Nursing Homes

Through the Great Waters

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

The closing of the door to nursing home ministry during Covid reminds me of this verse. 14 months ago the doors closed to in person visitation and frankly I was unwilling to continue putting myself and others at risk. Then came long uncertain and often confusing months of terrifying statistics and our world shut down to silence.

During that time I began producing weekly videos and put out a devotional newsletter as an effort to stay connected and to bring a little cheer. These were not professionally done nevertheless the residents seemed to like them. What a joy it was today to step out of those great waters today as I began singing again for my dear friends in memory care at Sunshine Christian Home. This is the second of three facilities where we used to have services to reopen.

A few even remembered me! I say all this to encourage you to never give up on what God has given you to do or the field of service he has called you to. No great waters are too great for God! In fact God delights in making a way through impossible obstacles because just like the children of Israel we can rejoice on the other side of the sea. For the record, the first song we sang after 14 months was, This is the Day. Yes this is most certainly the day the Lord has made!

Tomorrow the third place where I used to hold services has invited me also so I’ll update you on how that goes. If anyone has been involved with ministry at Long Term Care facilities and you have questions let me know.

Like a Home Coming!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

On my first time into Watermark Assisted Living since the beginning of the pandemic, it was great hearing my friends sing, taking their requests for songs and finding out that one elderly lady took on leading Bible studies once a week since they had been closed down. We often hear or even say things about God being in control but it is amazing to actually see how He has been doing it!

Here I am visiting after the service. We actually had a full room during our time of singing and prayer

Here is a photo of just visiting with some of my friends at Watermark after church. The room was almost full during our first church meeting we have had after 14 months of COVID. What a blessing. If you have been vaccinated, live in the North Tampa area and would like to help out let me know. For now we have been invited to meet every other Sunday at 11 AM. God has been faithful! So much to tell but space will not allow here!

Days of Hope

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. Mark 1:17

There is nothing that says hope quite like going fishing. We put some bait on a hook and cast it into the water and then wait just hoping for a bite. I loved the photo I used for the featured image today because it is of a Father teaching His son to fish. He doesn’t just sit on the beach and say, “Okay go for it!” No! Instead, He is right there behind him, holding the rod and showing Him everything he will need to learn to catch fish. That is what our Heavenly Father wants to do for every one of us when we answer His call to become fishers of men. He promises to stand by us and help us every step of the way! For those looking for a large print devotional for yourselves or for a loved one I have written the book 31 days of Hope. It is filled with personal stories of Hope especially for those in long term care or who are facing life altering challenges. Though originally released in 2017, this edition features many new devotionals that reflect world changing effects of the virus in all our lives. Here is the link for the Kindle version. This may be just what you need to give to someone else as an encouragement. You never know what a little hope can do!