Our Beautiful Savior

November 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When you think about it…when you look around your life and the world and see the things that the most attention is focused on…you may begin to see something of a trend or common theme. We are all living in a lost and broken world, where anger, hate, suffering, hunger and homelessness are everywhere, the primary focus and attention of many people is on me, myself and I. On the journey of faith I realize the only times I get worried or upset or feel like chaos is everywhere is when I have put my expectations or my plans or my wants and desires ahead of everything else. The self is very powerful and very stubborn and will lead us to destructive thoughts and behaviors. This is when we need to be renewed, to put our focus back on Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Our beautiful Savior who came down from heaven to save us from self-destruction. Come to the Cross and be renewed by Jesus Christ our one and only beautiful Savior. Amen.

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“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:1

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Doing Good

November 21, 2018 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

Patience…Persistence…Perseverance…Consistent…Helpful…Supportive…Kind. It can be difficult to sustain an attitude that focuses on good things. There is darkness and evil lurking everywhere in the world. When we state our belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and profess our faith that He is our Lord and Savior we will receive the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit along with the Word of God can be our foundation to stand on for doing good things and serving the needs of others. God is love and He has poured out His love to us through His One and Only Son. Let’s be grateful for His love, His mercy, His grace and His forgiveness and keep our courage up to do good things. Amen.

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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 while traveling through Utah)

He Lives

November 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are saved…we are forgiven…the Sacrifice has been made…the price has been paid…the battle has already been won…our Savior took our punishment…we are reconciled with God…we can go on in faith…because He Lives!

Sharing a song of worship and praise today…May God’s peace be with you.

“Because He Lives” by Matt Maher

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

Galatians 2:20

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 while driving through the State of Washington)

Peace In Our Hearts

November 11, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Where can we find peace? We look around at the world and the actions and behaviors of so many people and wonder, where can peace be found? So much anger, hatred, rage and darkness…people choosing to follow the evil desires of greed, lust and the sinful nature. It is written that the peace of God is found only one way…that is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. It has been the way of peace ever since that baby was born in a manger over 2,000 years ago. We can have peace through Christ because of the grace of God and only by the grace of God is peace possible. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14) If we believe and accept that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord we will find peace and we will be prepared to share the peace of Christ with others. I pray we all turn toward Jesus to seek peace that is provided to us by the grace of God. Amen.

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

(This photo was taken in February of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth , Minnesota)

Freedom Found In Forgiveness

November 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Learning to forgive someone for something that occurred in the past…this is a tough thing for many of us. It is not in our human nature to forgive. We usually struggle because we are waiting for the other person to earn our forgiveness, however, as we read in the Scriptures, our forgiveness for our sins was not nor will it ever be earned. If God was going to wait for us to show we deserved to be forgiven for our sinful ways…well just look around you at the world and the behavior of people…sin rules this world as much or more now than it ever has. We do not deserve to saved from our sins and yet God sent His Son to suffer and die for us, to pay the penalty for our sins so that we are forgiven and our relationship is reconciled. We can learn to forgive and break free from the anger, the hatred, the finger pointing that keeps us stuck in a cycle of violence and hurting each other. Forgiveness means we are not going to let the hurts of the past control our future behavior…that is exactly what God has done for you and for me. I pray we can each pick one relationship that we know needs our attention and seek to forgive, so that we can be free from the hurts of the past. Amen.

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“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

The Love Of Christ

November 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We can search our entire life for something to comfort us, to depend on and to know that it is always watching over us…and yet there is only one thing that can be all of this and more for everyone…that is the love of Jesus Christ. Nothing in this world is as powerful as the love of Christ. No event or circumstances can compare with the death and resurrection of Jesus and the fact that He endured it all for you and for me because of love. It is the greatest gift we will ever receive and the most important thing we can share with others. I pray we all seek ways to shine a light on the love of Christ in our lives. Amen.

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“…And I pray that you, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…”

Ephesians 3:17-18

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

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)

Live A Life Filled With Love

October 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Offer hospitality…speak encouraging words…serve the needs of others…offer prayers and praise to God. A life of love is not an ‘it’s all about me life’ rather it is a life with God at the center. How can we show the love of Christ in our life today? It is easy to get caught up in the world’s definition of something worth doing, you know…’go big or go home’…we can make a difference in the world just by fulfilling the needs of just one person…to them it may be the biggest or best thing that is done for them today. Don’t judge your value or your life by the world’s standards…God created you…He knows you, He loves you and He is with you. I pray we seek and know the love of God in our hearts and minds and we have the courage to share it with others. Amen.

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“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:8-10

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

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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