The God Of Peace

May 10, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Everyone is facing a battle and a struggle of some kind. It is natural in this broken and fallen world. Some battles are easy for others to see on the outside and some battles are kept hidden from others yet they rage on inside a person just the same. We are not equipped to fight these battles alone, the dark forces that exist in and around the human race are very powerful. Our Creator God knows this and He has promised to never leave you or abandon you. His presence is even more powerful than the darkness, He is the God of peace. He will calm your anxious thoughts just like He calms a raging sea. He has sent His one and only Son to be one of us to reconcile a relationship with us. And most importantly He loves us with an everlasting love. Bring your battle to Christ, no matter what it is, invite Him into your heart and mind and trust in God to bring you a peace like nothing you have ever experienced before. May God’s love and peace wash over you this day.

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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)

Sacrifice

May 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

He gave us His everything to restore a relationship with us. God loves us, God loves you so much that He came down from heaven to be born as a baby among us. From the moment of His birth different people in the world sought to kill Him. Even still God has forgiven us. The world is filled with darkness, anger and shouting about my rights…yet when Jesus was here He spent the majority of His time teaching and helping others. When He was persecuted He didn’t shout out you have no right to attack me, I am God…instead just before His death He said Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Jesus has set us an example of how we should live, now it is up to us to choose our attitude and our behavior each day. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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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 March of 2018 while driving through southern New Mexico)

Bring Your Burdens To The Lord

May 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When something is weighing you down, constantly causing angst and worry, bring it to the Lord in prayer. Our minds often deceive us that we can take care of things or just distract ourselves long enough and everything will be alright…yet that concern finds its way back to the forefront of our mind and if we are not careful we could continue this cycle endlessly. When we come before the Lord in prayer and offer these worries up to Him and we trust in Him to guide us we can make our way forward. We still have a role to play as we need to pay attention and listen for God’s guidance and then we will begin to see a change in that burden or belief. God is always working for our good, we just need to talk with Him and get out of our own way. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

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

God Is With You

May 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Be at peace. God is with you. Everywhere you go, in every part of every day in your life He is with you. As I continue to my faith journey, I shudder when I think what life would be like if I was still trying to live without my personal relationship with God. He calms the storms, He lifts me up when I have fallen, He forgives me when I repent and He is the source of the kind of joy that has to be experienced to be understood. My heart is singing today. If you are looking for a song to sing in praise check out this song “Forever” by Chris Tomlin.

God created you, He sacrificed His One and only Son to save you, He forgives you for your sins and He goes with you everywhere, everyday…Forever.

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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

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 near the border between South Dakota and Minnesota)

Parenthood

May 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When life on earth begins we are completely dependent on loving parents to care for us, feed us, hold us and watch over us. As time goes by and the phases of life change a child begins to learn about interacting with others in the world, all the while the father and or mother each offer their unique perspective based mostly upon their own experience with their parents. The generations go on…unfortunately the family structure has been under attack by darkness and evil for a long time now and in today’s society the vast majority of people are ruled by selfishness and they show little respect for family or parents mainly because of how people who are given the gift of children have not honored their role of parenthood. When we become parents, we should be prepared to sacrifice things in order to help a child become a contributing adult in community. One of the greatest joys of parenthood is watching your child succeed and do well because you were willing to have patience and willing to be persistent in doing what God has asked you to do with the gift of a child. We are all God’s children and He is patient and persistent in loving us. We would do well to pass it on. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Train a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not turn from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

Strength

May 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When life is difficult and frustrating, where do we get the ability to move forward? What could possibly renew us? What makes some people so resilient? It has been my experience that there is only one thing powerful enough to lift us up out of any tragedy or trial…it is the Presence of the Lord. A relationship with Jesus Christ in the way to strength in the battle and rest when we are weary. To experience His presence we must do our part and be willing to spend time in devotions and prayer. God made a promise, He will never leave you nor forsake you and He always keeps His promises. Invite Jesus into your heart and into your life daily and you will be renewed each day. May God’s peace be with you.

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“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Proverbs 18:10

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

The Power Of Faith

April 29, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The blessings that come from our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are so great it is hard to fully appreciate. We should be careful not to underestimate the gifts God has given us. Each and every one of us has been created and blessed with special talents and our role in life is to learn about those gifts and talents and then to use them to do good things in and around our community, to help others and to spread the Good News of Jesus. Our actions and the things we choose to do and say are a good indication of where we are in our personal faith journey. For myself, I did not understand or spend much time thinking about such things until about 8 years ago and in the last 8 years I have experienced events of all kinds in life, pain and suffering as well as joy and contentment…most importantly I have been learning to be more open to putting my relationship with God first…I have been learning gratitude and thankfulness…I also know I still have a lot of learning left to do as I still mess things up frequently. The best part of my journey so far…I know more about who God has made me to be and I know He is always with me no matter what…I know because He told me so in His instruction manual for life…the Bible. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:7

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 during the sunrise at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Do You Not Know? Have You Not Heard?

April 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There are so many different verses in the bible that can become a connection point for us. God’s Word is filled with life application instructions and teachings. I have heard people say I son’t know what to do, or all I can do is pray…the power of scripture and prayer should not be underestimated. If you haven’t seen it or you are unsure if God is present in your life…give this a try. Pick up a bible and find words that may apply to your situation…not sure what part of the book to go to…go out onto the internet and type ‘bible verses about (insert your topic here).’ The world is filled with darkness, evil and suffering…choose to follow the light that has been given to us and see what God has planned for you. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while driving along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Free Will

April 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of the most sacred aspects regarding the creation of humans is free will. We are given the gift of free will by God to decide and to choose our behavior and attitude each day. How we choose to live is our responsibility and no one else’s. We choose to do good or to do wrong or we choose to do nothing. Everybody in the world is fighting a battle of some kind, real life is not what people are posting on social media, that is merely the book cover that people want to present to the world. We should not take our free will for granted, use the power to choose how you will live to do good for others, just as Christ did to save you. May God’s peace be with you.

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“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Galatians 5:13-15

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

Do Good Works

April 23, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Go out into the world of your daily life knowing that God is with you and do good things. Do not measure your goodness by how people in this world do or do not react, do not measure your goodness by how many “likes” or “shares” you have on social media. Do good work that benefits, encourages and uplifts another person. It can be just one other person or it can be more depending on where God is leading you. Fulfill a need of another person without expectation of getting something in return. Everything you do, every single day, God knows about it and our relationship with Him is most important one of our lives. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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