The Fruit Of The Spirit

July 19, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we come to Christ and seek Him, we are renewed. The Holy Spirit within us encourages us to live by the Fruit of the Spirit more and more and to leave the evil, anger, hatred and darkness behind. The more we use the Fruit of the Spirit when thinking about ourselves and while helping others the better our life will be. Most of us are too hard on ourselves and too hard on others…things can be different. Pick up God’s Word and read about it, pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins and to have the Fruit of the Spirit stirred up in you. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you. Amen.

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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 June of 2013 while traveling through northern Colorado)

Trust In The Lord

May 23, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Raise your hand if you have ever prayed to God about a problem or a situation and you asked God to help you and then you go and do what you think should happen next only to find you have made it worse…my hand is up. Trusting God with our words is one thing…living it out in our daily life is another level of spiritual growth. If we truly want to see God’s work and God’s plan in our life we need to learn how to get out of His way. I can think of several times when I have been praying about something and have not been patient enough to wait for the Lord. As I have stated in the past…I tend to be a slow learner. I am thankful for God’s mercy and grace and know He will be with us no matter how long it takes for us to learn how to trust in Him. Amen.

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“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalm 37:7

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

Daily Living

May 17, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This is defined as the activities we perform on a daily basis for self-care related to our needs. Caring for ourselves related to food, hygiene, our living environment, etc. Many people take these items for granted and for many people just getting through the day regarding these things is a struggle, for a variety of reasons. The Fruits of the Spirit provided by God are not worldly possessions that require wealth or privilege, they are not only for certain people. God’s love is for all in creation and we all have a responsibility to learn, to grow, to care for and to share with others. Give thanks to God for each day and seek to live as God intended. Amen.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14

(This photo was taken in July of 2015 while on a mission trip in Denver, Colorado)

Holy Saturday…Preparation Day

April 20, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It is finished…Jesus, the Messiah, had been crucified and died. We all know the coming glory of tomorrow…however, when these events were happening, it is hard to comprehend the level of sorrow and sadness that had to exist. Unfortunately, there are people in today’s world who suffer at a deep level of sorrow because of sin and evil. Our saving grace and our truth is we know that from the most devastating of tragedy, God will renew and restore us and He has shown us an example by what we will celebrate tomorrow. Trust in the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever. Amen.

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“Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in the tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.”

Luke 23:52-54

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

Patience

March 21, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Here is where I struggle in life…I know we all face trials in life but oh man, patience is where I need help every day. I find it ironic that I depend so greatly on God’s patience with me because I have so much growing yet to do. God’s Word is a big help and reading daily helps to renew and restore my perspective and attitude. Here is the lesson that I need to keep learning…it’s not about me. We face troubles and trials all the time and how we handle these things can indicate how much we truly believe in the faith we profess. One of the most incredible people in the Bible to me is Job…talk about perseverance and a faith so strong it could survive such devastation and destruction, amazing. I pray we all can develop the patience and perseverance provided by faith…no matter what we may face in this world. Amen.

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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

James 1:2-3

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

Persevere

March 14, 2019 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

Purposeful…dedicated…courageous…committed…determined…resolute. It takes strength to run the race of faith. The evil in this world will serve us many forms of darkness and struggle, it will work hard, very hard to keep us away from God. We have to be willing to fight just as hard to stay close to God and trust in the hope that faith gives us…even when…especially when we can’t see it. Don’t stop believing…(and now the song by Journey is playing in my mind)…keep the faith, when you get knocked back or pushed down trust in God and keep running the race of faith. Amen.

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

Hebrews 12:1

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

Wait For The Lord

March 9, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

If you are frustrated or worried, if you are anxious or tired, if you are angry or defeated…pray and wait for the Lord. If you are weighing thoughts on a choice or decision…ask Jesus to guide you and wait for Him. If your heart says this way and your head says that way…seek God’s will and wait for His plan. God has good things in store for you and your life, be patient and know that He loves you. If you feel like darkness and evil are all around you, that is not God’s doing that is sin and the sinful world, seek His Light and you will see a way out. The Lord is with you, He will never leave you and He will never abandon you. Amen.

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“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalms 27:13-14

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

Facing Trials

March 8, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are not made to do this on our own…so many people try to go it alone. We need faith and a belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We need a community of believers to pray with us and for us. Every trial can provide growth in our relationship with Jesus. The trials will keep coming, that is just part of what we are facing in this fallen world. There is hope, there is joy and there can be peace if you believe in God and trust Him with your life. He has shown His love for us through the sacrifice of His One and Only Son. Whatever are you are facing today…take it to the Lord in prayer. Amen.

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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, becasue you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

James 1:2-3

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 while on a hike near Bayfield, Wisconsin)

Endurance

March 5, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Keep going…keep believing…keep praying…listen…observe…endure. God’s Word tells us we will have trouble in this world. Be persistent, seek to do good things, learn from what you have experienced. The next attempt might be the one that breaks through to something greater than you can imagine. There is a new song by an artist named Danny Gokey entitled “Haven’t Seen It Yet” and it provides a perspective about God’s will that many of us need to be reminded of. Don’t give up…God is with you. Amen.

“Haven’t Seen It Yet” by Danny Gokey

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

Romans 12:12

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

Persistence

February 12, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As of last night our area in the upper Midwest has received 16 inches of snow in the last week. Last night, another 4-5 inches fell and it will continue to snow until this afternoon, we may get more on Thrusday. We are not the only area with weather affecting every day life. I thought I heard the Seattle area received as much snow from one strom that it usually receives the entire winter. The pattern for us has been snow, then cold, then snow, then cold…repeat, repeat. The persistence of it can put some people under pressure while some people have big smiles on their faces…I tend to be more in the latter group. It is all about how we choose to respond. If you want to understand more about yourself and how you handle things that cannot be controlled…observe your reaction in relation to the weather. The same is true when it comes to doing good things we need to be persistent and not give up. Things will go wrong, the problems will seem to big, we will read and see terrible things in this world, we need to focus on Jesus Christ, we need to be persistent in our faith…that is the answer to all that we cannot control. Amen.

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