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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“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

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

Finding The Way

August 15, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We have choices…this way or that way…try this and say no thanks to that. We will make mistakes, sometimes we will have the opportunity to go back and do it differently, more often we will need to do our best with where we are and what we have with us. It can be overwhelming and deciding to not chose is also a path that many decide upon. How do we know what is right? How can we find out where we fit in best? Put a relationship with Jesus Christ first in your life, every day. Why? Read Isaiah 55:8-9. God knows best, He has a plan specifically for you and spending time with Him is the best way to learn about Him and His plan for life. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Garden of the Gods Park in southern Colorado)

Attitude

April 24, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

A way of thinking…a point of view…outlook…perspective…belief. How would you define your attitude toward God? What is His role? How much time during a typical week are we thinking about God? The Bible has many of examples of different people and their attitude towards God, it describes their beliefs and actions. There is a lot for us to learn from those people. From Genesis to Revelation, we read about those who put God at the center of their lives and those who did not. The best example of an appropriate attitude towards God is that of Jesus Christ…He took time daily to walk with God and this is what He seeks from us as well. Spend time with Jesus every day and define your attitude towards God. Amen.

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“He has showed you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8

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

Wisdom From Above

March 26, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What is wisdom? The dictionary definition is…’the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgement; the quality of being wise.’ So in order to have wisdom we must have time invested in having experiences, time spent learning to get knowledge and have made decisions regarding an area of life in order to grow our experiences and knowledge. Now if we reflect on our own lives and how we spend our time, what are our experiences, where do we get our knowledge from…what things do we make decisions about that help foster our growth? How do our experiences, knowledge and good judgement align with faith and our spiritual life? If we truly want to learn about where God is in our lives and what He is asking us to do…we need to spend more time gaining wisdom about heavenly things and spend less time on earthly wisdom. Amen.

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“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

James 3:17

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling through Colorado)

Judging Others

November 6, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are all broken…we are all fighting a battle of some kind…we all need the saving grace of Jesus Christ. None of us is in position to be in judgement of another. Jesus spoke very clearly about this in the Gospels. A summary statement would be, you will get whatever you give. How we choose to act is what we will get back from others. I struggle with snap judgments and emotion filled responses at times as much as anyone and I am reminded of humility, goodness and kindness when I spend time reading God’s Word and in prayer. May we continually seek growth in our spiritual life and our relationship with Jesus Christ to guide us to living life with the Fruits of the Spirit. Amen.

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