For the past six years I have been instilling spiritual care wisdom through my work as a chaplain. I have a Master of Divinity degree from Mercer Univeristy, five units or 2000 hours of specialized training known as Clinical and Pastoral Education, and I am an ordained Baptist minister. During the first year of my career, I worked in two hospitals: Cobb Hospital and Atlanta Medical Center. My experience at these hospitals was valuable. I learned how to tap quickly into patient's spirituality to use for strength during difficult times. Currently, I work for Journey Hospice as a chaplain. I have worked as a hospice chaplain for the past five years. During this time, I have learned a wealth of wisdom concerning spiritual care.
There are misconceptions about spirituality and the role of the chaplain. On this site, I hope to begin to dispell some of those misconcpetions. I also want this site to be an opportunity to broaden the understanding of spirituality in our lives. Too often, spirituality is tied strictly to religion. While religion is a component of spirituality, it certainly is not the only component. Other spiritual practices such as, laughter, writing, spending time in nature, music, and storytelling are also important components. I welcome your thoughts and practices concerning spirituality. I also welcome any questions that you may have which would help you enhance the spiritual care of your self. If there is something I cannot answer, I certainly can find the resources to assist you. If you are having trouble getting in the spiritual mindset, I have included some web links to the right that may help you get started.
I am sure this will prove to be a benefit to us all.
Matthew Alexander
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6 comments:
Spirituality in a "scary" place like a hospital can be an important lifeline for people to hold on to and give them comfort. Yet, there are often people who are resistant to "religious interference". How do you cope with negative responses? How do you overcome them to accomplish your mission?
How do you approach atheism in your line of work? I don't suspect that you encounter a great many, but when you do, do you respect their resolution to absolutely abstain from the belief in or practice of any religion and/or spirituality? I don’t mean people who have “weird” beliefs, I mean people who have no beliefs. Do you simply move on to the next person, do you try to convince them of the benefits of a more spiritual lifestyle, or do you have some other method for providing spiritual care to the non-spiritual?
Your work as a hospice chaplain sounds like a very taxing job. It must be difficult to emotionally cope with some of the situations you encounter. How do you mentally prepare for visits with those you speak with? When speaking with someone who know won't be on this earth much longer, what do you say to put them, and yourself, at ease with the inevitable?
How connected do you feel spirituality is to religion? Are the two intertwined, or is it possible to be a spiritual person without being religious, and vise versa?
Your work in hospice is admirable for sure. What kind of mental preparations do you take to guard yourself from becoming discouraged or depressed from being around death so much? I hope that does not come across as harsh.
I have never thought about the kind of service you provide before. I do understand that spirituality is not the same thing as religion. Since it appears that you deal mostly with helping people with their spirituality and not religious issues, have you ever suggested to someone that they bring their behavior/lifestyle more in line with living the commandments, or are you able to keep the two realms completely seperate? If so, do you feel internal conflict in doing so?
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