http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2012-01-01T16_25_45-08_00
January 2012
Ministry Moment:
I was reaffirmed in my calling to the residents of nursing and adult foster care facilities this past week when I was introduced to a new resident in one of the homes. Due to the Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA) I am restrained from divulging any details but I can share that this person is a person of faith who has simply grown elderly.
As this person is adjusting to their new dwelling and the fact that the independence that they had always known and enjoyed has become more dependent upon others, it seems that their faith is being greatly tested. While change is always difficult for any of us, I can relate to the person of faith who finds themselves in a less desirable situation than they had ever really anticipated – and how the blessing of God is to be understood in new and even undesirable circumstances. To have one’s life-long faith jolted to the core is a hard thing to recover from – it is a perfect situation for the Evil One to do much damage.
I talked with this resident and discussed how I would love for a resident to conduct daily devotions and times of prayer with the other residents of the home. Although the person was non-committal at our meeting, my prayer is that over time this person of faith will find renewed purpose in their affliction.
I will not sugarcoat it: some change stinks horribly – especially when that change is a final life-altering change. However, even in bad situations like these, we can go out fighting the good fight of faith. I remember after the unsuspected passing of my dad I was very angry at God for letting such a tragedy happen in my life. However, as I considered it I came to realize that I was angry at the wrong person – it is sin and the Evil One that bring suffering and death, so I resolved to fight back with faith by sharing the love of Christ with people who needed to be loved by God. My hope is that I can encourage this new resident to that sort of resolve.
~John
Prayer Letter:
Dear Prayer Partner,
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012 – another year that will zip by in the flash of an eye. I pray that your New Year’s celebration was safe and happy.
I guess the first thing I want to ask you to pray with me about is for the residents who have moved on to other facilities and who no longer have the benefit of regular worship services in their new homes. Because of the New Year I’ve been thinking about the many people that I have shared God’s message of reconciliation with and who are no longer with me. Please pray with me that they will hold fast to the faith no matter what their situations. On the flip side of that coin, I have been thinking about the many new residents whom I will have the privilege of encouraging and sharing the grace of Christ with. Please pray with me for all the residents who come in and who go out – that I may encourage each resident with an enduring faith in the God who died for them.
Also, please be in prayer for me this year as I will be attempting to develop those who are with me to become faithful people of prayer. Not the normal times of “saying grace” or the standard “night time prayers” but rather a richer deeper prayer life full of fervor and faith. God placed this vision on my heart in early November during my time on retreat, and then just this month I read something from E. M. Bounds that really stressed the importance of this for me. Bounds states, “The pastor who succeeds in changing his people from a prayerless to a prayerful people, has done a greater work than did Augustus in changing a city from wood to marble. And after all, this is the prime work of the preacher.” Please be in prayer, first for me as I know that I have a ton to learn about prayer myself and then I have to communicate it clearly to the residents, second for the residents that they might understand my communications, and third that all of us are able to put into practice the often very difficult task of actually praying.
I mentioned in last month’s correspondence that as part of my endeavor to incorporate prayer into our faith lives, I will be incorporating a time of corporate prayer in the third week of every month. Please be in special prayer for these times as this will be something completely new for our services.
Now from all of us, I thank you again for your continued prayers and support. Without you so many people whom I serve would not have the hope that they have, and I would not have the extreme privilege of sharing the message of God’s love with the residents. You are certainly a blessing to us all.
In His Service,
John

