I am blogging to you today from the lobby the Capital Hilton in Washington DC.  DC by its very nature is a city of change.  Already two of my favorite places to kill time have either closed or changed hands and are operating under a different brand.  Did I know these changes were coming? No.  Did I even suspect these changes had taken place? No.  But I have to react to change rather than being defined by it.  That is really what all of us have to do whether it is a change in a business we are seeking or something more essential in life.  As I have been using my GPS to deal with these changes I am reminded that the guidance system any of us can use is God’s Providential Spirit.  God always there and always willing to lead.  The question for us is: “Are we ready to follow?”  I pray we can always answer an enthusiastic YES to this question!  Be blessed today and always!

Today, June 5, 2014 is designated as the first ever “Reset the Net” Day!  This is an organized effort to place emphasis on our Congress (House and Senate) that US Citizens do not want the government tracking and storing our data just because they may need it some time to solve some yet to take place crime.  The program supports warrants of surveillance being issued upon evidence approved by a judge that there is reason to suspect that specific data may solve a crime or prevent a crime in the planning stages from taking place.

Freedom from government encroaching unnecessarily in our lives is part of why our founding fathers formed our nation.  At the Constitutional Convention privacy and protection were key fundamental principles that they sought to protect for all generations.  Now is the time for Congress to act in the same spirit as the Constitutional Convention and establish workable protections that serve the needs of law enforcement and protect the privacy of law abiding citizens.

If you agree with this perspective on the net (including cell phones, text messages, Internet posts, and blogs like this one) let your Representatives and Senators know how you feel.  The only way laws will be enacted is if pressure is placed on our leaders to draft and enact them!

Today while making visits one of the employees engaged in a conversation about her daughter’s high school graduation, her being runner up in a beauty pageant, and the selection she had made for the college she wants to attend in the Fall.  I was able to see pictures of her daughter dressed for the pageant and I have to admit she looked adorable.

As I left our encounter I was reminded that as employees we are a “community” dedicated to the common cause of providing health care in the best fashion possible.  Another part of being in community with each other is listening when staff members have life experiences they want to celebrate.  After looking at the photos and engaging in the conversation I felt more connected to this employee than I had for awhile.  Then it hit me, we had not seen each other with an opportunity to talk with each other for about a month.  Our conversation was more than talk, it was a reunion and renewing of our common bond.  These opportunities to bond generally happen on a spontaneous basis rather than in a planned way as appointments are normally scheduled.  I am thankful for these times to strengthen bond and share joys.  What a blessing we have when we share!

Typically when I am not at work or On-Call I consider myself off duty.  When I am off duty I don’t engage in shameful or illegal activities but I am more relaxed than when I am on duty.  I was reminded today that for those who only know me as a chaplain where ever they see me, they view me as a chaplain.

I was out in local stores and a restaurant today and people who were previously patient’s I provided care to stopped and talked to me.  They were glad to tell me they were feeling better.  I was a little uneasy because even though they recognized me immediately, I did not remember them until the spoke to me.  One patient told me she was going to tell her husband when she got home that she had seen me, “buying apples just like a regular person”.  I smiled as she said the comment.  After we parted ways I reflected on the conversation and was caught by the fact that I was buying apples was interesting.  I was glad she caught me buying apples then engaging in some activity that would make me feel embarrassed being “caught in the act”.

So now I have two reasons to obey God: 1 – because God is watching and 2 – because others are watching and will judge my integrity by how I conduct myself both when I am on and off duty.  This encounter was a good reminder for all of us who want to recognized as a person who follows and serves God.

Last night I was watching an episode of Forensic Files.  This series chronicles the investigations of crimes and uses interviews with the actual people involved as much as possible.  One family member said when interviewed, “The moment the chaplain walked in the room I knew she [the sister] was dead”.

This automatic association that people make with chaplains and death has always concerned me because we deal with to many other issues than death.  Today I was calling potential volunteers to pray with patients.  When I spoke to a member of their family and asked to leave a message, I was able to sense anxiety when I identified myself as a chaplain from the local hospital.  So that the anxiety would not linger longer than necessary I volunteered the reason I was calling was to seek assistance in the form of people who would come pray with our patients.  I could feel the relief when the person on the phone realized I was not calling about someone they knew being a patient or worse yet possibly being dead.

