That Was A Close One 4/20/2026

 Good Morning,

I am sitting at a desk in the room we stayed in for the night on our vacation journey drinking some of the Door County 100% Colombian Coffee I brought in my insulated bottle. It is still hot! I guess you get what you pay for. It is time to write.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. 

We have about three more hours to go before we land in our daughter's driveway. We were not too far from calling the trip last night as complete for the day when I misjudged the speed of the car next to us. It was neither his fault nor mine, but it caused me to make a maneuver that put our truck on course to slide on some gravel that was left on the side of the highway. It was a little hairy to say the least. The truck was righted and we just sat there for a minute or two praising God for taking the wheel . I give Him a #10 score for His landing of our truck. 

We were shaken a little, me more so than Rene for some reason and once we caught our breath we moved on thanking Jesus for the protection. I know that back home, members of our church are praying  for our trip and we truly saw the power of prayer in action. 

Point for the day. Never under estimate the power of prayer and the need to pray in all things.

Here's to a quieter day.

Marty

Much Needed Time Away

Good Morning,

My day is beginning with a hot cup of Door County Cherry Creme Coffee and prayer. 

James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit", 14.whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your Life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. 

My wife Rene and I will be taking a short respite  to Georgia, the land of biscuits and gravy, Coke and peanuts, and by the way our daughter lives there as well! 

We have not seen her since last November. My brother is watching the dogs and our home for us while we are gone. So in an hour from now, we will pray, hop into the truck and head South. I anticipate and hope there will be some time to humble my wife and daughter in a few games of Scrabble and spend some time outdoors without the need to wear a jacket. 

But only the Lord knows what we will do or see. We make plans and God can alter them in the blink of an eye. In all that might or might  not happen , the main goal is to visit with our kid.

Are you planning a trip? Did you pack your prayers, Bible and a content attitude?

God Bless,

Marty

Headed For Safety 4/18/2026

 Good Morning,

I am surely enjoying my hot cup of Door County Peanut Butter Cup Coffee and I just might have to drink two cups today. 

Proverbs 22:3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but te simple go on and suffer for it. 

Last night our weather alert radio went crazy with severe storm and tornado warnings. The authorities advised that people take shelter from the storms. My wife Rene and I have carved out a spot in the basement that is our designated shelter. It has some emergency equipment like hard hats, whistles, battery operated lights, a radio, and some blankets. We keep a supply of drinking water and some beef jerky for sustenance in there as well. We also keep some dog food in there  for our two dogs.

Once the alarms started , we both knew it was time to get to the basement. An hour and a half later the event was over. No harm to us, our dogs, or the property. Better to be cautious than sorry.  I have to replace the jerky that was munched on just because of being a little nervous. 

I thank God for teaching us to be prepared and we know the routine pretty well. So always be prepared, practice now and then and pray that you don't ever need your emergency plans. 

Amen.

Marty

Throwing Punches 4/17/2026

 Good Morning,

I have the window open in my den and the wild birds are exceptionally boisterous this morning. It sounds like they are in competition to be heard first and the loudest. 

My cup is filled with Door County Morning Blend Coffee and it is time to write. 

Matthew 12:34 NKJV Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance the heart the mouth speaks. 

Most people do not know what it is like to throw a punch at someone or take an offensive  swing in anger. Many people will go through life and never experience the anger it takes to attack. More likely than not, a person will experience defending themselves against an attack. A physical attack defensive or offensive is somewhat rare, but seems to be on the rise nationally and within the world.

We tend to attack and defend ourselves with words designed to cut right to the soul, followed up with thoughts that are designed to destroy others in our minds. 

Many times we share our thoughts which are a direct view of our hearts. Now I am not saying to avoid defending yourself. Protect you and your families if needed which might at times require an offensive action. 

But to harbor constant hate and disdain for others can be a danger to your heart and soul. Ask yourself, is this hatred within justified? Would I really take the actions I am thinking within my mind? For one day, can I concentrate on the good in my heart and transfer some of it to my thoughts and my actions? There is a time for everything, and there is a time to throw a punch, physically or mentally. Only you know the right timing and if God supports your actions. 

Food for thought.

God bless, 

Marty

How High Is The Water Momma? 4/16/2026

 Good Morning,

Today my cup is full of Door County Breakfast Blend Coffee and it is good and hot. 

For the last few nights our part of the world has experienced some pretty strong storms with high winds, heavy rains, and an occasional tornado. We have been blessed not to have been in the path of any tornadoes. My heart and prayers go out to those who have suffered losses and injuries. I am thankful that there weren't any fatalities. 

