Where is Your House Being Built?

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25 NKJV

This morning, I wanted to show an often-overlooked side of nursing home ministry. Sure, our friends are mostly in wheelchairs, and some don’t have the ability to communicate well anymore, but they still love to laugh and express their worship as joyfully as children. Though I have been serving at Life Care Center for almost seven years, what has been happening there over the last two years is almost like a revival. Our dining room has been filling up with residents; more volunteers have been participating and the sense that God is on the move is reflected even in the staff. This week’s theme was trusting in God’s Promises, and though this is a Sunday School song, it is more biblically sound than a lot of the hymns. When Jesus ended what we call, “The Sermon on the Mount”, He says that there will be rains falling, floods rising and winds blowing in our lives. But then He promises that if we build our lives on the rock of His teachings that no matter what comes, our eternal home will still stand strong. I do hope you enjoy today’s video, and maybe even sing along. If you hear God’s call to nursing home ministry, stay tuned. I will be sharing more articles and videos over the next week to help you if you dare to enter God’s service in this much needed field.

Put Your Hand in the Hand

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

With the assassination of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday and then Thursday being our remembrance of the attack on the twin towers, the emotional impact on our hearts and minds this week was enormous. Our national state of mourning, shock and for some, even despair, reminded me a little of the situation Peter faced as he began to sink beneath the waves. A moment earlier, Peter had felt triumphant. There he was walking on the water towards Jesus! But then, one second later as he turned towards the dark raging sea and felt the power of the wind ripping at his robe, he faltered. Suddenly, this brave courageous fisherman, went from being the strongest, boldest and most confident disciple, to being the guy struggling for his life – but then Jesus reached out His hand! Aren’t you glad for Jesus. He is never afraid of the storm. Jesus is not worried a bit about the wind, and best of all, He isn’t going to let us drown. He reaches out His hand. Let’s be sure to take ahold of His, because He has a long way for us to still go, lessons to teach us and other people for us to serve. I do hope you will enjoy this simple rendering of the song, which our residents at Life Care heartily enjoyed singing along with me on Friday, and Put Your Hand in the Hand of Jesus!

A New Song

And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth Revelation 14:3 ESV

Many years ago, I used to stop on Wednesday afternoons to visit an elderly couple, and I brought my guitar along to sing them a few songs. Though they only had a tiny apartment, the way they welcomed me made me feel as if I were visiting a palace. For companionship my friends kept two little parakeets in a cage by the front window. Whether rays of sunshine or raindrops were on that windowpane, those two always had a song, but their gentle tweeting picked up a notch or two when I started strumming my guitar.

Sometimes they would leave the cage door open and on rare occasions, they would decide to fly out and pass by so close to my head that I felt the brush of wings as they flew past. Then they would swoop up to the highest point above the kitchen cabinets where they would perch and watch the show from their balcony seats!

My two elderly friends have now taken their own places in a heavenly choir, but some days I imagine them standing there with their two little parakeets close by, waiting for me to join them one day with my guitar. And I won’t at all be surprised, if that day I feel the brush of wings on my face as two little birds pass by on their way to their balcony seats to join us as together, we join that great new song above!

Photo by Bruna Finelli on Pexels.com