Hospice, Presence, and Pastoral Tenderness: A Conversation on Sacred Moments | PT 125

Read Tara Beth's substack here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-163159975

How do pastors hold space when words fall short?

In this deeply personal and reflective episode, Tara Beth Leach reads from her Substack essay, “The Sacred Threshold That is Hospice,” sharing the journey of walking with her mother through dementia and hospice. Joined by co-host Mark Quanstrom, they unpack the theology of presence, the temptation to “preach things pretty,” and the grace found in simply showing up when life unravels.

🎙️ In This Episode:

• Tara Beth reads her powerful essay on hospice and her mother’s decline
• Mark and Tara Beth reflect on the role of pastoral presence in seasons of sorrow
• The danger of escapist theology and the invitation to stay with suffering
• How the incarnation shapes our understanding of holy moments at the end of life

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction to the episode

01:08 – Tara Beth reads “The Sacred Threshold That is Hospice”

09:10 – Reflection on writing, presence, and resisting tidy theology

12:00 – How pastoral care sanctifies suffering

18:00 – Blessing, the Beatitudes, and ministry at the margins

21:00 – A story about Jack Puckett and a glimpse of heaven

24:00 – Prayers, hospice, and moments of clarity

28:00 – Grace alone and the stripping away of self-sufficiency

31:00 – Final reflections on presence, sorrow, and God’s mercy

💡 Takeaway:

The holiest moments in ministry are often quiet, unspectacular, and full of grief. But in the hospice room, at the deathbed, and in seasons of deep loss, pastors embody the presence of Christ—not by fixing, but by staying. This is the sacred gift of showing up.