He Gives Us Strength

November 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we feel weak and tired…when frustrations seem overwhelming…when the way forward is difficult or unknown. God the Father, Jesus Christ His one and only Son and the Holy Spirit lift us up and renew us. Everything and anything in life is going to better when God is at the center of our lives. Spending time in devotions and prayer, reading God’s Word these are ways to build your relationship with Jesus. The more our relationship grows the more we begin to sense His presence in our lives which can lead us to courage and strength at times when we need it most. We were never promised a life of faith would be easy…the promise is “…he will never leave you nor forsake you.” –Deuteronomy 31:6 The Lord is good and He is the provider of all we need. I pray we seek the will of the Lord and trust in Him. Amen.

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“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

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

Be Still

October 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Take time to build your relationship with the Lord…find a still and quiet place to seek Him…the greatest joy can come from experiencing God’s presence when the Holy Spirit is allowed to flow freely in your heart and soul. God is with you, He hears you and He knows you…make time to be with Him. I pray for all to take time to turn towards the Lord and away from the sinful nature. Amen.

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“Be still, and know that I am God…”

Psalm 46:10

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

Trust

October 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Something that is earned…easily eroded by poor behavior…to be a person of your word…to keep your promises. Trust is an essential element in good relationships, in relationships that have a chance to grow. It makes us vulnerable and when we get burned it takes that much longer for us to trust again. God is the only one who has never broken a promise, He is the only one who is by our side every single day, He is the one who sent His only Son to die in order to save us…yet so many of us want to keep Him in a box with a glass door that says “In case of an emergency break glass.” In order to trust God we need to be willing to be more open to Him, to be more vulnerable in our relationship with Him and to believe that He is working for good things in our life. I pray we all can take steps toward trusting God more in our life everyday. Amen.

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“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:2

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Humility

October 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Where is the focus of our life? What is the center of our existence? When others say kind things about us or something we have done, while this is encouraging, do we remember the One who made it possible for us? We all are so easily distracted and this can be how we are led away from God and His plan for us. The Book of Proverbs is filled with great reminders and statements about holy living. These were spoken by Solomon who had been blessed with incredible wisdom from God…even He succumbed to distractions in his life on earth. Nobody is immune and that is why daily interaction and communication with Jesus Christ is essential to finding humility and staying humble. May God’s mercy and grace wash over us each day. Amen

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“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

Proverbs 11:2

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

The Word Of Life

September 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The more I spend time reading the Word of God and in prayer the more I am learning about how God is present in my everyday life. I like many of us stumble very often in life with my words or my actions or my thoughts and as I sit down each morning and read from a Billy Graham devotional book and from the Bible I am learning about the things Jesus was teaching when He was here and what He is still teaching us today. When I think about other things I could pick up and read first thing in the morning, the Bible and time with God are clearly the only things that will renew my spirit, restore my mind and comfort my thoughts. I can physically feel my shoulders loosen up and relax more as I read and pray. The Word of God also sets up my perspective for the day and helps to refresh my attitude to help and serve others wherever I can. The Bible is truly the Word of life and the living water that only comes from Jesus Christ. May we all see and sense the presence of God’s Word in our daily life.

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“But blessed in the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking near the north shore of Lake Superior)

Surrender

September 20, 2018 / mcalcagno / 3 Comments

Because a life of faith is a journey and not one event or moment in time we must come back to Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection. I am learning that growing and developing or maturing in my spiritual life takes persistence and commitment. If I reserve my time and faith in God for a few moments at church on the weekend and a few memorized prayers before I eat or go to sleep, I feel like I am just going through the motions and not connecting. Coming to Christ daily, reading scripture and praying every morning before I sit down with this laptop and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my fingers to share the good news with you…that is how I am learning about new levels of faith and connecting more deeply with God. We must be willing to give of ourselves, we must be willing to trust in God’s plan and we must be willing to surrender our own plan in order to experience the full glory of God in life. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Mark 8:34-35

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

Humble Yourself

September 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Admit it when we are wrong…forgive others when they are wrong…be grateful…reflect and confess our sins to God…choose to serve the needs of others. These are just some of the ways to practice humility. The messages we receive all around us are ‘get more’, ‘climb higher even if it means running over others’, ‘me first’, ‘look out for number one’. To guide us at being better at humility we should read the teachings of Jesus. Work at simplifying our lives and living with the hope of eternal life. The past five days for me and my family has included two funerals, difficult times, and yet this morning I am struck by the fact that there are others all around us that are suffering everyday. It is so easy to get swallowed up by our own world of existence…however, God gives us community and fellowship with each other to help guide us. Don’t try and go it alone, be willing to accept that we need each other…all of us do. May goodness and kindness surround you in your daily life.

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“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:4

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Dillon, Colorado)

The Word

September 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The one true guide for all of life, the gift that provides wisdom and brings us back to the Lord is the The Word of God. The bible is full of lessons and instructions. We always seem to want to find answers to our questions in the world and the only thing the prince of this world wants to do is to take us further away from God. The strongest foundation for us to build our life on is The Word of the Lord. Seek Him and seek His Word and trust in Him to guide your life. May we all find time to dwell in the Word of the Lord.

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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalm 119:105

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Arches National Park in Utah)

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)

Understanding

July 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There are a few places in the bible that state…“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,…” (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10) There is also…“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,…” (Proverbs 1:7) I want to take a moment to talk about “The fear of the Lord…” In modern language fear is strictly defined as being afraid of or believing something or someone is dangerous and to avoid. An older definition of fear is to stand in awe of; to have respect for, to revere, reverence. These verses are telling us to have ultimate respect for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To stand in awe of the love, the mercy, the grace and the power of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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