children

Knit Together

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
Before we saw our first sunrise
Or took one breath of air
Before our first cry 
Or we opened our eyes
God knew that we were there

While He knit us together 
He was choosing our name
While He fashioned our hands and feet

Then He wrote down our story 
In His book of life
As our tiny heart started to beat!

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13 ESV

Knit Together by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2022 all rights reserved




"We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way." 
St. Francis of Assisi

A Family Restored

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
Woe is Me and It’s all Mine 
Skipped to the park one day
While Jimmy-Gimme tagged along
To demand his right to play

And they all laughed how Sister Faith
Agreed to stay at home
To mop the floor and wash the plates
So, they left her there alone

First Jimmy climbed up on the swing 
“Gimme a push!” he cried.
But Me and Mine ignored Him and
Went whooshing down the slide  

Till strutted up I Know-it-All
With Big Bro Mockery
Along with Violence sliding in
Each smiling wickedly  

The sisters shook in dread but then
Sweet Faith rushed to the scene 
And without fear went toe to toe
And stood there in between

She looked into his eyes until 
Mockery slunk away
Soon followed by I Know-it-All
Yet Violence chose to stay
Then from a sheath he drew His blade
But Faith spoke quietly 
Your weapon will not work today
Our Father protects me

So Violence just shrugged and said
"I’ll be back." and off he paced
Then Little Jimmy ran and threw 
His arms ‘round sister’s waist

While Me and Mine each took Faith’s arms
With smiles that come from Heaven
To see their family all restored
With Faith all sins forgiven!

A Family Restored by Peter Caligiuri copyright 2022
All rights reserved
Photo by Archie Binamira on Pexels.com

Are We There Yet Dad?

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

Be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b-6 ESV

When our two boys were about four and six years old, my wife and I decided to travel cross country to stay with some friends, while enjoying a bit of camping along the way. “Okay guys we are going to Missouri.” I explained to the boys. “We will be traveling for three days and will be sleeping in our tents for two nights along the way. Don’t worry about when we get there, just enjoy the ride, play games and don’t fight! “I told them enthusiastically.

The next morning with our little car packed to the max, we headed down the highway. I felt confident we were well prepared for our first big family road trip until about twenty minutes down the highway when our older son tapped me on the shoulder and asked.  Hey Dad. Are we there yet?” I can’t remember if I laughed or cried, but either way I saw that, despite my best efforts, I had not communicated very well with our boys about the road ahead. I am sure many of you have experienced this same scenario and have discovered that whether we laugh, pull our hair out or try repeating our explanations, our kids aren’t satisfied with details. What they really want is a regular assurance that everything is okay – every mile along the way. It is the same with us as we travel the Christian life with God. But the wonderful difference between God and me is that He didn’t just give us an explanation of the road map; He promised to stay with us and guide us every mile along the way!