The Holy Spirit Within Us

July 20, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we turn in faith to God and strengthen our relationship with Him, evil and darkness will increase its attacks on us. The primary goal of this darkness is to have us turn away from God. To distract us, to keep us focused on worldly values of wealth and possessions and a self-serving mentality. Evil wants us to stir up anger, hatred, dissension and all the things we were not made to do. God knows these will come, Jesus experienced these attacks personally when He was in the desert. Knowing this God has provided us with the Holy Spirit. In the Bible it says…“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) When we stay focused on God and His Word, when we put our relationship with Jesus Christ first with devotions and prayers then we are equipped to fend off darkness. Take courage in your faith and trust in God. May the wisdom and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Ephesians 6:16

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at the Garden of Gods near Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Walk In Love

July 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The commandments that Jesus himself recognized as the greatest commandments are about love. Jesus said…“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 prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) One the most popular parts of the Bible 1 Corinthians 13 is all about Love. So what does it mean to walk in love? It is about attitude and behaviors towards God, yourself and towards others. It does not mean all behavior is permissible…sin is still sin. However, we are all guilty, we are all broken and we all do not deserve His forgiveness. No one sin is greater than another, that is worldly talk. When you want a reminder of what it means to walk in love go back and read 1 Corinthians 13, it speaks specifically to us about what behaviors constitute love. May God’s love be in you and flow through you.

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“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

2 John 6

(This photo was taken in July of 2012 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Learn To Be Content

July 15, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The apostle Paul writes about this in his letter to the Philippians. As I read this and other parts of the bible about contentment, I believe the message is intended for us when we are looking at ourselves. When we are reflecting on the me, my life, my surroundings we need to learn to be content and know that no matter what our circumstances we will always have the strength to continue because God is our source of strength. When we look at others, we should be looking at how we can be generous in all ways…spiritually, emotionally, physically, with our time and resources. We must work hard to avoid the worldly perspective of always comparing ourselves to what others have and acting self-focused to try and change that comparison, this is a path to evil and dark behavior. Be thankful for the blessings you have received and have faith in God to provide what you need. May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:12-13

(This photo was taken in May of 2013 in a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Give Good Fruit

July 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our lives are filled with choices and decisions. We are the ones responsible for the attitudes and behaviors we present to the world. We are blessed with the redeeming blood of Christ. We have been forgiven for our sins. Let’s go out and give good fruit. No matter what your circumstances or your place in life today you can give the good fruit we receive from the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t take money and it doesn’t take a certain level of influence in society. The Fruit of the Spirit is all about making the choice to behave as we have been instructed to. We should not expect the world to always be kind and generous to us as it is broken, however, we know that no matter what, God is with us and He is holding us. May we share the blessings the Lord has given to us with others.

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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 March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)

Praise The Lord

July 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Today is recognized as Independence Day in the US. A holiday where people can gather and celebrate freedom. It is a day where we should give thanks to the Lord for all we have in our lives. Take a moment and reflect on your surroundings, people in your life…all of the good things are gifts from God. If it is difficult to see goodness, take some time to work on your relationship with God, talk to Him and listen in the quietness of time alone with God. You were created out of love by God, He is with you and you can have contentment, security, peace and hope for a future in a way that only God can provide by choosing to turn to Him and His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. God is good…all the time…and all the time…God is good! Praise the Lord. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Psalm 146:1-2

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

The Cross

July 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Come to the Cross…A place to bring your burdens…Savior…Salvation…Forgiveness…Peace. The Cross of Christ, this is the place we should turn to in all situations. This is where God sent His One and Only Son to be crucified to save us from our sins. This is where our relationship with God is reconciled. There are problems and struggles everywhere you can’t change everything for everyone, but He can. You can’t change everything but you can change something, you can change one thing that will make a difference in the world…You. Jesus said ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6) Open your heart and mind and invite Jesus Christ into your life everyday. This will make the world a better place. May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

John 19:30

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)

God’s Word

July 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Instructions…directions…guidance…wisdom…understanding. It takes a certain attitude to be willing to follow instructions, to accept wisdom from another or to trust the guidance of someone else. We have to be humble, willing to admit we don’t know our way around a situation or place. This is easy when we are using one of our devices of “convenience,” a cell phone, Ipad, computer, etc. It is more difficult when we start involving other people in our need for assistance. We are challenged to learn how to have humility, to accept our level of knowledge for what it is and to seek out wisdom and to learn from others in history. God’s Word is the instruction manual for life we all can use. It provides the Way to make it through this world, it does not say do this and life will be easy and always happy. It is more honest than that and more about providing wisdom and guidance as help from those who already have lived on earth and know the troubles human beings will have in life. Pickup a bible and seek the understanding that God provides. The test for this book is happening all the time in our daily life, how are you answering the multiple choice questions of your life? May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalm 119:105

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

Trust God

July 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I am finding myself seeing examples of the brokenness of people in my daily life interactions and experiences. Or at least I am more aware of these things than I used to be. It is discouraging. We are so willing to pull and push others down for a variety of reasons. It is so important to seek out what is good and what we have gratitude for in our lives. If we look around with the eyes the world wants us to, we will be very negative and feeling unworthy. If we trust in God and His goodness for our perspective it changes things dramatically. We are never going to know all the answers or understand them while we are here, however, if we trust in the Lord we know that He is working for the good in all things. May God’s joy and love be with you.

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“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

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

On Believing And Seeing

June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

You may have heard someone say or you may have said it yourself, a phrase such as ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’ This originated in biblical times after the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus appeared to the disciples at a time when Thomas was not with them. Even as one of the apostles who had been with Jesus he could not comprehend the resurrection and told his brothers…“unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” (John 20:25) Thomas was so sure this could not be true, that Jesus had risen, that he made this statement basically saying to the others…prove it! Oh boy, I have been there before. The problem with this approach to our faith is it is not faith at all…if we have to see it to believe it, what do we truly believe in? A simple example is the wind…the air can move at very high speeds at different elevations and we know this not because we can see it move, what we can see is what it can do. Don’t get caught being a doubting Thomas, rather learn from him and have faith in the One who knows us and can see what He has planned for our lives. May God’s love and joy be with you.

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“We live by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7

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

Highs And Lows

June 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our journey is filled with these…moments where things are good, we are strong, confident, faithful and filled with hope and joy – Highs. We also have moments of fear, concern, sadness that are filled with despair – Lows. Every life has both whether you see it in others or not, they both exist for everyone. The key to living with all of this is how are you reacting to your highs and your lows? Reading and learning from God’s Word with the Holy Spirit as your guide is a great place to start. After that, the way to give and receive celebration for highs and support for lows is with Friends. Personal relationships, that is the key to living, learning and growing through out your life journey. Reflect on your personal relationships, with God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as well as with your friends. Pray about them and find ways you can enrich those relationships. Faith is not a destination, it is a way of living through the Highs and Lows that come to all of us no matter who we are or what we are doing. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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