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)

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)

Perseverance

January 3, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Don’t quit…don’t give up…get up…keep going…keep seeking…keep trying…believe. Here we are back to talking about attitude and perspective. Attitude is formed over a period of time by experience and observation. The things we chose to take in with our senses have significant impact on the formation of our attitudes. Things we chose to read, what we chose to listen to, etc. What is interesting here are the words…we chose, what we decide to spend our time on plays into our attitude. We can develop the courage to persevere in difficulties and tough times or we can be stagnant and let those times defeat us. To be clear none of this occurs in 140 characters or less…it takes time! My personal definition of perseverance is be patient and be persistent and believe good things will come. If you are unsure what to do about this, may I suggest a book? Start with the bible and a sincere prayer to God and as the song says, let Jesus take the wheel. Amen.

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

James 1:2

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Persistence

September 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we read about prayer in the Bible there are words and phrases such as “without ceasing” or “continually” and when we read about the life of Jesus we find He spent hours and sometimes even the whole night in prayer to God His Father. In today’s society we are so quick to move from one item to the next it seems there is little attention paid to dedication and commitment. The ability to stick to it, not giving up and believing the next attempt will be the one that is successful…these are the attributes of true success in life. This approach to anything takes patience, persistence and faith. We learn the most from trying and failing and we succeed by taking what we learn and applying it to the future. The same is true in our prayer life…if you have been praying about something and you haven’t seen results yet, don’t give up, keep praying. God hears you and He will work things out in His time, His way, not based on our thoughts or our timetable…and thankfully His way is always better than ours. Be persistent in prayer and give thanks to God for all your blessings.

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“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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

Perseverance

September 17, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Steadfastness…persistence…determination…purposefulness. The story of our lives is not about when or how often we will get knocked down. It will happen and sometimes it will happen with increased frequency. It is in how we choose to respond to these events that will shape and define our character and our relationships. We only need to look to the Cross and the Resurrection for the example of what sticking with God and His plan can be. From what was one of the greatest tragedies in history to an even greater story of new life, hope and joy. As it says in Romans 8:31 “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” We are His creation, He loves us and no matter what may trip us up along the way He will be with us. May we all go out into the world today with the confidence that God is for us.

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“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Romans 5:3-5

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

Draw Near To God

July 28, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It is so easy to get drawn into a worldly perspective. To judge others and have thoughts that justify ourselves in our own minds. Eventually we may find that things are beginning to draw us farther away from our relationship with Jesus and our faith life. This can be a very gradual process, during this time when you start to question something from a faith perspective be sure to draw close to God and His Word. In order to persevere in faith we must look to God and the Holy Spirit for guidance. I believe it is true that all people were made to be able to be good and do good things as we are all created by God. The hard part for us as humans is managing our free will. It is a gift from God and when it is used to pursue the sinful nature we are choosing to turn away from the Lord. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 near the border between Minnesota and South Dakota)

Perseverance

March 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The definition of this word is: “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.” To me it says don’t give up. One truth about life that some find difficult to understand is there are going to be times when life is difficult and unfair. We are human and none of us is going to be perfect. Trouble will come our way despite our best efforts to avoid it. So what are we going to do? We keep going with “continued effort” in spite of difficulties, failures and opposition. We move forward respectfully and give our best to achieve. Another blogger who writes BeautyBeyondBones shared some advice she would get from her mother during extremely difficult times…what is the next right thing to do? If we can figure that out in any situation we can persevere. We also have the greatest teacher ever in Jesus, He showed us the ultimate perseverance and we will remember it during Holy Week next week. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Blessed in the one who perseveres under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:12

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Don’t Give Up

February 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our lives are filled with moments and memories…some are good times and some are difficult. We all tend to embellish a bit in our memories, the memory of good times seem to be really good and the memory of bad times seem to be really bad. For many there seems to be more bad memories that start to take a person down a road where even the present moments are seen through their eyes with a negative perspective. This is a quick spiral downward and we can get stuck in the swirl of negativity. We have to have the courage to choose a new perspective, a more balanced view things and we are fed that perspective when we read the Word of God. When times are hard and it feels like you are making no progress on anything…don’t give up, keep pressing on, keep believing…that is your faith at work. Goodness will come to those who believe in the hope that God provides through Jesus Christ. May God’s peace be with you.

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