the Great Physician!

well, i'm on the front side of a five-day stretch off of work. 

and let's just say, i'm pretty stoked.

i just worked a four day stretch and some overtime.

phew, i'm tired.

but a good tired.

a fulfilled tired.

it was the most consistently busy shifts i've had in a long time,

but it felt really good  to be so productive.

all of my patients were pretty sick.

it broke my heart to see them suffering 

despite my efforts to help them.

one of  my guys had fairly advanced lung cancer.

and pneumonia on top of that. 

and had hypoglycemia in the morning.

and an irregular heart rate that required some intervention.

and we were ruling out tuberculosis.

sick, yea?

a couple nights ago we were transfering him and 

i noticed a Bible in his room.

i said, huh, interesting, but didn't pursue it any farther.

well, every shift i worked with this man, his heart would go into this irregular rhythm.

his heart would go really, really fast and 

we had to get it to slow down.
every time this happened, i followed protocol to 

slow down his heart beat.

but this morning, something changed.

his heart rhythm kept changing from regular rhythm to this accelerated rhythm.

and even though i was following protocol, it wasn't working.

i was just sitting there talking with him,

(we were kinda bff after four shifts),

and i saw the Bible.

the Spirit impressed upon my heart to pray for this man.

to pray that the Lord would heal this irregular rhythm.

i tried to say no; the medication should be working, right?

why can't i just learn to be obedient?

the urging to pray for this man was too strong *thankfully*

and so i asked if i could pray for him.

he was ridiculously receptive.

as i was praying for him, his heart rate slowed down and returned to a normal rhythm. 

and it stayed there for the rest of my shift.

doesn't the Lord blow your mind?!

one simply act of obedience can do so much!

i am always amazed that the Lord uses me, his most stubborn child, to reveal Himself to others.

what a privilege!!

 "Bless the Lord, O my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

   who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

   who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy"

Psalm 103:2-4

mind over matter

fight on with determination 

in all areas of life's battle!

mish-mosh

there are a few things i want to blog about, but not sure i have enough content for separate blogs. 

so here we go, the mish-mosh kinda blog.

(which isn't that uncommon for me, now, is it?)

i've been convicted lately how little i pray. 

when did i forget how powerful and utterly 

important communion with God is?

i had this wicked headache last night at work. 

first thing i did? 

go in search for advil.

the Lord provided it and i was grateful,

but not as grateful as when 2 of my coworkers asked 

if they could pray for me;

seriously, so blessed. so convicted.

later, i was trying to draw blood and was having a hard time.

i finally prayed, simply and to the point, that the Lord would allow me to get the blood i needed.

and He did. 

the Almighty God provides, even in small ways.

amen?

*  *  *

i encountered a patient at work the last couple of nights.

he'd watch the scifi channel nonstop.

literally, he'd be asleep with it on.

kinda had a quarky personality that comes with constantly watching the scifi channel,

which, by the way, is crazy disgusting at times.

the man probably has lung cancer.

probably not just in his lungs anymore.

no. words.

i get why so many nurses abuse substances.

the reality of death looms around,

but thinking about it, i mean, actually thinking about it

 can be so damaging.

but then again,

"It is better to go to the house of mourning
    than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
    and the living will lay it to heart."

Ecclesiastes 7:2 

*  *  *

i started this new cleanse/lifestyle. 

gimmicky? maybe.

working? we'll see.

feeling good so far, but i'm only on day two.

*  *  *

i graduate college 2 years ago.

whoa.

and i can't believe it's been 2 years since i was last in south asia.

Lord, when will you allow me to go back?

excited for my friend maragaret who heads to one of my fave south asian countries next month. pray for her and her team.

also excited for my friends who just got back from sudan and those who are headed to lyberia later this summer.

 *  *  *

pretty random, yea?

well, what else did you expect?

pinter-test kitchen: may

my friend jessica hosts a linky party called pinter-test kitchen.

you know, pinterest?

that website where you pretend to be super crafty and all?

well, this link-it-up fun is great excuse to 

try some of those fun things.

i've only worked about 6 days this past month, so i had some time to try a recipe that looked interesting.

i saw this healthy cookie recipe that was easy to make.

so i gave it a try.

first, i got all the ingredients together:

preheat the oven:

and get mixing! really, all you do is put the ingredients in and mix!

i tasted the dough at this point and i had a suspicion i should add some splenda or sugar, but i didn't in the spirit of trying something new.

one last step: add some cinnamon to the top.

the second batch in the oven, i put cinnamon and splenda on top. good life choice fo sho.

the finished project.

not as good as i had hoped.

it nipped the sweet tooth in the bud,

but something was missing.

like sugar.

and calories.

i do recommend this recipe, however.

just add some splenda or sugar.

happy pinning!

linking up:

what a month

wow. april 2012 will go down in history for my family.

the month started out with a week in hawaii.

and it was fantastic.

until the end of the week when we found out grandma had been in the hospital and subsequently released.

she died the monday after easter.

whirlwind trip to redding, back to work, and a few more days off.

this morning, i received a text from my dad that our dog had to be put to down.

wow. 

obviously, these two deaths are not exactly on the same spectrum.

nevertheless, the loss of a precious pet can be quite the jab in the heart.

my friend sent this blog story to me

and the crying started again.

but i am grateful that the Lord has allowed things like pets to give us glimpses into goodness and unconditional love.

so long, little pupster. 

because He lives

my grandma was a big fan of the gather singers.

she liked them before david phelps put them back on the map.

another reason grams is totally hip.

her favorite is "because He lives."

tried to find it with just david phelps, 

but that didn't happen.

and the video is totally cheeseball.

oh well.

the song speaks for itself.

o death, where is your sting?

in church yesterday, the pastor preached through 1 corinthians 15. 

i was impacted, as always, by verses 50-58

 "I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

 

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, 

who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

it was amazing to celebrate the triumph of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus! i wish i would remember it more clearly every day!

* * *

this morning, my grandmother passed away. besides my parents, she is the most influential person in my life. she has taught me to love Jesus, to pursue prayer, and the importance of passing these things on to others. 

my heart aches (and so do my eyes and head from crying), but i have been reminded again and again today by dear friends and the Holy Spirit, of the scripture preached through yesterday. 

 

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

 

my grandmother is not not swallowed up in death, but is alive with Christ, because of Christ. what cause for rejoicing!!

 

and what about verse 58?

 

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, 

immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing 

that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
 

seriously, a verse so reflective of grandma j. through years of teaching sunday school and vbs, praying diligently for believers and believers to be, and testifying of Jesus whenever possible, her labor has not been in vain, he spirit utterly steadfast. 

i rejoice that my grandma knows Jesus, and i rejoice all the more that she is worshiping her Savior in person! the waiting is finally over!