to take a few minutes to give you an update and share some life changing news with you. Now I know that some of you who look at this site feel like this post is long overdue; and yes, I do admit that once again busyness has prevented me from posting as frequently as what I would like. But here I am with just a few minutes sitting at my computer typing up a little update.

March 18, 2007 is a date that I will always remember. You see, something important happened on that day. On that Sunday afternoon a wonderful young lady said yes; she said yes, she would marry me. I must say that my heart is filled with thankfulness to God for leading our lives together this far. He has done a lot of work in both of our hearts, and we love Him for that. Over the past year we have also learned to know each other better and have developed first a friendship and now a love for each other. We stand on the brink of the unknown future with assurance in our hearts that the God who has led us in the past will also lead us in the future.

A little less than two weeks ago we went to beautiful Falls Mill to take some pictures. The weather had turned cold just a couple days before which made outdoor pictures a little more challenging. I have included one shot of the mill here for you to see. It really is a beautiful spot where God’s creation can be enjoyed.

The question that seems to follow naturally from an engagement announcment is “When is the wedding?” We are planning to be married on June 9th in Morrison Tennessee Lord willing. It is indeed an exciting time in our lives. A time of looking forward to the future, and also looking back at the Lord’s leading and guidance in our lives.

I have discovered that there are many things in life that I enjoy; in fact, if forced to chose a “favorite” I often have a very difficult time declaring just exactly what my opinion is. There are, however, a few things in which I do decidedly have a favorite; if asked about those things I could give you a very ready answer. For example it would be hard for me to specify my favorite food (after all, do you mean dessert, hot dish, cold dish, meat, vegetable, bread etc.) or my favorite car, or even my favorite animal. But ask me about my favorite girl (ahhh, that one is easy, its Bethany), my favorite flavor of ice cream (vanilla, although there are plenty of other flavors that I also enjoy), or even my favorite season (spring, with my second favorite being autumn). So yes my friends, it is my favorite time of year. There is just something about the grass turning green, the birds singing, the buds on the trees, and the flowers that begin to bud and then bloom  that fills me with a sense of wonder at the new life that is pushing forth. Spring seems to remind me of the work that God has and is doing in my heart, that where there was death and destruction, and decay now there is new life, the life of God’s Son being worked out in my life. What a thing to be able to praise God for!

One of the things about spring down south that keeps it a bit interesting is the sometimes rather sudden showers that seem to spring up out of almost nowhere. The other day I was out walking with a friend (actually at the Memphis Zoo since it is free after 2:00 on Tuesdays for TN residents and it is only about 5 minutes away) and we were enjoying the sunny spring weather when suddenly raindrops began to fall striking us on the head and arms. The sun was actually still shining, but there were some clouds directly overhead that were announcing their presence by allowing great drops of rain to plummet to the earth. We actually did end up getting a nice rain shower later in the evening; not enough to satisfy the parched ground, but still a nice shower that has encouraged the grass to continue turning green.

The little photo up in the corner was taken here in Memphis where I live. The dogwood tree is planted just outside one of the apartments here. I was reminded of this picture because I noticed on Tuesday that this same tree is blooming once again. Isn’t that a reminder of God’s faithfulness? In case you did not know, one of my favorite hobbies is photography, and I have enjoyed doing some macro (close up) photography especially of flowers.

As you have probably noticed, it has once again been a while since my last post. It seems that I have good intentions of posting a little more often, but alas, I have a tendency to get rather busy… it seems that may be the story of my life. I hope that you have enjoyed these little posts; maybe you could take a moment to leave a comment or sign my guestbook to let me know what you think. May God bless you and lead you closer to Him!  

  A couple pictures from Amber Gregoire’s Wedding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I sit here at my computer typing out this little note I am very aware that I have not written an update in some time. In fact, I believe that I have almost gotten lost in the passing of time, hardly realizing how quickly it is speading by. So here I sit looking at the mostly blank screen and wondering what I should write; I wonder what y’all would like to hear?

