In July, CARES: Reflections for Nurses was launched in the United States during a Christian Nursing Brunch. I had the wonderful privilege of being interviewed by a New York Times best selling author, Susy Flory. Not only did I share how CARES came to be, I also shared why the book is bilingual with English and Spanish.
Stay tuned….I will be posting a reading from the Book Launch party!
Values is defined a “a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life.” Values are characteristics or attributes that we live by or guide our life. Everyone has values that were taught by our parents, like honesty, respect, and love. Our Christian values come from the life of Jesus Christ and teachings found in scripture. Here we see concepts like hope, forgiveness, loyalty and compassion.
Our profession of nursing also has values. They are usually based on ethic statements, professional ideals, and standards. Some values in nursing are caring, professionalism, integrity, diversity, respect, and excellence.
What are your professional values? Are they similar to your institution’s values? National professional nursing values? And/or Jesus Christ teachings? Spend some time reflecting on the values that guide your work as a nurse. Feel free to share your reflections on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visit.ncfi/ Twitter: @CarrieDameron #ncficares or below as a comment.
Stay tuned to upcoming issues of NCFI Cares where we will discuss integrity, a NCFI values.
Blessings, Carrie
Prayer for our new NCFI President, Tove Giske, Norway.
Dear all,
I am going to share an interesting things here today for all of us. When we go outside for meeting people, we have to take an appointment and have to wait for that time and sometimes need more time even we have given a specific time.
We have to; Wait, Wait and Wait BUT
Interestingly, the Creator of the Universe, the Eternal God, has made Himself available for me or us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Yet I am often preoccupied with lesser activities instead of availing myself to His offer – His presence, His attentive ear, and His guidance. How sad that I/we would ignore so great an opportunity.
Repeatedly, Jesus said to those who would follow Him, “…come…”. (Mark 1:17)
He has made Himself available. Will we join today and this week in availing ourselves to the wonder of God’s Presence? We don’t need to make an appointment. Just take some time and talk to him, tell him our problem and come more close to HIM.
In Bangladesh last few weeks we prayed a lot, many people in many places for LAMB, for our staff safety, for our Bangladesh but that week is not enough for us. As a Christian leader and a Christian person, we have to pray to him all the time even when we are walking on the path, even we meeting with the people, whether we are happy or even sad, can just tell our God, please God blessed us through this meeting and help us to talk nicely, protect us from any evil spirit, keep us healthy, give us your wisdom and peace in our mind, give us whatever we need.
Guest Contributor: Bulbuli Mollick, Bangladesh, NCFI International Board Member
Prayer Point: Every issue of NCFI Cares will come with a prayer point to encourage your prayerful support of nurses around the world.
This month take time to pray for the leaders in your national fellowship. If you are unfamiliar with them, then click on NCFI Website. Look across the top menu and find Regions. Here you will find links and contact information for your national fellowship.
As Christian nurses, we have Jesus as our source of strength and our role model. In this NCFI Cares I want to share with you how Jesus sees all of us from the God’s Kingdoms perspective. This perspective teaches us how to see and think about people and thus how to care for patients and their family and collaborate with our co-workers.
We read about Jesus who met the Samaritan women at the well in John 4:1-26. Jesus sees the woman and knows who she is; still he decides to spend time with her. As we read the text, we can sense the gentleness and the intensity of their conversation, and how Jesus touches her deep in her spirit. She becomes convinced that she has met the long waited Messiah. This makes her a witness for Christ
In Luke 19:1-10 we read about Zacchaeus up in the tree. Again, Jesus acts beyond the rules and norms and sees to the heart and longing of this man. He greets Zacchaeus up in the tree and invites himself to dinner with him. This transforms Zacchaeus. Jesus acknowledges this sinner to be a saved son of Abraham, and Zacchaeus’ transformed heart shows in action.
Jesus often asks questions when he teaches and meets with people, have you noticed that? He is interested in understanding people, who they are and how they think. Having Jesus as our role model challenges us to consider – am I interested in understanding people? Do I take the time to stop and listen to the one on my way that needs me? One of the stories I like the best from the gospels is the one about the blind beggar outside Jericho (Luke 18:35-43). Try to imagine the crowd of people and all the noise. In the middle of this, Jesus recognizes the one that needs him. He stops and askes this wonderful question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
Will you join me in following Jesus’ example and practice this question: “What do you want me to do for you?” It would be interesting to hear from your experience from using this question. Feel free to send Tove an email response at president@ncfi.org
God bless you,
Tove Giske
NCFI President
Christ at Heart’s Door by Warner Sallman
Jesus said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come into him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23)
When I was a brand new baby Christian more than 24 years ago, a fellow believer gave me a novella entitled “My Heart Christ’s Home” written by Robert Boyd Munger (1951). The story is about a new Christian with Christ in his heart, inviting the Lord into all areas of his life through the metaphor of a home. For example, when the new believer shows Christ the library and the recreational room, Christ points out the importance of inviting Christ into our reading and into leisurely activities. We as believers can compartmentalize our Christianity. Meaning we keep Christ on Sunday and our family, but we may be tempted to leave our faith out of our non-Christian relationships, television or movie choices, or our work environment,
As I reflected on the simple, yet powerful truths found in the novella, I thought of nursing. As Christian nurses we seek to live out Christ’s life and teachings in our clinics, schools, and/or hospitals. Christ doesn’t want to just come into the comfortable areas of our work and reside as a guest. Christ wants to dwell in every work relationship, every patient encounter, every project, class and meeting.
