WEBVTT 00:03.220 --> 00:06.039 Be a brief background on myself , 00:06.969 --> 00:09.090 started ministry when I was 15 years 00:09.100 --> 00:12.279 old . So about 24 years ago , I've been 00:12.289 --> 00:14.739 a pastor in many capacities . I play 00:14.750 --> 00:16.861 keys and sax . So I've been a worship 00:16.861 --> 00:19.200 pastor , uh been a lead pastor , a 00:19.209 --> 00:21.510 youth pastor , a college pastor towards 00:21.520 --> 00:23.687 the end of my pastorate years , though 00:23.687 --> 00:25.742 I got involved in a level two trauma 00:25.742 --> 00:27.853 center hospital . So I was a chaplain 00:27.853 --> 00:29.798 on call chaplain in Saint Angelo , 00:29.798 --> 00:31.853 Texas , was also a full time hospice 00:31.853 --> 00:33.853 chaplain in Saint Angelo and really 00:33.853 --> 00:36.279 felt the call into the chaplaincy 00:36.290 --> 00:38.457 because I , I love being with people . 00:38.457 --> 00:40.720 I love walking alongside others and not 00:40.729 --> 00:42.896 considered a privilege and an honor in 00:42.896 --> 00:45.007 good times and bad times . Uh even on 00:45.007 --> 00:47.340 your worst day to step beside you and 00:47.349 --> 00:50.130 just be a small , non anxious presence 00:50.139 --> 00:52.361 of hope uh to lift you up and say we're 00:52.361 --> 00:54.650 gonna get through this together and 00:54.659 --> 00:57.779 consider it just a 00:57.930 --> 00:59.930 privilege to be on this side of the 00:59.930 --> 01:02.439 grass uh to wake up and to serve in a a 01:02.450 --> 01:04.360 and to get to be your chaplain . 01:07.879 --> 01:11.610 I am here . I I think of the patients 01:11.620 --> 01:14.309 and but , but specifically as I'm 01:14.319 --> 01:17.300 learning my role at IA I , I'm , I'm 01:17.309 --> 01:19.476 thinking of the staff , I think of the 01:19.476 --> 01:21.698 burdens that the staff carry the day in 01:21.698 --> 01:24.529 and day out o of working in a hospital , 01:25.379 --> 01:28.230 the things that you carry on with and 01:28.239 --> 01:30.406 carry through and then you're expected 01:30.406 --> 01:32.540 to show up at work the next day . And 01:32.550 --> 01:35.319 so I really feel like my role here is 01:35.330 --> 01:38.739 probably to staff first and , and then 01:38.750 --> 01:40.861 patient care . I , I think if we take 01:40.861 --> 01:42.861 care of staff , then our staff will 01:42.861 --> 01:44.194 take care of patients . 01:47.050 --> 01:50.230 I think we can all find ways uh 01:51.129 --> 01:53.240 to serve together to walk together in 01:53.240 --> 01:55.839 commonalities . It is true that I wear 01:55.849 --> 01:58.110 a cross on my uniform and I am a 01:58.120 --> 02:00.680 Christian and I believe that that Jesus 02:00.690 --> 02:03.870 as Lord , what is also true though is I 02:03.879 --> 02:06.680 realize that even within our ranks are 02:06.690 --> 02:08.869 many different belief structures , non 02:08.880 --> 02:11.059 belief structures . And I think when 02:11.070 --> 02:13.126 you get into the conversations about 02:13.126 --> 02:16.220 identity and purpose and 02:16.229 --> 02:19.289 hardship and stress and trust and 02:19.300 --> 02:22.600 teamwork and moral injury and spiritual 02:22.610 --> 02:25.100 injury , that's where the chaplain lane 02:25.110 --> 02:28.490 really begins to develop that . I think 02:28.500 --> 02:30.389 that's where we can start walking 02:30.389 --> 02:32.500 alongside . Uh If I've counseled with 02:32.500 --> 02:34.779 one , I've counseled with 100 chaplain . 