First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:8-12, ESV) We are on the countdown to the NCFI World Congress in Malaga Spain. We will con ..read more

  And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the young man. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak, for your servant hears”. (1 Samuel 3:8-10, ESV) Samuel came into temple service as a young boy. His primary service was ministering to the Lord with his g ..read more

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7) This beautiful nativity scene is replayed in movies and church celebrations throughout the Christmas season. It is a reminder of the humble circumstances that the holy family experienced. It is hard for us to imagine the poverty in which a child is born amidst straw and manure. Yet, unfortunately, even today, the vulnerability of the family is too common throughout the world. As nurses, we encounter fathers who are unable to provide ad ..read more

Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess. Joshua 13:1, ESV Over the past few months, we have learned many great leadership tips from Joshua’s life. We have learned how courageous leaders focus on God’s word and His plan for organizations. As the Lord prepared us to lead, we looked at changing our perspective, confronting sin, and cleansing our hearts to be ready to witness the mighty deeds the Lord would perform. No matter how much we dislike conflict, our workplace is fraught with op ..read more

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war. Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land (Joshua 11:23; 12:1 ESV) When we first emerge from a difficult time, it is challenging to have time to reflect on the good that was accomplished. Have you stopped and thought about what your organization gained during the COVID 19 pandemic? Or what you gained for your own nursing practice, di ..read more

So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you. Joshua 10:7-8 ESV The Gibeonites were under attack by five kings when they reached out to their new allies, Joshua and the Israelites. Joshua inquired of the Lord about what to do. Good idea! Satan deceived Joshua through the Gibeonites when he didn’t inquire about the Lord. To wage war with five kings is an insurmountable battle. Yet, if they won, the Israelites wo ..read more

“When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they also acted craftily… So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord.” Joshua 9:3-4, 14 (NASB) According to Bible scholars, the deceit of the Gibeonites can represent the devil as a master strategist of assault on Christians. With a closer look at the ruse of the Gibeonites, we see many of our own vulnerabilities. Satan sometimes attacks us openly, sometimes craftily, but always with an unerring sense of where our weaknesses lie. (1) The Gibeonites played on th ..read more

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. (Joshua 7:1 ESV) We are all too familiar with our personal struggles with our flesh or sin. Many times we can relate to Paul’s internal pleading found in Romans: “But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from t ..read more

So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and it came about, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. Joshua 6:20 (NASB) Who does not love the classic historical account of the Wall of Jericho? It is taught to children in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. I must confess my favorite rendition of the story is with the kids’ movie Veggie Tales. The movie captures how absurd the Lord’s plan sounded to the Isra ..read more

I am the resurrection and life. Whoever believes in me though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26, ESV Recently the priest spoke on the resurrection of Lazarus found in John 11. He mentioned the wonderful gift we have been given to die. Yes, that is what he said. We have been given the wonderful gift of death, for when we die we will no longer be bound to this world. Instead, we will be ushered into the presence of Christ, God the Father, and the angels. Thus, we should not be afraid of death, instead, we sh ..read more