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With the start of a new year with new challenges, I was prompted to think about hope. What is hope for us as Christian believers? Hope is confident expectation and a desire for something good in the future. Hope is never negative - it is profoundly positive and expectant. If...
In Romans 15:13, New Living Translation, it says: 'I pray that God, the source of hope will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.' Not overstretched. Not overrunning. Not overworked, over, and over...
As I travel about on my rounds as a District Nurse, I often have the pleasure of driving around the countryside, visiting small villages, finding myself on some bumpy farm track leading me to my next patient. I get to see on a daily basis God's beautiful creation. With spring...
As I pace the wards, hemmed in by the 'Walls of Work' and the shabby bay that needs more than a lick of paint, out of the corner of my eye I see a frustrated, tired patient scowling. I find myself asking the question: can hope be found along the...
My name is Jacob. I'm in my second year studying adult nursing at Oxford Brookes University. There are approximately 70 nurses in my cohort, studying at the satellite Swindon campus. When Tatenda, another student nurse, and I became friends we quickly realised we were both Christians. One day, I reflected...
'They think I'll be able to start walking soon nurse', a young man with learning disabilities proclaims whilst showing me his make-shift drum kit to use in hospital. His loud, bubbly voice echoes through the ward. He seems oblivious to the extent of the damage to his body caused by...
We use the word 'hope' on a daily basis. 'I hope you have a good day', 'I hope there's no traffic', 'I hope you feel better soon', 'I hope it doesn't rain'. We say these phrases so often that we can forget what a valuable word 'hope' is. It can...
As a nurse or midwife, it's a privilege to walk alongside our patients in their journeys, which are sometimes long and painful. It's an honour to witness light break through into dark and difficult seasons. One of my patients on the High Dependencey Unit (HDU) had a long stay with...
In the 1970's, Sundays were respected and honoured in UK hospitals. Every Sunday, in the afternoon, the chaplains came round and would go to each bed, introduce themselves and ask whether people wanted prayer. Whatever the beliefs of patients, the chaplains were happy to contact leaders of other faiths. If...
My patient died today. She was so desperate for healing and had been crying out to God from her bed when she became too weak to stand. We had prayed together and acknowledged God's ways were so often beyond our human understanding. And now he had taken her. As I was...
Bethany: It's a privilege to know Eli's story already. Thanks for sharing it with our Spotlight readers. Tell me when you first knew something was wrong. Nina: When I went for my check, just before my due date, I was told I had high blood pressure and my baby...
A quick search on Google will reveal that being a force requires strength or energy to produce movement or an action. It is an active thing that can yield hope when applied well. For some, being a channel of hope in your home or workplace is exciting, whereas others may...
I love this verse from Revelation 7:9, which describes heaven as a wonderful, multinational place, with everyone worshipping the Lord together: 'After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and...
In Hebrews 6:19, the hope for our souls is described as an anchor, firm and secure. But lately, it seems to me that God's hope doesn't so much anchor us down, as holds us up. His hope keeps us afloat. Now hopelessness? That's heavy. It feels like lugging around lead boots on your...
As I fill my bottle at the start of my shift,'Father, you are the spring of living water. You are true refreshment, eternal joy and rest. May my soul thirst for you today, may I be a woman [man] drinking from the spring of water that wells up into eternal...
We're coming to the end of our 'force for hope' recruitment campaign, where we've been raising the profile of the fellowship and growing our membership. Praise God we're now up to 460 members, and we're having our first in-person NAMfest event this Spring. We genuinely believe that we are stronger when...
