True fulfillment

I'm a part of a young woman's bible study through my church and we are currently doing a Beth Moore study (if you don't know who she is, she has an incredible Christian ministry to women!!). I just wanted to share a paragraph from today:

"God created us to need something or someone else. Sooner or later, any healthy individual discovers that autonomy doesn't cut it. Once we confront our need for someone or something beyond ourselves, we will subsist on the alms of others if we don't discover Christ. Like beggars we go from person to person with our empty cup, crying, "Can't you add anything to my life?" They might throw in a coin or two. In fact, a few may be weekly...and probably weary...tithers. But when we shake the cup, the tinny echo reminds us how empty we remain. Until we allow Jesus to fill our cups daily, we simply subsist. The good news Christ may want to preach to you today is that you don't have to subsist. You were meant to thrive." -Beth Moore

source

In Christ, "my cup overflows" (Psalm 23:5)

to lay one's life down

"Greater Love hath no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friend" John 15:30

source

I hope we all remember the importance of living one's life for others and not for ourselves. 

Today is a great reminder of how you can do that with the skills you are given. On September 11, all of those who had trained skills jumped in and helped whomever they could. But you don't have to be a firefighter or police officer to impact someone's life for good. God calls us to minister wherever we are placed. Every believer can make an impact for the Kingdom of God.

September 11 is also a good reminder that our goal as believers is to "attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God" (Ephesians 4:13a). We are called to be unified in Christ. To love one another and spread the news of the saving grace of Jesus. To work together despite our differences. I wish there weren't disputes among the denominations that exist today. On days like today its easier to put aside our disputes and remember what is really important. I pray that we remember the saving truths taught in Scripture: of the love of Jesus, the power of His grace, and our need to die to self and follow His example. 

Lets serve Him today.

my dream

If you are a part of my family you know that I have really weird dreams...really weird. Not every night, but pretty often. So in last night's dream I don't remember a lot of things, but I do remember 3 things and I thought I would share them because I think they are totally random.

1) I was getting married (ok so this isn't that random...but read the next two)

2) It was in the middle of the rehearsal dinner and I was ushered away to have my makeup done...for the next day. Because all brides have their makeup done up the night before they wedding right? That makes perfect sense.

3) My only bridesmaid (where were my sisters???) was Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

I am amazed at my imagination. That's all I have to say.

What relief

I keep a prayer journal. When I was little I had a regular diary, but by the time I reached high school, it didn't feel like enough to write "dear diary." So I decided, who better to write to than to my Heavenly Father who is listening and watching anyway? I've kept one now for at least 5 or 6 years, but lately I haven't written in it regularly. I wish I took time every day because it gives me so much peace to write down my worries and thoughts and know that they are safely in the Lord's capable hands. There is just something about actually writing one's thoughts on paper. Praying out loud or in my head just isn't the same for me; sometimes I need the act of physically writing to feel like I am actually communicating what I want and can finally feel free of worry for a little while.

Today is September 9th. The last time I wrote in my prayer journal was August 4th. Yes I've been praying, but I haven't taken the time to write...and it was showing in my life. You may not understand it, but for me (who is a worrier), if I don't write it out, it stays with me and I feel more stressed than I need to, I have nightmares, I sleep badly, I feel behind in life, and my focus becomes about me instead of about my Heavenly Father's will through me. It's just one of those things for me. And its so simple...but I haven't made the time lately. Isn't that silly? I've known all along what I've needed to do, but for whatever reason I told myself that it wasn't what I needed.

So today I forced myself to sit down with my hillsong pandora station playing in the background, and I wrote down my prayers. What relief! I feel so much better already. I feel renewed and refreshed. The Lord really does meet you when you make time for Him.

I start school in a couple of weeks and I don't want to start this school year feeling behind in my life. My goal is to make some time every single day to write out my prayers to my Heavenly Father.

And whoever you are who's reading this...I pray that you find whatever that thing is for you to feel renewed and once again ready to tackle this thing called life. We all need encouragement. We all need a listening ear. Speak to your Heavenly Father. He listens and He will answer in His time.

The part where I don't know

This is the part where I realize that I haven't blogged in months and I don't know how to gracefully get back into it and so I'm just going to get right back into it! I hope that's ok with you.

