Worship And Praise

November 26, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
²Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

³For the Lord is the great God,
    the great King above all gods.
⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth,
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
⁷for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care.”

Psalm 95:1-7 NIV

King Of Kings by Hillsong Worship

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“Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
²Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 150:1-6 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

Share What You Have Learned

November 25, 2023 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV

We live, we learn and we grow. As we read God’s word and learn about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are not only learning for ourselves…we also have a responsibility to share what we learn with others. Especially, the young to share with future generations. Often the wisest people are those who choose to learn from life’s experiences.

Each one of us has certain experiences that give us knowledge about different aspects of life…as we learn, we can share to help the future generations to benefit from our experiences. This is true for our faith journey as well…seek the Lord and share what you learn with the younger generation.

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“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100:5 NIV

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

Grateful For God’s Presence

November 23, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 NIV

God’s Presence restores and renews us, it comforts us. It provides for us even when we are not paying attention to Him. God meets all our basic needs…our role is to believe in Him and obey His Word. His Word is not a burden or only a bunch of rules…His Word and His Presence give life, comfort, peace and hope.

Think about circumstances and events in your life that have occurred in the last few days, weeks, months and in the past year…God was with you…so where did you see Him? Give thanks and trust in the Lord… remember He provides for you with His Presence all the time. Happy Thanksgiving!

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“Praise the Lord.^[a]

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.”

Psalm 106:1 NIV

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

The Word Of God

November 21, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

Keep God’s Word close to your heart…read it, memorize it, use it to pray and let it lead and guide you in your daily life.

God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit and can be used the same way Jesus showed us when tempted by Satan. God is the God of everything, every aspect of life…trust in the Lord no matter what and keep the Word of God in your heart and mind.

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:17 NIV

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“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2022 along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Rest And Renew

November 20, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

We are not in control of what happens in the world…the daily news and events make that abundantly clear. The only thing we can control is how we choose to respond to things that do happen.

The best thing we can do is turn towards Jesus…believe in Him, confess our sins and do our best to live according to God’s Word. Give thanks to the Lord. We don’t know and can’t control what will happen tomorrow yet we can trust in Him who sits on the throne of heaven. It is by drawing near to Him we can find rest and be renewed.

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ²Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

Thanksgiving In How We Live

November 19, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:15-17 NIV

Jesus Christ suffered and died for you because He loves you. He has risen…He is alive and wants to help you in this life and He wants to spend eternity with you.

Give thanks to Jesus, not only with words but with actions and your behavior…choose to live your life every day with a thankful heart.

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“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.“

Romans 12:9-13 NIV

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

Trust In The Lord

November 18, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”^[a]

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Instead of trying to control things beyond your reach…put your trust in the Lord.

Trust His way…trust His timing and trust the outcome to Him who has done more for you than any person in your life. He is with you, He is for you. Trust in the Lord.

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

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

God’s Unfailing Love

November 14, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

God’s love is everything for us…there is nothing like it and there is nothing on earth that can separate us from it. Take time to worship and praise Him for His unfailing love.

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“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blow Hole on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Redeemer

November 12, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“I know that my redeemer^[c] lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”^[d]

Job 19:25 NIV

Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. No matter what has transpired in our lives, He is our Redeemer and He is alive and He lives in us.

Redeemer by Nicole C Mullen

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“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2022 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

God Is Greater

November 11, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods.”

2 Chronicles 2:5 NIV

“If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

1 John 3:20 NIV

What is it in your life that you think is overwhelming or impossible to overcome…God is greater. No matter what your circumstances, our God is greater. This means whatever is on your mind, whatever is pulling on you or keeping you distracted, whatever burden you are carrying…God is greater than that issue, that problem, that worry, that concern, that guilt or shame.

It doesn’t matter if we are are talking about things in the past, the present or the future…God is greater than all things and He is with you right now. Turn towards Him, talk to Him and trust in Him.

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