Sending Them Off. 6/14/2026

 Good Morning,

I know for sure right now, that once I finish this cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee I will be headed back downstairs to retrieve another one. It's a two cup of coffee day!

Yesterday our church youth group left for a short retreat to Western Wisconsin. Four of us men went to see them off and pray for them. We covered spiritual needs and safe fun in our prayers as well as safe travel to and from their event. 

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 

Marty with two former youth group members who turned into youth group leaders. This is from a mission trip in Peru. Yes  wore the hat of youth pastor for many years. 

It was a privilege to pray for them and their leaders before they left. I know the other three guys very well and I am sure they prayed again this morning for the teens and leaders.I know my prayers will continue this morning for them.

The job of being a youth pastor is not an easy one, especially now in this time where it seems that growing up is more challenging than ever. I commend our Youth Pastor, his wife and all the assistant leaders for giving up their weekend to spend time with the teens.

My wife and I chaperoned a youth group canoe trip many years ago as friends and soon theire after w started dating. I wonder if anyone prayed for us that weekend? I do believe someone did, because I am still reaping the blessings a thousand years later. 

You just never know what can come about when you spend a little time away from home doing God's work! Pray for the kids in your church and in your life!

Marty

Make It Go Away Please 6/13/2026

 Good Morning,

My mug was filled with some Hot Door County Highlander Grog Coffee and a portion of hope for today.  It is time to write. 

Romans 12:12 NKJV Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfast in prayer. 

Yesterday our Men's Ministry hosted a steak feed for the guys at church and friends. My family and a few close friends all were in attendance. Heaven came down in the form of a message, delivered by our Senior Pastor. One man decided to turn his life around and place his faith in Jesus Christ and we all rejoice for him. The message challenged many to think about who they are and what they believe. 

I titled this blog, "Make It Go Away Please" because we have been doing this for 26 years now on an annual basis. 26 years ago, I could work the set up, starting early in the morning and then be the last one out of the door at midnight after the clean up was done.  Now I never did this alone. I was blessed with a team who had a vision to serve God by serving others. 

What I want to go away is this "Old Age". The day after this steak feed, I find myself reaching for the Tylenol this  morning to take the pain of arthritis and old age away. I am not asking this so much for myself but I ask this for all the guys who busted their butts that others might have a good time and possibly be challenged by a great message. 

But most of all I am praying for the one guy who served all day long with the others, and he had just had his knee replaced a couple weeks ago. He has been with me for all 26 years serving above and beyond yesterday.  I watched my friend hobble around and show others what to do, help make the side dishes and direct the set up and clean up. As I write this my eyes have started leaking a little and I don't know what the leaking is for. Real men don't cry. I saw love for God, other men and their boys in action yesterday from all those who served a good 12 or more hours. I saw the example of one man suffering for the good of others. I can only imagine how he feels this morning. 

So I ask for prayer for every guy who served and a couple ladies who helped out as well that they recover quickly and are given rest for their bodies. Most of all I ask for God to bless them for their hard work, but if the Good Lord is passing by the home of the wounded man of God, please stop there a little longer and help my buddy out. 

Have a great day!

Marty 

Peace, It Starts With Me And You 6/12/2026

 Good Morning,

My hot cup of Door County Bourbon Vanilla Creme Coffee is really making our home smell like a classy coffee shop today. It's time for me to write.

 Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, 

For they shall be called sons of God

One of my worst traits is my quick temper. I can entertain nonsense for a maximum of ten minutes. After a large dosage of someone in my face or spouting off with what I think is an attack on my family or me, or if they propose some type of danger to me or my family I am either late for the door or I am contemplating placing a boot where I think their brains are nesting. 

This has been a struggle for me, because most of the time I can just walk away, but there are times when someone will just push it too far. I then have to make a choice. Ignore the problem in my face, or go on the very active defense. I don't believe that I have ever really gone out looking for an issue to take personal and then lose it when someone goes on the attack verbally. But!!

We, where I live, will start seeing more people canvassing our neighborhoods for votes for their party choice in our election for a state governor. Just yesterday while doing yard chores and trying to beat the rain, I was surprised to see a young lady in my driveway. I asked if I could help her and she replied "I Have a couple of questions for you. I am representing this candidate for election this fall and can I have your support." I was very polite and responded that I was not interested in doing so. I would be supporting another person. 

Her response to me, uninvited was to say this."Oh you are one of those". Now believe me when I say that her reply had me just about ready to chew her out like she never heard before, but I had been praying for peace in a hot spot in the Middle East. I was reminded in my soul that peace is a choice and I could choose to battle with this young lady or show her that I could hold it back. I thanked her for stopping by. I asked her if she wanted a bottle of water and actually manufactured a smile. She did respond with a thank you and left. 

So today as you go about your business, or interact with your family, know that sooner or later today you will have to make a choice on how to react to someone who has pushed your hot button. Try to remember this.  It's your choice on how you react. 

