There are various stories about the early life of John Newton. While some of the details remain sketchy, the truth behind the details led him to write words that still resonate in hearts today. It is said that when John was a young man, he fell overboard and was brought back onto the ship only after being harpooned and dragged up on deck. I am not sure whether the harpoon was all they had to throw or how he was wounded, but the scar left behind was something he carried all his life. But we don’t have to wait for God to harpoon us to come back to Him. In fact, Jesus simply invites us to come. Our problem is sometimes we are so busy thrashing about in the waves that we can’t hear His voice. For some of us that may mean God has to allow us to be wounded to get our attention and to bring us safely into the ship. Here is His invitation –

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NIV

If you would like to learn more about using nursing home ministry in nursing home ministry, I wrote a small book several years ago titled, “Music Matters in Nursing Home Ministry” which focuses on that subject. It is available both in regular print as well as e-book. There are also a few videos from a series of talks that I gave to our ministry team on my YouTube channel that are devoted to music ministry for those wanting an in-depth examination of the subject. Thanks for listening and reading. Have a blessed weekend!