Nursing Home Update - June 2017

Broken Arrow

I am so thankful I can be a part of these peoples lives. During a time when they may feel like they have no pastor, I can be there for them. We raised our hands and our voices to the Lord in praise. (It's wonderful to watch them experience His presence.) Then, we looked at how important it is to abide in Him. The Bible says, If we abide in Him, and His Words abide in us, we can ask what we will and it shall be done. I find that after a service like this the residents don't want to leave. They want more. God is so good!

Now I'm off to Pawnee, "Strengthening The Saved - Saving The Lost."

Inola

I think this has been the third time I've been in Inola. We continue to grow. With each service there has been more residents in attendance. This mornings service reminded me of watching birds at a bird feeder - some have landed, some are hovering, and others are here and there watching from afar. I believe they will all be landing soon. We did have a great time. Inola is a great facility.

Okemah

Wow, this morning was great. The residents were certainly ready to praise the Lord. I also think it was good that Ann and I took a little brake over the weekend. We got away and just chilled for a couple of days. I didn't realize how much I needed that. (So far this month I've traveled 2,600 miles and ministered 32 times.) I love it, but I guess it's good to take a break once in a while. Anyway enough of me. We had residents and staff in the meeting. Hands were in the air as we sang. And then, others heard the music from down the halls and came in. It just seemed like the Spirit of God caused a cool breeze to flow throughout the facility. It was wonderful. God is so good!

Barnsdall

We had another wonderful service in Barnsdall. As a traveling minister, the one thing I look at in a nursing home is - Do they honor the Lord? The Barnsdall nursing home is very high on the list when it come to honoring God. The Bible says, "for them that honor Me I will honor." 1 Sam. 2:30

We lifted our hands and our voices to the Lord in praise and worship. Then, we looked into the Word and saw the importance of abiding in Him. He said, I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me you will bear much fruit. As Christians we want to see the Kingdom of God grow and increase. The life is in the vine. Abide in Him!

Muskogee

I am thrilled at how many different ways the same message can be preached. The Lord knows what needs to be said at each facility. This afternoon was quit different from this morning. At the close of this afternoons service I began talking about death. I said, "We are running a race. In the Olympics many of the Olympians have been working their whole life to run in that final race. The closer they get to the finish line, the harder they will push." Then I said, "I just turned 65 but that doesn't mean I'm backing off. That just means I'm getting closer to the finish line. I need to set my pace and run to the end. This is not a sprint. This is a marathon." This kind of talk gives purpose to those in nursing care facilities. Something that I heard many years ago; "As long as I am breathing, God still has a plan and a purpose for my life." We continue to: Strengthen The Saved - Save The Lost.

Muskogee

We continue to grow at this facility. I mean growing in numbers and growing spiritually. The staff is very good at bringing in the residents. I really appreciate that because I can't do that all on my own. (Ps. 34:7 says, "His angel guards those who honor the Lord and rescues them from danger.") I'm not sure we realize how important it is to honor the Lord. Those who honor the Lord by helping with these services will be guarded and protected from danger. I've noticed that those who honor the Lord are happier and healthier. Here is a good bit of advise - ALWAYS HONOR THE LORD.

Claremore

We had fun this morning. I asked the residents if it was okay to have fun. They had a gleam in their eyes letting me know it was okay. We sang the hymns we normally sing but we sure did have fun doing it. So many times their day-to-day life is not very much fun. Today we changed that. (Prov. 17:22 "A merry heart does good, like medicine,") So, I guess you could say we took a lot of medicine this morning.

Pryor

We stirred up the goodness of God this morning. The more we sang about the goodness of God, and the more I talked about the Goodness of God, the happier we got. After I packed up and was ready to leave I noticed many of the residents telling each other stories of the goodness of God in their lives. (I think were developing a bunch of preachers. That's a good thing. :) Now, it's on to Jay.

Stillwater

There were some very disturbed residents this afternoon in Stillwater. They seemed to be very confused about who they were and where they were supposed to be. It looked like work for the Holy Ghost. I started some music and then we started to sing. The old blood songs are very powerful. After a few songs, that lifted up the name of Jesus, things began to change for the better. The crying and yelling stopped and we were actually singing the hymns in harmony. Before the service I could not reason with many of the residents. After the service we carrying on normal conversations as if there was never anything wrong. I told the activities director, "I believe I'm giving them back to you in better shape than I got them." She said they had been having trouble with them all day long. It is the power of God and it is wonderful thing to watch.

Strengthening The Saved - Saving The Lost