Change Career, With Purpose, News

Understanding The Impact Of The Storms Of Life

I cannot even imagine what the victims of tragedy are feeling right now. For example, the impact of Hurricane Kristina or the impact of Hurricane Rita on a single individual's life is devastating, let alone what has taken place to a city or a county or a state. Just my opinion, but while cities can be rebuilt and even flourish again, some people never do rebuild their lives, and they are crushed by the weight of their losses.

Overcomers Display The Quality Of Resiliency

Yet there are those who seem to have the capacity to "bounce back" from disaster, defeat, and devastation. People who have this quality of resiliency are overcomers, to use a good, Bible term. I believe it was Dr. Paul Tournier who suggested that we tend to ask three basic questions whenever tragedy strikes, be it a personal loss or an "Act of God" (ever notice how God gets blamed for natural tragedies? Then again, it is at least an admission of God's existence.)

The Three Questions We Ask About Tragedy

Here are the three questions we tend to ask whenever we experience loss:

1. The first question is "Why?". It may come in many forms but usually along the lines of "Why did God let this happen?" or "Why did we decide to move to the Gulf Coast?". There are no adequate answers to the "Why" question and it keeps a person facing the wrong direction -- trying to figure out the past.
2. The second question is "What if?". This question is inadequate because any answer we come up with is fantasy, not fact. Asking "What if?" keeps a person spinning in their tracts, usually facing the wrong direction of life, and focuses on what is nothing more than the figment of one's imagination.
3. The third question is the only adequate question that can be asked if one is to be an overcomer. The key question that leads to overcoming is "What now?". It is only natural to ask "Why" and "What If" questions, but becomes an additional tragedy added to the other tragedies of life in that people get stuck or quagmired at those two questions. Overcoming tragedy can become a real possibility when a person begins to ask "What now?". Notice that asking this question turns a person from facing the past to facing the future. I do not mean to trivialize the suffering of hurting people. But if one is to be an overcomer, it is only asking "What now?" that moves a person beyond blaming God or blaming oneself or others. And so I ask myself and encourage you to do so too, "What now?".

Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater Click below to check out your own home based career for overcomers: Purposeful Internet Ministry/Business Opportunity Copyright © 2005, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved ------------------- Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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03-09-2005 - Inspirational "Change Career, With Purpose" Stories

Faith's Impact On Your Career Change Journey

I am intrigued with the stories of people, especially their stories involving their journey of faith. Often, intertwined in a person's personal story of faith is a chronicle describing their career journey. Faith is the most common element of that motivates a person's career change. Those words "with purpose" often have behind them a spiritual experience, and most likely it occurred during times of personal turmoil or the aforementioned storms of life. I just spent some time with my cousin, whose faith journey was not initiated until he made some spiritual resolutions in some of the darkest days of his life.

A Change Career Journey With Purpose

At one time he worked for a major mortuary and cemetery, but as his faith deepened, he felt as if someone who has to choose caskets and make funeral plans should be able to do so without going into extreme debt. As his website, CasketGallary.com advertises, "A funeral doesn't have to bury you in debt!". More than a marketing phrase, he feels as if his ministry is to help people with their casket and urn choices, doing so in such a way as to protect them financially at a very vulnerable time of life. His deep Christian faith motivates his business to also be a ministry to hurting people, a true "Career With Purpose." He has helped several people I know with their funeral planning and provided a casket or urn at very reasonable prices. Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater ------------------ Click below to check out how to launch your own website with purpose: Click Here To Explore Having Your Own Purposeful Ministry, Business, or Even Hobby based Website Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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04-09-2005 - How To Avoid Bitterness When Changing Careers

Bitterness is a term we use in referring to bad coffee and bad attitudes. There are several reasons I want to avoid bitterness in both. Hi, Chaplain Paul here. For nearly thirty years I was a parish pastor. I get pretty simplistic these days, some might even say simple minded! In my simpleness, there are a few commitments I made to God and myself when it comes to bitterness:

