Lifetime
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Sisterhood in Strength: Celebrating 30 Years of WPDC
In the early 1990s, Dr. Patti Francis saw a need for a more directed ministry to women physician and dentist members of CMDA. Dr. David Topazian, who was CMDA President at the time, agreed, and an ad hoc committee was formed. The initial interest was overwhelming.
Preparing our Students and Residents to Stand Strong
Plenty of clever people are beginning to say some sensible things, although the ruling elite are hardly listening at all. Most of the clever people who immediately recognized the significance of the fiasco at Harvard University involving Claudine Gay nevertheless analyzed it in terms of an ill-thought-out affirmative move in line with the currently dominant but rotting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs—which need to rewrite themselves as DIE programs and then be killed.
Why Do We Shy Away from Sin and Judgment?
Plenty of clever people are beginning to say some sensible things, although the ruling elite are hardly listening at all. Most of the clever people who immediately recognized the significance of the fiasco at Harvard University involving Claudine Gay nevertheless analyzed it in terms of an ill-thought-out affirmative move in line with the currently dominant but rotting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs—which need to rewrite themselves as DIE programs and then be killed.
Letter from the President: Developing a CMDA Community Chapter
I praise God for CMDA where I have developed great friends and wonderful mentors through the years. I have met strong people of faith who have challenged me to be more like Christ. I love these verses from Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Finishing Well: Preparing for Retirement
As a Christian healthcare professional, you have likely thought about retirement. It is either a distant dream, an approaching reality or a present experience. For some, it stirs positive thoughts and emotions, such as relief from the demands of work, opportunities to spend more time with family, the pursuit of long-deferred hobbies and travel to foreign lands. For others, it incites anxieties surrounding health concerns, a lack of financial resources and the uncertainties of “what’s next.”
Touching Hands, Connecting Hearts
March 2020. Like other events in history, I know most of us can remember where we were, how we felt, and what we were doing when the world shut down. For me, my life was full of anxiety.
CMDA Today – Summer 2024
In the summer 2024 edition of CMDA Today, read how lasting friendships can be made through CMDA. Plus, discover how to navigate retirement with grace and wisdom, a celebration of WPDC’s 30 years of ministry, brand new curriculum to equip those in training, and more.
What Does It Mean to Be Human?
This article is an excerpt transcribed from an interview recorded for a CMDA Matters podcast episode released in November 2023 with CMDA CEO Mike Chupp, MD, FACS; CMDA Senior Vice President of Bioethics and Public Policy Jeff Barrows, DO, MA (Ethics); and Professor John Wyatt. During the conversation, they discussed what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), especially how it relates to healthcare. To listen to the full episode, visit cmda.org/cmdamatters.
Pursuing Truth
What is the most extravagant meal you have ever had? Mine was a lavish Christmas day banquet after scuba diving on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef. If you are a “foodie,” you will remember certain amazing meals.
Live as Children of The Light
Perhaps the biggest problem for young people today is deciding what to believe and therefore not knowing how to live. My heart aches for them, including some of my grandchildren. By the same token I am deeply moved to see those who have the wisdom to see the truth through the mists of deceit which envelop our culture. In my life it was so much easier. There was no distracting television, only the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) “wireless,” which included intellectual feasts like C.S. Lewis giving talks that were later adapted into Mere Christianity (sadly we missed those, but real high-quality material like that we did often hear).
Going on Mission Without Leaving Home
A high number of CMDA members want to go on or have served on an international mission trip. Why? Hopefully, not to just see another country, but to bring the love and message of Jesus to those who don’t know Him. Do we need to leave home to do this? Should we leave home to do this if we aren’t already reaching out to those around us who don’t know the Lord?
On The Frontlines for The Battle of Truth
I had the privilege of hosting author and speaker Rosaria Butterfield several weeks ago on our weekly podcast, CMDA Matters. Her new book, The Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, is a must read if you or a family member are struggling with the deceptions of LGBTQ-ism or radical feminism, or if you are pursuing a God honoring balance of truth and love in your family or professional spheres on these issues. Rosaria, as a former lesbian and feminist activist professor at Syracuse University, is a formidable truth speaker in our culture.
A Contemporary Examination of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus
How certain are we that Jesus died on the cross? Could His resurrection have been a hoax? These are critical issues to the Christian faith. The apostle Paul admonished the Corinthian church, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV). This is a 21st century medical examination of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Why Are We Suing the FDA?
