The Gift

January 7, 2019 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

We have been given the greatest gift ever…the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing compares to it. He sacrificed His life in heaven to come down to earth and to be like one of us, He was beaten, tortured, spit on and crucified…then God did what only God can do…out of the worst of tragedies He brought about the most incredible joy. Jesus Christ is alive and He lives today. Don’t put off your relationship with Jesus, spend time with Him everyday, the Gift of Him is one that keeps on giving to you forever. Amen.

dsc09023 publish

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

John 1:14

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake place 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.

DSC_1529 publish

“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)

Give Thanks

August 23, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Grateful…to show appreciation…gratitude…content with what you have…to recognize others. It is important to pause and to give thanks for what is good, for what we have been given or for what someone else has done for our benefit. It is a choice of attitude to be thankful instead of feeling you deserve somethings or demand and expect things. Choosing an attitude of gratitude focuses our thoughts the positive, the good and helps to drive a feeling of greater appreciation for something or someone. Take a moment to look around you and around your life…who needs to know you appreciate them, who are you thankful for in your life. Tell them, and remember Jesus Christ and what He did for you so that you could be reconciled with God…and tell Him how thankful you are for what He did and is doing. May the Word of the Lord be planted in you.

DSC_0223 publish

“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 100:4-5

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in southern New Mexico)

Gratitude

August 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I am thankful for God’s amazing grace. I am grateful for His love. Each morning when I get up I look forward to time with Jesus, my morning readings and bible verses. I have a devotional bible that provides a writing from the perspective of a follower of Jesus and it provides bible verses as a reference for each day. I began this practice over 8 years ago and every year I learn new things about myself and my relationships. As long as we are here God is still working on us and when He believes we are ready He will call us home. No one knows when that will be for anyone and everyone is working through some kind of battle or struggle. Just because we don’t see it in them does not mean they aren’t struggling or fighting through something. Give thanks to God for your life and seek His will for how to best use your gifts. May God’s mercy and love be with you.

DSC_0013 publish

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

Psalm 143:10

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

Be Thankful

April 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As I continue along my faith journey I am often reminded in different ways to remember to be thankful. When we look carefully at what blessings and gifts God has already provided we realize that we take so much for granted in our daily lives. Always concerned with others and what we don’t have or what we want next…it seems to be big part of human nature. If we take time every day to reflect on and give thanks for what we are grateful for it will help shape our perspective for the rest of the day. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever. For inspiration I recommend listening to the song of praise entitled Forever – by Chris Tomlin. May God’s peace be with you.

DSC_0103 publish

Psalm 100

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while driving through New Mexico)

Start With Gratitude

March 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When you find yourself spending too much time in worry and fear it is time to change your perspective. Nothing else will change for you in your life if you don’t start by assessing yourself. Look around your life and assess where you are from a basic needs point of view…take note of things or people you may be or may have been taking for granted and be thankful for them. Instead of starting each day with negativity of “now what?” or “what is going to go wrong next?”…change your thought process. “I am so thankful for this person” or “I am grateful I have food” and eventually you will notice a change in attitude. Try it for 30 days…see what happens and take time to pray about it. God provides everything we need not everything we want or think we need. May God’s peace be with you.

DSC08493 publish