A Love Letter from Jesus
(Insert your name in the blank)
__________,I love you! I shed my own blood for you to make you clean.
You are clean now, so believe that it is true.
You are lovely in my eyes, and I created you to be just as you are.
Do not criticize yourself or get down for not being perfect in your own eyes.
This leads only to frustration. I want you to trust Me - one step
one day at a time. Dwell in My power and in My love and be free!
Be yourself! Don't allow other people to run you.
I will guide you, if you let Me. Be aware of My presence in everything.
I give you patience, love, joy, peace and life. Look to Me for your answers.
I am your shepherd and will lead you. Follow me only! Do not ever forget this.
Listen to Me and I will tell you My will. Let My love flow from you and spill over to all you touch.
Do not be concerned with yourself. You are My responsibility. I will change you,
and you will hardly know it is happening. You are to
love yourself and love others simply because I love you.
Take your eyes off yourself! Look only at Me!
I change...I create..., but not when you are trying. I won't fight your efforts.
You are Mine. Let Me give you joy, peace, and kindness. No one else can!
Love,
Jesus
A Promise from God
23rd Psalm paraphrased
I am your shepherd
You will never have need of anything that I want for you.
If you will trust me, and allow me to be the
shepherd of your life, I will give to you such great
peace of mind that it will be like lying in the
cool green grass of a springtime meadow;
And as you learn to deepen your love and trust,
a quietness will come over your soul.
like a serene, calm lake.
It will be a time of great refreshment to your inner man,
thus preparing you to do whatever tasks I set before you to do;
And do not minimize any task that I give you to do,
as it is for my honor and glory, not yours.
There will be times when, because of my great love for you,
it will be necessary for me to lead you
into great darkness.....
Darkness that will be so great that you will feel as
though you are standing at the very edge
of life, with death awaiting you below.
But always remember, I am still your shepherd.
In the darkness you may not be able to see me,
but you have my eternal promise that
I will never leave you or forsake you.
If you will continue to trust me, even after you have been
through a time of darkness, I will again flood
your heart with such peace that you could even
sit down with your enemies.
Your joy will be so great that it will spill over
into the lives of others.
And as your reward I will give to you all the really
important things of life.
When you have completed all that I have planned for you
to do on earth. I want you to come up and live
with me forever
and ever
and ever.
When I Say "I Am A Christian"...
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I am saved"
I'm whispering "I get lost!"
"That is why I chose this way."
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide.
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and pray for strength to carry on.
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I'm worth it.
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name.
When I say..."I am a Christian"
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority.
I only know I'm loved.
-Author Carol Wimmer - Copyright 1988
Dear friends,
This poem is the heart of what I believe.
Many people have passed through these pages,
that do not know the love of Jesus and have said
that Christians judge, condemn, and speak as hypocrites.
As the poem says...
"I do not wish to judge you, because I have no authority.
My flaws are all too visible...and I'm confessing that I have stumbled".
My only desire, when you visit my pages, is that you will feel
and come to know the love that Jesus has for you.
Not feel as though you are being condemned or judged.
Jesus came that we may have life...
and have it more abundantly!
He is not a dead prophet that spoke great things...
BUT, a risen Savior...that is as real today,
as the days He walked the earth.
We are not loved by Jesus because we are special....
You and I are special because Jesus loves us and gave His
life for us so that we may truly be free!
I pray the peace of Jesus that passes all understanding,
be with you as you visit these pages!
to
Christian Nurses
Understanding what it means to be..
CHRIST'S LIGHT IN NURSING
FOLLOW THESE 10 EASY STEPS:
1. Wait till night time.
2. Go to the darkest room in your house.
3. Close the curtains/blinds and doors, and any other place where light could come in.
4. Turn off all the lights.
5. Stand in the darkness for a few moments with your eyes open.
6. Light a candle and place it in the middle of the room.
7. Make sure you notice how light it seems with just one candle.
8. Understand that one candle can be the difference between darkness and light.
9. Think about how you could be Christ's light in nursing.
10. Pray that God would help you to make a difference in this world of darkness.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Let's live, then, in the light of Jesus Christ, sharing Him with those around us who are still living in darkness. One little candle can be the difference between darkness and LIGHT!
Author: Kath Dixon RN
I pray I do my part to lift each downcast spirit
and to soothe each heavy heart.
May my touch being reassurance.
May my voice be soothing too,
May my gentle care remind them
Of the love they have in You.
Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art,
It requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation,
as any painter's or sculptor's work;
for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble,
compared with having to do with the living body,
the temple of God's spirit?
It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts. |
Being a NURSE means......
You will never be bored.
You will always be frustrated.
You will be surrounded by challenges.
So much to do and so little time.
You will carry immense responsibility and very little authority.
