Find Rest For Your Soul

December 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The pace of life in society tends to be frenetic and hurried. Rushing to get here and there taking little time to stop…and live in the present moment. There is time to rest, to be more balanced and to set down our technology devices and have an in person conversation with a friend or family member. To talk and to listen…all we have to do is make the decision to do it. The world and other people are not going to do it for you…there is one person I know who actually invites us to come to Him and find rest. He is even willing to take on our burdens and to give us peace and comfort. Take your worries, your fears and all those things weighing down on you and bring them to the Cross of Christ and you will find rest for your soul. Amen.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew 11:28-29

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

Thanksgiving

November 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What are you thankful for? Think about the last week of your life, the last month, the last 12 months. Where were you or what was going on last Thanksgiving? Are you able to be with or spend the day with the same people you have for many years or have some gone home to the Lord? Thinking about the events and people in your life…who or what are you most thankful for? How you view this day and your life in general is driven by your attitude. If you want to be more thankful or have a more positive outlook on a daily basis, start each day with time for gratitude for what is good and what you are grateful and thankful for in your life. We can all start with prayer and thanking God for the sacrifice of His Son to save us. Happy Thanksgiving Day to you. May we all experience the peace, love and joy of being thankful. Amen.

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“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 by our daughter while on a family road trip near Dillon, Colorado)

We Are Not Alone

November 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

Not only is God with us each day and everywhere we go, He has also put other people in our lives. Think about the people in your life. I read this morning about three types of relationships…people we minister to and we receive very little from…people who minister to us and we give them very little back…and the people closest to us, the ones who nourish us and our spirit and we nourish them and their spirit equally. Who are the people in these groups for you? One is your ministry to others, the second is someone else’s ministry to you and the third group…these are the people that are with you during your highest highs and your lowest lows, the ones you want to notify first when something happens. We need to be sure we are investing the majority of our time and energy in the third group, after all it is God who put them there to assist us and for us to assist them no matter what may come our way. I pray we all reflect and recognize who “our people” are and we strive to give them our best. Amen.

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“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Holy Living

November 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The people in our daily lives, the family and friends we interact with everyday, these are the people on earth who should know the most about us. How we treat each other, whether or not we trust each other, these are the cornerstones of our relationships. It is too easy to take others for granted or think they will always be there because for such a long time they have always been there. Yet things will happen in this broken and sinful world or time and age itself will catch up with every single person, and one day you may get a phone call that will change everything in an instant…they are gone. None us really knows what is in-store for us each day, only God knows. He doesn’t make the bad things happen, the sins of the human race has done that…however, He will bring comfort, He will bring courage and He will bring His presence to strengthen us. Let’s strive to not take people and relationships for granted, each day. I pray we attempt to live our best and present others with the light and love of Christ that we have so graciously received. Amen.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14

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

Fellowship

October 11, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Friendship…companionship…togetherness…mutual support…shared interests. A coming together and spending time together, that is what I think of when I think about fellowship. It is encouraging to come together and be able to openly discuss issues and topics while setting aside judgement and comparisons. In order for fellowship to be effective there is an element of forgiveness that must be present, because we are human, we will make mistakes and we will need to ask for forgiveness. The other key element that is necessary for fellowship to work is time. We need to devote time to fellowship and friendship. This is also true for our relationship with God. He has forgiven us of our sins and He is wanting us to spend time with Him. Reflect on your life and the people in it…with whom do you need to devote more time and where is a lack of forgiveness present? I pray that we turn towards God and ask Him to help us to see where fellowship is needed in our lives. Amen.

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“For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.”

Matthew 18:20

(This photo was taken in July of 2014 by one of my best friends at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Community

July 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I am late in posting today because I went out for breakfast with two men who are my closest friends in the world. Our time together on life’s journey began 30 years ago this fall when we all lived together when we were starting college. We are all married, we all are Fathers and we all love the Lord. We have grown and developed a deep love and respect for each other and we meet together to share stories, ask questions or just laugh about the things that have happened when we have been together. The three of us are community for each other. We all believe firmly that God brought us together to share this thing called life and we are all very thankful for our brotherhood. It is so important to find your community whether it is big or small, to me it is a group of people where you give what you can and you receive what you need and it restores your soul to be apart of that group of people. Thank you God for all the people that are community in my life. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Garden in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Neveda)

Creator

July 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It is good to take a walk and soak in God’s creation. To look around and see the intricate details that exist. The flowers, the trees, the water, from tiny bugs to mature wildlife our God is truly creative and imaginative. It is so easy to lose focus in life, to think that whatever is happening or not happening in our little piece of the world is the beginning or end of everything…we are neither. It was God who created the world and everything in it and humans cannot improve what God has created, we are here to assist to help maintain what God is sustaining. In order to do our part well, we need to have a relationship with the Creator and an appreciation for His creation. As the poem by Cecil Frances Alexander states; “All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all.”

May the awe and wonder of God’s creation be present in your life.

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“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”

Psalm 24:1-2

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Praise The Lord

July 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Today is recognized as Independence Day in the US. A holiday where people can gather and celebrate freedom. It is a day where we should give thanks to the Lord for all we have in our lives. Take a moment and reflect on your surroundings, people in your life…all of the good things are gifts from God. If it is difficult to see goodness, take some time to work on your relationship with God, talk to Him and listen in the quietness of time alone with God. You were created out of love by God, He is with you and you can have contentment, security, peace and hope for a future in a way that only God can provide by choosing to turn to Him and His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. God is good…all the time…and all the time…God is good! Praise the Lord. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Psalm 146:1-2

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

The Cross

July 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Come to the Cross…A place to bring your burdens…Savior…Salvation…Forgiveness…Peace. The Cross of Christ, this is the place we should turn to in all situations. This is where God sent His One and Only Son to be crucified to save us from our sins. This is where our relationship with God is reconciled. There are problems and struggles everywhere you can’t change everything for everyone, but He can. You can’t change everything but you can change something, you can change one thing that will make a difference in the world…You. Jesus said ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6) Open your heart and mind and invite Jesus Christ into your life everyday. This will make the world a better place. May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

John 19:30

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)

God’s Word

July 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Instructions…directions…guidance…wisdom…understanding. It takes a certain attitude to be willing to follow instructions, to accept wisdom from another or to trust the guidance of someone else. We have to be humble, willing to admit we don’t know our way around a situation or place. This is easy when we are using one of our devices of “convenience,” a cell phone, Ipad, computer, etc. It is more difficult when we start involving other people in our need for assistance. We are challenged to learn how to have humility, to accept our level of knowledge for what it is and to seek out wisdom and to learn from others in history. God’s Word is the instruction manual for life we all can use. It provides the Way to make it through this world, it does not say do this and life will be easy and always happy. It is more honest than that and more about providing wisdom and guidance as help from those who already have lived on earth and know the troubles human beings will have in life. Pickup a bible and seek the understanding that God provides. The test for this book is happening all the time in our daily life, how are you answering the multiple choice questions of your life? May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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