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Once again welcome.

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Refreshment For the Soul Gives Caregivers Some “ME TIME”

Care givers at my work place, enjoyed a time of stillness on August 7 & 8 at the “Refreshment for the Soul,” event, a time of reflection, refreshment and debridement provided for by the office of the chaplain( The author) to give nurses, physicians, technicians and other health-care personnel some respite during hectic shift. The aim of Refreshment for the soul is to provide these caregivers time to decompress and relieve stress that may build up when caring for seriously ill patients.

Health care providers need these opportunities to better care for themselves.  It is noticeable that nurses, doctors technicians house keepers, monitor techs, among others, spend so much time directly working with increasingly sick patients, as well as their families, they may feel sad, helpless and out of control.  The office of the Chaplain brought the Refreshment for the Soul to the unit to advocate and recognize the good work by the staff and of course to provided time to debrief and relax.

The refreshment for the soul in this case is a stress-reducing technique that helps the staff in their daily work routines. Self-Care relaxation skills and developing social skills helps the staff care for themselves and that is where Refreshment for the Soul comes in.

In the nurses lounge room a tray of assorted cookies, fruits, candies and fresh fruit plates were ready for clinical staff. Relaxing music played softly in the background a relaxing signature.

As staff members began to arrive on their “ME TIME”, the chaplain welcomed them.

Nurses shared their stories, not just with the chaplains, but with each other. Some just relaxed.

The Refreshment for the Soul is a tradition in the making the current Spiritual Care office wants to bring to the hospitals Units to care for the hard working staff. The chaplain will put on Refreshment for the Soul once a quarter in each of hospital units, which means all are all invited to relax and know that we recognize the each team member play. The next session will take place on a date be announced after consultations.

Refreshment for the Soul has no better advocates than the staff themselves.

Our Relationship with God- Mark 5:26ff

One of the reasons people tend to see faith as a religion about God instead of a relationship with God is the sense that they are not worthy of the attention of an Almighty God. 

A few months ago I had and encounter with a patient who pointed out that her problems (Sickness) are too small for God to care about. She was wondering why would God care about her while there are much more bigger problems in the world for God to look after.  How can one so great care for one so small.

Have you ever felt that sense of insignificance?  There have been times when I've gazed into the incredible expanse of the setting sun on the horizon, the stars in the sky, the large water masses of the seas, oceans, lakes, and rivers, and felt even so small and insignificant.  Even our planet is hardly a speck of dust in the bigger universe.

And yet, God is attentive to the heartache and suffering of all persons, no matter how insignificant they may seem to the world around them.

Religion can get in the way of a relationship with God.  Faith is not about rules, regulations and religion. It is about we human beings reaching out to a God who reaches out to us through Jesus Christ who reaches into the pain and anguish of our living. As a hospital chaplain I have seen so much pain, anguish, death and all in people who I believe if God never cared, none would make it from the hospital.

The good news for the people in our scripture lesson is that the barriers of health, pain, and death all fall away under the throne of God.

The woman with the flow of blood for 12 years mentioned in Mark 5:25ff, for Jairus and for the little girl who was restored to life as recorded in Luke 8:41-4 - the greatness of God and the good news of Jesus Christ eliminate all obstacles to health and life.

Shouldn’t we be grateful that Christ cares more about our wholeness and our living than he does about our religions, denominations and religious convention?

When we are in anguish and wish for the presence of Christ, we do not need to worry that we are sinners (Romans 3: 23) or that some folks would consider us to be unacceptable. Jesus cared for a woman who was a social reject and for a little girl that was not among the children of his followers. The woman was un-touchable and a little girl about to be forgotten.  How can one so Great Care for one so small?

Material Things Does not Buy a Ticket to Heaven

My first funeral to perform was in my early days in the ministry of a young but well to do man in the community. Because of his status and wealth, he had accumulated during the 45 years he lived it seems that everyone has something to say about his death.During the funeral service, there were many thoughtful eulogies that highlight his incredible life of success; stories that give in details how his passing was unfortunate and yet he and the living could not do anything to stop it; it was not under anyone’s control.
As interesting as many of those stories were, the real story that needed to be told at this point in time, is the story of how each one of us living will stand before God and gave a final account of our life; the story of how no amount of wealth and power could stop that inevitable journey that we will all make someday - Amen.

