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Three weeks ago a request came to the chaplains office that Dr. Dunn, an attending physician at the VA, wanted a chaplain to join his medical team. Dr. Dunn has traveled across the world doing medical missions. Working alongside missionaries and pastors they met physical needs and then turned to address spiritual needs. His desire and prayer is that this holistic healing approach could be brought to the VA level. This pilot program would involve a chaplain on the medical team as a key component. Physical and spiritual needs would be addressed simultaneously. God in his wisdom allowed me to join Dr. Dunn for this awesome opportunity. After daily morning briefings on the patients we began making rounds on the floor. The resident doctors, Dr. Dunn, and I would gather around the patient and discuss treatment plans. The doctors would introduce me as the VA chaplain and with the involvement of Dr. Dunn we would inquire about their spiritual needs or questions. In many

Good ole Church signs. Gotta luv'em!! Coming home from the hospital I saw this one... "Free trip to heaven. Details inside" Now I'm a little brain fried from work today so indulge me for a moment. Chuck Swindoll said that in communication, we rarely say what we mean. Christ loved the church and that even means when we say things that come out...weird. Hey, what's wrong with this statement? Well it's not about the statement being wrong. It's about saying a right thing poorly. Kinda like what I just said... I didn't explain that very well. Let me try again. Free...? The gift of eternal life...is not a freebie. Christ paid dearly with his own blood. And..implying that the Christian life is like a free ride is...cheap... and less than realistic. Christ said that we consider the cost and it is complete surrender. Trip...? Heaven is...not really a trip. Be back next week...? Need anyone to house sit for you...? To heaven...? T

Open windows...doors...portals...cracks...a crevice Spiritual entrances made visible to a looker A maze of tangled web...a labyrinth laid bare from a failed perception of reality. Adversity...trials...pain, though pitiful, erodes the clutter masking the human heart. A clearing away of pride and pretentious walls. An opening. The spirit drawing. Christ attentive to one look. A glance at the cross of possibility...opportunity. A suffering soul meeting the suffering servant. When laid bare...possibilities arise. Though small...a mustard seed of faith can reverse the course. A joy...no, a privilege, of unspeakable degree, to share the way, the truth, the life. Making sense of immeasurable love. Giving the oil of gladness for mourning. iPhone

Dad said good The phrase was written at the foot of his bed on an erase board reserved for medical information. His room was dark and isolated. He sat quietly and was gracious for all the visits and medical attention. We spoke of family... He had none. His days were spent alone. No children. No wife. No friends. Fighting cancer...seeking hope...needing purpose He shared of faith. Real...but worldly concerns were choking it's roots. We spoke of hope...buried beneath the clutter of life...unable to recollect where he had last seen it. Memory was his only companion. Days were spent reflecting. Hours went by praying. I asked about the phrase. "Dad said good" What does that mean to you? Tears began to form...a quiver. I wrote that... I'm not sure if I can get it out That's okay, I have time. I would like to hear it. In the stillness of beeping monitors and clicking machines he broke the silence My daddy said that to me before he died. He said "Patrick, you'

Three passages of scripture have blended together in my my mind lately and I believe there is a profound truth to gather from them if you will apply your heart to understanding. The three passages are as follows Read them...slowly... and think with me for a few spiritual moments. Acts 17:26-27 ...he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. Esther 1:14 ... and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Galatatians 1:5 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased... Each of us has a purpose. God is a big God and His mysterious and omniscient work is so utterly profound that you can get a headac

Its not enough to say that Christ was a good man. Most will profess He was the best that ever lived. Its not enough to ascribe to Him miracles. People say that He did all these things and was crucified. Others will admit that He was the son of God and came to show us the true light. Some focus on the redemption and forgiveness He taught as His most eventful legacy. These are all true yet these attributes alone do not begin to define Him. Often the most compelling fact goes unstated. The basis that elevates Him to the name which is above every name is frequently ignored. Its corrupt to neglect the summum bonum in which all of Christianity hinges. Imagine a Doctor were to write a letter of commendation to the Nobel committee for a fellow Surgeon. This Surgeon is the first to successfully perform a heart transplant. A historical medical milestone that has transformed cardio vascular medicine. In this letter the colleague writes about how wonderful the Doctor is. He states

I led a PTSD support group this morning. The room was filled with Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf war veterans. I began the session with a short story from my childhood. There was a huge rock or boulder in the creek that is behind the old home place. My brothers and I would spend many summers playing around that rock. We lit fires on it, ate sack lunches, and shot off fire works atop that boulder that lay in the middle of the creek. When it would come a hard rain, the stream became a river. When the waters receded, that rock was still there. Later my father told me that the rock was actually part of the mountain protruding up out of the stream. Spirituality is like that rock. No mater what, that rock was and is always there. My faith is that rock. Never failing, never changing. In an unpredictable changing world the rock of our faith is there for strength and reassurance. As we went around the room, all the men shared great insight to the rock of their faith gu

Psalm 34:14 (NIV) Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The lord can deliver us from evil... ...The lord can redeem us from evil But he doesn't remove us from evil! For as long as we're in this world, evil and our own flesh will always be present. Jesus instructs us to pray that God will deliver us from evil. Praying that God will show you malicious and malignant actions from others including your own is part of our spiritual growth. When we are unable to perceive or recognize evil God will allow us to see it. Seeing evil parade about in the light of day gives us a stark wake up to the depths of human perversion. What happens to you when you see footage of the 9/11 terrorist attack? Disgust, anger, resolve, sadness and more... all describe the feelings that decent people have at the images of evil. Evil teaches. From profound to simple. Evil has a way of making an impact that leaves an indelible impression on our lives. We are i

Pastor David Jeremiah said something last week that struck a cord in me and I want to share it with you. He said, "...personal strength to live the Christian life is not difficult, it is impossible." You and I cannot serve Him in our own power. We sometimes view our Christian service like a pro baseball game. The one who has the most hits and fewer errors is the winner. I suppose it's ingrained in our idea of what success is. The best among us are the red carpet all stars, the summa cum laude, and the Captain and Miss America, but in scripture the opposite is true. The last shall be first, the greatest is the servant, and the one justified before God beat his chest and said, "Lord be merciful to me a sinner." We allow ourselves to fall into satans trap of defeat when we attempt to succeed by our own merit. Another words, when I measure my spiritual victory by the fewer mistakes I make, then I'm missing grace. When our son Stephen entered elementary school,