So here goes for a quick update. This last weekend I traveled to Ohio for a wedding. I left Memphis Friday late morning and traveled to Nashville where I met Bethany and Michael Rudolph. We then traveled together up to Ohio getting there fairly late. Saturday morning dawned a cold 6 degrees on the Farenhiet scale reminding us that we were not in sunny Tennessee where the temperatures were expected to be in the 70s. The wedding was nice and all seemed to proceed smoothly. The couple had a clear testimony of a pure courtship which was a blessing to many of the guests who attended the wedding.

Sunday morning we met with a small group of believers in a livingroom there in Ohio. It was a blessing to see God moving among them and to hear bits of their testimonies of how God has worked in their lives up until this point. I was left with the impression that there normal meeting has aproximately 40 people in it, maybe a few less. We did have a sweet time of worshiping the Lord, singing, sharing out of God’s Word, shareing in the Lord’s Supper, and hearing a passage of scripture being taught. Afterwards we had a fellowship meal together but as the clock did not stop ticking it was quite soon time to beging the return trip to Tennessee. I will admit that the miles flew by as Bethany finished reading the book “When Dreams Come True” by Erick and Leslie Ludy out loud to me. We also had a nice time of visiting on the way back to Nashville where we parted ways. I guess I got back to Memphis a little bit before midnight, thankful for safety on the roads and an enjoyable and profitable weekend.

Other than this weekend trip to Ohio my days have continuet to be busy with medical school, leading a weakly Bible study in my apartment with some other students, occasionaly fellowshiping with friends, driving half way across Tennessee to see Bethany whenever I get a chance, and trying to stay connected and somewhat involved with my home congregation in Belvidere. I am thankful that the set of classes I am currently taking is about to draw to a close. One more set of exams and I will be moving on to new classes. I am looking forward to the milestones along the way since they indicate that I am actually making progress on my journey towards being a physician.

Speaking of studying, we have been studying immunolgy recently, and the last few days we have been talking about problems with the immune system. I must say, looking at the complexity of the immune system I am left with a feeling of awe at how precisly God has disigned it, how smoothly the multiple parts of this very complex system usually integrate to manage the huge number of foreign substances and pathogens that we are constantly bombarded with. Truely David was right when he said that we are wonderfully made!

On that note, I belive I will sign off; hopefully my next update will come a little sooner!

Officially winter is just around the corner, but here in Memphis I am afraid that someone might have forgotten to inform the weather that it is still fall. True, it never really gets that cold in Memphis, at least not compared to the weather that much of the northern US and Canada have (not to mention Siberia!), but for bein’ down south it sure has had a bit of a chill. Fortunately it has not been too windy, however we sure ’nuff have had a breeze ’round these here parts. I ‘member an ol’ timer tellin’ me that sometimes the wind sure ’nuff is lazy. That’s right folks, its too lazy to go ’round ya so it just goes strait through ya leav’n you chilled to the bone in the process. In any case, Memphis was experiencing a wonderful Indian Summer with temperatures in the 70s and even 80s until a week ago. Last Friday the temperature dropped steadily from the mid 70s down to the upper 50s by the time I went to bed, and Saturday morning I woke up to a freezing, thats right, it was below freezing with the trusty thermometer diplaying a mere 26 degrees. Talk about a bit of a shock, nice weather one day, only to be surprised by the cold (did I mention that 26 feel quite cold compared to 75?). Since then the weather has been fluctuating, actually getting almost warm enough not to need a jacket a few of the afternoons and usually getting down in the mid to lower 30s by night. Today a bright sun was shining in a clear blue sky, but I understand why they say “the day dawned clear and cold” because I don’t think it ever got out of the 30s today. Right now it is down to a measly 25 degrees and the thermometer is still dropping. I do have to admit though, there is something invigorating about winter weather, something enjoyable about bundling up in a coat and walking briskly in the stiff breeze so that it is warm inside the coat, your breath comes out in big white puffs, and the cold air makes your cheeks and ears tingle. Just don’t stand still when the weather is like this, at least not if you don’t enjoy a lazy wind.

