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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“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

Proverbs 21:5

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Listen To Understand

August 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

To truly gain wisdom and to find understanding we must develop the ability to really listen. Not to be concerned with making our own point but to put ourselves in the place of those who are speaking. When you read the words of Jesus in the bible just breezing through it may not give you a sense of clarity. When Jesus spoke He was speaking to all of us not only the people alive at His time. To understand His message is to step out of your life in this world for a moment and consider where God is working in your life. One of the phrases I like to use is a summary of this website…“to know Him and to make Him known” When the Holy Spirit works into us and transforms us we then become equipped to go out and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and the Gospels to others. This journey is different for all of us and our impact is not measured by how many others we teach like a score sheet. Our mission is to receive the Word of God, let it transfigure our mind and attitude, then use our new self to serve. May the wisdom and peace of the Lord be in you.

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“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

James 1:19-20

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands area)

With All Your…

August 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Distractions are everywhere. Our focus shifts from one thing to the next so quickly, especially in the age of social media. When I was young I remember people using a phrase attributed to Mark Twain, ‘If you don’t like the weather; wait five minutes!’ Well in today’s society it could be ‘if you don’t like the top story of the day; wait a few minutes!’ With schedules and activities; things to do; places to go and see and access to so much information, it is no wonder people are filled with worry, anxiety and feeling exhausted. We end up putting any time with God and prayer as a line item in our never ending busy lives. God is not looking for you to be a social media friend or follower, who checks in on your feed to see what’s what…rather He is asking for your full attention, daily. Your all…your everything…everyday. May God bless you with wisdom and courage.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

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

Wait For The Lord

August 6, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I find sometimes that there are periods of time when God seems distant in my faith journey. A sense that things that were once clear and focused seem less clear and jumbled up. It would be easy to fret and wonder why, what happened, what changed and of course, is it me, did I do something wrong? These are not times to invite worries and anxieties into your life. This is a moment to know and to trust that God is still on the throne in heaven and He will be with you. Think of Job in the bible…he had everything and I mean everything taken from him in life, plus he had these great “friends” telling him he must have done something wrong for all this to happen. Job did not give in and stop believing…he persisted in faith and the Lord restored him. There are and will be times when the Lord seems far off, be patient, stand in faith and wait for Him. May God’s love and comfort be with you.

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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.”

Psalm 27:13-14

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

Humility

August 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

To say there seems to be less and less of this in the world is an understatement…more then ever we are hearing about people shouting about their individual rights or their me and my group first mentality, which just drives the motivation of others to put themselves first, which does nothing more that create division and violence. Imagine if more people were working for fairness for all people…instead trying to push and pull others down to get a step up. My guess is that this is because of a lack of trust in society. People can’t trust that other people will be honest and work for the best intentions of all. Selfishness. Think about what it felt like when someone did something kind and generous for you that had no benefit for them. That is where God is. The only one who can overcome the rule of self in the human race is God. He can be trusted, He has kept every promise He has ever made and He has one promise left. Turn to God and pray, trust in Him and He will bring you peace.

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“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:3-4

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

He Knows You

August 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

That’s not what I meant…I wish they knew me better…I don’t feel like I fit in…Nobody understands me…have you had moments like this? I know I have. You can be surrounded by people but feel like you are isolated. God knows who you are, He knows what you can do, He knows how you think and He cares for you. If you feel like you are off the rails in your life, it is time to get back to God. He is waiting to hear from you. He is the Creator, the one who formed you and has been right there with you every step of the way in life. Turn towards God. Trust in Him. May you see the blessings from God in your life each day.

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“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23-24

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

Prayer

July 31, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This is about communicating with God. It involves more than speaking and it is not about saying the right words or phrases or using the correct gestures. It is about being humble, trusting, honoring and giving thanks. Prayer is about knowing how our spirit is fed and trusting that our greatest hope for anything is with God. Even when things don’t go the way we want or the way we planned…that is just another reminder that life is not about us it is about our relationships with others, beginning with our relationship with Jesus Christ. The path to joy, love, peace and forgiveness starts and ends with prayer. May you be surrounded by God’s grace and peace.

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