Believe…Seek Him

October 21, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:33 NIV

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

James 4:7-8 NIV

Father God, thank You for sending Jesus to the world

Give us courage and strength to follow Him

Regardless of our trials or temptations, help us to seek Him

Give us wisdom and endurance to pursue Him above all else

In Jesus name, Amen

We Believe by Newsboys

DSC_0005 publish

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16-17 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Amazing Grace

October 20, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. ²¹But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness is given through faith in^[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:20-24 NIV

Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin

DSC_98 publish

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

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

Prepare The Way For The Lord

October 18, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“…as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”^[a]—
³“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”^[b]

Mark 1:2-3 NIV

God’s story and God’s plan is greater than our desires

We are a part of His story, not the other way around

We all have been given certain gifts to use while we are here

Our role is to recognize the gifts we have been given and to use them to help others

We are to do our part to Prepare the Way for the coming of the Lord

Prepare Ye The Way by Michael W Smith

DSC09993 publish

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.“

John 1:1-5 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

God’s Faithfulness

October 4, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

Good and Gracious God, thank You for Your never-ending faithfulness

No matter what we face You continue to guide, protect and strengthen us

Thank You for sending us Your Son and for our salvation

When unexpected things occur help us turn towards You first and put our hope and trust in You

In Jesus name, Amen

Nobody Loves Me Like You by Chris Tomlin

DSC_0975 publish

John 3:16-17 NIV

(This photo was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Thankful For God’s Faithful Presence

September 29, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14 NIV

Father God, You are the bread of life, true nourishment for our souls

Forgive us when we chase what the world offers, instead of You

We want to pursue You and know You, rather than empty pleasures

Thank You for your faithful presence in our world and our lives

Keep us focused on You and an attitude of gratitude today and all through every season

In Jesus name, Amen

DSC_0081 publish

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:9-10 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Listening

September 13, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

James 1:19-22 NIV

Listening is a skill we all need to use more often and a way of communicating that could get us much closer to peace in our life

If we were better listeners there would be less divorce and broken families…if we were better at listening there would be less violence and crime as hate and anger would not be stirred up so quickly

Listening involves taking time to understand what the other person is saying, it involves empathy

It means not being so quick to respond with your own will and desires as first priority…it takes humility to really listen…it takes a willingness to admit we don’t have all the answers

Think about recent interactions in your life…when are you hearing and when are you listening? I know I can do better

Lastly, communicating with God takes more than just talking, if we are doing all the talking in prayer when do we take the time to listen to Him?

May we all be blessed with courage and humility to listen better

DSC_0604 publish

“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalm 25:4-5 NIV

(This photo was taken along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

The Lord Of My Everything?

July 19, 2025 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

“In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Proverbs 16:9 NIV

Sometimes I struggle with my faith when it comes to opening up to the Lord for all things

Not only the parts of my life and my heart I think He wants to be involved in…that would be God on my terms

I have come to learn…it does not work like that

God is the God of everything and Jesus Christ is Lord of all

All of creation, all people in all nations since the beginning of time and His love is for everything and everyone

His grace and His mercy will endure forever

It can be so difficult for my finite mind to comprehend the totality of God and His love

He is more than the God of Sunday morning or Wednesday evening…He is more than the God of when I really need help or a crisis is happening…He is more than a beautiful sunrise or sunset when we do feel more of His presence

He is also the Lord of housework, the Lord of daily errands, the Lord of trips to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, He is the Lord of where you work and He is the Lord what you do…He is the Lord of everything

The best part of all? This means He is right there waiting to hear from you about all of it…everything

If He is your Lord and Savior that doesn’t mean everything will be easy and good…yet He is with you through all of it

May we know God’s presence, His love, His joy and His forgiveness in everything in our lives…everyday

DSC_1549 publish

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of the life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:6 NIV

(This photo was taken at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Dare To Be Different

June 11, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

1 John 2:15-17 NIV

“Do not conform to the 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 NIV

Father God, forgive me for the ways I have turned away from You physically, spiritually and emotionally

If You are not the center of my life, nothing else matters

Please lead me to live differently

Show me how to live a life that draws near to You and is devoted to honoring You and loving others

In Jesus name, Amen

DSC06710 publish

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.“

Romans 12:9-13 NIV

(This photo was taken at Falls Park near Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

Unconditional Love

June 4, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

God loves us unconditionally

We do not earn His love; we do not deserve it

There are not certain things you must do or be to receive God’s love

He offers it to us through His Son and by His mercy and grace

Our job is to receive His love by seeking Him, spending time with Him and being in relationship with Him

We are to know Him

And we are to make Him known to others

There is no greater gift you will ever receive in this life than God’s love

Turn away from sinful thoughts and ways and live in God’s unconditional love

DSC_0176 publish

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.“

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

(This photo was taken along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

What Path Are You On?

May 9, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

Life is full of choices and decisions.

We all have been given the gift of free will. The hardest part of this isn’t necessarily making a decision, rather it is holding yourself accountable for what happens after your decision and being open to changing things as you move forward in life.

Look around you…take inventory. How are things going in your life? If it is not good from your perspective…look in a mirror…that is the best place to start to make a change in your life, start with you. On the other hand, if things look ok or pretty good from your perspective, give thanks and praise and begin to think about how you can share and support others.

No matter what your results, good or bad, we all have made decisions in our past that have led to where we are today…right now. What are the decisions have you made that impacted the path you are traveling on?

If you are on a bad path, look for ways to improve on your current situation…I caution you here, do not believe you can go back to change a decision that occurred in the past to make things better now…instead, live in the present, learn from the poor decision and make new decisions to improve things going forward. If you can identify decisions in the past that have been good and led to great things learn what you can and share with others.

This reflection can be helpful because sometimes when we look back things have changed and what we thought was a good or bad decision at the time it was made might be different now and we can learn things for life going forward.

None of this is easy…we were never promised easy…we have always been promised Hope…and you can have Hope every day, if you choose to believe and follow Jesus. As always the God’s Word provides instructions regarding these matters…

“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105 NIV

I pray we all seek wisdom from God so we can make decisions that will lead to Life.

(This photo was taken while traveling through Colorado)