If you’ve been paying attention to the news the last several months, you’ve likely heard about a lawsuit entitled AHM vs. FDA in which a group of prolife healthcare professionals is suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over removal of safety standards for the abortion drug mifepristone. The lawsuit was in the news again in December 2023 because the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. That group of prolife healthcare professionals includes CMDA. AHM stands for the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, and CMDA is one of five founding members of AHM, along with the Catholic Medical Association (CMA), the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) and the Coptic Medical Association of North America (CMANA).
CMDA Today – Spring 2024
In the spring 2024 edition of CMDA Today, Professor John Wyatt gives answers regarding the impact of artificial technology on the future of healthcare. Plus, discover how you can join the Colson Fellowship to be equipped with truth, details of Roman crucifixion through a physician’s lens, how to live on mission at home, and more.
On the Side: January 2024
I finished school many years ago. My children are almost grown. My youngest is a senior in high school. There are no grandchildren on my horizon to date. Yet, I still put the new crayons in my shopping buggy at least once a year. There is just something wondrous about a brand-new box.
On the Side: December 2023
We drove to Mississippi from Chicago while in medical school. We had three under two and knew we probably wouldn’t make it the entire way in one day but weren’t exactly sure how far we would make it. And so, we decided to drive until we had to stop. It was a great decision right up until the triplets were past exhausted and there was not one hotel room to be found. Not one.
Psychiatric Insights for Treating Detransitioners: Equipping Healthcare Professionals
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that systems tend toward maximum entropy, disorganization or chaos. Since 1950, society’s transition into postmodernism—where relativism replaces an agreed upon series of absolutes and truth—marked a pivot point accelerating chaos. When God’s truth is ignored, Satan and the world’s small lies gain traction and, if not corrected, accelerate to absurdity level. Over the last 30 years, growing absurdities about how sex/gender are determined led to an exponential increase of atrocities in the form of “voluntary and willful” chemical upheaval, surgical castration, sterilization and mutilation destroying not just young healthy bodies, but also severely damaging the associated minds and spirits.
Commit and Engage – Letter from the President
I came to know Christ my first week in college at University of California, Davis (UC Davis). I wasn’t in a bad place or even seeking out spiritual fulfillment, but I was intrigued by my next-door dorm neighbor who was definitely high on something. It happened to be Jesus.
Volunteering: It’s a Lifestyle
When you first begin considering the idea of volunteering, the simple thought might be overwhelming for a busy healthcare professional who’s trying to balance obligations at work, at home, at church, in the clinic, on campus and across a host of other areas. It’s no surprise that many of us in healthcare would steer far away from volunteering because there are just not enough hours in the day, not to mention enough margin in our schedules.
Doctors as gods (and What to Do About It)
A group of colleagues and myself met recently to discuss episode 16 of CMDA’s Faith Prescriptions video series at a Christian clinic in Yorktown, Virginia. Episode leader Dr. Farr Curlin states regarding the practice of medicine, “We should make use of it, it’s a gift of God, but don’t put our hope in it, as if it is the physician who saves.”
21st Century Savagery and Hamas: How Do We Understand Evil?
The savagery of Hamas in Israel has been on everyone’s mind in recent weeks. Most political leaders, including respected Saudi leaders, have expressed their horror at what was done. The killing of civilians, including women and children, plus the mutilation and degradation of dead bodies, is impossible to defend. The depravity of Hamas fighters is undeniable.
Organized Medicine and the Response to Dobbs: Seeking Crucial and Constructive Conversations
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a landmark decision in which the court held that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.[1] A number of medical professional organizations responded to the decision with public statements. These responses were framed around themes including affirmation of patient autonomy, protection of the doctor-patient relationship, preservation of abortion experience in the training environment and protection of disparately affected populations.
CMDA Today – Winter 2023
In the winter 2023 edition of CMDA Today, Dr. Karl Benzio shares how to help patients navigate the extremely complex route to detransition. Plus, discover practical ways to advocate for the sanctity of life, how to use Faith Prescriptions to develop realistic patient expectations, how to follow God’s calling to serve others and more.
On the Side: November 2023
As I am writing this article, it has been just a few days since hostilities erupted in the Middle East. Every morning I have to get up and see what they are doing over there. It is unquestionable that any information I have today will be obsolete by the time you read this. I don’t know what else to say except, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Psalm 122:6, NASB).
