Use centering prayer to deal with the demands of hospital ministry
The Christ Chaplain: The Way to a Deeper, More Effective Hospital Ministry is an instructive guidebook for health care chaplains who struggle with the high levels of stress that have become commonplace in modern medicine as they work longer hours for lower wages yet get to spend less time with patients. The final book from Father M. Basil (Robert) Pennington, who passed away in 2005, cuts to the real heart of the matter--job burnout--by emphasizing not what a chaplain does, but what a chaplain is. This unique book teaches chaplains how to achieve better spiritual health by practicing spiritual self-care through centering prayer.
The Christ Chaplain was written for hospital chaplains who find themselves at the limits of what they can do and what they can endure in living out their calling. Father Pennington ministers to the ministers, helping them to deepen their spiritual lives so they can better provide comfort to the sick and the dying. The book guides hospital chaplains through the Christian mystical tradition via lectio and centering prayer, a method of contemplative prayer rooted in silence that encourages a person to pay attention to God dwelling in the center of his or her being.
Topics discussed in The Christ Chaplain include: the sacred text lectio divina the third step life as a school of love the ministry of presence the power of sacrament sharing the word resting in the presence and much more The Christ Chaplain also includes appendixes that offer sacred reading, a prayer for the hospital, and suggested readings. This powerful book is an invaluable, how-to guide to better spiritual health forhospital chaplains and other religious personnel, including those working in pastoral care departments of seminaries.

Use centering prayer to deal with the demands of hospital ministry The Christ Chaplain: The Way to a Deeper, More Effective Hospital Ministry is an instructive guidebook for health care chaplains who struggle with the high levels of stress that have become commonplace in modern medicine as they work longer hours for lower wages yet get to spend less time with patients. The final book from Father M. Basil (Robert) Pennington, who passed away in 2005, cuts to the real heart of the matterjob burnoutby emphasizing not what a chaplain does, but what a chaplain is. This unique book teaches chaplains how to achieve better spiritual health by practicing spiritual self-care through centering prayer. The Christ Chaplain was written for hospital chaplains who find themselves at the limits of what they can do and what they can endure in living out their calling. Father Pennington ministers to the ministers, helping them to deepen their spiritual lives so they can better provide comfort to the sick and the dying. The book guides hospital chaplains through the Christian mystical tradition via lectio and centering prayer, a method of contemplative prayer rooted in silence that encourages a person to pay attention to God dwelling in the center of his or her being. Topics discussed in The Christ Chaplain include: the sacred text lectio divina the third step life as a school of love the ministry of presence the power of sacrament sharing the word resting in the presence and much more The Christ Chaplain also includes appendixes that offer sacred reading, a prayer for the hospital, and suggested readings. This powerful book is an invaluable, how-to guide to better spiritual health for hospital chaplains and other religious personnel, including those working in pastoral care departments of seminaries.

Learn to balance the professional demands of your ministry with your personal needs No amount of research, study, or planning can prepare pastoral care givers for the stress placed on their personal lives by the demands of their ministries. But Grief, Loss, and Death: The Shadow Side of Ministry can help anyone involved in pastoral counseling close the gap between their professional and personal needs, encouraging them to use the stress, loss, and grief that accompanies pastoral care giving as opportunities to humanize their ministries and reaffirm their faith. This unique book offers comfort and solace to those in the chaplaincy who are torn between professional obligations and the limits and boundaries of the shadow side of their ministrythe human side. The shadow side of ministry shoots a bullet through the brain that does not kill or prevent thinking or feeling. But the bullet creates a hole, a long, hollow, empty wound that thinking and feeling must somehow bypass. The wounded minister does not recover the previous self, cannot remember what the old self thought or felt. Like a veteran of a secret war, there may be a new life after the shameful wound, but no public way to heal. But there is a public way of speaking about it and this may help relieve some of the shame and some of the self-blaming. Author Halbert Weidner Grief, Loss, and Death: The Shadow Side of Ministry can help in your search for the answers to questions you may have already found yourself asking, including: Do I prefer co-workers or friends? How did I lose focus of my original goals? How did I become isolated? How can I share authority without giving up responsibility? How do I cope when family issues arise? The book also addresses issues of illness, death and suicide, funerals, the confrontation between joy and sorrow, and how life's stages are often like the Stations of the Cross. Grief, Loss, and Death: The Shadow Side of Ministry is help against despair. Newcomers to the profession can use the book as a guide to the difficulties that lie ahead, and experienced pastoral care givers can employ it as a catalogue to be consulted when all hope seems lost.

