Who Cares? with Dan Hettinger

In our study to care with actions that make a difference we begin with our nature. This is our source and capacity to care. If we have a nature that has not been changed by God, all kinds of disfunction pour out of us. I make this point with the metaphor of your life being a bucket. Whatever your bucket is full of will affect how you approach every situation in life and how well you care or even if you care. There is great news! Go...

Our world changed on April 20, 1999. I remember where I was standing when I first heard there was an active shooter in a High School in Littleton, Colorado. In this episode I talk to Lauren who was a student at Columbine that day. Just before the shooting began, she was on the payphone trying to get her mother’s permission to skip a class so she could go the library to work on a project. Her mother did not give her permission, so L...

This method is not for everybody, but since each person’s grief is unique to their personality, faith, relationship and situation, Sam’s experience is not only valid, it is interesting. He and Mary were story tellers and writers in the happy and healthy days and that gift helped Sam see this situation through the story of Mary’s life and death. With God as the author, the story contains grief, drama and hope. Most of all, it isn’t ...

Sam’s sister got a very rare form of cancer at age 19. Journeying through symptoms, diagnosis, illness and her death took Sam into events and emotions that a 21 year old is simply not prepared for. It seemed right to be strong for her. He tried to be strong and cover his fear and sadness. She was the one with the battle and he wanted to help her, not need her. So he was a caring big brother but he wonders if he should have been a l...

“It was the right thing to do,” Stephanie says. “But yes, I have regrets.” Caring for people often is inconvenient and even more, sacrificial. Dramatic needs require changes that no one plans for or wants. But what else should we do. In Stephanie’s new life, her view of life experiences and faith expanded to areas of her character and living that she would never have sought and she did something very important. She cared for her da...

Hurt people, hurt people. We care for hurt people. It is a sad reality that sometimes a relationship blows up or a care receiver does and they say something very hurtful. Those times can wound and wounds must be cared for. Now, as a regular feature on our podcast, Darrel Chaney tells about a Big League experience of being wounded. It sets the stage for a conversation about wounds that discourage, weigh down and drain the energy and...

Heroes are important. We all need them. Do you have a Care Ministry Hero? Someone who showed the way or provided care in an unforgettable way? Maybe you are a hero to someone else. It is a good idea to look for an aspiring young person who wants to help people. Darrel Chaney is back to talk about Heroes. His was Ernie Banks and Darrel tells of an incredible moment when Ernie welcomed Darrel to the Big Leagues. It was on first base ...

Everyone has a dream for what they want their life to be. But life is hard on dreams so people sometimes discount that dream as a childhood fantasy. Other times the routine, demands or problems of life just drown out the memory until we only live a frustrating existence. When we are caring for someone going through a crisis, especially a life altering event, their dream may be dashed. Maybe we never dreamed of a career of caring fo...

For a brief few minutes I was tempted with the thought my visits were not very important. They certainly were not very exciting for me nor glamourous. But I did enjoy them and quickly savored the pleasure of the fellowship of three elderly people and the feeling of God’s favor. When we try to measure the return on investment of our time, we often get it wrong. The Bible is quite clear of the value to caring for the widow, the orpha...

It was an amazing result, both in scope and time, when Nehemiah and the exiles returning to Jerusalem, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days. Is there a secret rhythm here? There are some interesting facts that remain hidden to most people. As I have allowed this rhythm to work in my life, I noticed a time of accelerated results. So, nearly every year, I try to organize my prayer and devotional life into this 52 day rhythm. PRA...

A stroke is to the brain, what a heart attack is to the heart. It can happen suddenly and produce results that are life altering. Marilyn tells how her life changed when her husband had a stroke. This active couple, living in Alaska, had plans for retirement. That all changed when Marilyn became a caregiver by necessity, not by choice. Now she talks about how to grieve and adjust to dreams that don’t come true, and how we can suppo...

Miscarriage and infertility bring grief to the mother who never gets to know the child she was carrying and the couple whose dreams of a family remain out of reach. The heaviness is even worse at Christmas time when we celebrate the birth of a child and enjoy the excitement that children bring to the celebration. Juli joins the podcast today to tell her story of excitement, disappointment and longing and how she and her husband fou...

How much does your care matter? Probably more than you think it does. I have invited a former Big League baseball player to the podcast. Darrel Chaney played on the Cincinnati Reds during the amazing Big Red Machine era. He played in three World Series and four National League Championship Series over seven seasons with the Reds. He went on to play for the Atlanta Braves and become a Braves Broadcaster. His story is entertaining an...

There is nothing like going through hard times to make someone lose their confidence. But, when we care effectively for people, they are able to keep and even build their confidence. More than self-confidence, it is confident faith in God’s complete work, from beginning through the end. In this episode of the podcast, I bring a message from my life verse, Philippians 1:6. “Being confident of this, that he who has begun a good work ...

Hard topics and difficult emotions do not need to be feared. Most of us prefer the positive and avoid the dark. We are afraid that if we go there, we will never get out or the pain will be overwhelming, and we won’t be able to handle it. That has been a mistake I have made for much of my life and ministry. But the opposite is true. When we are willing to go to the dark places of our lives, we will find God waiting for us. He always...

How resilient are children really? Today’s guest talks about his first memory, the death of his 6 years old sister in the bedroom they shared. William Knox Scarbrough, aka Billy, is an adult, now living in South Africa with his wife and two grown children. He has enjoyed success in building sets and writing for TV among other activities. But the pain of losing his big sister, when he was three years old, has impacted every phase of...

Good guys get PTSD and faith helps.

People enlist for military service because they want to do something meaningful. Then they experience terrible things that go against everything they value. The wounds are invisible but can be debilitating and life changing as a warrior’s physical injuries. Part of the reason PTSD is so bad is because the person and the motives are so good. We honor the Vets who suffer with PTSD. We recogniz...