God’s Presence Is All Around Us

November 3, 2025 / 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

One of the most difficult things for us to accomplish is change

A change that will last, is sustainable and makes a difference in us and how we interact with others

One of the greatest changes in human history occurred when Jesus Christ changed Saul into Paul, His disciple

We read about this is the Book of Acts, chapter 9

What Jesus did to create and sustain this change was to illuminate His Presence to Saul

To show His Presence and then to give instructions to Saul as to what he must do

God is present in creation and in each of our lives everyday…we just need to do a better job of looking for Him

His Presence exists in nature, the change of the seasons and in the Fruits of the Spirit that we give and receive in our interactions with others

God is with you, He loves you and His Presence is what gives you strength

Thanks be to God

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“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

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

Gentleness

November 1, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Gentleness shows up in the Bible in three places…within the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…

“You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.”

Psalm 18:35 NIV

“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—”

2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

(This photo was taken at Palisade Head along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

God’s Word

October 31, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God’s word is the source of truth and our guide for living in this world

There are so many ways it will help us and support us and it never changes

People will come and go; people will try to twist it and use it for their personal agenda

Stay close in your relationship with Jesus Christ as He is the Truth

Pickup God’s word every day and you will see the many ways God speaks to us

Below are a few situations from my life and how God’s word speaks to me about these things

When I am focused on worry and fear…

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:1 NIV

When I have doubt or confusion…

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”^[a]

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

When I am led astray by temptations…

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Psalm 51:10-12 NIV

If you want to know where is God in all that is going on in the world, open up His Word, seek and you will find

May Peace be with you

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“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.”

John 3:16 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise on a lake in central Minnesota)

Faith Over Fear

October 29, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

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

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

God is greater than anything we face in life

No challenge or difficulty is too much for God to handle

He is the Creator of the universe…He knows you…He loves you

He is with you every day, all the time

Put your faith in God and let your faith be greater than your fear

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

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

When You Pray…

October 26, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Matthew 6:5-8 NIV

Amazing things can happen that only God can do, when you pray

It is not about the right words or the proper position…it is about what you believe!

Prayer is for all circumstances

Prayer is communication with God…and your relationship with God will grow

When you pray…

When We Pray by Tauren Wells

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:24 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Moountain National Park in Colorado)

Do Not Worry…God Is With You

October 25, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?“

Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

No matter what the circumstances or the possibilities

Turn your worry into prayer

God is with you…God is within you

He will lead and guide you

Every day, all the time…even when you can’t see it

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“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

(This photo was taken in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)

Compassion

October 24, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹²as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;”

Psalm 103:8-13 NIV

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

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

Amazing Grace

October 20, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. ²¹But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness is given through faith in^[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:20-24 NIV

Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin

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“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

(This photo was taken near the border of Minnesota and South Dakota)

Prepare The Way For The Lord

October 18, 2025 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“…as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”^[a]—
³“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”^[b]

Mark 1:2-3 NIV

God’s story and God’s plan is greater than our desires

We are a part of His story, not the other way around

We all have been given certain gifts to use while we are here

Our role is to recognize the gifts we have been given and to use them to help others

We are to do our part to Prepare the Way for the coming of the Lord

Prepare Ye The Way by Michael W Smith

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.“

John 1:1-5 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)