NCFI Cares: W is for Word

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W is for Word reminds us to fill our prayers with scripture. Even though the Bible contains many prayers, like “Our Father” in Matthew 6 and the “Lord is my Shepherd” from Psalm 23, there are great prayers in the Epistles. Paul’s prayer to the church is Colossae found in Colossians 1:9-12 is one, as is Ephesians 1:17-20.

We can also use specific verses and teachings to fill our prayers with truth and God’s will.  Many of us are familiar with New Testament passages, so here are a few from the Old Testament. Guidance: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21). Faithfulness: “So realize that the Lord your God is the true God, the faithful God who keeps covenant faithfully with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

We can also use scripture to praise and worship God! “The Lord is my strength and my song he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him.” (Exodus 15:2). The richness of God’s word fills both our work and our conversations with God.

EM Bound motivates our prayer to take on a new meaning with God’s word with the following bold teaching:

Unless the living forces of prayer are supplied by God’s Word, even earnest prayer, though it may even be strong and noisy in its urgency, is, in reality, flabby, lifeless, and empty. The absence of living force in praying can be traced to the absence of a constant supply of God’s word to repair the waste and renew the life. Those who would learn to pray well must first study God’s Word, and store it in their memory and thoughts. (The Necessity of Prayer, p. 79)cf2e1-ncficares_3bloglogo

 

NCFI Cares: R is for Record

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As we return to our acrostic PRAYERWORKS, we discuss R for Record. Many years ago, I started keeping a prayer journal. The small notebook is more akin to a prayer list. I write out a date with a simple phrase sentence. For example: 1/15 Karen—diagnosed with breast cancer. This brief statement, reminds me to pray for my friend on a regular basis. As time goes by, I would add 2/15 successful surgery/starting chemo/radiation to update the event. The best part is when I am able to cross out the prayer: 1/15 Karen—diagnosed with breast cancer 2/15 successful surgery/starting chemo/radiation and write PTL (Praise the Lord) through the prayer! Since I use the book for multiple years I can go back and see a prayer and then many times see an answer or resolution. Many are basic concerns that range from personal concerns, a time I had surgery and professional prayers for colleagues and projects.

Recording our prayers doesn’t have to be complicated, nor time consuming. It is a great way to remember how the Lord has worked in our lives. Recording both the prayers and the praises, allows me to reflect on how the Lord works in my life. Psalms 143:5 states, “I recall the old days; I meditate on all you have done; I reflect on your accomplishment.” Seeing answered prayers, keeps me steadfast in hope for the unanswered ones.

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My prayer journal 

Nurses as Authors

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Nurses have a wealth of knowledge and experience, which we should share with one another and with the public. One way to become published is through writing nursing stories. Gerber Nursing, August 2014 – Volume 44 – Issue 8 – p 45–4 describes how to get started with publishing your nursing story.
Another great resources Nurse Author & Editor website/publication. If you click on Resources, you will see a listing for Author that provides additional “helps” with publishing. The website/publication is especially helpful for academic/scholarly publications.
One way to become familiar with publishing is to become a “reviewer” for manuscripts. Under the same tab, Resources, the Nurse Author & Editor website has information for Reviewers on reviewing manuscripts.
Stay tuned, I will continue to add resources and tidbits to Get Published!

NCFI Cares: Our Global Prayer for 2016

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Even though this prayer is a little late and comes from the United States, Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham, has summoned us prayer for 2016. Her prayer guides us in lifting up our self, our churches, our nations and one another unto the Lord.

The one-hour prayer is not only for January, but feel free to print it out and commit to praying throughout the year.

Preprayer 2016 by Anne Graham Lotz

 

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Humility: A noun, an adjective and a verb?

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As I looked at discussing humility as topic for Christian Nursing 101, I had to start from zero. I knew very little about humility personally and professionally and hadn’t heard the church discuss humility. In fact, it was hard to find articles and books discussing what humility is and what it is not. The problem is we may have heard a sermon, here and there, but no great in-depth discourse  nor Bible study on how to be humble. Especially when compared to topics on leadership, love, caring, courage, and others which fill the bookstores and sermon lists.

There was also very little on humility for nursing. I did run across the word used with cultural—which I loved! I was researching content for a nursing course on International Nursing, as well as content for the article “What is Caring with Dignity?” (JCN, October/December, 2015) when I I stumbled upon the term “cultural humility.”

From these deficits in our Christian faith and in nursing, as well is in my own personal/professional life, I decided a XLargeThumb.00005217-201601000-00000.CVdiscussion on humility was needed.

Check out the article in this issue of JCN
and then spend some time tin prayer and self-reflection in how to bring humility to both your personal life and your nursing practice.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Humility, like faith is a growth process and we will spend our earthly lives gleaning attributes from our Savior. Just take note where you would like to improve and then allow the Holy Spirit to direct you accordingly.

NCFI Cares: Christmas Angels

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This is a republish of an NCFI Cares for Christmas from December, 2015. Enjoy!

One of the amazements of the Nativity story is the angels’ announcement to the shepherds in Luke 2:9-15. I have taken creative license in imagining how the scene unfolded:

Heaven is buzzing with excitement. It is about to occur. Jesus will become human. Even though the angels are informed of this great mystery and the significance of salvation, they are filled with wonder and anticipation.

“How long does it take for a little human to be born?” one angel asks. “Why can’t God just make one, like Adam and Eve?”

“I can’t wait” says another. “There hasn’t been this much heavenly excitement since the creation of the Heavens and Earth and the miracles in Egypt.”

“Wait!” says a third angel. “What if the humans miss it? The wise men are on their way, but what if they are the only ones who come to see this miraculous event?”

