Faith

Jesus Knows How to Fish

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.  John 21: 8-9 NIV

I could have made the title a bit longer and added, Jesus knows how to fish and I don’t. Funny thing because my son who I taught to fish can cast farther and catch more but the disciples’ night fishing was about like mine would have been: a still one big fat zero!  Can’t you almost picture them throwing out their nets and pulling them in all night wondering why they are empty? Yet at the same time, Jesus was catching fish! By the time the disciples got back to shore with nothing, Jesus had already started a fire and started cooking the fish He had caught.

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

But the good news for us as well as Peter James and John is that Jesus is still waiting for us. He is waiting for us to give up and bring our boat back to shore. He is waiting for us to be ready to listen to Him. He is waiting for us to recognize His voice. Fishing without praying is just feeding the fish. Fishing longer won’t help. Often just giving up is the first step back to Jesus. He is standing on the shore. He has been working all through our night and He’ll have everything ready when we arrive!

Crow and Dove at Sunrise

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

It’s all for You God who has sent this sunrise

Dove softly cooed as he opened his eyes

Photo by amit mishra on Pexels.com

Haw – Haw laughed the Crow as He shouted right back

It’s all about me let’s not get this off track

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

Uh-uh it’s for God who gives us our life

Dove gently sings in the new morning light

Mine- mine it’s for me Crow mocks and he laughs

This all is for me – everything in my grasp

Oh how I wish you could see the Dove cries

It’s all about Him till the dark evening skies

Don’t worry so much I’m sure it’s my day

Mr. Crow proudly caws as he’s flapping away

Leaving Dove silently sitting alone

Where He quietly lifted a prayer to the throne

And he heard in a voice his God speaking so clear

I’ll be right by your side just believe never fear!

Crow and Dove at Sunrise by Peter Caligiuri © 2020 All rights reserved

Stretch Those Wings!

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Isaiah 40:31 ...but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;  they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

Today on my morning walk, I found a perfect white Ibis feather lying on the ground and brought it home to show my grandson. Ibis always make me smile. They are funny looking birds when they are eating and often come into our front yard in groups of 3-5 to peck deep into the ground with their long bills. They look so much like the chickens back on our farm that I sometimes call them “Florida chickens”.

One of the delightfully strange thing about the Ibis however is that when they fly they transform themselves from a clumsy chicken like creature into a thing of beauty. They epitomize the concept of a leap of faith. They lift off the ground with a spring from their long slender legs and then spread their wings amazingly wide and then quietly and gracefully glide away.

Though I chuckle at their silly appearance I also see in my Florida Chickens a bit of myself. With this virus raging through our state and my own personal health issues I have often laid awake at night focusing on my struggles. I desperately peck deep into the soil below me searching for a way out. All the while God has been watching and wondering when I will remember that He created me to fly. He has been trying to remind me that instead of looking for just an earthly solution I need to look up to Him with faith. It is simply time to spread those wings and flying must begin with a leap into the air above. Today might be just the perfect time to stretch the wings God gave us. We might find out that we will not only look a lot better, but we also discover that right now only faith can carry us any farther on the journey that God has planned!