Photography

Hope in the Lord

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. He himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin.
Psalms 130:7‭-‬8 NLT

Life has been so busy here planning for our upcoming trip, finishing and then promoting my book so my wife wholeheartedly agreed for a sunset tour of a nearby park we had never been to. What a blessing to take a little break from our daily routine and spend a few quiet moments watching the sun set over the Gulf. It is as if every evening, Jesus takes His artist’s brush and paints a message of hope just before the darkness settles in.

Maybe He is telling each one of us individually to recall His faithfulness to forgive, by painting the ocean red. There is the place that He has promised to cast our sins if we repent and turn to Him when we stray. There under the waves, all our own actions and anxieties that have robbed the lives of ourselves and our families can be forgotten and forgiven because of the Cross. How glad I am of that new hope available for me!

So here are some photos of last night’s quiet sunset. They are just a few samples of the masterpiece of God’s mercy and hope for anyone who is looking. Where is your hope today?

Continue reading →

Than Any Dreams

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Today I recalled a song that I loved as a teen-ager by Joni Mitchell called, “Both Sides” There was something hauntingly beautiful about her lyrics (and her voice!) singing about the other side of clouds and dreams. But at the time that was another side that was unknown to me. I was so sure of right and wrong and completely rejected any kind of made up religion. Then life happened and my concepts, my hopes and my own dreams broke down, and got mired in a mud pit. That is where Jesus found me and I am so glad He did. This simple contemplative glance back shares a little of my journey and I pray it may be a blessing to you as well. 

Than Any Dreams Could Be

The future was so far away
And I had dreams and hopes so true
I hadn’t time for growing old
There was so much to do

Till aches and pains became my friends
That stumbled on my way
And loss and grief showed up to greet
My heart from day to day

Then weaknesses and failures came
To teach Christ’s way for me
And show His cross was precious more
Than any dreams could be!

Than Any Dreams Could Be -by Peter Caligiuri
copyright 2021 All Rights reserved

It occurred to me today that some of my younger generation readers have no idea of who Joni Mitchell is (I get it..my Mom liked The Tommy Dorsey Band but I never heard of him from anyone else!) So here is a link to her live performance of that song, though the audio recording is poor, it actually shows Joni in concert.

The Highway of Love

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

These verses are God’s highway giving us both guardrails and a center line. The guard rails tell us all that love is not. They keep us from veering off to the left by wishing we had what others do. When we look there we lose sight of gratefulness for all God has given us. On the other side is a guard rail to keep us from boasting. Because it is so easy when we have been blessed, to want to tell others how special we are.

Instead we need to keep our eyes on the center line that tells us all love is. Love is patient and love is kind, stopping to help someone with a flat tire by the roadside and giving space to the person in front who is driving slowly. Love is joyful when others find their way back onto the highway. Love stays up all night to help the person at the wheel to stay awake. And at the end of the day those guard rails of God’s love keep us from crashing, but it is the center line that will lead us all the way home!