You will step into people's lives and you will make a difference.
Some will bless you. Some will curse you.
You will see people at their worst-and at their best
You will never cease to be amazed at people's capacity for love, courage, and endurance.
You will see life begin-and end.
You will experience resounding triumphs and devastating failures.
You will cry a lot. You will laugh a lot.
You will laugh a lot.
You will know what it is to be human and to be humane.
Melodie Chenevert, RN
THE FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE PLEDGE I solemnly pledge myself before God and presence of this assembly;
To pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully.
I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous
and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard
of my profession and will hold in confidence all personal matters
committed to my keeping and family affairs coming to my
knowledge in the practice of my calling.
With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work,
and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care. |
A Nurse's Prayer
by April, GMU Nurse
Lord,
Give me the intelligence, intuition, and knowledge to Assess.
Give me the reason, rationality, and understanding so I may Plan.
Give me energy, agility, and tenderness during Implementation.
Give me the wisdom, perception, and fairness to Evaluate.
Most of all Lord, give me Patience, Compassion, and Kindness for all people.
Lord help me to relax about insignificant details
beginning tomorrow at 7:41:23 am PST
God help me to consider people's feelings,
even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.
God help me to take responsibility for my own
actions,
even though they're usually NOT my fault.
God, help me to not try to RUN everything.
But, if You need some help, please feel free to ASK
me!
Lord, help me to be more laid back,
and help me to do it EXACTLY right.
God help me to take things more seriously,
especially laughter, parties, and dancing.
God give me patience,
and I mean right NOW!
Lord help me not be a perfectionist.
(Did I spell that correctly?)
God, help me to finish everything I sta
God, help me to keep my mind on
one th -- Look, a bird -- ing at a time.
God help me to do only what I can, and trust you
for the rest.
And would you mind putting that in writing?
Lord keep me open to others' ideas,
WRONG though they may be.
Lord help me be less independent,
but let me do it my way.
Lord help me follow established procedures today.
On second thought, I'll settle for a few minutes.
Lord, help me slow down
andnotrushthroughwhatIdo.
Amen.
Who can find a good-natured nurse?
For her price is far above silver and gold.
Those with whom she works
do safely trust in her,
for she will do her duty well.
She seeks medicines and skills,
and works willingly to help others.
She is like the dedicated servant;
she gives of herself
and considers her own desires last.
She rises while it is yet night
and gives aid to the sick
and comfort to the sorrowing.
A heartwarming smile is hers,
and she uses it;
from her heart it comes,
and is made beautiful in her eyes.
She girds herself with honor
and strengthens her ability with patience.
She perceives that her work is good.
Her candle does not go out by night.
She lays her hands upon understanding.
She stretches out her hand to the poor;
yes, she reaches forth hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of sorrow,
for her trust is in God.
Pride and humility are her clothing,
and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She opens her mouth with comfort,
and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She busies herself helping others
and does not allow herself to be idle.
Her associates rise up and call her blessed;
her patients also and they praise her kindness.
Many daughters have helped others,
but you excel them all.
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a nurse that fears the Lord,
she shall be praised.
Give her the fruit of her hands
and let her own works praise her
in the halls of nursing.
Once there was this very wealthy young man. He lived in a
great, elaborate house with dozens of rooms. each room
was more comfortable and more beautiful than the one before
it. there were paintings and sculptures. Crystal chandeliers,
golden, ornate railings on the stairs. More beauty than most
have ever seen.
One day he decided to invite the Lord to come home and
stay with him. When the Lord arrived, this young man offered
him the very best room in the house. The room was upstairs
and at the end of the hall.
"This room is yours, Jesus! Stay
as long as you like and you can do whatever you want to in
this room, remember Jesus, its all yours."
That evening after he had retired
for the night there came a loud knocking
at the front door.
The young man pulled on
his robe and made his way downstairs. When he opened the
door he found that the devil had sent three of his demons
to attack the man. He quickly tried to close the door but
one of the demons kept sticking his foot in. Sometime
later, after a great struggle, he managed to slam the door
shut and returned to his room totally exhausted.
"Can you believe that", "the man thought. "Jesus is upstairs
in my very best room sleeping while I am down here battling
demons. Oh, well, maybe he just didn't hear". He slept fitfully
that night.
The next day thing went along as normal and, being tired as
he was, the young man retired early that evening. Along
about midnight, there came such a terrible ruckus at the
front door that the young man was sure that whatever it was
would tear the door down. He stumbled down the stairs once
again and opened the door to find that were dozens of
demons now trying to get into his beautiful home.
