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The coronavirus has disrupted all of our lives, but the population this disruption may be impacting the most are children and individuals with special needs. Children with disabilities rely heavily on routine to function successfully throughout their day. For many families, a season of quarantine is being met with extraordinary difficulties in behaviors and meltdowns as they try to understand why life suddenly looks so different. The season of coronavirus makes it both more challenging and more important than ever for therapists to care and remain a vital part of their patient’s lives. The challenges are real as many of the patients that we work with are medically fragile and the potential risk of exposure to this virus could be costly. Therapy is often based in a school or clinic setting and when school is closed, and the clinic holds risk of contamination, one of their greatest supports is often eliminated. Despite these challenges, the need for ingenuity and creativity to step into our patients’ lives and walk this road with them from distance is extremely important. Teletherapy: Teletherapy is the number one resource to keep treatment as consistent and safe as possible during COVID-19. Not only does it allow us to continue addressing therapy goals, but it carries some unique benefits that outpatient or school-based therapy often does not allow for. Teletherapy allows therapists who are accustomed to addressing goals outside the home, a window into the environment where they use it the most. It also provides an opportunity to equip parents to “become the hands of the therapist,” a huge benefit for carry over of home exercise programs and family buy in. Social Stories: Carol Gray, the creator of Social Stories, states, “Social Stories are a great tool to help us manage difficult or confusing situations. It’s a way to give information about those situations, including what is expected or what might happen, in a supportive and reassuring way.” Social Stories are an excellent tool to simply and effectively explain to children who have difficulty understanding why all school, appointments, and trips in public have suddenly ceased and why hand washing for 20 seconds and standing six feet distance from neighbors are new strictly enforced rules. Examples of social stories explaining the coronavirus can be found on carolgraysocialstories.com. Visual Schedules: As therapists, a significant way that we can help our families through the coronavirus is by helping them survive cabin fever. One of the greatest gifts you can give the families you work with is the gift of structure. Children with special needs often thrive on well communicated routines. In times of chaos and transition, it is vital to help give handles on their new normal. Help your clients design a routine that will work best for their family and provide the sensory and movement input the child needs to stay regulated throughout the day. Suggest the visual/picture schedule be posted where the child can see it and use it daily. The simple act of crossing things off a list, even if it’s just eating breakfast and getting changed, makes you feel productive and positive at the end of a day being locked inside. Home Exercise Programs: With a lot of time at home, parents will be looking for ideas to keep their kiddos occupied. This is the perfect time to reinforce the importance of home exercise programs. I often use the metaphor of getting abs: If your goal is to get abs and you go to the gym once a week, your success is unlikely. But if you complete a daily core workout, your likelihood of success is much higher. It’s the same with therapy. We will see the greatest success when parents are addressing the same goals every day at home that we are in our sessions. Make home exercise programs simple to complete, fun for the child, and effective for the greatest commitment. Checking In: Lastly, above all else, don’t forget the heart. Check in with your clients and caregivers on how they are doing. Take the time to listen. Help support them wherever you can. This crisis is deeply effecting many of our families emotionally, financially, and physically. Use your therapeutic use of self to walk the journey alongside them, letting them know they are not alone. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

As COVID-19 spreads throughout the earth, the unknown complexity on society poses new questions about its effect on long-term missions, particularly for those already on the field and those eager to go. Missionaries across the globe find themselves in self-quarantine, wishing they could enjoy the in-person fellowship of local believers or longing to do quarantine with more than their six kids under the age of 10. Mobilizers and field workers alike may feel that their labor has been taken from them by the virus for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, the church is not swayed by quarantine anxieties or pandemic fears. We have Jesus. “Take heart, I have overcome the world” rings in our ears. To help, long-term workers and wanna-be’s can put into practice the following six heart attitudes. Missions is all about intimacy with Jesus. Often our jobs distract us from “the one necessary thing (Luke 10:42)”—Jesus Himself. Don’t let the rat race of the virus-chase steal away this opportunity to refresh your personal relationship with your Best Friend and reflame your desire for oneness with Him (John 15:5; Ps. 27:4). Get up early or take turns watching the kids—somehow—plan hours a day to sit quietly with the Lord and wait on Him (Ps. 5:3; Ps. 37:7; Isaiah 40:31). As Martin Luther put it, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Remember that Jesus’s work in the cross and resurrection is finished, yet He’s still working! Hebrews teaches us that He “always lives to make intercession” for the church (Heb. 7:25). Do