Everlasting Place
  • Home
  • One way
    • Proof
  • Sadie Sparrow
    • Sadie Sparrow Excerpt
    • Author Chat
    • Articles
    • Book Reviews
  • Memoir
    • Memoir Excerpts
    • Reviews, interviews & endorsements
  • Blogs
    • Eternal eyes: a blog about forever
    • Golden years: a blog about the elderly
  • Old folks
    • Planting tips for Christians
  • Messages from Chris Carrillo
  • Library
  • Bookstore
  • Contact

"Snake Eyes"

7/30/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man, Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder, ~1617

​Are you viewing God through the eyes of the serpent?
 
That was the chilling question raised by Chris Carrillo during our most recent Christian Music Hour at Care-age of Brookfield. To address it, he took us back to Genesis 3 and showed us exactly what the serpent did to seduce Eve, and therefore Adam, into doubting, denying and disobeying their Creator.
 
If you’d like to know how to identify Satan’s methods and protect yourself from becoming his next victim—or if you need a quick refresher course—please listen to this important message: 
Want to hear more from our favorite preacher? Visit our Messages from Chris Carrillo page for access to all his Care-age sermons since I finally figured out how to share them on this site.
 
If you’re reading this via email, please click on the title above to be taken to the audio file.
0 Comments

A heavenly welcoming committee

7/23/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
I recently updated my list of all the friends I’ve made at the nursing home over the last two decades. What great memories each name inspires! I can still see just about all of these dear people in my mind’s eye, and can still recall conversations we enjoyed, events we shared, gifts we gave each other.  
 
A handful of these lovely folks left for other places – kids' houses, or assisted living facilities, or their current homes. But most have escaped this earthly veil entirely, many of them to the eternal life that Jesus promised all who repent and trust in Him.
 
I went through my list slowly, thinking about how much I’ve missed each one, realizing anew that I will surely be seeing this one and that one again when I die. Maybe there are even ever-changing welcoming committees in heaven, so that every believer is greeted by the brothers and sisters in Christ whom he knew and loved on earth.
 
What a happy thought that is – one that makes the prospect of death’s process even less frightening, since these friends have all been through it and emerged whole, healthy and joyful forevermore.
 
Of course, the most overwhelming sight will be of Jesus Himself – “the One who died for me,” as Jimmie Davis wrote in the beautiful gospel hymn “I Bowed on My Knee and Cried Holy.” After all, as the apostle Paul assured believers in 2 Corinthians 5:8, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  
 
But how wonderful it will be to see all these well-loved friends once again, rejoicing in “the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
 
If you’d like to expand your own heavenly welcoming committee, why not begin visiting folks at a nearby nursing home soon? Here's how to get started.
0 Comments

The joy of a changed heart

7/16/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Of all Jesus’ teachings, perhaps one of the best known was quoted by the apostle Paul in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Just about everyone’s familiar with that saying, even if they’ve never cracked open a Bible.
 
It’s a lesson I’ve learned well as a nursing home volunteer. I invariably get far more out of the time I spend visiting the elderly than they themselves do – in large part because my heart is so often changed even by visits that I might once have found tiresome. 
 
Such changes of heart were once described beautifully in “women’s novels.” One prime practitioner was author Anne Parrish, who wrote of it in her 1936 novel, Golden Wedding.
 
This enchanting story traces the life of a very imperfect woman named Laura from the late 1800s well into the Great Depression. She is married to an even more imperfect man who becomes quite wealthy through hard work and long hours at the office; one of the compensations he offers his wife is letting her father, a failed musician but highly successful drunk, live with them.
 
Laura’s relationship with her father changes her, little by little, in ways that no one else would ever notice. As Parrish wrote:
 
“When she thirsted for solitude, she would make herself go to her father. Always, after a time, she felt at peace, the hardness in her breast became a heart again. She would listen, not with concealed impatience, but with the true patience that is self-forgetfulness and loving-kindness, to tales of his youth ...”
 
Parrish had it exactly right. Too often, I begin a less-than-fascinating visit with one eye on the clock, thinking about moving on to the more interesting friends awaiting me down the hall. But then, as each old man or woman talks on and on, something amazing happens: I really start listening to him or her. I forget about my schedule and To Do list and allow myself to become engaged in these tales of a distant past. And I discover once again an unfathomable joy, unknown to me before I became a follower of Jesus Christ.
 
In 2 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul described the transformation underlying this change as becoming a new creature in Christ; and I think that’s a terrific picture. But this phenomenon was perhaps best captured by the prophet Ezekiel more than 2500 years ago, in a promise the Lord made to the nation of Israel: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) 
 
Whatever the explanation, it’s something that any follower of Christ can experience routinely in the here and now, via “the true patience that is self-forgetfulness and loving-kindness.” I hope you know it well -- and if you are not doing so already, that you'll consider exercising it on behalf of "the least of these," the elderly men and women populating our nursing homes. 
0 Comments

Is Jesus your friend?

7/9/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
This past Memorial Day, our favorite preacher Chris Carrillo delivered a wonderfully warm message to the folks gathered at Care-age of Brookfield for the Christian Music Hour. In a sermon entitled “Jesus Our Friend,” Chris drew from King David’s experience with friendships in 1 Samuel 17-20—specifically, his friendships with Jonathan and with God Himself.
 
