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I am a hospice chaplain on the Gulf Coast of Alabama and this site is where I share on the topics of dying, grieving, and biblical faith. Visit the Blog Articles page to search over 350 blog articles.
Popular Posts
» Making Peace at End-of-Life (June 28, 2024) Few of us have actually set out to live our lives as pirates, obsessively searching for rum and treasure while giving no regard for contributing…
» Funeral Sermon (June 5, 2024) After 35 years of serving as a church pastor, I have learned something about why people come to celebrations or ceremonies. I’ve…
» Scripture for Ministry to the Grieving (February 7, 2024) I’ve written several posts on various aspects of grief and I have written on the value of using Scripture in pastoral care ministry and visitation…
» 8 Scriptures to Know for Pastoral Hospital Visits (January 28, 2024) 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…
» Don’t Lose Your Peace (January 25, 2024) 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…
» Appointed Time to Die? (January 8, 2024) Most of us have heard it said, “When it’s your turn to go, it’s your turn to go” or “When your number comes up, there’s nothing you can do about it” or “We all have…
» Life’s Standard of Truth (January 3, 2024) There was a time in my life, shortly after my auto accident miracle and conversion that I relate in my Personal Testimony, when I asked myself what is my…
» Time to Start Thinking About Others? (December 20, 2023) Grief can feel like a thick fog that prevents you from thinking clearly or even thinking beyond the moment. It can arrest you with its shock…
» Grief is an Ocean (November 30, 2023) Somewhere on social media I saw a quote that expressed the idea that grief is an ocean. I don’t know where I saw it, who said it or how it was originally said…
» Gladness of Heart (November 26, 2023) There is a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes that I find very intriguing. It is just a quick interjection of a simple thought but recently while I was…
» Heaven Is Not For Everyone (November 13, 2023) As a hospital chaplain I am frequently around families at the bedside of their dying loved one. When they die, it is very common to hear family…
» Ways to Say Goodbye (October 22, 2023) I watched an elderly gentleman struggling with saying goodbye to his older dying sister. It was obvious that he felt awkward and was grappling…
» Grief Over Time (October 21, 2023) There is a popular adage that goes, “Time heals all things.” While there is some truth to that, it doesn’t mean that healing from our loss will automatically…
» Why Do Bad Things Happen? (September 28, 2023) 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…
» Things You Did at First (August 31, 2023) There is a passage in Revelation where Jesus compliments the church at Ephesus and then gives them a warning to return to the things they did…
» Helping Children Grieve (August 30, 2023) I want to address the issue of children in grief and how adults can best help them cope and process their feelings through their journey of grief…
» Question Yourself in Grief (August 29, 2023) Many years ago I saw a Larry King television show where he was interviewing Tommy Lasorda about the unexpected death of his adult son…
» Hope Beyond Their Death (August 19, 2023) The immediate shock and despair of a loved one’s passing can leave us feeling hopeless about the future. No matter how much we may think we…
» CPR, DNR, and Letting Go (August 17, 2023) It is a very emotionally difficult position to be in when a physician asks the family if they want them to do all they can to keep your loved one alive or…
» Hospital Etiquette for Pastors (August 4, 2023) If you are a church pastor or a church lay person who has taken up the assignment of visiting church members during their hospital stay, this…
» Scripture for Hospital Visitation (August 3, 2023) For me, there is nothing more important in conducting a hospital visit with a patient than sharing an appropriate verse of Scripture. Sharing…
» When Your World Shatters (July 21, 2023) As a chaplain at a trauma hospital just miles from the beaches of the upper Gulf Coast, I frequently deal with patients and families who have had diving accidents…
» When Someone is Dying (June 16, 2023) There are signs of dying when a loved-one is struggling with a terminal disease or for whatever reason is at the end of their life. People don’t die in…
» Objectives & Strategies for Grieving (May 13, 2023) In the process of grieving, there is no time frame assigned or one-size fits all approach to assure a healthy grieving process. There are elements to…
» Death Notification and Children (May 12, 2023) I want to address a topic that I find myself dealing with from time to time as a hospital chaplain and that is notifying children of a family death…
» Styles of Grief (May 9, 2023) Sitting with families who are hearing the bad news of a loved-ones death is a near daily occurrence for me, as a hospital chaplain at a trauma center…
» Physician’s Guide to Death Notification (May 4, 2023) 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…
