He Has Set An Example

February 4, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Throughout history the phrase “What would Jesus do?” has shown up in popularity and faded and shown up again. Taken at its most basic level the question is valid to reflect upon. His behaviors, His kindness, His generosity, His goodness, His mercy, His forgiveness, how He treated others and especially, His love. We would do well to learn more about what He would do according to the Scriptures. May the peace of Christ be with you. Amen.

DSC_0993 publish

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

John 13:15

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

Choices

December 26, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Which race are you running? The one the world lays out that is chasing after money, possessions and status among this world or the race that has been marked out for you by God? God’s gift of free will does give us a choice…it is important to keep in mind that all choices come with a cost. The world’s race has been called the ‘rat race’ and in order to run that race we have to make choices that leaves a trail of broken relationships…if we choose to pursue the race that God has marked out for us we will be persecuted by others for not conforming to the way of the world. Neither race is easier than the other, the biggest difference is that in choosing the race that God has marked out for us we will never be running alone and most importantly when it comes to the end of our race where we end up is significantly different. Seek God’s wisdom for the path that you are on and the race that you are running. Amen.

DSC_0546 publish

“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, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

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

The Spirit Within Us

December 18, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

How do you tune in to the Holy Spirit? The faith journey begins by acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God, our Savior and the confession of our sins…it continues with the desire to turn away from sin in our daily lives. How can our faith grow? It must be fed… we should feed our minds and our hearts with God’s word, we should seek to do good things, to help those in need and share whatever we have received in abundance. We are not equipped to do this alone, none of us are. So how do we know when the Holy Spirit is guiding us…we need to find the best way to tune in…like back in the days when listening to music meant finding just the right spot on a radio dial that brought in a clear signal with no static…strive to find that place and that time where you can tune in and receive guidance from God’s Holy Spirit. Amen.

DSC_1927 publish

“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. ⁷For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7

(This photo was taken in July of 2017 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Lay Down Your Burden

December 5, 2019 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

We have a Savior, born in barn over 2,000 years ago, because there was no room for Him in the world. Yet He came to save us…He loves us, He forgives us and He will carry us through anything we are facing. Turn to Jesus Christ and lay down your burden and trust in Him. Amen.

Carry You by Amy Grant

DSC_0928 publish

“Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.”

Psalm 55:22

(This photo was taken in Augus tof 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

An Invitation

November 19, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Jesus invites us to follow Him. God’s love gives us the opportunity to choose to follow Christ and to live eternally in heaven and God’s gift of free will means we have a responsibility to own our choices. God wants a relationship with each one of us and a relationship is a two-way connection. He wants to be in relationship so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son to provide The Way. Take a look at Luke 5:27-28, Mark 10:17-31 as examples of Jesus extending an invitation to follow Him. No matter where you are or what your life circumstances are, you are invited to follow Jesus Christ. How will you choose to respond to His invitation? Amen.

DSC06941 publish

“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

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

Jesus

August 1, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

He is all we need. He is the way to God for us. He took the punishment we deserve. The words He spoke when He was here are written in red in the bible. If you want to learn more about Him, pick up a bible and read the Gospel of John. Believe in Him, He is the Son of God, our Savior and our Lord. No matter what you are going through, no matter where you are and no matter what you have done, turn towards Jesus…He is waiting to hear from you. Amen.

Give Me Jesus by Danny Gokey

DSC_0166 publish

“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

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

Give Glory To God

June 18, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We do not live for ourselves…we were created by God with a purpose…our lives are not about us. Selfishness and selfish behavior are poison in the world…they are harmful to us and to others. Give and it will be given to you…seek and you will find what you are looking for…Take time reflect on what God has done and is doing in your life, give thanks and give glory to God. Amen.

Not To Us by Chris Tomlin

DSC_0006 publish

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

Psalm 115:1

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Forgiveness

May 21, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Everybody makes mistakes, everyone makes poor choices. There are examples of this throughout history. The most prominent names in the bible committed sins, except for one. We are broken, we are weak, we give into temptation and the human race is responsible for bringing sin into the world. Even still we can be saved…Jesus Christ the one without sin who was crucified and died…He is Risen and He is our Redeemer. No matter what you have done or left undone, turn towards God and confess yours sins and you will be saved. Amen.

DSC_0661 publish

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

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

Wisdom From Above

March 26, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What is wisdom? The dictionary definition is…’the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgement; the quality of being wise.’ So in order to have wisdom we must have time invested in having experiences, time spent learning to get knowledge and have made decisions regarding an area of life in order to grow our experiences and knowledge. Now if we reflect on our own lives and how we spend our time, what are our experiences, where do we get our knowledge from…what things do we make decisions about that help foster our growth? How do our experiences, knowledge and good judgement align with faith and our spiritual life? If we truly want to learn about where God is in our lives and what He is asking us to do…we need to spend more time gaining wisdom about heavenly things and spend less time on earthly wisdom. Amen.

DSC07425 publish

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

James 3:17

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling through Colorado)

Persistence

February 12, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As of last night our area in the upper Midwest has received 16 inches of snow in the last week. Last night, another 4-5 inches fell and it will continue to snow until this afternoon, we may get more on Thrusday. We are not the only area with weather affecting every day life. I thought I heard the Seattle area received as much snow from one strom that it usually receives the entire winter. The pattern for us has been snow, then cold, then snow, then cold…repeat, repeat. The persistence of it can put some people under pressure while some people have big smiles on their faces…I tend to be more in the latter group. It is all about how we choose to respond. If you want to understand more about yourself and how you handle things that cannot be controlled…observe your reaction in relation to the weather. The same is true when it comes to doing good things we need to be persistent and not give up. Things will go wrong, the problems will seem to big, we will read and see terrible things in this world, we need to focus on Jesus Christ, we need to be persistent in our faith…that is the answer to all that we cannot control. Amen.

DSC_1339 publish