I want to confess something (no this isn't going to be something super deep...as far as I know). But I have this problem. I have so many thoughts that get jumbled up in my head and I want to get them out, but then when I sit down to write about them or when I think about sitting down to write about them, I panic because I want it to make sense but I know that it probably won't. And I'm a perfectionist. And the thing about blog posts is that to run smoothly they usually have to only have one topic. But I'm not that way. So, whatever ends up on this blog from now on may not be the most beautifully expressed piece of literature you'll ever read, but it will be my thoughts on whatever I choose to think and write about. So if you care to keep reading...be my guest, but you have been warned.

Oh and another thing: I always say that I'm going to take pictures of the stuff I do so that I can write about it and have a little visual stimulation to accompany it, but I haven't been so good at that either. So I'm going to try again.

And what perfect timing to "try again" seeing as I'm about to go back to nursing school! I always feel that fall is a time to reorganize, re-prioritize, and re-get-back-into-a-schedule (I just made up that word).

I love fall. I'm looking forward to it. I hope that it gets cooler soon so I can start wearing sweaters and scarves and boots. I like the rhythm of my life in the fall. The winter is always crazy busy and intense, but the fall prepares me for it somehow. So, this is what I have to say to my second year of nursing school: Bring it on. I'm ready to dive back in and see how much I forgot over the summer. I'm ready to see my nursing school friends who I've missed. I'm ready to move forward and see what the Lord wants for me this school year. I'm ready.

Bring it on.

starbucks + girl time

Friday morning I went to Starbucks in Woodburn with my lovely friend Emily. She is one of the dearest girls I know and I feel so blessed to call her a friend. Whenever we get together, we aren't the type who does crazy things or is loud and obnoxious. I think we feed off of each other's calmer side. We are able to talk about some of each of our deepest longings and pains or talk about something exciting that's coming up. No matter what we're doing, I always feel happy and content just to "be." I forgot to take my camera into Starbucks with me, but we did take a chance to catch a photo before I had to go to work and Emily went shopping.

side note: I want to try to do better at capturing memories of my life with photos. This is one of my little goals that I hope will become a habit by the end of the summer. In high school I remembered to take my camera with me everywhere I went, but lately I haven't remembered or I haven't made the time to take a picture...so I'm going to try harder.

Anyway, Em and I had a wonderful two hour chat that involved tears and laughs, which is the best kind of chat in my opinion. I had a white chocolate mocha and I believe Emily got a cinnamon dulce latte (but I could be way off!!).

Thanks Emily!

I PASSED!!!

You guys! I am so excited. I took the State Board of Nursing exam to get my Practical Nursing License and...I passed!! Not sure what the next step will be at this point since I'll still be going to school come fall.

BUT in the time being I thought I would share my "excited faces" that followed immediately after I found out that I passed (July 19, 2011):

I think I look a little dazed in this picture
...my eyes aren't quite in focus

Yay! 

What am I?

The following was an extra-credit written assignment for my freshman science class in high school at good ol' West Salem High School. I don't remember why this was an extra-credit assignment, but seeing as I was an over-achiever, I completed it and got 8/7 (how is that possible?). I thought you might enjoy it...at the same time, why don't you guess what kind of animal the characters portray? Good luck!

"I am extremely tired! I've been waddling for so long to find water and food. My friend Holli is with me and we're both keeping journals of our long voyage to find krill. Something I guess I should mention is that Holli cries a lot...I think it is during the night that she cries (more on that later). She misses Roberto, her mate. I miss George a lot too, but I try to keep ahold of my emotions.

We've all been waddling and sliding for seventy-five miles I think. We still have twenty-five miles to go and then at the end of our eating time we have to go the one-hundred mile waddle back. However, that will be more fun. On the way back my friends and I will think of names for our children. I already know what I want to name my child. I really don't care if it is a boy or a darling girl. I want my chick to be named Billy. Anyways, we've been waddling and sliding and the winds are extremely strong and dry. Even though we live on snow and in water, this continent is like a desert! It's probably the driest place on earth.

Holli just started crying again - that means we can rest a little bit because she has a sense about when it's night even though it's always dark here right now. All my friends and I just can't wait to get back. I miss my chick as well as George! Right now, he and Roberto are huddled with every other male and chick trying to keep warm. They all sacrifice so much for us women!"

