Living With Purpose 5/2/2026

 Good Morning,

There is a hot cup of Door County Breakfast Blend Coffee next to me and I believe it is time for me to write. 

Micah 6:8 He has shown 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.

When I was younger and still in the workforce I would wake up every day at the crack of dawn and drive to work. My employer and co-workers counted on me to fulfill my role in the daily operations of health care. My purpose each day was to do a good job, earn my pay, pay my bills, and put away some money so I could retire some day. 

I wanted each day to serve God and make Him Lord of all my efforts. You could say that my main effort was to please God in all I did and still do. 

Waking up to something to do for God and others gives me a heavenly purpose that makes it easier to get out of bed and get moving daily. My hope is to keep this mind set right up until my last breath on this earth. 

I had a friend who is passed on now for several years. While he was in a hospice setting, I called him and said I would be visiting and asked if he needed anything that I could bring. He replied to me "Yes, bring me a copy of our church phone directory" I did what I was asked to do. 

When I arrived at the hospital I asked him what he was going to do with the directory. His response is one I will never forget. "I am going to call everyone at church and offer to pray with them before I die. I might as well accomplish some good while I can." 

I am here to say that my friend accomplished his goal and passed away two days later.  

He had a purpose right up to the end and saw his last task through to the finish. 

What's your purpose for today? What has God given you to do for His Kingdom? What act of kindness might make another's day? 

Food for thought.

Marty

A Growling Dog 5/1/2026

 Good Morning,

I am wide awake and ready to face the day. A prayer of thanks was said for God's provisions for someone I have been praying for who needed to receive some work. And it is time to write. 

Psalm 37:3-4 Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. 4. Delight yourself also in the Lord. And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath. But a harsh word stirs up anger. 

If you have heard the expression "I am dog tired" You might appreciate the thought behind what I am writing today. Dogs are often seen sleeping.  Puppies will wear themselves out just by being playful puppies. Our two dogs like to find a spot in the house where the sun comes through a window and they nap there for a couple of hours each day. Some dogs are tired because they are active, barking at every car that passes the house or yard. 

If "I am dog tired" is the expression that best describes your life and attitude. Maybe you are tired from growling all day long. 

Nothing is ever right in your eyes and you complain. No one can meet your standards of service. Everyone but you is stupid. Someone asks a question of you and you growl and snarl back at them. You become somewhat unapproachable, like a sleeping dog who when awakened growls and let's you know of their crabbiness.

So my friends, if this describes you and your life, I suggest you read Psalm 37 and then apply it to your life. See if you can avoid barking and growling for awhile.

Food for thought. 

Marty

Doing Right Even When It Is Painful 4/30/2026

 Good Morning.

My hot cup of Door County Peanut Butter Cup Coffee is a much needed kick in the pants this morning. I am slow moving today and the kick start might help me fight off a little arthritis bout this morning. 

From the time we were little children we began to learn right from wrong. We also found out that doing the right thing at times can be painful. It is especially difficult to do right, when it's not something you want to do. You know the right thing to do but you just don't desire to follow the path of right. 

The right choice may have a bitter pill to swallow that calls for us to leave a habit, or leave someone who is not good for us. We struggle to let go of something, or someone who is toxic to to hearts and souls. We know the right choice to make but our heart says one thing and our mind tells us another thing. 

There is one way to gauge the decision to be made. Check the habit against Scripture. If your actions or habits violate God's Word in any way run from the struggle with both legs churning. If people you trust and know to be righteous, counsel you to make changes, you should consider their counsel .

Most of all remember this passage. James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. 

To do what is right in the eyes of God, will never be wrong. Although the decision may be painful, the fruit of being right in the eyes of God is priceless.

Food for thought.

Marty

Good Problems? 4/29/2026

 Good Morning,

It is damp and cold this morning and it really makes me appreciate my hot cup of Door County Vanilla Cappuccino Coffee even more than usual. It is time t write.

Psalm 50:15 "And call on me in the time of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me"

Even the most insignificant problem is still a problem. For instance you forget to change the air filter on your furnace. The furnace shuts down and you have no heat on a Frigid January day. The furnace has shut down and it is due to a lack of air passing through the furnace. Hopefully you pray before you call a friend, who tells you to check the filter and change it. What you learn from that mishap is to keep a log sheet on your furnace with the date of the last filter change out. You might even schedule a filter change and log it onto your calendar. 

