Rev. Calli

Moderator
  • Posts

    1,115
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Rev. Calli

  1. Greetings to you my brother, One of the cardinal beliefs of my faith is that all people, no matter who they are or what they may or may not have done with their lives are entitled to be treated with the dignity and respect of a child of God. Now granted, there are times and circumstances where this is very difficult to put this belief into practice. In my time working in prisons, I came to know a very few people who were so dangerous that they had to be confined and yes forfeited their right to liberty. But even in circumstances like that, people should be afforded as many rights and as much dignity as possible so that they are reminded that they too are children of God and can find redemption. It is those who have no hope and see themselves as less then human that become the most dangerous of people. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  2. Greetings to you my brother, What Jonathan said. ;Oh, and Jonathan my dear friend. I have taken your advice. My next humble sermon will be dedicated to you in thanksgiving! In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  3. Greetings to you my brother, Welcome to the forum! In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  4. Greetings to you my brother, We are all going to die. That is a fact of life. Hospice exists to help those in the final stages of life (and their family and friends) to face it in a setting of love and support, and to be able to live the remainder of their lives in dignity. Nothing morbid in it at all. It can be emotionally draining that is true. But it can also be a place of joy. A place where the patient and their family and friends can gather to support one another, share the love they have for each other, and celebrate life together. The chaplain can be a very important part of that, (at least for people of faith) as the chaplain can help with the spiritual issues. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  5. Greetings to you my brother, Thank you for providing me with an explanation of the other books you had mentioned. I will perhaps at some point read it. But to be honest, I had a hard enough time getting thru the Qur'an. In truth tho, there are parts of the Holy Bible I find difficult to read, so I guess this is something else the blessed Qur'an and the Holy Scriptures of my faith have in common God is so great that any of the writings that we as humans deem to be inspired cannot possibly encompass all there is to know about the Creator of all things. Indeed they are all inspired by God, but written for a people of a particular time and place, helping them to come to a relationship with God in ways that make sense to their culture and in ways they can understand. When we insist that one of these writings contain all revelation, all knowledge of the Creator, we show our arrogance. I see these books, as well as others that have been deemed as sacred in other faith traditions, as doors that open up and lead us all to different rooms, but in the same house. A house where we are all a part of the same family, with the same parent who loves us and cares for us. A parent who wants us to love each other as we are loved. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  6. Greetings to you my brother, Actually, I was thinking that you may want to explore doing hospice work. Have you ever considered doing some Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)? Many hospitals and Nursing homes offer this program. That could lead to at least some volunteer opportunities as local hospice facilities. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  7. Greetings to you my brother, I have read some biographies of the Prophet Muhammed, as well as the Qur'an in English translation. The others I have never read, and in fact must confess I don't think I have ever heard of either of them. Of the Qur'an and the Prophet, I believe them to be inspired, but as with the Holy Scriptures of my faith, also heavily influenced by the culture in which they are written and addressed to. For me, they have never resonated in my soul quite like Holy Scriptures of Christianity and the teachings of Jesus the Christ. But I also believe that they have helped millions find the connection to the God they seek. It is a shame that these great faiths often have been corrupted and used to bring oppression and misery to the very people they were meant to bring joy and hope to. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  8. Greetings to you my brother, That is a calling then you may wish to explore. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  9. Greetings to you my brother, Death situations can be very hard to deal with. I always found it hard when it was for people I had come to know and love. But these are also the times when you can do the most good. The hardest situation I ever dealt with was when I was called to a Maternity ward, to be with a young lady who was going to give birth to twin girls who would die only a few minutes after birth. I forget the exact name of their condition, but there was nothing that could be done for them. The mother desperately wanted the children to be baptised in the few fleeting moments they would have of life. As soon as the first one was born, she was passed to me, and I baptised her while she died in my arms. When the second one was born, the mother took the first one from me while I baptised the second one, and held her close as she took her last breath. The mother told me afterwards that she never felt as close to God as she did in those moments. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  10. Greetings to you my brother, I too have been a bit lax in posting here lately. I've been experimenting with doing audio and video messages, and posting them on some of the facebook pages I frequent. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  11. Greetings to you my brother, Thank you. Those prayers are actually the ones I would use at the moment of death. I did hospital chaplaincy work for many years when I was in the full-time ministry, and I have used those prayers more times than I care to remember. If I remember correctly, you come from a UMC background. Our Book of Worship has some very fine resources to use in death and dying situations, as well as for funerals. I always kept a copy of the Pastors Pocket Book of Worship in my emergency bag, so I would have it readily available during what could be very hard situations. I never wanted to trust my own memory, since often the people I was with at the moment of their death had become good friends of mine, and I found it easier to have the words right in front of me during the times I was fighting my own grief. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  12. Greetings to you all my sisters and brothers, This is an interesting question indeed. In a Christian context, each person who claims to follow Christ is a full-time minister, in so far as we are called to live our lives as Christ taught 24/7. Now in my view, a distinction does need to be made in how terms are used. Typically a Christian would not use the term "full-time" to describe their lifestyle. It is part and parcel of being a follower of Jesus. Even when we don't live the faith as best as we can, someone who really feels the call of Christ in their lives will try their best to live their faith on a full time basis, acknowledging that while we may be trying to go onto Christian perfection, we are generally still a long way off. I think though that many people confuse the word "Minister" with "Pastor" or "Clergy". These are really not the same things. All Christians are ministers. Pastors and clergy in general though are different. Not better than the regular minister, but having a very specific function in the church. They lead worship, administer the sacraments, preach, teach, and in general are the people who are paid to lead the church as specialists in their field. In many churches, this is their paid jobs, and in the sense that I believe the term "full time" is used, this is their full-time job. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  13. Happy birthday my friend!

