I'm more than 1/2 way done with my Clinical Pastoral Education. It's been a pretty grueling time working a full-time job as well as being at the hospital 20 hours a week. I had a few trips in the middle of it which helped but now I have to make up those hours. But, overall I've learned a ton.
Here's a couple things I have learned that apply well to Youth Ministry:
1. Hospital: More often my words get in the way of what I really need to do which is sit with people and enter into their pain with them. It's the "Place Sharing" that Andy Root talks about so much.
Youth Ministry: In the Youth Ministry world I have to recognize that my best ministry to students can be in this space where I am just with them without any programs.
2. Hospital: I don't always have to know what I'm doing to be a chaplain. It would be helpful if I knew exactly how to do all things in the hospital but it just isn't realistic. Every day I work I end up doing something I've never done before. I just pray a lot and recognize that God is using me and I'm ok with my limited knowledge of all things.
Youth Ministry: In the Youth Ministry world I have a hard time admitting when I don't know what to do but I think I'm willing to do that more now.
3. Hospital: Sometimes I have long chunks of time with people and sometimes only a few hours. There have been a few times when I thought I was going to see a patient the next day so I held back from some of what I was going to talk to them about and the next day they've been sent home or worse they have died.
Youth Ministry: In the Youth Ministry world we sometimes get a long period of time with students but often it's a pretty short interaction. I want to treat all times as special and important.
4. Hospital: We have a bunch of different chaplains in the hospital and none are the same. I am finding that who the chaplain is really isn't as important as the heart the chaplain has.
Youth Ministry: Same deal. You can be young, old, cool, nerdy. The external characteristics of the youth worker are way less important than the heart.
I'm sure that there is a ton more that I'll keep learning in the next bunch of weeks. But, that's it for now.