Did you figure it out? :)

summer update

I can't believe its already one week into July! I hope that everyone's summer is going well. In my case, the last month or so has had many surprises and because of them, many of my plans have had to change. In my last post I mentioned that I was about to start a summer program where I would be working one-on-one with a nurse in order to improve my skills and work on my organization and prioritization...well that didn't end up doing through for a few reasons. About a week before this program was to start I woke up one morning with a pinched neck nerve that caused pain, tingling down my right arm, and a decreased range of motion of my neck. I was on bedrest for a few days, took as much tylenol and ibuprofen I could around the clock and decided to give Day 1 a try. Long story short, I made it to the end of the 12 hour shift, but barely. The whole time I kept thinking how nice and convenient it would be to simply crawl into one of the hospital beds and be taken care of. The next day I went to my doctor and she informed me that I needed to rest as much as possible until my pain was lessened and that I should start physical therapy. Thus ended my summer nursing program.

Now, I have nothing against physical therapy, but up until this point in my life I considered myself to be pretty healthy overall. I didn't exercise as much as I should or eat quite as many veggies as "they" recommend, but I had only ever had a few serious illnesses and only had the flu about 3 times my whole life. But when the words "physical therapy" came from my doctor's mouth, internally a little voice inside my head said "yep, you are now old." Now let me say that I know people of many different ages go to physical therapy for a variety of reasons, but for some reason I never thought that I would have to see a PT unless perhaps I broke a bone or maybe once 30 more years years had passed (which still isn't old...I know). But: I am now a physical therapy patient and am glad of it! My PT is great and hopefully within a few months I'll be back to my "old" self again. ;)

In the meantime, I am doing 4 exercises that have been "recommended" for me, I have a prescription for a muscle relaxer, I am going to my chiropractor more frequently again, and I started going to a massage therapist. All of these things are wonderful and I am finding it extremely interest being the "patient." I think all of this will help me be a more caring and patient nurse. It is very hard to remember to do everything every professional tells you to do when you are seeing multiple specialists! The one major drawback to all of the above mentioned things is that they cost...a lot. Hence the other reason I had to drop said summer nursing program! But the Lord is providing beautifully. I am amazed.

So...I still hope to take the nursing state board test sometime this summer and see if I can get my LPN license, but my priority for the next few months is now becoming healthy again so that come fall (when school starts again), I can dive in full force!

On an entirely different note, the Lord has, as many of you know, led me to search for a church closer to home. I had previously been attending a wonderful church in Estacada, but it was time to follow the Spirit's prompting and search elsewhere. I have visited a few churches over the last month or so, and I think I may have found my new church home! This excites and frightens me for so many reasons, but I am trying to listen closely to the Holy Spirit to follow His lead. I miss my friends in Estacada very much and so part of me is very hesitant to latch on to something right away, but I'll just have to wait and see over the next month or so as to the Spirit's leading.

The thing that amazes and overwhelms me the most about this new church is that every single person I have met there is so welcoming and genuine and open. I have now attended two Sunday services and on each occasion people within my age group (!!!) have invited me to several outings and get-togethers. [side note: this is amazing because it is one thing I have never found in a church that I have fallen in love with. I find that many Christians my age are not in the same place as I am in regard to having hunger for true teaching from the Bible or who have quite the same values as I do]. But these people do! I spent the 4th of July with them and had the time of my life (but I forgot my camera...so I have no pictures. sorry). They invited me to several more things over the summer and already extended an invitation to me to join their Bible study in the fall if I decide that this church is where I should be! This all makes me very excited, but as I said, I am still hesitant to jump into something hastily. So I am being cautious and just taking it day by day. We shall see what the Lord leads me to!

Anyway, in a nutshell that's my summer so far. Sorry for such a long post after a month of silence. Sometimes I find it hard to decide what to write on here and what to save for my journal, but eventually I hope to get the hang of it! As I said in the beginning of this post, I hope you are all having a fabulous summer making wonderful memories. God Bless!

In Christ,
Carrie

1/2 Full

Last week was my pinning ceremony for completing my first year of nursing school! I am now able to take the state exam that would make me an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), which is a step down from an RN (registered nurse). I hope to do that in a few weeks so that maybe I can work as an LPN this summer. We'll see.

But all in all, thus ends my first year of nursing school...sort of. Let me explain, this next month I will be working one-on-one with a nurse for seven 12 hour shifts to practice my skills and nursing ability even more before the start of next fall! I am excited/slightly nervous for this opportunity. But that's not what this post is supposed to be about. Ahem.