what the most skilled long-term missionary did—no matter if your plans are cancelled or you can’t leave your house—follow Jesus by interceding for those in your target people group by having them “constantly in [your] prayers night and day” (2 Tim. 1:3). Those on the field know best— long-term missions is primarily about interceding for those far from God and, then, secondarily about preaching the gospel. God in you is the best thing you bring. First Thessalonians 2:8 says: “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” Your presence re-presents Jesus. They may have heard He is a Western god or only a prophet, but by becoming one of them (i.e., eating their food, living in their neighborhoods, experiencing the same illnesses) you present Him to them anew. This time as the All Sufficient when there is a lack of resources, as the Healer and Hope in the face of deadly sickness, and as the Joy-Giver and Comforter in any trial. This is why you became a missionary! Don’t be disillusioned—you’re still likely the only example they have of what turning to Jesus looks like, and leaning into your own neediness is the place where the Spirit’s supply shines bright. His kingdom is not a matter of talk, but of power (1 Cor. 4:20), a power to do miracles and an inner power of ceaseless gratitude and sacrificial love. Who knows what doors COVID-19 will open to unengaged hearts and the least reached regions when the people of God stay, remain, and abide in His love and with those suffering? Don’t be ashamed—preach! The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). Face mask on or off, we must share this news with our lives but also with our lips! The news of COVID-19 spreading has hit the ears of billions within weeks. Oh, that The Cure for the worst of all diseases would be known and feared in all of the earth! Perhaps governments that used to suppress the Gospel are too busy with virus-prevention and now is the open door we’ve been praying for! For example, some in the Chinese church are walking the streets with megaphones. Let’s be men and women who obey all of Jesus’s words, including Matthew 10:27—“What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops!” Deepen discipleship. Workers across the globe are using online formats to meet one-on-one with disciples and challenge them to personally go deeper into the Word, in a way that can multiply from them to others they know. Don’t forget that “Missions exist because worship doesn’t” (John Piper). Your family worshiping God in that place, even if you can’t leave your apartment or don’t see conversion in twenty years, glorifies God, who is “highly exalted” (Psalm 47:9). Sing songs of joy as you let your spirit soar with love for Him in a way that will impact the spiritual forces of evil overarching your region. In summary, 1 Peter 4:7 says “The end of all things is near; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded, so that you can pray.” COVID-19 is stealing away much in view of worldly opportunities. But there is a tool that can’t be taken, and that tool is prayer. As one practical application, if you would like to pray for 30 minutes a week over the phone with believers across the USA for unreached people groups to know Jesus, please email jesusinvasion@gmail.com. Or let us know and we can resource you to start your own phone prayer group. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

Come for a hands-on session with ultrasound! We will be going over the basic principles, application via the eFAST exam (Focused Assessment with Ultrasound in Trauma), and hands on time with procedural models. We will also be providing IV, LP, and Central Line Models to practice on. All are welcome. This is a basic introduction to ultrasound.

Depending on which news source and which day, it may appear as if the world is ending. Amidst this crisis (or the next one), how do we respond internally to what is going on around us? What should be our response as those who follow Christ? As a medical professional, you know the facts. And although there is plenty of guidance out there on the handling of this pandemic, one area we wanted to walk though is what is this doing to our soul, how should we respond both internally and externally, and what role might Jesus be asking us to take. A verse that has been helpful to me during this time is Isaiah 41:13, “I am the Lord your God, who takes you by the right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’” Everyone who has a relationship with Christ Jesus has a direct line to wisdom, strength, courage, and hope regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. We have put a few of our thoughts together below, but please know that if you go to Him, there is wisdom and direction for the days and weeks ahead specific to your situation (James 1:5). First, spend some time in listening prayer. Take a few moments each day in the quiet of your house or car to create opportunities to give your soul some rest. If you are like most of us, you go from moment to moment with hardly 15 minutes for lunch. The isolation required by the pandemic allows us to take a moment to pause... take advantage of it! Give yourself some room to pause, pray, and listen each day (even if it is just one minute in your car before you go into work or enter your home... just take some deep breaths and allow a quiet moment to align yourself to God). Ask for wisdom, understanding, and peace that surpasses understanding. Second, release this to God. There is a phrase popularized by John Eldredge lately where he simply prays, “Jesus, I give everyone and everything to you.” Repeat that a few times when you are feeling stressed or anxious. Practice benevolent detachment by releasing patients, tragedy, or strong emotions to Him. Consider Matthew 11:30 and ask how Jesus might lighten your burden during these stressful times. Third, consider your response... we are