Power Struggle

“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.



Though this clip was from a jail in Los Angeles, California, the hunger for power and control between different races occur in most of the detention or correctional facilities all over the nation. It doesn’t exclude my workplace.

Careful attention is given when arrestees come in from the streets and are booked in. Even if 2 people belong to the same race, the deputies who assign the housing for them have to make sure that they don’t miss any crucial information about these people. Being a gang member while the other may not be, is a thing to consider so that fights are avoided.

No matter how careful, fights do occur. And where there are big fights, nurses are very much involved in evaluating and treating injuries. It’s even harder when there is a great number involved. Triaging whoever is bleeding and most of them are. Sometimes, unfortunately, there are fatalities.

It’s sad when that kind of mentality of “I’m better than you” or “I’m stronger than you” exist inside these thick walls. And colors matter. The fact is: they are all inmates, no matter what color, no matter what social backgrounds. They all committed crimes outside and they are there to pay for those crimes.

It is sad when Christians also fight and hurt the cause for Christ. True Christians should not persecute each other. Unfortunately, this is still happening from many centuries ago up to this time. [From Life Application Bible; emphasis is mine]:

Paul once envisioned a church where all the Jews and Gentiles would be united in their love of God and in obedience to Christ. While respecting God’s law, this ideal church would look to Christ alone for salvation. A person’s ethnic background and social status would not be significant [Galatians 3:28 - “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians - you are one in Christ Jesus.”]

“Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” - Romans 14:1

“Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should.” - Romans 14:4

“For we are not our own masters when we live or when we die. While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he might be Lord of those who are alive and of those who have died.” - Romans 14:7-9

“So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow to me and every tongue will confess allegiance to God.” - Romans 14:10,11

“Yes, each of us will give personal account to God. So don’t condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian’s path.” - Romans 14:12,13

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” - Romans 14:17-19

I Refuse

“No! I’d rather not get my insulin because I know I’m gonna’ crash by noon!” uttered a female inmate, whose walks were aided with a cane she held with her right hand.

“Ma’am, you have the right to refuse. But I want to make sure that you understand the possible consequences if you don’t get your insulin. Your blood sugar is okay at this time. Because the insulin is helping you. But if you refuse and then, eat your breakfast, your sugar level will go higher,” I informed her.

“No! It’s okay. I know myself. I know it will go down,” she insisted.

Pulling a refusal form of treatment, I wrote the necessary information on the “fill-in-the-blanks” part of it, as I continued to speak with her:

“If you think that you always crash by noon, how come you don’t tell the deputy in your unit? Because they’re good at sending you down here so we can always check your blood sugar or one of us can even go to your unit if you feel like your sugar level is low,” I sort of persuaded her knowing the risks are greater than her thinking that she was saving herself.

“Our doctor has this plan of giving you this amount of insulin. If your sugar level is way high or low, they do make adjustments as they review your records, time after time,” I added.

She just smiled. Taking the pen I offered, she marked that refusal form with her signature, the date and the time. I wrote the rest: of the reason why she refused and that she was informed and aware of the possible consequences.

Hobbling with her cane, she disappeared from my sight as she was led out to the Female side of the Clinic, back to their units. Together with other female diabetics. I would see her again. I wasn’t sure if she would ever change her mind.


Just wondering what the Lord is telling you in relation to this story, my friends?


This is what came to my mind: God has devised a plan, too for all humanity. He sent Jesus, His Son, to pay for our sins. His plan of salvation was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Yes, we’ve heard about His plan. Yet, He is giving us all the choice. We can either choose to accept His offer of salvation or we can choose to refuse and ignore it.

Knowing that Jesus died on the cross to save us from sins is not enough. We need to receive Jesus by faith, as an act of our will.

“For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scripture tell us, “Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed.” - Romans 10:9-11

And when we refuse, the destination is not a desirable place to be: apart from God. The place called “hell”. So, would you rather accept or refuse “Jesus Christ”? Hell is real.



