![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/100110afUnderwood1w_t607.jpg\" "\\"Pastor")
<\/p>\nHave you ever been called upon to make a hospital\u00a0visit to someone you have never met? Spending a few moments in the hospital with a\u00a0friend\u00a0or family member is a loving thing to do, but how quickly do you respond when asked to visit someone you have never seen? After mastering a few basic concepts, great hospital visits with anyone will become another useful tool in your ministry bag.<\/p>\n
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Even before I became a pastor, I made countless hospital visits. \u00a0The vast majority of these visits were to people I knew well. \u00a0I walked past\u00a0hundreds\u00a0of needy strangers to find them. \u00a0One particular afternoon I stepped onto an elevator and was enclosed with a couple who were in obvious distress. \u00a0I simply asked if I might pray with them. \u00a0That afternoon, as I reflected upon our elevator prayer meeting, I realized that there were some observations worth noting.<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span>Whether they are the patient or family member, they are in need of comfort and reassurance. \u00a0They are vulnerable whether they wish to admit it or not. \u00a0A simple act of kindness is magnified in the presence of distress. \u00a0You can be confident in offering a kind word or a prayer, knowing that it is as needed as a doctor’s prescription.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n “Pardon me, ma’am. My name is Maston Jackson, pastor of Next Street Corner Church. \u00a0I couldn’t help but overhear that you are having a hard time right now. \u00a0Would you mind if I prayed with you?”<\/span><\/p>\n Some pointers for a good introduction:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>Lay aside your feelings of insecurity. \u00a0These people are focused on their own pain. \u00a0You will seldom have interaction with people who are less interested in your shortcomings. \u00a0A man facing surgery does not care how much money you make nor does he care on which side of town you live. \u00a0The parent of a sick child has no interest in how many times you have been a bad mom or dad. \u00a0Victims of a tornado do not care who the Good Samaritans are if they are helping.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Though you may have never met, you are not a stranger.\u00a0You represent God, who loves these hurting people dearly. \u00a0He knows them well. \u00a0Act and speak with the tenderness of a loving brother. You never know what doors may be opening for future interaction. \u00a0Focus the love of God like a laser beam through the lens of your kind touch.<\/p>\n Anyone can make a hospital visit with someone they have never met. \u00a0More importantly, it is healthy for you to lay aside your own issues as you reach out to others. \u00a0You just have to be respectful of their circumstances and remember that the Father in Heaven has arranged this meeting.<\/p>\n Have you had an experience making a hospital visit to someone you have never met? \u00a0I’d love to hear about it!<\/p>\n <\/strong> <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever been called upon to make a hospital\u00a0visit to someone you have never met? Spending a few moments in the hospital with a\u00a0friend\u00a0or family member is a loving thing to do, but how quickly do you respond when asked to visit someone you have never seen? After mastering a few basic concepts, great […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,20],"class_list":["post-130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shepherding","tag-hospital","tag-how-to","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=130"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":287,"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions\/287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mastonjackson.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. \u00a0Most people in the hospital are hurting in one way or another.<\/span><\/h4>\n
2. \u00a0A brief introduction and genuine concern is all it takes to make a friend.<\/span><\/h4>\n
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3. \u00a0This moment of ministry is NOT about you.<\/span><\/h4>\n
4. \u00a0You are an Ambassador of Heaven.<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n