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?

Not alone!

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel. — Psalms 73:23-24

It is one thing to look forward to something new; to anticipate how much better things will be, or how happier you will be, or how nice it will be to have something reliable and safe. Whether your new beginning is a skill, relationship, car, job, house, or new town, dreaming about it and experiencing it are two different things
.
Anticipating the new rarely takes into consideration all the work, the changes, the stress of learning new ways, developing new habits and becoming familiar with what before was only a dream. Somehow the dream of the new overshadows the reality of the change and that is probably a good thing otherwise you might never change!

Well here you are. “Next week” is now. Everything is new at Florida Hospital Tampa: 40+ systems like; iConnect, CPOE, billing, Surg-net, Lab, Pharmacy, Radiology, Scheduling, equipment, WOWs (workstations on wheels), bar-coded wrist bands and Pyxis meds dispensing…the list goes on.

A best buddy

Most weddings involve at least a bride, a groom, a maid/matron of honor and a best man …and a minister or justice of the peace.

Do you remember your wedding day or a wedding in which you participated?

Save the date cards go out six months before the event, showers happen, plans get underway. Tickets are purchased. Church and rooms reserved for an event that was still way off…out there in the next time zone, beyond baseball season.

Then the months became weeks and all of a sudden the big event was next week!!!
IS everything ready? All the little details you said you’d get to. Will you have time? More importantly, will you remember? That funny panicky feeling sets in, even though 95% of what you needed to do is done...you still worry.

Burning hearts!

They said to each other, "Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"
—Luke 24:32-33

They were afraid. So afraid they were running away. Running from what they did not understand — right into the arms of what they did not know. Running from the enemy who surely was going to destroy them just as they had destroyed Jesus.

In the midst of their running they met a stranger on the road.

The stranger asked them what was going on. Why were they so worried and anxious?

As happens so often in your world of patient care, the worried anxious told the stranger everything they feared.

Listening in a way that let them know they were being heard, the stranger then began to help them understand all that had happened and what was yet ahead.

Someday is today

Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and never succeed.
—Proverbs 12:24

The most popular day of the week: tomorrow!

The day of the week that never shows up: someday!

Funny thing is that no matter how often you say their name, you cannot find either day on the calendar! Tomorrow cannot be scheduled, and someday is only wishful thinking.

Snow White captured the dreaminess of someday when she sang “someday my prince will come.” You and I also make someday a land of dreams…in our minds, with our promises and hopes as the thought of someday seems to be the panacea for the frustration, weariness, and discouragement so often encountered each day.

Holding hands

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
— Psalms 73:23-24

In kindergarten you learned that the safest way to cross the street was to: stop, look, listen and hold hands with the other person.

Hiking through the woods on a dark night you learned the safest way to navigate the tricky ground was to hold hands with the person who had the flashlight.

No matter the your age, education or profession, when you encountered something new, something different, something you weren’t sure of, something you were even afraid of, you found the best way through was to hold hands.

Literally or figuratively, you and I are called to hold hands with each other as we journey through life!

“Who ya gonna call?”

When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them
—Psalms 91:15 NLT

“Who can I call?”
“Who can I ask?”
“Who knows how to go about this?”

Questions we face almost every day. Where do you turn when the challenges are in your face, the opportunity is knocking, or the problems seem insurmountable? “Who ya gonna call?” was the refrain in the move Ghostbusters but your daily life is much more than a movie and the issues you face are much more important. But still the question remains…“Who ya gonna call?”

One thing I have learned well in life is the value of asking for counsel or help! I used to think I had to have all the answers, but wisdom knows when to ask for advice or help. I am reminded of this in the counsel from the Bible:

Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success. — Proverbs 15:22

The joy of asking for advice or help is that you find the blessing of developing a “go-to-person,” one with whom you connect, trust, and communicate well and with whom you find both courage and counsel. In fact you can probably list a couple of names right now if I asked you.

Show me your eyes

You will open the eyes of the blind and release those who sit in prisons of darkness and despair.
—Isaiah 42:6-8

Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
—Matt 6:22-23

“My own eyes are not enough for me; I will see through those of others.”
― C.S. Lewis

Dealing with a pollen inspired asthma problem, I had been wheezing like a steam engine and coughing like a backfiring car. My friend Norma asked “How are you feeling?”

“OK,” was my tired answer.

“Show me your eyes” she said, and upon looking offered this advice, “You are having a tough afternoon, why don’t you go home early?”

I did. She saw what I was feeling, but wouldn’t voice.

The eyes told the tale … they never lie do they??

One Letter

Finally I admitted all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess them to the Lord." And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
—Psalms 32:5 TLB

A friend recently forwarded a word challenge. Change one letter in the word below to make it a different word. Not too hard at all. What was interesting was looking at the iterations of words that changed because one letter was changed such as “Shoe – Shot – Soot – Foot – Boot….”
What caught my eye was the word change “Shame – Share”. Easy to change one letter, but what a challenge to turn Shame into Share in real life.
It seems when things go wrong and you mess up, Shame is the first thing you encounter. Shame that you did not rise to the occasion, Shame that you let others down, Shame that you failed to do what was expected. Shame is a powerful foe if left unchecked.

