There are three things that I hear as a chaplain from people who are counting down the days of their lives. I’ve heard these things as both a hospital chaplain and as a hospice chaplain. These patients have the same common denominator and that is that they are dying and they know it. Here are the three things that I … Continue reading →
Today is Saturday and it was my last day of employment as a hospital chaplain. Tomorrow is Sunday and it will be a day marked by me being unemployed. However, Monday morning I will start my new job as a hospice chaplain. In this post I simply want to reflect on going from a hospital chaplain to a hospice chaplain. … Continue reading →
There are eight Bible passages/verses that I keep close by when I’m called to a patient’s hospital room. I’ve never unloaded all of them in a single visit and I can’t image a situation where I would reference more than two or three. I’m sharing eight here because they cover the most difficult of circumstances, offering the most helpful insights … Continue reading →
Years ago I worked with a chaplain who would frequently tell me, “Don’t lose your peace.” This chaplain was an Irish Catholic nun who had one of the most beautiful characters you would ever meet. She was older, close to retirement at the time, and her wisdom was refreshing to our pastoral care team at this hospital. Her statement, “Don’t … Continue reading →
When a loved one lays unconscious and dependent on a machine to breathe or a simple drive to the grocery store is interrupted by a drunk driver or a physician informs you that the pain you thought was a pulled muscle is actually stage 4 cancer, we ask Why? Why do bad things happen? In this post I want to pull … Continue reading →
This post is going to be a little bit of inside baseball but I think it can be followed by those with an interest, even if you are not employed in the work of a hospital chaplain or a hospice chaplain or corporate chaplain or law enforcement chaplain. I’m going to write from my vantage point of a hospital chaplain … Continue reading →
For me, there is nothing more important in conducting a hospital visit with a patient than sharing an appropriate verse of Scripture. Sharing the right Bible verse will provide encouragement and hope for a Christian hospital patient and family. Here, I want to share some Bible verses for you to choose from to share on your visit. You can share … Continue reading →
A spiritual crisis is when tragedy strikes, or a traumatic event occurs, or circumstances weigh so heavily on your heart that you turn toward God and realize you’re disconnected from Him. The crisis becomes that you need God but you’re not sure He is there or you’re not sure how to receive His help or intervention. The crisis is that … Continue reading →
It wasn’t long into my hospital chaplaincy career that I figured out that physicians do not like notifying a family that their patient loved-one has died. I’m mainly referring to a patient who has come into the Emergency Department because of a trauma like a motor vehicle crash or a cardiac arrest. Typically the family of these patients are led … Continue reading →
One of the saddest things for me to witness is a person who is nearing the end of their days without any spiritual strength to draw from. It’s something I’ve seen many times in my pastoral and hospital chaplaincy ministry. An individual is facing death but having no spiritual strength in them their emotional stress is compounded with spiritual distress. … Continue reading →
While working with Hurricane Katrina victims, as a hospital chaplain, I was struck by the quick turn-around one patient took, when he suddenly found something to laugh about. He lost everything he owned, including his house, his pets, and his brand new 5-day old F150 Ford pick-up truck. His adult children and his wife were safe, but like most Mississippi … Continue reading →