Your Personal Relationship With God

May 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It comes down to this…what is the status of your personal relationship with God? Is He someone you used to know really well and have lost touch with over time? Is He a social media friend who you only interact with in a superficial way? Is He a friend that you are unsure about? Is He someone you have heard some good things about but you have never really met Him in person? God wants you to know how He is involved in every area of your life…He wants you to want to be closely connected to Him daily. He is with you and He is waiting to hear from you. If you are wondering where is God…stop what you are doing and take sometime and ask Him. He knows you and He loves you. May God’s love and peace be with you.

DSC_0939 publish

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Believe

May 11, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

So often doubts and fears creep in on us and overwhelm us. We hear things and we read things and it becomes difficult to know who and what we can trust. This has been true through out all of history. In the bible the Israelite’s were afraid to go into Canaan except for Caleb and Joshua but everyone listened to those who were fearful and did not go. During the life of Jesus, many of the actions of people were based in fear. They had doubts about who Jesus was and they were afraid. When we let the fear and doubt rule us we are not living the life that God intended for us. His goodness becomes harder and harder to understand. As it says in Hebrews 11…

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1

We must combat the fear when it paralyzes us from moving forward. Pray to God and offer up to Him what fears you have. It is okay to have doubts but when doubts arise think back in your life when you had doubts and you were surprised by the results of the situation, that is where God shows up. Believe in God, believe in Jesus Christ his one and only Son and trust the Holy Spirit as your guide…when you do you will sense His presence, His joy and peace. May God’s love and peace be with you.

IMG_20141015_061538394_HDR publish

“He replied, “Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20-21

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 during sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Living In God’s Love

May 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Never give up hope. Don’t stop believing in goodness. Trust in God to provide all that you need. A life that is centered in Christ and honors God looks very different than what the world tells you about living. The world looks to serve the self, to put me first. The life that honors God surrenders self and is open to God’s plan first. This is a significant shift in perspective and it will not happen overnight for most of us. In fact it is a daily endeavor to stay the course by studying the Word, praying, and serving the needs of those we encounter each day. Remember God is love. When Jesus was asked which commandment is the most important in Matthew 22 He stated:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

That is where we should start. Loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Once again we are given the answers to the questions and now it is up to us to go out and live it in our daily life and interactions. May God’s hope, peace and love be with you.

DSC06486 publish

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

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.

DSC_1448 publish

“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)

Worship And Praise

May 6, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Music is one of the ways I sit in praise and worship of our Lord. We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. Take time to be with the Lord. Some times it is just sitting and listening to songs of praise like one of these…

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) – Matt Redman

What A Beautiful Name – Hillsong Worship

I encourage you whatever you do and wherever you go to sense His presence the most, go to that place and thank God for all you have and all He has done and then invite Him to guide you going forward…He is always there waiting for you and He will never leave you. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

DSC_0841 publish

“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 August of 2016 near Glacier National Park in Montana)

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.

DSC_0108 publish

“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)

Good Things

May 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

If can be hard to see the good sometimes. The world so full of evil and darkness, deceitfulness and envy. Often when living in the moment, I tend to question, what difference does it make? It matters, it always matters, especially when at least one other person will be impacted. We are not in a position to know what God has intended for us. In the book of Genesis, Joseph, son of Jacob, was thrown in a pit and left to die, he was sold into slavery, he resisted the advances of a married woman and was put in jail. Joseph continued to be a good person and saved another man’s life and that man quickly forgot about him when he left prison. Eventually, he became a ruler in Egypt and saved many lives during a famine. He never stopped trying, he never stopped doing good to others and all along the way he suffered and must have been frustrated…in the end he never stopped trusting in God and he saved many lives. Reflect on the road you have been on and look to see the good things. May God’s peace be with you.

DSC_0457 publish

“No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Romans 8:37

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while driving through North Dakota)

Lead Me, O Lord

April 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are always looking for the the best way to go, looking for the right path, whether physically going from one place to another or mentally trying to make a decision. We analyze and assess multiple options and eventually proceed. We do this so often it is easy to forget to consult with our Creator and to consider what direction or path will keep leading us closer to Christ versus leading us farther away in from our relationship with Him. God knows you better than anyone, even if you haven’t spent much time with Him. You are His child and He loves you. Take time to meet with Him each day and bring your choices to Him. May God’s peace be with you.

IMG_20180427_publish

“Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.”

Psalm 27:11

(This photo was taken in April of 2018 while walking the dog at a park near Plymouth, Minnesota)

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.

DSC01214 publish

“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)

The Joy Of The Lord

April 28, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We live and we work, we eat and we drink, we move from one activity to the next day by day. We face decisions and choices day after day, big decisions, little choices and through it all God calls to us to live life to the fullest. What does that mean for you? What is living to the fullest? It all depends on the perspective you choose to look from…if you choose to view life through the eyes of the world measuring success by possessions, material things and number of likes on social media then you will find much disappointment. If you choose to look at life through the spiritual perspective, with a daily connection with God, praying for and helping others, serving those in need and living life filled with the fruits of the spirit…you will find joy. True joy is found only in a relationship with Jesus Christ. May God’s love and joy be with you.

DSC_0730 publish