Why Faith?

November 12, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Because, Jesus Christ…His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection embody the love of God for each one of us. He is with you and He will never leave you. For all the troubles and suffering we will encounter in this life…they can be overcome, because that is what faith can do. Amen.

What Faith Can Do by Kutless

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

Proverbs 3:5-6

(This photo was taken in July fo 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Faith

October 31, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Trust…belief…confidence. Faith is not about the quantity of it that you have…it is more focused on do you have it or not? We sometimes think, ‘if I just had more faith’ or ‘if I just prayed the right way,’ things would have gone the way I wanted them to…as if we are somehow in control of the outcomes in life. God, our Creator and Father of all, gave us the gift of free will to choose how we will live and what we will believe…He loves us and wants a personal relationship with each one of us. The facts of faith are in the bible and the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are events that happened here on earth…so as you think about your life, your relationships and your circumstances ask yourself…’what do I believe?’ As for me, my response is the words of the Apostles Creed. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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“Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 21:21-22

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Doubt

October 26, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Everyone has doubt. We all experience moments when we question…’where is God in all of this?’ or ‘Why is this happening?’ This has happened to people throughout history. Even the disciples, who lived during the life of Jesus on earth had doubts. Having doubt and questions is natural and it is a starting point to explore and learn, so what do you do to find answers to your questions and your doubts? God wants us to have questions and to ask Him…having doubt and questions is ok…what you do with those doubts and questions is key to your faith journey. Amen.

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“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:28-31

(This photo was taken in July in 2016 at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

Humility And Strength

June 5, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It’s not about me…it’s not about how everything affects me or makes me feel…I am not the center of everything. Each of us is one person, created by God and how we choose to live and interact with others on a daily basis is what we can control more than anything. Our actions and how we choose to respond to the actions of others is up to us. Put God first, read His word and pray. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and give thanks to Jesus Christ for His love, His mercy and His grace…if you are wondering how will I ever do this or get through this…know that strength can be found in weakness. Amen.

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“…For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:10

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

By Faith…Persevere

April 28, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

How do we grow in faith? How can our faith become the cornerstone of who we are? It depends on your perspective…if your faith is more about religion and performing for the approval and acceptance of others, you will find it a poor foundation that will easily crumble. Faith is a living part of who we are, we must feed our faith as often as we feed our physical body…faith is fed by reading the Word of God everyday, praying and seeking the will of God for our lives…we build and grow our faith by establishing and building our personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. That is the foundation that has stood the test of time and that is the foundation that God promises will sustain us. Turn towards Jesus and begin building a foundation of faith that will last. Amen.

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“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7

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

Work In Progress…

April 12, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We do not have all the answers…we do not know all the reasons why…whatever is happening, whatever is going on, we need to remember God is with us and as long as we are here He is not done with us yet. God’s Word does not change but there is always more for us to learn from it. Turn to God in prayer and ask Him to give you eyes to see His will for your life, this day and every day. Amen.

Diamonds by Hawk Nelson

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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 August of 2016 in Arches National Park in Utah)

Persevere

March 14, 2019 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

Purposeful…dedicated…courageous…committed…determined…resolute. It takes strength to run the race of faith. The evil in this world will serve us many forms of darkness and struggle, it will work hard, very hard to keep us away from God. We have to be willing to fight just as hard to stay close to God and trust in the hope that faith gives us…even when…especially when we can’t see it. Don’t stop believing…(and now the song by Journey is playing in my mind)…keep the faith, when you get knocked back or pushed down trust in God and keep running the race of faith. Amen.

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Hebrews 12:1

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

To Make Him Known

February 8, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The second part of our purpose in life. As we learn and grow, we will be given opportunities to share faith. How, when or where we share is different for everyone. This is about living in the present moments of your life. If we are constantly stewing about the past or what might happen in the future we will miss that which is right in front of us. This is a journey, we will get distracted and sidetracked, it happens to everyone. In our efforts to get to know Him and make Him known, we will read stories of conversion and sharing by others and it seems like, wow they changed who they are on Monday and by Friday they were sharing the Good News with others…ah no, at least not for me. Case and point, I didn’t start daily devotions in my life until around 2010…I started posting on this blog in 2013…I started posting something everyday late in 2015…and began actually writing thoughts inspired by the Holy Spirit on this blog everyday in the beginning of 2018…and here we are today. What you don’t know is all the other things that go on in a person’s life that impact this process. We all are part of God’s plan, on my journey God is helping me narrow the focus on this…He created me to Know Him and to make Him Known, everything else should lead into that and I am still learning how that works. Thank you for reading and stopping by. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you on your journey. Amen.

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

Philippians 4:13

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

True Hope

January 13, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

People are constantly seeking answers to difficult questions in life from a worldly point of view. Approaching situations with this perspective and mentality leads to phrases like…’I don’t know what else to do’…’It will never get better’…’I have tried everything’…’I give up.’ We were not made to do things alone. We are created out of love and that love is from God. He wants a relationship with us, all that is good in our lives is from God. Darkness and evil, the bad things in life, are rooted in sin which is the way of this world. Our hope, our peace comes from God and our time spent in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His Son, our Lord and Savior. Be renewed by the hope that we have in Jesus. Amen.

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“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed.”

2 Corinthians 4:7-8

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Madeline Island in Lake Superior)

Stay On Track

January 9, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There can be so many demands on us in our daily lives. It is easy to sink in to chaos and to feel overstretched, mentally thin and struggling. This is the way of evil and darkness, the more it can distract you, the less time you will spend with God, reading God’s Word and in prayer. Don’t lose sight of your faith journey in your every day life. God is present and working in your life everyday. He is not a God who just stops by and checks in at Christmas, Easter and on Sunday’s or Wednesday nights. Just because we may not be paying attention to Him doesn’t mean He is not right there with us. The whole reason I started this blog in the summer of 2013 and it’s title are based on a foundation that faith and our faith journey continues everyday, all the time. Distractions will continue to fight to keep you away from God, don’t let them deter you and your relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen.

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