Nursing Home Ministry

Lifted by Love

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
"Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 ESV

I find it interesting that this hymn was written by two friends, James Rowe and Howard Smith working together. While Rowe was composing the lyrics, and coming up with a few notes, Smith would play them on the piano, connecting the words to the wonderfully flowing melody that we are given today. It is said that Howard Smith suffered from such severe arthritis that his hands were twisted and it was painful for him to play, and yet, the joy that exuded from the music reflected the joy of his faith rather than the difficulty of his daily life. What a lesson these friends leave for us today, of working together in the cause of Christ. When one wearily stumbles, the other comes and lifts him up, so that together we can say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!” 2 Timothy 4:7

Each of us comes to a place in our lives, more than once when it is hard to go on. Just as Peter who boldly stepped out of the boat and at first began walking on the water towards Jesus, we have times when we feel strong. Our faith seems to be hitting on all cylinders; we are confident and going full steam ahead. But, just as often, all of us come to moments when, like Peter, we start to sink under the waves of hardships, difficulties or opposition. Then, we cry out in desperation, and just as He did for Peter, Jesus reaches His hand, lifts us up, and leads us back to the boat. Oh yes, Jesus will correct us, and challenge us to greater faith, but He will never abandon us. No matter what you are going through Jesus will never abandon you. He has no problem with wind and waves. Stormy sea walking is His specialty! He has come out on these dangerous waters just for you and me. But we have to choose to take HIs hand and let Him lift us up. This past Sunday, when we sang, Love Lifted Me there was such joy in our people’s response, that I had to share it with you. There are very few who know so well the saving, helping, and strengthening power of Jesus than those in long-term care facilities, and I hope you will be blessed and maybe even sing along! If you are in trouble, facing a crisis or are just plain discouraged and don’t know where to turn, I recommend that you at least join us on the chorus.

"Love lifted me! Love Lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me!"

Serving Communion at Assisted Living

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
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!