I Know You Are Near…

September 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Friends I don’t have many words for you today…my family and I are working through the process of my Dad passing away this past Friday. When were discussing music for the service this hymn was mentioned, and it keeps coming back to me in my mind all morning long. Please pray for us and know that God is near you too. Below is a link to the hymn and the lyrics below that. Peace be with you.

Yahweh, I Know You Are Near ~ Dan Schutte

Yahweh, I know you are near
Standing always at my side
You guard me from the foe
And you lead me in ways everlasting

[Verse 1]
Lord, you have searched my heart
And you know when I sit and when I stand
Your hand is upon me
Protecting me from death
Keeping me from harm

[Chorus]
Yahweh, I know you are near
Standing always at my side
You guard me from the foe
And you lead me in ways everlasting

[Verse 2]
Where can I run from your love?
If I climb to the heavens you are there
If I fly to the sunrise
Or sail beyond the sea
Still I’d find you there

[Chorus]

Yahweh, I know you are near
Standing always at my side
You guard me from the foe
And you lead me in ways everlasting

[Verse 3]
Marvelous to me are your works
How profound are your thoughts, my Lord
Even if I could count them
They number as the stars
You would still be there

[Chorus]
Yahweh, I know you are near
Standing always at my side
You guard me from the foe
And you lead me in ways everlasting

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Family

September 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We don’t choose them, we are born into them. It is meant to be a place where we find unconditional love. Like many aspects of life there will be pain, frustration, embarrassment and we will fail each other…over all of that there is love. No matter what we must go through we need to remember love. It won’t be easy and we all need to turn to Jesus through the most difficult of times for peace, for wisdom. My own family is facing an unexpected death as of yesterday afternoon and all I can do is seek peace from the Lord. Please pray for us as we work our way through the coming days, and tell the members of your family how much you love them. May we all find comfort in Jesus Christ.

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“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Exodus 20:12

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

A New Creation

August 31, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Ok, I accept that Jesus Christ died to save me from my sins. I believe that he is my Lord and Savior…now what? Faith is a journey, not a destination. Coming to the point that has you turning towards God is just the first step on a new road. If you go about your daily activities and schedule with no change of thought or actions then you aren’t really turning towards God and following…it is more like you stopped what you are doing took a longer than usual look at a new road and then kept going on the one you were on. To be engaged in your faith journey means a new way of doing things, it means looking at the same things with a new perspective, it means commenting on situations with a new attitude…to be a new creation. It will mean being different from the crowd, it most likely will mean meeting a new crowd, it will mean putting on a new self. God is with you, He will guide you and keep you safe…He loves you and He is waiting to hear from you. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling through Nebraska)

Strength

August 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God will renew our strength…He will provide our energy…the Lord is a strong tower. Have you ever had it happen that when you turn towards God and sit with him, or truly spend time with Him you get this unknown source of energy? Have you ever spent a great deal of time or effort on something and not felt exhausted? And others say how did you spend so much time on that? Have you ever heard it said or said yourself about someone…where do they get the energy to do that? When we are aligned with God’s plan and doing things that He set out for us to do, He will supply the energy and strength we need. We will not grow tired or weary, if we do, that is a message that we are spending our time on something that takes us away from God…this includes what we spend time thinking about in our minds. Trust in the Lord, be faithful to His plan and you will not grow weary. May you be blessed with wisdom and strength from the Lord.

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“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

Isaiah 40:29

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

A Quiet Place

August 29, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Peaceful…Prayer…Meditation…Rest…Renew…Restore…Recharge. Where and when are you spending time in a quiet place? If you live a busy existence keeping schedules and deadlines for either the family calendar or a job you usually have to wait until late at night or early in the morning while others are sleeping. I have had co-workers who prefer to get the office really early before others because it is quiet. We need to have a balance of going and doing and being productive some of the time and being at peace and resting at other times. If we don’t have both we will either become completely worn out from running around all the time with no rest or become isolated from community because we are always off on our own. This isn’t a choice of which one should I be but more of a mindfulness of what does my mind and body need right now? Go and do and then rest and recharge…(rinse repeat) May you find peace and rest in the Lord.

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“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’.”

Mark 6:31

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Glacier National Park in Montana)

Holy Living

August 28, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

To know Him and to make Him known. Love…Joy…Peace…Patience…Kindness…Goodness…Faithfulness…Gentleness…Self-Control. These are all ways we can live a holy life. We do not need to pound on people with bible verses as if they are the law. God gave everyone free will, each person will either turn towards God or turn away from God by how they choose to live. The attitude and behaviors they exhibit in everyday life. I usually try to pick one of the nine fruits of the Spirit and make myself more aware of how am I practicing patience or how am I showing faithfulness and one of the hard ones for me…how am I doing with self-control. The more we spend time with Jesus and the Word of God the better we get at holy living and the more prepared we become to share the Good News. May you find joy and comfort in your faith.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved, cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:12-13

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

God’s Workmanship

August 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are His creation…we are created out of love…we are created to do good things. When we are willing to come to The Cross and surrender, our plans, our ways, our timing for events in life and trust in Him to provide all we need, when we need it, then we will experience true joy. It sounds so simple and yet it is extremely difficult to execute in everyday life. We are made with free will, meaning we have a choice to pursue the sinful nature or to pursue a life following Jesus Christ. God’s plan is so much greater than our own because He is the original Creator of all things. Turn towards God and ask Him for wisdom about how He wants you to follow His plan for your life. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 by a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Aspects Of Love

August 26, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I think anyone who has attended more than one wedding has heard some or all of 1 Corinthians 13 from the bible. The one that talks all about what Love is and the behaviors it emulates…yet most people can only remember the first few words of verse 4 (Love is patient, love is kind…) and the words of verse 13 (And now these three remain: faith, hope and love…) There is so much more to 1 Corinthians 13, unfortunately like so many things in life, society has made these words trivial instead of heart felt. If more people took the time to read and understand all the aspects of love and made it important to try to show these behaviors to others, the world would be a much different place than it is today. The only thing we can do is to show up and be the change we want to see in the world…and yes, unfortunately those words have become trivial to some as well. From my perspective we need all of us to show more of verse 5 (It is not rude, it is not self-seeking…) as much as every other part of these words. I will share all of the verses below. May you see and show the love of God every day.

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“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blowhole on the island of Maui)

Choices

August 25, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We all have them…we have them for little things…we have them for big things…we have choices to make everyday…even not deciding is a choice. We are bombarded with messages about what we “should” want, what everyone “needs” and the quick and simple things you can do to have it all. Um No. This is evil and the sinful nature constantly at work telling us me, myself and I are the only important things to focus on. Every step we take towards the sinful nature is a step we choose to take away from God. We need to focus on the fruit of the Spirit “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) These are free, they are choices we can make in our everyday interactions. Choose a life based on the foundation of Faith and trust in Jesus Christ with every aspect of your life. May you be blessed with wisdom in the choices you make.

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“Do not conform any longer tot he pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

Joyful, Patient, Faithful

August 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Happy Friday…you know when you are having one of those times when it feels like something is going wrong with everything? When you are able to take a step back and review you often find the one common thing is your perspective…I know, I know not what you wanted to read. When things seem to pile up like this I have learned to immediately turn to prayer…stop what ever you are doing and ask God to intervene, to guide you and to cleanse your perspective. Maybe it’s time for a new approach to something, to look at it differently or just to open your mind to new possibilities to old issues. Whatever it is we don’t have to do it alone. May God be with you and provide you comfort.

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