Wait For Him

September 10, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There is a sickness sweeping over many people…it is the “hurry” sickness. It is the sickness of faster, faster…always rushing, always scattered…rarely resting. Too many things scheduled, always running behind, constantly looking for conveniences and more ways to jam more in…things can be different…it will take extra effort to change the tide of your own life…with God all things are possible so don’t try this alone. God created you for a purpose and He loves you. Turn towards the Him in prayer, read God’s Word and wait for Him to guide you. Amen.

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“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”

Isaiah 30:18

(This photo was taken in October of 2016 on the north shore of the island of Maui)

The Pace Of Life

August 28, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are made to be able to meet the challenge of stress and tension when it is necessary and then to step away to rest and recovery. The problem is we choose to stay in the stress and tension continuously and leave little time for the rest and recovery. Rest is about more than physical rest, it is about clearing our mind of the clutter, the plans, the worries and the should haves and could haves…focus on the Lord, wait for Him, trust in Him…this will help to put burdens in perspective and give us strength each day. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.”

Isaiah 30:15

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Wait Patiently

August 21, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This can be very difficult…just about every single part of society is pushing to go faster, hurry up, cram more into less time. Instant messaging, immediate gratification and my favorite at work…’did you see the email I just sent?’ At some point we will all encounter a situation or circumstances that will require patience and we will be poorly prepared. If we fail to learn patience, we could be setting ourselves up for greater frustrations and disappointments. Turn to God’s Word and pray for God’s help in teaching you patience. Amen.

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“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalm 37:7

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

Holy Saturday…Preparation Day

April 20, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It is finished…Jesus, the Messiah, had been crucified and died. We all know the coming glory of tomorrow…however, when these events were happening, it is hard to comprehend the level of sorrow and sadness that had to exist. Unfortunately, there are people in today’s world who suffer at a deep level of sorrow because of sin and evil. Our saving grace and our truth is we know that from the most devastating of tragedy, God will renew and restore us and He has shown us an example by what we will celebrate tomorrow. Trust in the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever. Amen.

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“Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in the tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.”

Luke 23:52-54

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

Wait For The Lord

September 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our lives are usual so busy moving from one thing to the next, that planning and preparing become dominant activities…the thing is if we are always planning and preparing for what’s next when are we living in the present moment? A difficult part of surrender for all of us is not always trying to control what’s next. A life of faith doesn’t mean we always go and do what we want…Jesus said in Luke 9:23 “…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” We all have a cross to bear in life, it is different for everyone…and bearing a cross is doing what we should be doing, doing what needs to be done. It means being obedient to God and we do these things because of love. Be in prayer and talk with the Lord about what He needs you to do then wait and listen. May you be surrounded by the love of God each day.

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“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord,”

Lamentations 3:25-26

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

Give And You Will Receive

August 18, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The messages we keep getting from all around us are “get more”, “take what is yours”, “protect it”, “mine”, “not yours” or “me first”…the world emphasizes selfish behaviors and attitudes and people wonder why there is so much conflict and suffering. This is not how we were made to be. When God created us out of His love He gave us free will because when we choose to give, it has such a deep impact compared to being forced to give and serve. Let’s talk about our pets as a simple example…if you have ever owned a dog or a cat you may have experience in the joy one feels when our pets give love and affection freely versus when they choose to do other things…and often times the pets receive better attention and affection when they are givers rather then when they are demanding to get! If you have never owned a pet I recommend watching the movie ‘Marley and Me’ to see this illustration. The point is when we make a choice to help, to serve and to give we are showing the love of God through our actions and we will have no need to worry about what we receive. May the peace and joy of the Lord 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 August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Wait For The Lord

August 6, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I find sometimes that there are periods of time when God seems distant in my faith journey. A sense that things that were once clear and focused seem less clear and jumbled up. It would be easy to fret and wonder why, what happened, what changed and of course, is it me, did I do something wrong? These are not times to invite worries and anxieties into your life. This is a moment to know and to trust that God is still on the throne in heaven and He will be with you. Think of Job in the bible…he had everything and I mean everything taken from him in life, plus he had these great “friends” telling him he must have done something wrong for all this to happen. Job did not give in and stop believing…he persisted in faith and the Lord restored him. There are and will be times when the Lord seems far off, be patient, stand in faith and wait for Him. May God’s love and comfort 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 2018 in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior)

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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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalm 119:105

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

Prayer And Listening

June 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

As we work to grow in our relationship with Jesus, we may begin to focus on offering ourselves up in prayer. To most of us when we think about prayer we thinking of speaking, however, as we can learn from our relationships with others, listening is a vital yet little used characteristic in the world. Every strong relationship involves communication two ways. Speaking and offering up your words and support verbally and then also taking time to sit quietly and listen. I have been doing my reading and devotions in the early morning for several years and I choose that time for me because the world is very still and quiet in my life in the early morning and I have found I can truly meditate on God’s Word and let it soak into to my soul. I start each day speaking and listening with the Lord and it sets my perspective and attitude for good things. Seek the Lord and listen for His voice. May God’s peace be with you.

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