Let Us Have a Little Talk

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Just a Little Talk with Jesus” is part of a series that we record live at the nursing homes that we visit. “Why do we make these videos?” some of you ask. That is a great question! After all The Gaither Vocal Band harmonizes better and Alan Jackson plays way better, as well as an endless array of gospel quartets. But these videos are made to encourage you to reach out and share the joy of worship in the challenging surroundings where our brothers and sisters live at the nursing home. Sometimes nurses walk in front of the camera, you can hear the clatter of plates in the kitchen and one of our dear sisters is making sounds because she cannot communicate, but she listens and enjoys the music. Yet, despite all the issues, people gather every week, the staff makes a great effort to bring as many as possible in for our meetings and people are reminded that Jesus has not forgotten them. Yes, I pray that you will be blessed by our songs, but I also pray that you might answer the call of God to share the hope we have in Jesus in nursing homes in your own community.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:40 KJV

For those interested in learning more about Nursing Home Ministry, “Walking With Lambs” is our most complete resource and tells the personal stories of many of the friends I have made over thirty years serving in long term care facilities as well as in home visitation ministry. I have included a number of photos of my precious friends, to help you put faces and smiles, with the concept of Nursing Home Outreach.

Stepping into the New Year

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I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

Today is the first day of another year and I am weaker than I was when I was younger, but my hope is stronger because weakness is teaching me to rely more on Jesus and less on me. Being crucified with Christ used to be a mysterious and frightening idea. But in today’s verse, Paul was teaching the Galatians that nothing on earth could make him afraid anymore, because his real life was now in the Christ, who had loved and given His life for him.

But trusting is a choice, and it our choice. Just as the trapeze artist must let go of the bar and fly across space, trusting in her partner to catch her, so we must let go of our own strength and ability in order to take hold of the hands of God. He is reaching out and calling us forward into 2024. Why not surrender your life to Him, and step into the year ahead, with confidence in His love? That same Jesus who gave Himself for us, will certainly watch over us and care for us, no matter what lies on the road ahead.

Editing Advice from the Orchard – Part 3 – Removing that Fire Blight

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This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 
John 15:8 NIV

Finally, we come to the last and most difficult things to prune and those are the diseased branches. In apple trees these are branches infected with a bacteria called fire blight, and every old tree has a little. Though there is no known cure, a careful pruning can extend the life of a tree for years. If the sucker growth is the most obnoxious, and the deadwood most obvious, diseased branches as well as diseased writing, is the most obtuse to deal with. You see, sucker growth will never bear fruit and deadwood cannot bear fruit, but blighted limbs may still produce a few withered looking apples. In our writing, disease is not about the double negatives, misspelled words or run on sentences, it has to do with the why’s of our craft and the motives behind our manuscripts.

Photo by Zen Chung on Pexels.com

If we are just churning out slick stories that appeal to the lowest desires of readers, there may be a bit of fire light creeping in. When we start finger pointing at the faults of others or stirring people to angry debate instead of compassionate service, it is time to ask God to heal our hearts. Eventually a blighted heart will catch up with us, and if left unchecked, will destroy the very purpose for which God called us to write. The secret is that just as trimming in the orchard is done in the Winter, God will choose the Wintertime in our life to root out a diseased direction. And in the editing of our writing, we will work best once the heat of inspiration has worn off and we can come to our pages, with passionless eyes, sharp pencils, and a determination to clear out everything that hampers a great harvest. Then we need to pray that the words we put on the pages of our life as well as our manuscripts will inspire readers to trust in God’s promises, grow in His grace and be filled with the hope that comes only from Him!