1. First I determined not have a bitter spirit about happenings in my life, but especially concerning my previous pastoral career. Bitterness is nothing more or less than anger ultimately at God. As I look back on life situations, especially the negative problems and even negative problem people, I see the fingerprints of God, giving me evidence that God was very much aware of my life. Now that I have expanded my ministry (remember the term "leaving ministry" isn't allow around here) by becoming a health care chaplain, the very situations that were painful and unpleasant were the tools God used to guide and direct me to change my ministry career.
2. Second, I don't want to have a bitter spirit because of the damaging affect bitterness has in every area of life. I plan to expand this concept, but just to get the bitter ball rolling, here are some results bitterness causes that I want to avoid:
   • Bitterness not only leaves a bad taste in my mouth, it leaves a negative imprint on everything it touches.
   • A bitter spirit ruins my personal appearance. Ever heard it referred to as an ugly, bitter spirit? Even my daughter as a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant has nothing to treat bitterness or even cover the facial flaws of bitterness.
   • I even think bitterness significantly reduces earning power. There is a negative contagion about a bitter spirit that infects every area of life. It robs one's focus, even to the point of impacting the workplace and one's business conversations.

Time to sign off here, but if you are caught up in bitterness, you would do well to talk it over with God. Once you do, don't be surprised that the very situations that caused your bitterness become the source for your praise to God. And people of praise look better and have higher earning power! Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater ------------------- Click below to check out how to explore having your own Ministry or Business Website With Purpose Copyright © 2005, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved -------------------

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05-09-2005 - Labor Day Thoughts Concernging A Pastor's Financial Strategy

Just thinking, on this Labor Day about "Who as a pastor was my employee advocate?" When I was a pastor (close to 30 years) I assumed I had all kinds of advocates for my salary and employee benefits. In reality I had none. And eventually I wouldn't even stand up for myself because people just didn't understand why a pastor couldn't make it on the salary they paid. And that not understanding a pastor's financial needs would lead to misunderstanding. Now I must admit that occasionally it would cross my mind that there should be a pastor's union, but with all those snide comments that pastors only work one day a week, I realized it would appear we were on strike 6 our of 7 days a week. The truth is that I discovered that the pastor of a small church is one of the hardest working people there is. You see, not only is he or she the pastor, but usually the secretary, the custodian, the contractor for building projects or remodeling needs, counselor, community liaison, and whatever holes that need to be met. Oh yeah, one other job, pastors employee advocate, the job no one else will do. If I had to do it over again, I think I would do what some pastors have done, not take a salary from the local church and tell the church leadership that I would be responsible to raise my own support, forming my own company or corporation. I would have formed my own nonprofit organization with the understanding that, while I would provide professional pastoral services to the church, I would let them know that my ministry was much larger than just that local congregation. Now, understand I am just thinking out loud, trying to offer suggestions for how to stem the tide of so many pastors leaving ministry, most doing so, as I understand it, for financial reasons. I probably would have expanded my ministry much sooner and would have enjoyed the blessing of reaching far more people through my own nonprofit ministry, focusing my ministry efforts as a chaplain. Onward with purpose, Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater ------------------- Click below to check out how to explore having your own Ministry or Business Website With Purpose Copyright © 2005, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved ------------------- Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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06-09-2005 - Linking to Significant Websites Makes Sense and Sometimes Cents

