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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“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you…”

James 4:7-8

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

The Gift Of The Holy Spirit

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

If we are willing to the surrender our self-serving desires and seek out God’s will for us and our lives we should begin by turning towards Jesus in prayer and open ourselves up to Him. When we do that we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is our guide, this is that small voice telling us the right thing to do, especially when the right thing goes against the way of the world. Listening and then doing what God has intended for us will not be the easy route in many situations. Over time it can become more natural, it is at the beginning when change will be the most difficult…be persistent, be patient and trust the Lord. He is right there with you, every step of the way, every single day. Trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is a gift from God that we may receive this spirit. Amen.

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“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:7

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 on the north shore of the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Jesus Is The Only Way

November 25, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of my favorite things about faith is simplicity. It seems to be human nature to try to make things more complicated and difficult then necessary. To fill life with worry, anxiety, frustration and unhealthy fear. If we want peace, if we want joy, if we want loving and caring relationships then we must come to Jesus. He already knows all about us whether or not we have acknowledged Him. He knows you, He loves you and He died to save you. Seek Him and live. I pray for the new found and growing relationships people have with Jesus Christ. Amen.

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“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota)

Everything, Anything

November 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Nothing is to big, to complex. Nothing is to powerful. Nothing is to difficult to solve. When we believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him with our everything, everyday we know that God will guide our way through anything we encounter in life. It may not be the way we would do it on our own, but that is the point, on our own we would get stuck…stopped, without resolution. No matter what it is you are facing, no matter what battle is knocking you back or down…get back up and surrender the issue to God. That doesn’t mean you stop doing things or stop living, it means you do your best according to God’s word to live by the fruits of the Spirit and let God take care of the rest. May we all take steps to surrender our worries and our anxieties to the Lord. Amen.

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“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Surrender

September 20, 2018 / mcalcagno / 3 Comments

Because a life of faith is a journey and not one event or moment in time we must come back to Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection. I am learning that growing and developing or maturing in my spiritual life takes persistence and commitment. If I reserve my time and faith in God for a few moments at church on the weekend and a few memorized prayers before I eat or go to sleep, I feel like I am just going through the motions and not connecting. Coming to Christ daily, reading scripture and praying every morning before I sit down with this laptop and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my fingers to share the good news with you…that is how I am learning about new levels of faith and connecting more deeply with God. We must be willing to give of ourselves, we must be willing to trust in God’s plan and we must be willing to surrender our own plan in order to experience the full glory of God in life. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Mark 8:34-35

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

God’s Workmanship

August 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are His creation…we are created out of love…we are created to do good things. When we are willing to come to The Cross and surrender, our plans, our ways, our timing for events in life and trust in Him to provide all we need, when we need it, then we will experience true joy. It sounds so simple and yet it is extremely difficult to execute in everyday life. We are made with free will, meaning we have a choice to pursue the sinful nature or to pursue a life following Jesus Christ. God’s plan is so much greater than our own because He is the original Creator of all things. Turn towards God and ask Him for wisdom about how He wants you to follow His plan for your life. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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