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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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

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“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)

We Believe

April 19, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9 NIV

Today is Saturday…the day after the crucifixion and the day before the resurrection

Imagine how the disciples felt on Saturday

A struggle with doubt and fear, and feeling alone?

How often have you lived a day like this?

It is times like this that we are left with the question

What do you believe?

Does death and darkness prevail or is He who He said He is?

Our hope and our salvation depend on how we answer this question

For me the answer is in the lyrics of a song…We Believe by The Newsboys

We Believe by The Newsboys

In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only one salvation
We believe, we believeWe believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He’s comin’ back again, we believe

So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, we believe!

We believe in God the Father!
We believe in Jesus Christ!
We believe in the Holy Spirit!
And He’s given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He’s comin’ back again!

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!
In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live loud, our God we’ll say
We believe, we believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail!
For the power of God, has torn the veil!
Now we know Your love will never fail!
We believe, we believe!

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He’s comin’ back,
He’s comin’ back again!
He’s comin’ back again!
We believe!
We believe

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“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35 NIV

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

God Is Love

March 11, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

God’s love renews and restores us

Our relationship with God is an inside out relationship

We need to know and understand God’s love for us and that there is nothing we can think, say or do that will change God’s unconditional love

As we receive and understand God’s love, we are equipped to go out and give love to others in our daily life and interactions

May God’s love and peace be with you and flow through you

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“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?“

Romans 8:31-35 NIV

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

To Know Him vs To Know About Him

February 26, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“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.”

1 John 4:7-8 NIV

Each of us needs to ask ourselves…

Do I truly know Jesus or do I just know about Him?

There is a significant difference

To know that He lived and the things that He did and even the things He said is to know about Him

To know Him is to meet with Him daily and communicate with Him all the time

To know Him is to ask Him questions and express your true feelings to Him

To know Him is to do what He did in your relationships with others

To know Him is to take up your cross and follow Him

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“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save their life^[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

Matthew 16:24-24 NIV

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

Attitude…Holy Living

February 24, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14 NIV

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.”

Different by Micah Tyler

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.“

Colossians 3:15-17 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake place in central Minnesota)