Now I know that dentists don’t have too much in common with winter – unless both of them strike fear and dread into your heart. But for me, I really don’t mind either one and so I don’t see that they have too much in common. I sure can’t say that most of the dentists that I know are cold, because they have been some of the warmest and friendliest kind of folk you would want to meet. So what do these two have in common in this little discussion? Well, that is actually easy to explain since I was talking primarily about today. You see, I am indeed guilty of neglecting my teeth. I think I can just about count on one hand the number of times that I have been to a dentist (that is about to change by the looks of things). It has been over 5 years since my shadow last crossed the threshold of a dentist office, and even then I started to get some dental work done that I never completed because first my dentist moved and then I went off to Kentucky for school. So here I find myself, knowing that I have a few untreated cavities, knowing that neglecting my teeth is not helping them in the long run, and walking past the dental clinic that is associated with the Dental School here at UT every time I go to or come back from class. So finally one day I was visiting with a friend of mine who is a third year dental student, and he told me that if I wanted to wait a month or two I could be one of his patients. One of the advantages of this is that I can get the work done at some seriously discounted rates! So today was the day to go get a screening and general workup done. As I guessed, I do need some work done, seems I have several cavities, most of them small, they are what they called the “ideal” size, just large enough to detect, not big enough to cause any problems. A few of the others are a bit larger, seems they would like to work on those first. Anyway, we made a discovery today (yes I did say we, I spotted it first on the xray, but they had to tell me exactly what the abnormality was because I could not figure it out), it turns out that my top left canine tooth is actually still a baby tooth. The permanent tooth is impacted underneath of it. It turns out that if I leave it alone there is a chance that sometime in the next few months or years it is likely that the baby tooth will fall out, the impacted tooth will damage the tooth on one side of it, and I could end up with a big gap, so… I guess I will probably go to the orthodontist since they say it is a simple procedure to fix the tooth. Now you know more about my teeth and dental history than what you ever figured you wanted to know, but that about summarizes the nonscholastic part of my day!

Ok, so I am not physically running around like a chicken with my head cut off, it just feels like it some times. Actually, this past week went fairly well for me. I did find myself wrapped up in the busyness of school (and everything else – including working on planning a trip to Haiti over my December break from classes). I finally took a few minutes tonight to try and set up my xanga page in a manner that seems to me to be a bit more aesthetically pleasing… what do you think?

As I mentioned, it is easy for me to get wrapped up in doing “stuff”; legitimate stuff to be sure, but how easily I lose my focus! I long for my life to be a part of fulfilling the verse that I placed in the header; that my life would contribute to putting Christ in the primary place! I believe that it is fitting for every child of God to strive to bring honor and glory to Christ in all that he/she does. I press towards this, and by the grace of God my life will become more and more a continuous act of worship.

In case you are wondering, yes, my thoughts in this entry are a bit scattered, but if you are taking time to read this then I hope you don’t mind a little rambling. But since I talked about hither I will also tell you about yon. I meet with a CMDA (Christian Medical & Dental Association) small group for a Bible study on Monday nights. We have been going through a curriculum that was written by a local Christian Dr. here in Memphis. We currently have only one lesson left in the series we have been doing, so we are beginning to discuss what we want to do next. There are 5 guys (besides myself) that meet together in this group, and we have had numbers of profitable discussions. It seems that missions have been an underlying theme of all of our studies, even starting with the night that we first gathered together just to become acquainted with each other. In any case, I hope that these meetings are helping each of the guys to grow, to take their walk with God seriously, to consider that this vile world is not a friend to grace, and to press on as good soldiers for Christ.

The hour is growing later, and I have not yet figured out how to have 36 hour days so I will stop writing here.