“And all who believe in God’s Son have eternal life. Those who don’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them.” -John 3:36

“That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” - Matthew 13:49,50

“And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death - the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” - Revelation 20:14,15

I Can't Breathe

One nurse and I ran to our supply room and prepared the equipments needed for a med neb treatment. We were anticipating for the arrival of an inmate having labored breathing from his asthma attacks. The other nurse recognized the name. He just came back for the same problem from ER the previous night.

Gasping for air, it was a struggle for him to take in some air. The wheezes were so audible, I didn’t need to listen with my stethoscope. He was holding on to a couple of newly-prescribed inhalers that obviously were not working throughout the night. The med neb was not working. He remained struggling for breath. We summoned the doctor, who fortunately came in early to review some inmates’ charts.

“I can’t breathe,” he said without the words, as he coughed from having tight airways.

“Give him Epi! 1 mg!” he ordered to one of the nurses as I started the paperworks, knowing that this inmate needed to go to ER STAT! [as soon as possible]. The little glass vial of Epi was broken and after withdrawn with a syringe was given to the muscle of his right arm. Somehow, his oxygen level in the blood was at its best -100% saturation and would only drop down to 96-97%. But he remained out of breath, as his respirations became more shallow and faster.

“Doc, you want to upgrade the ambulance to code 3?” I suggested.

“I just did. You’re right. We’re not gonna’ wait for another 20 minutes with him breathing like this,” he calmly responded as he sat on a chair across from the patient, monitoring him the whole time.

“Try to relax,” I reassured the inmate. “I know it’s easier said than done, but the ambulance is on its way. Try to hang on…We’ll be here and won’t leave you until help arrives, okay?”

He calmly nodded his head. Though struggling for air, he felt reassured that many nurses and the doctor were surrounding him with his struggle. All of the staff knew, he could pass out any minute if his airway started closing in. He didn’t know we were on a stand-by because it could be possible that we might do CPR if he lost consciousness.

“Give him another Epi of 1mg,” ordered the same doctor. Still no relief. But he remained calm. Every minute felt like years. As we watched him still helplessly trying to get air despite the best efforts we could give. Suddenly, the sounds of careening wheels from a guerney came in plain view. The staff was relieved. Help finally came. So he could be transported to the nearest ER and be treated with other stuff we didn’t have and not allowed to be performed in that setting.

“I hope you feel better soon!” I waved at him.

He managed to smile. In between those struggling gasps, I knew he felt better to see that help arrived. He would make it. I knew in my heart, he would. Because he trusted us.

How could a man behind bars tell a church to rejoice, instead of panicking of what awaited? Paul said, “Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again - rejoice!” [Philippians 4:4]. Paul taught us that our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances.

As we struggle in many areas of our lives, when we accept God’s offer of help, we, too can smile and be joyful amidst the times of troubles as long as we remain trusting in Him.

Jesus is our only Savior Who can rescue us from going into panic modes because He can give anyone peace. Just have faith and believe!

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6,7

Jesus is the air we breathe when we believe and trust in Him!

Inmates singing "This Is the Air I Breathe":



This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm I'm lost without you



This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm I'm lost without you

And I, I'm desperate for you,
And I, I'm lost without you,

I'm lost without you,
I'm lost without you.
I'm lost without you.
I'm lost without you [Jesus]

Passing On God's Love

God’s greatest attribute is love. Love describes who God is and how He feels about us - that He desires to be with us and have an eternal union with us. God commands that we love Him and one another. It is through loving Him that we discover how much we are loved by Him, and then we are able to pass that love on to others. Love is the soul’s greatest need, and even our health is better when we know that we are loved. Love brings security and calms us. Every other virtue has love as its foundation. [The Pursuit Of Virtues, 1999].

“Love one another, as I have loved you.” - John 15:12

Passing God’s love on you, precious friends…To God be the glory!



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