Celebrate The Experience 6/26/2026

 Good Morning,

My cup of Hazelnut Coffee is super hot right now nd it would be a great way to start a cold day in January. It is time to write.

Philippians 1:9 ESV And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and and all discernment. 

Yesterday if my parents were still alive, they would have celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary. My folks weren't ones to "over celebrate". Giving each other a card or a small gift was as good as it got. 

But yet, my dad would remind me not to forget my anniversary. I am not sure why he reminded me of my anniversary every year. I wonder if he forgot one of his own, or if he just knew that if anyone of his kids would forget one it would be me. Dad wasn't one to call you very often. It was your job to call him. Three days before our wedding anniversary he would call like a synchronized Swiss watch. 

He would nonchalantly bring up the subject by asking what we had planned for our anniversary. I recall him going off on me one year because I told him that we were going to go out to eat later in the week on the weekend. Wow, here is the quote. "What the hell is wrong with you. Take a day off from work, both of you. Those hospitals will survive one day without you guys." ( We both worked in health care.)

The best I could do was to send flowers to Rene' work place. We also had a nice dinner at the end of the week. 

So take it from me. You did not want to get chewed out by my Dad. So here is what I learned from him. Never forget the "God Given right to celebrate your life together. You never know when the last anniversary is the last anniversary"

Rene and I were married in September and he reminded me of our anniversary the week before our wedding date. My mother died in April of the next year. They were married in June.

The following year on their anniversary I called my Dad to check on him. I asked him what he was doing for the day. I was not surprised to hear him say. "I am going to the cemetery and put some flowers there for your mother. She liked flowers."

Friends, don't forget to celebrate your important dates and the dates of your spouse. Once they stop, they are stopped forever.

Marty

 

Reach Into The Jar 6/25/2026

Good Morning,

I just sat down to write and to my right side there is a very hot cup of Door County Breakfast Blend Coffee and a prayer in my heart.

Romans 15:13 NIV 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. 

A couple years back while dining out with our grandson we returned to our truck after eating,  just to find that it had been broken into. A few items were stolen from the inside and the truck was ransacked. That experience left a bad taste in my mouth about the area,and it took a long time for us to get over it and dine again at one of our favorite places. 

Throughout my years on this earth I have lost some things and never recovered them from someone who felt that it was ok for them to steal from us. 

One thing that that is always there and can't be taken from you is HOPE. When the rains of life pour disaster into your life there is an invisible jar that you can reach into and pull out some hope for tomorrow. 

That dose of hope assures us that God is still there and has his watchful eye upon us. He is there to walk us through tough times and see us through to the end. Knowing that God keeps His promises gives us hope for tomorrow and beyond. 

Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. 

If we look at the word hope, as a noun we can define it as a substance to be grasped and a gift from God. 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

I see hope as an action verb as a command for us to hope at all times and remember where our hope comes from. 

Psalm 121:1-2 I will lift up my eyes to the hills-

From whence comes my help?

2. My help comes from the Lord.

Who made heaven and earth.

Food for thought. Do you need to reach into the jar of hope today? Why wait? Trust always in the Lord where there is a never ending hope. 

Marty

Time In The Son 6/24/2026

 Good Morning,

I am very content this morning while enjoying my time in prayer and drinking some Door County Irish Creme Coffee. 

John 10:10 NKJV The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.

Last fall as we were preparing our yard for winter my wife Rene was hauling a plant to our basement for storage. I stopped Mrs. Eager Beaver and asked what she was doing. 

"I am going to try and save this plant by keeping it under a grow light and watering it." A couple weeks later as the dead leaves were still falling off of this plant I asked if I could toss it out at the dump. But Rene kept those grow lights on and watering the plant.

Come spring she said to me, " I don't think the plant made it. I guess you can toss it out." I could see her disappointment. I asked a couple of experts if this type of plant normally survives from one year to the next. "Not usually" was their reply.

I placed the dead bush in the yard so I would remember to toss it out with my next trip to the city dump. Much to my surprise, within two days of being in real sunshine I noticed that the plant looked sickly but healthier. My wife gave the bush a little plant food and moved it to where it could receive more sunshine. I have attached a picture of the bush with one flowering bud and quite a few more getting ready to blossom. I have nicknamed the bush Lazarus. It came back to life!

My point for the day is this . As a bush thrives better in the light of the sun, so do we flourish much better in the light of the Son. Time in prayer, study, and church participation places us in a position to grow spiritually and make us stronger in our walk. The more time we spend with the Son, the more we reach up to Him in good or bad times. You blossom when others don't.

Food for thought!

Marty

A Restless Soul 6/23/2026

 Good Morning,

I have just started to enjoy my cup of Door County Cherry Creme Coffee and it s time to write. 

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful , in all things and desperately sick who can understand it?