Five historic ministersfive formative career pathswhich path are you on? According to Daniel Levinson's developmental theory, each person's professional career path forms at the same time in their life, in their 20s and 30s. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study applies Levinson's study to ministerial practice, mapping the career patterns of five historical ministers during that time period in each life. The author clearly presents deep psychological insightssupported by solid biographical information on each minister's actions and reactions to challengesillustrating how the theory holds relevance for young professional clergy even today. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study reviews each minister's Novice Phase, where the major tasks of forming a dream, forming mentor relationships, and forming an occupation are presentedand stringently supported by concrete biographical events. The book then shows how this phase leads each from their early adult transition through their entrance into the adult world, and then on to the life-altering events in the Age 25 Shift and the Age 30 Transition. From there the text reveals the formative Settling Down Period through events that unfold between the ages of 33-40. The author discusses how this period determines the subsequent course of each one's career and, more importantly, shapes each one's attitudes, values, and convictions of a life as a minister. Using fascinating biographical information from multiple sources, the author builds a well-reasoned case that no matter how long ago these important men lived, their career patterns and lives hold a wealth of insightful information to help you maximize strengths and minimize liabilities in your own career and life today. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study closely examines these five historical figure's biographies, and reviews each applicable theoretical career path: Phillips Brooksadvancement within a stable life structure Jonathan Edwardsdecline or failure within a stable structure John Henry Newmanbreaking outtrying for a new structure John Wesleyadvancement produces change in life structure Orestes Brownsonunstable life structure Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study is an in-depth historical and psychological exploration of the lives of ministers and their relevance for present day clergy, perfect for professors, seminary deans of students, field education directors and their staffs, hospital chaplains involved in vocation issues, young pastors and their pastoral supervisors, and teachers of church history.

Drought, floods, hurricanes, forest fires, ice storms, blackouts, dwindling fish stocks...what Canadian has not experienced one of these or more, or heard about the "greenhouse" effect, and not wondered what is happening to our climate? Yet most of us have a poor understanding of this extremely important issue, and need better, reliable scientific information. "Hard Choices: Climate Change in Canada" delivers some hard facts to help us make some of those hard choices.

This new collection of essays by leading Canadian scientists, engineers, social scientists, and humanists offers an overview and assessment of climate change and its impacts on Canada from physical, social, technological, economic, political, and ethical / religious perspectives. Interpreting and summarizing the large and complex literatures from each of these disciplines, the book offers a multidisciplinary approach to the challenges we face in Canada. Special attention is given to Canada's response to the Kyoto Protocol, as well as an assessment of the overall adequacy of Kyoto as a response to the global challenge of climate change.

"Hard Choices" fills a gap in available books which provide readers with reliable information on climate change and its impacts that are specific to Canada. While written for the general reader, it is also well suited for use as an undergraduate text in environmental studies courses.

What do you do when the call comes from a distraught parishioner who needs help in dealing with a murder, rape, traffic accident, miscarriage, or the effects of a natural disaster or war? How can students of pastoral care and counseling learn in a seminary setting how to think about and counsel in those situations? An extraordinary number of survivors of such catastrophic events turn to clergy for help to deal with their stress. The effects of such massive stress are typically known as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Knowing how to recognize PTSD and how to handle such crisis situations is critical for caregivers.

Weaver, Preston, and Flannelly use case studies to show how to handle such tough situations. Treatment options, referral possibilities and procedures are explained so that the caregiver knows how to help those in their care cope with catastrophic emotional distress. The authors suggest religious resources within the faith (mainly Christian and Jewish) community that can be of help in crisis situations. The authors also list national, cross-cultural, and self-help resources (including street and internet addresses as well as phone information) which many caregivers and family members may prefer to access. This book is intended primarily as a teaching/caring resource and pastoral aid to be studied over time; however, the authors include a quick reference section for emergency aid.

