“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” — John 4:10 NIV Jesus tells the Samaritan women at the well, If you only knew who I am you would be asking for more. The truth … Continue reading →
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” — 1 Peter 4:12 NIV Being a Christian and living a life that follows the lessons, principles, and teachings of Jesus does not mean that you will be free from adversity. There are natural … Continue reading →
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” — 2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV Sometimes life has a way of making us feel alone, ignored, or unrecognized. You could be a stay at home mom, you could be a professional that spends your day by yourselves, or you could be … Continue reading →
“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” — John 20:29 NIV If seeing is your standard for believing, you are missing out on the true power of Christian faith. When we live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) we are inviting … Continue reading →
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” — Joshua 1:8 NIV You can always tell what someone is passionate about because they like talking about it. Their words, however, are just the … Continue reading →
“Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” — 1 Samuel 17:40 (NIV) The small shepherd boy, David, stood before the giant Goliath with a simple slingshot and a few stones. He wasn’t wearing … Continue reading →
“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” — Ecclesiastes 7:2 NIV The real message in this verse is not that we ought to spend more time at funerals than at parties, but that we all … Continue reading →
I wish to draw your attention to Proverbs 17:22, which says “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (NIV). In today’s world, we all run the risk of crushing our own spirit with the anxieties of life. We carry concerns regarding our home. There is pressure on us thinking about paying the bills. … Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
You may not be familiar with the term “spiritual self-care” so I am going to give you some definition. First, “spiritual” means that element that is non-material in the holistic understanding of man as body, mind, and spirit. The spiritual aspect of our being that is most recognized with the religious that reaches beyond ourselves to a higher existence and … Continue reading →