"Conflicts of a Chaplain"

“Conflicts of a Chaplain”

 

During my chaplain residency I was required to write “reflection papers” to express my thoughts about what I was learning. Sometimes topics were assigned but for the most part the choice was up to me. A couple of months into the program I realized I was dealing with what appeared to be contradictory elements in my work. It’s been seven years since I put these ideas on paper but they still ring true as I interact with patients, families, and others. As I share them I’ve added appropriate Scriptures with the prayer that together we can apply them to our lives.

1.      “I’m human but to some I’m the face of God” (“…All of us…can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.”—2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT)

2.      “I’m by nature selfish but by God’s grace giving” (“…Consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”—Philippians 2:3-4)

3.      “I’m where I am but trying to touch people where they are” (“Jesus reached out his hand and touched the {leper}…’Be clean!’”—Matthew 8:3)

4.      “I’m trying to be all things to all people but praying I’ll be something to some” (“I have become all things to all {people} so that by all possible means I might save some.”—1 Corinthians 9:22)

5.      “I’m healthy but ministering to many who aren’t as fortunate” (“’It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.’”—Matthew 8:12; Luke 5:31)

6.      “I’m giving the impression of having it all together but I sometimes think I’m coming apart” (“If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing he deceives himself.”—Galatians 6:3)

7.      “I’m prone to put up walls but I’m trying to break them down” (“Accept one another…just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”—Romans 15:7)

8.      “I’m struggling with my own burdens but I’m called on to bear the burdens of others” (“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”—Galatians 6:2)

9.      “I’m not where I want to be but I’m thankful I’m not where I was” (“I am still not all I should be, but I’m focusing my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”—Philippians 3:13, NLT)

 

Maybe some who read this are having struggles as a teacher, business person, tradesman or woman, or even as a parent. God has promised His grace to meet every need (see Hebrews 4:16) and will use our troubles to help others in similar circumstances (see 2 Corinthians 1:3-7). Let’s see our conflicts as opportunities, not problems, as we grow together.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Blessed Quiteness"

“Blessed Quietness”

 

When I interviewed for my hospice position in Columbia I was asked what my greatest adjustment from pastoring to chaplaincy would be. In response I related a scene from “Hogan’s Heroes” (one of my all-time favorite TV shows) in which the general told the blubbering Colonel Klink to “Shut up and listen.” After 41 years as primarily a talker my CPE training had shown me I was to be more a hearer in my new role. Recently a chaplain friend related how in one of his most meaningful visits he said virtually nothing and listened to the patient pour out her heart. Now I sometimes tell patients, “I may not have answers but I have ears.” This often brings great emotional relief as they feel free to share their feelings.

Author Joe Bayly told of visitors’ coming to calling hours after his son’s death. Most felt they had to say something but their well-meaning words brought little comfort. One friend, however, just sat with him for about half an hour without speaking. Bayly’s comment was, “I was sorry to see him go.” Sometimes what’s most needed is quiet presence.

In 1897 Manie Ferguson wrote a hymn called “Blessed Quietness”. When we go to a restaurant, mall, or social gathering we often have to almost shout to be heard through the background din. But at the same time we’re uncomfortable with silence. Sarah Young write in Jesus Calling, “Quietness is the classroom where you learn to hear My (i.e. Jesus’) voice.” I’m ashamed to think of how seldom I’ve sat still and hushed before God and allowed Him to (in the words of another old hymn), “Speak, Lord, in the stillness, while I wait on Thee; Hushed my heart to listen in expectancy.”

When the prophet Habakkuk sought to understand the Lord’s purposes in dealing with Judah God told him, “…The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” (2:20, emphasis added). Earlier another of God’s messengers had written, “…In quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15). (Things haven’t changed much in 2500+ years, have they?) When will we learn that “…there’s a time to keep silent and a time to speak….” (Ecclesiastes 3:7)?

God tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God….” (Psalm46:10). (Note this is a command.) As we obey we’ll experience “blessed quietness” so we can hear His voice.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Living Letters"

“Living Letters”

 

In the late 1950’s Ken Taylor, a Christian businessman in the Chicago area, wanted to make the Bible more readable and relevant for his children. So while traveling back and forth on a commuter train he paraphrased the New Testament epistles. Soon thereafter it was published as Living Letters. In 1962 it came to Billy Graham’s attention and over the next year his ministry distributed some 600,000 copies. By 1971 the entire Word of God was available as The Living Bible. Within 25 years some 40 million had been sold and given away. (From Day 1 all profits have been donated to ministries.) It was updated and published as the New Living Translation in 1996 and continues to be used of God to bring people back to reading and better understanding the Scriptures.

Some nineteen centuries before Taylor gave his work its title the Apostle Paul used the concept of living letters but in a different way. In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 he wrote to what someone has called his “heartache and headache” church, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (The marginal note in my study Bible calls believers “living epistles”.) Paul wrote this to show he didn’t need reference letters to document his ministry—it was affirmed “in living color” through those the Holy Spirit had enabled him to reach.

D.L. Moody once said, “The Christian’s life is the world’s Bible.” Our Lord’s brother may have had this thought in mind when he challenged his first century readers (and us as 21^st century ones), “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22). People who would never read the Bible are reading us day by day. Let’s be that “new living translation” through whom people can see Jesus’ living in us.

 

Grace and blessings!

Jim McMillan

"The Meerkat Church"

“The Meerkat Church”

 

When traveling to new places Karen and I like to go to zoos and aquariums (at last count we’ve been to about 15). Each one has its own features which make our experiences uniquely enjoyable. As we walk around and observe we marvel at the variety of God’s creative power and echo the words of Nehemiah: “You alone are the Lord. You made…the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything….” (9:6).

While living in South Carolina we joined the Riverbanks Zoo Society. One of the perks of membership was unlimited admissions, so if we had an hour or two to spare we’d stop by and see what was new since our last visit. Sometimes it was a baby (we especially remember a newborn baboon), added feature (a kangaroo habitat through which we could walk), or new resident (a male gorilla). But among our favorites were the meerkats. (The only other place we remember seeing them is Busch Gardens in Tampa.) They’re small mammals (adults weigh up to 5 ½ pounds) native to desert regions of southwestern Africa which look something like prairie dogs but are part of the mongoose family. They live in groups of 20-50 in complex tunnel systems which provide protection from predators. They have two particularly interesting innate traits. The first is a rotating sentry system in which one stands guard and sounds a warning of danger so they can go into the tunnels for safety. The second is a “babysitting” arrangement to care for the young of the group (also called a mob, gang, or clan). As we observed them we were captivated by how God made them in such a one-of-a-kind fashion.

How special would it be if we as God’s people practiced by choice what meerkats do by instinct! Jesus’ friend and apostle warns us to “…be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion….” (1 Peter 5:8, NASV). As we’re on guard to the dangers around us we can sound a warning to our fellow believers as Paul did in Ephesus (see Acts 20:31). And the strong are commanded to assist those who are new in faith (see Romans 15:1-2)—in other words, be their caregivers so they can grow strong.

As the Body of Christ we’re all interconnected and need each other (“…In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”—Romans 12:5). So let’s each do our part to produce “The Meerkat Church”.

 

Grace and blessings!

Jim McMillan