Pastoral Care Week

This week is National Pastoral Care Week.  This means there are programs set forth by the Association of Professional Chaplains, National Catholic and Jewish Chaplain Associations, encouraging Health and other organizations which have Chaplains to highlight their role in the organization and thank them for the service they provide. 

The theme this year is "Prophetic Voice"  This week already at one facility we had a service of appreciation and our Director gave us mugs, with Journey theme.  Being that we are all on a journey together, and as Chaplains we journey with patients, their families and staff through their situations.

I like that theme, as I am on a journey, you can tell by the fact the name of this blog has journey in it. 

Today I have opportunity to serve one of my other facilities by staffing a table with information highlighting the work we do in that place. 

If you work where their is a Chaplain, take a moment this week to thank him/her for the work he/she does.  It is often stressful, physically, emotionally an spiritually draining. 

I am thankful to be able to do the work I do, and enjoy it!

Monday Medley: Kesha - Your Love Is My Drug (Lyrics)

 

The First Exam

Well this week, I experienced the first exam of the course I am taking.  It was not terribly difficult, just the preparation was tedious.  The professor gave us ten study questions and selected three to be on the exam, out of the three, we selected two to write.  I spent the weekend reading and more reading, writing the answers out.  I completed the test in the allotted time and was so relieved! So on to the next assignment, plus I need to select a topic for my paper. It feels good to be working toward this goal and looking forward its completion. So its onward and upward!

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Medley: Big Sean feat Jhene Aiko & Lil Wayne - Be Aware (Lyric)

Happy Columbus day!  Another Monday has arrived, a new week.  This week I have my first exam in this class I am taking, and I am nervous.  I have studied, I will be as prepared as I can, and praying all the way through. The material is pretty deep and some of it is abstract, I will get through it!

Today I am sharing a song I have enjoyed on the radio, in fact this is the radio version.  I love the beat all through the song. Hope you enjoy it and that you have a great week!

My Mother

In Remembrance on  her Birthday 

October 13, 1915-January 25, 2012

Orlando Cruz Update

Well unfortunately our man Orlando Cruz lost his boxing match last night.  Cruz lost his bid at the Feather weight championship in a 7th round TKO. Well he gave it his all, and is a winner in my book.  Next time sir, next time.

A Sport Event To Follow

Tomorrow night there will be a boxing match for the Welter Weight Championship.  Its between Orlando Cruz and Orlando Salido in Las Vegas.  Now I am not a huge sports fan, I follow scores, but that's about it.  So why am blogging about a boxing match?

Well I am glad you asked that!  Orlando Cruz is the one I will be cheering for, because he is the first pro boxer to come out of the closet.  ABC news did a segment on him the other night.  He would be the first openly gay boxer to win a title!  So I hope he wins! 

 

 

He also has a boyfriend

 

I will be looking for the results of this sporting event!

 

 

Monday Medley: A Song of Faith: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling - National Episcopal Cathedral, October...

Today being the Monday following Communion Sunday, I try to share a song or hymn of Faith. Don't always post it but I try.  Today I am sharing an old hymn titled "Love Divine All Loves Excelling" 

Hope you enjoy.  Next week a current song oof choice will be back in its place! 

LOVE ALWAYS WINS

True Love knows no boundaries.  Love does not fail, life ends but love goes on. Sometimes we do unloving things, perhaps on the spur of the moment. Still love is there, be it Agape, Phileo, Eros,

 I believe love will always win in the end. 

1 Corinthians 13

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Excellence of Love

13 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body ^[a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶ does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; ^7 [b]bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never fails; but if there are gifts of ^[c]prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part; ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I ^[d]became a man, I did away with childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror ^[e]dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. ¹³ But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the ^[f]greatest of these is love.

Monday Medley: Womanizer - Britney Spears - With Lyrics

Happy Monday, Here is a oldie but a goodie. 

Pray for Congress to get its act together! No government shut down.

Sin or...Something Else?

 

 SIN OR WHAT? The cartoon below was in the paper a few days ago, and I thought I would share it along with some thoughts.  I am always struck by how closed and judgmental some religious groups are. Notice I said religious, not just Christian.  It runs through all religions I think.  Whenever some disaster, disease,  or some other crisis befalls us, there is some person of faith who makes the statement, this happened because YOU did some bad thing.  Its  God's judgment and punishment for something.  Well I say NO. 

 

 God did not make the fire burn down your house, God did not give you cancer, or some other negative thing because you are a bad person, did something bad. I have come to understand, these things happen because we live in an imperfect world. They happen as part of life lived in what a Christian calls a fallen world. True there often is a cause and effect if a person smokes for 60 years it most likely will cause some kind of health issue, but God did not cause it.  60 years of smoking caused it.  You drive 90 miles an hour in a 55 zone you might get arrested.  Now I also believe in God's protection, often times I am protected even though I did something stupid.  god did not cause the storms, tornadoes and such to destroy property because people did bad things.  its a weather pattern.  This is not to say God might not use it to bring about something in one's life. The Biblical principle here runs through the entire Bible.  Something might be evil, or negative, but God brings something good out of it. Sure its hard, but there are many examples in Scripture of the hard things bringing something better about.  Jesus talked of the wine press, Peter talks of trials by fire, James even talks about facing trials with JOY! Knowing the result will be something good, better, and there is a reward.  In the old testament, we see it when Jeremiah, Nehemiah, and others experience trials and end up bringing something good about.  Hence the statement the world means it for evil, but God means it for good.

 

Another point,

Matthew 7:3-5

New International Version (NIV)

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

 

 

I think these verses say it plainly, the people who like to point out with such judgment the sin of another, should pay more attention to their own problems and sin. Before they try to call attention to others troubles. 

 

To break it down farther:  When anti gay people start judging the gay community and spewing hateful venom, especially in the form of invoking god's judgment, beware!  Think of Matthew 7:3-5.

 

 

Finally, when someone says this happens because of God's judgment, think of the Peanuts cartoon  and smile!