On the Side: October 2023
God knows everything He is planning to bring about in our future. He is the One who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. We may look around us and see nothing of that promise, but He encourages us to look anyway and to see with the eyes of faith.
I can’t be pregnant!
I saw the patient was young and figured her history wouldn’t be complicated. As I walked into the procedure room to introduce myself, little did I know just how complex this visit would become.
CMDA Ethics Statement: Disagreement Among Christians on Bioethical Issues
Throughout the history of the church, there have been times when Christians have disagreed with one another in the pursuit of truth. The causes for this are many. Human knowledge is limited, and sometimes sources of knowledge can be interpreted differently.
The Gift of Redemption
Over time, we began fighting about everything. We once believed we had so much in common, but we concluded we had nothing in common at all. Our fights would last days, sometimes turning into weeks and months.
The Importance of Trust—Not Something Created by Taking Courses in Ethics
If we attempt to write a list of the people we really trust and then try to work out why we trust them, it is clearly not explained by level of education, wealth, privilege or oppression.
Healthcare Response to Human Trafficking
The passage of Scripture that cemented my love for the Lord, and certainly helped me understand His love for us, is found in Luke 4:18. Reading from a passage originally found in Isaiah, Jesus stands in the synagogue and declares, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (KJV). It also served as a roadmap for the rest of my life, and I believe it is a roadmap for us all.
CMDA Today – Fall 2023
In this edition of CMDA Today, Protecting Conscience in Healthcare, Helping Patients Navigate an Unplanned Pregnancy, How God redeemed a marriage using CMDA’s Side By Side ministry, Equipping the healthcare community to respond to the human trafficking crisis, Preserving biblical unity amongst Christian healthcare professionals with differing views, and Foundations built on trust sustain stronger culture.
On the Side: September 2023
I met my best friends from high school this summer in North Carolina. It was our third annual trip together—we have been to a couple of beaches, but this year we chose the mountains.
On the Side: August 2023
God knows everything He is planning to bring about in our future. He is the One who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. We may look around us and see nothing of that promise, but He encourages us to look anyway and to see with the eyes of faith.
On the Side: July 2023
Several years ago, there was a house down the street from us that had the most amazing landscaping! Ok, I’ll admit it, I experienced a little “flower envy” every time I walked by with the dogs. I may have even sneaked a pic or two to save for when spring came around again so I could plant similar flowers.
On the Side: June 2023
When I sit among the women of our local Side By Side chapter, I sit among power. Wives of physicians, some physicians themselves, some experts in other fields, some nursing stay-at-home moms. A group diverse in age and background and current employment, but always powerful.
What Foundation Do Ideas of Ethics Have if Darwin is Right?
Charles Darwin’s great idea was that biological change could be endless if small, beneficial, naturally occurring variations could be selectively preserved and grow because of initially small survival advantages. He provided no theory of beginnings, only of process, which did not concern him too much because Aristotle’s belief in the eternity of matter had not been disproved. Furthermore, micro-evolution occurs all the time as Darwin describes so beautifully in the first chapter of On the Origin of Species.
Theology of Mythology: Of God and gods, Angels and Demons
The people of ancient Palestine in Israel and Judea saw angels in anthropomorphic form, and they encountered demons inhabiting humans and animals. The angels (or even the Trinity) could eat at their table, unlock gates and move stones.
A Bearded Child, a Djembe and Faith
These last few months have squeezed our family like a grape. We have six kids aged eight and under—including infant twins, Ford and Eleanor, who joined our family in summer 2022. We are also about to move the whole Morris clan to Papua New Guinea in 2023 to serve as healthcare missionaries. I am sure you can imagine that our lives are as calm as a clam.
Unity Among the Members of Christ; Letter from the President
Christianity is a team sport. As team players, we need to get on the same page of the playbook so we can work in a coordinated effort to accomplish the goal of winning the lost and glorifying God in our lives and in our organization.
Don’t Use Ice Picks for Brain Surgery
The first time I ever heard of a lobotomy was in the early 1980s. I was a medical student, but I didn’t learn about it in class. Instead, I was in a darkened room with a bunch of other family members, watching a family home movie filmed 30 years earlier.
A Letter to Christian Physicians
In the beginning, a PA worked for a physician. With extensive prior medical experience and accelerated training in the medical model, a PA worked for a physician who had a practice vision that needed PAs truly to be physician extenders.
