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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
It's All About Teamwork
August 14, 2008
I've been a volunteer chaplain with Hospice in Southeastern
Connecticut for twenty years. In that time I have been
impressed with the caring that the nurses, volunteers, and
staff display towards the patients and their families. I look
at it as a ministry of love.
Each week we have our interdisciplinary team meeting. The
team consists of a physician, the nurses, a social worker, the
bereavement coordinator, a pharmacist, a chaplain and various
others who drop in from time to time. Every person on the
team brings some expertise from their discipline to the table.
The idea is that all of the family's needs can be met by
bringing this team together on their behalf.
As I sat there listening to the team members discuss the
best plan for one of our patients this week, I thought of the
1991 Fox sitcom Herman's Head. It was a short lived
comedy about an aspiring writer named Herman Brooks, who
worked as a fact-checker for a magazine publisher. The
humor came from looking inside Herman's head and watching
his thought process. All of his thoughts and emotions took on
lives of their own. As Herman thought something, a whole
scenario played out in his head.
Like the characters inside Herman's head, our Hospice team
discusses a care plan for each person and then puts it into
play. The nurses, social workers, volunteers and home health
aides spring into action in an attempt to bring some
encouragement to the patients and their families.
I come away refreshed from our meetings. As I left the
meeting this week I had a crazy thought. Maybe God has a
team working on our behalf every day. Maybe He gathers
around a table with his host of angels and discusses what is
happening in our lives. Sometimes it certainly seems like I
have an angel on my shoulder.
The other day I heard a great testimony from one of our
parishioners. He told me he was being wheeled down to the
surgical suite from his room. He was nervous and a bit
frightened. He looked over and in the pocket of the lady
wheeling him down the corridor, he thought he saw a Bible.
He asked her about it and she confirmed his suspicion. Then
he asked her if she would say a little prayer with him. She
did and immediately my friend felt the peace of God come
over him.
I believe God knew exactly what he needed that day and
put it in place. We will never know for sure why that lady
was there instead of another one . But I like to think it was
discussed and worked out at God's team meeting that
morning. After all, we can't see inside God's head, but the
Bible tells us that he loves us and he cares for us. So
anything is possible. Next time an amazing coincidence happens
in your life, look up and thank God. For it may not have been
a coincidence at all. It was God's team at work.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
August 14, 2008
I've been a volunteer chaplain with Hospice in Southeastern
Connecticut for twenty years. In that time I have been
impressed with the caring that the nurses, volunteers, and
staff display towards the patients and their families. I look
at it as a ministry of love.
Each week we have our interdisciplinary team meeting. The
team consists of a physician, the nurses, a social worker, the
bereavement coordinator, a pharmacist, a chaplain and various
others who drop in from time to time. Every person on the
team brings some expertise from their discipline to the table.
The idea is that all of the family's needs can be met by
bringing this team together on their behalf.
As I sat there listening to the team members discuss the
best plan for one of our patients this week, I thought of the
1991 Fox sitcom Herman's Head. It was a short lived
comedy about an aspiring writer named Herman Brooks, who
worked as a fact-checker for a magazine publisher. The
humor came from looking inside Herman's head and watching
his thought process. All of his thoughts and emotions took on
lives of their own. As Herman thought something, a whole
scenario played out in his head.
Like the characters inside Herman's head, our Hospice team
discusses a care plan for each person and then puts it into
play. The nurses, social workers, volunteers and home health
aides spring into action in an attempt to bring some
encouragement to the patients and their families.
I come away refreshed from our meetings. As I left the
meeting this week I had a crazy thought. Maybe God has a
team working on our behalf every day. Maybe He gathers
around a table with his host of angels and discusses what is
happening in our lives. Sometimes it certainly seems like I
have an angel on my shoulder.
The other day I heard a great testimony from one of our
parishioners. He told me he was being wheeled down to the
surgical suite from his room. He was nervous and a bit
frightened. He looked over and in the pocket of the lady
wheeling him down the corridor, he thought he saw a Bible.
He asked her about it and she confirmed his suspicion. Then
he asked her if she would say a little prayer with him. She
did and immediately my friend felt the peace of God come
over him.
I believe God knew exactly what he needed that day and
put it in place. We will never know for sure why that lady
was there instead of another one . But I like to think it was
discussed and worked out at God's team meeting that
morning. After all, we can't see inside God's head, but the
Bible tells us that he loves us and he cares for us. So
anything is possible. Next time an amazing coincidence happens
in your life, look up and thank God. For it may not have been
a coincidence at all. It was God's team at work.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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