The Officer

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He was a respected Lieutenant, who just retired from law enforcement. But after that, he became the top official in a famous university’s security group. He must be the envy of other law enforcement officials. Then….

Not anymore….as my co-workers and I gasped at his booking photo. Booked for molesting a young person at the young age of 14. The teenager had grown to become an adult and turned around and squealed on what he had done. To her counselor, she spoke about the abuse he had done with her. To everyone’s shock!

Who would have thought? When the one who was supposed to protect someone was actually the perpetrator of this ugly crime?

Isn't it true for most of us, believers...that we still fall into sinning?

"But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different than what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Yes, we can overcome falling in the traps of sins. By choosing to do what is right and praying for God's help. Running away from those tempting situation is our first step towards victory.

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory." ~ Colossians 3:1-4


"So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things." ~ Colossians 3:5-6

Friends, sorry if I haven't been able to visit you all. I'm actually on a break but this came to my heart few minutes ago. May God bless all of you and protect you. Thank you for all of your prayers, loving thoughts and encouragements. "Be strong in the Lord's mighty power!"

I Need That Wheelchair

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“Excuse me nurse!” interrupted this inmate with walker who just came back from being treated from the county’s ER. He claimed he fell and continued to have numbness on his right leg. That it would be difficult to walk with the walker and preferred the wheelchair instead.

I was returning the wheelchair to our storage area, which the deputy used to wheel him back to the Infirmary when they got back at the Intake yard from the hospital.

“Do you think I can still use that? I think I can move around better with it than this walker. I need that wheelchair!!!” he requested.

I didn’t answer him. I just looked at him. He stopped talking. I didn’t need to explain anything. Because the charge nurse already explained to him what was about to happen with his care. He slowly turned his gaze away from me toward the tv set up on the wall when he sensed that I wouldn't dare to speak nor explain.

He claimed he was having numbness on his right leg. But all the tests came back negative. He didn’t know we were watching him earlier before he was let in to be examined by the charge nurse. He did okay ambulating with the front-wheeled walker.

“The tests were all negative,” explained the charge nurse.

“We can’t allow you to use the wheelchair at this time because you don’t fall into that criteria where we need to give you one,” she continued.

“Our jail doctor will re-examine you this morning. So just go back to your unit and we’ll see you again in the morning,” she explained.

He didn’t know, the medical staff is always careful issuing any equipment. They are all potential weapons. Some inmates use them, to make their medical condition appear worse. So that when they go to court to see the judge, they try to show or act that they are not in the best of health to commit whatever crime they were charged for. They might know some loopholes in the system. But we, nurses, are careful, too not to be tricked into the kind of games they play. We see the facts, the symptoms and we go from there. Along with the custody staff’s input as they observe them more closely and their behavior is different when they are in their particular units.

We all make requests, too. Through prayers. We know what we need. We know what we want. We may not be playing a game. But we pray not to change God’s mind and make Him give all the stuff that we need. We pray to change ours! And make our lives aligned to what He willed for us. We need to remain silent instead and tune in to what He planned for each of our lives. God knows everything even before we ask. It’s us who need to trust in Him and draw nearer to Him.

Why trust God?

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” - Isaiah 43:1-3


“All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” - Isaiah 43:7

“For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!.” - Isaiah 43:19

God delights in doing something new. He delights in making us a part of His plan. But sometimes, these new plans are the ones that make us uncomfortable. They are bringing us to “unseen” circumstances. We don’t know what to do at times. They can be so troubling. But God promised to be there with us. That is if we choose to walk with Him. And if we do, these plans become humbling experiences for us in return. Our weak faith becomes awed instead by His power and might. Awed by His love, grace, mercy and faithfulness.

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:13-14

The Snake Bite

“Oh…it looks better, I think…,” replied the young male inmate in front of me. He sustained a rattle snake bite few days ago on two of his fingers of the right hand. The index finger looked like it healed already. But the more severe bite was on the middle finger. There was a little drainage on his old dressing that he requested if he could see us so the dressing could be changed.

Often times, I ask the inmates how they think their wounds are looking since night shift nurses do not perform treatments at night. Treatments are usually done in the morning by the day shift nurses who specifically go to the jail’s every unit and with their list, would start seeing them one by one.

I didn’t do this inmate’s initial dressing change. But it still looked awful to me. I wouldn’t go into a much more detailed steps I took to change his dressing. But over all, his finger was still swollen, and had a dark discoloration. It looked like it was rotting. But to him, it looked better.

“Awww…” he moaned.

“What’s wrong?” I asked though I know it might hurt a little because of the swelling.

“It hurts every time you guys change the dressing,” he replied with his face looking the opposite direction.

“Sir, it’s done,” I softly answered.

“It is?” he asked in disbelief with his eyes opened wide and bigger.

“Thank you. That’s the first time it didn’t hurt,” he smiled as he looked at his newly-dressed swollen finger.

“I saturated your old dressing with saline. That’s why you didn’t even feel the pain when I took off the dressing. Here are some few Motrin. Take them few minutes before the day nurses start your dressing change in the morning. So you won’t feel as much pain,” I added.

Carnal Christians….Seems like it’s hard to believe these words can go together. But they do. Since we are descendants of the famous first couple back in Eden days, the snake tempting Eve to take that bite from that fruit of knowledge, which she did, it had been difficult to re-program ourselves, despite us, being born-again Christians. Carnal means being controlled by the flesh.

We always think Satan as our spiritual enemies. But we forget that sometimes, our greatest enemies are ourselves. Our flesh. After accepting Christ into our hearts, we think that we are looking better in our spiritual state. That we are progressing. When deep inside, our flesh are warring against our own spirit. Against His Spirit in us. And the spiritual enemy, makes us think we are progressing when truly we’re not.

I know that you and I feel that pain. Deep inside. Whenever we do something we don’t want to do and end up doing it. Paul said it best:

“I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.” - Romans 7:14-17

Being born again and becoming a Christian is not enough to prevent us from sinning and from temptations. It is a lifelong process. Only by being saturated with the Living Water, by His Word and obeying them help us in our spiritual state.

Let us take a look again at our spiritual wounds, caused by our own choices and the snake’s bites…It’s through knowledge that we can overcome this and be healed. It’s through God’s Word.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” ~ 1 John 1:9

Find And Use Your Talents

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“Hey! Nurse M! Have you heard about our openings? I heard they have 3 openings for nurses,” I excitedly informed one per diem nurse we rarely see.  She used to be a full time LVN who worked hard to become an RN. She opted to work per diem in our detention facility as she tried to get more skills in a bigger hospital.

“That’s great! I would love to apply!” she replied, beaming with a smile.

When morning came, she spoke with one of the supervisors who particularly was always nice with her.

“Nurse K., please don’t make me work at Intake when I come to work here as full time,” she pled.

“Oh! Don’t say that during your interview,” nurse K. uttered.

Over hearing their conversation, I was just thinking to  myself that it would be impossible not to work at Intake.

Because most of us take turns sometimes. When there is a call off, one has to go there. It’s the busiest part of the correctional facility. Where the cops or highway patrol bring in their arrestees to be booked. And nurses give the “go” whether the arrested individuals are mentally or medically fit to be processed and be incarcerated. How can a nurse learn if she is not even willing to try? Yet, still wants to be a part of the nursing staff?

It’s not true that we have no talents. Nor to feel that we have the right to use them as we please. May we discover our hidden talents to be used in serving others for God.

“God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Christ Jesus. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.” ~ 1 Peter 4:10-11