I am very grateful for the kind words of those who have been blessed by my music. It’s good to know that because of technology, people can enjoy my music without me having to be in their presence, but I have always wanted the opportunity to minister directly to people one on one. God gave me such an experience a few weeks ago. On June 14, I was among the throng of young people that descended upon the Lady Lake Nursing Home in Lady Lake Florida. We were ushered in to a big room where the patients were waiting for us. I played the piano while our group sang the old familiar hymns. They were very pleased, so pleased that one of the workers was reported to have asked, what church do you guys go to? I want to visit that church. It is always a blessing to be a blessing, but the highlight of our time there was when our time was up and we were on the way out. We were in the lobby when the receptionist told us that she never gets the opportunity to enjoy the music because she is always stuck out at the desk. I was asked to sing for her and I sang a hymn that is old, but not so familiar. It’s called Hold fast Till I Come. Hardly anything can be compared to the satisfaction that comes from serving others. It is the most refreshing kind of rest. How ironic, that we can rest while we work.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this conversation. It goes something like this. “I’m going to PMC this afternoon.” “ “What church is that?” “Well its short for pillow matrass cover.” “My bed is calling me this afternoon. I’m not doing anything or going anywhere.” I can identify. I know what it’s like when you have free time with nothing to do. In this rat race it is a real blessing to be able to sleep in the day time. But is the Sabbath only for sleeping? Is the daily rest given to mankind in the Sabbath only for taking it easy?

There are many things that we take for granted. It’s probably because most of the time we tend to be absorbed with the responsibilities of life. After all, for those of us who have many obligations, life keeps us going and going without much time to stop to consider our need for rest and the needs of others. On many occasions I have found myself wishing that there were more than 24 hours in a day. Am I the only one who has felt this way at some point? We would never have this problem in a perfect world, but since we live in an imperfect world, we do what we can to cope with it along with all the other issues of life.

The bible gives us a very practical answer to this problem. Right after creation, God gave us the Sabbath to show us that even in a perfect world it is good to stop and take time to rest, to fellowship with him and with each other. The Gospels do not leave us in the dark about Jesus’ example of Sabbath keeping. Almost all of his miracles were done on the Sabbath. We would do well to carefully consider Jesus’ reason for why the Sabbath was given. He said that it was made for man and that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. (Mark 2:28)(Mark 3:4) According to Jesus the Sabbath is not just for inactivity. It is a time to serve humanity in the same way he did. We may not perform miracles in the same way he did, but we can still give help to the helpless and bring healing to those who are without hope. What a way to rest while working for the Lord!