Grief

Arrival in Heaven

/ pastorpete51 / 17 Comments

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”

Since Jesus Came Into My Heart

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 ESV

Some people of late, have fallen into the habit of dismissing the sinner’s prayer of asking Jesus into our hearts as non-biblical. But though they are correct that the prayer of asking Jesus into our hearts, is nowhere, word for word recorded in scripture, it embodies in a childlike manner the truth that being a Christian is all about the life change that occurs when we become a Christian. No one can become a Christian without a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. It would be like trying to become the member of a motor cycle gang without ever having ridden a motor cycle! If you would show up at a rally offering to join, the other guys would probably give you a long hard stare, before breaking into hysterical laughter. In the same way you have to know what it means to be a believer by personal experience. No one gets into heaven by osmosis, because of their parent’s faith or by some ritual done for them by someone else. We only be Christians by bowing our knees to Jesus Christ, before the miraculous transformation, by God’s grace can begin in our heart. The words: “I have light in my soul for which long I had sought.” were written by Rufus McDaniel, not long after the tragic loss of his son. In the midst of his grief, Rufus found comfort, strength and grace to go on, and then he passed along to us this cheerful tune, filled with joy, because Jesus had made all the difference! HAs Jesus made a real difference in your life? He can, but it all begins with when we invite Him in, to our hearts and invite Him to sit at our table. Then according to His promise, He will sit down and share a meal and a lifetime with you!

No Death Was Not My Plan!

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments 
“No death was not my plan” God said 
When Adam chose the names for beasts 
When I in secret fashioned Eve 
While He lay fast asleep 

Now when Spring seems far away 
And under snow the garden sleeps 
Remember that in frozen ground 
The Tulip’s promise keeps 

For as the last frost leaves the earth 
The flower finds its way 
And just as Jesus rose from death 
It breaks through to sunny day! 

No Death Was Not My Plan! 
by Peter Caligiuri copyright © 2022 
All rights reserved


The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10 ESV








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