I recently joined NazNet.Com and did so for several reasons. For one, I like internet forums. They show me what people are thinking, what is important to them, and what their frustrations are. I enjoy interacting with new people as well as old friends. All of this banter gives me information gives me ideas for articles for my writing endeavors too. I also ordered a cellular phone recently. I did so from myself, going to a website that was mine but that I had never accessed to purchase items. I checked out the prices for cellular phone family plans and discovered that the prices were pretty much the same everywhere. But someone else got the commission from the cell phone purchase. So I ordered form my own communications website, so that I receive the commission. I was my own middleman! So if the cost was the same for a cell phone family plan, why not receive commissions from my own cell phone purchase and then monthly cell phone usage. This concept is consistent with my brilliant theory of finance -- that there are 2 sides every purchase, the consumer and the provider. Notice that the consumer pays the provider, no matter what the product is. So with PhoneTLC I am both the consumer who is paying myself, the provider, for products I use every day. If this concept appeals to you, I think there is a box that describes the whole process. I'll write more on this as I see how it works. Onward with Purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater ------------------ Click below to check out how to launch your own website with purpose: Click Here To Explore Having Your Own Purposeful Ministry, Business, or Even Hobby based Website Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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07-09-2005 - Principled Internet Usage For Protecting Your Spirit, Your Mind, and Your Relationships

------------------------------------------------- One of the heartbreaking reasons for a career change is often because of poor choices morally. When I served as Director of Technology and Ministry for ReachOne Internet Services I was often the one who would talk to couples affected by unprincipled internet usage. I recently came across this item that only works if it is based on a spiritual decision to be a person of purity.

Christian Internet Code of Ethics As a Christian who is active on the internet, I hold myself to certain standards of conduct. They are: I guard my online relationships I am careful to visit websites that do not compromise my life in Christ I take care that my written communications reflect Christ in my life I guard my time to assure that my time online is kept in proper balance with the rest of my life For more information visit the Christian Internet Code of Ethics home page.

Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater More information on the easiest way to build your own website with purity, and even to have your own blog, check out "Click here to check out how you too can impact the world with your message!" ------------------------------------------------- Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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09-09-2005 - Jury Duty Postponement A God-send For Me

In the midst of a rather busy time in my healthcare chaplaincy career, I had a juries summons to respond to. Now in the legal world, a jury summons is much preferred over any other kind of summons, so I am not complaining. But it never seems that serving on a jury comes a good time for me and so it was this time. My reasons for wanting to postpone jury duty:

• As a Red Cross Volunteer Chaplain, I was asked to spend the night at our San Diego Red Cross shelter this weekend, being a spiritual presence and resource for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. I need to have a new name badge and have yet to get some new paperwork completed. Serving on a jury would make this busy day busier.
• I also am in the process of my annual job review at the healthcare organization I serve, LightBridge Hospice. Meeting my administrator one day for my own work review, I then met with a member of my spiritual care staff to do her annual review. In my new role of Lead Chaplain (I prefer the title of Director of Spiritual Care or Director of Chaplaincy Services), my duties now include supervising the spiritual care department.
• In addition, we have just hired another chaplain, filling a half-time hospice chaplain position, and so orientation and job expectation requirements need to be met for our new chaplain. Busy? You bet! I like busy. Being busy means job security in my book on ministry careers (yet to be written but when I write it, I will follow the instructions outlined in the "Instant eBook Writing Kit". )

And so, back to the jury duty summons, as I was calling to get my instructions for reporting for my jury duty assignment, I noticed this line: "To postpone your jury duty to a later date, call this number." So I called one of those automated response phone systems. I sure hope that I followed the instructions and actually did get my assignment postponed. If not, I just may get that other kind of summons! Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater Click below to check out your own home based career for busy people: How to launch your own website to impact your world Copyright © 2005, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved ------------------------------------------- Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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10-09-2005 - Back to the garage conversion drawing board

An update on our conversation with a company that offers Owner-Builder Services -- UBuildIt I mentioned a few months ago that my wife and I had met with a consultant with UBuildIt, a company that identifies itself as "The Dominant Leader in Owner-Builder Services". I was impressed with their claim that they are the first and only franchise company to offer a national service to the owner-builder segment. "Why are you remodeling?" We have now been in our house a few months and we still need more room. Our new house hasn't generated any livable space on its own so we still have the original 1070 square feet. But there are more people to possibly house. Our daughter moved to San Diego last month and then there is always the possibility that my wife's folks will make ours a complete Sandwich Generation household by moving in with us. Of course, that is IF they choose to sell their present home and IF they decide to stay in California. I mentioned previously that there is another 1100 square feet of space within the existing walls of our home! At that time we saw the following remodeling plan as the course of action to take in adding livable space to our present home:

• do a garage conversion, making the present garage a family room, thereby adding 440 square feet
• develop an unfinished basement that will add another 700 square feet of space, using the remodeled basement for an office area, storage, another bedroom, and eventually another bathroom
• add another garage, probably using a garage kit.

