Sold Out!

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments 
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 
Matthew 13:44 ESV


When I worked in a grocery store in days long before optical scanners and when no one imagined our store being open on Sundays, Saturday was the number one shopping day of the week. That meant that on Friday afternoons I was assigned to make sure that my aisles were stocked and ready for the morning mayhem when the housewives of West Plains Missouri could empty the shelves faster than I could restock! Then also meant that when the doors opened again on Monday, most of our shelves stood empty. We were sold out until I could drive to the warehouse for more merchandise.


That kind of “sold out” was an avalanche of circumstances that took a weekend to experience. The “sold out” that Jesus teaches us about is not something that happens in a single prayer at the altar or over a weekend retreat. That kind of sold out for the kingdom of God takes a lifetime. The only things of value that we have to give are our days and we must sell them one by one if we are to have the treasure hidden in a field. When we have no further claims in this world to hold and we sell our last day, then we will take full possession of Jesus Christ our only inheritance and our treasure. Then we will have the full field and we will be hidden with Him in The Kingdom of Heaven forever!

Earth and Sky Are Bigger

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
I've heard our earth is just a speck
In this universe so grand
And we are just a candle's flame
On this tiny grain of sand

But then I hear a chorus
Ringing deep down in my heart
Saying earth and sky are bigger
Than what folks think they are

And my hope rests on God's promise
That He who shepherds lambs 
And formed mighty the Milky Way
Holds us safely in His hands

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.
John 10:14

Earth and Sky Are Bigger by
Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2022 all rights reserved

Photo by Marco Milanesi on Pexels.com

God in Gift Wrapping

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

This morning we are heading out the door for a long overdue family visit and my posts will be few and far between till New Year. Today I am posting a classic from a few years ago that is also contained in this year’s book, The Christmas Star. Thank you to all who have followed, encouraged, commented on and even corrected me along the way! Since I like to add another favorite carol I hope you enjoy this rendition of O Holy Night from The Annie Moses Band. Blessings all!

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:7-8 KJV

Did you ever stop to wonder who came up with the idea of gift wrapping? Why do we bother with ribbons and bows? Isn’t it the gift itself that people want? Maybe it comes down to wanting our gift to be a surprise. So why would it be a strange thing that God came to us in gift wrapping? No one could see who Jesus was while wrapped in swaddling cloths. So, God sent angels to wake up shepherds to tell everyone about what was wrapped in that first Christmas gift!

And just as we wrap every gift, differently, because they are for different people, so Jesus came, for every one of us individually. Some of us receive your presents on Christmas Eve and others on Christmas morning. But no matter the day, it is that gift wrapping which makes us wait for the right time to open them. And so, on one incredibly special night in Bethlehem; at exactly the right moment, Jesus came as God in gift-wrapping, and we have been opening God’s gift of love in Christ ever since!