What Matters Most

October 3, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Belief. In the Apostles’ Creed there are three statements that begin with ‘I believe…’ Those statements refer to God the Father, Jesus Christ His only Son and the Holy Spirit. Faith is a journey and one of the first and most important steps on this journey is to face the question…What do you believe? Your beliefs guide your values and your perspective and those will drive your words and your actions. Every day is a new opportunity to feed your mind information about what you believe…no matter what your past has been…start or continue today to read the Word of God and what Jesus Christ said about life, love, faith and hope. What matters most is what you believe. May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

We Believe by The Newsboys

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“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Living Hope

September 18, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Hope in this world mostly gets aligned with wishful thinking in general conversations. This hope is not sure, not firm and is not based on belief. The hope talked about in the Bible is hope that believes and knows God’s promises for good things. This hope is supported by our actions and behaviors. The hope we receive from Christ is a hope that knows that God is for us and working for our good, even when, especially when the visible evidence is against it. The hope from God’s Word tells us to not give up or surrender to sin and doubt, rather know that God is with you and you can trust in Him…not for the things you believe you should have but for the things God knows that you need. May the God of all hope be present in your daily walk. Amen.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

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

Wisdom That Comes From Heaven

September 8, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Spend time in worship…pray and give thanks to God for His mercy and grace. Pick some bible verses that speak to you and put them in your heart…use them to fight off evil and darkness. Seek the Lord and the wisdom that comes from heaven…and you will find peace. 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 July of 2016 while visiting Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

The Word Of God

April 4, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The Holy Bible…The Good Book…The Scriptures…The Word of Life…The Living Word…the Truth. It is more than a compilation of stories about people who lived thousands of years ago…it is God speaking to us, teaching us principles of life and the story is not over at the end of the Book. It lives on in all of us today because of Jesus Christ…He has risen and He lives! Take time to read and hear the Word of God in your life, you will find the stories about struggles and comfort are very similar to our lives today…the principles are still the same. The reason it is stood the test of time is because it is the Truth. Amen.

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“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be throughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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

Listening

October 5, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

A skill we all need to use more often and a way of communicating that could get us much closer to peace in our life. If we were better at listening there would be less divorce and broken families…if we were better at listening there would be less violence and crime as hate and anger would not be stirred up so quickly. Listening involves taking time to understand what the other person is saying, it involves empathy. It means not being so quick to respond with your own will and desires as first priority…it takes humility to really listen…it takes a willingness to admit we don’t have all the answers. Think about recent interactions in your life…when are you hearing and when are you listening? I know I can do better. Lastly, communicating with God takes more than just talking, if we are doing all the talking in prayer when do we take the time to listen to Him? May we all be blessed with courage and humility to listen better. Amen.

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“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalm 25:4-5

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

The Word Of Life

September 22, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The more I spend time reading the Word of God and in prayer the more I am learning about how God is present in my everyday life. I like many of us stumble very often in life with my words or my actions or my thoughts and as I sit down each morning and read from a Billy Graham devotional book and from the Bible I am learning about the things Jesus was teaching when He was here and what He is still teaching us today. When I think about other things I could pick up and read first thing in the morning, the Bible and time with God are clearly the only things that will renew my spirit, restore my mind and comfort my thoughts. I can physically feel my shoulders loosen up and relax more as I read and pray. The Word of God also sets up my perspective for the day and helps to refresh my attitude to help and serve others wherever I can. The Bible is truly the Word of life and the living water that only comes from Jesus Christ. May we all see and sense the presence of God’s Word in our daily life.

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“But blessed in the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking near the north shore of Lake Superior)

Living Hope

September 19, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we talk about hope, it mostly gets aligned with wishful thinking in general conversations. This kind of hope is not sure, not firm and carries many doubts. The hope talked about in the Bible is hope that believes and knows the Word of God and God’s promises for good things. The hope we receive from Christ is a hope that knows that God is for us and working for our good, even when, especially when the visible evidence is against it. The hope in the Word of God tells us to not give up or surrender to sin, rather know that God is with you and you can trust in Him…not for the things you believe you should have but for the things God knows that you need. May the God of all hope be present in your daily walk.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

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

The Word

September 9, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The one true guide for all of life, the gift that provides wisdom and brings us back to the Lord is the The Word of God. The bible is full of lessons and instructions. We always seem to want to find answers to our questions in the world and the only thing the prince of this world wants to do is to take us further away from God. The strongest foundation for us to build our life on is The Word of the Lord. Seek Him and seek His Word and trust in Him to guide your life. May we all find time to dwell in the Word of the Lord.

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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 in Arches National Park in Utah)

The Word Of Life

July 27, 2017 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

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“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteous, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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