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)

Wisdom And Understanding

May 13, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we seek wisdom, we are striving to learn and grow in our knowledge and experience. The more we learn the greater the impact on our perspective and our attitude. This increase in knowledge and shaping of our perspective also will help us gain understanding for many circumstances and situations in our daily life. To put it another way…don’t assume something or judge others based on a social media post or a headline or as they used to say when I was younger…don’t judge a book by its cover. Seek wisdom, seek to gain understanding. Amen.

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“Blessed are those who find wisdom,
    those who gain understanding,
¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.
¹⁵She is more precious than rubies;
    nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷Her ways are pleasant ways,
    and all her paths are peace.
¹⁸She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
    those who hold her fast will be blessed.”

Proverbs 3:13-18

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

He Understands

December 11, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

In the bible, Jesus is referred to as the Son of God and also as the Son of Man. During His life on earth He was God in human form. He knows what it is like to be one of us living on earth. If you have ever thought, ‘God doesn’t seem to care about me’ or ‘God is far too busy to care about my problems’…take a look at Jesus, read about His life in the New Testament of the bible…He knows about life on earth, He understands what you are experiencing. Trust in the Lord and you will find peace. Amen.

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“Jesus wept.”

John 11:35

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Compassion

December 7, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Care…concern…gentleness…tenderness…kindness…mercy…understanding…love. God is compassionate. If we would choose compassion over self-centered behavior more often it would make such a big difference in this world. An act of compassion doesn’t have to be recorded and go viral to be meaningful…one act of compassion that benefits one person that nobody else knows about is just as valuable as one that encourages many. Jesus Christ has set us the example of care, concern, gentleness, tenderness, kindness, mercy, understanding and love…let’s strive to follow His lead and show compassion to others. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you. Amen.

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“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. ⁹The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:8-9

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Wisdom

November 26, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The ability to think and act using a combination of knowledge, experience, understanding, insight and common sense. Wisdom does not promote the self or self-intelligence…it is humble, compassionate, faithful and understanding of the needs of others. To continually seek to learn and grow and share what you have learned is to be wise. Seek wisdom from the Lord and you will find peace. Amen.

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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Proverbs 9:10

(This photo was taken in December of 2018 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Decisions…

August 11, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Don’t go it alone…don’t assume you have all the information…seek wisdom and knowledge…seek to understand. So often we fail to speak with God about decisions. We believe that God doesn’t care about this insignificant decision or event in my life…yet we know we can’t comprehend God’s infinite knowledge and the ways He is working in our life so who are we to say? I continue to be amazed at where God shows up in life and I only realize it because I am trying to make a conscious effort to pay to attention and ask myself where did I see God today? God is with you and He is working in your life…seek Him and His plan and ask God to help you see when you are making your decisions. Amen.

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“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Knowledge And Understanding

August 11, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We just want answers…to know what happened…why…who did this…where are they…when did that happen. To admit we do not know something is the beginning of being humble. Unfortunately the sinful nature leads humans to take advantage others and erodes the trust of people. That sounds like something evil would do…anything to keep people away from God and behaviors that promote goodness, kindness and compassion. When you want to seek knowledge and wisdom, when you are pursuing understanding, turn to the Word of God. The bible is the Word of God and He has the information you are seeking. He is the Creator, He knows the most about what we want to understand. If you are unsure where to begin, I recommend Proverbs. May the peace and joy of God be with you.

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“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Proverbs 2:6

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

Understanding

July 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There are a few places in the bible that state…“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,…” (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10) There is also…“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,…” (Proverbs 1:7) I want to take a moment to talk about “The fear of the Lord…” In modern language fear is strictly defined as being afraid of or believing something or someone is dangerous and to avoid. An older definition of fear is to stand in awe of; to have respect for, to revere, reverence. These verses are telling us to have ultimate respect for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To stand in awe of the love, the mercy, the grace and the power of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”

Psalm 111:10

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

Praise The Lord

July 4, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Today is recognized as Independence Day in the US. A holiday where people can gather and celebrate freedom. It is a day where we should give thanks to the Lord for all we have in our lives. Take a moment and reflect on your surroundings, people in your life…all of the good things are gifts from God. If it is difficult to see goodness, take some time to work on your relationship with God, talk to Him and listen in the quietness of time alone with God. You were created out of love by God, He is with you and you can have contentment, security, peace and hope for a future in a way that only God can provide by choosing to turn to Him and His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. God is good…all the time…and all the time…God is good! Praise the Lord. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Psalm 146:1-2

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

God’s Word

July 2, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Instructions…directions…guidance…wisdom…understanding. It takes a certain attitude to be willing to follow instructions, to accept wisdom from another or to trust the guidance of someone else. We have to be humble, willing to admit we don’t know our way around a situation or place. This is easy when we are using one of our devices of “convenience,” a cell phone, Ipad, computer, etc. It is more difficult when we start involving other people in our need for assistance. We are challenged to learn how to have humility, to accept our level of knowledge for what it is and to seek out wisdom and to learn from others in history. God’s Word is the instruction manual for life we all can use. It provides the Way to make it through this world, it does not say do this and life will be easy and always happy. It is more honest than that and more about providing wisdom and guidance as help from those who already have lived on earth and know the troubles human beings will have in life. Pickup a bible and seek the understanding that God provides. The test for this book is happening all the time in our daily life, how are you answering the multiple choice questions of your life? May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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