What I was trying to write about was that as of NOW I am half way done with my nursing school from Chemeketa! Yay! I thought it would be fun to include a list of all the topics we have covered this year. Now let me put in a disclaimer first: I am in no way an expert on ANY of these areas, but I have now been introduced to them and hopefully will be able to pull them out of my head when need be. So at this moment, my head is approximately 1/2 full of all the nursing stuff I'll learn by the time I graduate next June (Lord willing). I feel like I have learned so much this year, but I still feel like such a newbie (is that how you spell it?). But I'm sure experience will help with my confidence (hence why I'll be working with a nurse this summer!!) So without further ado, here is everything my nursing colleagues and I have learned this year (prepare yourself):

Foundations of nursing

Activity and immobility

Legal concepts of nursing

Stress and Adaptation

Physical safety

Concepts of health

Transcultural nursing

Therapeutic Communication

Individual vs. family vs. community nursing

Lifespan development

Documentation

Urinary Elimination

Nutrition

Nursing Process

Lab Values and interpretation

Rest and sleep

Neurosensory

Comfort and pain

Oxygenation

Physiological safety

Fluids and electrolytes

Health Care Systems

Sexuality

Health Promotion

Pharmacology

Loss and Grieving

Spirituality

Scope of practice

Pre-, Intra-, and Postoperative

Diabetes mellitus

Peripheral vascular disease

Effects of acute illness

Time management

Anti-infective medications

Infectious pulmonary diseases

Obstructive pulmonary diseases

Acid base balance

Medical management in older adults

Management of medical orders

Intro to cancer and skin cancer

Colorectal cancer

Tuberculosis

Ethics

Prenatal: conception, fetal development

Prenatal: physiological adaptation to pregnancy

Integument problems

Hypertension

Cardiovascular accident

Heart failure

Coronary artery disease

Congenital, acquired heart diseases

Arthritis and joint replacement

Fractures and surgical stabilization

Congenital, musculoskeletal problems

Thyroid

GU problems

Prenatal: maternal nutrition

Prenatal: psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy

Prenatal: Diagnostic testing

Prenatal: normal labor and delivery 

Intrapartum complications

Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia

Role of nurse as teacher

Upper GI disorders

Lower GI disorders

Diabetic mother (pregnancy)

Coping with chronic illness

Normal postpartum

Postpartum complications

Newborn

Prostate and testicular cancer

Ovarian and breast cancer

Kidney disorders

Anemias and dyscrasias

Eating disorders

CNS infections

Lung cancer

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

Degenerative neurological diseases

Altered immune response

Hepatitis

Depression and suicide

Substance abuse

Physical human abuse

Seizures

Reproductive health

Sexually transmitted infections

Preparations for employment

Let me just say: holy cow. That's a long list. I am just amazed that we covered that much material. I hope none of you reading this read through the ENTIRE list, but I hope it does give you an idea of how intense this program is. I have so much respect for my instructors who have taught us so much so far. Props to them! I am so excited that it is now summer for me. I am going to relax. I am going to spend time with friends I haven't seen in a long time. I am going to breathe slowly and not strain my brain too much. I hope your summers are just as nice!

one of my favorite songs right now

You guide me through the dark

You calm My fearful heart

I will rest in You

You give me perfect peace

Fulfill my deepest need

I will rest in You

God 

Shining like the sun

Let Your kingdom come

I want to be with You 

in Your presence

I'm here to give You praise 

You take my breath away

I want to be with You 

in Your presence

Your kindness draws me in

Now I'm with You once again

I will rest in You

My God who reign on high

To You alone I cry

and I will rest in You

You are shining, You are shining

Your light surrounds, Your light surrounds me

-Shining by Phil Wickham

Scrubs

So I realized that I hadn't posted any pictures of me in my nursing school uniform! I apologize for my tardiness in this matter...but I suppose the following pictures are on Facebook as well. Nevertheless, for those of you who are curious, we wear the lovely brown scrubs which you will gaze upon in a few moments. I think they are quite hideous cute, but I suppose they could be much worse. One day I will be able to wear ones that I really like. However, for now I am thankful simply to be able to get clinical experience while I wear them! 

my clinical group fall term (sorry for the bad quality)

one of my clinical groups winter term

Ok...I'm back to studying. Have a good week!

surrender

"For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

surrender

Lord, I give up my own plans and purposes,
all my own desires, hopes and ambitions, 
and I accept Thy will for my life.
I give up myself, my life, my all,
utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever.
I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships;
all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart.
Fill me now and seal me with Thy Spirit.
Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost,
for to me to live is Christ. Amen.

-Betty Scott

things that made my day

Things that have made my day today:

lunchables

tea in a teacup

a duck paddling through the "moat" around Chemeketa's new building 8!

sunshine

curling up on my couch

Tomorrow is my first clinical rotation (i.e. first shift) at Salem Hospital's OB/mother baby unit! I'm very excited and hope to see some super duper cool stuff (like a birth!!!)...but we'll see what happens. Here's  hoping!

