Nursing Home Ministry

Connecting the Spark Plug Wire

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1 John 5:14 NKJV

God taught me a lesson about answered prayer during my battle trying to start my lawn mower last week. Here in Florida, we’ve had lots and lots of rain this October. Lots of rain is great because we were in drought, but lots of rain also means lots of lawn mowing (Every 5-6 day recently). Last Saturday I went out to start my mower, but when I pulled on the starter cord, it wouldn’t even budge. I decided to take a peek underneath and immediately noticed that it was totally clogged with grass clippings from the previous mowing. So, I carefully disconnected the spark plug wire, turned the mower on its side and spent several minutes scraping and cleaning. Feeling I had the problem licked, I turned the mower back up and tried again, and to my great relief the cord pulled back smoothly, yet the machine still wouldn’t start. Figuring that I had probably flooded the engine while leaning it on its side, I went inside, had a snack and a cup of coffee and came out to try again…but still no results. This time I went in again for a bit longer and came out determined to get my lawn mower started before it got too hot to work. I pulled…and pulled….and pulled, still with the same results. Just then, the neighbor, from whom I had bought my mower passed by and asked, “What’s up Pete?”

“”This lawn mower just won’t start for today.” I replied between deep breaths, and then, suddenly a little light bulb went off in my brain, “The spark plug dummy!” Sheepishly, I reconnected the loose wire and do you know what happened? Yup! That stupid lawn mower started! Many times, that is exactly what is happening with our prayers. We pray and pray, pulling with all our might on the cord, but nothing is happening, because we have become disconnected from the Lord Jesus Christ. Our mind, our heart and our schedules are so filled with everything else besides God’s will. We grow impatient, discouraged and frustrated yet all the while God is waiting for the spiritual light bulb to go off in our minds.

Sometime in the 1960’s in Namibia, Paul Makai wrote a simple chorus we call, “God is so Good.”. It became so popular that in 1970, when a missionary named Marilyn Foulkes, heard it, she loved it and translated it into English for us. But whatever language we speak, that truth rings clear, God is so good: and one of the first verses of this chorus that we sing adds “God answers prayer, He’s so good to me.” Does it feel as if you are singing about God answering prayer, yet experiencing very little of it? Remember the spark plug wire! I do hope you will enjoy this simple video, where I share this message and song at Life Care Center this past Friday. Have a blessed weekend everybody!

Jesus Remembers

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.
Matthew 10:29 NIV

Every Thursday, I get to sing with my friends in a memory care facility. It is such a blessing seeing them light up as they hear the familiar hymns and many of them sing along. But as I greet them, some cannot remember my name, or in a few cases, even their own! Visitors rarely come. Perhaps most people think that since their loved one doesn’t even remember them any longer, that there is no purpose in coming. But the good news is that even when everyone else forgets, Jesus remembers! Jesus also weeps. Just as when Jesus came to visit the sisters of Lazarus, while he lay in the grave, Jesus wept with them before He did any miracles. Sometimes people don’t need explanations, they need our tears, our listening ears and our presence. Yes, Jesus weeps with them, but then Jesus does something more: He prays.

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:32 NIV

Jesus is not retired, waiting up in Heaven for you and I to get things right. No! Jesus remembers us, Jesus weeps with us and Jesus prays for us. Jesus also prays for every one who sits in memory care. Jesus also calls you and I to remember, to weep and to pray. Will you take time this week to remember someone who has been forgotten by most? A few minutes, a prayer, a kiss, or an arm around their shoulders, may not seem like much, but it is everything to them. Have a blessed day everyone and remember to pray for those in memory care and put some feet to those prayers this week.

Taking Care of Mom

/ pastorpete51 / 10 Comments 
When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” and from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. John 19:26-27 ESV

When we read the stories of Jesus calling His disciples, it becomes clear early on that He had a special job for three of them: Peter, James, and John. Though Peter’s brother Andrew followed Jesus first and was the one who told Peter about Him, it was Peter who was called to be the leader, and despite denying Christ at His trial, Peter was the same boldly preached to thousands on Pentecost. At first, thousands became Christians, but then a few months later, the second in that inner circle, James was put to death for his faith. But what about John? If Peter were to lead, and James to be martyred, what did Jesus ask John to do? Jesus called Him take care of His mother.

While Peter was out preaching, and later on Paul became the greatest evangelist of all time, John stayed home, and there accomplished two things: He wrote about Jesus and He took care of Mary. Maybe there were days when John wondered why he couldn’t have a more exciting ministry. Why couldn’t he go on a mission trip, schedule a speaking tour, or organize the growing church? In fact, after the first few chapters of the book of Acts, John disappears from our view entirely. It wasn’t that he wasn’t as smart, couldn’t speak well or know how to lead. The central issue of John’s life was that He was asked by Jesus to take care of someone most precious to Jesus: His mom!

In memory-care ministry, we are not asked to speak to large crowds, to oversee the construction of a new church or to travel overseas. Instead, Jesus calls us to enter a world that others hope to avoid, and many would like to forget. So, on days when you wonder if you are making any difference, you feel exhausted, or confused, just remember John. When we read through the New Testament, we don’t find a single word that John said, and yet he was called the disciple whom Jesus loved. You are likewise loved by Jesus, and He will fill you with His love for others as you continue to trust Him and just take care of mom!