Prayer Does Matter…

February 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we don’t know what to do…we should pray. When someone acknowledges us with a positive comment…we should say a prayer of thanks. When something happens that makes us angry…we should stop and pray for God to guide our response. When we are blessed with an increase in pay…we should pray to ask God how can we share some of it. When we we are feeling alone in the world…we should pray to God to show us His presence. When a friend or family member is suffering from illness…we should pray to God to be with them with healing comfort. And one of the most important parts of prayer is not only speaking to God…we also need to be ready to Listen…there many ways God can speak to us…pay attention to your surroundings and what you hear and see in your everyday life. Prayer matters to God, how do I know? I know because Jesus told us it does…it is not about the right words or the right prayer or the right time…it is just about doing it, always and let God be your guide. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“pray continually”

1 Thessalonians 5:17

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

He Knows

February 21, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

No matter what you are going through in your life, whether you are filled with joy and gratitude about how well things are going or if you are struggling with sadness, pain and sorrow…God knows right where you are. In your every day He is with you, His Son came to earth and lived as a man and in His life here He experienced a wedding, friendship with individuals and a group, sadness, struggle with temptations. He traveled and experienced many of the same things we do today, just at a different time in the history of the world. The point is He knows what it feels like to feel all alone and to be tempted by evil and Satan himself. Trust in God and especially Jesus Christ His Son…He knows exactly what you are going through and is waiting to connect with you. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

We Are Saved By Grace

February 19, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We don’t deserve it, we didn’t earn it and we are definitely not entitled to it. It isn’t our right to be saved from our sins. Our hope of salvation is strictly based on the mercy and grace of God. No person on earth will ever be able to do for you what Jesus Christ has done for you and no person on earth is going to be able to love you to the level of God’s love for who you are…the only way to find peace, love, joy, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience, gentleness and self-control is to commit your life to accepting and knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and spend time making Him known to others. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2:4-5

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

The Peace Of Christ

February 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Music is a great expression for the senses, no matter what style of music a person enjoys most, when their favorite song is played you truly see them come alive. It opens a window into the deepest part of a person. For me it has become Christian music, contemporary worship music. It started around Christmas of 1998, I started to really hear the words of Amy Grant, Michael W Smith and others…it impacted me. After that Christmas I stayed on the local Christian radio station and have listened ever since. It is one way to find peace in this broken and fallen world. If you are searching for peace and the messages of the bible in a way different from reading then I encourage you to seek out the Christian music world…many songs are based on bible verses and the messages that Jesus taught while He was here. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

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

Transformation

February 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

A process of change or alteration…on our faith journey this is a core element in growing your faith. We come with questions, doubts, fears and hesitation. All the answers eventually end up at Jesus. It takes a different amount of time for each person to process the questions and doubts and fears but we all end up at the cross. That is not the end…Jesus and the cross are the answers and when we continue in our life and journey we take that knowledge and face many of the same questions, doubts, fears and hesitations only now we approach the things of this world with a new perspective because we have been transformed. The faith journey continues with the Holy Spirit guiding us, we can’t stop at the cross and not go out again into this fallen world…the love of God will change our perspective and we are to share that with others. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:6

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

Living Faith

February 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What does it mean to live out our faith? What does it look like? Questions like these make me and others stumble often…as if there is one way and only one way to be a person of faith and if we could just figure that out…man things would always be great and easy…uh no. The life of faith is not presented as easy in the bible and I am pretty sure Jesus never said, come follow me and everything will be easy and you will always be happy. Faith is a journey. It is communicating with God, showing the fruits of the spirit in your daily walk, being thankful and having gratitude, being patient and trusting in God’s plan even when we don’t see it from His perspective. It’s hard and Jesus knows this first hand, He was here, He lived it, temptations and all…He suffered too. Then the next question becomes…Why? and at the core of faith is the one important thing that can answer the question of why…Love. May God’s peace be with you.

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“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 4:6-7

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

Prayer

February 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Growing up prayer was about being able to memorize the lines of the Lord’s prayer, however, there wasn’t much talk about or at least I don’t remember hearing about the meaning of what we were saying and I don’t believe I was told that you can say other things or that you should take time to listen to God as well. I was taught more about a one way street, me speaking to God, and most television shows or movies at that time would indicate that a relationship with God meant keeping Him in a box with a glass door that read “In Case of an Emergency Break Glass.” Only in my adult life have I learned about a deeper prayer relationship and sitting in nature or in the quiet and listening. The ability to communicate daily and to grow in your time with God is a blessing…in means slowing down and not taking your cues from the frenetic rush of society or social media. It is about being present and aware of your surroundings and living each day. Prayer is the place to start connecting or re-connecting with God. May God’s peace be with you.

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“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

Psalm 103:8

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

Strength Of Character

February 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When one describes the character of a person they talk about a list of elements that are a combination of a person’s behaviors and attitude. I have often heard statements like ‘well this is just who I am’ or ‘that is just the way he is’ as if at some point in life our behaviors and attitudes have stopped forming, changing or growing and have now solidified and are permanent. I have been guilty of this way of thinking myself at times. However, in the study of faith and in God’s Word the message of hope and transformation are central to the spiritual life. If anything our attitude and how we behave are two things we do have the ability to choose every day and these are influenced and can grow if we are open to it. Don’t give up on hope and transformation for yourself or somebody else…things may not change in the way or at the time you would prefer but our life is not about everything being perfect according to our timing, rather it is about God’s plan and His time. Trust Him and believe in Hope and Transformation…when you read about what He has done in the past you know He is working for the good of all people. 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 August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

True Joy

January 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When people are asked to define what joy is or what joy looks like it is often described in terms of being happy or upbeat or feeling good. I am learning that definition sounds more like feelings and a definition of happy then a definition of joy. To me joy is more consistent then our feelings…feelings come and go, up or down quickly. One only has to be a fan of any sport to understand how quickly feelings come and go and change. When the outcome of victory or defeat changes so do the feelings of the fans. Joy is more then a feeling…it is more of a sense of confidence and belief that even when things are really not going well we can still be assured that things will improve or we will find a way to go forward. This true joy can’t be achieved on our own it is only grasped as a part of faith in God, relationship with Jesus and an understanding that no matter where you are or what is going on, God is with you every step of the way. Ask the Lord to help you find this Joy. May God’s peace be with you.

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“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

John 15:9-11

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

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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