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God's timing

3/29/2017

1 Comment

 
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I see so much long-term suffering at the nursing home where I hang out -- from the pains of old age, from the sorrow of losing loved ones, from the heartache caused by neglectful children.

Not surprisingly, the Lord makes all the difference in these lives: Those who are His bear up well under sometimes crippling physical pain or devastating losses -- often with joy, even without the "help" of psych medications. Those who are not His, and are not interested in anything about Him, do not. 

I was just reminded of the difference He makes when I stumbled across some writings I'd saved from the wonderful old devotional Streams in the Desert. I am sure that the contentment of those who belong to Jesus can be attributed to their understanding of the precious truths highlighted in essays such as this: 

"And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush…saying…I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt" (Acts 7:30, 32, 34).

"That was a long wait in preparation for a great mission. When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; and at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work. --Dr. Jowett 

"God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long or too dull. 

"The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short, sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years, and day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength, and without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair. 

"Joseph's was a long trial, and God often has to burn His lessons into the depths of our being by the fires of protracted pain. 'He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver,' but He knows how long, and like a true goldsmith He stops the fires the moment He sees His image in the glowing metal. 

"We may not see now the outcome of the beautiful plan which God is hiding in the shadow of His hand; it yet may be long concealed; but faith may be sure that He is sitting on the throne, calmly waiting the hour when, with adoring rapture, we shall say, 'All things have worked together for good.' 
  
"Like Joseph, let us be more careful to learn all the lessons in the school of sorrow than we are anxious for the hour of deliverance. There is a 'need-be' for every lesson, and when we are ready, our deliverance will surely come, and we shall find that we could not have stood in our place of higher service without the very things that were taught us in the ordeal. 

"God is educating us for the future, for higher service and nobler blessings; and if we have the qualities that fit us for a throne, nothing can keep us from it when God's time has come. Don't steal tomorrow out of God's hands. Give God time to speak to you and reveal His will. He is never too late; learn to wait." --Selected
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Just so Christ is preached

3/20/2017

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Amazingly, healthcare powerhouse Merck admits, in its famous ​​Merck Manual, that elderly people "who are actively involved in religious groups, particularly those in major religious traditions, tend to be healthier." What's more, says Merck, "Health care practitioners should support the patient's religious involvement as long as it does not interfere with necessary medical care because such involvement may contribute to good health." 

Never mind that "religious involvement" on some level is foundational to grasping the truth of where we came from, what we're doing here and where we're going -- in particular, where we will spend eternity. If caregivers welcome visits from Christians only for the sake of temporal health, so be it. Hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ will undoubtedly draw some elderly folk through the narrow gate to eternal life even if their caregivers are only trying to help them feel a little better.    

This is especially good news for long-term-care residents living in facilities run by the spiritually dead. After all, Merck's advice may persuade such operators to ramp up their spiritual offerings, solely to make their lives easier; who cares about their motives, as long as residents are exposed to the gospel? 

As the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:15-18, "Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice."  Amen! 
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Beware of elder financial abuse

3/18/2017

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Here's an important alert from the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC): "Incidents of elder abuse are increasing at an alarming rate across the nation, according to the U.S. Justice Department and other authoritative private and public agencies" -- and financial exploitation is "a particularly insidious form" of this problem. If you're responsible for the well-being of an elderly person, please stay alert. You'll find suggestions here. 
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A silent epidemic? You do the math.

3/14/2017

4 Comments

 
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I've been interested in the euthanasia issue for years. It was a topic of debate  among the people I knew in the 1960s, along with the writings of reincarnation enthusiasts like Ruth Montgomery; if you’re coming back anyway, why not cut this miserable leg of your journey short? It was also a topic in my unpublished 1994 novel about the future of America under socialized medicine (I’m used to canned rejections, but in this case I received a slew of very personal and very outraged rejections from NY agents and publishers). 
 
In recent years, I've actively researched the subject. My interest has been piqued by reading about euthanasia’s increasing popularity in the Netherlands, where three different terms are used to describe it so that it doesn’t seem quite so prevalent. I know a few big fans of the late Jack Kevorkian. And get this: There really is a "Church of Euthanasia." Its slogan appears to be "Save the planet, kill yourself."  

I have certainly heard all the arguments in favor of such practices. Of course, these arguments reject the ultimate Authority on this subject and all others, the Lord God Himself. He said, “Thou shalt not kill,” and that should settle the issue once and for all. 
 
It even seems that our leaders in Washington would agree. They and their supporters keep assuring us doubters that NO ONE is talking about bureaucrats killing the elderly or even advising them to give up and die. During the Obama years, they pointed out repeatedly that the President had specifically denied that the government would do anything of the sort. “Just the opposite,” they said.
 
Right. Politicians do say such things. 
 
But since when does what a politician SAYS have anything to do with what he DOES or, in this case, WILL HAVE TO DO? Have our fearless leaders somehow managed to reverse the laws of mathematics just as they've learned to ignore scientific laws on everything from entropy to biogensis? Perhaps it's now Common Core okay to reject this plain old balance-your-checkbook equation:

Fewer Taxpayers (thanks in part to 50+million aborted babies)          
+  Oodles of Baby Boomers on Medicare and Medicaid 
Not Enough Money To Pay for It All. 
 
But hold on: Even in our topsy-turvy, "good is evil and evil is good" world, this equation should still hold. Given limited resources (and honestly, Virginia, goverment does not have its own money), healthcare will have to be rationed. And guess who’ll be the first to get rationed right out of the picture? 
 
That’s right: the folks who can no longer afford to make even a meager contribution to either government coffers or politicians’ war chests.  ​

​God help us.
4 Comments

Could you be "all the world" to her?

3/7/2017

0 Comments

 
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Spotted in an email containing a dozen aphorisms presented with photos of gorgeous flowers: 

“You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be all the world to one person.”

How true this is – and how wonderful it is to be “all the world” to someone who’s otherwise all alone!  

The easiest way to achieve this enviable position is (surprise, surprise) to volunteer some of your free time at the nearest nursing home – especially by visiting with a resident one-on-one, as regularly as possible so she can look forward to your next visit. 

(I say “she” because something like 90% of nursing-home residents are women. But there’s no reason to ignore the men, and in fact it would be great if more men would volunteer their time to visit these often equally lonely residents.)

While you’re there, you can perhaps take care of little tasks that she can no longer handle, like watering a favorite plant or hanging up a sweater or blouse that was somehow forgotten in last night’s bedtime scramble or writing letters that her arthritic hands can’t manage.

But even more important, invite her to tell you all about herself – her history, her family, her likes and dislikes, her past and present challenges and victories. Pretend you're a reporter and ask polite follow-up questions. Act like you're her best friend and you soon will be, and in most cases you’ll find yourself feeling like she’s one of your best friends, too. 

In the course of these visits, you can of course tell her about yourself, too – especially when you’re having a conversation about this or that, so that you can bond through shared experiences and viewpoints. But be wary of dominating the conversation; a little “I” goes a long way. 

Most important, if you’re a Christian, be open to talking about your faith, and inviting her to talk about hers. Most women of nursing-home age were raised in a church, and many have rock-solid faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But there are exceptions, and sooner or later you’ll want to present the gospel – and invite your new friend to receive the free gift of eternal life through repentance and trust in Christ Jesus.  

What do you think? Would you like to be all the world to someone in desperate need of someone who cares? If so, call the Activities Director at your neighborhood nursing home today, and find out how to get started!
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    Kitty
    Foth-Regner

    I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, a freelance copywriter, a nursing-home volunteer, and the author of books both in-process and published -- including
    Heaven Without Her.

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