Gratitude

May 26, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of the difficult challenges in life is adjusting your perspective. We receive so many messages through our senses from our daily life. Things we see, things we hear, things we read, etc. We get to choose what things get our time and attention. Whatever we focus on becomes embedded in our perspective. When we spend too much time on negativity, sadness, anger, selfishness and hatred we adopt that point of view to everything else. This is the way of living focused on self. We will always end up disappointed. We need to find ways to build in positive things, goodness, kindness, joy and love. These things will help us live with a balanced perspective. One easy way to start is to practice gratitude. What are you thankful for? It may not come easy at first if you haven’t done this very often. Think about the very basics in life like food, shelter and clothing…don’t take such things for granted as these are not in abundance for everyone in the world. Once you start practicing gratitude and you want to build on it, the next thing is giving…the joy, peace and contentment will continue to build in your life from there. Find your gratitude things and give thanks to God for all of it. May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100

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

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)

Do Good Things

May 21, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It is easy to look around and think, what difference does it make if I do this or I don’t? This type thinking can lead to a downward spiral of negative thoughts and low self-worth. This is the way of evil and darkness. When we act and do good things it will make a difference, to someone someday. Even if we never get to see the difference in our life or in person it is important to continue to do good things. We are made out of the love of God and we have the hope of eternal life with Him. This world is not our home but while we are here we should do whatever we can, wherever we are to help those in need. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Let us not become weary in 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 July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Patience

May 20, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

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)

Persevere

May 17, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Continue to try, keep going, don’t believe you are a failure. Mistakes and failure are steps to success. These hold true in so many aspects of life. Even in our daily faith life. If you are working on establishing a daily routine of devotions and bible reading time or just thinking about it, keep trying different times and places. If you miss a day or more than one get back to it the next day or as soon as you can. Do your best to make it a priority that sticks and pray about it. Ask God to guide you to the time and place everyday. As they say, if it was easy everyone would do it, it takes commitment and it takes perseverance to continue to seek Him and His Word. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:12

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

Wisdom And Understanding

May 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

These are two elements that will get us through anything in life. Wisdom from the Lord and understanding of His Word can help to lead us on the path to joy. To gain these we must spend time reading the Word, praying and sitting quietly with Jesus. For these activities are the true sources of wisdom and how we can gain understanding. The world is filled with darkness and the evil of sin and they will do everything to keep you from spending time with God. Don’t underestimate the power of sin, it is deceptive and persistent and will always be looking for ways to distract you. Seek wisdom from the Lord and read the Scriptures for understanding each day. Ask God to provide you the courage and strength to do so. He loves you and He is watching over you. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”

Proverbs 3:13-14

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

The Path To Joy

May 15, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It seems so often, we are trying to figure things out…why did this happen? why didn’t it go the way we thought? what went wrong? how did I do that? that is not what I planned? These thoughts take us on a roller-coaster of a ride in our daily life and near the end of the day we are exhausted with few answers. I believe we all need to simplify things a bit, narrow our focus and stay obedient to the way Jesus has taught us. Start by committing our day to the Lord. Spend time reading Scripture and praying that gives you a solid foundation to start on…then be present in the moments that are occurring in your life today. Listen closely to what others are saying, offer encouragement and be of service to others. If your current circumstances make this difficult or impossible in your mind then pray about that and ask God to help you find your way to a better situation. The point is you don’t have to do this journey alone and frankly God did not intend you to be alone. Reach out to the Lord and he will guide you to the right path. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21

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

God Is Love

May 14, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Where have you seen God show up in your life? When you reflect on yesterday, last week, last month or even last year where or when did you see God in your relationships with others? He is at work in every part of your life, can you see it? God is love, He is at work not from the perspective of what the world is telling you…rather He is working from the perspective of the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Wherever you have seen these things in yourself and others that is where God shows up. He is with you, He will never leave you or abandon you. God created you and He loves you. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:7-8

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

Mother’s Day – Cherish And Honor Your Mom

May 13, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Today is a day to give thanks, to reflect and remember how your Mom impacted your childhood and how she still impacts who you are today. We all know no human is perfect and not all Mom to child relationships are filled with fond memories but we must remember that people no matter who they are, are doing the best they can. Whatever your situation take some time today to give thanks for the good your Mom is or was and say a prayer to God about your Mom…whatever prayer is most appropriate for you and your Mom. Cherish and honor your Mom. May God’s love, joy and peace be with all Mom’s and with you today.

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“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”

Proverbs 31:25-30

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 in the Bontanical Gardens at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Your Personal Relationship With God

May 12, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It comes down to this…what is the status of your personal relationship with God? Is He someone you used to know really well and have lost touch with over time? Is He a social media friend who you only interact with in a superficial way? Is He a friend that you are unsure about? Is He someone you have heard some good things about but you have never really met Him in person? God wants you to know how He is involved in every area of your life…He wants you to want to be closely connected to Him daily. He is with you and He is waiting to hear from you. If you are wondering where is God…stop what you are doing and take sometime and ask Him. He knows you and He loves you. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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