You've Got To Be Ready For Anything!

I've got to tell you about our visit to the nursing home this afternoon.  We go every month to one of the two homes here and our Sr. Adult Choir sings.  We sing the old hymns and some of the special music that we sing in the early service.  It's enjoyable and we certainly have a great time ministering to these folks.

We have a man who usually comes to everything we do.  We haven't seen him in a while and we were concerned that he, uh, well had passed away.  But he hadn't and today we came in and he was sitting on the couch in the living room area where we sing (covered from head to toe in a blanket--blanket covering his head.)  It seriously looked like someone had passed and they were waiting for the funeral home to come pick him up.

About half way through our songs, he began to stir.  He's blind and deaf, but he began to belt out "I'm Gonna Lay My Burden Down".  He did a great job and we accompanied him.  As soon as he was done he covered his face back up and went back to sleep.

Just then out of the corner of my eye I caught the big screen TV in the corner showing Wild Kingdom or something.  So what you say?  Uh... they were showing the live birth of a giraffe.  I mean there was full coverage of the whole thing--I mean every possible shot.  I was trying to lead the choir, but was chuckling--thinking what else can happen.

When you go to the nursing home you've got to be ready for anything.  They just need your presence to let them know they haven't been forgotten.

What has been your most unusual ministry experience?

Here I Am Lord

Our Senior Adult choir sings monthly at one of two nursing homes in the area. Late last year we sang at one of these homes for Christmas. As we got ready to depart one of the residents slipped me a piece of music and asked "Can you sing this next time?"

I forgot about that music until we were preparing to go to that same home yesterday to sing. I pulled out the music and told the story to the choir. They were excited to sing it for the man.

When we began the piece yesterday, I could see the man smile from ear to ear. When we got to the chorus "Here I Am Lord" he was singing at the top of his lungs. I thought to myself as he sang this, here is this man in a nursing home and he's calling out to the Lord to use him even in the midst of a situation which is less than desireable. What can we learn from this?

1. We're never too far that we can't call on the Lord. The cry "Here I Am Lord" is a surrender to the Lord's will whatever situation we find ourselves in.
2. God isn't finished until he's finished. We may give up on God's work--but He doesn't. Whatever situation we find ourselves in can be used by God for his Kingdom and purpose.

"Here I am Lord, I have heard you calling in the night. I will go Lord if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart"