For Mom

One of the things I did this past week was to post a healing service for my parish nursing class. We were instructed to incorporate from our own denominational traditions.  It was one of our assignments and I spent a lot of time on it, partly because I experienced technical difficulties but also because I wanted it to be meaningful. I kept thinking about my Mom as I did it. She is deep into her radiation treatments right now. She is not a complainer. I believe the resulting symptoms are rather brutal and exhausting her, but this is what she said when I asked how it was going, "Well, it's not fun." That is it. That shows what a complainer my Mom is. Still, I know she is suffering.

Anyway, I decided I would post mine for my Mom.  Perhaps someone else out there feels in need of healing today as well, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual.

****************************************************

Confession and Forgiveness

Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen

Leader: Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

Leader: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. Most merciful God...

All: We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.  Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Leader: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins.

Leader: Let us pray. O Almighty and most Merciful God, through your bountiful goodness, keep us from all things that may hurt us. Heal us both in body and soul so that we may accomplish all that you would have us do. Grant us wisdom, courage and patience as we seek your will in all things.  Grant this, we pray, though you Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

All: Amen

Reader: Psalm 107:19-21 (NIV): Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.  He sent out his word and healed them;  He rescued them from the grave.  Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Please feel free to come to the altar for communion. As you leave the communion station you are welcome to go to the side stations where you will be anointed with oil as you receive words of healing. 

 Reader:  Psalm 103:2-4 ESV

   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.

Prayers of Intercession

Leader: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.  Father in Heaven, to You we lift up our hearts and our souls.  We put our trust in you and we look to you for guidance and wisdom.  We ask that you teach us your paths and give us the strength to follow your will. You have led us down trails of love and faithfulness, enveloping us in your tender mercy. Lord in your mercy,

All: Hear Our Prayer.

Leader:  Lord we seek your grace, your mercy and your tenderness during our times of trial. We ask that you also wrap your compassion around those in pain who do not yet realize they need your presence. Lord in your mercy,

All: Hear Our Prayer.

Leader: God of all kindness, protect us today from calamities and distresses.  We pray that you bring health where there is no health, peace where there is no peace, and joy where there is no joy, Lord in your mercy,

All: Hear Our Prayer. 

Reader:  Psalm 46:10 (New Living Translation)

 Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world.

Leader: May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. May he look upon you with favor and grant you peace.

All:  Amen

Leader: Go in peace and serve the Lord.

All:  Thanks be to God!

What is Parish Nursing?

I'm really getting into the Faith Community Nurse Basic Course that I am taking. I've talked to a few friends and co-workers about it and have found that a lot of people are not familiar with the idea of a Parish Nurse (a.k.a. Faith Community Nurse, a.k.a. Congregational Nurse a.k.a health minister). I prepared a little information when I presented the idea to our Church Council that kind of explains a few things. I thought maybe I could share some of that information with you as well.

Sample Roles of a Parish Nurse:

Integrator of Faith and Healing

Health Educator

Health Counselor

Referral Advisor

Health Advocate

Developer of Support Groups

Volunteer Coordinator

Researcher of Available Resources

What a Parish Nurse is Not:

Doctor or any sort of Diagnostician

Hands-on Home Health Nurse

Physical, occupational or psychotherapist

Clergy

Sample of Topics a Parish Nurse Could Address:

Smoking Cessation

Insomnia Treatment

Weight Loss Programs

Exercise Programs

Oral Health

Loneliness

Church Safety (AED’s, First Aid Kits)

Praying with Church members

Preventative Education

Violence Prevention

Disaster Preparedness

A Parish Nursing Program can draw current and future parishioners closer into the church family.  As any pastor can tell you, people remember who was with them during their times of trial. It is an opportunity to be used by our God to show his love to those in need. 

Why do this? 

There are so many people who are hurting, frightened, lonely, etc.  Our healthcare system doesn’t always do a very good job of seeing patients with a wholistic approach, that is, they are not treated in a way that encompasses body, mind AND spirit...the whole person.  A Parish Nursing Program is a way to practice health and wellness with spirituality and faith woven throughout.

A Parish Nursing Program helps the pastor. A pastor spends a great deal of time with the sick. While a Parish Nurse would not want to take the pastor’s place in those situations, he/she can certainly assist the pastor to reach more people.

Of course I can't do all of those things myself, not while working full-time elsewhere. I'm hoping more will join me and eventually the program will grow. For now, it is starting quite small and slow.

How about any of you; do you have parish  nurses in your congregation? Are you a nurse interested in using your skills in a new way?

About Depression

(This photo has absolutely nothing to do with this post except it reminded me of a sweet, leisurely day.)