     

  14. Greetings to you my brother, I'm sorry things didn't work out better. Know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  15. Greetings to you my brother, Congratulations my friend. I've decided that if I could have, I would have done the grandchildren thing first. It much more fun than being a parent, since when Layla get crabby, I can hand her back to my daughter In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  16. Greetings to you my brother, Not a problem. I live to serve. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  17. Greetings to you my dear brother, This is true. And both were fine movies in their own way. Still, Spock trying to use colorful metaphors is a siight to behold. In soldarity, Rev. Calli
  18. Greetings to you my brother, I think our brother Jonathon is saying that what if you don't want to go on the trip at all. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  19. Greetings to you my brother, I suspect a lot of it has/had to do with raising funds for the church. But our brother mererdog is right too. Rev. Hensley had a great deal of contempt for how degrees were issued by other schools and institutions. So he wanted to make it as easy as possible for all people to get the degrees and status that they wanted. For the time he started the church in the 1960's, his views toward earned degrees where not that uncommon. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  20. Greetings to you my brother, Creator God, father and mother to us all, source of life and love and all good things, I pray for our dear brother and his nephew. Comfort them with your presence Lord, and help them to trust in your goodness, and to claim your promise of eternal life. Let them know that you are always with them, and will never desert them. In Christ's name. Rev. Calli
  21. Greetings to you my brother, I doubt any regionally accredited school would even consider that possiblity. The amount of academics for a regionally accredited degree at any level is way beyond what the ULC calls for in offering their degrees. In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  22. Greetings to you my brother, Fear not, thou art a valued and dear friend also. Indeed both were very fine movies. The only reason I prefer the Voyage Home more was that there is nothing like seeing Spock use, in his words, colorful metaphors In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  23. Greetings to you my brother, Indeed thou art wise, and a valued and dear friend In solidarity, Rev. Calli
  24. Greetings to you my brother, Agreed. We shall get along fabulously if you can answer but one more question. The Voyage Home, or First Contact? In solidarity, Rev. Calli