Author: Carrie Dameron

When Hope Is Lost: Part 1

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Hopelessness and despair can be common experiences for our patients with cancer, terminal illness, or tragic trauma. As nurses we are well positioned to assess patients for signs and symptoms of hopelessness and intervene to curtail the devastation of despair.  The article in the current issue of JCN begins a list of interventions supported by nursing and scripture that we can use with our patients. The interventions also includes “patient/nurse” commentaries offering support and guidance as we tackle this tough issue. I would love to hear your stories! Whether it is from nurses who inspiring hope with your patients OR from patients/people who have received support, word, and/or encouragement from nurses or healthcare providers.   JCN cover Be sure to check out the article in the Journal of Christian Nursing (July/September 2014)

And keep your eye out for the Part 2 in October!

NCFI Cares: Heavenly Promises

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Our seal of the Holy Spirit not only secures us as God’s own possession, it is also a deposit or down payment for our future inheritance (Ephesians 1:11-14). Our inheritance is eternal life or heaven as described in Revelation 21:1-4 and other scriptures. Even though, we are heavenly bound and hope for our eternity with Jesus Christ, it is hard to stay eternally focused. We can become weighed down by current troubles. Conflicts with coworkers, overwhelming workload of patient care and administrative duties are combined with the daily grind of caring for families and managing a household. Instead of having a spring in our step from the promised joy of eternity, we collapse into bed at night from exhaustion. We can also become distracted by the Lord’s abundant provisions and not really look longingly for an eternity with Jesus.

Billy Graham in his book, Death and the Afterlife shares his personal thoughts on living today while in expectation of our future:  “I’m not afraid to die, for I know the joys of heaven are waiting. My greatest desire is to live today in anticipation of tomorrow and be ready to be welcomed into His home for all eternity. Will you be making the journey with me?” (p. 192)

May this heartfelt insight and rich wisdom guide our hearts and minds in fixing our hope on the Lord’s heavenly promise.

Heaven & afterlife book

NCFI Cares: Our Seal of Hope

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An amazing miracle happens every time a person comes to salvation through Jesus Christ. They receive a mark or seal. In an instant, they not only receive righteousness through the forgiveness of sins, they also receive the seal of the Holy Spirit. As one bible expert explains, this is a seal of ownership (Eph. 1:13-14). Like a seal on a document in New Testament times the mark identifies and indicates its owner, who would “protect” the document. So too, in salvation, the Holy Spirit confirms Christians are identified with Christ and are God’s property, protected by Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

This infinite marking, unseen by human eyes, provides evidence of our true identity in Christ Jesus. We may have doubts about our relationship with God or may be fearful. No matter what feelings or experiences we have, we can stand in confidence that we are the Lord’s precious child. In Psalm 139, the writer contemplates all the places he might hide from the Holy Spirit. He concludes by saying, “you will be there…your right hand would grab hold of me” (vs 7-11). This touching assurance of our security is a recount of our intimate relationship with the Lord. For the Lord not only seals us as his possession, he secures us as blessed children.

Prayer: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” amen (Romans 15:13)

Goodbye nurses4him.org

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In 2008, the Lord answered my prayer: to find a way to encourage Christian nurses in living out their Christian faith in their professional life.  nurses4him.org was the ministry I designed in response to the need. Since that time, Christian nursing organizations/ministries have moved to online and Christian nurses can now be encouraged and grow in their faith through websites, blog, and social media connections.

As I was praying and reflecting on personal changes in my life I have sensed a time of transition.  Thus, I have closed my nurses4him.org website and am transitioning my writing projects to a broad-ranged format as www.carriedameron.com while continuing to partner with Journal of Christian Nursing, Nurses Christian Fellowship, and Nurses Christian Fellowship International.

I am currently in the process of importing my blog topics from the past few years into this new blog and will work on re-releasing previous posts from the archives! I am also looking forward to creating new topics and discussions that impact the larger audience.

What I can’t figure out what to do with is the logo/brand! My husband and I worked many hours to design a specific logo that communicated my vision of encouraging Christian nurses.

I am excited about what God is doing my life and look forward to still connecting and encouraging Christian nurses to live out their purpose for Christ through passion while being enveloped by prayer!

