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The Heart and the Fire Within  There is such fascination with one of the major organs of the body, that is, the heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans. Every 34 seconds, someone dies from heart disease. Between 2021 and 2022 the cost to care for people with some form of heart disease such as heart attacks, atherosclerosis, and heart failure, was approximately $168 billion dollars (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024).  The Bible provides guidance, instruction, and solutions to everyday problems. The English-translated word “heart” appears over 700 times in the King James Version (Christian Bible Reference, ND). There are numerous adjectives in the Bible that describe the heart, [...]

Walking with Faith Through Cancer: A Personal and Professional Reflection  A cancer diagnosis changes life in an instant. When I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the words felt clinical, yet deeply personal. As a nurse, I understood the terminology. As a woman of faith, I felt the weight of uncertainty. My first oncology appointment was filled with information, next steps, and discussions of surgery scheduled for the coming month. Yet beneath the medical language was a quiet spiritual wrestling: How do I walk this journey faithfully?  Cancer affects not only the body, but also [...]

Loving On a Caregiver  “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers and those who will need a caregiver.” Rosalyn Carter  Can you recall the number of times that you have said to a friend or acquaintance, or they might have said to you, “I just admire the way you are caring for your spouse, Your Mom or Dad, or other relative”?  However, the caregiver might look at it as, “I am just doing what the commandments say to honor [...]

Happiness in Adversity The month of August is generally celebrated as the month of happiness. It seems logical to dedicate a day or a month to proclaim as the happy month since the weather is often nice, summer vacation is in full swing, so to speak, and it has been a good month to take a cruise. However, even though the climate might cooperate for an enjoyable vacation, there is socioeconomic and geopolitical unrest, poverty, and wickedness is pervasive. The Bible indicates in Matthew 24, that toward the close of earth’s history, wickedness will abound in high places, there will be wars, famines, earthquakes, and [...]

Faith Community Nurses and Men’s Health: Support, Improvement, and Impact June is Men’s Health month. Let’s turn back the clock and consider a commercial which started with a woman standing in her home and then the camera panned to a man sitting in a comfortable, tufted reclining lounge chair in the living room. Then the camera pans to two big strong men picking up the sitting man and putting him in the chair into the back of a truck and then driving off to take the man to a physician care visit. It was to take your [...]

Stress: What's it all about? Stress has been defined as a condition that is brought about by a physiological, psychological, or emotional situation that produces strain on the body (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). According to early researchers of stress (Kanner et al., 1981; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Neuman, 1989; Selye, 1974), there are situations, events, or transactions, known as stressors, that impact the body, and the results are often harmful health outcomes. The continual experience of stress is known as a chronic experience (Selye, 1974) and chronic stress can lead to the development of chronic illness (Holmes [...]