I know your works your love, faith, service, and patient endurance.

Transcription

1 This Bible Is Presented to Given by Date Occasion I know your works your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. REVELATION 2:19

2 NURSING HISTORY Institution / Cases Location Dates Position(s) / Duties Institution / Cases Location Dates Position(s) / Duties Institution / Cases Location Dates Position(s) / Duties Institution / Cases Location Dates Position(s) / Duties

3 Dear Lord, pray every day to remember that I may cast all my I anxieties, my cares, upon you because you care for me. It is never easy to be your hands and feet, or your loving arms to care for those that have been entrusted to me for whatever reasons. Their ailments are sometimes overwhelming for them, as well as me, and I pray that you will give me the wisdom to know how to help them. I pray that I can ease their suffering through a loving touch, a kind word, a silent prayer for them when I am weary from the day s demands. Lord, just as it says in Isaiah 40:31, those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, I pray for the patience to wait on you for the strength I need to continue to minister to those who are hurting around me. Give me a servant s heart to be the sort of person who will make a difference in people s lives. Bless me with wisdom for the right words to say or the discernment to know when silence is best, when a touch or smile may be all that is needed when words could never be enough. I ask that you use me to the fullest so that I can care for others just as you care for me. In your holy name I pray. Amen. CASTING ALL MY CARES

4 Nurse s Bible 18-pages of black ink content following biblical text A Nurse s Calling All things have a beginning, including one s career. Somewhere, at sometime, a feeling, barely perceptible (or perhaps it was overwhelming), emanated forth from deep within your soul and surfaced, glistening with just a touch of destiny. It was your call. Once upon a time, your heart raced just a bit when you thought about it. Perhaps that time has long since passed and some days you are not even sure why you keep coming to work or whether you should care. Perhaps your heart is still races a bit when you think about it. Deep Calls to Deep Read: Psalm 42; Luke 7:18-23; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 Healing comes from the Spirit. Giving sight to the blind, making the lame walk, cleansing the sick, and causing the deaf to hear are all signs of the kingdom. God calls nurses into kingdom work through the gift of healing. Forgetting our call leads to losing our way. Buried within Psalm 42, in the image of God s mighty waves and billows washing over the supplicant (v. 7), is a curious, yet potentially transformative expression: deep calls to deep. Though referring to the deep over which primordial darkness once reigned (Gen 1:2) and from which fresh sweet water flows to bless us (Gen 49:25), the expression deep calls to deep evokes a sense of God s immanence resonating forth from creation s hidden depths to which our souls are uniquely attuned. When the difficulties, uncertainties, and fears of life threaten to drown us and our soul cries out, then from the very depths of God, who is the source of life itself, our souls hear God s call issuing forth from the foundations of time, calling us back into a forgotten intimacy with God. Concerning our call, Frederick Buechner, a Christian writer, once stated, the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet (Wishful Thinking [New York: Macmillan, 1962), 119). Buechner s place of our deep gladness is identical to that place in our soul where deep calls to deep, the place that calls us into relationship with God and individually connects us with God s love for us and with our love for God. It establishes our vertical connection, as it were, with God. But there is another aspect of call that establishes our love for our neighbor and that connects us horizontally, as it were, with the world. Buechner identifies this as the place of the world s deep hunger, which I would identify as the place to which God s gifts of the Spirit leads us: to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1 Cor 12:7). The vertical part of our call, where our soul s deep gladness responds to God s call, enlivens us to experience God s love; the horizontal part of our call, where the Spirit feeds our ability to assuage the world s deep hunger, empowers us to love our neighbor. The place where the vertical and the horizontal cross is the place to which we are called and is the cross we each must bear. Nursing is a profession, but it is also a calling. Vocation comes from the Latin vocare, to call. When the storms arise and doubts assail you, you may need to rise above your training and sink back into the depths of the calling that first set you on this course of healing. Remembering your call will provide not only the anchor that enables you to ride out the storm but also the bearing you need to move onward. Prayer: Creator God, Thank you for calling me into nursing. Reestablish me in the hope of my calling each day that I might continue to use your gift of healing for the well-being of my patients. Amen.

