Peace In Our Hearts

November 11, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Where can we find peace? We look around at the world and the actions and behaviors of so many people and wonder, where can peace be found? So much anger, hatred, rage and darkness…people choosing to follow the evil desires of greed, lust and the sinful nature. It is written that the peace of God is found only one way…that is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. It has been the way of peace ever since that baby was born in a manger over 2,000 years ago. We can have peace through Christ because of the grace of God and only by the grace of God is peace possible. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14) If we believe and accept that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord we will find peace and we will be prepared to share the peace of Christ with others. I pray we all turn toward Jesus to seek peace that is provided to us by the grace of God. Amen.

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

(This photo was taken in February of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth , Minnesota)

Believe

November 10, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When life feels surrounded by darkness, when the light of life is dim and it feels like there are no answers…believe in Jesus. The most difficult part of surrender to God can be setting aside our desire to control the outcome. We say we believe, we pray like we believe and then we go out and try to ensure things end up the way we desire. Been there, done that…too many times. To believe is to trust that if I just do the best I can and offer the best version of myself and trust in God, He will take care of the rest. He always has and He always will. The best approach I have found to helping my belief is to memorize bible verses. Pick one or some that speak clearly to you, if you don’t know any, pick up the good book and read. I suggest starting in Proverbs. May we all pray a prayer of surrender and live our lives in way that shows we believe. Amen.

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“When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Mark 5:27-29,34

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

Holy Living

November 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The people in our daily lives, the family and friends we interact with everyday, these are the people on earth who should know the most about us. How we treat each other, whether or not we trust each other, these are the cornerstones of our relationships. It is too easy to take others for granted or think they will always be there because for such a long time they have always been there. Yet things will happen in this broken and sinful world or time and age itself will catch up with every single person, and one day you may get a phone call that will change everything in an instant…they are gone. None us really knows what is in-store for us each day, only God knows. He doesn’t make the bad things happen, the sins of the human race has done that…however, He will bring comfort, He will bring courage and He will bring His presence to strengthen us. Let’s strive to not take people and relationships for granted, each day. I pray we attempt to live our best and present others with the light and love of Christ that we have so graciously received. 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 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

Character

November 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

Personality…nature…disposition…temperament…mentality…essence…identity…spirit. Our character is defined by who we are, how we relate and interact with others. This is at the core of who we are as a person. For some, their true character is only revealed to a few other people as they have fear and a lack of trust in others due to previous wounds and painful past experiences. The other reason fear exists in revealing our true character is our concern regarding acceptance. With the proliferation of social media sites, judgement or what is know as ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ has inappropriately become the measuring stick of defining who someone is…talk about judging a book by its cover! We can begin to get knowledge and a better understanding of our character by spending time with Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord and by accepting who we are according to God. Additionally, we can encourage and help build up others by taking time to listen and discuss the things that make us different. I pray we all examine who we are more than what we do and we lay our fears and worries at the foot of the cross. Amen.

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“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

2 Peter 1:5-7

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

Follow Jesus

November 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Commitment…dedication…devotion…faithfulness. Our spiritual growth will show signs of all these things over time. The faith journey is more than a one time decision to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and life…don’t misunderstand me, that is absolutely the right first step. The journey continues from there with a daily giving of ourselves to the will of God for our lives. It is prayer about everything, it is learning to let go of those things we cannot control nor should we try to control. It is about learning to accept the love and forgiveness of God in your heart and mind and then turning outward toward others to share that truth in service and kindness. My prayer is for us all to give of ourselves to Jesus each day. After all, He gave all He had of His life in this world to save us. Amen.

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“Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at City Park in Winterset, Iowa)

Judging Others

November 6, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are all broken…we are all fighting a battle of some kind…we all need the saving grace of Jesus Christ. None of us is in position to be in judgement of another. Jesus spoke very clearly about this in the Gospels. A summary statement would be, you will get whatever you give. How we choose to act is what we will get back from others. I struggle with snap judgments and emotion filled responses at times as much as anyone and I am reminded of humility, goodness and kindness when I spend time reading God’s Word and in prayer. May we continually seek growth in our spiritual life and our relationship with Jesus Christ to guide us to living life with the Fruits of the Spirit. Amen.

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“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Luke 6:37

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

Living In The Light

November 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Choose to be optimistic…choose to have gratitude…be thankful…appreciate all that you have been blessed with each day. Some days you may feel like there is not much to be thankful for, yet I encourage you to seek something to have gratitude about receiving or having available. The more you practice gratitude and thankfulness the easier it gets. The world is full of good things and good people…we have to want to see them. This is about changing our perspective and our attitude, not about the world and others changing things to fit our wants and desires. May we be filled with the light of Christ in our everyday interactions. Amen.

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“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

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

Everything, Anything

November 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Nothing is to big, to complex. Nothing is to powerful. Nothing is to difficult to solve. When we believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him with our everything, everyday we know that God will guide our way through anything we encounter in life. It may not be the way we would do it on our own, but that is the point, on our own we would get stuck…stopped, without resolution. No matter what it is you are facing, no matter what battle is knocking you back or down…get back up and surrender the issue to God. That doesn’t mean you stop doing things or stop living, it means you do your best according to God’s word to live by the fruits of the Spirit and let God take care of the rest. May we all take steps to surrender our worries and our anxieties to the Lord. Amen.

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“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

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

The Love Of Christ

November 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We can search our entire life for something to comfort us, to depend on and to know that it is always watching over us…and yet there is only one thing that can be all of this and more for everyone…that is the love of Jesus Christ. Nothing in this world is as powerful as the love of Christ. No event or circumstances can compare with the death and resurrection of Jesus and the fact that He endured it all for you and for me because of love. It is the greatest gift we will ever receive and the most important thing we can share with others. I pray we all seek ways to shine a light on the love of Christ in our lives. Amen.

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“…And I pray that you, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…”

Ephesians 3:17-18

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at Devils Island in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior)

In The Midst Of The Storm

October 28, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What is the storm in your life? Think about a weather storm…what is the process people go through? Prepare for the event…look for where are you going to be safe…ensure others have safety as well…ride out the most difficult and stressful action of the storm…after it passes, come out and assess the damage…clean up…begin the process of repairing, rebuilding, restoring…make things new again.

These are the same steps and a similar process we all go through for many different reasons on our faith journey and in our spiritual life. Just like the weather you will not be able to completely avoid the storms and God knows this…He sent His Son to save us and He sends the Holy Spirit to guide us. The storms of life can last for many years but no matter what the world throws at you…God is a refuge and a shelter in all the storms. May we all seek to the Lord to get us through in the midst of the storm. Amen.

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