Growing Older

Plow up those Fields

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12 KJV

“Fallow comes from the old English word for plowing, and refers to the practice of leaving fields unplowed in rotation––when a field lies fallow, the soil regains nutrients that are sucked up by over-planting.”  Vocabulary.com

One temptation I face as I grow older is to abandon some of the fields in my life. There are some fields that have so long been unproductive that it scarcely seems worth the effort to continue to hope for any sort of fruitful harvest. But God has an entirely different idea. God says that today is the exact perfect time to stop moping around the house, get the plow out of the barn and break up my fallow ground.

Do you have some fallow fields in your life? There is nothing wrong with that but God has not created us to lie fallow forever. Maybe today your fallow time is coming to an end. Maybe it is time to hitch up the plow to the horse and get to work. There is still something that God has called for us to do. Do not be discouraged. Nothing will grow better crops than a field that has had time to rest for a while.  God has planned for and promised a harvest season ahead if only we plow up our fallow fields and then plant them today!

P1040013

Lessons Learned in The Alzheimer’s World

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

With Alzheimer’s awareness walks scheduled in a few weeks I wanted to share some hope with those who have loved ones in the struggling with memory loss. One thing I have noticed from having spent some twenty plus years bringing music in to those places is the pain and heartache of family members.

The residents often no longer realize what is happening to them but their family’s hopelessness becomes so great that they visit only rarely and then go home feeling guilty. “What’s the use?” they ask when Mom or Dad no longer remember their name.

Here are some words of hope which John Wesley once said, “Do all the good you can With all the means you can In all the ways you can”

“Do all the good you can” but do NOT worry about what you can’t do. That is God’s work alone. If you can get them to smile you have already moved a small mountain!

“By all the means you can” You know your loved better than anyone. Think of the simplest pleasure you could give them. A chocolate bar or a coffee from their favorite diner may be the best medication they will receive all day!

“In all the ways you can” You have your own emotional and physical limits. If you can give only 1 or 2 days a week to visiting God knows. God asks us each to give our all but your all doesn’t mean neglecting the rest of your family or yourself. Jesus multiplied 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000. He will use what we can give and make it be enough to meet your loved one’s needs. God bless you as you do your best in this time of their life.

Alzheimer’s awareness events are in October and November. If you would like to participate there may be a walk near you. In our area, West Pasco County Florida is holding theirs on October 19th and Tampa on November 2nd. If you cannot walk or donate please remember to pray. God bless you. Remember God never asks us to give what we do not have but He does love a cheerful giver!

Avoiding Red Lights

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 NKJV

Choosing circuitous routes around the downtown area used to be my specialty. Traffic lights in our city were painfully long especially around the six railroad crossings that went right through the city center. A red light was an enemy and a frustrating obstacle designed to hold me back.

Then I got older. My vision, hearing and joints conspired to slow me down. The prospect of pulling out into three lanes of speeding cars no longer seemed like such a cinch. Then I began to see that traffic signals were an opportunity and not a barrier.

In the daily rush of our Christian life it is no different. God does not set up the traffic signals of commandments to be obstacles but rather to direct and protect us. John who had been the youngest disciple learned that Jesus never taught us anything to hold us back but only to help us run our race at a pace that will lead us to heaven!