Surrender Your Way

April 5, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Seek the way of the Lord. Spend time with God. Read God’s word. Pray. Seek to understand rather than judge. Cast all your worries and fears on Him who sacrificed Himself to save you. God loves you and He wants a personal relationship with you…turn towards Him in faith and trust His way. Amen.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.^[a]“

Proverbs 3:5-6

(This photo was taken last night at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

It Takes Courage…

January 20, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

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. It takes courage to be humble…to surrender your plans for God’s plan…it takes courage to live the life that God has intended for you…and the best part is…a relationship with Jesus Christ will give you the courage to seek His will when you trust in Him. Amen.

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. ¹⁴Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

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

Our Call

January 13, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

How do we know what God is calling us to do? For life decisions and direction? If we use the world’s measuring stick of ‘what we should do’ we risk missing God’s will entirely. To follow our call is to surrender self-serving desires, to be humble and patient and to have a foundation of a faith that is built on our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what I have learned so far…nobody ever said it was going to be easy. We will face trouble and struggles of every kind in life and if we are willing to stand firm on the foundation of faith, we will persevere. Amen.

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“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”

1 Thessalonians 4:7

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Trust In The Lord

January 5, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Surrender the will of the self and you will find joy and peace. This is not about happiness; joy goes deeper and has greater understanding than happy. Happy is about you…joy is about your foundation of faith and your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. God knows everything about you and He wants good things for you…trust in Him with all your heart like you never have before and see what God has in store for you. Amen.

I Give You My Heart by Michael W Smith

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“Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
⁶He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalm 37:3-7

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass near the Montana and Wyoming border)

Renew

December 28, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

To speak about faith as a journey is to remind us that it is ongoing…it is not a one-time event or ceremony…it is not something to ‘check the box’ as done and move on. It is a journey of good times and hard times. It is a daily recognition that we are broken and sinful and we live in a fallen world…it is about learning to surrender your plans to God and His plan…it is about finding the best version of you that God intended for your life. Pick up a bible every day and renew your faith for your journey. Amen.

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while standing on Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Rest In Him

October 11, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Jesus invites us to come to Him…to bring all our worries and our burdens and lay them down at the foot of the Cross and trust in Him. In this world that is filled with sinful thoughts, words and actions we all end up with a large load of burdens…some we are meant to carry…others are not meant for us to carry yet we take them upon ourselves anyways. Then we think we can carry these burdens around all by ourselves and everything will be alright. One of the most prominent messages in the bible is that of surrender…to know and to believe that God can do more good things with troubles and burdens than we ever thought possible. It starts with our ability to surrender and trust in the Lord. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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

Matthew 11:28-30

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling in northern Colorado)

Forgiven

July 9, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As we grow on our faith journey it seems some behavior changes happen somewhat easily and for others, we keep going the wrong way. We get stuck and feel powerless to change what we know needs to change. It is at this point that the road to the Savior seems to narrow and we begin to see how truly amazing God’s grace can be…learning to have humility…to surrender…to admit we need Him even when we know we don’t deserve it…this can be a difficult step in our lives and it takes courage, yet it is the only way, Jesus is the only way to joy and everlasting life. From the most tragic events can come the greatest joy…if you ever doubt it…remember what happened between Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday. May God’s grace wash over you. Amen.

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“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

Psalms 51:1-2

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park near Bayfield, Wisconsin)

Persistence

June 7, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Do not give up…don’t assume you know the outcome…they say failure is a stepping stone to success…or as Dory the fish says “just keep swimming.” We will always have the opportunity to stop trying to do something. Maybe the answers for a situation are related to trying a new approach or a new way rather than quitting. If we are able to surrender control and trust in God and His plan, we may find new outcomes we didn’t imagine were possible. Bring your worries and struggles to the Cross and let Jesus lead the way. Amen.

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“Let us not become weary of 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 June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)

Trust His Plans

April 26, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We have so many thoughts and ideas about ‘how things should go’ or ‘ the way things should be done’…we put our own expectations on situations and interactions and how many times have we heard or thought, ‘well that is not how I thought that would go’ or ‘wow that was unexpected.’ Yet we still struggle to learn that we are not in control of anything other than our own actions, reactions, attitude and behaviors. Take your worries, your burdens, your fears and your frustrations to the Cross…lay them down at the feet of Jesus and surrender your life to God’s will. Amen.

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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 October of 2018 at Clark Tower in Winterset City Park in Iowa)

Humility

April 25, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Modesty…humbleness…meekness. Let go of pride and trust the Lord to lead you. It may be uncomfortable, it will be difficult…God never promised life would be easy but He has provided the Way, the Truth and the Life through His Son. Invite the Lord Jesus into your heart and life circumstances, no matter what you have done or what you have not done, He wants to hear from you. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

Who Am I by Casting Crowns

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