Simple Yet Not Easy

November 6, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The facts of faith are straightforward, written down in God’s word for all of us. In the Gospels there is a story of the calling of Levi…in Mark 2 starting at verse 13 and in Luke 5 starting at verse 27. It is short and straight to the point, Jesus says two words, “Follow me” and Levi gets up and follows Him, leaving everything behind. It immediately has us asking for more information about the situation, ‘how is this possible?’, ‘they must have known each other before that moment.’ Yet no additional information is provided. Jesus extends the invitation as He does to all of us…“Follow me”…the response to His words is up to each one of us, every day. Do your best and let God take care of the rest. Amen.

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

Luke 9:23-25

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

Seek God’s Will

October 24, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we pray the Lord’s prayer, which is written in the Gospel of Matthew 6:9-13, verse 10 states…“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Take a moment to think about that…we are asking for the will of God to be done on earth every time we pray this prayer. So, after we speak the words, what’s next? God’s will is done by people willing to seek Him and His will rather than their own wants and desires. But then we think, ‘then I won’t get what I think is right for me.’ The thing is what we do receive is so much more than we ever imagined possible on our own with our own plan. We need to learn to trust in the Lord and seek His will. Amen.

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“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…”

Colossians 1:9-10

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

Listen

September 24, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Prayer doesn’t always have to be about you talking…listening is just as important to your relationship with God. If we are always the one speaking how can we be open to hearing what God is trying to tell us? This is an especially hard thing to do if we lack patience. The world keeps giving us the messages of faster, now, immediate gratification and savings! Yet God does not exist on our time table. Whatever is weighing you down, whatever is troubling you or has you worried Today…surrender it to Jesus Christ, ask Him to guide you with it, don’t pick it up again, leave it at the foot of the Cross then wait and listen for God. Amen.

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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 2016 while traveling on Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Peace

September 7, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Peace comes from hope, trust and love. Peace is available to all of us. It is a quiet confidence in God and His Son. It comes to us when we are willing to bring our worries, our fears and our burdens and lay them down at the foot of the Cross. If we constantly assess our lives based on the world’s view or what others think, say and do…we will not find peace. Peace is about gratitude and sharing the gifts and blessings God has given us with one another. May the peace of the Lord be with you! Amen.

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

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

Get Back To God

August 29, 2019 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

When we wander off in the world and go our own way, as opposed to staying connected to God, we eventually will get weary or bored and frustrated. When what we are pursuing in life is not tied to God’s plan or God’s will for us it will become drudgery. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ helps our spiritual awareness, we can learn to know when something is not right for us and we will have the courage to speak honestly about it. Today’s verse below does not say ‘I can do anything I want…’, it is speaking about doing the things that God wants us to do even when we are unsure that we can do them. Get back to God’s plan and His will and you will have peace. Amen.

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

Philippians 4:13

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

Be Present

August 24, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Each day is a gift. Nobody is guaranteed to wake up to a new day. Keep your thoughts and actions focused on the present people and circumstances…for all areas of life we should pray and seek God’s will for us. God is with us and He is working for good things for all 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 August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Wait Patiently

August 21, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This can be very difficult…just about every single part of society is pushing to go faster, hurry up, cram more into less time. Instant messaging, immediate gratification and my favorite at work…’did you see the email I just sent?’ At some point we will all encounter a situation or circumstances that will require patience and we will be poorly prepared. If we fail to learn patience, we could be setting ourselves up for greater frustrations and disappointments. Turn to God’s Word and pray for God’s help in teaching you patience. Amen.

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“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalm 37:7

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park)

Trust In The Lord

August 13, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What is an event or issue you sincerely brought to the Lord asked for Him to guide you and to take care of you and others? What was the outcome? It most likely wasn’t exactly the way you thought it was going to go or it wasn’t the way you wanted it to go…yet you may be thinking it all worked out in the end…it also could be that the issue worked out for the betterment of others, more than for you. God is the God of all people. Having a personal relationship with God doesn’t mean more things will go the way you want…it means you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and that you trust God even when you are unsure how things are going to turn out because you know He is working for the good in all things. Put your trust and your hope in God. Amen.

Find Rest by Francesca Battistelli

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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 July of 2019 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

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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