Chaplaincy is My Jam

When I worked as a pastor, it seemed my job was to help Christians to become better Christians or convince people to become one. It never really clicked for me.

As a chaplain, my job is to help all people be more fully human and know their sacredness.

Chaplaincy is my jam.

— Nathan Albert (@nathanalbert) January 28, 2022

Once upon a time, I tweeted the above about chaplaincy and it took off a bit online. I got a lot of people asking questions about the difference between chaplaincy and pastoring. Seems quite a few pastors long to work outside of a congregational setting. So, here's a quick post about it.

Chaplaincy is my jam. It’s sweet and wonderful.

In my mind, when I was in seminary, I assumed I HAD to be a pastor in a church. I also (wrongly) assumed that I could transform the church. Obv, that didn’t happen. Working for a church wasn’t for me, it was bad for my soul, and I probably wasn’t the greatest pastor for a church.

Chaplains are present with people as they seek to be fully human. We see the whole person. We are with people through their suffering, aware of their needs, present to the truest humanness. We are often exposed to the pain of another. We listen, we hold space.

We don’t convict or convert people to our religious tradition.

We journey with people as they traverse their own. To be honest, our theological opinions don’t really matter most days, except one- seeing the sacred in the human before us.

Sure, a lot of people can say this sounds like what a pastor should do. True, I guess. But my time as a pastor was focused more on having the correct theology, not pissing congregants off, explaining to congregants how I wasn’t a heretic, or sending emails.

It’s hard to BE a pastor when so many pastors have to DO so much.

As chaplains, we play a lot of roles. At times we are advocates, guides, friends, listeners, elders, shepherds, connectors, facilitators, celebrants, observers, hosts, teachers, creators, and much more.

My image for a chaplain is a bowl. I’ve recorded a podcast episode and a short blog post. It’s a helpful metaphor for the work that I do.

Most of the time though, being a chaplain simply means being a person with another person, being human with another human.

We all need more chaplains. We all need more jam.

Season Three is Here

SEASON THREE: THE WHY BEHIND THE WHAT

Discovering the Divine all around us;

Seeing the Spiritual in everything;

Being surprised by the Sacred.

At least, that’s my hope for Season Three of The Why Behind the What. Short episodes (yes, short; 5-10 minutes short) that are stories and reflections about how I see God all around me.

If there is one thing I have learned recently is that so much of the spiritual life is learning how to see.

I want us, together, to try to see the Spiritual in all things, to try to discover the Divine all around us, and maybe along the way, we will be surprised by the Sacred.

You can learn more about episodes here. Also, you can subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Podbean, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Until next time, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

Something Truly Sacred

I was recently asked to write a short reflection on being a chaplain at a university during a pandemic. The following is the article, “There’s Something Truly Sacred About the Hive,” for the Lynchburg Magazine.

Being a university chaplain is wonderfully multifaceted. I visit students in the hospital in the middle of the night, lead groups through spiritual practices, connect with other departments for wellness opportunities or events, and serve as a spiritual guide or confidant to those who need a listening ear.

Yet, when the pandemic hit and we moved everything online in March, our roles as chaplains morphed. We were no longer meeting students for coffee or providing pastoral care in person. Instead, we did our best to help our community discover a sense of calm, centeredness, and connection while anxiously working and learning virtually. We offered prayer services, meditations, and weekly check-ins to give our campus a space to process the pandemic’s impact. It was wonderful to see our staff adapt.

We also responded to community members who experienced personal and financial crises. Our office oversees the Lynchburg Cares Fund, which, collected from employee donations and deductions, provides financial assistance in times of crisis to students, faculty, and staff. This fund has been used to help members of our community get food, catch up on mortgage payments, secure a safe apartment, and more.

As the pandemic impacted more areas of life, our office began seeing an increase in requests. In an act of great generosity, then-President Garren transferred a large amount of money into the account. Faculty, staff, and alumni donated incredible sums of money. Within weeks, we had more funds available than in the last five years combined.

Since March, Lynchburg Cares has helped over 135 people, totaling more than $63,000 in financial assistance. Since students returned to campus, we’ve continued to help, purchasing needed textbooks or supplies.

During an anxiety-inducing pandemic, when faculty, staff, and students found themselves with nowhere else to turn, they were able to turn to the University of Lynchburg. When financial pressures weighed so heavily on community members, our community had the privilege of lifting that burden. The relief people expressed as we told them we could help was palpable. People cried and shared how much this meant to their financial, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness.

In my few years at Lynchburg, this has become another example of why so many love this place. Every decision made during the pandemic was for the good, safety, health, and flourishing of its students, faculty, and staff. There isn’t another community and work environment I would want to be in during a pandemic.

Our entire community has put the needs of others first, doing whatever it takes for the Hornet Hive to thrive. There’s no doubt this is a sign of a superior institution, but for me, it’s also a sign that there’s something truly sacred about the University of Lynchburg.

To read more and to see the entire magazine, click here.

The Divine All Around Us

SEASON THREE TRAILER: THE DIVINE ALL AROUND US

Discovering the Divine all around us;

Seeing the Spiritual in everything;

Being surprised by the Sacred.