The deceased young man did indeed have a profound impact on his community, and many of those stories were certainly worth telling, but when someone with lots of wealth and influence passes away, may are the questions that go through our minds unanswered. Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. Psalm 144:4

Our lives rush by quickly, and regardless of the level of our material achievements during life on earth, death washes it all away and becomes the great equalizer.  Beyond the grave, there are no wealthy people, no celebrities, no social elite, no CEOs- God equalizes them all Matthew 5:3

In the world we live in today, we have a tendency to judge people based on their accomplishments and material success.  However, on the other hand God judges all of us equally according to his perfect standards, and we all equally fail to meet those standards.  It is only by trusting in Christ that we are made acceptable in God’s eyes Matthew 19:24

For the young man in question, with his earthly wealth and influence, he will judged in the same manner and by the same standards as the poorest of those that may have died on the same day. While I acknowledge that all of those stories about his life’s accomplishments were with good wish, let’s not forget that he had a soul, a soul whose eternal fate, good or bad, was taken away just like any other soul will, Job 1:21.

This should be a source of serious contemplation for all of us.  His death should be a sober reminder of how quickly this life goes by.  It should also remind us that we need to store up our treasures in heaven, not on earth, and that ultimately the only thing that truly matters is our relationship with God.

As the officiating pastor during this rich young man’s funeral, I did appreciate many of the incredible stories of his accomplished that were shared, but it’s all meaningless if “he gains the world, but loses his soul,” Matthew 16:26. Yet, I used the moments as a teachable moment to give many among the congregation an opportunity to search their souls and have them put there faith in Christ and not in wealth, accomplishments, firm or any material things of this world.

A New Heart, and a New Spirit- Ezekiel 36: 26, 27.

In the words of Ezekiel we find, in the one promise, this twofold blessing God bestows through His Spirit very strikingly set forth. The first is, 'I will put within you a new spirit,' that is, man's own spirit is to be renewed and quickened by the work of God's Spirit. When this has been done, then there is the second blessing, ' I will put my Spirit within you,' to dwell in that new spirit, Where God is to dwell, He must have a habitation. With Adam He had to create a body before He could breathe the spirit of life into him. In Israel the tabernacle and the temple had to be built and completed before God could come down and take possession. And just so a new heart is given, and a new spirit put within us, as the indispensable condition of God's own Spirit being given to dwell within us. 


The difference is the same we find in David's prayer. First, 'Create in me a clean heart, 0 God ! and renew a right spirit within me;' then, 'Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.' Or what is indicated in the words, 'That which is born of the spirit is spirit :' there is the Divine Spirit begetting, and the new spirit begotten by Him. So the two are also distinguished, 'God's Spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God! Our spirit is the renewed regenerate spirit; dwelling in this, and yet to be distinguished from it, is God's Holy Spirit, witnessing in, with, and through it.' 

The importance of recognising this distinction can easily be perceived. We shall then be able to understand the true relation between regeneration and the indwelling of the Spirit. The former is that work of the Holy Spirit, by which He convinces us of sin, leads to repentance and faith in Christ, and imparts a new nature. Through the Spirit God thus fulfils the promise, ''I will put a new spirit within you.' The believer is now a child of God, a temple ready for the Spirit to dwellin. Where faith claims it, the second half of the promise is fulfilled as surely as the first. As long now as the believer only looks at regeneration, and the renewal wrought in his spirit, he will not come to the life of joy and strength which is meant for him. But when he accepts God's promise that there is something better than even the new nature, than the inner temple, that there is the Spirit of the Father and the Son to dwell within him, there opens up a wonderful prospect of holiness and blessedness. It becomes his one great desire to know this Holy Spirit aright, how He works and what He asks, to know how he may to the full experience His indwelling, and that revelation of the Son of God within us which it is His work to bestow. 

The question will be asked, How these two parts of the Divine promise are fulfilled ? simultaneously or successively ? The answer is very simple: From God's side the twofold gift is simultaneous. The Spirit is not divided: in giving the Spirit, God gives Himself and all He is. So it was on the day of Pentecost. The three thousand received the new spirit, with repentance and faith, and then, when they had been baptized, the Indwelling Spirit, as God's seal to their faith, on one day. Through the word of disciples, the Spirit, which had come upon them, wrought mightily on the multitude, changing disposition and heart and spirit. 


When, in the power of this new spirit working in them, they had believed and confessed, they received the baptism of Holy Spirit to abide in them. And so still in times when the Spirit of God moves mightily, and the Church is living in the power of the Spirit, the children which are begotten of her receive from the first beginnings of their Christian life the distinct conscious sealing and indwelling of the Spirit. And yet we have indications in Scripture that there may be circumstances, dependent either on the enduement of the preacher or the faith of the bears in which the two halves of the promise are not so closely linked. So it was with the believers in Samaria converted under Philip's preaching; and so too with the converts Paul met at Ephesus. In their case was repeated the experience of the apostles themselves.


