Light Of Life

March 19, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When the power goes out or we enter a place or a room that is dark…what do our instincts tell us to do? Search for a light, why? So we can see our surroundings and the way to move forward. This is exactly the reaction we should have when our life feels like we are in the dark or surrounded by darkness. Search for the Light, the Light of Christ to help us to see and to guide us forward. So many of us stay in the darkness and spend days, weeks, months or even years trying to find our way around in the dark and we wonder why life is so hard? Follow the instincts that God has placed inside you…seek the Light of Life so that you can see. Amen.

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“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

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

Shine The Light

February 13, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we believe, when we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who lived and died and was resurrected to save us…we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we can come to the Cross and confess our sins, we are forgiven and we are restored. As we move along the journey of faith, the Light of Christ is put into the empty space inside us. It is a space made by Him and made for Him. Many try to fill that space with other things. When we receive this Light, it is up to us to shine this Light in the world for others to see. If we are unsure how God wants us to do that, all we have to do is ask. May we all learn how God wants us to shine the Light of Christ in our lives. Amen.

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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 July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Seek The Light

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

In our daily lives we are surrounded by messages of temptations, judgements and propaganda telling us what we should think, what we need to do, what brand of this or that, that a ‘sensible’ person uses. In the era of social media it has evolved into pop-up ads and notifications within streams of other information. This is all the work of darkness and evil. No matter what outlet you choose the attempt to pull you away from God will be present. There is a light for all of us and it is the Word of God. Seek Him and His Word and you will find hope and peace in a dark world. Amen.

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

Psalms 119:105

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park near Bayfield, Wisconsin)

Let Your Light Shine

December 13, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior and Lord we receive the Holy Spirit. It is implanted in us to guide us, strengthen us and to build us up. We must feed our spiritual lives by attending worship, reading God’s Word and by praying. As we go on this journey we may notice a stronger sense of peace and calm and joy present more often than it used to be within us…we may notice a desire to good things more often and we may find we have greater compassion for others than maybe we did before. We should seek to follow a desire to do good things as often as we can and to give credit to God for who we are and what we have done. I pray we seek to shine the Light of Christ that is planted within us to others by our actions and our behaviors. Amen.

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“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

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

Be A Light In The Darkness

October 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of the most difficult things for many of us is being different from our surroundings. When our foundation for being different is rooted in God and the Fruits of the Spirit we can be sure we are standing on solid ground. None of us is equipped to judge the actions and behaviors of others. When we are confused or lack understanding that is a time to listen and learn. It is hard to be different yet God created each of us to be unique so that together we could build community and use our gifts to strengthen the body of Christ. I pray we all seek to learn how God wants us to use our gifts each day. Amen.

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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 knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:6

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at one of the Covered Bridges of Madison County near Winterset, Iowa)

Light Of The World

October 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we do not know where to turn…when darkness keeps us from moving forward…when it feels like the world is closing in on us…it is the Light of Christ that can lead us out of darkness. We will encounter difficulty, troubles and frustrations in this life, everyone does…every single person is working through something. In several places in the Bible we are told about The Light of Christ. He is the Light of the World and He can shine best through you and me. So when you need a little Light turn towards Jesus and pray or pick up a Bible and read God’s Word…the only way Light can be helpful is when it is shining bright…shine on! May the grace and mercy of God’s love be with you. Amen.

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“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Shine The Light

August 15, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and we receive the Holy Spirit we receive the Light of Christ in our hearts. It transforms our thoughts and our actions and it changes our attitude and behaviors. These transformations are not only to put the the Light in us, they put us in places where we can let that light shine for others to see and begin to know about God and His Son Jesus Christ. Letting the Light of Christ shine shows others the love God has for them and encourages them to seek Him. So shine on and let the love and the light and Christ shine through you. May your actions show the love of God to others.

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“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it in its stand, and if gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Walking In The Light

July 10, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Getting out of the cycle of pray-commit sin-repent-repeat means changing our behavior and our attitude. It says in many places in the bible the path to peace is to humble your self before God (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6) and admit you are a sinner who is unable to improve yourself alone. This is true humility. It is very far cry from what the self-serving world is telling us we should be doing. We must learn to walk in the light of Christ…to me this means not judging others, not holding on to anger, offering to help those in need and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and His redeeming grace. To walk in the light is to trust and know that no matter what you encounter, God is good, He loves you and He will guide you if you are willing to follow Him. May the grace and peace of God be with you.

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“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

1 John 1:7

(This photo was taken in June of 2012 at sunset in northwestern Wisconsin)

Walking In The Light

April 25, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Actions speak louder than words…words are an introduction, actions are the full story. In the life of Jesus we learn that He taught the people with His words and He showed the people the truth with His actions. Being true to our word is a characteristic that seems to be fading away in this ‘me’ first world. Living life by walking in the light is being very aware of what we say we will or won’t do and then following through with what we said…if we say, I will call you later, we need to be sure to do it…if we say I will pray for you, we need to offer an honest to goodness true prayer to God regarding that person. The concept in words is simple…the execution in daily life is the next step in our faith journey. May God’s peace be with you.

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“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

1 John 1:7

(This photo was taken in September of 2014 while on a walk in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)