Christian Nursing

Christian Nursing 101: Chaos at Work?

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The topic of spiritual warfare had been stirring around in my mind and spirit for quite awhile, for I was unsure how to approach such an important Christian teaching.  Then when nursing and healthcare headlines filled with bullying, violence, and incivility, the perfect backdrop to discuss Spiritual Warfare in Christian nursing presented itself (thank you Lord).

The article “Chaos at Work?” in January/March 2015 issue of JCN gives a brief snapshot of Satan’s plan in our work eStrategy of Satan pixenvironment. My hope was to bring the topic to the forefront of our mind and spirit, so that as Christian nurses we can explore this additional perspective of the health care environment.

Resources/Citations used for the article

The Strategy of Satan: How to Detect and Defeat Him by Warren W. Wiersbe–classic book with biblical approach to Satan.

 

Satanology/Demonology–an in-depth discussion with relevant doctrine into Satan/Demons.

Stay tune for April, 2015….Standing Firm with Prayer! Where I discuss how to respond to the swirling work chaos!

As always I would love to hear from you. Either share your story in the comments or send me an email carrie@carriedameron.com.

NCFI Cares: Tangible Joy!

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Tangible Joy!

As we enjoy the advent hope and joy of the Christmas season, let’s keep in mind those who may be feeling isolated and alone. This is especially true for patients in a hospital, residents in care facilities, and/or anyone separated from their family and traditions. It is hard to find the Christmas spirit when people are grieving the death of a loved one, battling a chronic illness, or overwhelmed by distressing physical symptoms.

As health care providers we are each person’s connection to not only the joy of the season, but also the living heart of God. This holiday season reach out in tangible caring ways to bring the love of Christmas to someone in your nursing care. Maybe it is a small Christmas tree to decorate their hospital room, warm gloves and coat for a patient in your clinic, or spending time to reminisce with the older adult about their Christmas pasts.

These are just a few ideas and I am sure there are other tangible caring ways to connect with patients/families/residents during the holiday season. Please share your ideas or ways you bring the tangible joy Christmas to patients at NCFI Facebook

Merry Christmas from NCFI!

Luke 2:11 “Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.”

 

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NCFI Cares: CPR for Hope–Breathing!

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Breathing is necessary for physical life. Nurses and other health care providers may insert a tube into the lungs to facilitate breathing, and/or attach a ventilator or breathing machine that will “breathe” for a patient. Another intervention for someone not breathing is to have a nurse place their mouth over a patient’s mouth to blow air into the patient. These are all extreme measures that help the patient breathe when they are unable to meet their own oxygen requirements.

Spiritual breathing is also important to sustain life. Jesus, meeting with disciples after the resurrection, breathes on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22).  This holy intervention brought the eternal Holy Spirit into their spirit. From this point forward, the disciples are focused on continuing the ministry of the new covenant.

At times we need a renewal of the Holy Spirit to invigorate our calling in Jesus. Just as CPR has another person breath physically for a patient, we need to breathe spiritually for a fellow brother or sister. We can reach out to one another with prayer and various social connections. Whether it is through email, text or a phone call a simple inspiring message can bring a freshness into someone else’s life. So send the “breath of the Spirit” to someone who needs a boost of hope!

“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5)

Grace & Peace,

Carrie

p.s. Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters around the word who experience hardships and violence because of their faithfulness to Jesus (Ephesians 5:18)

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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!) 

Energy Based Therapies in Nursing: Part 3

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Hopefully, you have been following the series in JCN on Energy Based Therapies. Part 1 & 2 discussed the information from the medical view and then from a biblical view. In Part 3, I give examples of how to respond when we encounter colleagues and students inquiring or using Therapeutic Touch, Reiki and other therapies. 

I would enjoy reading how other Christian nurses have responded. I welcome your thoughts and experiences, so that we can encourage one another in living out Christ’s love in nursing. 

Click here for the article (subscription to JCN required) 

NCFI Cares: Faith to Rest

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A boat is traveling across the sea when the wind and waves begin to knock the boat around. Most of the people on the boat are fearful as the waves bring water into the boat. Yet, one passenger is asleep on a soft cushion below the deck of the boat. The storm continues and the boat begins to fill with water. All the passengers are in a panic except for sleeping passenger (Mark 4:35-41).

Our nursing boat is often rocked by a storm. The storm can be a change in funding, challenges to patient care, or not enough staff. We can quickly feel overwhelmed by the winds of change and the rising water of uncertainty. In fact, nursing and health care are always experiencing some type of storm.

Just as Jesus rested in confidence on the storm-rocked boat, we can rest in him. Jesus cares about health care, nursing, and our patients. He will continue to guide us and provide for you, me and our patients. So, when we find ourselves in a health care storm, can rest in faith and God’s promise is to provide.

Presence in Nursing

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JCN coverAs Christian nurses we can experience the Presence of the Holy Spirit. This is more than just attentively listening and communicating with a patient as with “being present.” This is being used by God to connect with patients.  The Holy Spirit’s indwelling is a wonderful blessing and part of our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also how we can connect with others as part of God’s work in their lives and our own.

One such special time was with a difficult patient. I was struggling to feel like my work as a med/surg nurse really mattered and that I was being used by God. One day a call light came on for a patient that I was not assigned to, but new very well. He was considered a “frequent flyer” because of his chronic disease and difficult behavior. I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to answer his call light, which I did. That moment began a long relationship of seeing this patient beyond my med/surg nurse eyes and heart. I knew the Holy Spirit was intervening for this man, because my eyes and heart were opened in a way that I could not of otherwise seen. Actually, one of my indicators now, that the Holy Spirit is working in my heart, is when I notice, see or feel things that are beyond me or outside my normal feelings.

I would enjoy hearing your stories of how you experience the Holy Spirit in your work.

Read the article: Presence in this month’s JCN. There I give a great example of the difference between “being present” and the Holy Spirit’s presence in nursing. There is also a snap-shot of the Bible’s teaching on the unique person of the Trinity, called the Holy Spirit.

NCFI: Art and Science of Spiritual Care

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I have been on a whirlwind journey with NCFI nurses from around the world.

Around Jan, 2011 I joined NCFI to partner with international nurses to create an educational module for spiritual care. Thanks to Skype we were able to work through 4 time zones and busy nurses schedules to create a 4-session educational presentation. The team included myself and Amy from the USA, Tove from Norway, and Swee Eng from Singapore. All of us, except Amy, met and taught the content to international health care providers at the 75th jubilee conference for HCFI in Manila, Philippines in September, 2011. 

We came home and connected with Grace from Colombia and supported Swee Eng’s move to a leadership presentation. Once again, through Skype, we endeavored to create a final presentation with workbook, as well as translation into Spanish. We will be meeting once again in Chile to teach the content at the NCFI conference in Santiago, Chile.

Before we get the idea that the project is completed, Amy, Tove, and myself have submitted an abstract to present a 80 minute symposium at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) conference in May, 2013.


Prayer Room in Taipai airport


The Lord continues to work amazingly, as we endeavor to educate and support nurses around the world in bringing cross-culturally spiritual care to our patients, clients, and residents.

For more pictures, go to      nurses4him facebook link