Choices, They Prove You Are Blessed 5/20/2026

 Good Morning,

The weather took a nose dive last night and the house is a little chilly this morning. The cool weather just makes the Door County Peanut Butter Cup Coffee taste even better. 

James 2:15-16 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them. "Go in peace, keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 

I opened the freezer door this morning and had a choice of several items to choose from as to what we will eat for dinner today. I could not make up my mind as to what it should be. 

This had me paralyzed in shame. Here I am puzzled as to what to choose from a full freezer.  Others just wonder how they can prepare the only food they have in a different way to change the diet a little. Then there are others who wish they had my problem because they have nothing to eat at all. 

I hung my head in shame because I had considered being blessed to have choices as some type of pain I was enduring. I will be dropping some items off at the food pantry later today and smile because I can bless others and should have done so sooner. 

Never consider an abundance to be a nuisance. Not when others have nothing. Be thankful, share, and remember, you are blessed to be a blessing. Faith in action sees needs and attempts to solve the need.

Food for thought.

Marty

The First Few Words Set The Tone For the Chat 5/19/2026

 Good Morning,

My morning started with a prayer of thanks and a hot cup of Door County Toffee Pretzel Coffee and two crazy English Springer Spaniels who wanted to eat. That in itself is enough action for one day!

Proverbs 18:13 ESV If one gives an answer, before he hears , it is his folly and shame. 

Yesterday my phone was ringing and knew it was my wife Rene because I have assigned a ring tone to her calls. I know when the Queen of the house is trying to reach me. Rene isn't one who calls just to chat. So when she calls it is for something needed or something I need to know. 

I answered her call yesterday and before I could say more than hello I heard. "There was an accident". Rene was returning home from taking her mother to and from a doctors appointment. Those four words stopped my in my tracks. My immediate response was "Are You OK? How is your mom? Where are you? She calmed down to let me know that it was a close call for her but everything was fine. She stopped to render aid until the first responders arrived. Two cars ahead of her were involved and she was also the number one witness to what happened. 

Rene then went on in an excited fashion to tell me that one of the people involved had a dead body in the car. By this time I had to sit down and strap myself into the chair and just listen. Then before I could process the dead body issue she went on to say that the guy driving the car with a dead body knew me. I poured a cup of iced tea and just waited for the "Rest of the story". "I don't know this young mans name but he said he knows you and your brother. He knew my name too. By this time I was picturing bodies in cars and what I wanted to know was " Are you ok? Where do I have our car towed to and where are you so I can come and get you? 

The response was Oh. I am fine. The car is fine. I stopped to help. And by the way. The young guy with the dead body in the car is a funeral director. I was able to piece the story parts together and knew who that young man had to be. 

"I will be late coming home because I have to be interviewed by the police as to what I witnessed. I assured her that the important thing is that no one was injured. "Drive safely! And I will see you when you get home."

This whole thing reminded me of two old comedians performing the skit of "Who's On First"? It is one of my favorite comedy skits performed by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. 

                                                        Photo Credit Universal Studios.

My point for the day is that in all things we sometimes jump to conclusions prematurely. In my mind I had already jumped from beginning to the end without hearing the middle. 

Once I calmed down from my blood pressure skyrocketing, I could stop, and pray saying thanks to God for keeping my wife safe. Jumping to the end without obtaining all the facts makes for a bad scenario and the scenario can be a lot easier to deal with when we have all the facts. 

Food for thought! Always listen first before we respond. Praying is easier when you know what you are praying for. And in all things, be grateful and thankful. 

Who's On First Today!!

Marty

Making A Bad Impression? Be On Time 5/18/2026

 Good Morning,

The birds outside my window are chirping steady and easy this morning. That song from nature is  welcome tune that we enjoy while sipping a hot cup of Door County Highlander Grog Coffee. It is time to write. 

Proverbs 21:5 NIV The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. 

                                      

I am going to state this directly and with a heightened emphasis on the importance of my blog this morning. 

Folks, being on time and not late should be a goal for every person.Being late does happen but it should not be a steady experience.  Appointments made, should be kept and both parties should be there on time or in the rare instance when being late could not be avoided proper communication should take place and include an apology to those left waiting. 

Being late and then failing to communicate, leaves a bad impression and shows a lack of respect for other's time and in some instances their money. I was taught at a young age that being ten minutes early is actually being late. My Dad ran on Marine Corp time and you got one chance to impress him with promptness and after a couple late occurrences and not much of an excuse for being late, his opinion of you began to shrink. 

Keeping a deadline, and communicating promptly and often is expected in relationships and  in business, especially if you are hoping for a future referral.

On time. Every time, with no excuses should be the goal of all businesses and personal relationships. Maybe tomorrow I will talk about being under budget if you can get there on time. 

God Bless,

Marty

Picnic Tables From God 5/17/2026

 Good Morning, 

I started this morning in prayer and I hope this day affords me the luxury to be able to pray throughout it. I just poured a hot cup of Door County Salted Caramel Whiskey Coffee and it is time to write.

Philippians 4:19 KJV But my God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 

Our Men's Ministry from our church has undertaken a project to build three picnic tables for the physically impaired, wheelchair accessible. We prayed about how we might do a fund raiser to just purchase three, but our prayers were answered in a way I never thought would happen. The lumber needed to build some was donated by a saw mill in Southwest Wisconsin. White oak lumber was given to us by a generous soul who owns a small mill. 

The process started a few months ago, with me picking up the lumber with one other fella and drying the wood in another man's driveway. 