Are you counting what counts?

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
—Psalms 90:12

How many days till mid terms? How many days till Spring Break? How many days till Go-Live? How many days till I get to go home? How many days till I graduate? How many days till I pay off my debts? How many days till I retire? How many days till the baby is due?

You are always counting. Days, hours, minutes; even seconds. Are you counting correctly? Are you counting what counts?

All too frequently you are counting the short term stuff. You know; the urgent stuff like taxes, bills, kids’ soccer schedule, piano lessons, pulling an extra shift, getting the oil changed. While you rush to count the urgent stuff you are hoping somehow you will get to the long term important stuff—like continuing your education, meaningful relationship time with the kids, with your spouse, with your friends, buying a home, starting a family, paying off your debts.

Guess what…you won’t get there! Hope is not a plan, it is an important attitude to have; but you need to be counting what counts!

"Best in" or "Best for"?

Jesus sat down and summoned the Twelve. "So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all."
—Mark 9:35

Math, spelling, track, basketball, SAT standing, college, beauty pageants, playoffs, salary, wealth…all areas you were encouraged to be the “Best in”. Add to it measures of corporate success like market share, ROI, or measures of position or power as in your title, rank of wealth and being “Best in” becomes more than a passing interest.

If you are not the “Best in”, taking  first place, you know that second place is considered as the “first loser”!
In many aspects of our western culture, the axiom “eat or be eaten” is the order of the day.

So, let’s see how well you remember those of the past year who were “Best in”.

Name:

• The two wealthiest people in the world.
• The last two Heisman trophy winners.
• The last two winners of the Miss America pageant.
• Five people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
• Five winners of the recent Grammy Awards.
• The last five World Series Winners.

What’s love got to do with it?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
—Mark 12:30-31 NIV

Tina Turner puts on a phenomenal show! One of her songs, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” is a catchy fast driving piece, but the lyrics invite you to give a second thought … Is love just a second hand emotion?

Or, is love the core of what you and everyone else on planet earth both crave and seek to sustain? To love and be loved? Is real love all about me or is it also about others?

The passage above shows that love is central to the joy of life and the journey of faith. There is no higher standard than to love our neighbors, and to love God.

But love is not only noun…it is best as a verb...the action it inspires...compassion, tenderness, listening, taking time to share, doing for others without consideration of self.

Sticks and stones

I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best… to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.
—Matthew 5:44-46

Sticks and stones were all that 8-year-old Ramzi could find to throw at the intimidating tank that had invaded his village. He did not understand the political struggle between Israel and his land Palestine; he only knew the fear and pain the long struggle had caused his family and friends.

So with tear filled eyes he threw rocks at a tank.

 In 1988 a photographer captured this very event.

The man in the leather jacket

But God has shown me that I should never think of anyone as inferior.
—Acts 10:28-29

Ever met a real hero and not realized it? Truth be told, it happens every day!

I was flying back from Baltimore and the flights schedule was all messed up with weather delays. Standing in the boarding area, I passed the time doing what I sometimes find most intriguing…observing people; their demeanor, and deportment.

One elderly gentleman in a worn leather jacket stood out. He smiled a lot, and looked around making me wonder if he was sure of what was going on. Later I learned he was more than aware! Eventually a seat became open near him so I sat down and started to chat. He had a red cap on, that said Tuskegee, a name I recognized, but wanted to explore with him. Turns out my seat mate was Lt. Col. Gray who flew with distinction in the squadron known as the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. A movie about the squadron, Red Tail, was just released.

Keeping Priorities Straight

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
—Matthew 6:33
 

With so much that you think needs doing, so many priorities competing for your attention, it is challenging to keep focused and to have your priorities straight. I encountered a neat little story in one of Mac Anderson’s Simple Truths books – Charging the Human Battery.

Every Sunday morning there is a HAM radio swap net where different operators from around the country tune in and share. I came across an older sounding chap, who was talking with someone about “a thousand marbles.” I was intrigued and stopped to listen.

“Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family and have to work so much to make ends meet. Sixty hours a week is a lot! It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital,” he said; “Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities.”

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a “thousand marbles.”

2012 Is Here. Do You Feel Lucky? Well Do Ya?

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? ... Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God!
—Romans 8:31-35

2011 is gone; the year that, according to Google, is the one most people would like to forget! Now we look at 2012, through the same wearied and worried eyes, increasing media sound hype and wonder. You wonder; will I be luckier in 2012 than I was in 2011?

Looking forward at 2012 is kind of like having Clint Eastwood hold a gun on you and ask; “Well do ya feel lucky punk?”

How it feels and how it is in reality are two quite different things. Your world view and your faith view determine how events are framed in your mind and heart and consequently inform how you feel about them.