Merry Christmas

December 24, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

At Christmas time and throughout the year put Christ in the center of your life…with Christ you will know Hope, you will know Peace, you will know Joy and you will know that the Love of Christ in your heart will help you overcome anything this world can throw at you.

May we all see and know God’s blessings in our lives this Christmas and carry them with us all through the New Year. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Christmastime by Michael W Smith

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“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:11-14

(This photo was taken in December of 2013 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Self-Awareness

December 2, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This is defined as knowledge of one’s own feelings, motives and desires. If we are able to understand more about ourselves, we can become more confident in our values and purpose. Being more self-aware will also improve our relationships and interactions with others. For example, if our motives and desires center around self-satisfaction we will most likely have difficulty in relationships as we are not accounting for the needs of others. There is a balance between self-care and helping others that we should strive for and we don’t have to do it alone. God is with us and because of Jesus Christ we can ask for guidance in finding this balance. May the Fruit of the Spirit be in you and flow through you. Amen.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

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

Advent Season

December 1, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Today is the beginning of Advent. The season of preparation and expectant waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas and His return at the Second Coming. We have many resources to help us observe this season, with calendars, candles, special devotionals, etc. Observing the rituals is one part of the process, actually preparing our hearts and minds with the meaning behind these symbols will help us to grow in our faith. For me the Advent wreath and candles are the symbols I choose to learn more about, there are four candles one for each week. Some traditions include a fifth candle called the Christ candle. As with many things different religions have different ways to celebrate these weeks. My preferred 4 themes are:

Hope–Peace–Joy–Love.

Hope is confidence in God’s faithfulness…even when everything going on around us is telling us something different, we can have hope because we know that God is working for our good in all things. Spend time this week reflecting on where you have seen God at work in your life or in the lives of others and renew your hope by remembering these things. Remember with God all things are possible. Amen.

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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 15:13

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in northern Colorado)

The Fruit Of The Spirit

October 18, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The way we think…the words we say…the actions and behaviors we put into practice in our daily life can be built on the nine qualities described as the Fruit of the Spirit. None of these things cost money, they are free. It is up to us to choose how we live. Our best life is one led by God and His Holy Spirit. Seek Him and live your best each day. Amen.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, 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 while traveling through northern Colorado)

Rest With Him

August 19, 2019 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

As the summer is winding down and the schedule of activities and places to be cranks up, it is important to be consistent in taking time to rest in between the coming and going. Making time and having a place to rest…truly rest…time to pray, read scripture and recharge your mind and spirit is so important. We can’t be all things for all people all the time…been there, failed at that. Even Jesus would make time to rest His mind and body…why do we think we could do more than Him? Seek Him and ask Him to help you find rest in your daily activities. Amen.

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“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Mark 6:31

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while on the North Shore of Lake Superior)

The Fruit Of The Spirit

July 19, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we come to Christ and seek Him, we are renewed. The Holy Spirit within us encourages us to live by the Fruit of the Spirit more and more and to leave the evil, anger, hatred and darkness behind. The more we use the Fruit of the Spirit when thinking about ourselves and while helping others the better our life will be. Most of us are too hard on ourselves and too hard on others…things can be different. Pick up God’s Word and read about it, pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins and to have the Fruit of the Spirit stirred up in you. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you. Amen.

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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 while traveling through northern Colorado)

Daily Living

May 17, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This is defined as the activities we perform on a daily basis for self-care related to our needs. Caring for ourselves related to food, hygiene, our living environment, etc. Many people take these items for granted and for many people just getting through the day regarding these things is a struggle, for a variety of reasons. The Fruits of the Spirit provided by God are not worldly possessions that require wealth or privilege, they are not only for certain people. God’s love is for all in creation and we all have a responsibility to learn, to grow, to care for and to share with others. Give thanks to God for each day and seek to live as God intended. 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 whatever grievances you may have against one another. 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 July of 2015 while on a mission trip in Denver, Colorado)

Peace From God

May 9, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I saw a story about Mother’s Day and that the most popular request from Mom’s is to get a day away from their families. This is not true for all Mom’s, there was even an interview with one woman who was planning the whole day with her family and she spoke with a tone of…I know I am odd, but I just want to be with them. Wow, the human race is really messed up. We all, myself included, are so naive to look at life with ourselves in the center…we have allowed Satan to influence our perspectives so much that we have created a society in which “me time” is more important than anything else. We treat each other so poorly, that makes it hard to trust others. The only refuge, the one source of truth and peace is Jesus Christ. Seek Him and you will find true peace. Amen.

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

John 14:27

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

Free Will

April 23, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God has given us the gift of free will. We are allowed to choose how we will respond to everything. When you think about it after everything that God has experienced with the human race…why did He do this? After all the things humans have chosen to do wrong starting with Adam and Eve, why allow us to choose? I believe it is because real love, joy and goodness offered voluntarily is the only kind worth having…the risk, of course, is we are filled with sinful hearts and minds and we often choose poorly and that is why bad things happen in the world. Use your free will to offer goodness, kindness, love and joy to others. Amen.

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“You, my brothers and sisters, 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.”

Galatians 5:13-14

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

Listen

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There is so much noise. So much useless information. So many false words and lack of integrity all around us. It becomes overwhelming and often the best thing to do is to turn…it…off. One of my favorite bible verses for bringing calm is Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God…” The society of the world and its desires are not interested in giving you peace. We must claim our time for quiet, we must prioritze sitting and listening for God’s voice above all others. It is the only source of true peace and real joy. God is with us, seek Him and listen. Amen.

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