Stay Close To The Word Of God

July 5, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“God has breathed life into all Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right. ¹⁷By using Scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIRV

We are often easily distracted…taking our eyes off of Jesus and focusing on things we can’t control. Much like Peter who stepped out of the boat to walk on the water by faith (Matthew 14:22-33)…we learn that as soon as he took his focus off of Jesus, Peter began to sink. The first step of putting our faith in Jesus is extremely important that is how we get started on our faith journey…yet the next steps are just as important, keeping our eyes on Him, even when, especially when the winds of evil and darkness blow strongly against us. Keep God’s Word close to you and within your heart.

DSC09023 publish

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

Psalm 119:105 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Trust…Hope

January 5, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

One of the strongest drivers of action in our human lives is hope. Hope is about ambition, desire, goal setting and most importantly hope is about trust. Hope comes from belief and belief is driven by trust and trust operates very much like a bank account. There are events that occur between you and another that are trust deposits and there are events that are trust withdrawals. The tricky part is one withdrawal is typically larger than one deposit. Trust also impacts what we give, if people make several trust withdrawals on us, we become guarded and we have very little trust to give to others. We should reflect on our relationships and our trust accounts with others and know that no matter what the current balance is there is always hope to make it better because of Jesus. We can trust Him…He only makes deposits in our relationship with Him. May God’s peace be with you.

2012-07-28_06-10-38_909 (2) (640x361)

“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 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Don’t Give Up

December 12, 2021 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

Portions of this post were originally published in February of 2018…

“Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don’t give up. ¹⁰So when we can do good to everyone, let us do it. Let’s try even harder to do good to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:9-10 NIRV

Our lives are filled with moments and memories…some are good times and some are difficult. We all tend to embellish a bit in our memories, the memory of good times seems to be really good and the memory of bad times seem to be really bad. Sometimes our bad memories start to take a person down a road where even the present moments are seen through their eyes with a negative perspective. This is a quick spiral downward and we can get stuck in the swirl of negativity. We have to have the courage to choose a new perspective, a more balanced view things and we are fed that perspective when we read the Word of God. When times are hard and it feels like you are making no progress on anything…don’t give up, keep pressing on, keep believing…that is your faith at work. Goodness will come to those who believe in the hope that God provides through Jesus Christ. May God’s peace be with you. Amen.

DSC06949 publish

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Colossians 3:12 NIV

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

Life With Purpose

June 17, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

DSC_0681 publish

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Romans 12:9-13

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Montana)

Plans

August 7, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Whose plans are you working on? What is the purpose of what you are doing? When you have questions like this and others about your life the best place to turn is to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. He knows what is best for you and He loves you. Ask the Lord to guide and direct you and then pay attention and listen for His reply. Amen.

DSC_0022 publish

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Trust In The Lord

July 27, 2020 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

“Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
⁶He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷Be 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.

⁸Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.”

Psalm 37:3-9

DSC_0485 publish

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:33-34

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

God’s Way

June 20, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21

DSC_0194 publish

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.^[a]“

Proverbs 3:5-6

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in White Sands National Park in New Mexico)

Work In Progress

May 2, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Each day we live means God is still working on us. He knows the number of our days and He is with us for each and every one of them. It is up to us to seek Him…to acknowledge Him and His Presence…we have the task of learning, growing and sharing as we go…it doesn’t have to be perfect and it never will be. God tells us we are His work in progress and if we live our lives trusting and believing and spending time with Him good things will come. Amen.

God’s Not Done With You by Tauren Wells

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:4-6

DSC_1549 publish

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

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

How We Spend Time

July 22, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

None of us knows the time we have and yet we easily take it for granted. The people in our lives and our relationships with them will end up meaning more than anything else in this world. As each generation lives through the phases of life, we all have different experiences and opportunities to share with each other. We eventually will get the opportunity to share with the next generation and that is what we truly will leave behind when we go home to the Lord. If you are thinking about your time, turn towards Jesus in prayer and ask Him to guide you to living your life more closely aligned to God’s plan. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you. Amen.

DSC_0029-1 publish

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

Ephesians 5:15-17

(This photo was taken last weekend at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

God’s Purpose For You

March 4, 2019 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

What is it? When was the last time you asked Him, directly? What would it look like to get a direct answer? Or has this question been answered, several times, several ways and we just are not sure or we don’t like what is being said? We were all made for a purpose and it is not always the purpose we think it should be…it actually is something better then what we come up with on our own. To help us understand more about our purpose we should reflect and think about the things that come easy to us that we can do that another person may not be able to do for themselves. Look around your life right where you are…if you are willing, God can use you there too. Seek the will of the Lord for your life because He is with you every step of the way. Amen.

DSC_1232 publish