Salt and Light
How are Christian nurses to be different? Colossians 3 offers insights on how followers of Jesus are to be unique. It begins, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is... not on earthly things..." and ends, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." NCF's Bible study What Sets You Apart asks, "Looking at the commands in this passage, how does God want his people to be different in the areas of communication, teamwork, work ethic, attitude and compassion for others?"
Check out this and other "What's Vital?" Bible studies, available free at http://ncf-jcn.org/publications/vitalbs/main.php.
Visit NCF
Member Benefits
* Are you using your member benefits? NCF members receive a 30% discount on all JCN CE (in print and online) and 25% discount on all other CE online at Lippincott's http://NursingCenter.com (1,200 CE opportunities available!). Learn how to obtain member discounts at http://www.ncf-jcn.org/jcn/lwwce.php.
* JCNOnline: Access JCN content, including the current issue, archives, topical, and personal collections, and more, at http://journalofchristiannursing.com. Information about activating your online account is e-mailed from Lippincott when you join NCF. If you are an NCF member and can't access your JCN online account, contact LWW Member Services at (866) 489-0443 or [email protected] with your name and NCF membership number.
* Not a member? Enjoy these and other benefits from NCF for one low price: $65 for nurses; $55 retirees; and full-time students $35 (print and online JCN access) or full-time students $25 (online JCN access only). Join at http://www.ncf-jcn.org today!
Intersections
Connecting Faith and Nursing
God brought a nurse researcher/educator from Canada to the 3rd Innovations in Faith-Based Nursing conference this past summer at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN, sponsored by IWU, Sigma Theta Tau Eta Chi Chapter, and NCF. Dr. Pat Sealy submitted an article to JCN about her experience with locally advanced breast cancer and we encouraged her to submit an abstract and come to the conference. Pat had the exact amount needed for registration in her budget that expired June 30. She came and presented a poster on The Passion Journey. Pat writes:
Finding Easter at the Innovations Conference: I had tremendous trepidation in deciding to go. I saw the conference advertised in December but decided at the time I might not be well enough to attend. I would have never submitted an abstract if you wouldn't have suggested it.
I had never attended a Christian conference before. Until recently, I never really talked about my faith unless directly asked. It felt like a brave move even to try to attend. Yet I felt called to come and listened to the call. My husband's presence helped me know that if I didn't feel well, I could go home.
I met a lot of interesting people and discovered, that like me before I was ill, most people had not heard of passion journeying. I refer to Easter because I am now in a time when I am going back out into the world and trying to make a difference. Maybe some people found hope and encouragement from my story. A few women disclosed they also were breast cancer survivors. I listened to how people responded to my Passion Journey Easter story. Coming to the conference was an Exodus from the wilderness to the Promised Land.
You can read "The Passion Journey: Bringing Meaning to Suffering, Spiritual Crisis, and Recovery in Cancer" by Pat Sealy on pp. 238-242 or online in the Oct/Dec 2012 issue at http://journalofchristiannursing.com. The 4th Biennial Innovations conference will be held at IWU in 2014.
Spotlight On...
Urbana 12: InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's 23rd Student Missions Conference December 27-31, 2012, St. Louis, MO, URBANA.ORG
You know nursing is your profession, but what is your mission? Have you ever considered using your nursing to serve others cross-culturally at home or in an international context?
Health is at the heart of the gospel. As healthcare, professionals, God opens doors for us to care for his people all over the world. Since InterVarsity started the Urbana Student Missions Conference in 1946, it has impacted over 250,000 people to devote their lives to God's global mission. At Urbana 12, you can attend healthcare seminars while integrating missions training to build a learning experience that uniquely reflects where God may be calling you. There will be opportunities to discover how to use your healthcare skills around the globe and right at home. You will be challenged by mission leaders, speak with hundreds of missions organizations, attend seminars, and study the Bible with thousands of other young people listening for God's call on their lives.
Even if you do not feel called to missions but want to understand Jesus and embrace his heart for the healing of the nations, Urbana 12 is for you. Listen to testimonies of former Urbana participants:
"I didn't really go for missions, I just wanted to experience the multicultural worship and prayer. But, I was liberated from things in my life that I thought I had overcome but still had me bound. Now, here I am 1 1/2 years later thanking God for the wholeness he installed there through the worship, prayer, & his voice that was so powerful."
"God made me realize how hard my heart had become to the gentle touch of his Spirit. Following Urbana 09, God opened my eyes to see this, and is now gently breaking my heart with a desire to see his glory in my life and in the lives of those around me; the ones I love, and the ones he is calling me to love."
Donate to help others attend, learn about exhibiting, or register at http://Urbana.org. Register before November 12 to receive best pricing; $25 off registration is available to the first 50 healthcare students who register! Enter the code "Healthcare" in the promotions box when registering (available on a first come basis).
On Campus
What's your dream for your nursing school? What do you long to see on your campus? Restored relationships? Joy? Forgiveness? Mercy? Praise?
What do you think God's dream is for your school? In NCF we think it looks something like Isaiah 61:1-3, a passage Jesus referred to (Luke 4:17-20) at the beginning of his ministry:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me...to preach good news to the poor...to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captive and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favor...to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. This is what NCF at your school could be-a community grounded in him and flourishing.
God has you on campus for more than your nursing education! If you are a follower of his, you are also here to be part of his witnessing community of believers-transformed by God and used as part of his transforming work in the lives of others.
What would a thriving witnessing community look like in your school? What effect would it have on the campus? On those in your clinical sites? You probably decided to become a nurse because you wanted to see people get well, to be a part of their healing and recovery. What could it look like to be a part of God's healing work in the lives of your friends, classmates, and professors?
Our mission in NCF is to see this vision come to life in every nursing school. We engage students with the gospel in a welcoming community, we are propelled by God's love to love others, and we are part of God's healing and restoration in their lives.
Support NCF ministry to over 108 campuses in the United States through prayer and financial gifts. Give at https://donate.intervarsity.org/ to "NCF Student Ministry." Find a chapter and resources at http://www.ncf-jcn.org/student/main.php