In a real estate market like San Diego's, that could add $300,000 of equity to our home's value! What Now? Seems as if the City of San Diego has a new regulation that if a garage conversion is done, then replacement of the parking must be another structure. We were hoping to postpone the actual construction of a new garage until later, since we have plenty of off street parking to meet code. Now are considering just adding a car port to meet the city's requirement. For most San Diegans a garage is simply a big storage space, not a parking structure.. We had considered to refinish the basement, thinking that might be a wiser choice for adding livable space. But the cost seems higher so now we are leaning toward the original plan -- to add livable space by doing a garage conversion project. Seems like flexibility is the key to family room remodeling projects. But there is still one fact we are convinced of that hasn't changed: we still need to produce extra income to pay our mortgage and the costs of remodeling! Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater My plan for extra income to pay the mortgage and remodeling costs! --------------------------------

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11-09-2005 - 9/11 and My Change Career Decision

Well, I turn 60 on 9/11. Last year I wrote these words regarding having a birthday on a day of national mourning. I repeat those words here: Today is my birthday -- yep, on 9/11. For most people, September 11 is a sad day, a day of mourning. For me, while I grieve over what took place 5 years ago, September 11 has always been a day of celebration because it is my birthday. And it was a day of happiness for 55 of my years before just saying the date -- 9/11 --illicits feelings of sorrow and grief.

• 9/11, from the perspective of a national tragedy, causes many to grieve deeply over personal losses.
• 9/11 is forever stamped upon our hearts and minds as one of tremendous loss and deep grief.
• 9/11 for many who share that day as a birthday or anniversary, we will celebrate even when others have no reason to celebrate.

For Me, September 11 has significance in relationship to my career change decision to become a chaplain, But I can remember 9/11 4 years ago and the impact that day of attack had on the hospital where I was a chaplain intern, pursuing Clinical Pastoral Education in order to become a Board Certified Chaplain. I had just arrived at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, WA to begin my day. I noticed a large group of hospital personnel gathered in one of the waiting areas. As I came into the room one of the twin towers had just been attacked. We continued watching, with some going to their duties and others taking their places. The second tower was attacked, as was the Pentagon, and then we watched in horror as the Twin Towers collapsed. Word spread quickly that one of the surgeons had a son who worked in one of the Towers. As a Hospital Chaplain Intern, I had many opportunities that day to minister to people -- both patients and professional staff, praying, consoling, trying to bring meaning to it all. I also made the determination that day to pursue Hospital Chaplaincy training full time, since up to that time I was doing so while working a full time job. I soon moved to San Diego, completed my Clinical Pastoral Education requirements, and have been certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains. So you see, September 11 has had a great impact on my life in several ways. Birth and a career change decision. Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater ------------------- Click below to check out how to explore having your own Ministry or Business Website With Purpose Copyright © 2005, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved -------------------

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14-09-2005 - Sharing How To Become A Chaplain With Two Purpose Driven Women Called To Chaplaincy Ministry

Yesterday I had two opportunities to share about how to become a chaplain.

The first was this email enquiry from a stay at home mom:

Dear Chaplain Paul: I am a stay at home Mom with a degree in Special Education who has suddenly found herself wondering if God is calling me to be a hospital chaplain. I don't have the typical ministerial background so I'm wondering . . . what would it take for ME to become a Chaplain? I've read both parts of your story about becoming one. I'm really looking for a blow by blow account of what it would take for a person with a background like mine to get there. Sincerely, Stay-At-Home-Mom

The second opportunity to share about chaplain career opportunities was with a fellow hospice chaplain.