CMDA Today – Summer 2023
SUMMER 2023 Online Version EvolutionSummer 2023 What Foundation Do Ideas of Ethics Have if Darwin is Right? June 1, 2023 Charles Darwin’s great idea was that biological change could be endless if small, beneficial, naturally occurring variations could be selectively preserved and grow because of initially small survival advantages. He provided no theory of beginnings,…
On the Side: May 2023
Moving has the effect of making you take stock of what you’re carrying with you. It is important to know what baggage to keep and what to get rid of.
On the Side: April 2023
Some days when the deadline for writing my On the Side devotional is looming—or loomed last week and is now bearing down on me like a bullet train—and the words are stuck in my head, I scroll through old issues to see what topics we have covered as a team.
Save and Support Lives with Abortion Pill Reversal
Rebecca had eight months to go before finishing nursing school and was in an unhealthy relationship when she found out she was pregnant. She had no car and little income, and she certainly did not feel ready to have a baby.
Joy for the Journey
On my first day of service with CMDA in 2016, I attended the annual Healthcare Missions Leadership Summit. We were welcomed by Dr. Joshua Bogunjoko, the International Director of Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), who challenged attendees to carefully monitor their joy levels in ministry.
Who Holds the Judges Accountable or Can We Be Good Without God?
On November 24, 2022, the National Post reported that one in six women in Canada have had an abortion, and most of them think they made the right choice and therefore do not need to repent. A mere 10 percent regret their abortion. If Christianity is true, then everyone needs the gift of repentance.
Advocating the Justice Priorities of Jesus
In 2021 the CMDA Board of Trustees assigned nine strategic initiatives to the staff of CMDA for completion over a three-year period. One of the two initiatives placed under the advocacy was to align its advocacy with policies where Jesus has the greatest concern.
Moral Distress and Moral Injury in Healthcare
Moral distress and moral injury are relatively new terms, but the problems they reflect are ancient. They address the need to face moral challenges with the integrity of an undivided heart.
Disciples in Dentistry
When we meet someone new, one of the first questions we often ask is, “What do you do?” What we do is often the thing that largely defines us in broad strokes or gives us our identity.
CMDA Today – Spring 2023
In the Spring 2023 Edition of Today’s Christian Doctor, David and Katie Musser in the CMDA Residency [+] program, Dr. Jeffrey Barrows on applying the commands of Jesus to Christian advocacy in the public square, Eric Hussar, MD. discusses Abortion Pill Reversal, Dr. John Patrick on the source for morality in a post Christian world, and much more.
CMDA Today
A weekly blog keeping you updated on emerging topics relevant to today’s issues in healthcare written by CMDA’s staff and members. Perspectives and Opinions on Issues and News Topics is a publication of Christian Medical & Dental Associations®. Join the conversation with The Point, CMDA’s blog focusing on breaking news stories in bioethics and healthcare. CMDA’s experts contribute to the blog and also recommend additional resources and information.
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On the Side: March 2023
It has been said that all the world is a stage, and the people are mere players. If that is true, then sometimes I feel like a supporting character in my own life. My husband’s career has been center-stage for so long, I can’t remember a time when our life didn’t somehow revolve around it. It determined where we lived, and how long. It determined when dinner was, and when we could go on vacation. It was the reason we moved away from home, and the reason we moved again, and again, and again. And I have been the one making sure all the endless “little things” got done along the way. I am pushing the plot of our lives along—but standing outside the spotlight.
On the Side: February 2023
Kicking and screaming…most of the time. Protesting in the loudest and most ridiculous ways imaginable. Much like a disobedient child, who is being drug from a store by a parent; misbehaving just because they didn’t get what they wanted. That’s me. Why? How do you follow Jesus?
On the Side: January 2023
It is a foggy morning at my house and I just filled my fourth garbage bag following the departure of my Christmas guests (full disclosure: my mom is still here after airline troubles delayed her flight by a week!) I am not ready to un-decorate yet as we love to savor the Christmas lights for a bit as we enter the new year. The deep sigh of tidying up is truly palpable — getting things back in their place somewhat and organized so that the new year can begin.
On the Side: December 2022
The Christmas season is upon us! I love the smells, the lights and the traditions. One tradition we have in our family is to not put any Christmas gifts under the tree until after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve. It is a tradition born out of practicality: we had curious toddlers in our house for more than 10 years. But even now, when our youngest is 11, we still keep all the gifts safely tucked away until late Christmas Eve. It is so much fun to see the surprise on their sleepy faces Christmas morning!