For more than three hours he fought and struggled against
the demons from hell and finally overtook them enough to
shut the door against their attack. All energy seemed to fail
him. He really didn't understand this at all. "Why won't the
Lord come to my rescue? Why does he allow me to fight
all by myself? I feel so alone". Troubled, he found his way
to the sofa and fell into a restless sleep.
The next morning he decided to inquire of the Lord about the
happenings of the last two evenings. Quietly he made his
way to the elegant bedroom where he had left Jesus.
"Jesus," he called as he tapped at the door. "Lord, I don't
understand what is happening. For the last two nights I
have had to fight the demons away from my door while
you laid up here sleeping. Don't you care about me? Did I
not give you the very best room in the house?"
He could see the tears building in Jesus' eyes but continued
on, "I just don't understand, I really thought that once I
invited you in to live with me that you would take care of me
and I gave you the best room in my house and everything.
What more can I do?"
"My precious child," Jesus spoke so softly. "I do love and care for you. I protect all that you have released into my care. But when you invited me to come here and stay, you brought me to this lovely room and you shut the door to the rest of your house. I am Lord of this room but I am not Master of this house. I have protected this room and no demon may enter here."
"Oh, Lord, please forgive me. Take all of my house-it is
yours. I am so sorry that I never offered you all to begin
with. I want you to have control of everything." With this
he flung open the bedroom door and knelt at Jesus' feet.
"Please forgive me Lord for being so selfish."
Jesus smiled and told him that He had already forgiven
him and that He would take care of things from now on.
That night as the young man prepared for bed he thought,
"I wonder if those demons will return, I am so tired of
fighting them each and every night." But he knew that
Jesus said that he would take care of things from now on.
Along about midnight the banging on the door was
frightening. The young man slipped out of his room in
time to see Jesus going down the stairs. He watched in
awe as Jesus swung open the door, no need to be afraid.
Satan stood at the door this time demanding to be let in.
"What do you want, satan?" the Lord asked. The devil
bowed low in the presence of the Lord, "So sorry, I seem
to have gotten the wrong address." And with that, he and
the demons all ran away.
There is a moral to this tale. Jesus wants all of you, not
just a part. He will take all that you give Him but nothing
more. How much of your heart have you given to the Lord?
Are you keeping a portion of it away from Him?
Perhaps the attacks are coming more and more each day.
Why not let the Lord fight the battles for you? He is always
victorious. I have found that God made man simple, all of
man's complexities are of his own devising. 
Come unto me all you who are weary
and I will give you rest.
The Burden
"Why was my burden so heavy?" I slammed the bedroom door and leaned against it. Is there no rest from this life? I wondered. I stumbled to my bed and dropped onto it, pressing my pillow around my ears to shut out the noise of my existance.
"Oh God, I cried,"let me sleep, Let me sleep forever and never wake up!"
With a deep sob I tried to will myself into oblivion, then welcomed the darkness that came over me. Light surrounded me as I regained consciousness. I focused on it's source: the figure of a man standing before a cross.
"My child," the person asked, "why do you want to come to Me before I am ready to call you?"
"Lord, I'm sorry. It's just that...I can't go on. You see how hard it is for me. Look at this awful burden on my back. I simply can't carry it anymore.
"But haven't I told you to cast all of your burdens upon Me, because I care for you? My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
"I knew You would say that. But why does mine have to be so heavy?"
"My child, everyone in the world has a burden. Perhaps you would like to try a different one?"
"I can do that?"
He pointed to several burdens lying at His feet."You may try any of these."
All of them seemed to be of equal size. But each was labeled with a name.
"There's Joan's," I said. Joan was married to a wealthy businessman. She lived in a sprawling estate and dressed her three daughters in the prettiest designer clothes. Sometimes she drove me to church in her Cadillac when my car was broken down.
"Let me try that one.", How difficult could her burden be? I thought.
The Lord removed my burden and placed Joan's on my shoulder's. I sank to my knees beneath it's weight.
"Take it off!" I said. "What makes it so heavy?"
"Look inside."
I untied the straps and opened the top. Inside was a figure of her Mother-in-law, and when I lifted it out, it began to speak...."Joan, you'll never be good enough for my son," it began. "He never should have married you. You're a terrible mother to my grandchildren..."
I quickly placed the figure back in the pack and withdrew another. It was Donna, Joan's youngest daughter. Her head was bandaged from the surgery that failed to resolve her epilepsy.
A third figure was Joan's brother. Addicted to drugs, he had been convicted of killing a police officer.
"I see why her burdens are so heavy, Lord. But she's always smiling and helping others. I didn't realize..."
"Would you like to try another?" He asked quietly
I tested several. Paula's felt heavy. She was raising four small boys without a father. Deborah's did too: a childhood of sexual abuse and a marriage of emmotional abuse. When I came to Ruth's burden, I didn't even try. I knew that inside I would find arthritis, old age, a demanding full-time job, and a beloved husband in a nursing home.