We met at a consortium for grief and bereavement and she brought me up to date on her professional chaplain career process. Previously I had put her into contact with The Association of Professional Chaplain Membership Director for our area. She thanked me and share where she was in the process. I also suggested a few more strategies for her change career journey into chaplaincy ministry. What did I say to each of these purpose driven women? Well, that's for tomorrow's blog. Chaplain Paul Slater For more information on the easiest way to build your own website, and perhaps to have your own blog, "Click here see how you too can impact the world with your message and to discover a method to fund your ministry!" Copyright © 2005, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Reserved --------------------------------------

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15-09-2005 - Requirements For A Successful Career Change

In a previous blog, I mentioned an email from a stay at home mom seeking information about the hospital chaplain career path. She wrote: I am a stay at home Mom with a degree in Special Education who has suddenly found herself wondering if God is calling me to be a hospital chaplain. I don't have the typical ministerial background so I'm wondering . . . what would it take for ME to become a Chaplain? I've read both parts of your story* about becoming one. I'm really looking for a blow by blow account of what it would take for a person with a background like mine to get there. My response to her inquiry regarding a hospital chaplain career was this: Dear Stay-At-Home-Mom: Great question.

• The first place I would check is with your own faith group, to see if they have a chaplaincy department. A hospital chaplain must be endorsed by a specific faith group.
• Second is that the requirements for most hospital chaplain jobs is a masters in divinity or pastoral care. Check to see if there are any on-line programs that offer a degree program. Especially check to see if you can use life experience to gain some credits. I am talking about a seminary level post graduate program that you can work on over the next few years, especially if you intend to be a stay at home mom.
• Third, I would contact the spiritual care departments of hospitals in your area and share with them your desire, especially if they offer clinical pastoral education. You may just begin by being a volunteer in the department and take it from there.
• And finally, could you use your present degree and background to impact people spiritually, should the above 3 suggestions be prohibitive. I recently dropped out of an extensive 96 hour masters of marriage and family therapy (MFT) after a year and a half. The reason? I was robbing my own family and marriage time and attention to pursue the program. In my opinion, I would have been too old from an earning perspective to make the best use of an MFT degree anyway, and finally, through this website ministry I am fulfilling my ministry desire in a much larger way.

Hope that helps. May God richly bless you in your chaplain career research endeavor. By the way, focus your attention, as I am sure you are, on your present chaplain position of being a stay-at-home-mom. In the long run, ministry to your own family will be the chaplaincy that counts the most.

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Now I thought I had been pretty thorough in explaining the steps to becoming a chaplain on my website. But here is the comment she made that has my brain in high gear: "I'm really looking for a blow by blow account of what it would take for a person with a background like mine to get there." This statement prompted me to continue working on an ebook to provide that blow by blow account on how to become a chaplain. I remembered a great resource I had ordered that has lived up to this promise: If you want to know how to write, publish and market your own book or ebook online, the Instant Kit will walk you through the entire process, from a blank page to a finished money-maker... Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater

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*Stay at home mom referred to both parts of my story. To read my change career journey to chaplaincy, click here.

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18-09-2005 - What do you do for self care to avoid career burnout?

The whole concept of self care so as to avoid career burnout is something I agree with until it refers to me. And I do a really good job if self care means brushing my teeth or clipping my toe nails. But if self care means purposefully putting boundaries on my time, diet, exercise, and sleep, I'm in big trouble. But I've noticed that I am in a big club of fellow self care avoiders in the professional circles I am in. Whether nurses or administrators, physicians or pastors, we are an undisciplined lot for the most part. When I was completing my clinical training for a chaplaincy career, the area of self care for the chaplain was continually addressed. In my supervisor's evaluation I could always count on this statement or a variation thereof: "Be mindful of the self-care you will need as you take on the responsibilities of another part time job in addition to your graduate school responsibilities." I guess one thing I can say for myself is that I am consistent, because I heard that challenge to self care in each of my clinical pastoral units, both at the hospital I interned at as a hospital chaplain intern, and also as chaplain intern to abused and molested children for the County of San Diego. And then there is the 30 years of pastoring when the question of taking a day off was often a topic of discussion around our house. Then, to make sure I really understood that self care is important for the healthcare professional, one of the key questions in my interview for certification for receiving professional chaplain status was -- you guessed it -- "What do you do for self care?". I did not have a good answer and was appropriately challenged to set boundaries for myself in order to avoid career burnout. I will focus on some specific strategies for setting boundaries in my next blog. Onward and upward, Chaplain Paul Slater

