Chris Ethridge's Blog

WHY GOD?

That is the question many people are struggling with after the tragic events at my daughter's school yesterday. Alex Holbein, a senior at Oakbrook Preparatory School, was hit by lightning along with soccer coach and teacher Tim Blakeney. They were doing soccer drills after school when the lightning struck. Coach blakeney is at Spartanburg Regional Hospital in Fair condition, but Alex didn't survive.

Oakbrook is a private Christian school. The students are in a state of shock and disbelief right now. They have truly lost a family member. Alex was the student body president and was much loved by his fellow students. Our hearts ache for his family. Alex was to have turned eighteen today. Why God?

We don't understand why things happen...why a young life, filled with so much potential is stopped short. Perhaps, it is not our place to question why, but one can't help but wonder why Alex, why now, why this way?

The students at Oakbrook are a special group. I saw an outpouring of love and compassion among these kids that really touched my heart yesterday. I am proud of them and know that God will use this tragic event to reveal Himself to them and ultimately bless them.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Holbein and Blakeney families and with the students of Oakbrook.

ENTRANCE EXAM EXHAUSTION

We took our Entrance exams this morning and I must admit that I am, once again, sleep deprived and running on adrenaline. I am really looking forward to "getting my hands on" some students next quarter and putting what we have been taught into practice. Exciting times are upon us...

That brings me to some other exciting news here at Sherman:

WE HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT!

WELCOME DR. JON SCHWARTZBAUER

He has a D.C. from Sherman College (1997) and a B.S. (2003) from Excelsior College. He joined the Sherman College faculty in 2002. He practiced at Schwartzbauer Straight Chiropractic Center in Mahtomedi, MN, for five years. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Mitzi Fox Schwartzbauer, D.C. (instructor of clinical sciences at Sherman), and their two daughters, Sophi and Jozi.

Dr. Schwartzbauer is an asset, not only to Sherman College, but to the Chiropractic community at large. He is a strong proponent for vertebral subluxation based chiropractic care and a diplomat with the interpersonal skills needed to build bridges between the many different factions in chiropractic education. And so we turn the page, opening another chapter in the history of Sherman College -

and I  bet it will be a great read!

http://192.168.1.206/edu/news/archived_news/2007/archived_06_13_07_SchwartzbauerPresident.html

Sherman Soccer Team: GO UNICORNS?

Don't get me started on the whole Unicorn thing...

It's hard enough to get people to take you seriously as a Chiropractor with the

medically conditioned fear of chiropractic that has been instilled in the public, but HEY,

Let's make our mascot a mythical, imaginary creature with a horn.?! Thanks Founding Hippies of Wisdom.

Back to Soccer - my fellow blogging buddy Greg has been a great catalyst in promoting our own club team here at Sherman. Good job Greg.

The team is starting to Gel; they have had a couple of tough defeats, but can hold their Unicorn Horns high when they leave the field, knowing that they are improving with every match.

GO UNICORNS - get horny? (I think that I see a T-shirt idea forming...)

AS TRIBUTE TO THE UNICORNS, I OFFER THIS CLASSIC SOCCER CLIP:

For a little bit of change in topics 

Deer Season starts next week here in South Carolina (sorry, animal rights activists - but, as Dr. Ron so eloquently puts it " I am an animal lover...

I love to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.")

Nature is truly more viscious than the lone hunter...

Notice that all the buffalo returning are bulls - the United Auto Workers has nothing on these guys - they really know how to organize -

REMIND ME TO NEVER PICK ON A BUFFALO.

Is it really Midterms, already???

Wow.

It feels like we've only just begun. Although, when I look through my notes, I realize that we have covered a great deal of information.

Good Luck to all on their midterm examinations!

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Columbia, S.C., Aug. 4, 2007 – More than 7,000 men flexed their spiritual muscles at Promise Keepers this past weekend.  Emcee Reggie Dabbs entertained the crowd with godly charm, setting the stage for a morning of spiritual uplift and praise.  Across the arena, fathers sat with their sons.  Men huddled in prayer, giving their minds, hearts and plans to God. 

Sherman's own Chiropractors for Christ, seen here getting an early start for the Colonial Center.

I went to Promise Keepers in Atlanta last year with a group of guys from school. This year they changed the format a bit. Last year, there was a Friday night kickoff and an all day Saturday conference that was split  up by a lunch - probably 8-10,000 men fed in less than an hour - it was a long day, but you really took it all in.

  This year's event started with a kickoff Friday night that was longer than before (didn't clear the traffic out of the parking lot until well after 10:30 pm.) Saturday, was cut short at 1 pm - no lunch. Not that I would have cared whether they provided lunch or not - but the late night made for a fog Saturday morning as I waited for the coffee pulse to wake my consciousness.

I really didn't tune in until after the midmorning break when the not-so-politically-correct Brad Stine jarred me into gear with an insanely funny and provoking comedy routine. Check this guy out. He tells it like it is.

After the event, most of us hit the road to find Bar-B-Q's mecca in South Carolina - SHEALY'S - in Batesburg, SC. I've found nothing in the Upstate that even comes close to comparison! If you think that you have the spot that could challenge them - hook me up with a free meal and I'll sing their praises right here in this Blog if they can compete (it would have to be frightfully good to dethrone these fine purveyors of pork.) Bring it on Upstate.

After the stretchers hauled us out of the buffet line, we journeyed to the Swampy side of the state for some practice trying to avoid the wussification of America, and to embrace our inner warrior.

Sherman's own Indiana Johns takes aim at wussification.

Warrior or Wussie?

I got to hang out and get to better know some other guys from Sherman - guys that aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe and make no apologies for their faith.

I think them to be warriors

                                               - and members of my tribe.

Late night ramblings

Still, too wound up to fall asleep -

When will I learn: NO CAFFEINE AFTER 7PM!?

                                                                  

I am feeling, lately, a bit more inspired.

Could it be the excitement and anticipation of clinic days to come?

Maybe it's the desire to prove to myself, as well as to naysayers, that to which I have committed my future endeavors is sound in the principles that we espouse.

Or, might it only be that I'm riding the inertia of some giant bearing in a great cosmic pinball machine? How's that for "deep?" (probably more like "deep sTuFf" - how many students have actually played a pinball machine, anyway?)  

I watched an interesting movie the other evening - The Prestige

If you are a fan of either magic, or science fiction, then you might be intrigued by this mind-twister. Two rival magicians are woven together in a plot that turns sharply and often. David Bowie plays Nicola Tesla, the mysterious thread that ties these two magicians together in a thriller that falls somewhere between Frankenstein and Weird Science.

The Tesla coil portrayed in the movie takes me back to those days of youth when experimenting with electricity was a right of passage - winding a length of copper wire around a 6 penny nail and hooking it up to a battery made a pretty cool electromagnet for many a would be middle school mad scientist!

If you are interested in the more esoteric side of how Tesla's work is being used today - watch the clip. The Tesla coil in this video is not being synchronized to music, but rather, the electrical discharge from the coil is creating the frequencies that you hear. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Presenting:

Tesla's Orchestra Electric JAM Session

Did you know that if you stand close to this machine, a light bulb will illuminate in your bare hand - no fixture required?