Author: Leon Stone

Wednesday and Thursday were interesting days. One of the things I had noted that I would be doing was working with my pastor to update our ministry to the seniors in our church. We spent time Wednesday morning working on a 2015 agenda for our Young at Heart Ministry. One of the things we have been praying about for some time was for someone to step up and lead this program. He called me yesterday to tell me that a man in our church who is a principal at one of our elementary schools in town and had been an educator for over forty years had stopped by his office and told him that he was resigning his position and retiring from education effective December 31 and that he and his wife wanted to take over the Young at Heart Ministry. Our prayers were answered but certainly not in the fashion we had ever imagined. What a great God we serve. I also had a great visit with a family that have recently retired and moved to Sulphur Springs. The have attended our church and I wanted to visit with them to answer any questions they have about our ministries and find out about their relationship with Christ. We had a wonderful visit talking and sharing about all the great things Christ has done for us through the years. We prayed together and asked God to show them where he wants them to serve him in Sulphur Springs. Hopefully He will bring them to Central.

I am continuously amazed at how God works when we pray. The answer may not always be what we want and the solution may seem to come from left field because His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. If we just ask and be ready to receive He will work. We can relax in His arms knowing that His best will be accomplished if we will just pray for His perfect will to be done and accept what He chooses to do when He wants to do it.

This has been wonderful week of rest, renewal, and restoration. Today I will spend time in Bible study and prayer. Contemplating things I knew already but was reminded of again this week.  I have once again been reminded that those that have walked with God the longest have much to share if we will just ask and listen. If you are reading this blog find a senior citizen this week and ask them to tell you what they have learned through the years about God. I have also been reminded again that when we work, we work but when we pray God works. Spend time today and every day fellowshipping with your heavenly Father.

Yesterday was a wonderful day spent studying the Word of God. Part of what I wanted to do with my week was use some of the time to increase my knowledge of the Bible and deepen my relationship with my Lord. For the last four months I have been leading my Sunday School class in a systematic study of the Book of Acts. We are now in Chapter 18 of this great book about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of what we call the New Testament Church. It usually takes me two lessons per chapter. Some chapters take longer than others. I ask my class to prepare for these lessons by reading each chapter five times before coming to class. I also ask them to write down questions that come to their mind as well as observations they may have about what they have read. I want the Word to reasonate in their heart and mind. I have been very concerned for a long time about the Church becoming more and more irrelevant  in our world. It seems that with each passing year the church loses a little more of her influence in our communities, our nation, and our world. I began the study of Acts with my class, about 20-25 folks on most Sundays, to see what it was about these early Christians that enabled them to turn the world upside down for Christ. Over the last few months it has become evident to me that there was a passion for Christ present there that is lacking in most churches today. There was a boldness to take on the government, the false teachers and the religions of that day. They were willing to endure persecution, make whatever sacrifice of self and possessions the ministry required and boldly speak out on behalf of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ regardless of the consequences. The difference Christ made in their life was so evident that the term Christian, little Christ, was given to them by non believers. It was meant to be a derogatory phrase but the early Christians wore it as a badge of honor. What a testimony! As I spent yesterday preparing for this coming Sunday morning I was reminded again that the message of the church is simple. Jesus Saves!! It seems to me that in this day and age the church has become irrelevant because we have tried so hard to be relevant. God’s Word changes lives. The early church knew that and boldly proclaimed it. I am learning that over again as I study the book of Acts. Chapter 18 is where I will be this week . I had a great time yesterday studying and praying. I would encourage every Christian to read again the Book of Acts and ask yourself if the passion for Christ you see there is the passion for Christ you see today. It has certainly opened my eyes to my own shortcomings.

Yesterday was great. I began my day at one of the local nursing homes. I visited first with a lady who is the mother of one of the ladies in my Sunday School class. Even though she is only in her early seventies she recently has suffered two heart attacks and a stroke. She is in the nursing home rehab section and is looking forward to the day she can go home. She seems to be making good progress with that. I prayed with her and asked the Lord to give her His peace. I went to see Mrs. Emma. She is 93 years young and has been in the nursing home for four years. We talked about her life and she told me how much she missed her husband Amos even though he has been gone for almost 25 years. We talked about her home and how much she missed lived there. After a nice visit I went to see Aulbert. Aulbert was in the dairy business for over forty years. He is 92 and is in the nursing home for rehabilitation. He fell and broke his leg and it is taking a long time to heal. He misses being at home with his wife and is looking forward to getting out of rehab and returning to be with her. My last stop was to see Gary. He is 65 and will never be able to return home from the facility. He is confined to a wheelchair and has a feeding tube. He has cerebral policy and cannot speak. However, when I walked into the room he smiled at me. We just sat together for a while. He has such a great spirit in spite of his condition. When I left I left his room somehow I felt renewed in my spirit. There is in all of us a longing for home. In this life it means returning to the place where you raised your family and spent your holidays. Hopefully the people I met today will be able at some point to return to their earthly home. For Christians it means more than that. Each one of the conversations I had at some point came around to Christ. Linda, Emma and Aulbert each expressed their supreme trust in Him as their Lord and Savior and knew that when this life is over that they will go to their heavenly home. That excited them. I also believe that there is a place in heaven with God for Gary. I also know that there is a place for me. My heavenly father is building a home for me as I write. And soon He will come and take me to it. Last night I returned to my earthly home. It is a place of love, joy, and happiness. I have so many great memories that have been made here and continue to be made. But it does not compare to what awaits me when this life is over. When I truly and finally arrive home.

I have been looking forward to my Helpers of People week since I put it on my calendar in January. I am going to spend this week visiting with the families and individuals in our church who are unable to attend services in person due to age or health. Some of them still live at home while some are confined to assisted living facilities. I am also going to be seeing some of our folks who are in the hospital and will work with my pastor on updating our Senior Citizens ministry at our church. I would ask those of you that are reading this blog to pray that I might be a blessing to someone this week. Pray also that God will use this week to teach me things that I need to learn that will help me in my walk with Him and in my ministry to other believers. Please check back in from time to time to see how things are going and keep me in your prayers.