Teenagers and their families live in a society with epidemic levels of social problems that put adolescents at risk for emotional problems. Teens have special mental and emotional issues that need to be addressed by pastors and their colleagues in ministry. For this reason, clergy and caregivers need to know about the most common mental disorders that occur in adolescents, including how to assess and diagnose the disorders, what types of treatment can be initiated in the faith community, when referral is required, and to whom to make a referral.

This book identifies twenty-two of the most common mental health conditions that occur among adolescents, provides illustrative cases, lists national resources available to help, and suggests when and from whom to seek additional professional help. There is an emphasis on self-help resources available on the Internet, a major source of information for teens. The conditions addressed include: various types of addiction and abuse; family crises such as pregnancy, runaways, divorce, depression, and bereavement; and other disorders such as eating disorders, ADA, schizophrenia, and learning disabilities.

"Weaver and his colleagues have produced another winner for clergy: a casebook that covers most of the difficult situations in which pastors are called upon to be a first, and, sometimes primary, support and helper. Each case presentation is followed by critical issues to be aware of, relevant information, including community and national resources. Most pastors will be grateful for this book a number of times each year. Sections in the first chapter on the child's personality development and on effective parenting will be appreciated by most parents." --David K. Switzer, Emeritus Professor of Pastoral Care, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Over 120 million American teens and adults use alcohol at one time or another. While in most situations these individuals are able to use it responsibly and with moderation, no one is immune to its destructive use - which makes it a significant public health issue. Many drinkers find that their otherwise responsible use turns problematic and abusive when faced with depression, trauma, grief, undue social pressures, or other tempting and potentially addictive behaviors. Not all of these people become full-fledged alcoholics, but they do develop an alcohol problem that needs careful and sensitive pastoral care to understand the underlying issues for their alcohol abuse. Because of this, clergy and other pastoral counselors need to develop competence in recognizing alcohol abuse problems, including alcoholism, identifying when to make referrals, helping persons to find available community resources, and training congregational members to provide support to affected individuals and families.

By the year 2000 more than half of mainline Protestants will be over the age of sixty. Older adults have special needs to which many pastors are not adequately prepared to minister. Pastoral Care of Older Adults addresses such problems, many of which were identified in an extensive survey of clergy. The book provides practical guidance for parish pastors, and other counselors, to deal with such issues as Alzheimer's disease, the chronically ill, relocation, health crises, grief, depression, anxiety, gender differences, poverty, and the issues faced by the children of older adults.

Five historic ministersfive formative career pathswhich path are you on? According to Daniel Levinson's developmental theory, each person's professional career path forms at the same time in their life, in their 20s and 30s. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study applies Levinson's study to ministerial practice, mapping the career patterns of five historical ministers during that time period in each life. The author clearly presents deep psychological insightssupported by solid biographical information on each minister's actions and reactions to challengesillustrating how the theory holds relevance for young professional clergy even today. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study reviews each minister's Novice Phase, where the major tasks of forming a dream, forming mentor relationships, and forming an occupation are presentedand stringently supported by concrete biographical events. The book then shows how this phase leads each from their early adult transition through their entrance into the adult world, and then on to the life-altering events in the Age 25 Shift and the Age 30 Transition. From there the text reveals the formative Settling Down Period through events that unfold between the ages of 33-40. The author discusses how this period determines the subsequent course of each one's career and, more importantly, shapes each one's attitudes, values, and convictions of a life as a minister. Using fascinating biographical information from multiple sources, the author builds a well-reasoned case that no matter how long ago these important men lived, their career patterns and lives hold a wealth of insightful information to help you maximize strengths and minimize liabilities in your own career and life today. Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study closely examines these five historical figure's biographies, and reviews each applicable theoretical career path: Phillips Brooksadvancement within a stable life structure Jonathan Edwardsdecline or failure within a stable structure John Henry Newmanbreaking outtrying for a new structure John Wesleyadvancement produces change in life structure Orestes Brownsonunstable life structure Young Clergy: A Biographical and Developmental Study is an in-depth historical and psychological exploration of the lives of ministers and their relevance for present day clergy, perfect for professors, seminary deans of students, field education directors and their staffs, hospital chaplains involved in vocation issues, young pastors and their pastoral supervisors, and teachers of church history.