Redeemed

October 25, 2018 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

Saved…recovered…reclaimed…restored…changed…forgiven…set free. The price has been paid for our sins. Jesus came down from heaven and suffered to save us from the defeat of death in sin. We are loved by God and that love conquers all things in this world. We are reconciled with God and can pursue His will for our lives. Sharing a song by the group Big Daddy Weave entitled “Redeemed”

I pray for God’s love to wash over the burdens in our lives and strengthen us in kindness, goodness, compassion and forgiveness. Amen.

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

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“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

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

Forgiven

September 21, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We can not change the past. We are not able to undo what has occurred. Even still God has forgiven us for our sins…we can do better today, here in the present. We can learn from the past, we can learn from the experiences of others. If you are holding on to a mistake or a wrong done by you or by others bring it to the Lord. Worry and anxiety are the biggest waste of time in life, yet so many of us have spent a significant amount of time doing it. I have wasted an enormous amount of time in my life on worry about the past and about things that may or may not occur because of the past. That is how I have not trusted God. I am learning, slowly as usual, to bring it to God…all of it and that really means all of it. Let it go, stay present in life and know that God forgives you for your sins. He gave His One and Only Son to ensure we know of His forgiveness and His love. May you sense the peace and comfort of God in your life.

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“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

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

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)

Commitment

August 10, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Not giving up…to honor…responsibility…respect for…trust. The way of truth means doing what you said you would do. Our true character shows through to others when they see our commitment to something. The greatest example of commitment to completing something that was more difficult than anything we will face in our lives was the example Jesus set when He honored a commitment to saving us from our sins. He endured physical and mental suffering for something He didn’t do. He is innocent, He has no sin…and yet He took on the sin of all of us and paid the price so that we could be reconciled to God. He is our Savior and our Salvation will only come from a relationship with Him. May God’s love and faithfulness be with you.

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“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Proverbs 16:3

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

Reflect And Recharge

July 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When our hope is in the Lord, we will see goodness and blessings. When our focus is on living our life through our faith in Jesus Christ, we tend to be able to see with new eyes on old or familiar situations. When we walk daily with the Lord our perspective improves from worldly to heavenly. In the New Testament is states…“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) With the Lord we have hope, we can trust in goodness and righteousness and we can have faith that we will be able to see our way through anything. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4-7

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

The Good Shepherd

July 11, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The Shepherd, of all the roles on earth, we can read in several places in the bible that Jesus is the Good Shepherd (Psalm 23, Isaiah 40:11, John 10:11-18). In today’s world a shepherd seems like a character in a story of a very different world, not an actual role in a society. To understand more about why is Jesus the Good Shepherd we look more closely at Psalm 23. Some of David’s words and descriptions of the Shepherd are as follows: He leads me; He restores my soul; He guides me; I will fear no evil; they comfort me; my cup overflows. A shepherd provides everything the sheep will ever need. Leadership, a restoration hope, guidance, protection, comfort and blessings…love. Most importantly for the sheep a shepherd will lay down his life for the sheep to keep them safe from evil. Jesus Christ has done all things possible for you to have life, turn or return to Him as He is our Good Shepherd. May God’s love and mercy be with you.

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“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

John 10:14-15

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 near the Minnesota and South Dakota border)

On Believing And Seeing

June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

You may have heard someone say or you may have said it yourself, a phrase such as ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’ This originated in biblical times after the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus appeared to the disciples at a time when Thomas was not with them. Even as one of the apostles who had been with Jesus he could not comprehend the resurrection and told his brothers…“unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” (John 20:25) Thomas was so sure this could not be true, that Jesus had risen, that he made this statement basically saying to the others…prove it! Oh boy, I have been there before. The problem with this approach to our faith is it is not faith at all…if we have to see it to believe it, what do we truly believe in? A simple example is the wind…the air can move at very high speeds at different elevations and we know this not because we can see it move, what we can see is what it can do. Don’t get caught being a doubting Thomas, rather learn from him and have faith in the One who knows us and can see what He has planned for our lives. May God’s love and joy be with you.

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“We live by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7

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

Jesus

June 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

To Him be the glory.

The world divided, broken and lost…how can there be hope? Lives of struggle, hearts broken, sadness…who can make this better? People hurting each other, selfishness in control, fear and anger rule the days…what can change our perspectives?

The answers to all of this; to every thought of despair, to every life looking for a new direction and for every individual wanting to make a change…Jesus is the answer. Believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, invite Him into your life everyday, spend time reading God’s Word, build your personal relationship with Him and you will see transformation. May the presence of God be in you and may the saving grace of Jesus Christ bless you each day.

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“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

His Love Endures Forever

June 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Just when we think, ‘I am sure God is upset with me’ or ‘why do I feel so distant from God’ or any other self pity thoughts about our relationship with God…He shows us again that His love is all around us. Either through nature or through another person God shows up and reminds everyone He will never leave you or abandon you. When we make an effort to start with gratitude for what blessings we have been given, we learn to better understand how God is working in our life. God is love and His love is never-ending for us. He gave His one and only Son to be a sacrifice for us, out of love, and He continues to know you and to bless you because His love endures forever. May you see God’s love and peace present in your life.

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Sacrifice

May 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

He gave us His everything to restore a relationship with us. God loves us, God loves you so much that He came down from heaven to be born as a baby among us. From the moment of His birth different people in the world sought to kill Him. Even still God has forgiven us. The world is filled with darkness, anger and shouting about my rights…yet when Jesus was here He spent the majority of His time teaching and helping others. When He was persecuted He didn’t shout out you have no right to attack me, I am God…instead just before His death He said Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Jesus has set us an example of how we should live, now it is up to us to choose our attitude and our behavior each day. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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