called to be light and salt to this world. There are neighbors, friends, family, co-workers, patients and community members who are completely freaked out and afraid during this time. Additionally, the necessary action of socially distancing ourselves will add to the fear, despair, and loneliness of those around us. Find practical ways to love and be light during this dark time. Consider even small actions, like texting neighbors, making a meal/ cookies for them, or just letting them know that you are thinking of them. Check in on neighbors, especially those that might be isolated. If you feel like taking additional steps, consider inviting them to dinner, board games, iced tea on the porch, etc. Even if you want to sit six feet apart on your back deck to minimize contact, any socialization will feel like light in this dark time. Be smart about your actions, but also recognize that this is an ideal time for Christ followers to help lighten other’s burdens, ease their fear, and help share the hope that we have... and last we checked, viruses don’t spread via phone calls or text messages, so even small steps can be meaningful. Wherever your heart may be these days, remember that we have someone who created us and formed us before we had taken our first breath. Perhaps, like the tribe of Issachar (I Chronicles 12:32), we can be a people who understand the time and can see the path ahead. Or perhaps like Esther, we can consider where we have been put into our jobs, neighborhood, church, community, and family for “just a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Most of all, during this time of isolation, know that you are never alone. Although the road before us is difficult, there is someone we can rely on for strength and understanding. Remember the promises of God, and, as appropriate, share that hope with others. Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified... for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). Blessings on you as we journey together and lead others toward health in the weeks and months ahead. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of COVID-19. It’s the danger of exposure, isolation, social distancing, fear, and uncertainty. It’s easy to hunker down and feel there’s nothing we can do. That would be wrong. At times like this, the church—God’s people—shine brightest. They respond in crisis. The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word “crisis.” One brush stroke stands for danger. We see that everywhere. But the other stands for opportunity. Every crisis holds both. There is opportunity in the midst of danger. Though we can’t meet for worship, we can still be the church. According to the CDC, older adults are at highest risk in this pandemic. Nursing homes post “no visitor” signs. Those over 60 are told to stay home, get groceries during designated times if they go out at all, to stock up on medications. At the same time, they are lonely and afraid. Threat is real. We’ve never been through this. These days when nothing seems the same provides a chance to reach seniors we do and don’t know, to ease fear, to provide kind contact, to reassure them that they are not alone in the virus-battle. When one woman in Louisville created a database of seniors who might need help and willing volunteers, she found that what people most wanted was someone to check on them—a friendly voice. They had enough toilet paper and their pantries were stocked. Loneliness trumped need. This is the time to reach out, one person at a time, and live the Gospel from our homes. Here are a few ideas to support others as we navigate uncertain days: To connect with neighbors you don’t know by name, write a note introducing yourself to put in their mailbox or door. Explain that you would like to pray for them and help in any way possible during this crisis. Include your contact information. Make a list of those who respond. When you are going to the grocery store or drug store, offer to pick up something they may need. Add a fun item they might enjoy – a flower, ice cream, a balloon, hand lotion, a puzzle book. Think of creative ways to brighten long, lonely days. Two friends delivered daffodils and toilet paper to connect with older neighbors. They loved the flowers and laughed over the toilet paper. Quick porch visits six feet away opened doors to build lasting friendships. Make a list of those near and far away who would appreciate a phone call, text, note or Facetime visit. Technology makes connecting easier than ever before. Include your family in outreach. Everyone loves handmade cards and drawings from children. That’s a win for both age groups. Kids are busy; adults are happy. One 6-year-old made and delivered paint-stick crosses he made and painted for neighbors on his cul-de-sac. They now decorate the front of homes. Share a treat. Since shopping is limited, make a basket or bag of wrapped snacks such as cookies, crackers, tea, a puzzle book or magazine. Offer to do small chores – rake a flower bed, take out trash, fill birdfeeders, walk a dog. Though COVID-19 is serious, depression will not stop it. Laughter is a good antidote for fear. Create a “laughing basket” with jokes or funny sayings written on folded pieces of paper, an envelope of seeds for a fun plant that will bloom, a clown nose and Groucho glasses. Write or color a cheerful message on the sidewalk of a neighbor’s home. This can be fun for adults, children, and those who pass by. Ask a neighbor if they would enjoy a homemade meal. Package it to leave on their porch. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

Working as a single in your home country is hard. It is as hard or harder working as a single overseas. God provides for the single just as He provides for a couple. Are you single? Are you satisfied? Or are you waiting? Living in 'the in between' is hard mentally and spiritually. There is hope in the journey!