 We regard them as regenerate men before our Lord's death ; it was only at Pentecost that the promise was fulfilled, 'He shall be in you!' What was seen in them, just as in the Old and New Testaments,-the grace of the Spirit divided into two separate manifestations,-may still take place in our day. When, the standard of spiritual life in a Church is sickly and low, when neither in the preaching of the word nor in the testimony of believers, the glorious truth of an Indwelling Spirit is distinctly proclaimed, we must not wonder if, even where God gives His Spirit, He be known and experienced only as the Spirit of regeneration. 


His Indwelling Presence will remain a mystery. In the gift of God, the Spirit of Christ in all His fulness is bestowed once for all as an Indwelling Spirit; but He is received and possessed only as far as the faith of the believer reaches. 

Blessing of the Hands to Mark Nurses Week

Hospitals depend on medicine to heal, but patients, families and staff rely on spiritual help as well. This week OakBend Medical Center celebrated Hospital/Nurse’s week by blessing of the hands to affirm the sacred dimension of healthcare.

The reliance on spiritual help and the recognition that hospital staff needs to be encouraged to be instruments of compassion as they fulfill their daily tasks, “A Blessing of the Hands” service offered in recognition of this important role provided by health care providers was conducted by Chaplain Kei at the Hospital’s Chapel.

The chaplaincy Services at OakBend Medical Center embraces the spiritual dimension of life and is committed to providing spiritual care to patients, families, caregivers and community. For this purpose, the chaplaincy program exists to minister to the entire (Body, Mind, and Soul) patient, as well as hospital staff who face difficult situations on a daily basis.

The Blessing of the Hands at OakBend Medical Center is a very important service considering the demanding careers of health care professionals.  As much as the blessing of the hands serves as a time of reflection on the healthcare vocation, it is also time to reach out and minister to the employees of the hospital and let them know that God cares and that they are appreciated by the hospital for the work they do.

The blessing of hands honors the health care providers by reaching deep into their spiritual beings. It verbalizes a pastoral understanding of the work they perform. It acknowledges sensitivity to the energy and emotion they give to those they serve. It conveys confidence in them and empowers them to continue on with a renewed compassion for others. Their jobs are full of challenges and questions, but to hear something positive and to let them know that they are appreciated for their work really impacts them as they perform their daily tasks.

Though the blessing itself was brief, the message was clearly understood by the spiritual core of the staff. A few of the participants were overheard saying,” It feels good,” Yet another said, this is what I needed,” Later during the day a nurse said to chaplain, “That was great, I wish we could do it more,”

The blessing of the hands rivets the participant’s mind to remember why they choose the careers of healthcare, namely to offer compassion and healing to those in need. It was important to remind the hospital staff that what they do matters and is a service to the Lord. It was the best way to celebrate Nurse’s week.

During  the 20 minutes session  a reading from third chapter of Colossians  verse seventeen, “And whatsoever you  do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him ... And whatsoever

you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Individually, staffers stepped forward and extended their hands over a hot towel

And the chaplain said these words as he blessed the hands of each participant, “May the God, who created you, bless the care that you give others. May your hands bring healing to all who you touch. May you be blessed and appreciated for all you do in this hospital.”

This event was a reminder that all of the stories about Jesus’ healing ministry were found in larger narratives about our common humanity, compassion, human dignity, shared responsibility, and God’s intention for our health and wholeness.

Conclusion prayers were said for all healthcare workers, for God to strengthen them to use their hearts, hands, and voices to raise their vision for a health care future that includes everyone and works well for all… Amen

God's Promises Are Real. Sermon Topic Chapel

We read in Scripture that Jesus was crucified along with two robbers on either side of him.  The gospels of Mark and John say little about these men. While Matthew tells us that both robbers insulted Jesus,Luke's account tells us that one of the thieves asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom.  Despite the fact that he was dying, the condemned man finally understood that the one who could save him for all eternity was on the cross right next to him.

So many times our problems cause us to think that God has forgotten us.   It is hard to understand that the Source of our strength and our Provider in all things is already with us.  When a situation seems hopeless, it is difficult to not grow weary and lose strength.  But we are told in Scripture to keep trusting and believing in all of our trials even when we don’t see the answer.  We read in Romans 8:24, “Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?”  Our faith must transcend the boundaries of what we hear, see and feel.  We must trust that the God we serve is working out his plan in our lives through every battle we face.  Faith doesn’t see the future – it trusts the One who holds the future!

Everything that God allows in the life of a believer has been divinely designed.  There are no mistakes in the plan that was made for you long before the foundation of the earth.  Whatever is happening in your life that doesn’t seem right or fair has been allowed for a distinct purpose.  It is never easy to suffer through our painful trials, but it is the working of our faith that gives us endurance to stay in the race and not give up.