P.S. No that is not my couch, but I wish I had a room with a couch like it. Maybe one day...

Your consolations delight my soul

"When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul" Psalm 94:19

Lord, today I feel lonely and there are so many things on my mind. You are the only one who can give me peace and comfort. Thank you for your love towards me no matter what I might do. I pray that you would fill me with peace today. I rest in your love. Amen.

How Interesting!!! (part 4)

1) hypertension (aka high blood pressure) is the second leading cause of kidney failure
2) smoking is the number one cause of preventable death and disease among women
3) the act of swallowing requires 6 cranial nerves plus 25 facial and oral muscles
4) testicular cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer
5) breast milk is considered living tissue because it contains almost as many live cells as blood

...who knew!

To number our days

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Do return, O LORD; how long will it be?....O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, and the years we have seen evil. Let your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands."

Psalm 90:12-17

wait.

I can be so dense sometimes. The last few months I have been begging God to show me his will because I have felt very confused and lost. There are so many uncertain things in my life and all I wanted was to have a little clue as to what he wanted me to be doing and be preparing for. The funny thing is that He answered my requests very soon after I asked...I just didn't realize it. I wanted an answer like "go here" or "do this," but just like God, he answered with the unexpected and so it went right over my head. I continued to beg for an answer, and all the while He continued to gently whisper His answer in my ear.

Finally last night after an hour and a half or so of conversation and crying with my wonderful daddy at The Golden Crown (amazing chinese!), it finally sunk in. The answer that had been there all along was:

wait.

Pure and simple. Yet that is of course one of the things in life that I am terrible at. It is something I honestly don't understand fully. It seems like such a waste of precious time and such an energy-sapper. But...it is the Lord's command to me. And that should be enough.

This afternoon I looked up several verses on 'waiting' and was surprised to see that many of those verses had already been either underlined, boxed, or highlighted by me in the last few months!!! Clearly, God has been speaking to me all along. My favorite of the ones I looked up is Psalm 27:14:

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."

I love how this verse has the word "wait" in it twice...so perfect for my dense self.

"Lord, teach me how to wait. Help me understand what it means to wait. I know you have a plan for my life. I pray that as I wait, I can bring glory to your name. Amen."

Pure Joy!

I am currently sitting on the couch in my livingroom which is right by the front window. Rain is pouring outside. And...I couldn't be happier! I love the sound of the rain (when I'm inside) and since I have nowhere to go, I am totally enjoying it. I know, I know, most people are praying for sunshine, and I am too, but I also love the rain.

I have been on a journey lately of self-realization. I am nowhere near to the end of it, but I am learning so many things about myself. It is so freeing! So it is nice to be able to sit in a dark room by myself and think. I treasure moments like this (they don't happen very often!). Just as the earth is drinking in the rain, I am drinking in the truths God is revealing in my life and I am thrilled to say that I am enjoying it. Some days I feel as though I am drowning, but it is all based on perspective. My prayer over the past few months has been to experience pure joy, no matter life's circumstances. And today, I have it! I feel incredibly humbled and blessed that my prayer has been answered. I have no idea what lies ahead, but I am excited for the adventure.

Redeemed

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1b-3a

I was encouraged tonight with these powerful and true words. God bless!

Stong Tower

[by Kutless]

When I wander through the desert

And I'm longing for my home

All my dreams have gone astray

When I'm stranded in the valley

And I'm tired and all alone

It seems like I've lost my way

I go runnin' to Your mountain

Where your mercy sets me free

You are my strong tower

Shelter over me

Beautiful and mighty

Everlasting King

You are my strong tower

Fortress when I'm weak

Your name is true and holy

And Your face is all I seek

In the middle of my darkness

In the midst of all my fear

You're my refuge and my hope

When the storm of life is raging

And the thunder's all I hear

You speak softly to my soul

now i'm runnin' to Your mountain

Where your mercy sets me free 

This is the song on the radio today that spoke to me. I just wanted to share. I actually am not a huge fan of Kutless, so I had never focused on the lyrics before, but they reflect how I feel today. God Bless.

My Valentine

Well technically I have two valentines this year! The first is a 9 (I think...oh dear, she might be older) year old girl at my wonderful church in Estacada who gave this precious valentine:

and she gave me this lemon taffy

So cute! 

And my second valentine...He's my favorite. May I introduce Him to you? 

