He Will Restore You

August 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Keep going…be steadfast and determined to find a way…don’t quit…don’t give up on them. With so much of the world focused on convenience and saving time there seems to be less and less stories about the long journey of success. The truth about most accomplishments is that they occur over a significant period of time. In athletics people will tell stories of an “overnight success” a player just emerged from out of nowhere. When the truth is that individual worked their tail off for the last 5, 10 or 15 years to get to that moment and the world just noticed them now. Hard work is expected to achieve anything. Dedication, commitment and a willingness to fail and try again, these are the things that lead to success. Especially in relationships and faith. If you or someone you care for is struggling, start or keep on praying, don’t give up on the situation. The world and society throw people away all the time…be different, believe in hope and God will restore the situation one way or another. May God bless you with courage and strength.

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“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

1 Peter 5:10

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

With All Your…

August 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Distractions are everywhere. Our focus shifts from one thing to the next so quickly, especially in the age of social media. When I was young I remember people using a phrase attributed to Mark Twain, ‘If you don’t like the weather; wait five minutes!’ Well in today’s society it could be ‘if you don’t like the top story of the day; wait a few minutes!’ With schedules and activities; things to do; places to go and see and access to so much information, it is no wonder people are filled with worry, anxiety and feeling exhausted. We end up putting any time with God and prayer as a line item in our never ending busy lives. God is not looking for you to be a social media friend or follower, who checks in on your feed to see what’s what…rather He is asking for your full attention, daily. Your all…your everything…everyday. May God bless you with wisdom and courage.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

Home

July 30, 2018July 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We all want a place where we feel like we belong. A place where the majority of the time people are interacting with kindness, goodness and love. The boom of electronic devices has created an invasion in our houses or places to be in community. It is interesting to me that we look down and draw into ourselves with these devices as our life and relationships are enriched when we look up, listen and engage with others and nature. One of the reasons I focus so much time and attention on nature in photography is because it is God created. He made the earth a place for us to live before we go to our eternal home. Wherever your home is invite God into it and invite Jesus into your life every day. The lessons we learn during life on earth are all to help us thrive in eternity. May you see God’s blessings in your life and relationships.

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

Psalm 37:3-4

(This photo was taken this morning on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

Reflect And Recharge

July 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When our hope is in the Lord, we will see goodness and blessings. When our focus is on living our life through our faith in Jesus Christ, we tend to be able to see with new eyes on old or familiar situations. When we walk daily with the Lord our perspective improves from worldly to heavenly. In the New Testament is states…“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) With the Lord we have hope, we can trust in goodness and righteousness and we can have faith that we will be able to see our way through anything. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4-7

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

Hope Everyday

June 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are blessed with the love God has for us and because of His love we have hope that is never-ending. We will experience trials and suffering, it is expected because we live in a world filled with selfishness and brokenness. Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him is where our hope can be found. Even when things are at the darkest hour, hope is the glimmer of light Christ provides. He has overcome anything this world can throw at us and He is waiting to guide you through everything you have going on in your life. May God’s hope and love be with you.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 14:8

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

Living Hope

March 9, 2018March 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

No matter what you are facing, no matter what struggle is pressing you down…when you devote your life to faith in Jesus Christ you will have access to a deep well of Hope. Imagine what it may have been like for one of the disciples, living during Jesus time on earth…the Savior, the one who was coming to save the people, had been born and living on earth…healing the sick and living a life according to God, which was very different from many others on earth. He had come and they were following Him…and then He allowed himself to be captured beaten and flogged and then crucified…because of who He was, imagine those three days after Jesus died…

Then the most amazing thing occurred and from the most tragic of circumstances, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many of them…He conquered death. This same Jesus is with you no matter what…put your Hope in Him. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

1 Peter 1:3

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Life By Faith

March 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Give it your best, know that your efforts are important to what is happening in your life. Trust that there is goodness even if it is hard to see. We must not give up hope…no matter what is present in your daily life, seek the Lord, consult with God in prayer and live with the hope of the resurrection in your heart. From even the most tragic of circumstances God created a new hope for us all. Live with the hope that God provides through His Son Jesus in every situation. May God’s 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 June of 2016 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Be Led By The Spirit

February 25, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

In order to make change in the world that will last the best place to focus on changing is human behavior. An excellent place to start is with yourself. If you are willing to take on such a challenge you will find quickly that this type of change is difficult, especially for the human race. A change that will last can’t be done alone…will power, will only get one so far because we are weak and broken and we live in a world of darkness. A real change in behavior requires surrender. After we live for so long trying every which way to do things the way we believe they should be done and we become exhausted with the results…we become ready to ask God for help. This is just human nature. He will still take us up on the request no matter when in life you ask. When you realize that your only hope is in God and His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit…go all in…this doesn’t mean go quickly…it means go in wholeheartedly with all that you have to give…completely surrender to God’s plan and you may be surprised at what is in store for you, your life and your relationships with others. May God’s peace be with you.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Faith, Hope And Love

February 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It is shocking and sad to venture out into the media of this world…so much focus on anger, malice, sexual immorality, greed, idolatry and evil desires. So many people choosing to ignore God and sure to push anything aside that may reference God…and yet when evil kills and destroys…people wonder where is God in all this? God is right here with us, in the midst of everything…people want a human view of God…if we could just have free will for the good things in life and then God could step in and stop the bad things from happening…God is not an official in a sporting event, waiting to blow the whistle on anyone who commits a foul. God is about a personal relationship, if we want to know where is God in all this we need to start asking ourselves where am I in my relationship with God?

When we come to God we come with Faith…What is Faith?

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1

We come to God looking for Hope…Where is Hope?

“…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

When we come to God we look for Love…How does he Love us?

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

May you have faith in the hope God provides with His love.

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“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blowhole on the north shore of Maui)

Hope

January 29, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of the strongest feelings or drivers of action in our human lives is hope. Hope is about ambition, desire, goal setting and most importantly hope is about trust. Hope comes from belief and belief is driven by trust and trust operates very much like a bank account. There are events that occur between you and another that are trust deposits and there are events that are trust withdrawals. The tricky part is one withdrawal is typically much larger than just one deposit. So similar to when you are trying to build up savings in an account if there are too many withdrawals when you are first getting started your relationship gets stuck near zero. Trust continues to function like currency in what we give, if people make several withdrawals on us we have very little trust to give. We should reflect on our relationships and our trust accounts with others and know that no matter what the current balance is there is always hope to make it better because of Jesus. May God’s peace be with you.

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