09-20-2008, 12:33 AM
This is a sensitive matter and I'm not sure it belongs under evangelism, but I'd like to share with you one of the most appropriate occasions for evangelism, when talk of God's unfailing love and mercy and - yes - forgiveness - is not only welcomed but requested.
In seminary I worked as a hospital chaplain on a cancer ward. I made friends with many terminally ill cancer patients. As I was a chaplain, they felt free to discuss their lives with me, and their families, and futures and anything else that came to mind.
I cannot reveal confidences. This is a clergy's duty. I can say that people want to know about God and forgiveness and peace. They review their lives and need to summarize what it means. I believe God provides answers and it is a chaplain's privilege to present these to dying people.
Another group of people who requested a chaplain's services are the families of accident victims or of patients who died. They also have questions of eternity and want answers. And they want to tell you about their loss and who it was who passed. They too want to make sense of something tragic. A chaplain can help them.
There are other times of great joy in a hospital chaplain's life, visiting new parents upon the birth of child. Joy and hope and excitement fill our hearts. And with the greatest joy sometimes comes great sorrow with the death of a newborn or young child.
I won't try to communicate with you how faith gives comfort and hope to hurting people. Instead l share two videos and a web log message. I think you can understand the depth of feeling and the power of caring faith.
Shout to the Lord was written by Darlene Zschech who made this video for a grieving mother whose young daughter is in heaven I think is better not to view the video, but just listen in background. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzw45z_QK7g
Sunshine is the user name of a young mother whose five day old son died. Read her testimony. A song by Natalie Grant, Held, comforted her. Here is her web post.
http://womenwhoworship.wordpress.com/category/music/
And her is the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkwIYzp8Sok
When my mother was expecting my younger sister we would pray every night for the baby. I placed my hands on mother's tummy and asked God for a healthy baby. I remember how she came home from the hospital and I was so excited. I rushed to her and asked where was the baby. She looked down and sighed and said the baby died. I learned about grief and sorrow and hope and recovery from my dear mother's example. The power of faith transforms death and grief into hope and recovery.
__________________
For a true Christian who enjoys an ongoing, dynamic living relationship with God, the prospect of death or suffering for his God is minor compared to the joy of pleasing Him.
In seminary I worked as a hospital chaplain on a cancer ward. I made friends with many terminally ill cancer patients. As I was a chaplain, they felt free to discuss their lives with me, and their families, and futures and anything else that came to mind.
I cannot reveal confidences. This is a clergy's duty. I can say that people want to know about God and forgiveness and peace. They review their lives and need to summarize what it means. I believe God provides answers and it is a chaplain's privilege to present these to dying people.
Another group of people who requested a chaplain's services are the families of accident victims or of patients who died. They also have questions of eternity and want answers. And they want to tell you about their loss and who it was who passed. They too want to make sense of something tragic. A chaplain can help them.
There are other times of great joy in a hospital chaplain's life, visiting new parents upon the birth of child. Joy and hope and excitement fill our hearts. And with the greatest joy sometimes comes great sorrow with the death of a newborn or young child.
I won't try to communicate with you how faith gives comfort and hope to hurting people. Instead l share two videos and a web log message. I think you can understand the depth of feeling and the power of caring faith.
Shout to the Lord was written by Darlene Zschech who made this video for a grieving mother whose young daughter is in heaven I think is better not to view the video, but just listen in background. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzw45z_QK7g
Sunshine is the user name of a young mother whose five day old son died. Read her testimony. A song by Natalie Grant, Held, comforted her. Here is her web post.
http://womenwhoworship.wordpress.com/category/music/
And her is the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkwIYzp8Sok
When my mother was expecting my younger sister we would pray every night for the baby. I placed my hands on mother's tummy and asked God for a healthy baby. I remember how she came home from the hospital and I was so excited. I rushed to her and asked where was the baby. She looked down and sighed and said the baby died. I learned about grief and sorrow and hope and recovery from my dear mother's example. The power of faith transforms death and grief into hope and recovery.
__________________
For a true Christian who enjoys an ongoing, dynamic living relationship with God, the prospect of death or suffering for his God is minor compared to the joy of pleasing Him.