His hands wide open Stretched to hold Kind Joseph’s calloused palm Then reached to grasp sweet Mary’s hair That was gently hanging down Hands that multiplied five loaves Held a child in their embrace Lifted a man to walk again Then touched a leper’s face Hands that shared the wine and bread And washed our dirty feet Were nailed wide open on the Cross Their work for us complete Hands Wide Open by Peter Caligiuri Copyright 2022 all rights reserved
There are various stories about the early life of John Newton. While some of the details remain sketchy, the truth behind the details led him to write words that still resonate in hearts today. It is said that when John was a young man, he fell overboard and was brought back onto the ship only after being harpooned and dragged up on deck. I am not sure whether the harpoon was all they had to throw or how he was wounded, but the scar left behind was something he carried all his life. But we don’t have to wait for God to harpoon us to come back to Him. In fact, Jesus simply invites us to come. Our problem is sometimes we are so busy thrashing about in the waves that we can’t hear His voice. For some of us that may mean God has to allow us to be wounded to get our attention and to bring us safely into the ship. Here is His invitation –
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NIV
If you would like to learn more about using nursing home ministry in nursing home ministry, I wrote a small book several years ago titled, “Music Matters in Nursing Home Ministry” which focuses on that subject. It is available both in regular print as well as e-book. There are also a few videos from a series of talks that I gave to our ministry team on my YouTube channel that are devoted to music ministry for those wanting an in-depth examination of the subject. Thanks for listening and reading. Have a blessed weekend!
We went with her along the path
Through turns and twists and more
Till angels took her by the hand
As we walked out on the shore
They led her to a waiting ship
Then she smiled and turned to say
“Don’t weep for me I hear His call
- Time to come home today!”
Time to Come Home
by Peter Caligiuri
copyright 2021 all rights reserved
In memory of my wife’s sister Diane who we laid to rest yesterday after a year long battle with Interstitial lung disease. Over the last year Nancy spent 5 months caring for her. We flew out to California on Monday and it has been a long week for us both. Thanks for the prayers of those who follow this blog. This little verse puts in words a tiny piece of the comfort that God has given us right now. I pray it may touch someone else dealing with a season of grief.
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