Observations From Behind The Keyboards

(5/20/2008)

(Third in a series re-living the nursing home ministries of Darwin and Pat Brownson)


What are we doing here, Lord?

When we first started the nursing home ministry at Life Care Center, with Larry Haag preaching, Pat playing the piano and sometimes being a song leader (at times, Larry was the preacher and song leader), we often wondered at the value of our time spent.

It seemed most of the people who came to services placidly accepted being wheeled or led into the room, and either slept or stared vacuously into some distance that no one else could see. Pat once asked the Lord whether the services were truly ordained by Him, or just "good intentions gone to seed," (a phrase her grandmother used and had seen acted out too many times through the years).

The Lord was not slow to answer. He pointed out that these people were at a time in their lives where they would likely never have another chance to come to know or acknowledge Him. They had either put it off thinking they would do so at the 'last hour of the day,' or had never had someone who would/could present them to Him. They are indeed at the last hour of the day. He also reminded us that He knows the heart, that we only see the aging surface, but He sees beyond the deafness, dimmed eyes and slowed speech. He does not require eloquence, only faithfulness from us while He performs the miracles of the heart where we cannot go.

These anecdotes in the Shekinah newsletter are about moments when He opened tiny windows for us to see bits of the wonderful things He was doing in the lives of these precious old souls.

Editor: God is no respecter of persons, and does not rank the needs of prisoners ahead of the needs of our elders. Neither do we. And we are as eager to expand into more nursing homes as we are to begin after-care programs. But, both take money, and we sorely need more support staff.. God will provide; but he will provide through people -- that's how God works. He won't turn on a celestial printing press and send money via Angels Express; but He will whisper in the ears of those who can help.