I encourage you to take time to allow Christ to walk through each area of nursing. Even though, many of us are mature believers, I am sure each of us will find a locked closet, a dusty cabinet, or even a hidden room that we have kept from his Spirit. The good news is we can always repent. “I saw it in a minute and dropping to my knees, I said, “Lord, You have been a guest and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the owner and Master and Lord.” (Munger)
Click on the link for free pdf of My Heart Christ Home.
OR
What does faith in nursing have to do with the Nicene Creed? I say “a lot!” To better explain myself, I need to share with you my history with the Nicene Creed. If you have read a previous blog posting on January 2013, you will see that Tove Giske asked me to contribute four Christian nursing articles for the Journal of Faith and Profession a journal published in Norway, 2012. While I was praying and thinking about the series of articles, I thought of the 4 essential concepts to Christian nursing: Faith, Compassion, Prayer and Excellence. These topics became the 4 articles with accompanying Bible studies. After their publication, I compiled the 4 together with international edits, etc to create Our Faithful Journey in Nursing: A Teaching on Faith, Compassion, Prayer, and Excellence in Nursing (available as an eReader through Amazon).
It was while I was researching and writing the article on Faith, that I came across the Nicene Creed. My home church and denomination does not use any creed or written prayer as part of the liturgical service. I experienced the congregation reciting the creed as a statement of faith when I attended other Christian services, like Catholic, etc.
Also, during this time around 2011-2012, I was researching and learning about the postmodern philosophy and culture exploding in the USA and other western societies. In a nut shell, postmodern philosophy denies absolutes, objectivity, and dogmatism to one of relativism, subjectivism, and tolerance. For Christians, who hold to a faith defined by Truth (big T–God) and obedience to rules, postmodern philosophy is in sharp contrast to our faith.
I have also been a student of world religions. I came from a Mormon back ground, explored various religions and philosophies during my ‘seeking’ years, as well as live and work in a melting pot of cultures, religions, and philosophies. All this to say, I seek to understand other people and their beliefs, as well as stay aware of how a simple interpretation of words in the Bible can be the basis for different religions and sects.
Okay… I admit I am getting long winded here, but the point is when you learn how various religions say who Jesus is and how that is different then Christianity, you become a life long student of the Nicene Creed. For example, Islam views Jesus as a prophet, etc.See World Religion Chart for more information.
The Nicene Creed was written during a time (325 AD) when there was much dispute between the scholars and theologians about the Truth of Christianity. Who is God? Christ? Holy Spirit? What is salvation? and other BIG questions. Also, remember this was before the Bible or Scripture was available to everyone. The typical Christian went to church and memorized scripture, prayers, creeds, etc as a way to live their life and teach their family.
Okay…here is the point…The Nicene Creed is the basis of our Christian Faith and is a spiritual questionnaire of what each one of us truly believe. Here is the best online version I have found with scriptures supporting each statement Nicene Creed w/ Scripture .
So what does the Nicene Creed have to do with Faith in Nursing? Everything! stay tuned
We may readily admit that there is a “bias” or “negative attitude” towards older adults in our health care systems. This can be seen in assuming that a 90 year old should not have an organ transplant to putting adult diapers (depends) on a 70 year old. What may surprise you, is that ageism is in the Christian church! One such example is the divide over types of worship music during Sunday service. One church’s solution was to have separate rooms for the worship–one room was the traditional hymns, while the other main service had the “christian rock” style of worship. I am sure it wasn’t intended, but the segregation of music brought ageism front and center to the body of Christ. There are and always will be the challenges of reaching the next generation for Christ, while embracing the wisdom and experience of our older brothers and sisters.
An important part of this balance is for nurses, who represent Christ to our profession and to the older adults in our church communities. Scripture is filled with examples of honor, respect, and dignity for seniors in the Kingdom.
Read the article in Journal of Christian Nursing and explore the various references used as citations. We will not only avoid ageism, but we then can encourage and educate our fellow colleagues and parishioners in caring for senior saints across their entire lifespan!
It is with anticipatory excitement that I write this NCFI Cares. For in a few days the NCFI Congress will be convening in the Philippines. As I pack my bags and make final preparations for the trip, I am reminded of the beginning of CARES (Caring Across Regions with Encouraging Scriptures) that was birthed at the previous Congress in Chile, 2012. For more than 3 years, CARES has provided bimonthly devotions, prayers, and encouragement for Christian Nurses around the world. As the NCFI delegates come together with open spirits, listening ears, and soft hearts, we seek your prayers in return.
Beyond the typical prayers for safe travel, etc. pray for the attendees, leaders, organizers and presenters to learn and live out the Congress theme: Healthy Lives in a Broken World: A Christian Nurse
s Response (http://ncfi.org/conference/congress-2016/).
Pray for how the Lord will use this rich time of fellowship, prayer, and worship to build up his body of believers and purpose his plans (Acts 2:43-44). Pray for the divine fruit we will share with our patients and families, colleagues, and students.
And of course, pray that our lives and work resounds across the 6 regions: “Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:12)
Carrie Dameron 