Hope

The Good Old Days!

/ pastorpete51 / 7 Comments 
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:1 ESV

In this day of with change happening around us at the speed of light, many of us long for “Those good old days.” So, as an experiment I thought, “let’s turn back the clock sixty-one years, that should be sufficiently long enough ago to qualify as old.” Sixty-one years ago, I sat in seventh grade math class gazing at some long equations on the blackboard, when our P.A. system came on announcing that classes were dismissed for the day. There seemed to be some secret that the teachers knew but wouldn’t tell us. Nevertheless, as I traipsed home with my usual group of buddies, we were delighted to get out early on a beautiful Friday afternoon. But once inside our home I realized something terrible had happened. My mother was weeping, and I heard the television reporting that President Kennedy had been assassinated Yes, those day were old, but often far from good.

Jesus spoke today’s verse on a day far worse and yet far better than that. Judas had already rushed to the high priest to collect his reward for betraying Jesus. The meal had just finished at which Jesus had told his friends that His body and blood would soon be sacrificed. The disciples, though unaware of all the details knew that something awful was just over the horizon. After finishing the final notes of a hymn they quietly followed Jesus out into the night and headed towards their usual place of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Though nothing looked out of the ordinary, that night, their knees began to knock as they walked, and they jumped at every sound in the darkness. Then Jesus, turned, and said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled! You believe in God. Believe also in Me!”

Those guys were no different than any of us today. Maybe that night they longed for, “The Good Old Days’” when they simply followed Jesus around Galilee, watching Him perform miracles, preach to crowds and on one occasion even calm the wind and waves of a storm. But with those days just a memory, Jesus assured them of something even better.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 
John 14:6 ESV

That something better is for us as well as them. We no longer need to cling to the “Good Old Days” or even our own lives because, Jesus said He is our Life. He was all they needed then, and Jesus is all we need today. Jesus is far better and more precious than any “Good Old Days.” He makes the lame walk, the blind see and best of all He will lead us all the way to the Father, if we will only trust in Him!

Mysterious Melodies

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
My mind is filled with memories
From the days and miles, I’ve run
Like aging stacks of photographs
Of people loved now gone

And yet each dawn comes once again
A song of hope and grace
That tells me I have one more lap
To finish in This race

And sings mysterious melodies
In rhythms still to learn
That teach my feet to keep in step
Along His path to home

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1 ESV

Mysterious Melodies
By Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2024
All rights reserved

A Banjo Lesson

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you,
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luke 12:27 NKJV

As many of you know, we here in Florida have recently been through two hurricanes. Thankfully, our home was spared damage, though for a couple of days our neighborhood was surrounded on all sides by flooding. For us, the highlight of these events is that Betty and Banjo moved in with us. Betty is a lady from our prayer group, and my buddy Banjo is a fourteen-year-old Yorkie, who is still pretty spry though he is missing a few of his teeth. Taking a quick glance at Banjo’s face as he waits for me to hook up his leash, doesn’t inspire the thought, “Now that is a wise looking animal.” Yet, the Lord has used my new friend to remind me about stopping to consider.

You see, when I go for my normal walks, I look up at the sky, smile at the neighbors and focus on finishing a mile in just over twenty minutes. But walking with Banjo has been quite a different experience. Banjo’s goal (besides his normal doggie duties) is to stop and sniff at leaves, fallen branches, plants in my garden and even rather ordinary patches of grass. At first, I wasted time and energy fussing at Banjo, tugging on his leash and wondering what in the world was so intriguing about whatever twig his nose was closely inspecting. Then I remembered how Jesus said, “Consider the lilies.” and He, the master craftsman of the universe, designed every detail of every lily to teach me a lesson about life. I recalled that while I enjoyed striding around my neighborhood, Banjo preferred slowly ambling up the sidewalk, pausing every few feet to consider the delicate smells of a thousand things in his world. When I toss and turn in my bed wondering how we can help Betty and Banjo get reestablished, Banjo sleeps soundly though the night. While I fret over whether we should invest in a generator, Banjo simply eats whatever we put in his dish and then lies down for a sweet nap. Though our future seems more uncertain than ever, now I pause again and consider lilies, and sparrows, and remember that my Heavenly Father is still in control. He orders the tides and storms, commands the wind and waves, and calms my heart. And I am thankful this morning for how God sent us one little Yorkie named Banjo, to remind me of His love and care!