I officially became His friend when I was four, but the last few years He has pursued me like never before. Well...the truth is, He has pursued me my whole life, but I have only recently been able to understand how much He really loves me and begin to appreciate how much He has done for me. It continues to astound me, but He died for me many years ago and gave me His Spirit to guide me until He comes back for me or tells me its time to go meet His Father face to face. I can't wait for that day, but while I'm still here waiting, He has given me a mission to complete: tell the world about Him. I must be honest and say that I have not done the best that I can so far, but with whatever time I have left, I hope to do my part well. He loved me enough to die for me on a cross and take on Himself the punishment of my sins. And He wants me to tell you that He has done the same for you! How can I not share such wonderful news? This year, He is my favorite valentine. And guess what! I already know that He'll be my valentine again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that...even if I have other ones as well. Would you like to know His name? It's Jesus. And I know that He loves me no matter what I've done and no matter what I will do, because I am His beloved...and so are you if you believe and accept what He has done for you. 

"This is how God showed his LOVE among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is LOVE: not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so LOVED us, we also ought to LOVE one another." 1 John 4:9-11

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE." 

1 Corinthians 13:13

Random Fact #3

If you know me, you know that I LOVE scarves! Well...I decided to count how many I had today because I was curious. And guess what! I have 26 scarves...

That's a lot. And I probably only wear about 10 of them, but I can't get myself to get rid of any! I probably need to, and over the next few months I think I will work at bringing that number down to 15 or so. Goodness. I just can't believe I have so many!

Jewels On My Windshield

It rained for a few minutes tonight on my way home from church and I was captured by how beautiful the raindrops looked on my windshield. They truly sparked on the glass reminding me of jewels. I wish I viewed the "rain" in my life that same way. I am trying to, and my prayer is that one day I will, but as long as Christ receives glory through my life right now, I say...


...bring the rain.

I can count a million times
People asking me how I

Can praise You with all that I've gone through

The question just amazes me

Can circumstances possibly

Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed

Long before these rainy days

It's never really ever crossed my mind

To turn my back on you, oh Lord

My only shelter from the storm

But instead I draw closer through these times

So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free

Bring me anything that brings You glory

And I know there'll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that's what it takes to praise You

Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of

The dark clouds that may loom above

Because You are much greater than my pain

You who made a way for me

By suffering Your destiny

So tell me what's a little rain

So I pray

Holy, holy, holy

Is the Lord God Almighty 

(Bring The Rain by MercyMe)

how interesting!! (part 3)

Another round of random nursing trivia for you...

1) the most common food allergies are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat
2) antibiotics (especially penicillin) decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives
3) 70% of older adults are untreated for depression
4) metabolism decreases by 1.5% per year after age 25
5) bottle feeding may be a precursor to otitis media (middle ear infection)

Your will be done

I must constantly be reminded that my plans are worthless unless they have God's blessing. I may not understand what those plans are, but I must hope in His promises to me:


"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11 [NIV]


"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and DO NOT lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6 [NASB, emphasis added]


I know these verses are pretty well known, but I have been holding onto them tightly the last few days. How precious to have the word of God at hand to look at for encouragement! I take that blessing far too much for granted. 


My prayer these days is simple: "Lord, Your will be done in me." 


As Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage said long ago, "We who wish to abide for ever ought to do the will of God who is for ever." 

its a good thing i have a sense of humor!!

This happened to me a few months ago, but one of my nursing colleagues reminded me of it, and I think its too funny not to share...

Last term, the first patient I ever had was a dementia patient. And I am not one to make fun of dementia patients because my grandma died of it, but again, it was just so funny and totally threw me off guard. Here was one of our first conversation:

Patient: How old are you?
Me: 20.
Patient: Oh...you don't look that old.
Me: Oh? How old do you think I look?
Patient: 40.

My Anxious Thoughts

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." Psalm 139:23

Lord Jesus, I pray for sleep. And forgiveness. Forgive my anxious thoughts. They belong to you. Please store them in your heart and take care of them as I know you will. I must believe in the promises you have given me for provision and love. I know that I am not forsaken no matter how alone I feel. I know your will will be done, even if I worry about the outcome of everything. I know you are guiding me, even though I can’t feel your hand.  My heart is raw tonight. My thoughts have been tumbling together all day. I ache for resolution and contentment. Please remind me of all you have done for me as I fall asleep. Thank you that tomorrow is a new day and I get to start over again with new grace. 

"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Matthew 6:27

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

"When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." Pslam 94:19