As a young seminarian, taking a unit of CPE at the Oakland CA County Hospital, I was assigned to work on the Obstetrics & Gynecology unit. I was terrified. What right did I have to walk through those doors and face rows of beds of women who had just given birth, had just lost a baby, had just aborted an unwanted fetus, or had just been told they could never bear a child. For three days I tried to walk through those doors. Each day I would return to the CPE office defeated and sit wondering if I was really called to ministry. My status as a seminary student was not enough. My commitment to service was not enough. My role as a hospital chaplain was not enough. By what authority could I walk through those doors? My fellow CPE students helped me struggle with this dilemma. That week I grew immensely as I finally realized that I had No right to intrude on the private lives of these women. I had no authority to ask them questions. I had no credentials to offer advice. The only thing I had was a call to follow Christ as God’s Spirit walked through those doors. The power to do what can do on our own is the true power of the Holy Spirit. By myself I had nothing but a few clever questions of counseling techniques. But filled with the Spirit of Christ I had the “potential to be (do) acts of grace and hope, divine expressions of love and mercy.” Through years of ministry as pastor, missionary, husband, and father I have faced lots of difficult doors. The ones I walked though by myself turned to failure. While the doors through which I followed the Spirit of God lead me to genuine service and community.