Sensitivity to the impressions people have about chaplains is critical in our first thirty seconds of communicating.  We have to communicate enough about our purpose for contacting them that they know there is no reason to panic.  I was glad I was able to do that.  Out of seven phone calls today I yielded one person who is willing to volunteer to pray with our patients.  So my work was not in vain.

I have been debating for the last 2 years on whether to purchase a new table and chairs for my kitchen.  I knew the set I was using needed to be replaced.  What finally forced my mind into making a decision was the fact I will be entertaining company from out of state at the end of June.  Including myself we will have 4 people at the table.  My old set only had seating for 2 people.

Until I started looking I had no idea how much variety there was in furniture design.  The total number of options available to me in my price range was overwhelming.  I finally selected a rectangular table with a cherry top and legs that are painted black.  The seats of the chairs are also cherry and the frames of the chairs are painted black.  Yesterday the set was delivered 3 weeks earlier than promised by the store.  (I was really surprised by the speed of delivery.)

Just as I was taking in the visual image of the set in the kitchen I let my dog into the room from the basement where he was sequestered during the delivery process.  He immediately looked at this new furniture, then looked at me with a look that said, “These things don’t belong here.”  My first though was, “they do now”.  The furniture gives the kitchen a look of completeness that it was lacking previously.  I now feel ready to entertain people not just the expected company in June but others who will undoubtedly come to the house over time.

Jesus calls us to welcome others into our homes.  Is there something that is keeping you from inviting people into your home?  Is there a way you can make changes so that you will be in an inviting mood?  Take a lesson from me and make the required change.  It will lift your spirits more than I can describe!

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is the formal training most chaplains receive in preparation for caring for people using the title Chaplain.  One of the basic premises of CPE is that the patients are our textbooks.  What this means is that as we interact with patients we learn from them in the same way you read a textbook to learn about history or some other topic.

This week one patient reminded me of just how much we in chaplaincy have to learn from those people we encounter.  Near the end of the visit I asked the patient if I could pray. (This is a typical question to ask.)  The patient gave the answer, “You can pray for me as long as you pray for all the other patients in the hospital as well”. (This response is not typical.)  It is rare when people in the hospital ask for prayers for the whole hospital or even all of the patients in the hospital.

Compassion and caring for others is often set aside when we are feeling poorly ourselves.  This patient who had some real discomfort did not forget about all the other patients and the need for healing that they were experiencing.  I was thrilled to offer such an inclusive prayer.  I was also humbled because I had moved into a “one patient at a time” mentality rather than thinking globally about all the patients as I prayed.  This encounter will stick with me for a long time.  I hope it offers you the opportunity to widen your prayer perspective.

Yesterday the world learned of the death of Maya Angelou.  I have to admit that I have not followed her writings while she was living.  But upon her death I have read quoted segments from various things she wrote.

Two of the quotes I read I am posting below:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  – Interview for Beautifully Said Magazine (2012)

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”  – Excerpted from Letter to My Daughter, a book of essays (2009)

These quotes I have chosen I selected because they describe the mindset you need to have to be effective as a chaplain.  Chaplains deal with people and their feelings, often at emotionally difficult periods in their lives.  Chaplains also attempt to encourage people.  Helping people accept that not everything is in our control is a task we encounter frequently.

Reading Maya’s quotes has reminded me of my calling as a Chaplain.  It also reminds me of my calling as a Christian because though I do these things in my employment, I also practice them as part of my daily walk with Christ in all the places that I find myself.

Maya gives us good advice.  I hope we can honor her contribution to the world by practicing these two precepts as often as possible.

Today is a day when many people in the USA proudly display their flag as a symbol of pride in our nation.  On this weekend displaying it is also a gesture of respect for those who fought and others fought and died for our republic.  My family of origin has members who have served in the military even though I have not shared that experience.  I know I can fully understand what Memorial Day means to a veteran.  But I want to use this space, this day, to say thank you to all who have served our nation.  Have safe Memorial Day Weekend!