I came inside to grab a cold drink of water and told my wife about my interaction. She kept waiting for the rest of the story. She said, "And then what happened"? I replied "Nothing and it felt good not to wage a war of words and I  made the choice to not let her ruin my day. 

It's your mouth, your anger, and your choice to pursue peace especially on your own turf. You make the rest of the story. 

Food for thought! Learn to agree to disagree and show respect toward one another. 

God bless,

Marty

Get Rid Of The Pests 6/11/2026

 Good Morning, 

I have in front of me a hot cup of Door County Irish Creme Coffee and it is soothing to the soul and body. It is time to write.

Jams 4:7 Submit yourselves then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

I woke up this morning and went to prayer.Tomorrow is the the Day Of the Men's Steak Feed at our church . The area on the grounds where we hold the event is being treated for mosquitoes this morning. Two of the men from our church volunteered to treat the area today.I am grateful for them taking this task off of my plate.But that doesn't mean that I won't be praying for them. 

If we do not treat the area, by 7:30PM the pesty mosquitoes get to be as thick as hairs on a dog and they could lift a small child away. 

This event is well planned and after 26 years we know what works and what doesn't. We learned the hard way that moving our annual date of the feed from November to June did avoid the cold weather, but it came with the mosquitoes.

One other thing that needs to be treated is the overall event. We have to spray the event with prayer from day one when we have the tickets printed to washing the last of the silverware. Like a mosquito Satan comes uninvited and works to control the event by just being there. It is supposed to a very hot day tomorrow and that alone is enough to drain tired volunteers. 

Prayer is the key to a successful event. So believe me when I say I know this for a fact, prayer is the seasoning needed for today, and tomorrow. I take nothing for granted.! 

So before the pests of life come to the party of your life, let prayer be your spiritual pesticide and let it be a daily thing.  Chase the pests away and know this. They will try to come back at every opportunity. There is victory in Jesus. 

God bless,

Marty

Just Thinking About You. Make The Call. 6/10/2026

 Good Morning,

My cup of Door County Irish Creme Coffee is cutting through the fog of my brain very nicely. It is time to write. 

Colossians 3:12. Put on then, as God's children holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. 

You might make a few phone calls today and who knows what the reason is for your calls. It could be business, pleasure or anything else under the sun. But the most important call you can make today is the one God told you to make. 

Here me out. You have within your power the ability to make someone's day by just reaching out, calling and letting the receiver know you were thinking about them. Take a moment to pray and ask God who He would like for you to call and see who he puts on your heart. The most important call you make today is the one that let's someone know that they were placed on your heart to call and to just say hi. 

Reaching out to someone just to say hello might make their day brighter and give them a reason to smile. 

I will bet that once you pray about who God wants you to call, He will answer that prayer in a quick minute. 

Food for thought!

Marty

No Such Thing As Luck 6/9/2026

 Good Morning

I am running very late today in writing. My excuse is that I have not been feeling well and I just caught up on some sleep. But my Door County Peanut Butter Cup Coffee tastes just as good as if it were 5:AM. It is time to write.

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord.

Many people are superstitious and count all the bad that happens to them as good or bad luck. 

Luck as a noun. The force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities. 

I am here to say that in all things, everything is in God's control. Nothing happens that God does not allow to happen. One might argue that they were lucky to win the lottery. The real answer would be that they were blessed to win and might be undergoing testing to see how they react to being rich.

Things just happen and end up on our plate or in our lap. God knows what He allowed to be placed there. Good or bad. Beautiful or ugly. Peaceful or stressful. God knows fully well the plate He has served you. Folks. There is no such thing as luck.

Have a great day!!!

Marty

The Outcome Of A Lot Of Work. 6/8/2026

 Good Morning,

I just sat down with a hot cup of Door County Sinful Delight Coffee and t is time to write.

Be sober, be vigilant ;because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Monday showed up right on time and I wonder where the weekend went to so quickly. 

This week on Friday our Men's Ministry  will be holding it's annual Men's Steak Feed. All the tickets are sold, supplies, are being purchased and final touches are being made to accomodate grilling a large amount of steaks. It takes a lot of work to pull this one off and as the group ages it is getting harder to do.  God has given us 26 years to perfect this outing and there is still always a way to improve what we do and how we do it. 

My prayer is that the rain will stay away on Friday and we have no accidents or mishaps around the large grills. One of the guys who washes all of the baked potatoes just turned 81 and is still trying to help on Friday. 

The men who sponsor the feed are dedicated to serving the Lord through this outing. I pray that we will see good fruit among the visitors to our church. 

My point for the day is this. We will bathe this event in prayer and watch for any and all attacks from Satan who would just love to mess this great event up for us. 

So as in all things prayer, prayer,and more prayer. and be watchful.

Have a great week!

Marty