Commun ty Matters Newton Presbyterian Manor
September 2017
Chaplain’s corner:
Still, it stands
By Jerroll Martens, chaplain, Newton Presbyterian Manor
“…the foundation of God stands sure,” says II Timothy 2:19. So wrote the apostle Paul to young pastor Timothy. This was written against the backdrop of unbelief and skepticism of the truths that Paul knew were of God. God tells us “other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” I Corinthians 2:11. Jesus used the metaphor of the two houses, one built on the sand and the other built on the rock, reminding us of the critical need of a good foundation. Surely the gospel is our foundation. Our forgiveness and eternal relationship with God is based upon substitution, the innocent Son of God dying for sinful man. We cannot detract or add to what God has done. His foundation will stand!
Shirley and Tom Buxton in the early years of their relationship.
An Alzheimer’s journey: Tom and Shirley Buxton share their story Tom Buxton still remembers the first time he laid eyes on Shirley, when she walked through the door at a mutual friend’s house. He remembers her pink sweater, her black skirt, and oh, her smile. But now, Shirley can’t always remember who Tom is. He’s her husband of nearly 60 years, but Alzheimer’s disease has robbed them of the joy of growing older together. “I’m probably never going to accept it. I keep seeing her like she was and keep expecting her to be that way,” Tom said. Shirley has lived in the memory care neighborhood at Newton Presbyterian Manor since 2015. Tom moved in with their daughter in Wichita when Shirley came here. Before that, they were still living in Woodward, Okla.—where they raised their family, where they used to have a collections business—until Shirley’s disease became too advanced for Tom to care for her on his own. BUXTON, continued on page 2