At least, that’s my hope for Season Three of The Why Behind the What.

So much of the spiritual life is learning how to see. I want us, together, to try to see the Spiritual in all things, to try to discover the Divine all around us, and maybe along the way, we will be surprised by the Sacred.

That’s my goal for this season of my podcast. I’ll release short episodes (because let’s be honest, who has time for these 2-hour long podcast episodes) sharing simple stories and reflections about God, about life, about spirituality.

And probably a few embarrassing stories from my life. 

Hopefully, these stories and reflections will encourage you to discover a more expansive faith. No matter where you find yourself on the faith journey, I hope these short episodes will allow you to start seeing God everywhere; maybe discover God is closer to you than you ever imagined.

I hope you’ll journey with me in season three. New episodes will begin in January 2021.

You can subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Podbean, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Until next time, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

Pratice the Contemplative

SEASON TWO FINALE: PRACTICE THE CONTEMPLATIVE

Don’t give up on faith just because you are deconstructing parts of it.
Don’t give up hope simply because it may feel as if you are losing a part of your faith.
You might just be losing it in order to find it.
You might just be deconstructing your faith in order to reconstruct it. 

This is what I hope you are reminded in the Season Two Finale of my the podcast.

When faith stops working like it once did, when you are burnt out on religion and the Church, when you want to give up on Christianity or God, hold onto the ancient and practice the contemplative.

If you want to become more connected, more aware, less distracted, and less anxious. If you want a faith that is rekindled, a healing balm for your wounded soul, and a life that can be transformed…

Practice the contemplative.

It’s the continual practice that will allow us to become fully aware and present in the moment. And when we are fully aware and present in the moment, that is often when we can discover the Divine. That is when we will be aware that the Divine is with us. That is when we experience that we are living, moving, breathing, and being in God. 

And this is what I’m going to look at in Season 3 of this podcast: Discovering the Divine in All Things All Around Us. I want to share short stories about how we can find the Divine in and through all things; seeing the spiritual all around us.

I’ll be taking some time away from the podcast to write and record episodes for next season. If you’ve missed episodes, go back and check them out. And, if you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. It forces the algorithm to promote and recommend it to others.

Also, if you can share or retweet the podcast on social media, that’s another easy way to help me out. Plus, I’ve never had one of those annoying ads in my podcast, so help a brother out.

As always, this podcast was written, recorded, and edited on Monocan Land.

Until Season Three, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, POCKET CASTS, CASTBOX, CASTRO, RADIO PUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

Catching Your Breath with Steve Austin

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 31: CATCHING YOUR BREATH WITH STEVE AUSTIN

Steve Austin was a pastor who almost died of suicide after secretly suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

Luckily, Steve survived and while he recovered in the ICU, he had a mystical and life-changing experience with God that altered the course and trajectory of his life.

At that moment, Steve clearly knew that God wasn’t done with him yet.

In this, the 31st episode of my podcast, Steve and I talk about that journey as well as his journey of deconstructing his faith, how he became a Christian Agnostic, and the power of breathing. He also reads a short section from his new book, Slow Miracles, which is set to release in the fall of 2021.

About ten minutes into this conversation, I thought, “Yeah, Steve and I could be good friends.” I have a feeling, after listening, you might feel the same way.

To learn more about Steve Austin, be sure to check out his website and follow him on Twitter. Be sure to pick up his book, Catching Your Breath, as well as listen to his podcast by the same name.

As you continue to deconstruct your faith, as you learn to live as a Christian agnostic, and allow yourself to breathe, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, POCKET CASTS, CASTBOX, CASTRO, RADIO PUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

The Deeply Formed Life with Rich Villodas

Season Two - Episode 30: The Deeply Formed Life with Rich Villodas

Contemplative Spirituality. Racial Justice. The Art of Preaching.

Rich Villodas speaks and writes about three of my favorite topics! I couldn’t wait to have him on this podcast.

In this, the 30th episode of The Why Behind the What, I interview Rich about his new book, The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformational Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus. We talk about his journey of discovering contemplative spirituality, how these transformational values can help us live a deep life instead of a shallow life, and how racial justice is an essential contemplative practice.

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was when Rich mentioned that “God doesn’t dwell in allusion, but God dwells in reality.”

It was a reminder to me that God is as close to us as our very breathing, that the Divine is all around us, and that we need to become of aware of the True Reality within our reality.

If you want to learn more about Rich, be sure to check out his website and follow him on Twitter. If you’re in Queens and looking for a church community, I recommend you check out his church, New Life Fellowship. You can also stream services online.

Finally a few great resources Rich recommends in this episode are, Barbara Holmes’ Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church and Henri Nouwen’s Out of Solitude and The Way of the Heart.

As you pursue a deeply formed life, one that finds God in reality, may you have peace, may you have calm, and may you have happiness.

SUBSCRIBE AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST ON APPLE PODCASTS, PODBEAN, SPOTIFY, STITCHER, OVERCAST, GOOGLE PLAY, PODCAST REPUBLIC, POCKET CASTS, CASTBOX, CASTRO, RADIO PUBLIC, OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS.