God’s Love And Faithfulness

June 19, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

No matter where we go or what we do God’s love and faithfulness are always more powerful than anything in this world. We spend our days searching for something…happiness, justice, peace of mind and we believe we will find it somewhere on earth. Yet the whole time God offers a path to find these pursuits. It begins with a belief in God and His goodness. Every promise He made He has kept and the last promise has yet to come, and Jesus Christ will come again. I pray we have the courage to stop putting our faith in things created by mankind and put our trust and faith right where it belongs…In God We Trust. May you see God’s love and faithfulness at work in your life.

DSC02384 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 June of 2015 on the side of the road while driving through South Dakota)

The Lord Of My Everything?

June 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

One of my struggles in faith is opening up to the Lord for everything. Not only the parts of my life and my heart I think He wants to be involved in…that would be God on my terms. It does not work like that. God is the God of everything and Jesus Christ is Lord of all. All of creation, all people in all nations since the beginning of time and His love for everything, His grace and His mercy will endure forever. It is so difficult for my finite mind to comprehend the totality of God and His love. He is more than the God of Sunday morning or Wednesday evening…He is more than the God of when I really need help or a crisis is happening…He is more than a beautiful sunrise or sunset when we feel more of His presence. He is the Lord of housework, the Lord of daily errands, the Lord of trips to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, He is the Lord of where you work and what you do…He is the Lord of everything. Period. The best part of all of this means He is right there waiting to hear from you about all of it. He is your Lord and Savior and even though that doesn’t mean everything will be easy and good He is with you through it all everyday. May God’s presence, His love, His joy and His forgiveness be present in your life everyday.

DSC_1549 publish

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of the life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:6

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

God Is Love

May 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Where have you seen God show up in your life? When you reflect on yesterday, last week, last month or even last year where or when did you see God in your relationships with others? He is at work in every part of your life, can you see it? God is love, He is at work not from the perspective of what the world is telling you…rather He is working from the perspective of the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Wherever you have seen these things in yourself and others that is where God shows up. He is with you, He will never leave you or abandon you. God created you and He loves you. May God’s love and peace be with you.

DSC_0522 publish

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:7-8

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

Spiritual Growth

May 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The growth that leads to spiritual maturity is the growth of your inner being. The inner self is the driver of our attitude and our behaviors. We all are equipped with a space in our inner being that only God can fill. As humans we will try to fill this gap with many other things…a professional career, wealth, adventure and adrenalin, alcohol, gambling and many others. This unique inner self only has one companion that fills us and makes us complete as God intended us to be and that is God Himself. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we do not grow tired and weary chasing after other things…we know that we are secure in God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s grace and God’s forgiveness. Invite the Lord into your life and into your daily routine and activities…after all He designed us in His own image and He knows us better than anyone else ever could. Seek spiritual growth and see how your life and the world changes from your perspective. May God’s peace and love and joy be with you.

DSC_0894 publish

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…”

Ephesians 3:16-18

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

Anything Is Possible

April 26, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Why do we doubt so much? Why is it so hard for us to believe what may be possible with God? When we are willing to surrender to His plan and His way in His time, there’s no telling what can happen. Look at the stories in the bible…Abraham and Sarah had a child they had so longed for when Sarah was 90…the 5000 were fed when all that was available to eat was a few fish and some bread…Lazarus is raised from the dead after being gone for a few days…and there are so many more examples. When God is involved in a situation anything is possible. We must turn to Him first with whatever we are facing and remember He is not a genie in a bottle who sometimes grants wishes…He is our creator, our savior and our guide who always has good things in store for us. Trust in the Lord and watch to see what He has in store for you. May the joy of the Lord be with you.

DSC_0699 publish

“For nothing is impossible with God.”

Luke 1:37

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

Saved By Grace

April 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We do not choose God, He chose us. He is our Creator, He sent His Son to reconcile us with Him. He continues to be involved in our everyday with the Holy Spirit. We have not earned this love nor do we deserve it for our behavior in this world. God gives to you freely out of His deep abiding love for you. No matter where you are or what is going on in your daily life…God loves you unconditionally…that is Grace. Turn to Him, seek Him and His Word. He is waiting to hear from you. May God’s love and peace be with you.

DSC_0228 publish

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

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

Patience

April 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of the hardest characteristics to develop and grow in this world is patience. All around us is convenience, time-saving, be first, get it done…hurry hurry, we want it now! Whew…take a moment…breathe. The “rat race” as it has been called consumes so many people. Let’s stop and think about that phrase…’rat race’…it has origins of a mouse or hamster in a cage running on a spinning wheel. Working so hard and going nowhere. We need the courage and strength to step off the spinning wheel. The goals of the rat race give us nothing but anxiety, stress and the desire to move the bar higher causing more of the same pain and suffering. One of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein…‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result,’ sounds like the rat race to me. Time to start making a change in how we live and the only way we can change is with patience and persistence. Take a least one step each day out of the rat race and get into the race of faith…for the reward in that race is eternal life through Jesus Christ. May God’s peace be with you.

DSC_0131 publish

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9

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

Confidence

March 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The bible is filled with promises by God and He fulfills those promises, not according to our standard rather, according to His. We are always trying to fit God into our view of how things should be instead of surrendering ourselves to His view. Every promise God has made has been completed, except for one. He promises that Jesus will come back again to take us home and based on the history of promises kept a believer should have every confidence that Jesus will return. It is written, He will come down from heaven, check…He will heal the sick and help the poor, check…He will be crucified and die, check…He will be risen and ascend to the Father, check…He will come again, still pending…this promise will be fulfilled according to God’s standard not ours. May God’s peace be with you.

2012 020 publish

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalms 27:13-14

(This photo was taken in June of 2012 while traveling through northwestern Wisconsin)

A Walk With God

March 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

How can we feed our faith? Why does it feel like faith is separate from the rest of life? Where can I see God at work in my life? All these questions and many more can be answered…by doing one thing in our life. Take a daily walk with God. Choose a time and a place, make it a top priority…other things will come up against it but don’t give up. It takes a willingness to commit and you can pray for the strength to stick to it. There is nothing more valuable to me and my faith journey then my time with God each morning. There isn’t only one way or one time to do this, just be sure to have a version of the Bible that is right for you. God knows you, He knows about your life, He knows about your joy and He knows about your sorrow…He even knows the things that very few people on earth know about you. Take time to be with Him because He loves you like nobody else can. Spend some time and take a walk with God every day. May God’s peace and love be with you.

DSC_1545 publish

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

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

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

Prayer Does Matter…

February 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we don’t know what to do…we should pray. When someone acknowledges us with a positive comment…we should say a prayer of thanks. When something happens that makes us angry…we should stop and pray for God to guide our response. When we are blessed with an increase in pay…we should pray to ask God how can we share some of it. When we we are feeling alone in the world…we should pray to God to show us His presence. When a friend or family member is suffering from illness…we should pray to God to be with them with healing comfort. And one of the most important parts of prayer is not only speaking to God…we also need to be ready to Listen…there many ways God can speak to us…pay attention to your surroundings and what you hear and see in your everyday life. Prayer matters to God, how do I know? I know because Jesus told us it does…it is not about the right words or the right prayer or the right time…it is just about doing it, always and let God be your guide. May God’s love and peace be with you.

DSC_1355 publish