God’s faithfulness

Greater Is The One Who Is In You

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4 NIV

Make it a priority in your life to spend time with Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord

He has conquered all things and nothing you are facing or will face in your life is greater then Him and His saving grace

DSC_0056 publish

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Let The Holy Spirit Be Your Guide

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13 NIV

When we put our trust in God and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us grow spiritually

It can be difficult to tune in to the Holy Spirit during the hustle and bustle of daily life but that does not mean God is not present with you

Evil and darkness will go to great lengths to keep us from our connection to God…make time to connect to God’s presence in your life and tune into the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

DSC_0019 publish

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

John 14:26 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

This Is Love

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

John 15:12-13 NIV

Sacrifice…Savior…Salvation

The actions of God through Jesus Christ were done to save us

We don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it by doing good things, it is given to us as a gift

We can choose to accept it

We can stay close to Him by meeting with Him daily

We can do good things to help others

The mission is to help as many people as we can learn about Him and know Him

May the love of God be in us and work through us

DSC06483 publish

“This 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 4:10 NIV

(This photo was taken at the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Courageous

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NIV

God has promised to be with you wherever you go

Every day, all the time

When we look around at the world or at our worries, fears and frustrations…it’s easier to shrink back than to be bold and courageous, to play it safe rather than to go forward trusting in God

This is how living by faith is different than living the way the world tells you to live

Faith is simple yet not easy

We are inundated with messages of self-center living and behaviors

It takes courage to strive to be true to God’s Word

Put your hope and your trust in God and His promises

Follow the example of Jesus Christ

Be courageous

DSC_0604 publish

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken along Beartooth Pass near the Montana-Wyoming border)

Follow Him

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?“

Luke 9:23-25 NIV

This is it…this is what we are told by Jesus in God’s Word

“Follow me” He says to the tax collector and Levi promptly gets up and begins to follow

We do have a choice in our lives…free will is very important to God

He wants us to choose to follow Him

In Matthew 19, a rich man is invited by Jesus to ‘follow me’ and rich man is sad because he has great financial wealth and does not want to give that up

There is nothing in this world worth more than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ

Look for yourself…read God’s Word…choose one of the Gospels

My persoanl recommendation is the Gospel according to John

Learn about Jesus and then choose whether or not you will follow Him

  May peace be with you

DSC_0061 publish

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

John 12:23-26 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Prayer Makes A Difference

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6 NIV

Do we always get what we want, when we want it?  No

Does a child always get what they ask for?  Do they understand why?

No, they don’t…what we do know is that God wants us to pray

It is our way to communicate with God

It is a common topic in the bible…Matthew 6:6, Luke 18:1, Philippians 4:6 and many more places

Prayer is something God encourages us to do and knowing that, means that even though we may not understand how it works, prayer does make a difference

When We Pray by Tauren Wells

DSC_0001 (2) publish

“ Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessolanians 5:16-18 NIV

(This photo was taken on shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

A Better Way…Come Near To God

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.”

Psalm 145:18 NIV

Father God, we want to seek You with all of our hearts

You are our everything-so let our actions match our words

Each day, help us draw closer to You

Guide us through each decision, and inspire us with new dreams and wisdom

We want to honor You in all that we do

We want to live a better way

In Jesus name, Amen

DSC_0462 publish

“Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

James 4:8 NIV

(This photo was taken at Temperance State Park on Lake Superior)

With God…

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 NIV

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3 NIV

All things are possible with God

There is hope, because of Jesus Christ, so don’t give up

Anything is possible…any change in us, any change in others, any healing of sickness, restoration of a relationship…anything

All things are possible when we put our trust in God

DSC_0273 publish

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

Philippians 4:13 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Joy Because God Keeps His Promises

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.“

Psalm 32:8 NIV

God keeps His promises

God promised to send the Messiah

God fulfilled that promise when He sent His One and only Son to save us

God has made many other promises in the Scriptures

He has kept every promise He made

The only promise we are waiting for Him to fulfill is the return of Jesus

It will happen…He will come again

I know because God keeps His promises

DSC06842 publish

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16-17 NIV

(This photo was taken at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota)

Humility In Relationships

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Romans 12:17-18 NIV

Father God, You invite us into a peaceful relationship with You where we can be fully known and loved

You also invite us to pursue peace with others around us

Please help each one of us to appraoch our relationships with humility, grace and wisdom

Grant us knowledge to recognize when we should speak and when we should listen as we pursue peace

In Jesus name, Amen

DSC_0301 publish

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:1-4 NIV

(This photo was taken at the High Falls in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)