Rest For Your Soul

March 10, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Trust…confidence…belief…assurance…faith. God is greater than any virus or economic issue. We can put our trust in God…this does not mean we sit on our hands and do nothing waiting for God. We need to continue to do good things…we need to pray, to help those who are in need, we need to be kind, humble, patient and shine the Light of Christ through our thoughts, words and our actions. Spend time living the way Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord taught us to live and you will find rest for your soul. Amen.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

With God…

November 1, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What are you facing today? What burdens and worries are you carrying in your life? It is easy for us to get caught up in the problems and the struggles, we also tend to think that others aren’t suffering as we are…friends, the world is a broken place, the whole world and everyone in it is fighting some type of battle. Just because we haven’t seen it or it hasn’t been shared with us or we haven’t read about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. If we try to go it alone and depend on our own will power…we will continue to fail. With God, we can get through anything…it won’t be easier and the problem won’t magically go away…rather when we believe and we trust in God we will be filled with encouragement and courage. When we read God’s word a sense of comfort and peace will calm our worries and we can replace our fears with faith. You will be amazed at what can happen when you walk with God. Amen.

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“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

(This photo was taken in June of 2012 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

The Holy Spirit

October 17, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We have access to a guide, a comforter and one who will hold us up in our weakest moments…it is the Holy Spirit. This is a gift from God. If we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and we confess our sins, we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is a gift that is greater than anything we will encounter in life. Listen for the Holy Spirit in your life and seek the peace that comes from knowing God is with you. Amen.

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“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, 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. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:25-27

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

Timing

October 15, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We spend so much effort trying to line things up, make things happen just the way we want, just when we want…as if we are in complete control…when will we learn? The timing of events in life are not up to us! God is in control…we would do well to acknowledge Him and wait patiently for His timing. Put your hope in God and trust He is doing good things in your life. Amen.

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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 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota)

Living In God’s Love

September 16, 2019 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

No matter where we are or what we are doing, God’s love is with us. In the Old Testament God’s people lived in exile for seventy years before they could return to the land He promised to them…in all that time God asked them to live their best with what they had. That is what He asks of us today…live your best, right where you are because He is with you. Amen.

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“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 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 8:31-39

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

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)

Peace

September 7, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Peace comes from hope, trust and love. Peace is available to all of us. It is a quiet confidence in God and His Son. It comes to us when we are willing to bring our worries, our fears and our burdens and lay them down at the foot of the Cross. If we constantly assess our lives based on the world’s view or what others think, say and do…we will not find peace. Peace is about gratitude and sharing the gifts and blessings God has given us with one another. May the peace of the Lord be with you! Amen.

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“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

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

Patience And Persistence

September 6, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Keep going…learn from what has happened…know that God is working for good things in all situations…He is with you…it is His plan that is best…there will be plenty of opportunities to go your own way…stay on the path…walk with God. Amen.

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

Psalm 145:8-9

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

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)

Past, Present And Future

August 22, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The Lord redeems us from our sinful past, He washes away the guilt and the shame and makes us new again…The Lord walks with us in the present, He encourages us to engage in the current moments and experiences, with every interaction and event in life…The Lord will take care of tomorrow. His ways are greater than our ways and His plans are higher than our plans. Trust in the Lord…He forgives us, He is with us and His plans will take care of us in the future. Amen.

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