03.20.07

Visitation

Posted in Ministry at 10:08 pm by Anthony

Occasionally I’ll hear of a minister who thinks that hospital, nursing home, and home visits are somehow tasks that are too mundane for their high calling of a “Ministry of the Word.” I do not want to be judgmental of these people because I am seeing how quickly schedules can fill up and hard choices have to be made. But while finding the time to visit can be difficult, I find such opportunities to be one of my favorite aspects of ministry. Because I’m “the preacher,” people can easily see my life as being different from theirs, and our paths may not cross on a day-to-day basis. When a crisis arises, however, “the preacher” often finds an open door to be involved in people’s lives in a more intimate way, and I have an opportunity to validate the words I preach through living out the ministry of Jesus, who is the Word. In that sense, putting into practice the ministry of Jesus is the only true “Ministry of the Word.”

Today I traveled to Dallas with Robert and Emma to visit Monte and Sheri. Emma had a doctor’s appointment as part of the follow-up for her surgery last December, and we all wanted to see Monte and Sheri after Monte’s quintuple (is that the right word for “5″) bypass surgery last week. He finally got out of ICU and in to a room yesterday and seems to be much better. Monte asks for our prayers for his continued recovery, and for the ability to make the lifestyle changes necessary.

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