Go to God: For many years I had the privilege of working for Rev. Dr. Dan Geeding in the ProHealth Pastoral Care Department.
I came to Dan’s department after a few years working at Rogers Behavioral Health Hospital, as a visiting pastor to offer communion, facilitate group Bible study and do one-on-one ministry.
Dan started me out in Adolescent and Adult Behavioral Health. Later I would be moved to the Lawrence Center to facilitate lectures on the spirituality of addiction recovery. That would lead to my becoming lead chaplain at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital and later Angels Grace Hospice.
We had a tight professional relationship and I am blessed to have worked for a man that I love and respect. Both of us have retired, but the friendship to this day is very precious.
We meet every week at the therapeutic pool in a fitness center, which is one of the last places I would look for a time of prayer and reflection, but recently Dan shared part of a devotional, written by Ruben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck.
As we did our stretching and resistance work he began to tell me about the powerful impact it had on him. Our discussion centered on the benediction.
“Embrace the will of God.
Obey the call of God.
Receive the Power of God.
Reflect the peace of God. Amen.”
Go to God, “Embrace the WILL of God”
What does God want from us? I had four years working as an associate pastor. Although richly rewarding, they were challenging years and throughout that period I never felt like I belonged.
The people were great, but looking back, every day was just preparing me for what God had in mind. Once I understood that to embrace the will of God would open doors and make the path a lot smoother, it became clear where I was headed.
God showed me His will
I sat in my office one day and God clearly showed me that I need to move on and go into Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). I trained in the Aurora system, doing an internship at Lakeland Medical center and a residency at St. Luke’s.
CPE was a difficult challenge, but God was telling me the whole time that I was going to be a chaplain, even though I wanted to quit every day.
Go to God, “Obey the Call of God”
We are all a work in progress. God moves us along a path and I can clearly see His hand in everything. Armed with a piece of paper saying I had completed CPE, I was led to Dan, who hired me on the spot. I was the guinea pig.
Dan had some difficult assignments, so I got them. When I found myself being considered as a lead chaplain for my local hospital, I just left that up to the Lord. OK, I trust you Lord.
Go to God, Receive the Power of God
Letting go of myself and relying completely on God’s leading allowed me to get by. Prior to walking into a hospital room I would simply pray, “God, please help me stay out of the way.”
I’ve known ministry people who have all of the academic credentials, but sadly lack common sense and the understanding that they are not the focus of any patient encounter. If, however, the academic pursuit is accompanied by a fervent and sincere desire to serve God, receiving the power of God is far more possible.
After all, it’s all God, isn’t it? We are saved by the Grace of God, not of our works.
“Embrace the will of God.
Obey the call of God.
Receive the Power of God.
Reflect the peace of God. Amen.”