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. 

Have you ever had a time in your life when your heart and soul are restless? A time when you feel a change is coming and you aren't in the know  as to what it is. 

I offer a little bit of a solution to the issue. Don't trust your feelings. Feelings should never be trusted to lead you to and through any changes. Feelings can often be misleading and following them can lead to bigger issues down the road. 

For instance, I didn't always feel like I wanted to go to work. If I trusted my feelings I would have stayed home, and missed out on hours where I could have been paid. If I caved into my feelings and stayed home, I wouldn't be able to pay my bills. 

When you are feeling restless, don't make any changes by acting on feelings,. Take the issue or thought to the Lord in prayer and read more of God's word and await instructions. Continue going to work, paying your bills, loving your family and attend church regularly. 

Feelings can't be trusted. Food for thought. Deal with facts and only the facts.

God, bless,

Marty 

Time For Me To Absorb Some Sweet Tea 6/22/2026

 Good Morning,

I am awake and ready to write and then enjoy some breakfast that will consist of biscuits and jam. I had my limit of Door County Coffee about n hour ago. Here we go. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. 

I am retired from work now for about 7 years. And what I thought would be a time of catching up on fishing, travel, and more time with family, proved me wrong and somewhat silly. 

Life still goes on and does not slow down to adjust to your retirement. Houses still need repairs and touch ups. The lawn needs tending, and then as you age you have more doctors appointments. 

I am quite active serving in our church and there are different seasons in church life. In the past two months I have been extremely busy at church. I have performed a lot of repairs to our house or had to wait on misguided contractors. 

Here is my point for the day. It is almost the fourth of July and I have yet to brew a pitcher of peach sweet tea and have yet to set out the patio furniture. That alone startles me. Summer will be gone and I will have a bag of should have, could have, and well maybe next year thoughts. The thought of not getting out to fish makes me shudder with disrespect for myself. Watching my wife wave to me as I mow the lawn and she has to go somewhere alone again is my fault. 

Today I will set out my calendar before God and ask Him to help set my priorities or reset some. I am not sure how that will go or what it will look like, but I am going to practice what I preach!I am not sure what the answer is to the calamity I have allowed to invade like cancer but I trust God to help me clean up my calendar. 

Have a great day.

Marty

Happy Father's Day 6/21/2026

 Good Morning,

I am drinking some French Coffee given to me by my daughter and it is very strong and just what I needed.  

Today in the Unites States we honor all of the dads and say happy "Father's Day" I am not sure if Father's Day is observed all around the world, but I will pay honor to all by thanking each and every one of you for filling a very important role.

It is not easy being a dad these days with the pressures of the world all around. I at one time thought that if Dad went to work, got up early, went to bed last, and got the family to church, he was doing a good job. Add in protecting the family and as you get older trying not to be a burden to them. 

I found the perfect Bible passage and I consider it to be the God given job description for a man. 

Deuteronomy 5:6-9  5.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8.You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

So men, Let your family spoil you today and you grill for them. Take a small bite from the soggy Oreo the baby wants to share with you and has been chewing on for the last hour. Pray for your families, and thank God for each and every one of them. Be grateful that you are called Papa, Dad, Father or whatever you are titled. 

Smile, some day you will miss that soggy Oreo. 

Love you all.

Marty

One More Wall To Go 6/20/2026

 Good Morning,

My mug was full of Door County S'MORES Coffee a few minutes ago. It is empty now and it is time to write. 

Proverbs 24:3-4 Through wisdom a house is built ,

And by understanding it is established ;

4. By knowledge the rooms are filled 

With all precious and pleasant riches.

My wife Rene and I have been giving our home an uplift on our first floor. As a reminder  we don't live like most people. Our home looks more like a museum than a home. We enjoy our home with all the antiques we have acquired and display. We are on the last wall to have all of the photos of our family and friends put back in place. We affectionately call it the "wall of honor." A lot of memories hang on that wall. 

Out of all the things I have moved and then remounted on walls, this one will be the most difficult to do. There is a lot of stuff to rehang and I probably will spend the most time on this one wall, just because I will relive in my mind the memories of days gone by and the people who were with us at the time. The wall holds a picture of our daughter and the one and only time she goose hunted with me. You can see in the photo just how excited she was to be off from school and spending the day with Dad and a dog named Walter. I did not post the photo, because I value my life! You will have to visit and see it for yourself. 

I have noticed that when we get new visitors in our home for the first time, that many of them will stop at that wall and gaze for a minute and some even comment about the wall and those in the pictures. 

My point for the day is this. Your home is your place to decorate. We all have different tastes. Our home will never receive an award for being the perfect home in a magazine, but that wall means something to us and for us it is decorated perfectly.

Live your life to the tune of "My Way:" 

God bless.

Marty