Psalms for Surgery was released in August. It is the first ever audio surgery preparation CD to combine scriptures from the Psalms with the clinically-proven techniques of guided imagery for surgery preparation. The author, Curtis Dean Hall, is a cancer survivor. The CD can be ordered on Amazon.com or from his website http://shop.curtisdeanhall.com/main.sc

By Stacy Swanson, from MDACC's The Messenger
July 16, 2008

"Thank you just for being there for me."
Chaplaincy's small but mighty staff of 17 employees - 10 staff chaplains, four administrators and three administrative support staff members - take their jobs very seriously. They serve the entire institution 24 hours a day, 365 days each year, with, as their departmental vision statement says, "a multi-faith community whose ministry is characterized by respect, compassion and hope."
Read the article.

From PlainViews - A Publication of the HealthCare Chaplaincy Connecting Chaplains and Other Spiritual Care Providers

MyPractice
As professional chaplains we need to be in dialogue with each other about what we do, how we do it, and why we do it a certain way and how these practices benefit our patients. The ultimate goal of MyPractice is to build a consensus about what constitutes "good practice" and eventually establish "Standards of Practice" for chaplains. As with quality improvements in our institutions, this is an ongoing process in order to improve our practice. Read the complete article.

Chaplains on the River Blog
There is a new blog online from the chaplains from Ministry on the River, of the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey (SCI). Their ministry is the only full-time ministry that works with the towboat industry. Chaplain Jim Wilkinson ministers to towboats working on the upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and northern areas. Chaplain Pam Stephens provides ministry to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterways including the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houston areas.
Check out the website at: http://chaplainsblog.seamenschurch.org/

The Spirituality Corner, located at the Levit Learning Center in the Ambulatory Care Building is featuring a new addition to its library, entitled: Why Not Me? Oh God Why Me?, written by M. D. Anderson Cancer Center cancer patient survivor, Sue Teall. In coming to terms with her diagnosis, she accepts that she is not sheilded from illness - hence the first part of the title, "Why not me?" The second part of the title, "Oh God Why Me?" is her response that signifies receiving the good news concerning the success of her treatment and her wonderment as to why she has received good news when so many others do not. Teall includes vignettes that offer insights into a number of life's issues, including: the power of prayer, God's tapestries of life, the unfairness of life; joy amid the struggles, obedience and self-doubt, and other topics. This is very much a story of cancer survivorship and should resonate with many of our readers.