Ministry with a Twist

Recently I was at work going over the list of patient's in the facility.  I saw a familiar name and wondered. so I went to the room to visit and it was who I thought it was.  We had a good conversation, this patient is someone who has known me since I was a teenager in the church I was part of from the time my family moved to Hampton Roads. He got better and went home, this week he was back in the Hospital at the end stage of a cancer diagnosis.  He chose to go home with hospice.

Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to reflect on things that impact me.  Mostly about being gay and such.  However, today my thoughts are with this gentleman and his family.  Now there is a twist, often times events at work effect me in different ways, but usually there is a certain distance. This time there is no distance, this is someone with whom I have Worshipped, had many a church dinner with, I have been in his home, his children and I are the same age group, and went to school, youth group and Sunday school together.  This is different.  Yet it is also not different in the way I respond but I gives me sadness on a different level.  He told his children he worked to teach them how to live and have faith.  Now he said he wants to teach them how to die with faith.  They are in my prayers.