Family

God’s Littlest Toes

/ pastorpete51 / 11 Comments

 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Romans 12:5 KJV

If we were asked to pick one single member of our body that we would miss the least, many would answer, our little toe. After all that toe is not only very small but probably no one would even notice. But not long ago I had a revelation about its value when that toe met the leg of our kitchen table. First came the pain that made me sit down for several minutes until my head cleared. My brain didn’t care about my strong hands, smooth biceps or well combed hair. All I could focus on was just exactly how much I loved my toe!

The same is true in God’s body called the church. You see, not only was I in pain on the day when I broke my toe, but it affected every part of my life. My morning walk was transformed into a morning hobble to the coffee pot. Our seat towards the front of the church was traded for one nearest the door. Over those six weeks, a walk on the beach or working in my garden were both definitely out. Even getting my shoes off and on was a delicate task. Slowly I learned that humility is the first step towards appreciation. Maybe there are members, not only of our body, but also of our church or our own family whom we are just taking for granted. Maybe we are overlooking their value because we haven’t slowed down enough to notice them. But we are all noticed by Jesus Christ. Let’s not wait for even one of them to be broken before we learn to treat them with respect! After all even God’s littlest toes were loved so much by Jesus that He gave not only His love and but also His life for ours!

Love’s Legacy – Annie Moses Band

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

I don’t usually post song videos, as we all have such different tastes in music but this was so stunningly beautiful that I had to pass it along. It gives us pause to look back in thankful appreciation to all God has given us through either our own family or the family God has given us. I do hope both you enjoy their wonderful music and consider what legacy you will leave behind.

Heaven’s Beauty Salon

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22 ESV

When my grandfather came from Italy, he became a barber and all six children had to pitch in and help. Though my dad learned the ins and outs of barbering while he was growing up, after coming home from the war, he decided that styling lady’s hair paid better so he got his license as a hairdresser. By the time I was a teen-ager Dad had his own beauty salon and when he closed on Mondays to clean the store, He and I had some of our best talks while sweeping the floor together and cleaning the hair dryers. Dad loved telling funny stories about the shop and one of his favorites was that the ladies always made sure to wash their hair before coming in, then paid Him to wash it again. They just could not bear the thought of my dad finding that their hair wasn’t already squeaky clean! Now you might think that silly, but don’t we sometimes do the same thing with God? He invites us to come to Heaven’s beauty shop (the church) – dirty hair and all. But instead, we decide that we need to get washed up at home, or if we do show up, we just worship halfheartedly because we feel unworthy to really participate. But the craziest part of all is that, unlike dad’s clientele, we do not even have to pay the bill. Instead, God has chosen to pay in advance at Calvary, for everything we have ever done. He is not angry that we show up with needs and problems, instead He asks to take away our burden of sin and in exchange give us His yoke of grace. Then He gently lifts away the condemnation of guilt and leaves us a new life style. Then He proudly shows anyone who wants to know that our hair as well as our soul is squeaky clean and ready for Heaven!