Be Courageous

January 21, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of God’s great gifts is free will. He created us out of His love and His desire for relationship with us is one He wants us to seek, willingly. He did not create us to be robots or puppets, which means we have a responsiblity to make choices. We will find we are often presented with opportunities to make decisions and if we are paying attention to our faith journey over time it becomes more and more clear which choice is step towards God and which choice is a step toward our sinful nature. It will take courage to make decisions grounded in faith, it will be different than what the world thinks you should do. Don’t give in to fear, the journey will be very difficult at times and as it states in the Book of Ephesians chapter 6, put on the full armor of God and stand in faith. The choices will often be between courage and fear, be courageous in your faith. Amen.

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“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 July of 2015 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Morrison, Colorado)

Seek The Light

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

In our daily lives we are surrounded by messages of temptations, judgements and propaganda telling us what we should think, what we need to do, what brand of this or that, that a ‘sensible’ person uses. In the era of social media it has evolved into pop-up ads and notifications within streams of other information. This is all the work of darkness and evil. No matter what outlet you choose the attempt to pull you away from God will be present. There is a light for all of us and it is the Word of God. Seek Him and His Word and you will find hope and peace in a dark world. Amen.

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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalms 119:105

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park near Bayfield, Wisconsin)

How Deep Is Our Faith?

January 19, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I have heard the faith journey described as a process of working from the inside, out. The first part of the journey is transforming and changing the inside of ourselves…our thoughts, our beliefs, our attitude and our behaviors…removing the focus on sinful desires and self-centeredness as we learn and grow in our personal relationship with Christ. As the inside changes we become better equipped to share what we have learned and to provide encouragement to others on the journey, just as we have been and will be given assistance on our own journey. The question today is regarding that inside part of the process…the learning and growing and the depth of our inside transformation is not to reach a destination. The more we learn and grow and spend time in our reltionship with the Lord the deeper and stronger that relationship becomes. As discussed yesterday the battles will come at us in this life and a deep, strong relationship with Christ is the most powerful weapon we have when it comes to fighting evil in this world. Continue to strengthen and grow your relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen.

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“But blessed in the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green, It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

(This photo was taken in July of 2012 while walking on a trail in the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Battles Along The Way

January 18, 2019 / mcalcagno / 3 Comments

We read in the Bible about what this life will be like, it even has it in red letters for us to indicate that these are the words of Jesus…“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 Yet all of us attempt to get through things alone, at least the first time or several times for us slow learners. We are not alone on this journey…no matter who or what or how much trouble we are facing in this world nothing is to too big for God our Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Maybe in order for more humans to take note, life should come with a warning label…WARNING: Life will be difficult do not try this alone. Take time to seek Jesus, read about His life on earth, His teachings, His sacrifice, His victory. It is all available for you to read in God’s Word and God made sure you would have the opportunity to see it and to know Him. Peace to you on your journey. Amen.

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“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Colorado Springs, Colorado)

The Love Of God

January 17, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

To know the love of God means you are in tune with your relationship with Him and you know Him versus just knowing about Him. The love God has for us isn’t something to be measured or compared to others. It is an experience, it is about a relationship with Jesus Christ, His one and only Son. It is the reason we were created, it is why Jesus sacrificed Himself for us and it is the one thing we can always count on in life, no matter what. Seek to learn about God’s love for you and spend time getting to know Him. Amen.

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“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

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Stay On Track

January 9, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There can be so many demands on us in our daily lives. It is easy to sink in to chaos and to feel overstretched, mentally thin and struggling. This is the way of evil and darkness, the more it can distract you, the less time you will spend with God, reading God’s Word and in prayer. Don’t lose sight of your faith journey in your every day life. God is present and working in your life everyday. He is not a God who just stops by and checks in at Christmas, Easter and on Sunday’s or Wednesday nights. Just because we may not be paying attention to Him doesn’t mean He is not right there with us. The whole reason I started this blog in the summer of 2013 and it’s title are based on a foundation that faith and our faith journey continues everyday, all the time. Distractions will continue to fight to keep you away from God, don’t let them deter you and your relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen.

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“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:11-12

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

God Is Love

December 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I am reminded this morning of this statement. When we fix our eyes on Jesus and not on the pain, struggle and our self-serving desires, we are able to rise above those things carried by the love of God. If we allow the hurt and pain of the past to rule our present day then we are missing out on so many opportunities to know joy and peace, to be thankful for what is good. If we desire forgiveness for our sins, we need to be just as willing to forgive others. The sacrifice has already been made for us, the race is already been won, death is defeated and Christ lives. Let us turn towards God in prayer and thanksgiving for His everlasting love. Amen.

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“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

1 John 4:15-16

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

Comfort And Peace

December 15, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It is astonishing to discover the comfort and peace that God can provide with His presence when we surrender control and strive to not only listen to the Word of God but actually do what it says. The process of surrender takes time and I have only sensed this amazing comfort and peace on few occasions because…well old habits die hard. The self is stubborn. One occasion most recently was when my Dad went home to the Lord, unexpectedly. I clung more tightly to the words in my bible and prayed more passionately…and as promised, God carried me through and is still carrying me and my family onward. The hardest part is trying to avoid slipping back into old habits or old ways of thinking, especially after sensing such a closeness with the Lord. The comfort and peace we seek and that God offers every single person is available to us today and everyday…if we are willing to put aside our selfish ways and desires and put our hope in God. Amen.

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“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:8-9

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

Patience

December 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

During this Advent time of year, the Fruits of the Spirit keep coming into my mind. We wait for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Nothing about His coming was designed by us, the human race. This is a clear example of God at work for the good of all people. We must be patient on our faith journey and not give up hope…no matter how bad things may get, in any situation. Prayer…thoughtful, sincere, true and honest prayer, that is based in trust and belief in Jesus Christ is very powerful. The answers to our prayers are not based on our plans or our desires and that is a good thing. When you are discouraged or frustrated regarding a person or situation…take it to the Lord in prayer and remember when God was at work with His plan over 2,000 years ago, the results both then and now have been better than any human plan ever conceived. I pray we all trust in the Lord and seek patience with His plan for our lives. Amen.

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Our Beautiful Savior

November 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When you think about it…when you look around your life and the world and see the things that the most attention is focused on…you may begin to see something of a trend or common theme. We are all living in a lost and broken world, where anger, hate, suffering, hunger and homelessness are everywhere, the primary focus and attention of many people is on me, myself and I. On the journey of faith I realize the only times I get worried or upset or feel like chaos is everywhere is when I have put my expectations or my plans or my wants and desires ahead of everything else. The self is very powerful and very stubborn and will lead us to destructive thoughts and behaviors. This is when we need to be renewed, to put our focus back on Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Our beautiful Savior who came down from heaven to save us from self-destruction. Come to the Cross and be renewed by Jesus Christ our one and only beautiful Savior. Amen.

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