I want to address “death anxiety” and caregivers. In particular, I wish to give you some tips for handling this anxiety when it rises up in your life. First, let me give a disclaimer, I am not a psychologist or trained therapist so everything I share here is pastoral in intent. I am speaking as one caregiver to another caregiver. … Continue reading →
I seem to get asked about my family history, often. It usually begins with my name when someone says, Durkac…what is the origin of your name? or they just ask, What kind of name is Durkac? Durkac is a unique name, and I usually tell people if you meet another Durkac we are related. At least we would be related … Continue reading →
Dave was a childhood friend who I knew from elementary school and the local baseball league. We weren’t particularly close friends growing up in our small Ohio town, because we simply hung out in different circles. It wasn’t until Facebook came around that Dave and I connected. At some point in the 30-years and 900 miles between us, Dave became … 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 →
I recently watched a documentary that followed a grief counselor as he gave advice and counsel to people and families facing death. I found it very thought provoking because his basic philosophy was that people shouldn’t fear death but instead should see it merely as a part of life. The setting for this documentary and local of the grief counselor … Continue reading →
Here are 12 Bible promises that have an application to an array of different trials or circumstances of living with a biblical faith. One of my favorite quotes on this subject is from Ellen White and it is “If we commit the keeping of our souls to God in the exercise of living faith, His promises will not fail us; … Continue reading →
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. So here I simply want to share some passages from the Bible that can be helpful to encourage those in grief. You can also find other verses at the Topical Verse Finder‘s page on Grief. … Continue reading →
Growing old is not easy, when you consider that our physical bodies deteriorate and we simply fall apart. When we age we lose certain functions. Our vision fades, our joints ache, and even short walks become an unwelcome chore. As an aging follow of Christ, don’t think you are any less valuable to the Lord or the Kingdom of God … Continue reading →
Among my past posts you’ll find me addressing both dispensational and historicist views. Personally, I think if one begins by looking for a pre-trib understanding of prophecy, they’ll find it. If one begins by looking for an historicist understanding of prophecy, they’ll find that. I am of the opinion that the historicist view is more seamless and doesn’t raise more questions … 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 →
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 an appointed time to go.” I think there is a lot of truth to these statements because I’ve seen otherwise perfectly healthy people not respond … Continue reading →
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 ultimate unwavering unquestionable standard of truth. At the time my life turned toward God and away from the things of the world, and I felt a need to identify my own … Continue reading →
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 and leave you feeling numb. During the early stages of grief our mind can’t easily focus outside the current circumstance. However, the time will come when it will be easier to look outside your … Continue reading →
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, but I remember it being put like this: Grief is like the ocean, you can’t stop it, you can only learn to swim in it. That’s a … Continue reading →
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 listening to the book of Ecclesiastes while driving down the road, it captured my attention. The verse is Ecclesiastes 5:20 and it says, “They seldom reflect on the days of their … Continue reading →
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 comfort one another by saying that their loved one is now in Heaven and out of pain. While it is encouraging for the family to find comfort in this thought, my mind tends … Continue reading →
In a previous post titled “Why Seven Year Tribulation?” I addressed the 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9 and why it doesn’t apply to a supposed seven year tribulation period. I even included a chart in that article to illustrate how it relates to the ministry and covenant of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Here, I want to share a … Continue reading →
This article is not about arguing my position or trying to disprove your position. It’s about the often overlooked common ground between the pre-trib and post-trib positions of the return of the Lord. Pre-trib is the eschatological position that believes the saved will be in Heaven before the reign of the Anti-Christ and a tribulation period of seven-years. See the … Continue reading →
The idea that there will be a seven year period of tribulation on earth, after believers are raptured up to Heaven, comes from a prophecy in Daniel 9 on “Seventy Weeks.” It is part of the eschatology held by dispensationalist theology, better known as the pre-trib position. The seventy weeks in Daniel 9 are prophetic years that span a period … Continue reading →
I watched an elderly gentleman struggling with saying goodbye to his older dying sister. It was obvious that he felt awkward and was grappling with what to say. He stammered, “You look good today” then he blurted out “My, are we having good weather” and then finally said “Oh, you have a lot of visitors” before he turned away from … Continue reading →
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 occur with the passage of time. It may be more accurate to say, “Time helps the healing of all things.” I believe it was Billy Graham who once said, “It’s not time … Continue reading →
An advance directive for medical care is how we make our wishes known to our family and healthcare providers if we become too ill to speak for ourselves. Let me mention some medical circumstances that having an advanced directive from the patient is helpful and beneficial. If you get in a terrible car accident or have a bad stroke or … 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 →
When I was a pastor with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination we practiced foot washing along with the Lord’s Supper. Once a quarter an SDA church holds a communion service that included, what was called, the “Ordinance of Humility” or foot washing. The reason SDA churches practiced foot washing, was because they believed that when Jesus said, “I have set you … Continue reading →
I recently heard a news story about the perceived rudeness among the public and especially from those who once were concerned about providing customer service. The news story shared some examples, cited the COVID lock down as the probable reason, and said the solution to this problem is for all of us to just keep to ourselves. While I agree … Continue reading →
I’m not one to comment on everything that happens in our society and culture, especially when it involves celebrities, but the recent passing of Jimmy Buffett is an opportunity for me to remind us all of the obvious. The obvious is that death doesn’t care if you are a billionaire or a pauper, it’s going to have its day with … Continue reading →
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 at first. This is what He says, “You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first” (Revelation 2:4-5 NIV). … Continue reading →
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. So here I am going to share 8 tips or principles and insights to consider when you are in a role of guiding a child through their grief. Know that grieving is unique … Continue reading →
Many years ago I saw a Larry King television show where he was interviewing Tommy Lasorda about the unexpected death of his adult son. Larry King use to have a late night television interview show where he interviewed celebrities and all kinds of famous people. Tommy Lasorda was the manager for the LA Dodgers in the 90’s and very popular … 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 →
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 are prepared, death is devastating. It is the perfect earthly definition of finality, and it’s why we sometimes doubt that we’ll ever feel hopeful again. However, this is an issue dealt with in the … Continue reading →