"They're all too heavy, Lord," I said. "Give back my own." As I lifted the familiar load once again, it seemed much lighter than the others.
"Let's look inside," He said.
I turned away, holding it close. "That's not a good idea," I said.
"Why?"
"There's a lot of junk in there"
"Let Me see."
The gentle thunder of His voice compelled me. I opened my burden.
He picked out a stone.
"Tell Me about this one"
"Lord, You know. It's money. I know we don't suffer like people in some countries or even the homeless here in America. But we have no insurance, and when the kids get sick, we can't always take them to the doctor. They've never been to a dentist. And I'm tired of dressing them in hand-me-downs."
"My child, I will supply all of your needs...and your children's. I've given them healthy bodies. I will teach them that expensive clothing doesn't make a person valuable in My sight."
Then He lifted out the figure of a small boy. "And this?"He asked.
"Andrew..." I hung my head, ashamed to call my son a burden. "But, Lord, he's hyperactive. He's not quiet like the other two. he makes me so tired. He's always getting hurt, and someone is bound to think I abuse him. I yell at him all the time. Someday I may really hurt him..."
"My child,"He said, "if you trust Me, I will renew your strength, if you allow Me to fill you with My Spirit, I will give you patience."
Then He took some pebbles from my burden.
"Yes, Lord," I said with a sigh. "Those are small. But they're important. I hat my hair. It's thin, and I can't make it look nice. I can't afford to go to the beauty shop. I'm overweight and can't stay on a diet. I hate all my clothes. I hate the way I look!"
"My child, people look at your outward appearance, but I look at your heart. By My Spirit you can gain self-control to lose weight. But your beauty should not come from outward appearance. Instead, it should come from your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in My sight."
My burden now seemed lighter than before.
"I guess I can handle it now" I said.
There is more," He said. "Hand Me that last brick."
"Oh, You don't have to take that. I can handle it."
"My child, give it to Me." Again His voice compelled me. He reached out His hand, and for the first time I saw the ugly wound.
"But Lord, this stone is so awful, so nasty, so....Lord! What happened to Your hands? They are so scarred!"
No longer focused on my burden, I looked for the first time into His face. In His brow were ragged scars--as though someone had pressed thorns into His flesh.
"Lord,"I whispered. "What happened to You?"
His loving eyes reached into my soul.
My child...you know. Hand Me the stone. It belongs to Me. I bought it."
"How?" I asked.
With My blood."
"But why, Lord?"
Because I loved you with an everlasting love. Give it to Me."
I placed the filthy stone into His wounded palm. It contained all the dirt and evil of my life: my pride, my selfishness, my secret sins, the depression that constantly tormented me.
He turned to the cross and hurled my stone into the pool of blood at its base. It hardly made a ripple."
"Now My child, you need to go back. I will be with you always. When you are troubled, call to Me and I will help you and show you things you cannot imagine now."
"Yes, Lord, I will call upon You."
I reached to pick up my burden.
"You may leave that here if you wish. You see all these other burdens? They are the ones that others have left at My feet. Joan's, Paula's, Debra's, Ruth's....When you leave your burden here, I carry it with you. Remember, My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
As I place my burden with Him, the light began to fade. Yet I heard Him whisper, I will never leave you, nor forsake you."
A peace flooded my soul."
"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
(Matthew 11:28-30)
Satan called a world wide convention. In his opening address to his
evil angels, he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church.
We can't keep then from reading their Bibles & knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else.
We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in
Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them
is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative
lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in
Jesus Christ.
This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining
hold of their Saviour & maintaining that vital connection throughout
their day."
"How shall we do this?", shouted his angels.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life & invent unnumbered
schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend,
spend, spend, then, borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go
to work & the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week,10-12 hrs. a day, so
they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with
their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer
no escape from the pressures of work."
"Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small
voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they
drive, to keep the TV, the VCR, & their CD's going constantly in their
homes. And see to it that every store & restaurant in the world plays
music constantly. This will jam their minds & break that union with
Christ."
"Fill their coffee tables with magazines & newspapers. Pound their
minds with the news 24 hrs. a day. Invade their driving moments with
billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail
order catalogues, & every kind of newsletter & promotional offering,
free products, services, & false hopes."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return
from their recreation exhausted, disquieted & unprepared for the coming
week.
Don't let them go out in nature. Send them to amusement parks,
sporting events, concerts & movies instead. And when they meet for
spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip & small talk so that they
leave with troubled consciences & unsettled emotion."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so
many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their
health & family unity for the good of the cause."
It was quite a convention in the end.
And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing
Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy & rush here & there.
Has the devil been successful at his scheme?
You be the judge.