A friend of mine once told me to “keep your nose to the grindstone”. I have found, over the last several years that this is good advise indeed. Many times when I did not feel like tackling the things I needed to do those words have rung in my ears, encouraging me to be faithful, to be diligent, to do with cheerfulness the tasks that lay before me.

I just enjoyed a nice vacation from school; we were given Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off from school. This allowed me to travel home on Tuesday evening and then return on Sunday evening. I did really enjoy my time at home, but now that I am back in Memphis it is time to once again put my nose to the grindstone; to study heartily as to the Lord, to learn more about genetics and genetic disorders, to try to comprehend the way the nerves in our head work, to pursue a working knowledge of the respiratory system and what makes it work.

I mentioned that I enjoyed my recent break from school, in fact, I enjoyed it a great deal! I was able to work on a couple of projects, including the building that I have been trying to turn into a cabin. On Friday some friends came and helped me to lay the flooring in the building, and then my family (including Derick who was there because of the holiday) helped me to move my furniture into the building. I must say… it is nice to be this close to having my books unpacked and my “stuff” set up where I can use it again. It will also be nice to have an office area there at home that I can use to study etc.

I also enjoyed a lot off good food and fellowship during my break. We had a wonderful dinner on Thursday, complete with turkey and its fixin’s, a delicious pickle tray, and more pie than a body could want for desert. Just being with the family again, including Jesse and Heather who are temporarily home from Haiti was really a treat. Add to that the time that I got to spend with Bethany and it turned out to be a memoriable weekend of encouragement, joy, and fun.

On Saturday we went to the Grand Ole Oprey Hotel to see the gardens and the decorations. I had never been there before, so I was rather surprised to see the size of the indoor gardens. I was also amazed as I again marveled at the beauty and variety of God’s creation. I saw plants that I had never seen before, particularly I am not sure If I had ever seen orchids up close before. Once again it was a blessing to be able to relax. to enjoy the loveliness of what God has put here on earth.

Sunday continued to be a day of blessing; the meeting in the morning was a combination of worship, correction, instruction, and realizing God’s greatness and goodness. Lunch was delicious, and was accompanied with fellowship from several friends, some of whom I had not seen for some time. I spent the afternoon with Bethany, and then it was time…. That’s right, it was time to leave the turkey bones behind and stick to the grindstone.

I frequently find that time has a way of running off and leaving me sitting dazed in the dust wondering where it has run off to, only to be reminded that the only time we have is now, the point in eternity that we are currently touching. In any case, the days have a tendency to run into each other, and before I know it another week has passed by. In this case, I heard some f my classmates saying today that we only have 10 more lab meetings in Gross Anatomy. On one hand, that is nice to know; I will be glad to finish anatomy and it will be nice to move on to learning other things. Currently we are studying the head and neck in this class.

We are also studying a variety of things in the Molecular Basis of Disease class (MBOD); anything from bone growth regulation, blood coagulation, and shock absorption to the role of vitamin C in healthy cartilage formation and scurvy prevention. The professor that has been teaching this class the last few days has a lively sense of humor, and has been entertaining us by doing things like reading a “captains log” from the HMS MBOD (which we were informed set sail in 1649) in a British accent complete with a tail of the first mate trying to insult the sailors by insinuating that they had scurvy, the only problem is they really did have scurvy! Today he was talking about cancer cells and ended up on the tables in the room demonstrating how cancer cells metastasize and break through normally impermeable boundaries.

Physiology is a bit more tame, we have been investigating the cardiovascular system, blood pressure regulation, and cardiac function. It is interesting, and of course, quite important. After Thanksgiving we will be studying respiratory physiology.

As you may know I frequently spend my Saturday mornings in Memphis at a student run Hispanic Clinic called La Clinica Esperanza (The Clinic of Hope). This Saturday is to be the last day that we will be open until after the new year. I guess that is part of the consequence of having the clinic student run – when they have breaks etc. (first Thanksgiving break, then Christmas break several weeks later) there just is not enough staff available to keep the doors open. We plan to resume in January.

I think I am going to end this little note, and bid y’all a good day.