For the next twelve weeks, I will be working as a hospital chaplaincy intern in St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital, which means I will spend my mornings in class and discussions and my afternoons visiting patients to provide pastoral care.

Rather than writing long, trailing essays about emotions and ministry and theology, I thought this blog would be more interesting to read (and I would be much more likely to update regularly) if I offered brief vignettes—snapshots of what it's like to do ministry in a hospital among hurting people. The pressures of patient confidentiality necessitate me writing cautiously and forgoing details, but I'll do my best to set the scenes sufficiently. And you can bet that some theological reflection will find its way into my posts.

If you've found this blog, thanks for reading, and please keep me in your prayers—it probably won't take long for my inexperience to rear its ugly head in a pastoral situation, so I'm just praying that my mistakes will (a) not do permanent damage and (b) teach me something valuable.

Happy summer!