Surprised by grace

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.—Hebrews 9:22

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.—Ephesians 1:6-9

Blood draws in the lab are pretty routine; roll up the sleeve, tie the rubber tourniquet, make a fist, then a little pinch and you are all done.

Not this time!

A couple years ago, I had a mini eye “stroke” that resulted in a small croissant shaped loss of vision in my right eye. My doctor in Kansas decided I should be on Palvix as an extra precaution. (Plavix is good stuff as evidenced by the sometimes dramatic bruises that arise from innocent encounters with a chair, desk or door.)

I went to the Patient Service Center at Florida Hospital Tampa last week to have a lab test to determine if the Plavix is still necessary. Vickie and her team always do a nice job drawing blood and I expected the same routine.

Not this time!

Instead of just drawing my blood, I was told that to complete the study an additional vial of another person’s  blood was needed!  What? A stranger’s blood was needed for my test to be completed? So I thought I’d have to reschedule and find someone to help.

But Lisa, the nurse attending me said, “I will give my blood so your test can be done.”

Making memories

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land where death still casts its shadow, a light has dawned. — Isaiah 9:2

What will you remember of this weekend? What do you remember from last week? What stands out? What draws your mind’s eye to recall, even relive?

Memories are remarkable vehicles, allowing you to reflect on and create new mile markers in life’s journey. Worthy of exploring and listening to the experiences of your immediate and distant past, they speak to you today, as now you have perspective that allows the sorting of the lessons, their meaning and message.

The Voice

…on the Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. —Luke 4:16

Do you have a favorite narrator? The voice captures your attention and holds you with inflection, with pace and intonation from the first moment you hear it.

Perhaps the voice for you is: James Earl Jones (Darth Vader), Charlton Heston (Moses), Morgan Freeman (March of the Penguins), Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins), Sean Connery, Sam Elliot (Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.), Whoopi Goldberg (Lion King), Gilbert Gottfried (AFLAC duck), Patrick Dempsey (All State Commercials), Lauren Bacall (Fancy Feast cat food).

You hear the voice and you immediately associate it with the product, movie or moment in time.

Walking together!

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? — Amos 3:3

You do a lot of walking each day don’t you?

According to a study conducted in a major hospital, nurses walk on average 4.2 miles during a 1- hour day shift, 3.9 miles for night shift. 

Suffice it to say, you walk somewhere between 4 and 5 miles each shift! Each step has a purpose, sometimes urgent as you respond to a call for help, sometimes measured as you make your hourly rounds, sometimes frustrated as you look for something that is missing, sometimes with joy as you discharge a patient to home!

Every day you are walking. Do you feel like you are getting to where you need to go?

So many words, words, words, words!

When there are many words, mistakes are unavoidable, but those who restrain their lips are wise. — Proverbs 10:19

On an average day in your life:

• 16,000 words are spoken each day by you and to you each day
• 110 e-mails are received/sent by you each day
• More than 3,000 market brand messages travel through your head every day

No wonder it can get confusing.

Now add the stress of something new or important and the challenge of effective communication goes up:

• Approximately 70% to 80% of all accidents over the last 20 years (NASA ) are directly attributed to interpersonal communication errors
• Communication failures were implicated at the root of over 70 percent of sentinel events (JCAHO)

Here you are in the midst of a major change in the way you go about your professional day. How do you ensure effective communication?