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One more thing I wish I would have done for self care -- had a hobby. Now I know myself to be one who tends, my concept of fun or diversion seems to always have work involved in it -- I work for fun. Repairing computers for other people while I am on vacation, writing webpages when I should go trail walking, and stuff like that. So, since I am probably not going to change, need to choose a hobby whereby I seem to be productive, because I tend to be very practical in what I pursue. One that I am looking at for personal self care diversion is woodworking. I've already subscribed to: Look at this Disneyland for tool enthusiasts: Rockler.com home page

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21-09-2005 - Specific Strategies For Setting Boundaries In Self-care To Avoid Career Burnout

Self Care Deficiency For The Healthcare Professional

"Self care deficiency", for the healthcare professional, is usually a designation we give to patients who cannot care for themselves. But the term self-care deficiency is not a term "people helping professionals" use to describe ourselves. I closed off my last blog saying that I did not have a good answer for the question "What do you do for self-care?" and that I was appropriately challenged to set boundaries for myself in order to avoid career burnout."

Specific Strategies For Setting Boundaries

Exercise is the first one that I'll mention for several reasons. The first is that it seems both my doctor and my wife's doctor are in collusion regarding what we call our senior citizen exercise program! Proper exercise is real challenge for me so the threats I hear from a physician prompts me to make what I consider to be a huge time commitment to exercise -- 20 minutes a day! His prescription for exercise -- walking.

Misconceptions About Walking Being Real Exercise

Now I know it is a perception thing, that somehow I feel I am wasting valuable time by doing something as simple and easy as walking for exercise. And then there is that concept that walking isn't real exercise. Well, it is 5:30 am and time for our morning walk. That's a whole 20 minutes of valuable time that I could be using to write! But it is also 20 minutes of quality conversation with my wife! Think of it! Twenty whole minutes given to exercise of the body AND quality conversation when I could be sitting in front of the computer eating doughnuts and working on an article on self-care! Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater Share your message, your passion, your hobby, or your ministry by clicking Impacting Your World Through An Internet Ministry/Business Website

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23-09-2005 - Triumph In Tragedy On Your Change Career Journey

One of the great challenges of life is to make the most of difficult situations. While I have never been through a hurricane, nor can I even imagine the trauma of doing so, I have weathered a storm or two in life. The truth is that life is full of storms. Scripture says that we shouldn't be surprised at trials and difficulties. But we often are. In my role as a health care chaplain, I meet daily people whose lives are ravaged by storms, especially the storm of imminent death. Usually the death of their loved one is one more storm in a life full of storms. But there are other storms. Recently, the Storms of Life I heard forecasted by people around me were . . .

• Financial Storms: loss of income, layoffs, medical bills, being wiped out by a hurricane.
• Relational Storms: divorce, estranged children, misunderstands between siblings, children removed from the home.
• Health Storms: Diagnosis of some type of cancer, heart disease, chronic pain from a career ending injury or an accident.

