Be Courageous

August 6, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Faith takes courage, to believe in what we hope for and not what we see. It takes courage to trust, even when we are unsure how things will turn out. The world may call you foolish, in fact based on the bible, you should expect it. It will take courage to stay on your faith journey when things get hard or don’t go the way you want…what you need to focus on is Jesus Christ and God’s Word. God is with you…trust in Him, seek His will and be courageous. Amen.

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“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

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

Choose Love

August 2, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We live with free will…a gift from God. We have the freedom to choose what we say, what we think and our behaviors. We can choose how we respond to others and what attitude we are going to present in our interactions. There are many influences trying to sway our choices both in this world and in the spiritual world. If we take time to reflect on what we have chosen and less time worrying about what others think, say and do…we give ourselves the opportunity to grow…in our relationships and in our spiritual lives. Our example to follow is Jesus Christ…how He lived and what He said while He was here, as well as what the Holy Spirit is saying to us each day. The message is clear…we should choose love in all things…in our thoughts, in our words and in our behaviors. May the love of God flow through each of us. 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 one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. 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 October of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Safe Pasture

July 29, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What does it take to feel safe? To have shelter, food and water? These are the physical essentials for life. When traveling on mission trips, I have met some people who struggle for these things every day and yet they seem to have unique peace about them…for others they have all these things and much more and they are worried, scattered, scared. This isn’t true in all cases for either group of people, however, there was a noticeable difference sometimes. The one thing that stood out whenever I met a person who exuded a sense of peace, whether they had little or plenty of worldly things? It was their faith. Take inventory of people in your life…who constantly seems to have a sense of hope and who always seems eager to complain and worry? Now take time to reflect on yourself…how do you typically present yourself? To say we believe in God and know that He is with us is one thing…to live it out in our everyday life is the next step in spiritual growth. Trust in the Lord and you will find safe pasture. Amen.

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“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Here I Am To Worship

July 28, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Wherever you are, whatever is going on in your life, take time for worship. God is with you and He is waiting to hear from you. Nothing that the world offers can compare with the blessings we receive from God. It is never too late to turn back to God, no matter how far off you have wandered, God still loves you and will forgive you…turn towards Jesus and renew your relationship with Him. May the peace of God be with you. Amen.

Here I Am To Worship by Michael W. Smith

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“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Revelation 3:20

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Gratitude

July 26, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There was only one way for sin to be properly punished and for the human race to have the opportunity for salvation. When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples, He hit a very low point as a human…He knew what was about to happen worse yet He knew it was the only way to salvation for the world. Jesus knows what it is like to struggle and suffer in this world and He prayed that God would remove Him from the situation…yet then He prayed something very few of us have ever prayed…He said, …“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42) He offered Himself to God and God’s plan, for that we can have nothing but gratitude for Jesus Christ and His willingness to die for us. Amen.

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“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

The Truth Is In God’s Word

July 25, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We can search the whole world over and never find the happiness that the human race is searching to discover…what we seek in not of this world. True joy, love, peace and contentment can only be found with Jesus Christ. The Bible has stood the ultimate test…the test of time. It is based on truth and actual events in history…it is the unchanging Word of God. It is given to us so that we can learn and live our lives centered on Christ and not ourselves or our personal agendas. Read God’s Word daily and seek Him, for He is with you every step of the way. Amen.

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“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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

It Was Love…

July 24, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we look around the world today and we look at how people treat each other, what do we see? Quite often we see selfishness, hatred, anger, a lack of respect for human life, an unrepentant and unforgiving society. As a human race we have free will and this is how we have chosen to live? This isn’t new, as you can read in the Old Testament the exact same behaviors were happening in a different time…so what could we possibly do to change this? What can we do to try to make things different? Better? We can look to the One who was tortured in every way possible and follow His example…the man who did no wrong and was sentenced to die on a Cross…and after He was flogged, beaten, He had thorns pushed into His head and after He was hung on that Cross to die in a horrible way…He asked God His Father to forgive them? How in the world could He do that? It was love…Amen.

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“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:34

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

He Lives In You

July 23, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith. Not only because of what He did when He was human on earth and not only because He sacrificed Himself for us and died on a cross or because He rose…He is the foundation of our faith today because of all these things and the fact that He Lives in us. Before He ascended, He promised the Holy Spirit would come to those who love Him and do as He commands. In the Gospel of John 14, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit and explains our connection to Him through the Spirit. The love of God can be found in the hearts of people and can be shared with others…it is up to each of us to seek Him and trust in His way rather than our own. May you be encouraged by the Holy Spirit within you today. Amen.

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“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father,and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

John 14:20-21

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

Relationships

July 21, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The attitudes and behaviors we choose to use towards each other are significant factors in our relationships. If we are self-focused, we will have many difficulties in our relationships or if we over extend ourselves in serving others and we lack self-care we can become unable to help anyone. Our guide for daily living is found by spending time with Jesus and reading God’s Word. Feeding our faith and doing it daily is the best thing we can do to influence all other areas of our lives. The most important relationship we will ever have is with our Lord and Savior, when we start with that and stick to it, everything else will get better. May you be comforted by God’s love today. Amen.

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

(This photo was taken in July of 2014 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Wisdom

July 20, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Intelligence…understanding…insight…perception…discernment. Wisdom is developed through experience and learning. Intelligence without common sense is not wisdom. When we can see beyond the current moment and not have ourselves as the center of everything then we are wise. True wisdom takes humility and a willingness to learn from others, above all else we should remember that any wisdom we have can’t be compared to God’s wisdom and God’s plan. It is up to us to seek Him and His Word to truly learn and grow throughout our lives. We will never know all the answers while we are here and that can be frustrating…but we have every opportunity to seek and to know the One who is and always will be the answer…Jesus. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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