The love and compassion of the Gospel is different from the sounds of fear and anxiety created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The love of Christ can be heard above the sounds of worry and gives hope that transcends our understanding of a worldly view. It can be as simple as a whisper of loving-kindness that drowns out the noise of despair, isolation, and hopelessness. The storm that we are facing has us reflecting on the uncertainty of the things we put our trust in—jobs, health, or financial position. How do we bring more to the Kingdom in such trying times when we can’t leave our homes? We are all on the biblical timeline as our heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11:38, and our mission has not changed. Our mission as the body of Christ is to be a ray of light that gives hope and calm in the storm, at home and globally. God is performing miracles every day through those around us if we could only see through the eyes of Christ. What is our global strategy to continue working on expanding the Kingdom of God in times like this? It seems to me that Jesus’s model of medical missions is apparent in his answer to John the Baptist when he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one. Jesus answered John’s question in Luke 7:22, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Christ clearly links compassion through health care to sharing the good news. The question then becomes, how the Global North continues to support the Global South when they are faced with severe persecution or a medical crisis like the pandemic of COVID-19 and allow them to still be the beautiful feet of Christ. Have we limited our brothers and sisters who live in these dark spiritual places with limited access to medical care by our approach to missions that creates dependency? Through divine appointments, Teach To Transform, and other like- minded organizations have been blessed by a mission to empower national leaders with necessary medical skills to open doors for the Gospel. Who better to evangelize than a national pastor or evangelist who knows the language, the culture, and can witness long after we leave, breaking the cycle of dependency on the Global North? Why teaching? During a large medical camp, I had a divine appointment with a mother who gently handed her baby to me that had died during the night from a respiratory illness. What could we have done so this mother would have recognized signs of respiratory distress sooner? We have seen this scenario repeated over and over, mothers and babies dying during childbirth, starving, and dehydration in refugee camps, and the list goes on. What is the answer? In trying to make sense of this, we saw hope by empowering indigenous believers with medical skills to show compassion and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through medical care. We have seen a glimpse of Heaven through training courageous national evangelists. Here comes Heaven, when we see Christ in the passion of Christians who travel six days on the Amazon River to get to our training. Here comes Heaven, when men and women travel days out of the Himalayan Mountains or Indian evangelists facing severe persecution come to be trained because of their passion for sharing the love of Christ. Here comes Heaven, When followers of Christ in Sub-Saharan Africa boldly face torture or death to love one another in the name of Christ. We have seen national evangelists trained in medical skills working throughout the world for the Kingdom despite our inability to go. Let’s not go quietly to heaven. Give the gift of your medical skills to empower nationals to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

Jesus warned us of what was to come when he said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). But he did not stop there. He continued, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.” Jesus offers peace amidst the storm, peace when COVID-19 moves from an outbreak to an epidemic to a pandemic plaguing almost every continent. In the midst of our world turning upside down in the blink of an eye—school closures, travel bans, restaurants shutting down, stock markets crashing, and breaking news every hour arresting our attention—it is very easy to lose the perspective of the eternal and feel like life is spiraling out of control. And yet, we also see that when Christ was led to the cross it seemed, at first glance, that He was no longer in control and was at the mercy of men. Things looked hopeless when Pilate asked Jesus, ”Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” (John 19:10). How Christ responds to Pilate, though, gives us proper perspective into how we should conduct ourselves as believers when we feel powerless. He replies, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:11). So, in light of Jesus’ response to Pilate, how do we maintain a sound mind amidst the COVID-19 pandemic? Here are a few suggestions: See life in light of God’s truth. Understand that although it may feel like things are out of our control, the truth is we were never in control. Power lies in the hands of a God who loved us enough to send His son to the cross. We can trust Him in our time of need! Pray and pray often. The Bible tells us to call upon the Lord in the day of trouble, and He will rescue us (Ps. 50:15). Prayer reorients our hearts from only thinking about ourselves and our circumstances to seeing ourselves and our circumstances in light of a good God, who never slumbers or sleeps (Ps. 121:4). Meditate on and read the Scriptures. The Word of God is our source of life and hope. How can we be comforted by the promises of God found in Psalm 91 unless we read his Word? Famed philosopher Immanuel Kant once said, “The Bible is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. A single line in the Bible has consoled me more than all the books I ever read besides.” Take a break from the news and social media. I am not suggesting that you ignore the news, but you need to take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to new stories. The constant barrage of negative news media can be jolting and upsetting to say the least. Read and focus on other things. Studies show that traits such as optimism and pessimism can affect many areas of your health and well-being. Having a positive attitude is also in line with what Scripture tells us, namely that we should think on “...