A Glad Heart

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad. Proverbs 12:25 NKJV

My Grandfather’s words “It’s not what you know but who you know that counts.” reflected his experience navigating a naval career during consider that prayer offers us the opportunity to put in a good word for someone going through a tough time?WW2. That holds as true today as much as at the War Department in the 1940’s; because having just the right person put in a good word still makes all the difference.

When people tell us about their problems our natural tendency is to try to cheer them up based on “what we know”. We say not so smart things like “It can’t be that bad!” because based on our experience their situation seems okay. But we are missing the unique opportunity that God gives us through prayer to put in a good word with the only one who can really make a difference. Of course we should still offer encouraging words when we see those closest to us in the pits and depressed. But “who we know” will trump what we know, every time in the long run. Only God can ultimately make a heart glad. Only He can put a smile on a face that will light up a life again!

New Book on Care Ministry

“I gained a whole new appreciation for what new beginnings meant when my wife and I chose to retire last year. Our lives had radically changed direction the year before when Nancy had survived major cancer surgery; which was followed by six chemotherapy treatments over nine months. Then as summer rolled around while she was getting her strength back, things seemed to come into place for us to move to Florida.

At first we eagerly raced ahead towards what seemed an exciting though uncertain future. Driving away from chilly, rainy Pennsylvania, we both felt like shouting, “Wahoo we’re going to Florida! No more ice! No more snow!

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No more dark colorless months of barren and cold landscapes!!” But somewhere in the middle of making new friends, finding new doctors and settling into a new church we realized that the challenge of beginning again was much bigger than we thought it would be.

For me, one vital part of starting over for me was to begin to volunteer in a nursing home ministry…” (From New Beginnings in Care Ministry)

New Beginings

It’s been quite a while since I released anything new on Nursing Home Ministry. The book “New Beginnings in Care Ministry” is a reflection of my coming to see a wider view of Long Term Care ministry in my own ministry restart. Care ministry looks beyond simply the traditional nursing home setting into the lives and needs of special needs children, residents in special needs assisted living as well as those in memory care. If your life has been touched by long term care, through a family member, your job or as a volunteer this collection of stories and insights with lots of photos are just for you. It is my prayer they will both be a practical as well as a spiritual be a blessing in your own personal journey. This is available in both softcover and E-book formats through Amazon.

New Beginnings in Care Ministry

Lessons from the Birds

I have always been fascinated watching birds. Whether it was finding baby robins in our raspberry patch or seeing the red tailed hawk hunting over the field behind the barn, they can teach us wordless lessons about life and God. In fact Jesus told us to pay attention to the because God delights in revealing Himself even in them.

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 NKJV

It has been interesting since our move to Florida to discover many species that are new to me. Though there are so many different kinds they all share one thing in common with their Northeastern cousins. None of them lies awake at night worrying about tomorrow! Here are just a few shots I took of some of our new feathered friends. – Okay so the last one isn’t exactly a native Florida species but I had to include that chicken sleeping on the lamb! Have a great week everyone!