Poetry

It’s All Small Stuff!

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So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

Most of us probably remember the saying, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” from the book of the same title by Richard Carlson. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes an even deeper truth clear. There are three things that make up the big stuff in life. Everything else is temporary. Our accomplishments, our financial health and our position in this life only last for a little while. In fact, if we would go back to the beginning of this chapter, we would find that Paul even lists things such as, giving away everything we have to the poor or suffering a martyr’s death in flames are things that pale in comparison to God’s love. When life comes to an end, only three things will fit into our heavenly suitcase. Only faith hope and love will be carried into eternity. The times we prayed for a lost loved one or neighbor as we clung onto our hope in God’s promises, the fearful steps into the unknown that we took by faith because we trusted God knew best, and the loving words, actions or prayers that we gave even when we weren’t being loved in return: will be the only things that God will allow us to carry beyond the Pearly gates. Everything else is small stuff. May the words of C.T. Studd in his poem, Only One Life guide and fill you with God’s faith, hope and love today, because that is big stuff indeed!

Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Messes Become Miracles

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In my morning quiet time yesterday I was reading a devotional by Diana Derringer in The Secret Place and was inspired by her final thought: “Messes become masterpieces in our Creator’s hands!” That line of hers led me on a journey to write this week’s poem. I hope it will be a blessing to you as well. 

Messes Become Miracles

The dove whose nest the serpent robbed
While sleeping in the wood
Still sings her song at sunrise
Though no one thinks she should

And messes become miracles
In our Creator’s hands
Neither sorrows, nor our sufferings
Change His Almighty plans

For by His wounds our healing comes
And His sufferings took our sins
So by those hands once pierced with nails
He leads us home to Him!

Messes Become Miracles
by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2024
All rights reserved

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs

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Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. Ephesians 5:19 KJV

In this verse, Paul writes about psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as if they were three friends. Sadly, in our modern age we have chopped these neatly up and then stored them on separate shelves in our pantry. But what a great joy it can be for those of us who call ourselves poets to attempt a reunion and invite all three to our kitchen table.

For example, when we use the word “Psalm,” most of us think only of the one hundred and fifty of them written in the Bible. But the Greek word, simply means a verse of any sort that is accompanied by stringed instruments. Stranger still, the phrase “spiritual song” was not a song as we know it, but more of a rhythmic chant, (a bit closer to what we call a poem). Last of all, the word hymn, meant a musical celebration, and was what Jesus sang with His disciples before they went out from the Last Supper. It might surprise you to learn that many of the hymns we sing today were not initially written as songs. Just to give one example, “How Great Thou Art” by Carl Boberg, was originally written in Swedish as a ten-stanza poem, titled “O Store Gud.” Somewhere along the way it was paired with a folk melody and then later translated into Russian. After that Russian version began to become popular in Ukraine, it was heard by a British missionary, named Stuart Hine. Stuart loved the song so much that he translated the first two of the verses into English, and then added the third and fourth verses which we sing today.

I won’t go into detail, but similar stories lie behind, well known songs such as “My Jesus I Love Thee” “Jesus Loves Me” and “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” One precious memory I have as a nursing home chaplain is of my friend Davonne – now singing with Jesus. Anytime our song service, if I would ask to sing only the first, second and last verse. Davonne would exclaim, “NO Pastor Peter! That song has a story and if we skip any of the verses, we will be missing part of it!” So, maybe it will help you the next time you are laboring away trying to tell a story with a poem, to close your eyes, then imagine the melody of your favorite hymn playing in the background and let it set a rhythm to your words and make a melody in your heart!