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Man with dementia found after wandering onto train tracks

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.  Luke 10:30 NLT

Recently, in our community, an elderly man with dementia, wandered from his home at night and ended up lying down to sleep on some nearby railroad tracks. Too often, stories like his end in tragedy, but thanks to the family’s call to the sheriff’s department, and an aviation unit with night vision cameras, he was found and brought safely home. I thank God for the good news in this story, but his case reminds me that there are millions more who need our help. Though it may feel hopeless, pointless and just plain inconvenient, their lives are an opportunity for us to love our neighbors, like both the Hillsborough Sheriff’s department and the good Samaritan.

First, both the Samaritan and the deputies, remind us that every person is worth finding. No one should be left by the side of the road alone. Too often we, spend time praying for God to help us serve Him, yet pass right by people He leaves directly in our path. Secondly, they spared no resources in their search You might say, “Well they had a helicopter, an ambulance and a team of paramedics, how can I help?” Well the Samaritan had only oil, wine and a donkey, and he got the job done! When we use what we have, God has a funny way of making it be enough, (remember those 5 loaves and 2 fish?) Last of all, the Samaritan had compassion for the man. He was different in every way, culturally, racially and in his religion, but he treated Him as a neighbor.

Is there a family you know, with a loved one who battles with dementia, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease? Maybe you could start getting to know them. Say hello over the backyard fence, offer your services to sit with their loved one while they go to the store or leave your phone number to be called in an emergency. Every situation and every person has a different set of needs. If you don’t personally know someone, there is very likely a facility near you that would love to have more people willing to visit. You can bring cards for Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day or drop off a small gift basket for the weary staff, who care for them 24/7. According to the CDC there are currently 5.8 million people in the United States who have been diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. Thank God for first responders of all types who intervene daily, in helping people, just like our local man. But the truth of the matter is that the job is too big for just the police, fire department and paramedics to handle. We as God’s people must be willing to come close, see them with eyes of compassion and do what we can with what we have to help. I have posted the link below, if you would like to check out our local news story for yourself.

https://www.fox13news.com/news/hillsborough-county-missing-man-dementia-brandon-aviation-railroad-tracks

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So He Could Cover Us With Grace

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 

Now the tunic was seamless, woven from the top through the whole. So, they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but let us cast-lots for it to decide whose it will be”—
John 19:23b-24a DLNT

They stripped Him of his tunic
His seamless cloak with all the rest
Dividing up all that they could
Then gambled for the best

While above their heads He watched
As He fought His fight with death
In suffering still He loved us all
As He struggled for each breath

And when they took Him from the cross
Where He had suffered in our place
There He died for us, alone, exposed
So, He could cover us with grace

And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
Matthew 5:40 ESV

So He Could Cover Us With Grace by Peter Caligiuri 
Copyright © 2024 All rights reserved

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Author’s note: I have been intrigued by the stories of the shroud of Turin, and have watched with interest several presentations about its history. But, as I recently came upon the verse in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells us to yield our tunic and cloak, I remembered how the soldiers, ruthlessly stripped Him naked and then gambled for His seamless robe. Then, I was ashamed to think that I had been drawn to stories of the cloth He may have been buried in, but never wondered about what He wore in life.

God’s Gift of Song – Part 1

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

One thing that makes me sad is how in church, we often come to the lyrics of the greatest song book in the world and all we do is read it together in unison with a monotone voice. Yes, God’s word is perfect but forgive me when I say that maybe even God gets bored with the way we use it. We seem to have forgotten that this was not the way it was intended to be presented. Instead, why not think of the Psalms as songs whose melody has fallen asleep, and listen to every new melody as if it were a Psalm knocking on our door and asking for words to sing it? While singing scripture, may seem to be somewhat whimsical or arbitrary, if you try it you will soon find some wonderful benefits just waiting to be discovered. But why would God want to communicate with us this way? Maybe the answer is the same as the reason why young people pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to listen to their favorite pop star. Back when we were teenagers, the preferred medium for us was the local AM radio station. Our favorite songs would make us laugh, cry, or feel romantic (Oh! They’re playing our song!)

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The Psalms are no different. For just a few examples of happy or sad, how about

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;.” Psalm 126:2

And what can be sadder than:

“I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.” 
Psalm 6:6.

God knows that when we laugh, cry, get discouraged or even complain to Him, that we connect with Him and with His word on a whole different level.  Secondly, singing scripture helps us remember the words. If we could go back in time a few centuries, we would discover that the printed word as we know it didn’t exist. The only copies of the scriptures were handwritten. Every copy in today’s dollars, would cost the equivalent of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. So, God found a way for His people to remember His words without books. I think of it a little like when we listened to the radio and the DJ announced a new song, someone would inevitably shout, “Hey be quiet man! You got to hear this one!” Then we would crank up the volume and sing along, while someone kept beat on the glove compartment or steering wheel. By the end of the week most of us knew every word, though much to our teacher’s chagrin, we couldn’t recall the date of the battle of Bull Run or the names of past presidents! God wants us to engage with His word in the same way. First, He calls us to engage with our hearts, then with our lips, and also with the people around us. Back in the Old Testament days, songs were written to be sung by everyone. Think of how when Moses finished bringing the people through the Red Sea, the first thing he did was to sing. But he wasn’t alone. No! As soon as he started up his sister Miriam lead all the women out onto the beach where they played tambourines, danced, and sang along. Now that was some kind of celebration! (Keep your radios tuned tomorrow for part 2) Here are a couple of scripture songs, one in English and the other Hebrew, just to give you some ideas.