Patience and Persistence

June 19, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

Don’t give up…don’t give in…be encouraged, trust in the Lord’s way

Continue to pray for that person or situation

God is with you and He will lead and guide you

When you grow tired rest in Him…find peace in God’s Word

The one who persists and is patient is the one who will see God’s plan and God’s timing

“pray without ceasing…”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV

(This photo was taken along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

The Lord Of My Everything?

June 15, 2026 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

“In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Proverbs 16:9 NIV

Sometimes I struggle with my faith when it comes to opening up to the Lord for all things

Not only the parts of my life and my heart I think He wants to be involved in…that would be God on my terms

I have come to learn…it does not work like that

God is the God of everything and Jesus Christ is Lord of all

All of creation, all people in all nations since the beginning of time and His love is for everything and everyone

His grace and His mercy will endure forever

It can be so difficult for my finite mind to comprehend the totality of God and His love

He is more than the God of Sunday morning or Wednesday evening…

He is more than the God of when I really need help or a crisis is happening…

He is more than a beautiful sunrise or sunset when we do feel more of His presence

He is also the Lord of housework, the Lord of daily errands, the Lord of trips to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, He is the Lord of where you work and He is the Lord what you do…He is the Lord of everything

The best part of all?

This means He is right there waiting to hear from you about everything

If He is your Lord and Savior that doesn’t mean everything will be easy and good…yet He is with you through all of it

May we know God’s presence, His love, His joy and His forgiveness

In everything

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of the life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:6 NIV

(This photo was taken at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

God Is With You

June 10, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Isaiah 43:2 NIV

Do not be afraid

God is with you and through His Holy Spirit, God is within you

Every day…all the time

⁶Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV

(This photo was taken at Falls Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

By His Wounds We Are Healed

June 9, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 NIV

Our sins leave a mark on us

Some sins mark our hearts and our minds

Some sins leave a mark on our bodies and some sins leave long lasting wounds that we try to bury deep within us

These wounds occur because we chase after sinful desires that hurt us and may hurt others

The Good News is the healing power of Jesus

Jesus took the punishment for our sins…

He sacrificed Himself for us because He loves us and He knows we are not capable of saving ourselves

Jesus Christ suffered, was crucified and died for us and it is by His wounds we are healed

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake in central Minnesota)

Lay Down Your Burdens

June 8, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“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

Carry You by Amy Grant

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Joy In God’s Promises

June 4, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[c] a sign: The virgin^[d] will conceive and give birth to a son, and^[e] will call him Immanuel.”^[f]

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

Father God, we are holding tightly to our hope in You

We trust that You are faithful, and we believe that You will always fulfill Your promises

Thank You for promising to bring justice to unjust situations

Thank You for promising to fulfill Your plans for us

Thank You for sending Your Son and for promising to return to Your people

You are faithful, Lord-and we will trust in You

In Jesus name, Amen

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Luke 2:8-11 NIV

(This photo was taken at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Memorial Day

May 25, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:9-10 NIV

Today, we honor those who have served and sacrificed themselves for the greater good

These individuals knew that there are things much more important than self

They believed in serving to help others and fighting for those who could not fight for themselves

It takes courage and humility to do what they did and so we honor them with gratitude and respect for their sacrifice

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:1-4 NIV

(This photo was taken at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota)

You Choose Each Day

May 24, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 NIV

God created us with free will

The ability to choose our actions and behaviors

The reason He did this is because a love worth having is love that is chosen

The risk is people can and will choose to reject God

We were created out of love with free will

We can choose how we will live and who we will follow

How do you choose to live this day?

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV

(This photo was taken along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

God Is Love

May 23, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 7:12 NIV

Love is about more than words or a feeling

Love is about how we treat each other with our actions and our behaviors

In this fallen and broken world we all will make mistakes and need to be forgiven

Thankfully, God is love and put His love into the action by sending His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins

We have been forgiven

Now it is our turn to put love into action

In what relationship or situation in your life is there a lack of love?

Who in your life needs to experience love in action?

Pray about it and ask God to guide you in love

DSC_0095 (2)publish

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 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 4:8-10 NIV

(This photo was taken near the border between South Dakota and Minnesota)

To Change Everything…Change Your Perspective

May 19, 2026 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“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

Jesus Christ is alive…the promised Savior has come!

He was born, He lived and taught us how to live

He sacrificed Himself and was crucified and died for us

He has risen and is seated at the right hand of God in heaven

Now what does that mean for us?

What difference is He making in your life?

Are you aware of God’s presence in your daily life?

Believe in Him…seek Him…pray…read God’s Word…pay attention to how God is at work in your life

Choose to live different from the way of the world

Allow Jesus Christ to impact every area of your life and change your perspective

Different by Micah Tyler

DSC_0322 publish

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

(This photo was take in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)