The Good Shepherd’s Staff

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
My Lord leads as a shepherd to deep meadows green
Then down gentle pathways to a still quiet stream
And when sin beckons, He tells me to walk
On the straight narrow way through the cleft in the rock

Then on through the valley of shadows and tears
His rod and His staff comfort all of my fears
No matter what dangers we find ahead
We'll feast at His table where a banquet is spread

Though I'm reminded of all I’ve done wrong
His goodness and mercy still follow along
For the Cross that He bore is the Good Shepherd’s staff
And the key to His home at the end of the path!


The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want 
Psalm 23:1 KJV

Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2022
All rights reserved
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Light for Our Path

/ pastorpete51 / 14 Comments 
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 KJV

For those of you who do not know, our daughter-in-law Melinda has been battling with ovarian cancer over the last two and a half years. Melinda recently finished her third round of chemotherapy, but after experiencing severe back pain she was admitted to the hospital over a week ago. After many tests, the doctors discovered that, the chemo had weakened the bone structure of her back leading to a fracture. Then this Tuesday, they did surgery to stabilize it, and also took a biopsy while they were in there. Yesterday the report came back positive for cancer, and we would appreciate everyone’s prayers for Melinda. Sometimes during these last two weeks it has felt like we were, wandering in a dark cave, with no assurance of finding a way out. But during my quiet time this morning, I came across today’s verse, and it occurred to me, that the writer of this Psalm may have also been facing a dark situation and like us, was looking for a light for his path. Imagine the joy they discovered when they found that what they needed was right in front of them, in the Word of God. During the dark and lonely times in our lives it is easy to be attracted to things like sporting events, parties, or social media in an effort to distract ourselves. But the Word of God is the true light and always available. Any other light is at best only temporary, like a flashlight whose battery is nearly spent, it soon flickers and goes out. None of us knows how long the darkness we are facing will last, but we can depend on one thing. The word of God is a light for our path, and no matter how long our night, it will shine on and on!

God knows that we can’t generate that light within ourselves, instead He wants us to run to His word, where we can find there an inexhaustible, immeasurable power source. In the darkest places of our lives, His word will shine, and not only for our own path, but also for the pathways of those around us whose flashlights are already going dead.

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Prayer: Father, help me not to look to the temporary lights of this world, but to completely rely on Your Word, because it is a light that no darkness will ever be able to put out!

Act Like Men!

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.  
1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Today’s verse reminds me of Eisenhower’s final instructions to the troops on the night before the Normandy Invasion of June 6th, 1944. “I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. “ As the general knew, these were the final words some of those men would hear. In face of the coming battle, he appealed to their courage, devotion and skill, and then above all these he asked them to pray for the blessing of God. Thank God for such men, by whose sacrifice the evil Nazi regime was eventually defeated.

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Like Eisenhower, Paul closes his letter with instructions preparing the church for a spiritual battle. He begins with the phrase, “Act like men“. In today’s society, such advice would immediately be misconstrued and soon pummeled by the press. But in Paul’s day, his instructions were perfectly understood. His readers knew how men ought to act, and it had nothing to do with their sexual prowess, if they looked amazing, or were applauded by society. They understood that grown men ought to be unafraid to face hardship, ready to defend those around them and willing to suffer without complaint. Men were expected to be motivated by concern for others, especially their families, and guided by the desire, not just to have things, but to do good for others. Paul was not appealing to the chest pounding male bravado that celebrates personal victory, but to the willingness of fathers who work tirelessly to provide for their wives and children and give a helping hand to their neighbors.

Though we men do not always live up to that standard, it doesn’t mean the standard needs to be changed, transformed or updated. When we fail (as we often do), we instead need to refocus on the last phrase of Paul’s instructions, “Let all you do, be done in love.” Yesterday was my wife’s birthday and I bought her flowers (which she loved!). But Nancy’s expectations for me do not end with flowers. I do not get to just drop off a bouquet and then act like a jerk for the rest of the year. Love is fairly pedestrian. It slogs along through the battlefield of life, pressing ahead one step at a time and dodging incoming fire, while working its way towards the goal that God sets. At what is that goal? It is the Cross of Jesus Christ, because that is where true love and courage is to be found. We need to be reminded that Jesus went to the cross, not just because he had to, or was forced into the situation, but because He chose to give His life. He set the example of what it meant to “Act like men. Our challenge on this anniversary of D-Day is to do the same and to give our lives, one day at a time, with courage, faith, and most of all by the help of Almighty God and with His blessing on the undertaking that we have before us.