02:34.789 --> 02:37.011 I've lost my purpose chaplain . I don't 02:37.011 --> 02:39.233 know what my purpose is . That could be 02:39.233 --> 02:41.345 a connection to a higher power , that 02:41.345 --> 02:44.369 could be a connection to , to God . But 02:44.660 --> 02:47.669 in true army fashion FM 7-22 . It could 02:47.679 --> 02:50.460 also be a connection to inner self . Uh 02:50.470 --> 02:52.692 What , what is it that you cling to and 02:52.692 --> 02:55.289 can I pull that out ? Uh That gets you 02:55.300 --> 02:57.522 through difficult moments and difficult 02:57.522 --> 03:01.380 times . So when I first 03:01.389 --> 03:03.500 joined the army , I found the tension 03:03.500 --> 03:05.611 to be a lot higher . I was trained in 03:05.611 --> 03:08.399 specific vocabulary , specific wording , 03:08.539 --> 03:10.860 a specific way to look at spirituality 03:11.289 --> 03:12.956 and in my tradition , right ? 03:12.956 --> 03:15.067 Spirituality is a sacredness . It's , 03:15.067 --> 03:17.178 it's something that's other than me , 03:17.178 --> 03:19.460 it's a transcendence . And , and I lean 03:19.470 --> 03:21.692 into that and I can lean into that with 03:21.692 --> 03:23.803 soldiers . And there are times when I 03:23.803 --> 03:26.740 do , but then there are also times the 03:26.750 --> 03:28.809 the tension has become less over the 03:28.820 --> 03:31.449 years of being in the military . In 03:31.460 --> 03:34.320 that the common themes can be the same 03:34.330 --> 03:36.386 because oftentimes when a chaplain's 03:36.386 --> 03:38.219 called , uh there's some type of 03:38.219 --> 03:40.386 suffering involved . There's , there's 03:40.386 --> 03:42.497 something that happened in chaplain . 03:42.497 --> 03:44.719 We need you to , to step in and just be 03:44.719 --> 03:47.559 a presence for a moment . What I find 03:47.570 --> 03:50.880 is regardless of spiritual tradition or 03:50.889 --> 03:54.100 religious tradition that I can meet 03:54.110 --> 03:56.221 someone in their suffering , I can be 03:56.221 --> 03:58.809 present in suffering . I am a firm 03:58.820 --> 04:00.820 believer that people don't care how 04:00.820 --> 04:02.931 much , you know , until they know how 04:02.931 --> 04:04.931 much you care . And I think care is 04:04.931 --> 04:08.669 fundamental . I think as I reflect , 04:08.830 --> 04:10.719 it's , it's interesting because I 04:10.719 --> 04:12.774 probably wouldn't have answered this 04:12.774 --> 04:14.774 way . Five years ago , I would have 04:14.774 --> 04:16.719 been like , oh , this is it what I 04:16.719 --> 04:18.830 would offer though is as a chaplain . 04:18.830 --> 04:20.830 It's , it's fun because I do have a 04:20.830 --> 04:22.941 church that endorses me . I do have a 04:22.941 --> 04:25.108 left and right of the cross that I can 04:25.108 --> 04:27.163 and can't do . There are some things 04:27.163 --> 04:29.386 that are IND doctrine that I can do and 04:29.386 --> 04:31.330 there are some things I can't if I 04:31.330 --> 04:33.386 can't do that though . The role of a 04:33.386 --> 04:35.608 chaplain in the army is to provide , to 04:35.608 --> 04:37.719 figure out a way to , to call another 04:37.719 --> 04:39.830 chaplain , uh , to , to meet the need 04:39.830 --> 04:41.959 that's present . And so , so what I 04:41.970 --> 04:44.192 would offer is in , in your question of 04:44.192 --> 04:46.260 spirituality , it's a both . And so 04:46.269 --> 04:48.491 sometimes I do feel like let me share a 04:48.491 --> 04:50.540 little bit of my faith with you if 04:50.549 --> 04:52.716 that's appropriate , if it's something 04:52.716 --> 04:54.882 that you want . But I don't have to do 04:54.882 --> 04:57.359 that . I can't just walk beside you to 04:57.369 --> 04:58.369 be present . 