On her very first night as a hospital chaplain, Becky Strom is summoned to the bedside of a teenage girl dying from injuries sustained in a devastating car accident. The family wants comfort. They want prayer. They want a chaplain.

There's just one problem: Becky isn't sure she even believes in God.

Angry at the church, burdened by childhood wounds, and wrestling with profound questions about faith, Becky entered chaplaincy training only as a requirement on her path to becoming a counselor. Instead, she found herself standing beside patients and families during the most vulnerable times of their lives-moments filled with fear, grief, hope, courage, and unexpected grace.

As Becky accompanies patients through suffering and loss, she embarks on her own journey toward healing, discovering what she comes to call a "ministry of presence"-the transformative act of simply showing up for another person.

A Reluctant Chaplain is a memoir for anyone who has struggled with faith, questioned where God can be found, or searched for meaning in life's most difficult trials. It is a reminder that healing often begins not with answers, but with presence-and that none of us walks through the darkness alone.

Becky Strom has spent her adult life in caregiving as a chaplain, counselor, pastor, teacher, and paramedic. She has worked extensively in women's healthcare, addiction recovery, parenting support, emergency medicine, and end-of-life care, as well as walking alongside people through the everyday joys and sorrows of life. Across these roles, she has developed a deep capacity for listening, advocacy, and compassionate presence.Becky holds master's degrees in counseling and divinity, is an ordained pastor, and served as a paramedic for sixteen years. She shares life lessons in this, her first book. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, and is the proud parent of two daughters, two sons-in-law, five grandchildren, and two cats. Her passions include gardening, reading, and sharing a good cup of coffee with family and friends.