5 Nurse s Bible 18-pages of black ink content following biblical text A Nurse s Limitation Death is a difficult subject. Yet death whether we like it or not forms a significant part of our continuum of care. As healthcare professionals we need to find a healthy way to cope with the deaths of those under our care, a way that recognizes our loss and also enables us to move forward. There are many biblical passages, such as those recommended below, that provide comfort in the face of death, but we will examine here a passage that exhibits one model of action in the face of death. Dealing with Death Read: Psalm 23, 130; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Isaiah 40:1-8, 28-31; John 14; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:1-7 The context of 2 Samuel 12:15b-23 is both familiar and heartbreaking: King David has had an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and then set up her husband, Uriah, to be killed in battle. The child born of that union is now dying as Nathan had prophesied. Disturbing as this context is, our focus remains on the actions of King David. During the entire time the child was receiving care, King David remained lying on the ground fasting and praying even though his servants urged him to rise and take food. When the child finally died after seven days, David s servants were afraid to tell him, thinking he might do himself harm. But instead, after David heard the child had died, he rose from the ground, bathed, anointed, and clothed himself, and went to the house of the Lord to worship. After this, he returned home to eat. Amazed at this unexpected turn, his servants asked him about it. David replied, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me, and the child may live. But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. David s actions and words contain a seed of wisdom that we as professionals need to hear: Do all you can while the patient is alive, and when the patient dies, let go of him or her. Or as the Preacher said, For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die (Eccl 3:1-2). Easier said than done, but there is nothing in our professional codes of ethics or in the Bible that states we must carry on our shoulders and in our hearts the deaths of our patients beyond what is appropriate. In the modern hospital, death has many faces, each of which affects us differently. I believe there are three fundamental reasons we carry the death of our patients with us for too long. First, we fear death. But as human as our fear is, we need to remember that Jesus died to conquer death. Maturing in our faith lessens our fear of death. Second, we become attached to our patients. Such attachments in themselves are not problematic, if they remain professional: the problem enters when we fail to detach ourselves once our patients leave our care, either through discharge or death. A ritual for letting go of our patients, such as a short memorial, can help with this. The third reason we fail to let go of our patients after they die arises from a feeling of failure: somehow we did not do all we could have done for the patient. If indeed true, then an appropriate act of contrition and reconciliation is recommended, after which we move on and through which we learn to better our practice. But we often feel that death itself constitutes failure. King David s actions and words speak directly to this view of death as failure. When we know we did all in our power for the patient while alive, then we can own this fact and rest in it. Also, we can recognize that death as well as life fulfills God s will. And finally, like King David, we can take back our lives and let go of the dead. God cares for the dead: we care for the living. Prayer: Dear God, it breaks my heart when my patient dies. Thank you for a heart that loves. Empower me now through your Spirit to commend this patient into your care that I may continue my care for those still under my charge. Amen.