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”. (Phil. 4:8). There is power in having a spirit of praise—it turns the eyes of mortal souls towards the everlasting God and gives broken hearts the strength to believe and hope. Stay connected. God has made us social beings. He instructs us not to neglect meeting together to encourage one another. Social distancing notwithstanding, our world today provides ample ways in which we can stay connected (e.g., Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, and phone calls). Take advantage of these means to connect with those you love, including your church family. Go for a walk. Research has shown that experiencing nature has an abundance of health benefits. One study done at Stanford in 2015 showed that people who walked in nature experienced less anxiety, rumination, and negative effects. They also experienced more positive emotions. Remember you are not alone. Seek help if you need it. Talk to family, friends, pastors, and mental health providers. Especially in this season of Lent, it’s important to remember that Christ, though left to die a humiliating death on the cross, did not remain there. He conquered sin and the grave. That same Christ is the one who promised peace in the midst of pestilence. We can take heart because, yes, He has overcome the world. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

I’ve recently been struck by the thought that all ministry can be summed up with one goal: to bring people to Jesus. During this time of uncertainty, it gives me great peace to know that I don’t need to have all of the answers or even have the capacity to carry another’s anxiety. I just want to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, encouraging others to have their gaze on Him as well. Through this unique time of ministry, there are two fundamental ways that we care for ourselves, modeling for others how to know God during a season in which our foundation seems to be shifting: Lament and hope. Americans are not accustomed to what it means to lament. We have trained ourselves to handle loss with distraction and shallow optimism. We brush off sadness with clichés like, “Things are bound to get better tomorrow. God is still in charge.” As the Scriptures show us, there is a time to sit in grief, to tear our proverbial robes, and to put ash on our heads in mourning. Ecclesiastes teaches us that it is wise to sit in the place of mourning because it causes us to ponder our eternal destiny. This is a season of lament, not distraction or false cheer. Give yourself permission to grieve what may have been lost and to accept the reality of hardship that may likely come. This is not the same as anxiety. Lament is the natural response to letting go of things that have given us assurance and comfort. Only as we grieve and receive comfort can we offer that comfort to those around us (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). As we deal with genuine sadness and loss, we need each other. Through this season, be creative in finding ways to share your fears and burdens with one another. Healthy lament is both individual and corporate. While lament is a constructive and God-given reaction to loss, the Bible also tells us that our grief will be different than the world’s—we must grieve with hope. Our reason for hope is not that the economy will quickly recover or that a vaccine for COVID -19 will soon be discovered, although we pray for those remedies. Our hope is entirely based on the eternal promises of our God. Many years ago, I heard something from Larry Crabb that has stuck with me ever since. He said, “I know that Jesus is all I need, but I don’t yet know Him well enough for Him to be all that I have.” Sitting comfortably in our churches a few months ago, our hope in Jesus may have meant little. As we face the possible stripping of earthly comfort and security, may the prospect of true fellowship of Jesus shine brighter and brighter. Everything we let go of leaves in its wake the capacity to grab onto a Treasure that disease and economic crashes cannot destroy. This is a time to radically pursue an intimate fellowship with God that is able to withstand great loss. Not surprisingly, we find that thanksgiving, worship, fasting, serving others, and meditation are all good for our mental and emotional health. These are rhythms that God created for us to practice in good times and to cling to in times of stress. Make the “spiritual disciplines” more than disciplines in your routine. Invite them to become conduits, ushering in the presence of the God of hope. Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! —Habakkuk 3:17-18. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

Between the moment of our salvation and the moment we graduate to glory, Christians interact with people from two worlds: unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:4) and believers in Jesus (John 3:18), or Christians (Acts 11:26). The Bible teaches that our activities with believers include fellowship and worship, while all of our activities with unbelievers fall under the life-style of evangelism. Jesus is Sending Us Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you” (John 20:21) ... to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). His followers are all to be “the salt of the earth ... the light of the world,” and He commanded us to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:13- 16). I define “being light” as “living the Good News” and “being salt” as “speaking the Good News” or “the Gospel.” Furthermore, I believe “being light” involves, (1) competence or doing excellent work (Col. 3:23), (2) character or demonstrating integrity (Phil. 2:14-15), and (3) compassion or displaying kindness (Phil. 2:4). Evangelism is most fruitful when it is face-to-face – in