Closer Than a Brother

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As I promised last week, the print version has now been released. With dozens of color photographs to put faces with the stories of my friends you will be amazed at the variety of people who are considered in need of long-term care. From two to one hundred years old, my friends have come in all colors, shapes and sizes, and every one of them a special blessing!

pastorpete51's avatarWalking With Lambs

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 NKJV

My new book, Walking with Lambs is a story about friends and how friendships shape our lives. This week the print version came out and filled with color photographs to put faces with the names of these special people who have walked with me through thirty-five years of nursing home ministry. Today’s verse reminds us that God has a friend for us who is closer than any brother here on earth. In the middle of the muddle of 21st century life, we sometimes need to stop and remind ourselves that He alone is our closest friend. He sticks with us through hard times and sickness, through aging and isolation. There are no doors that can keep Him out nor walls that He cannot pass through. That is the…

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Finding Refuge

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Psalm 34:8 ESV

Storm shelters or at least a safe room are a must in North Texas where our son and his family live. They discovered this not long after their move there last year. One night as the rain was coming down and the winds suddenly picked up their cell phones went off warning them to take cover immediately. Ben, Deb and all five of our grand kiddos huddled together in the only room without windows in the center of their home. Fortunately the worst of the weather missed them, but it taught them an important lesson. Always be on the lookout for storms, and remember where to find shelter. Today’s verse puts together those thoughts in our our relationship with Jesus. Our Lord is with us and available, just like the safe room in our family’s house. They couldn’t rush out with 2 by 4’s, nails and plywood to build it after the warning came. It needed to be a familiar place they could find easily. When we daily taste and see the goodness and mercy of Jesus, we will know immediately and without asking, where to head when storm warnings light up our world and the wind is raging outside our door. Maybe you haven’t tasted and seen God’s goodness in a long time. Today is the perfect time to spend time with Him. Get to know Him so well that when the warnings come, there will be no panic or confusion. He longs to fill with calm assurance anyone who runs to Him for refuge. Today is your day to surrender to Jesus!

I was immensely blessed and in need of this new release fron Don Moen titled, Great is Your Mercy.” I pray that it ministers peace and mercy to you this morning. Have a blessed Sunday all.

Walking With Lambs is Finished!

/ pastorpete51 / 9 Comments

I am deliriously happy to announce that our book project for the nursing home ministry is finally finished! After six months of writing and almost another six of editing and rewriting, the eBook edition is now live on Amazon! I am so excited. The book of Proverbs tells us that:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 NKJV

Hope deferred has been exactly my experience, since I began this project last summer. I was hoping to have the book done by Christmas. But that hope was deferred time and time again, but I am humbly grateful that here in August we are finally done! Yay!! One thing I have learned is that this project has been a team effort – and working as a team, needed far more time and patience than I had originally scheduled. My wife did some of the first edits, followed by my good friend Rob Keller who also designed the cover. After I trudged through their corrections, it was nearly Thanksgiving, and I handed the manuscript over to Sue Hyson for a more detailed edit. The final edit and formatting of the manuscript was done by our daughter-in-law’s brother, Winston Crutchfield who not only edited but also fixed my formatting mistakes and improved the older photos as much as possible. These people have selflessly given of their time for one reason – and that is to tell you the story of our many friends in long-term care. Though it is my hope that “Walking With Lambs” will prompt more people to take action in practical ways, I believe you can also just enjoy getting to know some of the wonderful stories of friends whom I have made over thirty-five years in nursing home ministry. Their stories have taught me more about life than everything I learned in college and Bible school combined! If you would like to check out the eBook version, the link is here

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9K2BHKD

The print edition should be out next week for those of you like me, who like to hold their books in their hands.