Now More Than Ever!

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom then shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 KJV

When I go for a quiet walk in the park or wade in the waves at the beach, peace seems an easy concept to get a hold of. But with our nation in crisis, and people lining up for miles just hoping for a plane ride out of Afghanistan, peace sounds more like a fairy tale than a reality. In Psalm twenty-seven, King David found himself in a similar circumstance, surrounded by an army, as powerful and deadly as the Taliban. His enemies had already wiped out nearly every man woman and child in the town of Anathoth, for simply giving him and his men a few loaves of bread and a single sword. But on that evening as David looked down at the encampment of blood thirsty men, God asked Him what he was afraid of and on David’s darkest night, the answer came. “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Why should we be afraid?” Just as in David’s day, the Lord remains our light and the only one We can depend on to help us through. Our current state of helplessness does us the favor of reminding us that He alone is true strength!

So what are you facing? What challenge is on your path this morning? God has allowed this situation. At times like these people often say, “God is still in control.”. While that of course is true, it would be even more accurate to say that, “God is more in control now than ever: because we are not!”  He wants us to see that now more than ever, He is our hope and our salvation and we don’t ever need to be afraid!

Taking Care of Mom!

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Today I am praying for another person serving in long term care ministry who is facing difficulties in continuing their ministry. The way we all serve has been challenged because-we have not only seen homes closed without notice and restrictions placed on how we can serve but also the lack of understanding in the church of how to help in practical ways.

If you are involved as a caregiver, chaplain, family member or friend,don’t give up whatever the difficulties. Jesus loves widows and orphans and their care has been entrusted us since the moment He gave Mary to John to take care of. She was not given to John as a problem to solve or a burden to carry but as a mother to love and provide for. Our calling as long term care workers is to keep on loving them in every way possible and through every opportunity that God puts in our hands. Notice also that none of the other 10 disciples ever understood or helped John out. While Peter and Paul had big public ministries, John stayed close to home. He was taking care of Mary as a life long commitment. That is our call. It is a life long trust. Some people “get it and others will not but Jesus knows and will give us strength and help and provision because after all- we are taking care of His mom!

Where Does Faith Begin?

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Sadly, due to the Delta Variant some of our facilities are closing down again regardless of the vaccine status of volunteers, friends or family members. It is frustrating but understandable as nothing is more important than the well being of the residents whom I visit. Those of you who follow my blog probably know of the visitation side of the ministry but may not be aware that I along with two other volunteers have been producing a weekly newsletter which goes directly to about 7 facilities in Florida and Western New York State. If anyone is interested to sign up to receive this free resource please let me know. Also please be praying for God to use our simple videos and newsletters. More than ever they are the only point of contact we have to share the hope and love of Jesus with our friends in long term care. Thank you for your partnership in this outreach. Let me know if you have any special prayer requests. God knows the answers to how this ends. So here is the video for this week in which I ask the question of where our faith begins. The hymn is one of my favorites, “Are You Washed in the Blood!”  Have a blessed week all!