Nursing Home Ministry

If You feel far from God – Guess who moved?

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

This week at Life Care was an interesting experience and a perfect example of why we must expect, the unexpected. Today we were looking around wondering where half of our faithful friends were as the meeting began. Then we discovered, halfway through, as they briskly wheeled several of them back, that they had been with the podiatrist getting their toenails clipped! That made me laugh, but it also made me realize that all the planning in the world, can’t foresee everything, and sometimes we just need to go with the flow! I do hope you like our rendition of “Just a Closer Walk”. This song reminds me of the question my stepmom used to ask anyone who would listen. “If you feel far from God, guess who moved?” Of course the answer is that God is right where He has been all along. 

 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.
Luke 15:23-24 NKJV

The blessing is that when we come to Him (or come back to Him), God is willing to receive us and accept us into His family. In the story of the prodigal son, the first thing the father did was to have them kill the fatted calf. That calf was a special animal which was reserved for a celebration. That calf going to the barbeque grill irritated the older brother because of the expense, but it cost God far more than a calf for us to come to Him. It cost Him the life of His only Son. Thank God that the blood of Jesus That is certainly a prayer which God loves to answer!

Your Father Feeds Them

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 ESV

Our younger son recently gave me a book by Pastor Tony Evans called, Kingdom Man. Though it is from a few years back, the basic principles on biblical manhood really haven’t changed. Being a bit of a bird lover, I especially enjoyed his take on this verse about how God takes care of the birds. He says, “A bird can’t just sit on a branch with its beak wide open, waiting for God to drop a worm down…” Though Dr. Evans was mainly focused on alerting men to their responsibility to work, this line inspired me with a slightly different message which I shared at Life Care Center on Friday.

First, God has given every bird its own song. Long before dawn the rooster begins his crow, in the daytime the Chickadee peeps and in the middle of the night, the owls hoot and pigeons coo. In that same way, each of us, needs to lift our voice in our own way, every day to our Father in prayer. Yes, He knows what we need, but He is waiting to hear our voice. Next, whether it be night or day, every bird, is appointed a time to look for food. Whether seeds or fish, carrion or worms, every bird knows they must to look for food. In that same way, we are each given a source of food, called the Bible. Within its pages, there are more than 7,000 promises, numerous warnings and chapters of helpful guidance for our lives. But God will not whisper the stories of Genesis in our ear, while we play golf, nor will he sing the Psalms over us when we are watching TV. It is our responsibility to open up our Bibles and seek our daily bread. In my dad’s last week of life, one of his great comforts was a nurse who came and spent time reading the Bible to Him on her night shift. Dad didn’t say, “Well I’ve lived a godly life, I know Jesus as my Savior, so what’s the use.” No! He knew that his source of strength was to be found in the pages of God’s book. Last of all, every bird has a job. Eagles build their nests, our mockingbird swoops down to harass the hawk, because it is too near his nest, and mother robin must feed an endless supply of worms to her chicks. In the same way, we all have an opportunity to serve. It is not God’s job to mow our neighbor’s lawn when they are sick. He will not bake a cake for your son’s birthday, nor will He do the dishes, when your wife needs a break. Jesus already has finished His part. Now it is our privilege to do ours, and then watch in grateful amazement as God takes care of all our needs!

I do hope you like our rendition of “His Eye is On the Sparrow. It has been a great blessing having our newest volunteer, Sharon Clark, helping me to sing. I have already put her on notice, that when we go to visit family this summer, that it will be her turn to keep the meetings going. Have a blessed weekend all!

From the top, these are Mallard ducks roosting on a neighbors roof, a group of Ibises near our community pond, a Muscovy Duck, an Anhinga drying its wings and a Great White Egret looking for lizards.

No More Regrets!

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10 ESV

As I have grown older, one battle I often find myself in, is with letting go of regrets. Oh, I am fully convinced that Jesus has paid the price for my sins, and for reasons beyond my understanding has chosen to include me in His family. But when I look back at parts of my life, that were dominated by selfish actions and choices, I am filled with regret and shame. A few years ago, I turned down the invitation to my 50th class reunion, mostly because of regrets. But God has been working in my heart over this issue, and I thought I would share the hope I am finding with others who struggle with this issue. In today’s verse, the Apostle Paul speaks directly to our problem of regret and makes a differentiation between, godly grief and worldly grief. He says that our grief over our sins cannot be avoided. We must come to recognize that it was our sins that drove Jesus to the cross. Our wicked actions meant His beating, mocking, cruel crown of thorns and nails through His hands and feet. Anyone who simply thinks they may dance into God’s kingdom without passing through repentance, has entirely missed the gospel message. The grief that God intends will bring us to the cross, but it does not leave us there. God does not want us to live our entire lives engulfed by shame, instead He wants us to look up to the face of Jesus and listen to His voice, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus has forgiven all our sins and with them, every regret. God’s will is not for us to live consumed by regrets, but instead filled with praise, both in Heaven, and on earth. We will be far more effective witnesses of His love, forgiveness, and compassion if we release those regrets to God and show others that true repentance is God’s chosen pathway to life, not the place where He wishes for us to pitch our tents. How wonderful the depth, breadth, and height of the love of Jesus Christ! How beyond our understanding is His release from regrets and the loving purpose of His heart!