Have I mentioned that I am a multi-tasker? It's been a bit out of hand this week. In fact, I am writing this post while watching a movie on TV with my husband. I really just had a few too many things on my plate this week.  I worked of course, even into overtime.  I spent an evening with others who are passionate about the pregnancy care center where I am a volunteer board member. I've worked a bit every evening on a class I am taking online. It is a course on parish nursing (faith community nursing). This is something I'm pretty excited about.

I am sure I'll be talking about parish nursing more in the future. I'm starting a parish nursing program at our church.  It's more just in the early planning stage while I'm taking this course but one thing I am trying to do is to write articles for our church newsletter. This month I chose to write about depression as we've had several suicides in our community in the last 2 weeks. It is so heartbreaking. 

Anyway, my articles aren't particularly scholarly but perhaps they will be helpful to someone. As long as I've already written this one, I decided I may as well share it here with you.  If you are a member of the same congregation as me, sorry for the repeat. As for me, I'm going to turn off my computer and see if I remember how to relax. Here's the article...

We have all had periods of feeling sad or down, but when that feeling does not pass within a couple of days, interferes with daily activities or causes misery for yourself or those who love you, it is time to seek help. There are a variety of methods that can help relieve depression, from medications to psychotherapies.

There are different types and levels of depression.  An individual person may suffer from just one type or may, over the course of time, experience different levels of depression.  One form of depression is referred to as SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. This type occurs during the winter months and may be associated with a person being exposed to less natural sunlight. It can be treated with light therapy, possibly combined with antidepressant medication and/or psychotherapy.

Some women suffer from Postpartum Depression after giving birth. Hormonal and physical changes may contribute to this type of depression. A sense of overwhelming sadness, can cause extreme distress to a mother who may not understand why she is not feeling the joy she’d anticipated with the birth of her new baby.

For some, a depressed mood can last for years. This may be Persistent Depressive Disorder.  People who suffer from this may also have periods where they also suffer from the more debilitating Major Depression.  

Major depression causes such severe symptoms of hopelessness or sadness that it interferes with work, sleep, nutrition, relationships…pretty much any part of life. It can occur in episodes and it can wear a person down to the point of hopelessness.

Bipolar Disorder is another type of depression.  This takes the form of depression alternating with a very high mood which may be accompanied by over-activity and perhaps risk-taking behaviors.  

There are other forms of depression as well. All are disruptive and many are dangerous.

It is believed that depression can be caused by a combination of factors, including genetic, biological and situational factors.  Physical problems, such as thyroid disorders, can cause depression. There is still a lot that is as yet unknown about the causes of depression.

Seeking help for depression is key to recovery. Recognizing signs and symptoms is key to identifying a need for help. Signs might include feelings of emptiness, guilt or worthlessness. Some people present with irritability or fatigue, perhaps a loss of energy. They may no longer find pleasure in things they once enjoyed. They may lose their appetite or perhaps eat much more than they did before. Some may have trouble sleeping or they may sleep much more than normal.

Of course, thoughts of suicide and suicide attempts are more obvious signs that something is very wrong. Suicide threats must always be taken seriously. Even the most severe cases of depression can be treated.

I sometimes wonder if Christians find it even harder to seek help for their depression. You know, we are all about hope and love and joy, aren’t we? Of course we are. Yet, as it turns out, we are not immune to illness, whether it be psychological, emotional or physical. As I see it, a Christian seeking help for depression is no different than a Christian seeking help for pneumonia. 

You can find a lot of interesting and helpful sites online on this subject but please be careful. I chose to gather some of this information from the websites for the National Institute of Mental Health as well as Mayo Clinic’s website, both easy to Google.

If you, or someone you love, may be suffering from depression, seek help. Please. You may want to start with your primary care provider. They can evaluate if there is a physical reason for your symptoms such as an adverse reaction to medication or an underlying illness.  Your primary care provider should also be able to refer you to other specialists if needed.

Jesus is our reason for hope.  “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 ESV) lets us know that Jesus wants us to be able to experience joy and fulfillment.  The bottom line is, we need to take care of ourselves and we need to watch out for each other.  Don’t dismiss feelings of despair in yourself or others. We all need help sometimes.

Faith Community Nursing

One thing I've long be interested in is Parish Nursing, now called Faith Community Nursing. Recently, Mike told me I had been invited to join a group of Episcopal Nurses as they gathered to learn more about Faith Community Nursing. That program started at noon today and goes into early afternoon tomorrow, so it is a busy week-end for me.

I did some Faith Community Nursing at our church in Alamogordo and truthfully, that would be my dream job if I didn't need a job that actually paid me money.  I really, really enjoyed that. This is fun now, for me to learn more about what programs are available and all that. I'm feeling invigorated and enthused about pursuing this a bit more!

The nursing program I attended was all about treating the whole person (wholistic nursing) and I am a big believer in that. In order to accomplish a wholistic approach, people need to be offered a spiritual side to their care as well as body and mind. It is something that I think is not only intriguing but pertinent.

So, that's what I'm doing this week-end. You?