CMDA Today – Winter 2022
In the Winter 2022 Edition of CMDA Today, Building a Foundation to Recovery by David Holmes, MD, Healing from the Violence of Busyness by Emmy Yang, MD, MTS, Your Body Will Be Whole, by Kathryn Butler, MD, Losing Our Language to Bureaucratic Jargon by John Patrick, MD; and more!
The Season of Light Around the World
As the trappings of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons emerge around us in North America, things look and feel quite different for our colleagues serving around the world. For cross-cultural missionaries serving far from home, this time of year is complicated.
Losing Our Language to Bureaucratic Jargon
As is often the case, this quarterly column is heavily dependent on my current reading. This time it is Roger Scruton’s Fools, Frauds and Firebrands. Healthcare professionals are being pressured into all sorts of actions, actions which make them uncomfortable and undermine their deepest commitment to the good of the patient.
Your Body Will Be Whole: Meditations on Heaven
During my surgical training, I helped care for an aging professor who bemoaned his declining health. His mind still moved in academic circles, pondering the high points of chemistry and physics, but arthritis had so fused the bones in his neck that he couldn’t nestle into a pillow anymore.
Healing from the Violence of Busyness: Five Biblical and Theological Reflections on Time and Work
When a medical code alert went off, my team took the stairs and not the elevators to save us precious seconds in the resuscitation. A “good” intern, I learned, gets their notes done as soon as possible.
A Time to EMBRACE Recovery
As those called to the healing profession, we have all lived and practiced through old and unprecedented new challenges in our careers. We can all agree the last few years have surely been unlike any we have ever experienced before in our lives.
On the Side: November 2022
I make a mean lasagna. Always have. It’s my mom’s recipe and it has never let me down. (Don’t worry. I’ll share it with you in a minute.) So, naturally, when I think of taking food over to someone’s house, I think of lasagna. It’s easy, portable, reheats well, and lasts for days. This is especially helpful if the person is sick, or in this case, recovering from surgery.
On the Side: October 2022
Medical life takes grit. We wrap our minds around MCAT scores, acceptance letters, residency placements and job contracts, knowing it’s not easy. There’s risk in leaving a paying job and moving across the country. And it’s scary. Will you land on your feet? Will you live on this budget? Will you make friends? Regardless, we have hope. We see the endpoint, or the little milestones on the way—the white coat ceremony, the match and the job signing.
Resilience in the Face of Personal and Organizational Adversity
Try as we may, adversity is unavoidable. Often unexpected, hardship comes into our lives in a variety of forms and levels—a cancer diagnosis, a harsh public criticism, a mistake or accident with a detrimental outcome, an economic downturn or even a pandemic or natural disaster.
The Landmark Decision: Finally Granting Life to the Pre-born
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court finally corrected the debacle of the Roe v. Wade decision, ending 49 years of federal judicial fiat allowing legal abortion in all 50 states.
Mentoring: All You Need is F.A.I.T.H.
My freshman year of college brought a multitude of surprises. Certainly, there was the increased study load and the idea that I alone had to manage myself, my time and my schedule, yet the biggest surprise I experienced was when the God of the universe radically changed my life and the trajectory of my future.
Turning the World Right-side Up!
Paul was accused of seditious behavior—disturbing the peace, turning the world upside down—simply for speaking publicly about Jesus, and he was imprisoned for it. The Christian community, particularly evangelicals, have largely avoided turning the world upside down.
God Sightings
I have never felt closer to God than when I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone and said “yes” to serving Him, especially those difficult first couple of times. Despite the fear, once you step out in faith, you can see how God works not only through you but in you.
Staying Connected During School When Chaos and Isolation Abound
Sent home, shut in isolation, studying in our bedrooms, trying to survive our first year of medical school, and we weren’t even at school! When the four of us entered medical school in the Detroit, Michigan area in fall of 2020, it certainly trumped any expectations we had.
When Our Patients Pray for Us
As a Christian who’s been practicing periodontics for 29 years, I’ve had numerous opportunities to share my faith and pray with my patients. A number of my patients have expressed their appreciation for having a fellow Christian responsible for their care.
