Dear Fellow Christians,
We salute you and thank our Heavenly Father for your faith in the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Oh, may we never lose sight of how precious and priceless our trust in God is! Let us all remember the price that our Savior paid to afford us daily, moment by moment communion with Him by the Holy Spirit living in our human hearts.
It is humbling to walk so close to the One by whom the numberless stars were hung in immeasurable, unapproachable space. He populated our oceans and our lands with the life of teaming plants and hosts of animals. The Master Artist created the enthralling multitude of colors and textures and shapes of our world and then spread them out in gripping landscapes from desert to forest to mountain to ocean to grassy plane.
This Wonder of creativity and diversity and intelligence and infinite loving-kindness reaches out to us, the wayward, errant, fallen crown of His creation. He calls, down through the annuls of history, to whomever will hear: “Come unto me!” The omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal Creator God actually wants us, though we be rebels and sinners, to humble ourselves and stretch our arms out for Him! Oh, the thought that He desires to walk and talk with us! He wants to be our Friend, our Comforter, our Teacher!
My God! What a Treasure Your children hold in clay vessels! Stir us all, Lord Jesus, to drop any lingering hint of the facáde of self-righteousness and pride to run without reserve to Your beckoning mercy and grace. Forgive us for when we wander away from Your Will and the protection of Your hand. Grant each of us a fresh revelation of the reality of Your loving presence and Your longing for our fellowship. Grant us a faith that tenaciously grasps and abidingly basks in close communion with You.
Lord Jesus Christ, we long to share this encouragement with our friends in nursing homes. You are not a respecter of persons. You care for the elderly and the infirm to whom we minister. We want to be a blessing to them especially in the most important way of strengthening their faith and hope and love in You. You know their struggles and their loss. You really do feel their pain and their confusion. And You are just as ready and able to minister the joy and peace of Your presence to them as You are to anyone.
Dear God, anoint Your servants who labor in Your mission field of nursing home ministry with the Holy Ghost and Fire. Give them spiritual light in Your Holy Word. Quicken to their minds bright illustrations to cast beams of understanding on Your Truth for those who come to their “church services.” Bless the weary hearts with the songs they sing, the thoughts they share and the Scriptures they read. Give Your soldiers in care center ministry faith to pray prayers of liberation and healing and hope. Lord, we humbly ask that the fruit of our work for You in long-term care settings all over the world be that untold numbers will discover and recover victory and liberty and abundant life in communion with You! Amen.
For you, our fellow servants of Christ, we give thanks to God and pray blessings for you as your friendship and support and prayers are such a blessing to us.
With Love In Christ,
Jerry and Dar Johnson