Contents

  1. Introduction

  2. I. How Did I Get Here?

    1. 1. Pro re nata (when necessary)

    2. 2. Sometimes we see the future

    3. 3. Adjusting our lives

    4. 4. Chaplaincy doesn't scale

    5. 5. Finding your own voice

    6. 6. 10 reasons I need to be a chaplain

    7. 7. Before you do things that might bring you to the Emergency Room

    8. 8. A working list for life after a difficult diagnosis.

  3. II. What Does It Mean to Be a Chaplain?

    1. 9. Chaplains and pastors

    2. 10. A practicing chaplain

    3. 11. Fragile treasures

    4. 12. Holding hands

  4. III. What Kinds of Tasks Does a Chaplain Do?

    1. 13. Bringing PEACE to hospital visits

    2. 14. Paperwork

    3. 15. More than a filed form.

    4. 16. Liturgy of near death and life

    5. 17. Some things words can't change

    6. 18. Spiritual consult

    7. 19. The blessing of the hands

    8. 20. Walking down the hall with a priest.

  5. IV. How Do I Take Care of People?

    1. 21. Promoting healing and recovery

    2. 22. Shared journeys

    3. 23. God listens but I almost don’t

    4. 24. Waiting for

    5. 25. Relational regrets

    6. 26. Hats

    7. 27. Saying "Thank you"

    8. 28. How to live with gratitude

    9. 29. Looking for Jesus

    10. 30. A little visit

    11. 31. A Rock and a Hard Place

    12. 32. Navigating hope and despair in ER conversations.

  6. V. How Do I Carry Scripture With Me?

    1. 33. Living the song of ascents

    2. 34. A song for early morning

    3. 35. Romans 8 and Alzheimer's

    4. 36. A mid-week renewal

    5. 37. Needing wisdom

    6. 38. Lessons from Job

    7. 39. N.D.W.

    8. 40. Joy in the midst of grief

    9. 41. Emotional Jesus

    10. 42. Kicking the slab

    11. 43. Hospital hermeneutics

  7. VI. How Do I Deal With Death and Dying?

    1. 44. What not to say after someone dies.

    2. 45. "I'm sorry."

    3. 46. This is hard

    4. 47. R.H.C.

    5. 48. Holding tiny babies

    6. 49. The Blessing

    7. 50. Holding on

    8. 51. Ready to go.

    9. 52. A conversation with kids about death

    10. 53. Talking about talking about death

    11. 54. I couldn’t be there when they died.

  9. VIII. How Can I Get Better at This?

    1. 55. Study. Obey. Teach.

    2. 56. Making sense of our actions

    3. 57. Practicing the hard conversations.

    4. 58. Call until you reach someone.

    5. 59. Emotional Triage

    6. 60. Simple Compassion

    7. 61. Evidence-based Practice

    8. 62. What I learned by being in the hospital

  10. IX. How Do I Pray, Anyway?

    1. 63. Hospital Prayer

    2. 64. Prayers of a hospital chaplain on the way to a Code Blue.

    3. 65. A prayer for the person at the edge of life and death.

    4. 66. Helen's story

    5. 67. Becoming Heart Specialists

    6. 68. Bill and Amy

    7. 69. Frankie

    8. 70. A Litany for a Monday

    9. 71. Asking for courage.

    10. 72. Avoidable miracle requests

  11. X. How Can We Communicate Better?

    1. 73. Adaptive Communication

  12. XI. sermons

    1. 74. Love and anticipation

    2. 75. Easter: Mary

    3. 76. Potluck and Pie

  13. Acknowledgements and Disclaimers

  14. About the Author

  15. Bibliography

  16. Appendix: Intensive Care Units