Nursing Homes

Embracing Christ’s Humility in Nursing Home Ministry

/ pastorpete51 / 9 Comments

“Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:5 ESV

A lot of people have come to me over the years, and say, “I want to get involved in nursing home ministry, but where do I get started?” Well, the truth is, I don’t know all the answers, but I have learned that nursing-home ministry, just like any other type of service in the body of Chrost is about joining team Jesus. Maybe it would help if you could just imagine getting together with friends to play a game of football. The team captains have already been chosen, and they begin to call out the names of those they pick. One by one, people go and stand next to their captain. In nursing home ministry, Jesus is not only our captain, but He is also the quarterback. He calls the plays in the huddle, throws the ball to different people on different occasions, and sometimes, even calls for a time out so that we can go to the sidelines to talk to our coach.

“But what can I do?” is an often-repeated question, and there is no single answer, because we all have different roles that God has given us to play. Maybe you are a people person, but not a public speaker. Why not see if a few residents might like to join a small Bible study one morning a week. Others of you can play an instrument, and you could team up with someone to hold a Sunday afternoon service, for those that can’t make it to church. One lady I met was a hairdresser, who volunteered a few hours a week to do hair, and while they were in the chair, she listened to their stories, pointed them to Jesus and prayed with them. But before you do anything, the most important thing of all is to listen to the coach, that is spend time in prayer. He already has a plan for you and me, but He gives us the privilege of seeking it out, knocking on His door, and then asking for His help to do what He asks.

But the key to everything we do is to follow how Jesus did things. In the upper room on the night of the Last Supper, Jesus shocked His disciples by washing their feet. In fact, Peter was so shocked that at first he refused to allow Jesus to wash his feet. More often than not, you and I are just like Peter. We have dirty feet, and we hate to admit it and we would hate even more for Jesus to see those feet and then kneel down and wash them. We feel so ashamed, so unworthy, so hopelessly out of control. We suddenly see how far we are from where God intends for us to be, but truth be told, that place of humility is exactly where Jesus wants us to be. He can’t use us to serve in the lives of others, until He has become the washer of our feet. We must be ready for the humility of receiving from Him before He can use us to give with humility to others.

“But what does that mean for me?” you might ask. In my case it has meant stopping a meeting to pray for a man who fell out of his wheelchair, or going into a room and praying with a family as their loved lies unresponsive in their bed. Joining team Jesus has often meant ditching my carefully planned meeting and responding to unexpected and sometimes unpleasant situations with grace. How that approach applies in your local community, begins by doing the things that Jesus did in the upper room that night. First, Jesus took off His robe, then He wrapped a towel around His waist. Now, this wasn’t just any old robe. This was the seamless one that had been lovingly woven by his mother and given to Him as a special gift. His robe marked His well-earned place of respect in His home, His village and among His disciples. Think of it like the steps I take before starting a painting project around our home. I set aside my nice comfortable jeans and slip into an old pair that hangs in our garage. Then my favorite t-shirt gets put away and I get the old worn-out one from my dresser. Last, I take off my new sneakers and dig out the beat-up ones kept in the bin holding my rollers and paint brushes.

So, if you are feeling God tugging on your heart to serve in long-term care ministry, begin where Jesus began.: on His knees in service to us. Start by asking yourself, “Where has God called me to serve? ” Then embrace the humility of Jesus, put aside the things that feel comfortable, and put on the work clothes needed for the job that God is calling you to do today!

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Looking Out the Windows

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

‭‭Psalm 68:5 ESV‬‬ Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

As I walked up yesterday, I saw Norma’s hands pressed against the glass door panels of the memory care ward. She stòod there looking out and wondering if anyone would open the door for her again, as they did when she was young and lovely. But now, the door is locked. She cannot leave, nor can anyone enter without being buzzed in. There is little fresh air, no place to walk in a garden, no bench to sit at in a park, nor any birds to feed. There are just two hallways, an activity space with a television and a small lunch room. Visitors are few and the staff is often overwhelmed both mentally and physically. But God remembers. He knows her name, her heart and every sorrow. He came to earth not only for the strong, the young and comfortable. He came because He remembered all the Norma’s, and offered Himself as a friend and a Father, who has counted every hair and then gave His life on the cross for us all.

Listening at the Nursing Home

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
James 1:19 NLT

When my wife and I were learning Portuguese, from our friends at the Brazilian church where we served on staff, we found that listening was key. We had to be quiet and pay close attention as people were speaking. Another fun way was to join in as we saw the words for the worship songs, heard others singing around us and finally a tiny bit at a time ventured to join them with our own voices. Then, little by little, as we increased our vocabulary and improved our dreadful accents, we were able to enter into conversations with our friends.

The same kind of listening is important when serving in a long-term care facility. It does little good and sometimes much harm, to simply come in with all of our own ideas of what we think the people need. Life in long-term care, whether it is assisted living, memory care or a traditional skilled nursing facility is an entirely different world from living in our neighborhood. Just as when we were learning Portuguese, it is hard for most of us to be quiet long enough to hear what the people, who God has sent us to serve, are saying. In spite of the fact that we have two ears and one mouth, I find that talking is far easier than taking time to listen. But only listening long enough to know the hearts of our dear friends will teach us how to share the message of the love of Jesus Christ in a language that they can understand! So, lets close our mouths more and open our ears wider and ask God to help us to listen. Only then will we be able to know what to say, when God calls us to share with others the message of the hope of Jesus Christ.