Nursing Home Music

His Eye is On the Sparrow

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

Did you know that Jesus not only commands us to give thanks, but that He also gave thanks Himself? He thanked God for bread, before He fed the five thousand and even more amazingly, when He gave it to the disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus, knowing that everyone would run away, and that Judas would betray Him, still gave thanks. It strikes me that the anxious thoughts, problems and struggles that frustrate and keep me awake at night are nowhere near what Jesus faced. And yet in the middle of it all He was thankful. I am learning that when I let go of circumstances that are way beyond my control and trust them into the hands of God a miracle happens. The peace of God that is way beyond my understanding comes to keep and guard my mind in Christ Jesus. I may not see the answer to my prayers today or in the way I hoped, but God will be honored, I will be guided in the way He wants and in the end His blessing will be more than worth it all!

Garden of Prayer!

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Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” Matthew 25:36 NKJV

When Hurricane Milton passed through, everyone in our area, including all the residents at Life Care Center, were evacuated. This first service since we returned featured a new appreciation for how God preserved us and brought us back together. There is no better hymn to sing in celebration than “The Beautiful Garden of Prayer.” We passed through a time of anxiety, difficulty and testing and as we prayed, God drew us closer to His heart and deeper into the Beautiful Garden of Prayer! “The lyrics for The Beautiful Garden of Prayer were written by Eleanor Schroll and first published in 1920. The wonderful lilting melody was composed by James Filmore. This little-known hymn is one of my favorites and it reminds me of when Jesus invited His disciples to join Him in prayer, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Though they did not know it, this was the last time they would be able to pray with Jesus before His crucifixion. That invitation remains today for all of us who follow Christ. He is already in the garden, and He is calling us to join Him. No matter what situation we are facing, He will open the gates and welcome us to kneel by His side and pray. Won’t you come to His side whether in praise or in sorrow and tarry there an hour? What better place could we ever wait, than in the presence of the Savior?

Welcome to Sunday School!

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You might think people at the nursing home, just want to hear a few quiet hymns, pray and go back to their rooms. But nothing could be further from the truth! Not only do they like some hand clapping and foot stomping music, but they also LOVE Sunday School songs! This was a recent session from Life Care Center, that we recorded last Friday. I hope you will not only enjoy the music and story, but that you will be inspired to trust God and pray and stand firmly on the B-I-B-L-E through every storm!

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life Matthew 6:26-27 NIV