6 Nurse s Bible 18-pages of black ink content following biblical text Bible Reading Plan Read through the entire Old and New Testaments in one year. Week 1, Day 1 Gen 1; Pss 1, 2 Week 1, Day 2 Gen 2; Pss 3, 4 Week 1, Day 3 Gen 3, 4; Pss 5, 6 Week 1, Day 4 Gen 5, 6; Ps 7 Week 1, Day 5 Gen 7, 8; Ps 8 Week 1, Day 6 Gen 9, 10, 11; Ps 9 Week 1, Day 7 Gen 12, 13; Ps 10 Week 2, Day 1 Gen 14, 15; Ps 11 Week 2, Day 2 Gen 16, 17; Ps 12 Week 2, Day 3 Gen 18, 19; Pss 13, 14 Week 2, Day 4 Gen 20, 21; Ps 15 Week 2, Day 5 Gen 22, 23; Ps 16 Week 2, Day 6 Gen 24, 25; Pss 17, 18 Week 2, Day 7 Gen 26, 27; Ps 19 Week 3, Day 1 Gen 28, 29, 30 Week 3, Day 2 Gen 31, 32, 33 Week 3, Day 3 Gen 34, 35, 36; Ps 20 Week 3, Day 4 Gen 37, 38; Ps 21 Week 3, Day 5 Gen 39, 40; Ps 22 Week 3, Day 6 Gen 41, 42; Pss 23, 24 Week 3, Day 7 Gen 43, 44, 45 Week 4, Day 1 Gen 46, 47, 48 Week 4, Day 2 Gen 49, 50; Ps 25 Week 4, Day 3 Exod 1, 2; Pss 26, 27 Week 4, Day 4 Exod 3, 4; Ps 28 Week 4, Day 5 Exod 5, 6, 7 Week 4, Day 6 Exod 8, 9, 10; Ps 29 Week 4, Day 7 Exod 11, 12; Ps 30 Week 5, Day 1 Exod 13, 14, 15 Week 5, Dry 2 Exod 16, 17, 18 Week 5, Day 3 Exod 19, 20; Pss 31, 32 Week 5, Day 4 Exod 21, 22, 23 Week 5, Day 5 Exod 24, 25, 26 Week 5, Day 6 Exod 27, 28, 29, 30 Week 5, Day 7 Exod 31, 32, 33 Week 6, Day 1 Exod 34, 35, 36 Week 6, Day 2 Exod 37, 38, 39, 40 Week 6, Day 3 Lev 1, 2, 3 Week 6, Day 4 Lev 4, 5, 6 Week 6, Day 5 Lev 7, 8, 9 Week 6, Day 6 Lev 10, 11; Pss 33, 34 Week 6, Day 7 Lev 12, 13; Pss 35 Week 7, Day 1 Lev 14, 15; Pss 36 Week 7, Day 2 Lev 16, 17, 18 Week 7, Day 3 Lev 19, 20, 21; Ps 37 Week 7, Day 4 Lev 22, 23, 24 Week 7, Day 5 Lev 25, 26, 27 Week 7, Day 6 Num 1, 2, 3; Ps 38 Week 7, Day 7 Num 4, 5, 6 Week 8, Day 1 Num 7, 8; Ps 39 Week 8, Day 2 Num 9, 10; Ps 40 Week 8, Day 3 Num 11, 12; Pss 41, 42 Week 8, Day 4 Num, 13, 14, 15 Week 8, Day 5 Num 16, 17, 18 Week 8, Day 6 Num 19, 20; Pss 43, 44 Week 8, Day 7 Num 21; Pss 45, 46 Week 9, Day 1 Num 22, 23, 24 Week 9, Day 2 Num 25, 26, 27 Week 9, Day 3 Num 28, 29, 30, 31 Week 9, Day 4 Num 32, 33, 34 Week 9, Day 5 Num 35, 36; Ps 47 Week 9, Day 6 Deut 1, 2, 3; Ps 48 Week 9, Day 7 Deut 4, 5; Ps 49 Week 10, Day 1 Deut 6, 7, 8 Week 10, Day 2 Deut 9, 10, 11 Week 10, Day 3 Deut 12, 13 14; Ps 50 Week 10, Day 4 Deut 15, 16, 17 Week 10, Day 5 Deut 18, 19, 20 Week 10, Day 6 Deut 21, 22, 23; Ps 51 Week 10, Day 7 Deut 24, 25, 26 Week 11, Day 1 Deut 27, 28, 29 Week 11, Day 2 Deut 30, 31, 32 Week 11, Day 3 Deut 33, 3 4; Pss 52, 53 Week 11, Day 4 Josh 1, 2, 3 Week 11, Day 5 Josh 4, 5, 6 Week 11, Day 6 Josh 7, 8, 9; Ps 54 Week 11, Day 7 Josh 10, 11, 12 Week 12, Day 1 Josh 13, 14, 15 Week 12, Day 2 Josh 16, 17, 18 Week 12, Day 3 Josh 19, 20, 21; Ps 55 Week 12, Day 4 Josh 22, 23, 24 Week 12, Day 5 Judg 1, 2, 3 Week 12, Day 6 Judg 4, 5; Pss 56, 57 Week 12, Day 7 Judg 6, 7, 8 Week 13, Day 1 Judg 9, 10, 11 Week 13, Day 2 Judg 12, 13, 14 Week 13, Day 3 Judg 15, 16; Pss 58, 59 Week 13, Day 4 Judg 17, 18, 19 Week 13, Day 5 Judg 20, 21; Ps 60 Week 13, Day 6 Ruth 1, 2, 3, 4 Week 13, Day 7 1 Sam 1, 2, 3 Week 14, Day 1 1 Sam 4, 5, 6 Week 14, Day 2 1 Sam 7, 8, 9 Week 14, Day 3 1 Sam 10, 11, 12; Ps 61 Week 14, Day 4 1 Sam 13, 14, 15 Week 14, Day 5 1 Sam 16, 17, 18 Week 14, Day 6 1 Sam 19, 20, 21, 22 Week 14, Day 7 1 Sam 23, 24, 25

7 Nurse s Bible back color pages A Shepherd s Prayer: Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. The Magnificat: Song of Mary, Luke 1:46-55 My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

8 Nurse s Bible back color pages Bible Verses for Nurses Exodus 33:14 [God] said, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Deuteronomy 15: 11 Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 118:1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my distress, that your promise gives me life. Psalm 145:9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Proverbs 31:9 Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Isaiah 66:13 As a mother comforts her child, So I will comfort you; You shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Zechariah 7:9-10 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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.