Jesus wants to be your friend, Chris pointed out. And He proved it by laying down His life for you. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to what Chris had to say about this most critical subject.
Then, if Jesus is not yet your friend, why not change that situation today? Examine the evidence for His divine authority, and then deliver your own heartfelt message to Him—something along these lines:
 
Dear Lord Jesus, I admit that I’m a sinner, incapable of saving myself and therefore headed for an eternity in hell. But I believe that You, God the Son, died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sin of the entire world, including mine. Now, as I turn from my sin and to You, I ask for Your forgiveness and place my trust entirely in You. Thank You for the free gift of eternal life, my Lord and Savior. It’s in your name that I pray, amen. 
 
If you prayed such a prayer, don’t wait another day: Get yourself a Bible and read it daily. Then find a good Bible-teaching church to help you grow in the Lord.
 
And if you’re reading this via email, please click on the title above to be taken to the audio recording of “Jesus Our Friend.” 
0 Comments

The busiest people of all

7/2/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
“Now that,” Meg thought as she wended her way back to the Great Room, for once oblivious to the magnificent forest views flanking her almost every step of the way, “was a fantastic way to spend a Friday afternoon.”
 
She found Lucy standing atop one of the long tables they used for crafts, hanging Valentine’s Day decorations from hooks embedded in the ceiling’s coffered tiles.
 
“Don’t tell me you were with Sadie all afternoon.” Lucy was smiling, but not warmly. “I thought you’d be back in time to help bring folks home from bingo.”
 
“Sorry. We were just having such a great talk that I lost all track of time.”
 
“Well, it will please her daughter.” She stepped back to examine her handiwork. Satisfied, she eased herself down to the floor. “Sadie has long-term-care insurance, but Dana’s the one calling the shots on where it’s spent. I’ll email her about all the time you’re spending with her mother. She’ll like that.”
 
“What I can’t figure out,” Meg said, “is why she wouldn’t kill to spend time with Sadie. She’s fascinating!”
 
“It’s tough to understand, all right. But maybe Dana’s one of those ‘forever young’ kids—doesn’t have a clue that she’ll be in the same position one day herself, if she lives long enough. Or maybe she knows and doesn’t want the reminder.”
 
Lucy gathered up her leftover decorations and tossed them in a plastic tub. “But like I said, even though she’s one of the worst I’ve seen, it happens all the time. You’ll never see a busier bunch than the kids of parents in nursing homes.”
 
--From The Song of Sadie Sparrow, page 75
0 Comments

    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.

    Archives

    December 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Care to subscribe?

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Anas Qtiesh, quinn.anya, skippyjon, gagilas, ulrichkarljoho, Schleeo, djpoblete09, 00alexx, NathanPeck, Riccardo Palazzani, MaartenEyskens, jfinnirwin, romana klee, bundesinnung_ha, theglobalpanorama, Street Photography Addict, StockMonkeys.com, Robert Agthe, Genista, Neillwphoto, frankieleon, RamónP, National Eye Institute, Pink Dispatcher, Tony Webster, quinn.anya, Peter23394, anna gutermuth, neovain, Keith Allison, lewisha1990, Phú Thịnh Co, byzantiumbooks, avlxyz, eastmidtown, 593D ESC, simpleinsomnia, mcohen.chromiste, Pictures by Ann, Stampendous, loop_oh, tedeytan, TipsForComputer.Com, ssilberman, pedrosimoes7, forayinto35mm, Never Edit, GlasgowAmateur, weiss_paarz_photos, Borya, The Graphic Details, robynejay, allenthepostman, quinn.anya, u.hopper, fallingwater123, Alyssa L. Miller, Vincent Albanese, homethods, ponyQ, Braiu, CNE CNA C6F, oakenroad, Tim Evanson, medisave, irinaraquel, Steve Ganz, Nieve44/Luz, roscoland2, One Way Stock, Film Star Vintage, ulrichkarljoho, anieto2k, meaduva, Homini:), campbelj45ca, Nicolas Alejandro Street Photography, Hades2k, Alyssa L. Miller, Carlos Ebert, @Tuncay, kms1167, Petful.com, m01229, jonrawlinson, Brian Smithson (Old Geordie), Blogging Dagger, fechi fajardo, SurfaceWarriors, Leah Abernathy, evans.photo, brianna.lehman, mikecogh, Ejuice, christine.gleason, Free Grunge Textures - www.freestock.ca, Derek Bridges, ulrichkarljoho, One Way Stock, Matt Cunnelly, nandadevieast, cathyse97, quinn.anya, faungg's photo, Lars Plougmann, C Jill Reed, johnthoward1961, mcohen.chromiste, hardeep.singh, physiognomist, ulrichkarljoho, 401(K) 2013, Very Quiet, BromfordGroup, garryknight, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, acasasola, mrbillt6, simpleinsomnia, johanSisno, GollyGforce, Jo Jakeman, Mire de rien, Chris Mower, lotopspin, Marlene Rybka Visualizing & Photography, RLHyde, jez.atkinson, orionpozo, quinn.anya, global.quiz, Public Places, alubavin, drs2biz, espensorvik, ♔ Georgie R, h.koppdelaney, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Images_of_Money, ttarasiuk, TheArches