While you cannot undo a storm, you can grow from it, change for the better, adapt to life after the storm. Let me urge you to turn to your own spiritual resources to help you turn tragedy into triumph. Today, on the report line minsity I have where I serve as a chaplain, I talked about the quality of flexibility as the key to making the most of tough situations. Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater Share your message, your passion, your hobby, or your ministry by clicking Impacting Your World Through An Internet Ministry/Business Website Copyright © 2005, Chaplain Paul L. Slater, San Diego, CA., All Rights Shared

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25-09-2005 - Disneyland, A Ministry Priority And A Favorite Southern California Family Vacation Destination

Avoiding Ministry Career Burnout By Fanning The Flames of Family Bonding

I must admit, a pastor workaholic designation would fit me very well, and for some reason, I make it OK in my mind, "because it's ministry". Now if that makes sense to you as being a necessary part of ministry, you are as dumb as I am, in a spiritual sort of way. Overwork at the expense of family, is a very common problem and scores pretty high in the reasons for ultimate pastor burnout. Fortunately, because God is the God of second chances, my adult children have returned to the family launching pad.

Ministry Career Regrets

But I am haunted by the greatest ministry career regrets often voiced by those pastors who burn out because of choosing busyness over making family togetherness a priority. Now, looking back on a pastoral ministry career, the stuff I felt was so important for Christ's sake seems pretty hollow from this perspective. Yet I continue to see parish pastors make poor choices when it comes to the spiritual priority of family.

Disneyland, A Favorite Southern California Family Vacation Destination

And, so, when my wife said recently said we could go to Disneyland for $10 each, my tendency to be overly frugal kicked in over my tendency to "overwork because it's ministry". Now going to Disneyland with one's 30 something single adult children is definitely not the same as going when they were small children. But I discovered that family bonding with adult children is still one of the most important ministry career priorities. Now I understand that the past is past, but I have determined to make the family moments of the present the most important ministry option I could choose. We spent the entire day at Disneyland, a favorite Southern California family vacation destination. What a great time we had of reminiscing about previous family excursions to Disneyland when the kids were younger. We laughed about the old days of everyone giving us their "A" tickets and having very few "E" tickets for the best Disneyland rides. We stayed together the whole time, choosing rides compatible with our son's spinal chord injury. He sacrificed comfort a few times, choosing pain over comfort, like Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain. I wish now he would have chosen comfort, because I certainly wasn't comfortable during those rides. There was several aspects I liked very much. First is that they helped pay for the meals. And second was that I was the one who got to sleep on the way home from our family Disneyland excursion. No one offered to carry me into the house though.

Key to Avoiding Pastor Burnout

Yep, I made the best choice for real ministry -- family togetherness and purposeful ministry, choosing Mickey Mouse over Bill Gates. And those are the types of ministry priority choices that will help those of us who are pastoral burnout candidates avoid pastoral career burnout. So go have fun with your family this week. By the time you get where I am, what you thought was such an important ministry priority will be a very silly choice. Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul Slater

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30-09-2005 - Federal Medicare Expectations of Pastoral Care From A Hospice Chaplain

Being Honest, for God's Sake, and Uncle Sam's Too

Today is the last day of the month, which makes it a significant day for a chaplain, especially a hospice chaplain. The reason is one that makes a chaplain career interesting -- federal Medicare guidelines and regulations, especially since hospice is Medicare funded. What does that mean for hospice chaplains?

Honesty And Federal Medicare Guidelines And Regulations

A hospice chaplain has to be honest. Think of it, an honest clergy person! In other words, nothing that comes close to what is jokingly referred to as "pastorally speaking". Kind of an unfortunate joke, isn't it? When it comes to Government work, what you say, you better mean. Medicare fraud is a reality and very much to avoided, but not by shading the truth. So at the end of the month, what I said I would do, I had better do.

Providing Pastoral Care Is Federally Mandated, In Hospice

Yep, the position of hospice chaplain is federally mandated. So when a hospice chaplain says "I will provide spiritual care to a patient a certain amount of times per month", I have not only guesstimated a number of visits, I have made a federally regulated commitment, to keep at all costs except the cost of a fine for not keeping my word. Kind of puts a new twist on honesty, doesn't it? Good thing I have already committed myself to truth, for God's sake, because that is what my Uncle Sam demands too. Onward with purpose, Chaplain Paul L. Slater Click to see a favorite product or featured website:

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