On the Side: September 2022
Behind the smile I was shouting, “Oh goodness mercy of course!” I have been the new girl showing up at the team meeting, the book club, the Bible study far, far more often than I have been the one standing with friends. It can be excruciatingly hard. It can also be invigorating.
CMDA Today – Fall 2022
In the Fall 2022 edition of CMDA Today, mentoring- contributing to the success of the next generation, the landmark Dobbs case decision, organizational diversity, being on the receiving end of prayer in healthcare, staying connected during school isolation; and more!
The Writing Dentist
“…‘It is written…’” (Matthew 4:4, NKJV).
As followers of Christ, leaders in dentistry have the opportunity—perhaps even the responsibility—to write things down for their teams as a reference and to understand as principled guidance for working together, serving the patients in their care or dealing with the vendors who knock on their doors or crowd their inboxes. When those written guidelines are lived out by the owning dentist or partners, dental teams catch a vision for how dentistry and ministry come together in kingdom living. And those who put their thoughts into words on paper or screen can have an impact far beyond the walls of their offices.
On the Side: August 2022
I don’t drag out my MD for just any occasion. Typically, I keep it tucked away. But today I thought I would speak (indirectly) to residents, especially first-year residents or interns, so it seemed appropriate. Perhaps you ladies, who are reading this article, will pass along my remarks to the young physicians in your lives.
Service: The Highest Level of Leadership
In one of my Bible study periods, the words found in 1 John 2:6 captured my attention. The verse reads, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (NKJV). The “He” in this passage, written by the apostle John, was referring to “Jesus Christ the righteous.” Long after reading this Scripture, the words kept coming back to my mind. I knew the Holy Spirit was inspiring my mind to engage in a specific activity, to walk just as Jesus walked. I realized, then, that it is not enough to say you are a Christian; instead, there must be practical evidence to support that statement.
On the Side: July 2022
We were doing a residency rotation in Florida when the triplets were four. One dreary overcast Saturday we were enjoying family time even though Wade was on call. We didn’t understand that in Florida rain can turn to sun in less than a minute. That day it did just that. And three four-year-olds began to wail. I couldn’t understand why the sun was making them cry. As I attempted to console them, I was asking why they were sobbing: “Daddy will have to go to work now.”
Authenticity, Mother Teresa and “A Really Good Apology”
There was a time when some Christians felt the need to appear like they had it all together. As though living an abundant life in Christ was a formula you just had to plug into and what emerged was someone who demonstrated equally all the fruit of the Spirit, all the time. And while we might strive to be that endlessly selfless and giving person to our patients, it’s a little harder to keep that image up with the people we spend the most time with. Naturally you might think of those you live with, but there’s also what someone in my office described as our “work family.”
What is Distinctive about Christian Ethics?
Being different can be dangerous, but we are called to be different. Our Lord told us doing so would bring persecution, but through those experiences, He would be with us, and we would be aware of it, and it would produce joy. Stephen was the first example, but it continues to this day.
CMDA Plays Major Humanitarian Role in The Russian/Ukranian War
On a CMDA Matters podcast in March 2022, CEO of International Christian Medical & Dental Associations (ICMDA) Dr. Peter Saunders and Ukraine Medical Outreach (UMO) President Dr. Jim Peipon shared with CMDA CEO Dr. Mike Chupp about how they responded to the medical needs created by the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The Path of Life: My Journey to Help Rescue the Pre-born
As I look back on my path, I realize that what God used to guide my steps weren’t earth-shattering events, but rather small moments that probably seemed inconsequential to others. To me, however, those moments brought me to a place where I could see God’s mercy and power in ways I never imagined.
For Him, From Him, Through Him
I graduated from dental school a couple of weeks ago. This moment was what I had viewed for a long time as the precipice, the ultimate, the “everything I was working for” for 12 straight years. I say 12 years because even in high school I was a three-sport athlete involved in multiple clubs and activities and AP classes, and I was determined to never let my grades slip. My mom tells stories of me not leaving the dinner table most nights way beyond the time everyone else went to bed. She would try to stay up with me, but eventually her eyes would grow heavy, and she knew she had to be up early the next morning. She would give me a hug and say she was proud of me, and then quietly shut her bedroom door and allow me to keep working. College was no different other than that my mom was not there to witness the countless nights of studying, writing and completing assignments. I was on my own, but I was still just as determined to succeed in every metric. While some may say this sounds like admirable dedication and hard work, what I know to be true is that the underlying motivation for me was actually fear: fear of being a failure, fear of being a disappointment, fear of my life not being worth anything if I did not achieve.
