Trust In The Lord

November 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We struggle…we despair…we want things this way or that way…it is not up to us. We must learn to trust in God the Father our Creator, Jesus Christ, His one and only Son who saved us and the Holy Spirit, who guides us. God is love and He is working out all things for our good. Trust in the Lord. I pray for the courage and confidence to bring my worries and anxieties to the Lord. Amen.

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

Romans 12:12

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

Accept One Another

November 29, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

In our broken and fallen world, it seems everybody is a judge of someone. One of the principles of being kind and having compassion is rooted in the fact that we as humans don’t know everything we think we know about other people. We are not created to judge one another…we are created to bear the Fruits of the Spirit to one another. There are several examples in the New Testament of how Jesus treated those that the rest of society had cast aside. We would do well to follow His example. I pray for the wisdom and courage to accept others for who they are and who God created them to be. Amen.

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“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Accept on another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Romans 15:5-7

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

Humble And Gentle

November 19, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Be respectful…good listener…have compassion…acknowledge others needs. These are ways we can be one with the Spirit that is within us. These behaviors are neither common or natural to many people. Striving for these ways is learning to live differently than the world tells you how to live. When we put Christ in the center of our lives we are a new creation and our old ways are left behind, life should be different, our attitude should be different and the joy and peace of the Lord will be much more common in our every day. May the grace and mercy of God the Father wash over us and make us new. Amen.

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“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Ephesians 4:1-2

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

God’s Love

November 15, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Everlasting…forgiving…strengthens us…deeper than any love on earth…reconciled…compassionate…is the light of life. God chose us, God chose you. He chose you out of love and He poured out His love for you by sending His one and only Son into the world. God’s love gave us our Savior, Jesus Christ and through His Sacrifice, we are Saved. Turn towards God today and thank Him for His love and for Jesus, ask Him to guide you to how you can show His love to others. Amen.

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“This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:10

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

We Are Not Alone

November 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

Not only is God with us each day and everywhere we go, He has also put other people in our lives. Think about the people in your life. I read this morning about three types of relationships…people we minister to and we receive very little from…people who minister to us and we give them very little back…and the people closest to us, the ones who nourish us and our spirit and we nourish them and their spirit equally. Who are the people in these groups for you? One is your ministry to others, the second is someone else’s ministry to you and the third group…these are the people that are with you during your highest highs and your lowest lows, the ones you want to notify first when something happens. We need to be sure we are investing the majority of our time and energy in the third group, after all it is God who put them there to assist us and for us to assist them no matter what may come our way. I pray we all reflect and recognize who “our people” are and we strive to give them our best. Amen.

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“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12

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

Love Never Fails

November 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Love is found in our actions…love is found in our behaviors…love exists in our attitude…love is shown by a willingness to put the needs of others before our own. Life is filled with thoughts and emotions, questions and decisions. We can become overwhelmed when we get sucked into the swirl of news, headlines and information, etc. When the busyness becomes too much and we need to step off the carousel of craziness…we can ask ourselves, what can I do to show love to another person? When we decide we want to be different than what the world is telling us we “should” be and we want to live with Christ at the center of our lives…then the actions and behaviors that will show our internal change are actions and behaviors of love. Let’s be thankful for the love Christ showed us, by saving us and let’s take that love into our daily life. I pray we all have the wisdom and courage to live a life filled with actions of love. Amen.

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…”

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

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

The Greatest Commandment

October 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When you wonder what should I do? Choose to love. When things are spinning out of control…choose to act in love. When others attack and express anger…choose a response based on love. We must be careful not to get caught up in the ebb and flow of the world and the information overload we are constantly presented. The best we can do for ourselves and for the Lord is follow the command of Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life and as our Savior, He will light our path. I pray we are blessed with the courage and perseverance to follow Jesus. Amen.

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“Jesus replied: ‘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

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 in Madison County near Winterset, Iowa)

Love Conquers All

October 19, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The driving force in any relationship is love. It is described by specific behaviors to us in 1 Corinthians 13, so that we know what it means to love. These words are read at more weddings than any other bible verse…just hearing or reading the words alone is not enough. How do each of us as individuals put the words in 1 Corinthians 13 into actions and behaviors in our lives and relationships? When we look at the life of Jesus…He did not only tell people to pray, He did it…He did not only teach people to help others in need, He did that to…He did not only speak about love…He did the one thing that showed the world His love for all people, for everyone and anyone who ever lives to see. True love that shows up in our actions and our behaviors will always win over the most difficult and tragic situations. How can we get better at practicing love in our lives? I pray we seek to understand where we need to be better at love in our relationships. Amen.

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“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:18

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

Live A Life Filled With Love

October 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Offer hospitality…speak encouraging words…serve the needs of others…offer prayers and praise to God. A life of love is not an ‘it’s all about me life’ rather it is a life with God at the center. How can we show the love of Christ in our life today? It is easy to get caught up in the world’s definition of something worth doing, you know…’go big or go home’…we can make a difference in the world just by fulfilling the needs of just one person…to them it may be the biggest or best thing that is done for them today. Don’t judge your value or your life by the world’s standards…God created you…He knows you, He loves you and He is with you. I pray we seek and know the love of God in our hearts and minds and we have the courage to share it with others. Amen.

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“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:8-10

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

Trust

October 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Something that is earned…easily eroded by poor behavior…to be a person of your word…to keep your promises. Trust is an essential element in good relationships, in relationships that have a chance to grow. It makes us vulnerable and when we get burned it takes that much longer for us to trust again. God is the only one who has never broken a promise, He is the only one who is by our side every single day, He is the one who sent His only Son to die in order to save us…yet so many of us want to keep Him in a box with a glass door that says “In case of an emergency break glass.” In order to trust God we need to be willing to be more open to Him, to be more vulnerable in our relationship with Him and to believe that He is working for good things in our life. I pray we all can take steps toward trusting God more in our life everyday. Amen.

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