Stephen B. Roberts > Quotes

“Dr. Frankl’s question is not gently phrased, and I am not recommending it, but it gets to the heart of what a person lives for; this is particularly important when your client is a patient facing a terminal disease or another crisis that forces him or her to reexamine his or her own identity or priorities. In the context of the model being presented here, the goal of the second element is to identify what it is that brings meaning and purpose to your client’s life.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“the chaplain began a life review with him,”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“Some prayed silently, afraid to utter a word.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“the chaplain began a life review with him, which took several days, because Sam did not have the stamina for long conversations.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“Our prayers usually reflect the individual nature of our relationship with God. Therefore, when praying with patients (or family members or staff people), I ask them what they would like me to pray for and offer them the opportunity to offer a prayer in their own words. I pray with them, allowing my own theology to”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“And how did I find out? I asked them questions and listened to their conversations as they talked about how they lived their lives.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“armed with the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, which my peers used. I was ready to pray just the right words. I just knew that this book had the right prayers in it. Well, after the first prayer, I realized that this book didn’t reflect what was going on for this family. So, I closed the book and began to pray from my heart. God’s Spirit guided my words.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“the work that multifaith chaplains do requires that they be open to hearing another’s theology and working with that theology to assist the patient (or”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“In the midst of our conversation, it became clear that Celene was seeking forgiveness from God. She was opening her heart to God’s Spirit, who was sighing deeply for Celene.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“As he recited it, I could hear the patient’s respirator begin to slow down; the patient was clearly soothed by hearing this prayer.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“the pain of loss is the pain of loss, especially what seems to be “senseless” loss. Being present to them was what was important and made the difference. Equally important was my being able to be open to who their God was and to help them access their God at a time of such pain and anguish.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“When I dreamed of sacred service, you both encouraged me
and helped open doors. It is truly the “little things” that can
make such a big difference in the world.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“when I first started working as a chaplain was the number of patients who felt like our entire conversation had been a prayer.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“Sam talked about his work as a philanthropist and how much pleasure he had found in helping those less fortunate than him.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“not only was I able to be present with them, but I was also able to provide chaplaincy care to them, not because of the color of our skin, but because I had learned about who God was for them and how they lived their theology. My prayers reflected their theology and their God and enabled them to begin their grieving process. I learned that it was not about me and what I believed; it was about them and what their belief system was and who God was for them.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“As I listened, I heard the rabbi begin the Sh’ma, the Jewish prayer that every Jewish child learns at a very early age: (Sh’ma Yisra’el Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad), “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“while being open to their theology, I was silently praying to “my” God, that I would have the wisdom and the patience and the openness to serve them as they needed to be served. So, I had my own theology going in my heart, while I was also using professional chaplaincy skills such as reflective listening to allow them to affirm their theology with honesty and integrity.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“that God had been listening to our conversation, so additional prayer was unnecessary. And that was a powerful lesson to learn; praying really is conversing.”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook

“Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs, MDiv, DMin, BCC, is the author of A Clergy Guide to End-of-Life Issues. She provides workshops throughout the country for clergy and congregations on end-of-life issues. Martha is an adjunct professor at New York Theological Seminary, where she is the coordinator for the Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Care and a per diem chaplain at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Campus. She is the founding managing editor of PlainViews”
― Stephen B. Roberts, Professional Spiritual & Pastoral Care: A Practical Clergy and Chaplain's Handbook