The Love Of God

June 3, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It may be hard to believe sometimes…it seems unfathomable, an error in judgement or even misguided from our perspective. However, it is true…God loves you, unconditionally. There is nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God. It has all been tried over and over again throughout the Old Testament, so God took things up a notch and sent His one and only Son to triumph over all, forever. He had it written about before it occurred in the Old Testament and then again after it occurred in the New Testament. God loves you and He is right there with you, He knows the struggles and the victory you experience in your life every day. Talk with God, thank Him for His never-ending love and seek His will as you go forward in your faith and life journey. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“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 8:37-39

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

Giving

May 30, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Be generous when you can, to whomever you can, wherever you are in your life. Look not only to your own needs. Look around you, there are others in need and you have the ability to help. Giving is not always a financial based event, the world tends to portray it that way. Giving can be in things more valuable than money, like giving your time, your attention, sitting and listening to someone, preparing a meal, etc. Don’t limit your gifts to what the world wants to tell you can offer, trust in God and your relationship with Him to fully understand what you are created to give. God loves you and knows the most about what you have to offer to others. May God’s love and peace be with you.

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“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Grace And Mercy

May 29, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God provides us both His grace and His mercy, even though we do not earn them. His love for us is so strong that even though we were still sinners He sent His one and only Son to save us. When we reflect on our daily lives there is so much we should be thankful for that gets taken for granted. We would be wise to take time to praise God and give thanks for all He has done for us. It is so easy to get distracted by a variety of things in the world and yet God is right here with us, waiting for us to turn to Him in faith. We are most encouraged when we spend time in relationship with the Lord. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“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 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Choose Love

May 27, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Relationships can be hard if we strive to seek power or control. If our self is driving during our interactions with others things will often end poorly. There will be bitterness, anger, frustration and all the things we don’t want to be a part of our relationships. There is a better way. There is love. Unconditional, never-ending love. This does not mean just let the other person walk all over you and do whatever they want whenever they want. This means both people do things to make life better for both of them. It is important in any relationship to build your time together on a foundation of faith. There will be times when each of you will need to lean on the Lord in prayer as each of you will have your moments when self will try to take over. Be strong together and God will watch over your life. Today my wife and I are celebrating 23 years in marriage, we were joined in marriage by God and nothing will keep us apart. We have had to fight some battles and we continue to get stronger as we go because we both know that there is nobody who will love us like we do each other. I am thankful for every day God gives us together. May you find God’s love and joy in your relationships.

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

Romans 12:9-13

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Gratitude

May 26, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

One of the difficult challenges in life is adjusting your perspective. We receive so many messages through our senses from our daily life. Things we see, things we hear, things we read, etc. We get to choose what things get our time and attention. Whatever we focus on becomes embedded in our perspective. When we spend too much time on negativity, sadness, anger, selfishness and hatred we adopt that point of view to everything else. This is the way of living focused on self. We will always end up disappointed. We need to find ways to build in positive things, goodness, kindness, joy and love. These things will help us live with a balanced perspective. One easy way to start is to practice gratitude. What are you thankful for? It may not come easy at first if you haven’t done this very often. Think about the very basics in life like food, shelter and clothing…don’t take such things for granted as these are not in abundance for everyone in the world. Once you start practicing gratitude and you want to build on it, the next thing is giving…the joy, peace and contentment will continue to build in your life from there. Find your gratitude things and give thanks to God for all of it. May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)

Choose How You Will Respond

May 24, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

With every situation in life we are given free will by God which means we choose how to respond to what other people do or say. This freedom also means we are accountable and responsible for our response even if the response is to do nothing. If we are focused on self more than anything else we will often choose a poor response as self is only responding to the impact on me without regard for others. God created us out of His love and we were made to choose the fruits of the Spirit in how we live our daily lives. Be aware not only of ‘what’ you do and say, but also ‘how’ you do and say things when you respond to others. Free will is a gift from God, how we respond with this gift makes all the difference in how we feel in our life. May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:1

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

Be Strong And Courageous

May 23, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Don’t give up, don’t stop trying…whatever it is the next attempt can be the one that gets the results you are hoping to see. Be persistent and be creative. When you have exhausted your approach to an issue or situation, be open and willing to change how you think about it and try again. Pray about it as well, lift your worries and concerns up to Jesus in prayer. Surrender your plans only to God and see what He has in store for you. No matter what the circumstances God is with you and He can guide you. May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

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

Wisdom And Understanding

May 16, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

These are two elements that will get us through anything in life. Wisdom from the Lord and understanding of His Word can help to lead us on the path to joy. To gain these we must spend time reading the Word, praying and sitting quietly with Jesus. For these activities are the true sources of wisdom and how we can gain understanding. The world is filled with darkness and the evil of sin and they will do everything to keep you from spending time with God. Don’t underestimate the power of sin, it is deceptive and persistent and will always be looking for ways to distract you. Seek wisdom from the Lord and read the Scriptures for understanding each day. Ask God to provide you the courage and strength to do so. He loves you and He is watching over you. May God’s peace be with you.

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“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”

Proverbs 3:13-14

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

The Path To Joy

May 15, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It seems so often, we are trying to figure things out…why did this happen? why didn’t it go the way we thought? what went wrong? how did I do that? that is not what I planned? These thoughts take us on a roller-coaster of a ride in our daily life and near the end of the day we are exhausted with few answers. I believe we all need to simplify things a bit, narrow our focus and stay obedient to the way Jesus has taught us. Start by committing our day to the Lord. Spend time reading Scripture and praying that gives you a solid foundation to start on…then be present in the moments that are occurring in your life today. Listen closely to what others are saying, offer encouragement and be of service to others. If your current circumstances make this difficult or impossible in your mind then pray about that and ask God to help you find your way to a better situation. The point is you don’t have to do this journey alone and frankly God did not intend you to be alone. Reach out to the Lord and he will guide you to the right path. May God’s peace be with you.

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

Proverbs 19:21

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

The God Of Peace

May 10, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Everyone is facing a battle and a struggle of some kind. It is natural in this broken and fallen world. Some battles are easy for others to see on the outside and some battles are kept hidden from others yet they rage on inside a person just the same. We are not equipped to fight these battles alone, the dark forces that exist in and around the human race are very powerful. Our Creator God knows this and He has promised to never leave you or abandon you. His presence is even more powerful than the darkness, He is the God of peace. He will calm your anxious thoughts just like He calms a raging sea. He has sent His one and only Son to be one of us to reconcile a relationship with us. And most importantly He loves us with an everlasting love. Bring your battle to Christ, no matter what it is, invite Him into your heart and mind and trust in God to bring you a peace like nothing you have ever experienced before. May God’s love and peace wash over you this day.

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