My point is this. You made a mistake. There was a problem. You prayed and God came through for you. Thus preventing a future freeze up while you are gone skiing for the weekend. Your water pipes freeze and then burst. The water is running the whole time from a second story bathroom, wiping out the floors below. 

That small problem of a plugged air filter taught you a few things, keeping you safe in the future. The lesson learned from the plugged air filter saved you from a headache in the future. There is value in problems, if we learn from them. 

Food for thought! God is good and is always there to lend a hand in all that we do.

God bless,

Marty

Who Talks To You The Most? 4/28/2026

 Good Morning,

I started my day with the sound of Door County Vanilla Cappuccino brewing in the kitchen and it is time for me to write. 

Jeremiah 29:11. NKJV For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

There is a fierce battle going on and the battle is for your attention. There are three forces vying for your attention. God is one of them. Satan is number two. Number three is very familiar to you because it is you. You probably speak to or at yourself  many times in one day.  Some decisions don't require too much consultation. For instance, what will you wear for clothing today? God is having you lean toward something that is warm and comfortable for cool weather. Satan let's you make the decision and you say to yourself. "I will wear the new light shirt I just purchased and hope for a warm sunny day." You did not check the weather forecast and now you are chilled because you listened to you. Once you catch a cold and are sick, Satan wins. 

All day long we give our self advice on how to walk through this world. We are tempted with many things, especially spending money. Satan likes to convince you to spend and worry about it later. He loves to see you in debt and worrying as to how you will pay your bills. You just like new things and the flashier the better. So you listen to you and purchase a car just for the feel good moment. God on the other hand is telling you to purchase when you have a need,  and not because you just want it. 

God is the only one of the three of you who knows the future. He knows that the furnace is on it's last leg and the sewer pipe exiting from your home is over 40 years old and is now collapsing. Yet we listen to our imperfect self and now are taking out a loan to pay for a new sewer, furnace and by the way the washing machine died. Patience from prayer comes from God and His answer is always the best one. 

Imperfect advisors are many in number and only One is perfect. You are not the one!

Food for thought. Who is digging into your wallet?

God bless,

Marty

Back To Simple, Talking In The Truck 4/27/2026

 Good Morning,

My coffee this morning is Door County German Chocolate Cake and it is good and hot!

1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

Ecclesiastes 4:6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. 

Yesterday as my wife and I were on an eleven hour trip back to our home in Wisconsin from visiting in Georgia. We had eleven hours to talk.  Now all of the eleven hours were not filled with chatter, but we used a good portion of the time to converse together.

We used our truck navigation system to provide a steady music stream and we would offer our opinion of the song that Google chose. One particular Country Western song was dedicated to the "Simple Life".

Both of us agreed that we live a simple life which is nice, but never extravagant. It was unanimous that we enjoy it that way. And the goal is for us to keep it that way. We both come from simple going families and the only thing with pedigrees in our home are the two English Springer Spaniels that tolerate their simple owners. 

Each of us subscribe to the goal of God first. Family second, and we are third in the pattern for our lives. We tend to purchase practical things which can be used instead of admired. Christmas never puts us in debt but is fun matching gifts for others to what they want or will use often..

We also talked about the blessings we have received and helped us to make it daily through the years. 

That talking made the trip seem shorter and  and it was definitely enjoyable. You could say we kept the return trip home simple! We did disagree on some of the music. But in the end we really were most agreeable on the many tunes we listened to. Bring back Patti Page please!

Marty

Saying Farewell, Bitter Sweet 4/26/2026

 Good Morning,

I will be traveling with my wife today with an insulated bottle filled Door County 'Smores Coffee. 

Proverbs 3:13 ESV Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who gets understanding. 

We are finishing off a week of vacation and are returning home today with a drive of about 10 hours. We had a wonderful time visiting with our daughter, her dog Sadie, and some of her friends. 

It always hurts when we have to say farewell until we see her the next time. It looks like we have a November date in mind for this year. 

As I reflect on the week, I can't be prouder of our kid who is a hard worker, and also a caring person who gives of herself to family, friends, and neighbors. I am sad to leave, but I look forward to the next visit. In between visits we will have plenty of telephone time. Some of the time spent on the phone will be planning out our next visits. Until November we will put away the Scrabble board and maybe pray for Scrabble coaching for Kristy and my wife Rene. 

I am thankful for the time God has given us this last week. He gets all the credit for fashioning this visit. God is a great travel planner.

Blessings to you all.

Marty