There are eight Bible passages/verses that I keep close by when I’m called to visit a hospital patient or a hospice patient or someone trying to make sense of a tragic or traumatic event. 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 … Continue reading →
After 35 years of serving as a church pastor, I have learned something about why people come to celebrations or ceremonies. I’ve learned that at a baptism, we come to see the candidate take a public stand for following the Lord. At a wedding, we come to see the beauty of a bride and her happily ever after. But at … 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →