The picture of my calling was coming into focus. Every life matters, each death is sacred and grief is the most common human experience became defining applications for God’s love and my role in serving Him. Mark Brewer asked me to preach for him on my Main Lessons as A Hospice Chaplain. That sermon is my story and I hope it will help some of you clarify your niche in life and ministry.

Susan’s mother has been gone for 37 years, yet Susan still misses her. Her mother was a wonderful example of being a wife. She was full of wisdom and ideas on raising children, and she was a ready and reliable encourager to Susan. So, when Susan was only 29 and her mother was diagnosed and died from cancer at age 52, Susan had to live with a huge piece of her life missing. In this episode, Susan tells how hard that is, but also demonstrates to live fully blending sorrow and joy while never forgetting her mother.

We can do something about the Mental Health crisis that is affecting our culture. I don’t mean to oversimplify a complex problem. Professional help is often required, but not always and. Even when it is, peer support can help it work better. In this episode I have a conversation with Kimberly Britt, Executive Director of Anchor International, a faith based organization that trains and provides Mental Health resources to help us do something. “I wish this was in every school and every church,” said a young person who received Mental Health Care from an Anchor group.

His condition deteriorated sooner than they expected. It seemed like all at once the question of Hospice came up. Even though it came quickly, this wife sees the value in choosing Hospice care sooner. Within her story there is advice of how to make that decision. It is about living and making the last chapter of life the best it can be.

This “Who Cares?” episode  contains advice, hope and celebration for anyone suffering from profound grief and disappointment. In an incredibly articulate account an expectant mother tells of the day her world was rocked with the news that her baby had profound birth defects. She describes  the emotional roller coaster of hope and disappointment during the pregnancy. After delivery, she tells of precious times of love and care that were experienced for the brief one week life of her precious Sara Beth.

Jason fell to his knees when he heard that  his nineteen year old son had been shot to death. That began Jason’s, sometimes unbearable, journey of grief. As he tells his story, we also learn about grief and grieving, the importance of talking and the Ministry of the Other Chair.

In this episode a dad shares very openly how much his son’s addiction tormented the whole family. We hear a lot about addiction, but understanding what people actually go through equips us to care for them make a difference in our culture. And, if there is an addiction in your family, this episode will let you know you are not alone.

Jim Gilbert is a businessman and former military, and has a heart for those dealing with PTSD. From comrades to his father-in-law he has helped soldiers returning from war deal with their PTSD through one thing... listening. Sometimes that is all we are able to offer, but it is the help most needed when dealing with various trauma.

Rob McPherson works a demanding job in the professional world of Real Estate compliance, and at the same time has dedicated his life to providing 1-1 care for people in the church as a Care Pastor. In this conversation he uses the imagery as “A View from the Rooftop” as he scans the world below for people who need care. Providing this care, helps people feel God’s love and helps them open their lives to Him as their savior and Lord.

Everybody needs to care for other people and everybody needs to learn to care effectively. But why do some people look for opportunities to care? Why do they allow their own tragedies become building blocks to living a life of compassion for others? From the time she was a child, this woman was moved by the needs of others. Hear how the tragedy of her son’s suicide helped her care for others and ask yourself, if God can use your heartbreak to enlarge your compassion. Are you ready to learn how to care better—how to care effectively.