His Love Endures Forever

June 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Just when we think, ‘I am sure God is upset with me’ or ‘why do I feel so distant from God’ or any other self pity thoughts about our relationship with God…He shows us again that His love is all around us. Either through nature or through another person God shows up and reminds everyone He will never leave you or abandon you. When we make an effort to start with gratitude for what blessings we have been given, we learn to better understand how God is working in our life. God is love and His love is never-ending for us. He gave His one and only Son to be a sacrifice for us, out of love, and He continues to know you and to bless you because His love endures forever. May you see God’s love and peace present in your life.

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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 May of 2014 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

The Holy Spirit – Counselor

June 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There are many times when we are praying to God and we just want Him to tell us in an easy to understand way, what should I do?! One of the greatest freedoms God provides is free will. He provides us the ability to decide our attitude and our behavior. Better still He has given us the instruction manual for life, the Bible and the guide to walk along with us, the Holy Spirit. The key to unlocking these resources?…Time. In order to understand the instructions and to sense the direction of the Holy Spirit, we need to spend time studying the Word and time in prayer. Jesus our Savior came and has saved us all from the defeat of sin and before He ascended into heaven He told of the Holy Spirit coming. Tune in to the Counselor and seek direction and guidance from the Word of God. May God’s love and joy be with you.

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“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

John 14:25-26

(This photo was taken yesterday while walking the dog in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

The Love Of God

June 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It may be hard to believe sometimes…it seems unfathomable, an error in judgement or even misguided from our perspective. However, it is true…God loves you, unconditionally. There is nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God. It has all been tried over and over again throughout the Old Testament, so God took things up a notch and sent His one and only Son to triumph over all, forever. He had it written about before it occurred in the Old Testament and then again after it occurred in the New Testament. God loves you and He is right there with you, He knows the struggles and the victory you experience in your life every day. Talk with God, thank Him for His never-ending love and seek His will as you go forward in your faith and life journey. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while driving through North Dakota)

Forgiveness

June 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This is something we all want and need and yet it is so hard to give to others. The part to work on is remembering this is not saying what someone did or said is Ok…forgiveness is making a commitment to not hold on to bitterness and hardness in your heart over something that happened in the past and can’t be changed. We all make mistakes and we all will be making more mistakes in life, forgiveness is about the courage to move forward and to find joy, it is about letting go of the things in the past. The best place to start to forgive is to turn to God in prayer, as He has forgiven you already. Look up the serenity prayer and use it to speak to God about the forgiveness needed in your life. May God’s grace and mercy be with you.

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“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Psalm 51:10-12

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Learn To Listen

June 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The skill of listening is becoming less and less frequent in today’s world. It seems people are so intent on speaking and spend more time preparing a response then seeking to understand others. It is a form of selfishness. All of us are cursed with some form of selfishness…it does not go away or become less present over time unless we are actively working on reducing its presence in our lives. In order to strengthen our abilities to see things from the perspective of another person we can start by listening and seeking to understand them. Listening does not mean you automatically agree with them rather it means you are willing to consider more than your own opinion. We do not have all the answers, nobody on earth does…nobody. The only one who knows is God…and if we can’t listen to Him we will struggle more than is necessary. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.”

Proverbs 19:20

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Friendship

May 31, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We need good friends as a part of our journey. True friends, not the ‘how you doing’ people we pass and never take time to sit and listen to how they really are doing. Friendship is a commitment to the other person that you will be there for them and they will be there for you. It is a give and take and both parties have a responsibility to honor that commitment to the other. These are the people that will go through your greatest highs and your deepest lows with you. Think about who that is for you…give thanks to God for that person and take time to let them know you appreciate them. May God’s love and joy be with you.

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“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

John 15:12

(This photo was taken in July of 2014 by my friend Matt at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Giving

May 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Be generous when you can, to whomever you can, wherever you are in your life. Look not only to your own needs. Look around you, there are others in need and you have the ability to help. Giving is not always a financial based event, the world tends to portray it that way. Giving can be in things more valuable than money, like giving your time, your attention, sitting and listening to someone, preparing a meal, etc. Don’t limit your gifts to what the world wants to tell you can offer, trust in God and your relationship with Him to fully understand what you are created to give. God loves you and knows the most about what you have to offer to others. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7

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

Grace And Mercy

May 29, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God provides us both His grace and His mercy, even though we do not earn them. His love for us is so strong that even though we were still sinners He sent His one and only Son to save us. When we reflect on our daily lives there is so much we should be thankful for that gets taken for granted. We would be wise to take time to praise God and give thanks for all He has done for us. It is so easy to get distracted by a variety of things in the world and yet God is right here with us, waiting for us to turn to Him in faith. We are most encouraged when we spend time in relationship with the Lord. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

The Fruit Of The Spirit

May 25, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We all have something we believe in, we all have something to share with others. The way we choose to share that message will have a significant impact on whether we are heard or cast aside. How we communicate is probably more important then the message itself because the best message that goes unheard is nothing. God provided the guide on how to interact with others and if more people spent time interacting with each other in this way there would be so much less anger, hatred and disrespectful choices being made among us. The way to communicate a message of injustice or to help draw attention to a need is with the fruit of the Spirit…with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and with self-control. If you choose to communicate with dishonor, anger, yelling and disrespect for others then the value of your message is lost as the focus will only be on your poor behavior. The message everyone has is important and just as important is how everyone chooses to communicate their message. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Garden of the Gods park in Colorado)

Choose How You Will Respond

May 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

With every situation in life we are given free will by God which means we choose how to respond to what other people do or say. This freedom also means we are accountable and responsible for our response even if the response is to do nothing. If we are focused on self more than anything else we will often choose a poor response as self is only responding to the impact on me without regard for others. God created us out of His love and we were made to choose the fruits of the Spirit in how we live our daily lives. Be aware not only of ‘what’ you do and say, but also ‘how’ you do and say things when you respond to others. Free will is a gift from God, how we respond with this gift makes all the difference in how we feel in our life. May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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