05:01.640 --> 05:03.862 I , I'll tell you where I find that I'm 05:03.862 --> 05:05.973 often different than many chaplains , 05:05.973 --> 05:08.084 believe it or not . I love to laugh . 05:08.130 --> 05:10.329 Uh I'm not one who takes myself too 05:10.339 --> 05:13.160 seriously . I've met some that , uh , 05:13.170 --> 05:15.079 just expect the chaplain to be so 05:15.089 --> 05:17.311 heavenly minded that they're no earthly 05:17.311 --> 05:19.533 good and that's just not who I am . I , 05:19.533 --> 05:21.739 I also think I've met , I've met many 05:21.750 --> 05:23.861 who believe the chaplain's just there 05:23.861 --> 05:26.260 for the death moments . That's the only 05:26.269 --> 05:28.325 time the chaplain is gonna show up . 05:28.325 --> 05:30.491 And I'm gonna tell you right now . I'm 05:30.491 --> 05:32.436 not that chaplain either . I , I'm 05:32.436 --> 05:34.380 gonna walk around cause honestly , 05:34.380 --> 05:36.589 chaplains at , at least in the army's 05:36.600 --> 05:38.822 perspective . And I believe even in the 05:38.822 --> 05:42.109 hospital perspective , we , we gauge or 05:42.440 --> 05:44.720 we advise command on four different 05:44.730 --> 05:46.730 components and those four different 05:46.730 --> 05:48.674 components are morale and morals , 05:48.839 --> 05:51.950 religion and ethics . And so if it 05:51.959 --> 05:54.070 falls on those four categories , it's 05:54.070 --> 05:57.470 our job . It's our role uh to just be 05:57.480 --> 05:59.591 another ear for the commander so that 05:59.591 --> 06:01.924 we can advise the commander . Hey , sir , 06:01.924 --> 06:04.147 ma'am , this is what I'm seeing from my 06:04.147 --> 06:06.420 lane and , and I whatever you want to 06:06.429 --> 06:08.540 do with it , what you want to do with 06:08.540 --> 06:10.373 it , but we're kind of just that 06:10.373 --> 06:12.429 presence and the coolest thing about 06:12.429 --> 06:14.540 the chaplain and I would offer to you 06:14.540 --> 06:16.596 in the hospital . I've tried to tell 06:16.596 --> 06:18.818 some staff leverage me however you want 06:18.818 --> 06:22.160 because in the army or in , in a , a uh 06:22.190 --> 06:24.480 chaplains have 100% confidentiality . I 06:24.489 --> 06:26.711 don't have to repeat anything . I can't 06:26.711 --> 06:28.933 be forced to repeat anything . But what 06:28.933 --> 06:31.156 I can do is when there's a concern that 06:31.156 --> 06:33.369 comes up , uh , you can raise that 06:33.380 --> 06:35.380 concern with me and I don't have to 06:35.380 --> 06:37.859 repeat your name . I , I just need to 06:37.869 --> 06:39.980 get a gauge of what's happening . And 06:39.980 --> 06:42.147 so I think the fun thing about being a 06:42.147 --> 06:44.202 chaplain is you get to be in the ebb 06:44.202 --> 06:46.091 and flow of life , just get to be 06:46.091 --> 06:48.258 present uh with folks . And I consider 06:48.258 --> 06:50.869 that my probably primary role is a 06:50.880 --> 06:53.390 bridge between the most junior enlisted 06:53.399 --> 06:55.850 soldier to the highest in command , uh , 06:55.880 --> 06:57.658 to every civilian that's in our 06:57.658 --> 07:00.440 hospital . I , I get to just be a part 07:00.450 --> 07:02.617 of your life if you want me to , don't 07:02.617 --> 07:02.980 have to be .