Taste And See

March 20, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The hymns that played on Sundays in worship when I was growing up often come back to my mind. I believe this is proof that once the seed of faith is planted it will emerge when we take time to be with God. He never leaves us and no matter what we are facing He is willing to guide us if we can open ourselves up to His goodness. As the lyrics of the hymn state, “taste and see the goodness of the Lord”…some of the other hymns I remember that come to mind, “On Eagles Wings”; “Here I Am Lord” all based on verses in the bible. Music, one of the many ways God can communicate with us. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm 34:8

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

Prayer

March 17, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This is the beginning of a personal relationship with God. It is not a place to worry about saying the right words in the correct order rather it is about being honest with yourself and talking in truth to God about everything and anything. A strong personal relationship always begins with communication, honest, heart-felt and a willingness to be vulnerable shows true commitment and trust. Then when we are looking for the answers we must be open to a possibility of something we did not think was going to happen because with God anything is possible, even the unthinkable. Open up your heart and mind in conversation with God and then watch for the amazing things that will happen. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:6

(This photo was taken in June of 2015 while driving through South Dakota)

Confidence

March 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The bible is filled with promises by God and He fulfills those promises, not according to our standard rather, according to His. We are always trying to fit God into our view of how things should be instead of surrendering ourselves to His view. Every promise God has made has been completed, except for one. He promises that Jesus will come back again to take us home and based on the history of promises kept a believer should have every confidence that Jesus will return. It is written, He will come down from heaven, check…He will heal the sick and help the poor, check…He will be crucified and die, check…He will be risen and ascend to the Father, check…He will come again, still pending…this promise will be fulfilled according to God’s standard not ours. May God’s peace 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 living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalms 27:13-14

(This photo was taken in June of 2012 while traveling through northwestern Wisconsin)

Strength

March 15, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our strength to stand and face the difficult or troubling circumstances of life and the world we live in comes from God. Personal will power or raw emotion will only carry us for so long…the key element that can impact and affect human behavior is a relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. There will be times when you will feel blindsided by what someone has said to you or about you to others, unfortunately this is common human behavior. Bring these moments to the cross, renew your resolve and strength through faith…it is the only place to find the one who gave everything He had for you. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

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

Faith Begins With Belief

March 13, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

In order to grow in faith and to experience spiritual growth in life it is important to renew our belief in Jesus. To believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came down from heaven, to know that he came specifically to save human beings from their sins, to reconcile all of us with God…to believe He died on the cross and to have confidence that He has risen from the dead and He is going to come back again. Our faith in God starts with the belief that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and He is with you each and every day of your life. There is nothing in life that can compare to that fact. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

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

Be Different

March 11, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

So much of our time is spent in comparing ourselves with other people and the world with social media feeds the anxiety and stress of these comparisons. We are all made by God, with each having gifts and talents…we are made to work together for the good of ourselves and others. Don’t get caught up in the differences as a bad thing or a reason to try and be something other than just yourself. We are all God’s children. Trust in God and the difference you can make when you have a close relationship with Him. On this day of worship I share a song entitled Different – by Micah Tyler. Be different in having a strong connection with God our Father, Jesus Christ his one and only Son and the Holy Spirit. May God’s peace be with you.

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“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

Romans 8:16

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

Rest With God

March 10, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We all get tired, fatigued and exhausted. We were not made to go so fast all the time, as a dear friend of mine would say “Mach II with our hair on fire” all the time day and night, day after day after day. We will break down, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Even when God created the world it is written that on the seventh day he rested…

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

Genesis 2:2-3

The pace of life can easily spin out of control if we let it. We must be more self-aware of our limits and be Ok with saying no to an invitation that may just be an event or time that will not work for us. Take time to be with God in your life and learn ways to balance the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual parts of your routine to present the best version of you. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

Living Hope

March 9, 2018March 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

No matter what you are facing, no matter what struggle is pressing you down…when you devote your life to faith in Jesus Christ you will have access to a deep well of Hope. Imagine what it may have been like for one of the disciples, living during Jesus time on earth…the Savior, the one who was coming to save the people, had been born and living on earth…healing the sick and living a life according to God, which was very different from many others on earth. He had come and they were following Him…and then He allowed himself to be captured beaten and flogged and then crucified…because of who He was, imagine those three days after Jesus died…

Then the most amazing thing occurred and from the most tragic of circumstances, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many of them…He conquered death. This same Jesus is with you no matter what…put your Hope in Him. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

1 Peter 1:3

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

The Path To Peace

March 8, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The first steps to finding some peace for me have come from learning about faith and learning about Jesus. Through weekly worship, daily devotions, listening to christian music and serving to help others in need. The next steps to lasting peace are actually getting to know Jesus in personal relationship, through prayer and listening, taking time to sit outdoors in nature in the quiet and to be at peace. The farther down the path you go the harder it can be at times because of the world we live in…that is when it helps the most to remember that Christ is with me, even if I don’t sense His presence. Trust in God, trust also in Jesus as He is The Way to peace. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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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 August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

The Final Word

March 7, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Once again I find myself in worship through music. This time it is a song by The Newsboys. Our journey of life will have ups and downs, highs and lows, struggles and joy. We can find our way through anything if we stay close to God and His Son Jesus. He gave up everything for us and He did it because of love. No matter the situation of the events in your life…remember God has the final word. Give this a listen…The Cross Has The Final Word by The Newsboys. May God’s peace be with you.

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