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NCFI Cares: Our Radical Hope

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       The room is quiet as Jesus communicates his final instructions to the disciples. He senses the anxiety and insecurity of those he has called “friends” for the last three years. As Jesus works through the important points he knows the disciples’ world will be turned upside down with his torture, death and resurrection. In the years to come, they will face persecution and suffering as they live out his gospel message. Jesus is not only concerned about the disciples future he is providing important instructions for future generations of followers. Thus, Jesus assures them by saying, “I will not leave you as orphans. I will be with you always.”(John 14:18) How can Jesus ensure his continued presence? “For I am sending the Helper, who speaks for me.”(John 14:25)

            This radical hope is the Holy Spirit. He is our promised Helper, Counselor and Advocate. The disciples waited until Pentecost to receive their promised Advocate, yet we receive our Helper immediately with salvation. Our hope rests on knowing that we are never alone. We don’t need to run to gurus nor prophets to understand what the God of the Universe wants for us. Instead we go to scripture where the Holy Spirit brings to our heart and mind truth, teachings, and the way of righteousness (Ephesians 1:13, John 14:25-28). We should seek out pastors and mature believers to guide us in living out these truths while depending upon the discernment of the Holy Spirit to illuminate individuals as a community of believers and the body of Christ (I Corinthians 2: 10-15; 12:13,27). This is truly the miracle of Emmanuel, God with us. As we seek to reveal the teachings of Jesus in our personal and professional lives, we are secured in the radical hope of the Holy Spirit’s continued presence.

Prayer:  “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” amen (Romans 15:13)

NCFI Cares: Our Confident Hope

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            One of our first hopes as Christians is the hope of our
salvation through Jesus Christ. As sinners, we come to Christ with nothing to
offer, yet needing so much. Similar to a patient needing medical care, we
present our self to Christ bearing many wounds and illnesses. Some of us come
from previous life experiences that left us bruised and broken; some of us come
from other religions where the worship and practices of various philosophies
and beliefs have caused trauma and scarring. Or, some of us come carrying the
heavy weight of good works and righteous behaviors found in religiosity. None
of us come healthy. We are all in need of the sacrificial blood of forgiveness
and healing.

Then
through God’s perfect timing, we accept the free gift of salvation through the
redemptive work of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:19-23); and experience the
completeness of forgiveness. We now possess a changed heart, a new life, and a
restored relationship with God the Father.

         Unlike other
gods, healers, and self-help ideals that offer shame, fear, and insecurity, our
gift of salvation pulls us off the treadmill of self and works to rest in the
confidence of our Savior. We stand firm that “It is finished!”

Prayer:  “Now may the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound
in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

NCFI Cares: FaitHope

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         I recently wrote an article for Journal of Christian Nursing entitled the Importance of Hope (April-June, 2014) reminding nurses of the hope we have as Christians. Through NCFI cares devotional, I will be discussing in-depth the facets of our Christian hope found in scripture.

            Whenever we think of the concept of hope in Christianity we start with Jesus, our redemptive Messiah–the source of all hope. While doing research on hope, I discovered Jesus did not necessarily teach on hope–for he is Hope. As one Bible scholar puts it—Jesus is certainty! Instead, Jesus taught and demonstrated why we should believe in him as the hope for all mankind (John 3:14-16); as well as how to live out Hope found in him.

            Which brings up an important point, scripture melds faith and hope together. Faith without hope is meaningless; whereas, hope without faith is fleeting like the weather. As Romans 8:24-25 teaches “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.”

            As we seek to bring hope to our patients, families, and colleagues, we need to first merge our faith and hope into one. Do we truly believe the promises found in God’s word? Or are they religious statements dry from overuse? Are we a hopeful person, community, family? In other words, if your family and friends were questioned, would they say you are hopeful and confident in trusting God the Father to provide, like the birds of the fields? Inspiring hope for our patients begins with us rooted in the firm foundation of the Alpha and the Omega and the promises found in scripture (Revelation 22:13).

