Living By The Spirit

January 31, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Life by the Spirit is a life that is conscious of our impact on others. It is not always looking inward and seeking to satisfy the self. It is a balanced life, aware of the present more then the past or future. It is a life that strives to put Christ in the center of everything…it is not easy to achieve in a dark and broken world nor are we able to do this alone. I pray we seek a life that is led by the Spirit. Amen.

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“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 5:14-15

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 while hiking in Wisconsin near Lake Superior)

Measuring Success

December 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The measure of success we have in our life depends on which race we have chosen to run. Have we decided to pursue the race of the world, chasing money and possessions, constantly consuming and comparing our standing or our place in the world with others on social media? Or have we been working on pursuing the race marked out for us by God’s will? Making faith more important than things, focusing on our relationships, how we treat others and seeking to grow in our spiritual life. God has given us the gift of free will and so we have the ability and the responsibility to choose which race we will run. No matter where we are today, God is with us and we can trust in Him by turning to Christ in prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit to guide our path. Best of luck to you and to everyone in your race today. Amen.

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Hebrews 12:1

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Hope For The World

December 26, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The birth of Jesus is proof of God’s love for us. God chose to send His Son to save us. We will have struggles, suffering and difficulties in this world, yet our hope in goodness, kindness, compassion and love comes from our belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We can’t control what other people will do, say or think and focusing all our time on trying to change someone else will only lead to frustration. We can only control how we respond to others and the attitude we choose to present to the world. Let us choose love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. By faith, we can be the hope for the world by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and His saving grace for everyone. May the peace and love of Christ be in us all today and in the New Year. Amen.

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“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Romans 5:3-5

(This photo was taken in December of 2018 at Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas)

The Gift Of The Holy Spirit

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

If we are willing to the surrender our self-serving desires and seek out God’s will for us and our lives we should begin by turning towards Jesus in prayer and open ourselves up to Him. When we do that we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is our guide, this is that small voice telling us the right thing to do, especially when the right thing goes against the way of the world. Listening and then doing what God has intended for us will not be the easy route in many situations. Over time it can become more natural, it is at the beginning when change will be the most difficult…be persistent, be patient and trust the Lord. He is right there with you, every step of the way, every single day. Trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is a gift from God that we may receive this spirit. Amen.

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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 October of 2014 on the north shore of the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Let Your Light Shine

December 13, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior and Lord we receive the Holy Spirit. It is implanted in us to guide us, strengthen us and to build us up. We must feed our spiritual lives by attending worship, reading God’s Word and by praying. As we go on this journey we may notice a stronger sense of peace and calm and joy present more often than it used to be within us…we may notice a desire to good things more often and we may find we have greater compassion for others than maybe we did before. We should seek to follow a desire to do good things as often as we can and to give credit to God for who we are and what we have done. I pray we seek to shine the Light of Christ that is planted within us to others by our actions and our behaviors. Amen.

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“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

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

More And Less

December 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As we pray and read and learn more about Jesus and the examples He has provided us for living, our spiritual life should take on greater significance. The development on our faith journey could be referred to as an inside out process. We profess our belief in Jesus Christ and open ourselves up and ask Christ to come into hearts…we receive the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us change our thoughts, our attitude and our perspective. A surrendering of self-focused living and an increase in Christ focused living. The stronger we become in faith the better prepared we are to share the Good News with others in this broken world. First God restores us on the inside and then He sends us out to share what we have learned. I pray for courage and wisdom for all of us to be persistent in growing and nurturing our faith. Amen.

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“He must become greater; I must become less.”

John 3:30

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

Doing Good

November 21, 2018 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

Patience…Persistence…Perseverance…Consistent…Helpful…Supportive…Kind. It can be difficult to sustain an attitude that focuses on good things. There is darkness and evil lurking everywhere in the world. When we state our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and profess our faith that He is our Lord and Savior we will receive the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit along with the Word of God can be our foundation to stand on for doing good things and serving the needs of others. God is love and He has poured out His love to us through His One and Only Son. Let’s be grateful for His love, His mercy, His grace and His forgiveness and keep our courage up to do good things. Amen.

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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 while traveling through Utah)

Questions

November 20, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

So many questions in our hearts and minds every day. We must be careful not to let them overcome us. We should bring our questions to the Lord in prayer and listen for Him to guide us. He is the light for our path. Whatever is troubling you this day, take it to the Cross and live. May we seek the will of the Lord everywhere we go. Amen.

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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 July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Attitude And Perspective

November 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

These are two key elements that drive our thoughts, our actions and our behaviors. The amazing thing is we are in charge of our attitudes and our perspectives. Which also means we are accountable for the attitude we choose or the perspective we believe about everything. We try to blame the things we can’t control for why we choose the attitude or perspective we have, yet our responsibility is in how we choose to respond to events and actions or the behaviors of others. At this time I would like to share an item written by Charles Swindoll that states a similar perspective about Attitude…

Attitude

by Charles Swindoll

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change that people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

I pray we look to the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us to choose our attitude according to God’s will. Amen.

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“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21

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

There Is Hope…

November 13, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Where can you apply this phrase in your life? We get tired, we get frustrated and we get discouraged…and when this occurs it is important to remember with God all things are possible, even if and especially if we can’t see the way ahead or we can’t figure out how this is going to change or get better. Because there is hope we can keep going, keep trying, keep giving our best to that situation in our life…we persevere because there is hope. With God the most desperate time in human history when Jesus Christ was crucified, died and was buried became the greatest event of Good News. He was this baby born on Christmas morning who brought peace, healing and joy…He became a man performing miracles everywhere He went and then…He was gone…I can’t imagine what it must have been like for those days between His death and His resurrection. But because Jesus Christ has risen and He lives there is always Hope! May we all be strengthened and encouraged by the hope God has poured out for us through Jesus Christ. Amen.

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