Rob McPherson is back on the podcast to discuss what we should be looking for to expand lives and grow our ministries. Instead of trying to increase our numbers in the crowd, look for individuals you can care for. Better than something else for you to do, they are opportunities God is strategically giving you. Your care will matter.

Caring for the grieving and suffering exposes an incomplete or shallow theology. It sure did mine! I meant well, but I thought the “Good News” of the Gospel meant a perpetual good mood, victory and happy endings to every story. That is not reality and it is terribly disappointing. An accurate understanding of who God is and where he works is not only a complete theology, it works better because it is connected with reality. The we find real comfort and hope.

Do you get a heavy feeling when you are caring for people who are suffering? How do you think God feels about the suffering and wrong in this world? How do you think we should feel about it? I have been having many episodes of a darker, melancholy mood. In this episode of the podcast I discuss this feeling with that conclusion, this feeling might be the right feeling. This may be the feeling of care.

My conversation with Anthony was intense. Anthony is a combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lost friends in battle and on this side to suicide. He helped me see what Vets really want and need, how little we really understand why they are different when they return from battle and how their intense commitment to serve needs and equal proportion of commitment from our care to them. His friend and mentor/supporter, Jim, joins us so we can see what this caring relationship looks like. Maybe all caring relationships should have a similar intensity.

Joe Hess came to this week’s conversation with raw emotions from his father’s recent death and the call, earlier the same day, to support a family who just lost their adult child to suicide. But, even though the circumstances were difficult and the intense emotions were sad and dark, there was also the feeling of being where he needed to be in supporting people in their times of greatest need. This is heavy lifting in care ministry. It is meaningful and rewarding beyond measure and this is where Joe wants to be when the need is there. And it often is.

This week Dan takes time to explain why Memorial Day is special to him, and how we can remember, on this sacred holiday, those who paid the ultimate price. He shares the names of the men on his Dad’s B-17, Lassie Come Home, who were on that fatal mission, where four survived and six perished.

A meal is always a welcome expression of care. It meets a need that comes up at least three times a day. When it tastes good it brings pleasure to the day and when it is enjoyed with others it provides life-building fellowship. In my conversation with Marquise Merriweather, you will hear of meals served to honor a loved one and to help people who are having a hard time. I’ve worked with his crew and the story of this generous ministry will make you feel good and might give you an idea or two.

Often we “exclude” people, who would like to be involved, from our churches. Autism, dementia and other disabilities should not mean people do not fit into ministries. Including them requires intentional effort but not as much as you would think, and the benefits extend to everyone in all of ministry. I am proud to introduce Tori White and Friendship Ministries as she tells her story and describes the expertise and tools they offer to include the disabled.

Where does the grief journey lead? Are there stages that everyone experiences? How do we move forward without forgetting our loved ones? While everyone’s grief journey is personal and unique, there is a process most of us experience. These stages were identified by the late British Psychologist, John Bowlby. My good friend Jason Mueller is back to share his story of grief after losing his nineteen year old son, Austin, to murder. He will help us identify the goal of grieving and Bowlby’s stages of grief.

It is hard to understand the value of Care Ministry because you cannot measure your return on investment and usually, it takes place one on one, behind the scenes, in the uncomfortable place where a need emerges. In this episode a Care Pastor has come to terms with that in his own soul and serves for an audience of one and finds care ministry to be personally rewarding. His stories help the care ministry cause by helping make visible the type of service that is valuable beyond measure.