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Hope for the Caregiver

Hope for the Caregiver

By: Peter Rosenberger
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 Drawing upon four decades as a family caregiver, Peter Rosenberger offers a lifetime of experience as a lifeline for fellow caregivers.Copyright © 2014-2025 Peter W. Rosenberger All rights reserved. Christianity Hygiene & Healthy Living Spirituality
Episodes
  • If a Donkey Starts Talking, Maybe Don't Argue With It

    If a Donkey Starts Talking, Maybe Don't Argue With It
    Nov 19 2025
    I opened the show with Balaam, the original for-profit prophet. He was not the last one. We still have plenty today with nice suits, studio lighting, and partner plans "…if you act now!" Balaam took the job, hopped on his donkey, and headed out. God blocked the road. The donkey saw it. Balaam did not. After a few detours and a smashed foot, the donkey finally spoke. And instead of freezing or questioning reality, Balaam argued with her as if this was completely normal. That part always gets me. Did animals talk a lot back then? I live around horses and cattle here in Montana. If one of them said, "Peter, we need to talk," I would like to think I would pause and reconsider a few things. Balaam did not. He snapped right back at the donkey and missed the angel standing in the road. And thinking about it, as a caregiver, do I often do the same thing? I get locked in on what I am trying to do … and miss the very thing God may be using to protect me. Sometimes the obstacle is not the problem. It is the rescue. In the next segment, a listener asked about spiritual attack. I kept it simple. Satan had to ask permission for Job. He had to ask for Peter. He has to ask for us. The enemy does not get an open gate to God's people. I rest more in that truth than in anything I feel on a hard day. Then the show moved from talking donkeys to unpacking boxes. Gracie and I are sorting through years of stored belongings. She remembers exactly where every decorative plate hung in our old kitchen. I sometimes need a leaf blower to find my desk. The process has reminded me how much I hold on to, not only physical things, but guilt, fear, and expectations that weigh more than any box in the house. That led naturally to the hymn for the week, "Take My Life and Let It Be," which Frances Havergal wrote as a kind of spiritual clean-out, offering each part of herself back to God. If the episode has a theme, it is simple. Pay attention. When something in your life suddenly speaks, pause before arguing with it. God may be standing in the road for your good, even if the warning arrives through a stubborn creature with very long ears. Caregiving gets heavier during the holidays. Let 40 years of experience walk with you. Books By Peter Rosenberger. Books from Peter Rosenberger I opened the show with Balaam, the original for-profit prophet. He was not the last one. We still have plenty today with nice suits, studio lighting, and partner plans "…if you act now!" Balaam took the job, hopped on his donkey, and headed out. God blocked the road. The donkey saw it. Balaam did not. After a few detours and a smashed foot, the donkey finally spoke. And instead of freezing or questioning reality, Balaam argued with her as if this was completely normal. That part always gets me. Did animals talk a lot back then? I live around horses and cattle here in Montana. If one of them said, "Peter, we need to talk," I would like to think I would pause and reconsider a few things. Balaam did not. He snapped right back at the donkey and missed the angel standing in the road. And thinking about it, as a caregiver, do I often do the same thing? I get locked in on what I am trying to do … and miss the very thing God may be using to protect me. Sometimes the obstacle is not the problem. It is the rescue. In the next segment, a listener asked about spiritual attack. I kept it simple. Satan had to ask permission for Job. He had to ask for Peter. He has to ask for us. The enemy does not get an open gate to God's people. I rest more in that truth than in anything I feel on a hard day. Then the show moved from talking donkeys to unpacking boxes. Gracie and I are sorting through years of stored belongings. She remembers exactly where every decorative plate hung in our old kitchen. I sometimes need a leaf blower to find my desk. The process has reminded me how much I hold on to, not only physical things, but guilt, fear, and expectations that weigh more than any box in the house. That led naturally to the hymn for the week, "Take My Life and Let It Be," which Frances Havergal wrote as a kind of spiritual clean-out, offering each part of herself back to God. If the episode has a theme, it is simple. Pay attention. When something in your life suddenly speaks, pause before arguing with it. God may be standing in the road for your good, even if the warning arrives through a stubborn creature with very long ears. Caregiving gets heavier during the holidays. Let 40 years of experience walk with you. Books By Peter Rosenberger. Books from Peter Rosenberger
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    48 mins
  • Montana Level: Finding Steady Ground in a Crooked World

    Montana Level: Finding Steady Ground in a Crooked World
    Nov 10 2025

    In this episode of Hope for the Caregiver, I share three ordinary moments from life in our Montana cabin that turned into extraordinary lessons for caregivers.

    First, I finally leveled our refrigerator—a small victory that reminded me how good it feels to make one crooked thing straight in a world that leans. Then I talk about a tough situation a friend faced with her aging father, and what it really means to honor our parents when impairment or sin clouds their judgment. Using the story of Noah and his sons, I call it "walking backward with a blanket"—protecting dignity even when it's painful.

    Finally, as I cleaned the big new windows in our addition for Gracie, I saw a picture of how resentment, fear, and fatigue can cloud our hearts—and how only Christ can wash us clean. The episode ends at the caregiver keyboard with one of my favorite hymns, Fairest Lord Jesus, and a reminder that He truly makes the woeful heart to sing.
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    48 mins
  • The Calf, the Caregiver, and the God Who Sings Over Us

    The Calf, the Caregiver, and the God Who Sings Over Us
    Nov 4 2025

    Out here at our home in Montana, I had one of those nights that turned into a sermon I didn't plan to preach. A young calf had wedged himself tight in a fence — and if I hadn't gone back to check the mineral bucket, he'd have been mountain lion food by morning. I cut the chain loose, he bolted off without so much as a "thank you," and I stood there on that hillside grinning like a fool, feeling lighter than I had in weeks.

    It had nothing to do with caregiving — and that's exactly the point. Every caregiver needs something that lifts the soul, something that reminds us we're still alive, not just functioning. For me, it was freeing a calf. For you, it might be painting, gardening, music, or a quiet moment with a puzzle. These aren't hobbies — they're oxygen for the spirit.

    I wrapped the show with Gracie's favorite hymn, This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made. We've sung it in hospital rooms and now here at home with the mountains out our window. It's not a children's song to us — it's a statement of faith when the day looks hard.

    Zephaniah wrote, "The Lord your God is in your midst… He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing." That's the kind of God we serve — one who doesn't just command us to rejoice, but actually rejoices over us.

    So that's my message this week: find your thing. Give yourself permission to breathe, to laugh, to live. Because the God who called you into this life is already singing over you.
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    48 mins
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