On the Side: June 2022
One day, a mole decided life underground wasn’t his thing. Ready for something new, he found a folded lawn chair in a driveway and thought, yes, this was his best next step. So he moved in.
Training Medical Students to Care for Patients in Spanish
In the United States there are about 57 million Hispanic individuals, and approximately 40 percent of those have limited English proficiency. Research shows that language-discordance, where the patient and the clinician do not speak the same language, results in reduced access to health information, decreased satisfaction with care and worse health outcomes.
CMDA Today – Summer 2022
In the Summer 2022 edition of CMDA Today, find out how one doctor discovered her passion and calling for the pre-born; hear about how a medical school is also training students in Spanish; learn how CMDA is playing a major role in the Ukranian war; explore with our columnist, Dr. John Patrick, how Christian ethics in healthcare today differs from its secular counterpart; and more!
Transformation
Do you remember the first dental patient for whom you helped make a significant transformation in their oral health? Can you recall the day they came to see you for their very first appointment? It is likely they hadn’t been to the dentist in several years. Maybe they came because they had dental pain, or maybe they were ready to make a change in their lives and better their health. Whatever the reason, they were in your chair. You examined this patient and listed off several disciplines of care they would need: periodontal therapy, oral surgery, operative, prosthodontics, etc. A lengthy treatment plan that would take several months to complete as the patient underwent a process of transformation.
On the Side: May 2022
I’m in my early 60s. This means I have about 50 years of clear memories of news events, politics, fads and fashions, stemming from the early 70s. I even remember when JFK died, although I was just a little girl; the reactions of the adults around me were so remarkable that I still remember exactly where I was. In all of that time I will tell you what I have learned: God is the only One we can trust to tell us the truth and the only One who can give us peace.
On the Side: April 2022
The dog groomer took some sort of hiatus. And while I don’t begrudge her time off, away or whatever she needed, we have three dogs in this house. Two fairly large, all fairly fluffy dogs. And furthermore, finding a good groomer in our area is like finding gold at the end of the rainbow. It eludes most and did us for a long time. Finding a replacement was impossible.
On the Side: March 2022
My middle daughter has a problem with trust. She often asks me, “Mom, are you going to take me to dance today?” or “Mom, are you going to pick me up from school?” She frets over small things like have I signed a permission slip yet, or have I made that orthodontist appointment yet. It is frustrating as a parent to feel like my precious girl doesn’t know that I am taking care of her, that I am here for her.
Dental Ministries Digest
CMDA has over many years engaged with United States Courts, Congress, and individual elected representatives from all over the country. This collection of articles on various public policy issues is each available to read in its entirety.
Christian Doctor’s Digest
CMDA has over many years engaged with United States Courts, Congress, and individual elected representatives from all over the country. This collection of articles on various public policy issues is each available to read in its entirety.
How to De-stress Your Distress
The Oxford English Dictionary defines distress as extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain. If that description sounds familiar and you are feeling like your stress level has progressed to a state of distress, you are not alone. Scripture includes multiple examples of strong leaders who served in a state of distress.
CMDA Today – Spring 2022
In the Spring 2022 edition of CMDA Today, learn how God’s Word can help you de-stress, hear from a doctor about how she believes the healthcare industry should return to its roots, join CMDA in welcoming two new missions ministries, receive continuing education credit for a new course on transgender identification, follow Dr. John Patrick’s bioethics column and more!
On the Side: February 2022
As I write this, I am on Day 8 of a self-imposed quarantine for COVID-19. Dr. H and I managed to come down with it at almost the same time; so have several of our family members. No one seems to know just who gave it to whom, but at this point it doesn’t much matter. All of our happily vaccinated and boostered selves are doing better now, by God’s grace, and we are very thankful about it.
Commentary & Testimony
CMDA has over many years engaged with United States Courts, Congress, and individual elected representatives from all over the country. This collection of articles on various public policy issues is each available to read in its entirety.
Legislative Issues
CMDA has over many years engaged with United States Courts, Congress, and individual elected representatives from all over the country. This collection of articles on various public policy issues is each available to read in its entirety.
Public Policy Letters
CMDA has over many years engaged with United States Courts, Congress, and individual elected representatives from all over the country. This collection of letters on various public policy issues is each available to read in its entirety.