I've been playing this song on repeat tonight. The love of God is so real, so beautiful, so distinctly here for us. No matter our emotions or condition, still God loves us. Just let that sink in.
Since I've noticed that hospital chaplaincy can actually be quite a mysterious vocation, I thought I'd write a bit about why this ministry has so moved my heart.
The first time I encountered a chaplain was when I was twelve years old, six months after my sister Katie suddenly died. After being in a grief program at Little Company of Mary Hospital – facilitated by my now dear friend Peg – I saw how meaningful pastoral care was in my own life. Through several years and many God-ordered opportunities and movements, I know deep in my heart that this is the kind of ministry He has created me to do – the kind of person He's created me to be: being on a pastoral care team at a hospital.
It was a dream-come-true to serve as a 'chaplain intern' this past summer at a suburban hospital in Massachusetts. It's in those eleven weeks that my passion not only cemented but grew beyond anything I thought imaginable. So now that I have the God-given opportunity to serve as a &…
One night during my final weeks at seminary, a few of my friends and I decided to put together a picnic so that we could eat while enjoying a local sunset view. The four of us all packed our food, then plugged a beach name into our GPS – one none of us had ever been to before. Just spelling it was a challenge: "Wingaersheek Beach." After about twenty minutes of following the road's twists and turns (it's New England, after all), we arrived at the unassuming location. After parking the car on gravel, we walked up to the sandy shore, beholding low tide.
My dear friends, Ellie (front), Adrienne (left), and Petek (back center).
A few families were walking towards the water, dipping their feet in the shallow waves. Children were flying kites, though mostly unsuccessfully. The four of us walked closer to the shoreline, then found a promising rock formation where we could picnic. While eating turkey sandwiches, clementines, chicken fajitas, and other such yumminess, we discu…
Since this past week was my 'birthday week,' I thought it would be a good time to put into practice the spiritual discipline of Celebration. When I think of the word 'celebrate,' my mind immediately wanders back to an old VHS about Disney World I used to watch as a kid; Mickey and his friends, as well as a bunch of kids dressed in colorful clothes, would all sing, "Celebrate good times, come on!" Believe it or not, I found the video:
The above video might make you smile, or it may even be a little obnoxious (for me, it's a combination of both). But what might Celebration as a 'spiritual discipline' look like?
Adele Calhoun, in her book Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, writes the following about the discipline:
"Desire: to take joyful, passionate pleasure in God and the radically glorious nature of God's people, Word, world and purposes Definition: Celebration is a way of engaging in actions that orient the spirit toward worship, praise and …
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