person. The “light” is most intense when we are closest to it. Biblical evangelism is not televangelism (“tele” is a root word that comes from the Greek word that means ‘’far off ’’ or ‘’at a distance”). We can’t share the Good News during this COVID-19 pandemic without being present. Caring for those fearful about or suffering from this virus from afar is for us not an option. Do We Flee This Plague? Nevertheless, some Christian health professionals are asking, “Should I self-quarantine to protect myself and my loved ones?” My answer is the same as Martin Luther’s. When the bubonic plague struck Wittenberg, Germany, in August of 1527, Luther and his pregnant wife, Katharina, were urged to flee; however, they chose to stay in order to minister to the sick and dying – even taking some into their home. When Luther was asked by Christians in another city for advice, he penned a thorough treatise that tis as theologically and practically applicable as when he wrote it. Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague (tinyurl.com/w3hqnoy) combines realism and faith in a way that is powerfully relevant to each Christian health professional and minister. Luther counseled his readers to utilize medicine and intelligence “to guard and to take good care of the body so that we can live in good health.” As a result, he stated, “I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it.” He also practiced what is now being called “social distancing” by writing, “I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence” ... adding this caveat: “If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely” (tinyurl.com/w3hqnoy). As Pastor Jim Denison writes, “[Luther] understood the urgency of sharing the Gospel so as to lead the sick to saving faith before they died and to minister to believers in their final days” (tinyurl. com/sgg4qfl). Luther, Katharina, their children and unborn child (Elizabeth, born just before Christmas) all survived and their ministry thrived. Our Ministry in Healthcare Must be Founded on Prayer In the midst of this pandemic, we don’t retreat! We run to the front, understanding, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). As we serve our patients, Paul tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). Being salt and light must be practiced on, proceeded by, and protected with the power of prayer. Jacob Boehme wrote, “To pray aright is right earnest work. ... It is in one aspect glory and blessedness; in another, it is toil and travail, battle and agony. Uplifted hands grow tremulous long before the field is won” (tinyurl.com/swstrwe). As author S. D. Gordon advised, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed. But you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed” (tinyurl.com/svnt3by), while Samuel Chadwick, a Wesleyan Methodist minister, added, “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray” (tinyurl.com/tw6b9ep). We Must Minister with Words and Works Upon a mighty foundation of prayer, Jesus sends us out, as He did His disciples, “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:2 and Matt 4:23). We are to minister in this COVID-19 pandemic with words and actions. Some Christian health professionals want to “heal the sick” but not “proclaim the kingdom.” They often tell me, “St. Francis of Assisi said, ‘Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.’” But there are three problems with this: St. Francis never said it. In fact, he wrote the opposite: “All the Friars, however, should preach by their deeds” (tinyurl.com/yyrpvkve). No one is good enough to actually do this. Elton Trueblood noted, “The living deed is never adequate without the support which the spoken word can provide. This is because no life is ever good enough. The person who says naïvely, ‘I don’t need to preach; I just let my life speak,’ is insufferably self-righteous. What one among us is so good that he can let his life speak and leave it at that?” (tinyurl.com/wapeddj). Finally, it’s terrible theology. In a Washington Post article titled, “Call yourself a Christian? Start talking about Jesus Christ,” Ed Stetzer points out, “You see, using [St. Francis’] statement is a bit like saying, ‘Feed the hungry at all times; if necessary, use food.’ For Christians, the Gospel is Good News — it’s what the word literally means. The Good News needs to be told” (tinyurl.com/ jtt8fr4). Trueblood adds, “We must use words because our faith must be in something vastly greater than ourselves. We make a witness by telling not who we are but whose we are.” Samuel Shoemaker added, “I cannot by being good tell of Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection, nor of my faith in His divinity” (tinyurl. com/wapeddj). So, how do we Christian healthcare professionals who are caring for patients in the midst of this pandemic verbally share the Good News? How do we be salt that is flavorful? Let me suggest two of the many “spiritual interventions” that Dr. Bill Peel and I share in CMDA’s “Grace Prescriptions” course (tinyurl.com/sfx5cek): A Spiritual Assessment First, we cannot provide proper treatment without a proper history. Adding a short “spiritual assessment” to your social history with each patient you see who is worried about or may have COVID-19 is critical. This will allow you to see where they are on their spiritual journey. Are they a believer or an unbeliever? To the former we can offer spiritual support, to the latter spiritual salvation. If you’ve never utilized a spiritual assessment, I have written a review article explaining the academic and Biblical support for this evidence-based form of quality patient care, as well as some tips on how to do this quickly and efficiently. We are all bombarded with patients needing rapid assessment and care, so I pray you’ll find this quick and simple spiritual history easy to use. You can find it at tinyurl. com/yywzjyb7. One of the easiest to remember and use is what I call “The God Questions:” G = God: May I ask your faith background? Do you have a spiritual or faith preference? Is God, spirituality, religion, or prayer important to you, or not? O = Others: Do you now or have you ever met with others in religious or spiritual community? If so, how often? How important or supportive is/was this to you? D = Do: What can I do to help you incorporate your faith into your medical care? Do you need to see a chaplain, pastor, or priest? Do you need any religious materials or resources? May I pray with/for you? May I have others pray? Of course, you can adapt these questions to fit your personality, specialty, organization, and situation. For those already comfortable utilizing a simple spiritual assessment, you may want to consider my review on a more advanced assessment, the LORD’s LAP, that can quickly and easily help you discover if your religious patients are experiencing any “religious/spiritual distress.” You can find this resource at tinyurl.com/y3q9e66p. Praying With Patients Second, not only must we pray for our patients, our colleagues, and ourselves, but also, we now have a wonderful opportunity in the midst of this “plague” to pray with our patients. Scripture clearly teaches us, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need,” (Heb. 4:16) and, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective,” (James 5:16). As we close our time with our patients, instead of just wishing them “good luck” or “goodbye,” we can say something like, “I know this is a lot to be going through or to think about. Would you mind if I prayed for you about this?” Patients who say “yes” to prayer often assume that the praying will be done later. When they say “yes”, I say, “May I pray with you right now?” A prayer spoken out loud directly to God on behalf of my patient is a simple way to help them experience the reality of being in the presence of God. I keep it short and simple. I don’t address God as if He doesn’t know what’s going on. It may be something like, “Dear Lord, you know my patient is sick, worried, and scared. I invite you into our trouble. I ask you to help us trust you as you work out your plan for this precious person’s life. Amen.” Larry Dossey, MD, writes, “Not to employ prayer with my patients was the equivalent of deliberately withholding a potent drug or surgical procedure.” If you choose to offer to pray with patients, CMDA recommends considering the following prerequisites: You should have taken a spiritual history The patient must either request or consent to prayer The situation calls for prayer (and COVID-19 certainly fits this criteria!) Discuss with the patient any specific prayer requests and specific people you can share the prayer request with (i.e., colleagues, your spouse, prayer ministers at your church, etc.). Finally, it is critical for you to record the patient’s request or consent for prayer in the medical record and, of course, at all times, remember confidentiality. “In the midst of this pandemic, we don’t retreat! We run to the front, understanding, ‘We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” As Christian healthcare professionals, we have a powerful healing resource not all healthcare professionals know how to use—prayer. Use it! Intentionally, wisely, and prayerfully. And, for a patient who desires prayer, a Christian healthcare professional’s prayer may be as or more therapeutic than any other intervention we can offer. For more details about praying with patients, I’ve written an article you can find here: tinyurl.com/y7fkbt54. Conclusion A mentor and dear friend of mine, Sir Paul Brand, MD, once wrote to me that, “In the medical profession, we do have a matchless, wonderful opportunity to meet people at times of their real need when they are ready to open up their hearts and expose their fears and worries and concerns.” This has never been truer than today. I’m finding an incredible openness in my patients who are both the “walking worried” and the “sick and worried.” By cracking open the door to spirituality and to Jesus, most are open to my throwing it wide open. Let me conclude by borrowing from Luther: “I hope that I’ve written enough in this [article] for those who can be saved so that—God be praised—many may thereby be snatched from [Satan’s] jaws and many more may be strengthened and confirmed in the truth. May Christ our Lord and Savior preserve us all in pure faith and fervent love, unspotted and pure until his day. Amen. Pray for me, a poor sinner” (tinyurl.com/w3hqnoy). Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

By Kacie Chase and Caleb Brooks We rarely think of service to others in terms of things we don’t do. For most of us, service is a verb, and when we consider acts of service they are just that: active. In this rare moment, however, we are presented with an opportunity to reframe our Christian duties to one another in ways that may seem counterintuitive. What we are referring to is social distancing. In this unusual time of global pandemic, it’s actually what we do not do that can be most impactful. Social distancing is a fairly basic concept: limiting your social contact to those that you live with and avoiding public spaces unless it is absolutely necessary. Scientifically, the strategy behind social distancing is also simple: by removing ourselves from the larger pool of those that can be carriers of COVID-19, we contribute to a broader effort to curb the rate of infection within the population. In doing this, we slow or “stagger” the number of infections so that local healthcare systems are not overwhelmed by coronavirus cases that will require hospitalization to survive. This may go without saying, but social distancing will probably feel like something of an inconvenience. “Aren’t I a healthy, free person?” you might ask. “Why would I limit my own movement and access to the people and places that help fulfill me and add meaning to my days?” The answer to these questions lies within the concept of neighborliness. We all know the passage in Luke 10 where Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan. After a brief back and forth with an expert in the Torah, the man answers with the first and greatest commandment: To love God with all that we are and love our neighbors as ourselves is the