A dependable constant sounds really good right now.

“I don’t know how anyone can do life without God. And the Scriptures are where we not only learn about God, but also where He reveals His heart to us,” says Kelly Chesnut, Director of Spiritual Development at Wycliffe USA.

Troubled times often lead to “tunnel vision,” where “we put blinders on, or have a perspective that only sees the ‘hard’ in our own lives, or the ‘hard’ in the lives of those closest to us,” she continues.

“We forget that God is a God of hope and joy, and He is moving. He is doing work in people all over the world.”

A new resource from Wycliffe USA explores this concept in depth. Deeply Rooted, a 30-day devotional book, describes how lives have been changed when they’re rooted in Scripture. A companion journal allows for personal reflection.

“You’re not only learning about communities impacted by God’s Word in their own language, but you have the opportunity to stop and reflect on [the] Scripture’s impact in your own life,” Chesnut says.

Deeply Rooted, a 30-day devotional book, describes how lives have been changed when they’re rooted in Scripture.
(Photo courtesy of Wycliffe USA)

Kelly wrote the book with her husband, Wycliffe President/CEO John Chesnut.

“This book is a compilation of some devotionals that we had written for our staff, and stories about what God is doing around the world,” she says.

“Just as our passion is for seeing lives transformed around the world, we want to see our staff engaged in their own transformational journey as they continue to be rooted in God’s Word.”

As the holidays approach, consider surprising your loved ones with a resource like Deeply Rooted.

“If you’re going to give a gift this Christmas, look at giving something that will have an eternal impact. All the proceeds go to Bible translation projects that Wycliffe is working in,” Chesnut says.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Matt Botsford/Unsplash.

(Photo courtesy of Nurses Christian Fellowship)

“This is my favorite time of year…welcoming new students to campus and to their nursing program. It’s our critical time of the year to reach them and welcome them and invite them into Nurses Christian Fellowship. We’ll have tables [and] we’ll have outreach events where students will be inviting them into a community,” Jen Wojtysiak says.

“It’s busy, it’s full. It’s wonderful as we see nursing students take risks for Jesus, and invite their classmates to come and explore who He is, and what it means to be a nurse that follows Jesus.”

Nurses Christian Fellowship

NCF holds regular Bible studies for nursing students as well as for nurses. Nurses deal with a range of physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges daily. NCF provides a space for nurses to rest in Jesus, find community, and prepare for challenging work. But it is also a great place for nurses to look at their work through a Biblical perspective.

“Nursing is a deeply sacred work of caring for [the] body and mind and spirit. But it’s also taxing as they are pouring out physically and emotionally and spiritually. And Jesus can be there with them,” Wojtysiak says.

NCF also provides guidance in areas it knows nursing education lacks, such as spiritual care.

(Photo courtesy of Nurses Christian Fellowship)

“We are able to give them resources for spiritual care, which is something that most nurses need to know something about, but there’s actually very little training. And so, we can come alongside them in that way, and provide material and examples that will equip them to care for patients in their time of need, and end of life, and walk alongside them and resource them in that way,” Wojtysiak says.

Join or Support Nurses, Nursing Students, and NCF

Are you a nurse or a nursing student looking for a likeminded Christian community? Then find an NCF group or start your own HERE.

“You can join NCS, which is a membership for students and for nurses, where you’ll receive the award-winning Journal of Christian Nursing. You’ll get free and discounted opportunities for continuing support and care, and you’ll connect with other nursing students and other nurses around the world,” Wojtysiak explains.

(Photo courtesy of Nurses Christian Fellowship)

Not in the nursing profession? Then please pray for Christian nurses. Pray for God to give nurses and nursing students wisdom and strength in Christ. Pray for student leaders and faculty advisors leading NCF groups on campus. Ask God to give these nurses and students encouragement, support, and energy during this busy season.

Also, pray for nursing students to have the courage and confidence to invite fellow nurses to learn about Jesus. Pray for the students and nurses who are saying “yes” to Christ for the first time, too.

Header photo courtesy of Nurses Christian Fellowship.

Purpose Driven Network's news director, Mark Kelly says
they've taken the plunge and launched their own. "The technology has
evolved around to where blog sites are the best way to communicate through the
internet.  We experimented with a blog
back in the summer, when pastor Rick traveled overseas and have tweaked our
strategy a little bit.  Having a blog out
there is going to be a really good way to help share information about some of
the new initiatives." 

It's intended to be a source of accurate information and
perspective on Rick Warren, the Purpose Driven movement, and the P.E.A.C.E.
Plan (Plant churches, Equip leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick, and Educate the next generation.)
 An excellent backup to their dedicated
website, this blog is meant to promote understanding of the Purpose Driven
paradigm as a biblical approach to healthy, balanced church life that fulfills
all God's purposes for the Church and leads to both spiritual and numerical
growth.

Kelly says, there is a deeper purpose for providing so much
information.  It's to share the vision of
a second Reformation that restores responsibility in people, credibility in
churches, and civility in culture. "The burden of our hearts is the need
to plant churches because spiritual emptiness is the most serious problem the
world faces today. Everything we do is geared, one way or another, to helping
God's people fulfill the purposes that God has for them, one of which is
sharing salvation in Jesus Christ."

Click here if you want to read Rick Warren's blog.