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)

The Word Of Life

September 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The more I spend time reading the Word of God and in prayer the more I am learning about how God is present in my everyday life. I like many of us stumble very often in life with my words or my actions or my thoughts and as I sit down each morning and read from a Billy Graham devotional book and from the Bible I am learning about the things Jesus was teaching when He was here and what He is still teaching us today. When I think about other things I could pick up and read first thing in the morning, the Bible and time with God are clearly the only things that will renew my spirit, restore my mind and comfort my thoughts. I can physically feel my shoulders loosen up and relax more as I read and pray. The Word of God also sets up my perspective for the day and helps to refresh my attitude to help and serve others wherever I can. The Bible is truly the Word of life and the living water that only comes from Jesus Christ. May we all see and sense the presence of God’s Word in our daily life.

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“But blessed in the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking near the north shore of Lake Superior)

Surrender

September 20, 2018 / mcalcagno / 3 Comments

Because a life of faith is a journey and not one event or moment in time we must come back to Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection. I am learning that growing and developing or maturing in my spiritual life takes persistence and commitment. If I reserve my time and faith in God for a few moments at church on the weekend and a few memorized prayers before I eat or go to sleep, I feel like I am just going through the motions and not connecting. Coming to Christ daily, reading scripture and praying every morning before I sit down with this laptop and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my fingers to share the good news with you…that is how I am learning about new levels of faith and connecting more deeply with God. We must be willing to give of ourselves, we must be willing to trust in God’s plan and we must be willing to surrender our own plan in order to experience the full glory of God in life. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Mark 8:34-35

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

A Sacrifice…Our Salvation

September 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When you feel you are not sure where God is in your daily life…stop and take a moment to remember what God has done for you. God is love. He is our Creator and our Redeemer. We are broken, all of us. Me, you and everyone you know is broken in some way, even if it is unclear to you how someone else is broken or fighting a battle it is still going on. God knows this, He knows our worries, our fears and He is doing good things. It is all a matter of perspective. If we reflect on what has been done already it will help restore our perspective and our knowledge that God is love and He loves us more than we can ever imagine…the proof? The Cross. May you know the love of God in your daily life.

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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 October of 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

A Channel Of Peace

September 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are blessed to be a blessing…we receive and so we are to give…let the Word flow through you…shine the the Light of Christ…share the peace of the Lord with others. Jesus Christ gave His everything to save us. He suffered and died on the Cross, before He left He promised that if we believe we will receive the Holy Spirit of God within us. We are to be a channel of God’s peace…it will flow into us and we are to be shaped and molded by His peace and then share it with others whenever we can. May your life be filled with the Light of Christ and with opportunities to share that Light with others.

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

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

Peace Of God

September 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As I have been fully immersed in working through life after my Dad has passed away 7 days ago…there are moments of busyness, so much to take care of and do and there are moments of calm and reflection. Life has slowed down and I am grateful for that pace change. It will not be this way forever, and from the moment my brother called and told me ‘Dad is gone…they couldn’t bring him back,’ life has changed forever. We can either fight it or we can embrace it…live it to the best of our ability…be present right where we are and trust in the Lord. May you find peace with God in your life.

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“They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.”

Psalm 145:5

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

God’s Workmanship

August 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are His creation…we are created out of love…we are created to do good things. When we are willing to come to The Cross and surrender, our plans, our ways, our timing for events in life and trust in Him to provide all we need, when we need it, then we will experience true joy. It sounds so simple and yet it is extremely difficult to execute in everyday life. We are made with free will, meaning we have a choice to pursue the sinful nature or to pursue a life following Jesus Christ. God’s plan is so much greater than our own because He is the original Creator of all things. Turn towards God and ask Him for wisdom about how He wants you to follow His plan for your life. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

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

Joyful, Patient, Faithful

August 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Happy Friday…you know when you are having one of those times when it feels like something is going wrong with everything? When you are able to take a step back and review you often find the one common thing is your perspective…I know, I know not what you wanted to read. When things seem to pile up like this I have learned to immediately turn to prayer…stop what ever you are doing and ask God to intervene, to guide you and to cleanse your perspective. Maybe it’s time for a new approach to something, to look at it differently or just to open your mind to new possibilities to old issues. Whatever it is we don’t have to do it alone. May God be with you and provide you comfort.

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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 on a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Solid Rock

August 17, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Firm foundation…strength…courage…determination…a shield…a place of refuge. When we think about solid rock it gives us the impression of strength to stand on or the protection to shield us. All of us has a rock in our lives, whether it is another person, a place or something else. The rock we all need is a solid relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our firm foundation, He gives us strength and courage, He gives us the fortitude to keep going and He is our shield and protector. Anything we could ever need will come from Him. Make time to build your relationship with Jesus Christ our Solid Rock! May you seek the Lord in your everyday life.

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“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2

(This photo was taken in July of 2015 at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Morrison, Colorado)

Making Plans…

August 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Thinking about taking a trip…making a decision about where to live…job transitions…people and relationships…family gatherings and celebrations. All these things and many more can involve decisions that will have a lasting impact on our lives and the lives of others. As we grow our relationship with Jesus we must learn to start the planning process by connecting with God first and not wait until things have gone completely off the rails and we are in desperate need of saving. When we are early in our faith journey we tend want to keep God in a box with glass door that says “In case of an emergency break glass”…that is us trying to be in control and not fully surrendering ourselves to trusting in God’s plan. Don’t misunderstand me, I still struggle with this in my personal faith journey often. The change I am trying to make is to be aware of something that your mind spends a great deal of time on and openly offer it up to God’s will. To spend more time in prayer on the topic and less time stewing about it in my own mind. May’s God’s goodness and compassion be with you.

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