Yesterday morning after coffee and prayer, a team of men from the church began the process, which was cutting all the pieces and planing them smooth. Today we start the assembly of one or two of them. 

My point for today is this. God's work done in God's way never lacks His support. It was also good to be working around those guys and seeing God's work being performed by Godly Men. I am not a carpenter at all. I am more of a wood butcher than a carpenter. But they even found something this old guy can do. I was the gopher for the project. We all started with ten fingers and we ended the day with ten each. The work continues later today. 

Friends, is there a project God wants you to do? Do you need a small group to get it done? If God is in it, He will supply all that is needed. 

Food for thought!

Marty

The Size Of The Potato Doesn't Matter??? 5/16/2026

 Good Morning,

I am writing from my desk this morning with a very hot cup of Door County Irish Creme coffee as my main wake up tool. 

                              

World's largest potato traveling Interstate 94 to the Wisconsin State Fair. Photo credit Marty Schutte.

I do most of the preaching for our Saturday Night Church Service. It is a small faithful flock who are truly family to me and my wife. It is a low key service and you will always hear the classic hymns being sung by our guys known as the "Singing Hymns" 

One thing that we can do easily is to have a short time of testimonials. Right after the hymns are sung, I will ask the flock this question. "What Did God Do This Week?" It is the flock's chance to share what God did in their lives this last week. It is my way of showing that God is still alive, and working in the lives and hearts of His people. We usually have 3-4 responses and then we move on to my message. 

I mentioned that the flock is family to us and like all good families do, we fellowship now and then, most always as a meal after the service. Tonight we will be having a Baked Potato Bar. Big potatoes and whatever the flock brings to top off the spuds is the menu for tonight. I some how always purchase very large potatoes. It makes me laugh when these little ladies come through the buffet line and I plop a potato that is enough for two maybe three people on to their  plate. Their eyes bug out and they ask for a small one. My reply is "that was a small one." My wife and I usually take one of our potatoes home and fry it up for the next morning's breakfast with some eggs. 

My point for the day is this. It is not the potato and it's size that make the night a success. It is the fact that as a family of about 40 people, we gather in the name of the Lord and enjoy each other's company. You could call us "Spuds, Buds".

Act's 2:42 NKJV And they continued steadfastly in the apostles, doctrine and fellowship in th breaking of bread, and in prayers. 

Food for thought. Do you come to church and rush out before you take time to enjoy the people who worship with you? Judas was the first to leave the table early? Just saying!!!

Have a great day!!

Marty

The Wrong Opinion 5/15/2026

 Good Morning,

I am enjoying my hot cup of Door County Irish Creme Coffee while I am writing this morning from my desk. Let's get started. 

Proverbs 18:2 A fool has no delight in understanding, But expressing his own heart.

I have the luxury of being able to have this blog critiqued in a few different forums. They have often written true facts about my coffee choice and where it is from. They offer explanations of what I am trying to achieve with my writing for the day and that's where they often get it wrong. Most of what I write is usually easy to understand and one can form their own opinion of what I am trying to say within every blog. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their thoughts on my blog. 

No one except the critics have really asked me to clarify anything, so in many instances they are just assuming my intent and my heart. They have their job and I believe they are entitled to speak the truth and critique anything I write. 

We tend to do the same thing. We at times without enough information form an opinion of what others are saying, or not saying, doing or not doing. We go off and offer our opinions without knowing all the facts. 

When in doubt, it is better to ask for clarification and without it, maybe just not say anything at all.

Food for thought,

Conspiracies Of Your Mind 5/14/2026

 Good Morning,

My cup of Door County Cherry Creme Coffee is cooling off and that tells me I should start writing. 

Philippians 4:13 NKJV I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

The morning is fresh and clear, just the way I like it for a day in May. 

My wife Rene and I are undertaking not what I would call a remodeling project, but an uplift of our home which includes some paint, flooring and some new furniture. 

Since this project started we have run into a couple of difficulties somewhat out of the ordinary. Our lawn tractor broke down and is in need of a repair that I cannot do, so into the shop it will go. The gate on our fence broke and needs repairs. 

Not one to believe in conspiracy theories of the heart and mind, I just chalk this up to a couple of blessings. The tractor has a loud screaming noise coming from underneath the carriage. I saw this as a bad thing but also a blessing. The blades could be in a place like one time when they flew out from the tractor and just missed our dog. I this time received a warning. 

The broken gate can be fixed and it was found before the local coyotes could pay us a visit through a dysfunctional gate that did not close properly. 

I could have yelled to my wife , "Get in the house and don't go anywhere. We are under attack!!!" Or I could say, "Wow That was close, we were blessed to catch those problems before they were serious issues."

In my mind we give Satan way too much credit for mishaps and have this theory that all bad things that happen are because of him. We tend to look beyond the blessing and search for the conspiracy theory of being under attack. We create in our mind that every bad thing that happens was meant to defeat us. Things wear out. Lumber does not do well in the cold Wisconsin winters and gates move around and break. Yet no one was killed by lawn blades flying through the air and our dogs remained safe despite the gate failure. 

Our own minds deceive us and we adopt the attitude that Satan comes after us and then we need God, We begin to say things like I/we can't do this. We should stop what we are doing, obviously God is against this. Then once defeated Satan does win, because we can't see the blessings through the fog of our conspiracy theory. We don't see how God protects us and helps us to see things from His view. 

W begin to think that we can't do what we set out to do. If we say we can't we will convince ourselves that we can't. If we say we can we will get it done.

Food for thought. God is with us through every trial and He often sends the trial to protect us. 

God bless,

Marty