Living By The Spirit

January 31, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Life by the Spirit is a life that is conscious of our impact on others. It is not always looking inward and seeking to satisfy the self. It is a balanced life, aware of the present more then the past or future. It is a life that strives to put Christ in the center of everything…it is not easy to achieve in a dark and broken world nor are we able to do this alone. I pray we seek a life that is led by the Spirit. Amen.

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“The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Galatians 5:14-15

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 while hiking in Wisconsin near Lake Superior)

Change

January 28, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Life is not about what the world and other people are doing to us, it is about what are we doing to be a light, to encourage others, to be helpful and supportive, what are we doing to be different? Micah Tyler released a song last fall…he introduces the story behind the song in the video I am sharing today about change and being different.

Different by Micah Tyler

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“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalms 51:10

(This photo was taken in December of 2013 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Trust

January 12, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Why is it so hard? What are we trusting? If my foundation of trust is related to how everything affects me…I will have very little trust of others…and they with the same perspective will have very little trust in me. If everyone has a center of self, then we all will be disappointed, frustrated and unable to trust. Stephen Covey talks about trust in relationships as an emotional bank account…with deposits and withdrawals. These are the behaviors we exhibit in our relationships. The faith perspective is what relationship is at the center of your life, your heart and your mind? Is it you with everyone else…or is it Christ and your relationship with Him? The world tells you that you are at the center of everything…the Scriptures tells us that Christ should be. This is a change in values, a change in perspective, a change in attitude…it takes time and Jesus Christ will be there with you every single step of the way. Amen.

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

(This photo was taken in July of 2012 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

How We Connect

January 6, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

People and relationships, these are two important elements in seeking and finding peace and joy in life. The world says that money and comfort/convenience is what you need to be happy. Focusing on others feeds our spiritual life and focusing on the self only feeds the self. As with everything in life it is our choice. God is pretty clear about the value of free will. He is not interested in having a people that just do things at His command. We are responsible for our behavior and the way we treat each other. The best place to start is with our relationship with Jesus Christ…begin, continue or renew your relationship with our Lord and Savior and will find peace. Amen.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe 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 December of 2018 on Paradise Island, Bahamas)

A New Self

December 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There are many factors that play into how we think and behave in our everyday life. Past experiences, our personal expectations and our routines all have a significant impact on us. It is so easy to slip into a way of thinking, believing and living until we realize we aren’t really living we are just existing and going through the motions. If we want to see things differently then we must be willing to change something in ourselves. Change is difficult and uncomfortable, yet we must remember we are not alone. God is with us and He will guide us through our efforts to change. May we seek the will for God for our lives and be open changing our attitudes and perspective in developing a new self. Amen.

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“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self…”

Ephesians 4:22-24

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

Attitude And Perspective

November 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

These are two key elements that drive our thoughts, our actions and our behaviors. The amazing thing is we are in charge of our attitudes and our perspectives. Which also means we are accountable for the attitude we choose or the perspective we believe about everything. We try to blame the things we can’t control for why we choose the attitude or perspective we have, yet our responsibility is in how we choose to respond to events and actions or the behaviors of others. At this time I would like to share an item written by Charles Swindoll that states a similar perspective about Attitude…

Attitude

by Charles Swindoll

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change that people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

I pray we look to the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us to choose our attitude according to God’s will. Amen.

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“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico)

Living In The Light

November 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Choose to be optimistic…choose to have gratitude…be thankful…appreciate all that you have been blessed with each day. Some days you may feel like there is not much to be thankful for, yet I encourage you to seek something to have gratitude about receiving or having available. The more you practice gratitude and thankfulness the easier it gets. The world is full of good things and good people…we have to want to see them. This is about changing our perspective and our attitude, not about the world and others changing things to fit our wants and desires. May we be filled with the light of Christ in our everyday interactions. Amen.

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“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 near the border of South Dakota and Minnesota)

Give Thanks

August 23, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Grateful…to show appreciation…gratitude…content with what you have…to recognize others. It is important to pause and to give thanks for what is good, for what we have been given or for what someone else has done for our benefit. It is a choice of attitude to be thankful instead of feeling you deserve somethings or demand and expect things. Choosing an attitude of gratitude focuses our thoughts the positive, the good and helps to drive a feeling of greater appreciation for something or someone. Take a moment to look around you and around your life…who needs to know you appreciate them, who are you thankful for in your life. Tell them, and remember Jesus Christ and what He did for you so that you could be reconciled with God…and tell Him how thankful you are for what He did and is doing. May the Word of the Lord be planted in you.

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“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100:4-5

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in southern New Mexico)

Walk In Love

July 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The commandments that Jesus himself recognized as the greatest commandments are about love. Jesus said…“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) One the most popular parts of the Bible 1 Corinthians 13 is all about Love. So what does it mean to walk in love? It is about attitude and behaviors towards God, yourself and towards others. It does not mean all behavior is permissible…sin is still sin. However, we are all guilty, we are all broken and we all do not deserve His forgiveness. No one sin is greater than another, that is worldly talk. When you want a reminder of what it means to walk in love go back and read 1 Corinthians 13, it speaks specifically to us about what behaviors constitute love. May God’s love be in you and flow through you.

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“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

2 John 6

(This photo was taken in July of 2012 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Trials And Trouble

July 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Have you ever thought…’why does this have to be so difficult?’ or ‘it seems like every direction I turn things go wrong!’ When dealing with such thoughts I am trying to learn how to step back, to stop doing the repeat cycle that builds up frustration. As we review situations we should try to asses, ‘am I trying to control too many things?’, ‘am I trying to get things to line up for the outcome I prefer?’ and the most difficult thought, ‘where is God in this situation?’ We may be struggling because we have had an opportunity to learn from the past and as slow learner we need to see the lesson again in a different way to get it through our heads. Unexpected things are going to happen to us, things will not go as we have planned, the key to growth and development is how you choose to respond to situations and learning along the way. There is no place in the bible that it says, “have no fear life will be easy.” We will face difficult times and situations and how we choose to respond will have a lasting impact on us and others. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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