The last few days have been some of the most wonderful of my life.

On Ash Wednesday, my wife and I welcomed our first child, Noah David, into the world. After more than nine months of preparation, excitement, and, yes, a little stress, our son is here in our arms. It is a great joy to have him here. I can’t wait to see all that life has in store for him, and how he will bless others through his love and care.

My wife is doing great. I attribute much of that to the great care she received at Central Baptist. From her doctor, to her nurses, to even the housekeeper and cooks, Abbi was well cared for and loved. It took away a lot of my stress from what had been a stressful few weeks.

Watching Abbi’s care team at work got me thinking about how their care was symbolic of great pastoral care. How they cared for my wife, and my family, I believe offers lessons for pastors on how we can care for our communities more effectively. What follows are five lessons of pastoral care I learned while observing maternity ward nurses care for my wife and baby for three days. Continue reading “Pastoral Lessons from the Maternity Ward”