The Word Planted In You

September 14, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The Word of God will uphold you and sustain you…it will provide peace and calm in your mind and in your heart. Take time to memorize some verses…whichever ones speak to you. You will know them when you read them…then put them deep in your mind and in your heart where nothing and no one can reach them. Then at anytime and in any situation you can remember them to lead you and guide you. God’s Word is a gift and one of the ways He communicates with us. Amen.

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“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

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

Life According To The Spirit

September 13, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] ¹⁵If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Galatians 5:13-15

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling in southern New Mexico)

He Is With You

August 18, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

No matter what…no matter where…no matter what you have done or left undone…He is with you. Give thanks and find peace with Jesus. Amen.

There Was Jesus by Zach Williams, Dolly Parton

“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

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

With All Your Heart

August 5, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The Lord asks for all of you…not just Sunday morning you or Wednesday evening you and not just some quick memorized words at meal time or just before bed…He wants more than that from each of us. He wants a relationship with you…He wants communication with you every day. He wants to hear from you with all your heart and He wants you to listen to Him. Commit your way to the Lord and you will find peace. Amen.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while exploring the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Patience

July 1, 2020 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

Originally posted in May of 2018…

When we believe and we trust in God we will be required to develop patience in this world. Circumstances will often look hopeless and many people will despair and be engulfed in sadness and fear, that is the way of evil. We must never give up hope, we must trust in God to continue working for the good for us and for everyone. God does not make bad things happen, He is not tempting you with things that are not good…that is sin in the world and we humans invited that sin into this world. God is at work in all the bad we have created to bring out goodness, kindness and love. Believe in Him who created us, believe in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ and see the good things that can happen in your life in this world. May God’s peace and joy 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 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

God Is Love

May 16, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As we live and learn and grow on our spiritual journey, we slowly gain a greater understanding of God’s love. It is one thing to hear about it, read about it and know it in your head and it is something much greater to experience it and know it in your heart. God is love, He loves you and His love will never let you down. Amen.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:8

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“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. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:9-12

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 near the border of Minnesota and South Dakota)

Who Is It?

April 16, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Who is knocking on the door of your heart and mind? If it is Jesus, go to the door and open it and invite Him in…do not be afraid. If it is something else…if it is the sinful nature and the way of darkness, do not open that door…seek your relationship with Jesus Christ and He will go to that door for you…because that is what He did when He died on the Cross to save you. Who is knocking at the door of your heart and mind? Amen.

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“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Revelation 3:20

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 while standing on one of the covered bridges near Winterset, Iowa)

The Price Of Salvation

April 15, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Today is the third day since Resurrection Sunday and we must caution against taking our salvation for granted. For most people by now they are focused solely on the tasks of work or daily tasks at home and the glory of Christ sacrifice for us is in the rear-view mirror. The faith journey and spiritual growth is about so much more than checking in on Sunday and checking out the rest of the week. Seek your relationship with Jesus Christ every day, spend time with Him and in God’s Word. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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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 April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Add To Your Faith

April 1, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The faith journey is an on-going learning and growing process. It is about our relationship with Jesus Christ and how it impacts life. It is not a to do list of check the box things and move on to the next…it is interwoven into our daily life. We can choose to acknowledge it or not. If we want to know peace that surpasses all understanding…we should choose to explore faith and see what God has planned for our journey. Amen.

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“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:5-8

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Be Courageous

February 28, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Let your faith and trust in the Lord be greater than your fear. This is easier said than done…but it is not impossible…there is not a quick fix or a shortcut for convenience…there is a Way. I know from personal experience, it does not mean all your troubles will go away and your life will be easy…yet I have never known peace in struggle and difficult times until I finally stopped trying to do things my own way. Be courageous, turn towards Jesus Christ in prayer, confess your sins and ask Him into your heart and life and continue that journey by reading God’s Word and you will see what the Lord has in store for you. Seek Him, be persistent, be patient, listen and you will know peace. Amen.

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