“I am sure there will be other people who will come and worship the Son,” responds another angel.  “After all, God has given them many signs of what to look for”

A shout arises from the angels, “It is time! Mary is giving birth!”  An overzealous angel, unable to contain his excitement, bolts to earth. The angel finds himself hovering over shepherds in the field and at a loss of what to say or do. Uh, oh! The angel thinks, I have messed up!

Looking for a clue of what to do next, the angel notices the fear on the shepherds face.

“Don’t be afraid!” the angel nervously says. Trying his best to reassure the terrified shepherds. “Listen carefully” says the angel. His confidence is building and the words are flowing. Thank you God, I know what to say! So with renewed confidence, the angel continues.  “For I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.”

“This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” The angel notices the sky is suddenly filled with other angels and together they rejoice:  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!”

The angel returns to heaven feeling assured knowing that all of earth, throughout eternity will know the significance of the Son’s birth!

Merry Christmas!

The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds, by Thomas Cole, c. 1833-34. Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, United States

NCFI Cares: E is for Earnest

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E is for Earnest— is a reminder to be earnest with our prayers for nursing. Luke shares Jesus’ timeless teaching about praying with persistence through the story of night time visitor knocking on the door of a friend. Even though the friend is resting comfortably and doesn’t want to get out of bed to answer the door, the persistent banging on the door provokes the friend to answer the door. Jesus summarizes the story with the following lesson:

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Luke 11:5-10).

The persistent and probably annoying visitor reminds us to pray earnestly (Romans 12:12). One way is to pray weekly for our institutions/ministry/schools. We can also commit to intercede for our colleagues and staff. Our earnest knocking on the prayer door is not for our needs. Instead it is for the Lord’s will in our workplace, in our profession and within our community of nurses (1 Timothy 2:1). As many of us are well acquainted with, earnest prayers doesn’t guarantee results. Instead, it is more likely to open our hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit in our workplace.

 

“A persistent spirit brings a Christian to the place where faith takes hold, claims and appropriates the blessing.” (EM Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer p. 49)

NCFI Cares: Y is for Yield

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Y for Yield guides us in opening ourselves up to how God will speak to us through prayer. Prayer, like eating and sleeping, can become habitual and repetitive. A potential boring activity where we say the same prayers, at the same time, for the same things. We need a jolt to our prayer lives, an openness to God communicating with us in new and unique ways. Here are some Biblical examples:

Remember Moses and the burning bush—through a miraculous bush Moses heart and passion was moved to free the Israelites (Exodus 3).  Isaiah was ushered into the throne room of God. Where Isaiah heard the edict to confront the Israelites regarding their disobedience (Isaiah 6). And my favorite one, is the Lord speaking to a stubborn Balaam through his donkey (Numbers 22:28-33). Let’s not forget Peter, whose daily prayers were interrupted by a vision for the New Testament church (Acts 10).

The Lord can and will use miraculous ways to grab our attention and communicate his word. We can open to these interruptions by simple changes in our prayer routine.  Reading a new liturgy, attending a prayer service, or just sitting quietly and listening more and talking less;  these and other changes can open our hearts and spirits to a unique yielding.

Even if you are a prayer warrior and have a disciplined prayer life, jolt it out of the ordinary and yield to a new way and new passion for intercession with the Lord (Romans 8:27-29)

Blessings

“There is not only a sad and ruinous neglect of any attempt to pray, but there is an immense waste in the false praying that is done, as official praying, state praying, mere habit praying. People cleave to the form and semblance of a thing after the heart and reality have gone out of it.” (EM Bounds in The Reality of Prayer)

 

NCFI Cares: A is for Alert

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A for Alert reminds us to be alert to opportunities to pray with our colleagues. Many times our compassion and concern is focused on our patients and the holy interventions they need. We can also be alert to our colleagues, managers, and administrators. Whether it is a colleague worried about their marriage or stressed about their children. Or maybe it is a manager/administrator facing a newly diagnosed illness or disease. We can listen and support their tough life journey through compassionate prayer.

Alert also reminds us not to forget to stop immediately and pray with them. Personally, I get busy listening, consoling, and supporting that I forget to stop and ask them if I can pray with them. If the situation or work environment is not conducive to an immediate, quick prayer. Then, be sure to follow up with a text, email, or quick word letting them know you are praying for them and would welcome a moment to pray WITH them.

 

As we seek to be alert to the needs of our colleagues, let’s respond compassionately with prayer:

“There is a certain compassion that belongs to the natural person, which expends its force in simple gifts to those in need, and is not to be despised. But spiritual compassion, the kind born in a renewed heart, is Christlike in its nature, deeper, broader, and more prayer-like. Christlike compassion always moves to prayer.” (E.M.Bounds in The Essentials of Prayer)

Ephesians 6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

What is Caring With Dignity?

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I was contemplating the topic of “human or humanity” and how Christians view humans in comparisons to other religions/philosophies.  I Brave new worldalways do a massive literature search for both nursing articles and Christian/theology articles and found the book “How to be a Christian in a Brave new World” by Tada and Cameron. Even though I ended up not using the book for the article, it is on my Christian Nursing book list.

I next stumbled across Transcultural Care Model while searching for cultural competency care for an International Nursing class I developed and teach. The model was wonderful and emphasized cultural humility for my community college students. Campiha-Bacota had also created a Biblically Based Model, which was perfect for the article.

I liked the emphasis on humility and providing nursing care that respected all human beings, no matter what their social, ethnic, religious, gender, etc. What I really enjoyed about finding this website/research, etc is the fact that Campiha-Bacota and others have taken a Christian worldview and applied it to nursing. I pray that more Christian nurses continue to define excellent standard for health care and nursing based upon Biblical principles.

“A biblical understanding of truth can guide nurse and other healthcare professionals in effectively caring for all our people” (Campinha-Bacote, p. 17). From Campinha-Bacote, J.,