The Way

February 21, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

The way to get through times of difficulty and struggle is only found with Jesus Christ. The current times show clearly that what the world values is finite and can vanish instantly without warning…leaving us lost and our minds wandering with questions about our choices. It is never too late to turn towards Jesus Christ your Savior and tell Him you believe in Him…confess your sins and let the Holy Spirit be your guide. Start there and see what God has in store for you. Amen.

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“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 NIV

(This photo was takne in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

God’s Grace

February 19, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

We can’t earn it…we don’t deserve it and yet God offers it to us. God is holy and God is love. Because He is holy our sin separates us from Him…because of His love He sent His one and only Son to take the punishment we deserve so that we can be reconciled with Him. Choose to believe…confess your sins…give thanks to God for His grace. Amen.

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“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2020 at sunrise by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

His Love For You

February 13, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹²My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

John 15:9-13 NIV

God loves you. No matter where you are, no matter what you have done or left undone…He loves you. There is no love in this world as great as God’s love for you. We don’t earn His love and we don’t deserve it…we can’t get more of it because we are good and He doesn’t withhold it when we sin. He knows everything about you and your life and guess what…He loves you all the same. The proof is found at the Cross. Invite Jesus Christ into your heart and give Him thanks for His love for you.

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Garden in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Surrender…Be Transformed

February 11, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Luke 9:23-24 NIV

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 NIV

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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 May of 2020 at the High Falls in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)

Our Refuge

February 10, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.”

Psalm 46:1 NIV

The Good News is that Jesus Christ came down from heaven and sacrificed Himself to death to save us and reconcile us with God. He did it because He loves you. He has risen! He is with you. He will guide you. Turn towards Jesus for everything…anything. He is our refuge. Amen.

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“Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Worry And Anxiety

February 8, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our failures in the past…our current worries…and our anxiety about the future. Through all of this Jesus offers to walk with us…if we are willing to believe and trust in Him. It is right there in Scripture…

Our past failures:

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[a] sin.”

1 John 1:7 NIV

Our current worries:

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

Our anxiety about the future:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:33-34 NIV

These are just a few of the assurances and promises the Lord has made…the Bible is filled with the very words of Jesus Christ telling us how much He cares for us and how far He is willing to go to show us His love. Trust in the Lord, read God’s Word and pray to our heavenly Father. Amen.

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“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Our God Who Saves Us

February 2, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹²as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.“

Psalm 103:8-12 NIV

Though we can’t earn it God offers us grace and gives us the opportunity to be free from sin. He loves you so much that He willingly went to the Cross to pay to price for your sin. Think of it this way you were charged with a crime and were brought to court…you are found guilty and convicted…then as you are about to be led away…the judge comes down from the bench and says He will take the punishment you deserve and you are set free. That is what Jesus Christ has done for you and me…He has made a way for us to be reconciled with God. Thanks be to God for His mercy and grace.

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“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 near Winterset, Iowa)

Come To Repentance

January 22, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ²Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

Romans 2:1-4 NIV

We are so quick to judge others, yet that is not our purpose. We were created out of God’s love to do good things…how we respond to His love will determine how we will be judged. Come to repentance and you will find peace. Amen.

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“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:8-9 NIV

(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Be Different

January 20, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[a] is not in them. ¹⁶For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

1 John 2:15-17 NIV

“Do 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 12:2 NIV

Wash your heart and mind with the truth in God’s word. We all are broken and sinful in this world and we need Jesus. The world will flood us with lies about what to believe and turn us away from God. We need to seek the wisdom that comes from God not from the world…plant the Word deep into our hearts daily to guide our attitudes and perspectives and to live out the love He has given us in every aspect of our lives. Amen.

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“But that is not the way of life in Christ that you learned about. ²¹You heard about Christ and were taught about life in him. What you learned was the truth about Jesus. ²²You were taught not to live the way you used to. You must get rid of your old way of life. That’s because it has been made impure by the desire for things that lead you astray. ²³You were taught to be made new in your thinking. ²⁴You were taught to start living a new life. It is created to be truly good and holy, just as God is.”

Ephesians 4:20-24 NIRV

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at Falls Park near Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

It Takes Courage…

January 17, 2022 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Courage is not the absence of fear…Courage is the willingness to move forward without knowing the outcome…to admit we don’t know the answers…to be patient…to share and be vulnerable with another person. Having courage is placing your trust in God ahead of fear…it is about not allowing fear to stop you or defeat you. It takes courage to seek the Light…to surrender your plans for God’s plan…it takes courage to live the life that God has intended for you…and where can you find courage? In a relationship with Jesus Christ. There you will find strength and courage to seek His will and live with hope from God. Amen.

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