Blessings, Carrie

Importance of Hope article in JCN

Importance of Hope

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JCN cover        If someone were to ask you, “What is the one word to describe Christianity?” How would you respond? You might say Jesus, love, or trust, but would you use the word hope? I have to admit, I would not have previously explained  Christianity using the word of hope.
Hope is the basis of Christianity, for without the death and resurrection of Christ, our faith is meaningless and we are without hope (1 Corinthians 15:4).
The article “Importance of Hope” in the Journal Christian Nursing  can be a basis for a bible study for building a strong foundation of hope in Christ and in the promises of God:
  • look up each scripture cited in the article
  • spend time in prayer and meditation
  • seek the Lord to open your heart and mind to the truth contained in the passage
  • explore ways to live out hope personally and professionally
  • examine your life for areas of insecurity, worry, fear etc (evidences of a lack of hope)
  • conclude your time by thanking the Lord for his hope, rooted and found in Him
NCFI Cares will be encouraging international nurses to “overflow with hope” (Romans 15:13) with devotionals exploring the facets of hope. You can receive NCFI Cares via NCFI facebook page,  subscribing to the category NCFI Cares, or follow me on Twitter!
My prayer for you:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13), amen.

JCN available Internationally!

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One of the first things that came to my heart when I 

became involved with NCFI in 2010 was the hunger for professional Christian resources from international nurses. When I came home from my first trip to Manila, I began praying and talking with Kathy Schoonover-Shoffner, the editor of Journal of Christian Nursing. As time went by and Kathy shared all the “complications” of international journals, costs, currency rates, NCF-USA staff needs, etc, etc, the needs seemed endless. We trudged forward and added the specifics to our prayers and continued to elicit more prayer warriors: Jane Hall (NCF USA president), Barbara, Tove, Amy, and many unnamed saints in OUR passionate petition to bring this wonderful journal to YOU!  

 

Well the Lord has seen fit to answer our prayers for the Journal of Christian Nursing is available ONLINE–INTERNATIONALLY!


“Journal of Christian Nursing” (JCN) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly, professional journal helping nurses integrate issues of faith with nursing practice and sustain excellence in nursing care since 1984. Our mission is to help nurses, students, and educators practice from a biblically-based, Christian perspective. JCN offers relevant peer-reviewed clinical and professional information, including original research, on: current issues and trends, spirituality and spiritual care, ethics, values, healing and wholeness, faith community nursing, healthcare missions, nursing education, personal growth and self-care, health care for the poor and disenfranchised, and nursing care experiences which promote excellence and encourage nurses. 

 

JCN International Online subscription 

  • ONLINE ONLY
  • $37 a year
  • through paypal or credit card
  • may take 6 WEEKS to gain access (a NCF USA staff person inputs the information, etc)

We thank our Lord for his blessings, the endurance of his people and extend a blessing to you–knowing you will be equipped for his good works! “Ephesians 4:12” 

Blessings,

Carrie

p.s. One of the great options for the JCN is the ability to provide a “GIFT” subscription. If the Lord has abundantly provided for you or your fellowship, group, bible study, etc. pray how you may purchase one or more gift subscriptions for our brothers and sisters who would greatly benefit from your generous heart (like loaves and fishes!) 

NCFI Cares: 40 Days of Kindness

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Depending on your
faith tradition, you may mark the 40 day Lenten season by fasting from food or
refraining from a specific pleasurable activity (no chocolate, no watching,
t.v, etc). At the same time, when we seek to somehow impart the love and grace
of Christ louder during this season, the sacrifice of doing something positive
can impact our colleagues and patients. In fact, these simple acts of kindness
with purposeful presence exemplify the living Christ (Ephesians 5:1). Thus,
instead of just sacrificing our personal pleasures, lets reach-out daily for
the work of Christ during Lent.
The
following are suggestions to be done daily–choose one!
  • simple
    acts of kindness to your colleagues (helping, completing a task, buying a
    coffee or tea, etc…)
  • a
    private prayer for every patients, students, colleagues in your care
  • pray for
    NCFI daily OR pray for one person in your region every day!
  • use
    social media, texting, email, etc to share/send a kind word
  • say a
    kind word to someone (let the Holy Spirit bring them to you!)

      The above list is just a sampling, thus feel free to do
something else. These acts are also, not a substitute for how you participate
in the Lenten season through your church. Instead, it is a way to open our
heart to new ways the Lord works in our lives while sacrificing personal
comfort (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Grace & Peace,

Carrie