way to eternal life. But in a step further, this man of the law poses the question, “And who is my neighbor?” Each time I read this question it kind of rings in my ears. In the text, the question seems to be instantly placed in the mouth of the reader. There is a power in its simplicity, and I imagine a wry grin crossing Jesus’ face as he begins his answer in the form of the parable. During this outbreak we are reminded, as Jesus reminded those gathered that day, that each one of us has an opportunity to be a good neighbor. Many of our neighbors are now, as always, people that we may not ever meet or know. Because of the ease with which COVID-19 is spread from one person to another, our neighborly duty has become the act of self-limitation, and even self-isolation. By understanding that we each represent part of a greater whole, we can love our neighbors as ourselves by staying at home, avoiding crowded places, and encouraging those around us to do the same. In the way that monastics through the centuries have committed to lives of isolation and deprivation in service to God, we can now serve our numbers by acts as simple as playing board games with our families in the living room and preparing meals from whatever we have in the pantry. But there are also ways we can love our neighbors more actively. One such way is recognizing that social distancing will be inordinately difficult for those with less privilege. Consider the homeless who don’t have adequate hand-washing facilities. Consider the children who live in single-parent homes and will face the fear and uncertainty of being home alone or suddenly having a parent with no income. Consider low-wage workers who are being sent home without notice and don’t know when they will have work again. Consider the hospital cleaning and maintenance staff that will work through this pandemic with high risks and low pay. Those of us able to work from home and care for our children all while still getting a paycheck are persons of privilege during this season. Social distancing precludes in-person acts of kindness for these folks, but there are certainly still ways we can support them. We can be generous in our giving through the support of local non-profits that address these insecurities in our communities. We can encourage legislation that will ensure that everyone’s basic needs are met, and there are no big winners or big losers as a result of something so broadly impactful and so completely beyond any one person’s control. These are ultimately small acts, and may not always even feel like direct service, but social distancing and awareness are the most effective ways to show mercy to those around us in the weeks ahead. In this unique period of pandemic, we live out our sanctity for life by taking a break from life as we know it. Download full ebook "A Healthcare Worker's Response to COVID-19" here

This is a simple explanation as to how Covid-19 became such a dangerous highly contagious pandemic. This explains why, as an emergency medicine physician, we emphasize the importance of social distancing while medical protocols are developed.     COVID-19 This is a post from a respected Infectious disease doctor that gives a nice simple explanation of why COVID-19 is so contagious. Please take note as to why social distancing is so important as we have time to develop medical protocols. Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu?  Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand. It has to do with RNA sequencing ... i.e. genetics. Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”.  The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system.  This means your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year. You get immunity two ways: through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot.   Novel viruses come from animals. The WHO tracks novel viruses in animals (sometimes for years ... watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once one of these animal viruses mutates and starts to transfer from animals to humans ... then it’s a problem. Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity. The RNA sequencing of genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so we can’t fight it off. Now .... sometimes the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human; for years the only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so it can now transfer human to human. Once that happens, we have a new contagion phase.  And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, that’s what decides how contagious, or how deadly, it’s going to be. H1N1 was deadly, but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. The RNA was slower to mutate, and it attacked its host differently, too.   Fast forward. Now, here comes this Coronavirus ... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long ... but one day at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people.  At first only animals could give it to a person ... but here is the scary part ... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery”. This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity) took off like a rocket.  And this was because humans have no known immunity and doctors have no known medicines for it. And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs. That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza. Coronavirus is slippery and it’s a lung eater, and it’s already mutated AGAIN so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain S and strain L ... which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine. We really have no tools in our shed with this.  History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics.  Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu. Factoid:  Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed ... (honestly, I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation... And let me end by saying ... right now it’s hitting older folks harder ... but this genome is so slippery ... if it mutates again (and it will) who is to say what it will do next.   Be smart folks ...