Month: October 2025

Don’t Just Settle! – Part 1

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. Genesis 11:31 ESV

I used to think that God called Abram to go to the land of Canaan, as if it were just a lightning bolt out of the blue. It seemed that when God said, “Go to a place I will show you.”, it was if it were a place totally unknown and unfamiliar to Abram. But in today’s reading, we discover that actually Abram’s father, Terah, had set out from Ur to go to Canaan years before: but he never finished the journey. Terah did leave behind his home country. He left behind the land of idolatry, his familiar surroundings and friends, but when he got to the town of Haran, Terah decided to settle. Of course, God doesn’t give us all the particulars, of Terah’s motives, but whatever they were, they caused him to give up on his goal.

Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Now Terah started in the right direction but never made it all the way, because he settled. But the good news for us today, is that even though Terah settled for less, God didn’t He hadn’t changed His mind, and unlike any of us, God has all the time in the universe to bring His plans to pass. So, God waited. He waited a generation as Terah grew old and died in the safe little village of Haran. They must have lived there for many years during that waiting time, because by the time chapter twelve starts, Abram is already seventy-five years old. But God’s call never grows old, He never gives up and God never settles for less. Instead, God came and called again, but this time HIs call was to Abram:

“And the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you – And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot, his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of CANAAN...” 
Genesis 12 1; 5a ESV

Serving Communion at Assisted Living

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For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV

I still remember the first time I served communion at one of the facilities that I visit here in Florida. I felt nervous because I wasn't sure who could receive because of dietary restrictions or their particular beliefs about communion. But as the Holy Spirit continued to impress on my heart the need to offer this as one of the essential ordinances of the church, I pressed ahead. After our meeting, one of the residents thanked me and said with tears, "Thank you so much. This is the first time I have been able to have communion in over a year!" If you are in any way involved in long-term care ministry, even if that means simply visiting people in their homes, I urge you to prayerfully consider bringing the Lord's Supper to our brothers and sisters who can no longer easily go to church. Here in this simple video, you will notice that the message is Biblical, complete and shared in less than four minutes. Then, while the elements are being passed, I sing two of the precious older hymns that reflect on the holiness of the moment. I hope you will be blessed, and if you want to learn more about nursing home ministry, please consider subscribing to our YouTube channel or following me here on WordPress. Have a blessed day everyone!

Listening with Our Eyes

/ pastorpete51 / 9 Comments 
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4

When we first moved to Florida, I struggled with garage door syndrome. Garage door syndrome happens when people come and go in our neighborhood. We rarely get to meet them because when they leave, their garage door opens, and then they drive away. When they return, the door opens, they drive in and sometimes shut the door before even getting out of their vehicle. Suffice it to say that getting to know folks here is challenging! So, one day, upon noticing a young man across the street parking his car in the driveway, I called out as he got out, “Hey, how’s it going?” But he seemed to take no notice and instead just walked into his house. I know I have quite a loud voice, because people occasionally have to tell me to tone things down. I just couldn’t understand why I was being completely ignored, and as I walked back inside, I mentioned to my wife, that the young guy on the other side of the street was really rude, because he never even turned his head when I had called out to him. Nancy quietly listened for a moment, then with a gentle smile she replied, “Did you know he is deaf?” Wow! In one second, I went from being outraged at the lack of manners in young people, to being ashamed of my silly complaint. My problem was that I didn’t realize that as a lip reader, our young neighbor needed to see me, because He listened with his eyes. In today’s verse Jesus was also listening with His eyes. Everyone else simply observed all the rich guys: the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezos of their day putting big offerings into the temple treasury. But Jesus was not looking at shekels, He was watching hearts. So, when this widow who went unnoticed by everyone else, put her offering in, Jesus immediately stopped everything to point her out to His disciples. All day long people had given what they could, what made sense, what seemed reasonable, but not this lady. No! Jesus said that her gift was all she had to live on, at least for that day. Probably this was the money that would have bought her dinner, but she offered it anyway and went hungry in order to give. This scene challenges me when I think of my own choices in giving. Now, God’s word also tells us to give cheerfully, not out of guilt or necessity. But this widow’s example makes me pause to ask, “What is preventing me from cheerfully giving like this woman? What barrier do I have, that keeps me from giving all? All my time? All my energy? All my finances? Am I just giving from a position of abundance, or does it cost me something, and can I still give it cheerfully with a smile?”

I hope you will enjoy this five-minute video from our Friday morning service at Life Care Center. In it I also give just a peek at how after thirty plus years of weekly meetings, God has continued to draw me back to worship with my brothers and sisters in long-term care. Have a blessed weekend everyone!