NCFI Cares

bi-monthly devotions for health care providers through NCFI

NCFI Cares: Wait, Wait, and Wait, BUT

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77ba6-ncficares_3bloglogoDear 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.

NCFI Cares: Jesus as our Role Model by Tove Giske, NCFI President

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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

 

NCFI Cares: My Work Christ’s Home

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Christ at hearts-door

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.

NCFI Cares: Big Shoes of Leadership

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I am sharing with you the NCFI Cares I gave at the NCFI Pre-Congress on Saturday, June 4 in Tagaytay, Philippines.
You can experience the devotion in 2 ways via video or slide show:
Either way, I hope you will be challenged to step into the Big Shoes of Leadership by following Joshua’s example.

OR

  • View the pictures of my Powerpoint Presentation w/ my notes

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NCFI Cares: Pray for June 2016 Congress

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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 NurseCongress 2016s 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)

 

NCFI Cares: International Nurses Day

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Here is a wonderful touch and blessing from the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) as we celebrate International Nurses Day and prepare for Congress:
Click on the link for the PNA hymn via a YouTube video.
Blessings, Carrie

NCFI CARES: Hands

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Hands

Guided by two strong arms they collaborate together, yet work independently. Each hand contains 4 bones for each finger and 3 bones for the thumb. Along with bones in the palm and the intrinsic bones of wrist we have 29 bones in each hand.  A mesh of tendons and muscles provide dexterity for the multiple functions of gripping, fanning, and arching. Tough for manual work, yet sensitive to interpret dots on a line for reading braille. Gentle to caress and touch, yet quick and responsive for pianists and guitarists. The ridges on the fingertips have unique signature loops and curves that create individual prints precise to each human. A hand can create a fist for fighting, hold a cup for drinking and gently cradle an infant’s head. Hands can be raised in worship, clasped in prayer and extended to one in unity and collaboration. (Psalm 134:2, 143:6).

As nurses we frequently wash our hands to prevent infections, hold patient hands for comfort and strength, and bring many hands together to share our workload. We have wiped tears, cleansed wounds, applied ointments, and assessed temperature. With the increasing complexity of computers and devices, we use our hands to program pumps, manage devices, document medical care and connect with colleagues through cell phones and computers.

Praise God for his wonderful, creatively designed hands. Thank him for the blessing to have hands that can fulfill many functions for we know of people around the world who lose hand(s) and/or the many functions of their hand(s) due to congenital, trauma, illness, or disease.  Take a moment to care for your hands…they work hard and are an important nursing tool!

NCFI Cares: S for Skill

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Using the PRAYERWORKS acrostic we have explored simple ways to enrich our practice and our profession through prayer, as well as a reminders to pray for and with our colleagues. For this devotion we use the final S to remind us to approach praying with our patients with Skill. Originally when I created the acrostic, I used the word Sensitivity, which is important. At the same time, the more I teach, share and discuss spiritual care, I believe Skill is a better term and encompasses sensitivity.

Myself and other nurses on the teaching team for The Art and Science of Spiritual Care through NCFI include the many steps of implementing prayer as part of our nursing care: a complete assessment that includes whether or not our patient’s use prayer as part of their spiritual life; a discussion/teaching on intercessory prayer; exploring the nurse’s comfort with praying various Christian prayers; and then practice praying with a peer using our simple model. As you can see these many steps require skill and sensitivity to explore prior to praying with a patient.

We can rest assured that Jesus, our High Priest intercedes for our patients and that the great Advocate assists our patients in praying (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:26). There are times when prayer is the best nursing action. When it is isn’t, we can reach out with kindness, caring, humility and grace to be the hands and heart of our Lord (Colossians 3:12).

Explore all the devotions in PRAYERWORKS

 

NCFI CARES: K is for Kingdom

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K is for Kingdom

Jesus’ final prayer with his disciples included all Christian’s throughout the ages. He says, “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me…” (John 17:20). These eternal words remind us that we are part of the larger body of believers. We are not just individual Christians who attend a church, belong to a denomination, nor connect through an international ministry, like NCFI. Instead all Christians throughout time are connected through Christ for the purpose of building the Kingdom. Verse 21 & 23 of John 17, says “I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.” In other words, the world looks to the unity of Christianity as a testimony of God’s purpose in sending Christ. This gives me pause for thought. For the unity of Christianity is not very cohesive. Thus, I agree with E.M. Bounds response to Jesus prayer in John 17 and wrote the following edict:

Pray for God’s people, for their unity, sanctification, and glorification. How the subject of their unity pressed upon Jesus! Today’s walls of separation, EMbounds prayeralienations, riven circles of God’s family, warring tribes of ecclesiastics—how He is torn, bleeds, and suffers anew at the sight of these divisions! Unity—that is the great burden of that remarkable high priestly prayer. “That they may be one, even as we are one.” The spiritual oneness of God’s people –that is the heritage of God’s glory to them, transmitted by Christ to the Church.”

May the Lord open our hearts to pray for unification of the Holy Spirit throughout the global Christian Church and open our hands to extend across denominations to demonstrate the redemptive work of Christ.

(EM Bounds in The Reality of Prayer, p. 305)

NCFI Cares: R is for Rejoice

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R is for Rejoice. The definition for rejoice is to be glad, joyful, or to celebrate. Do we celebrate the works of God in nursing? When was the last time you enjoyed the perfectly timed answer to prayer? Maybe it was that much needed staff person or piece of equipment. Have you been delighted by the basic pleasures of life? An enjoyable meal with a colleague and/or a simple gift from a student or patient. What about the rewards of patient care? Listening as an older adult shares a childhood memory, laughing with a five year old’s cute story, or celebrating with a toddler who masters a new toy or activity, are enjoyable moments in nursing.

The idea of rejoicing in prayer is to remind us to recognize all the blessed moments of our work. While at the same time, take time to celebrate with our Heavenly Father who provided them. We are also reminded that celebratory prayers don’t just occur with worship and during our designated times of prayer. We can have a heart of gladness that permeates our life and spills over into multiple moments of the day.

 

Rejoice in the Lord, always. I say it again, rejoice. Philippians 4:4

Serve the LORD with gladness! Psalm 100:2