Our personal main concern has been the small creek that is behind our house. Most of the time you can barely find water in the "Wanna Be Mississippi". I decided to check out the depth  of the creek last night before dark and the little waterway was swollen, but not as bad as it could be.

Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw the great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, no place was found for them. 12. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 

13. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it , Death and Hades gave gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15. And if anyone's name was not written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

In other areas impacted by this heavy rain there has been some flooding already. I tuned into the local news and on every channel the news folks warned people not to drive through standing water.  However many times they have heard not to drive through moving or standing water the news still has on film those who try it and have to be rescued from their cars, or their car is just floating down the road. Some people never listen. The phrase "turn around or drown" is well known but not heeded. People have the attitude "That won't happen to me" I watched on the news cast one driver swirling with his car down through some very high water. Then another driver followed that car into the swirling water instead of turning around. 

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." 

Romans 10:13 NKJV  For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Life is the same way. God tells us that the consequences of our sins are there and they just aren't a threat that will never happen. But yet we don't back away and repent thinking we will always have time to turn our life around. This rain and flooding we are experiencing had warnings and weren't planned for but they came on suddenly and swiftly. Once they started they can't be stopped until the weather cooperates. Once God is ready for Jesus to come back, there will be no stopping Him from rewarding some and punishing others. It will be too late, if your name is not already written in the book. 

Food for thought. How deep is the water in you river?

Marty

A Rough Night Of Storms. Angels Bowling?4/15/2026

 Good Morning,

My mug was just filled with hot Door County Peanut Butter Crunch Coffee and it is just the right temperature!

Proverbs 22:3 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Last night some severe storms rolled through our area as well as several other counties in Wisconsin. There was a lot of lightning displayed with plenty of thunder. 

As a child when thunder clapped and lightning  lit up the sky, my mother and my grandmother would tell us not to be afraid. They explained the noise was coming from heaven because the angels were bowling. And when an angel rolled a strike the lightning was like fireworks used in celebrating the strike. 

I thought about that as I drove home last night from a Bible study. One big lightning strike lit up the highway and I laughed and tipped my hat toward heaven and said "Good one. Perfect game?

Once I was in high school and with just a little more science in me I was able  find some photos on lightning and storm damage at the library. I checked the books out and went home. My goal was to protect my little brother from going outside in storms just because it was angels bowling in heaven. He was a curious little knucklehead and injury prone as well. I showed Mom what I found and when she saw the burned people who were struck by lightning. WOW

My Mom was furious with me. She believed that he would be scarred by the pictures and would have nightmares. I plan on asking him if he suffered PTSD from just being respectful of rough weather. 

My point in all of this is to teach children to respect the elements of storms and being safe by just using common sense without fairy tales.  Safe is safe and recklessness  is taught as well, often masking and adding a line of sugar coating that takes away some of the facts but is often clouded by good intentions.  

I am going to bed early in case the tooth fairy comes tonight for the ones I saved for a rainy day.

God bless,

Marty

Tying Your Shoes 4/14/2026

 Good Morning,

A hot cup of Door County Toffee Pretzel Coffee is at my side. There are two sleepy dogs at my feet and it is time to write. 

Ephesians 4:2 ESV With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. 

One of the requirements for me to be able to attend Kindergarten was that I needed to be able to tie my shoes. My Dad would drill me for an hour at a time and I just couldn't get the hang of it. He was not filled with the gift of patience either. The task of teaching shoe tying 101  was handed off to my mother. 

Mom was a little more patient with me and would stop me in the middle of tying my shoe  and correct me with what I had just done wrong. She would make me start over and and work at it until I was successful. 

It was many years later and my mother had just received and new set of heart valves and we ready to leave the hospital. She was able to dress herself, but could not bend over and tie her shoes. She sat on the edge of the bed and I put her shoes on her feet. I tied them up and she made eye contact with me. She said. "Nice job. You did it just like I taught you." We both laughed and I thanked her for teaching me a lot of things. I asked her one question that had bugged me for years. 

"Mom. What was the big deal about being able to tie my shoes? I could have just worn loafers." The answer was simple. "The rules were the rules and you needed to obey one. It didn't hurt you to learn that skill and I noticed your shoes are laced up and tied neatly. You just needed a nudge and not a butt chewing. Dad did not have time to spend teaching you the art of shoe tying. His impatience was not helping you. I could tell that you were already working on a solution to shoes other than cooperating by just tying them. 

My point for the day s this. Not everyone catches on to some things as fast as others do. They just need a hand and a little extra time to get to the right side of success. 

Food for thought.

Marty