Ice For The Pain 5/21/14

Good Morning,

This morning I am starting the day with a mug of Door County Highlander Grog Coffee. Just thankful for another day of life and the friends and family that I have been blessed with.

Being one who has always enjoyed sports and the outdoors you learn that the hard activity eventually takes a toll on your body. Age seems to multiply the issues. I find that with the aging process the aches and pains from a work out or a hard day of hunting often requires a little tender loving care for the body later. I find that ice packs work the best for the aching muscles and joints. The ice reduces the swelling and lessens the pain. Nothing like the soothing relief of an ice pack.

The Bible works the same way. Sometimes days can be long, emotions get hurt, feelings bruised, egos decimated, and thoughts smashed. We can turn to God's Word for soothing comfort. I have copied some Bible verses below that can be read for those days when the hurts won't go away without some TLC.

 

Psalms 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalms 9:9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

 

Psalms 27:4-5 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

 

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
 

1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

 

Psalms 22:24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hid.den his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.

Psalms 56:8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

 

Psalms 116:1-2 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
 

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

 

Hope this helps.

God bless.

Marty

Opening A Full Can of Crazy? 5/20/14

Good Morning,

Have a cup of coffee and get going. My coffee this morning is Door County Chocolate Meltdown. Out the door I go to face a day that might be somewhat planned on my daily calendar but you just never know what any day might bring.

There have been many phrases used to describe life or a person's day. Forest Gump. "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what your going to get". Doris Day. "what will be will be". Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way". "This day has been a full can of crazy" Author unknown.

Someone told me that the other day was the first day of her new job and on the way to work the heel broke on her shoe. Today my car stalled at the left turn signal and this guy pulled up and went ballistic because he missed his turn just as my car restarted. I had to laugh at his anger and slurs considering this is a conceal carry state. I heard about a guy today that wants to raise honey bees. He purchased 90 bees and did a release into their new home, they all flew away. What about the new car with the dent in the door from some careless person in a parking lot. Then one of the kids gets sick or decides to fly off the bunk bed playing Spider Man and breaks an arm. And why does one actually put real dish soap in a dish washer and wonder why there are suds everywhere? Or you can't wait to get home and start the grill to cook a little supper. 20 minutes later as the grill goes out you remember you were supposed to pick up propane on the way home. As you return to your car with the propane you find that you have a flat tire. Or the duck that walks through your wet cement. Some days are just 7 kinds of crazy.

But here is the good news. A day only lasts 24 hours.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)

²² Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness

Despite the day of days, it only lasts 24 hours and each day is new. God shows up all day and all night.

Try to laugh today. Tomorrow is coming.

Marty

Chicken Dinner and Teens 5/19/2014

Monday and the weekend slipped by again with lightning speed once more. My coffee mug is filled with Door County Highlander Grog and I am on my second cup as I head out the door.

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

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

Last Saturday we were invited to my brother's home to fellowship and eat dinner. He grilled some chicken breasts and the table was filled with many other items that went well with the chicken. He had invited family and friends over to relax and feast.

The conversation during dinner turned to one of our nephews and the experience he had during the week at his high school. It seems that he took part in a drama where kids were removed from class by the "Grim Reaper" and they were placed to study and live in a motel for 24 hours. Their leaving symbolized the death of a teen to their classmates and families. They could not call anyone, text anyone and social media was banned. To the world they were dead. Their fake deaths were explained as car crashes, drug overdoses, and other ways a teen might make a bad choice and die. Their friends and family found out what it would be like to not have the teen around anymore.

Rene and I found this quite interesting and actually a worthwhile project. On the way home we discussed the project and wondered if the message hit home with the classmates. I think the school did a great job. But don't all of us know a teen or two? I think it is the responsibility of all of us to watch out for kids headed for a bad choice and at least say something. I think that choices should be openly discussed within the home.

Think about it. The teen you save might be your own.

Have a great day.
Marty

Lilac Explosion 5/18/2014

Good Morning,

I hope your Saturday was a good one. My coffee this morning is Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti from the Door County Coffee Company. 

Job 12:7-9        
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?

Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day in our yard performing some chores like mowing the lawn, trimming the fence line and pruning some bushes. I tend to watch the yard with a little more intensity right about now than I do the rest of the year. We have several lilac bushes, apple trees, flowering crab apples and rose bushes spread out on the property. Each year I can usually tell a day or two before when everything will bloom. It seems as if they all open on cue together except for the rose bushes. They open later and last longer. But our yard for a few short days smells like lilacs and the fruit trees are one of the most beautiful displays of color and promise every year. I thought for sure today would be the day. A few small blossoms have opened on the lilacs and the trees look ready, but I think it will be another day or two. I look forward to this every year. We purposely planted one of the lilac bushes near our bedroom. If the weather cooperates we can open a window when the lilac explosion takes place and go to sleep and then wake up to that fragrance that will only be there for a few days.

This doesn't sound too manly for the guy who mostly writes about hunting and fishing. Well the lilacs blooming are usually a sign that it is time to catch crappies near shore.

But every man needs to take time to enjoy the seasons that present themselves. I am not much of a fisherman so I am pretty much in between seasons. It won't be long and I will be preparing for the early goose season.  But for now it is a little rest and time to smell the lilacs. Many people mark the year as beginning in January. I really don't pay much attention to the New Years hype. The time that I place my thoughts around are when our yard comes to life and I ponder as to how many more lilac explosions I will experience. It then reminds me to be thankful for all the explosions we have enjoyed here through the years. I recall vividly what used to be a muddy mess for a couple of years and how small the trees and shrubs used to be. I remember planting each and everyone of the trees and shrubs and replacing a few on occasion. So today I look out into the small portion of the world God has given Rene and I to be stewards of and I do not see the wars, the crimes, the disasters, the hurt, work issues or the pain. I know they are still there but for a short while they are not on my mind. I spent time in the garden. Maybe the silent explosion takes place tomorrow!

God bless,
Marty

A Lesson Found In Micah 5/18/2014

Good Morning From Wisconsin.

Saturday May 17th and I awoke to a yard decorated with frost. Our fireplace has a small but very warm fire crackling in it. Our dog Gibbs is currently covering my feet like living Springer Spaniel slippers and the cup next to me is filled with Door County Red Velvet Mocha Coffee. Frost is not unusual at this time, but very unwelcome by my neighbor who uncovered his pool last weekend hoping for it to warm up.

Micah 7:18-20 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy.
¹⁹ He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.

You will cast all our^[a] sins
Into the depths of the sea.
²⁰ You will give truth to Jacob
And mercy to Abraham,
Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old.

In this passage we see that God does get angry with His people. I have hi-lighted that in red. We would do well to remember that verse. But as we move through the  rest of the passages we see that God does desire to pardon us from our transgressions through Jesus. He casts away our sins into the "depths of the sea". God desires to show us mercy.

Now wouldn't we all deep down inside want to be that guy or gal who can do the same thing and show mercy to others? It would be nice, when someone does you wrong, if we could just show mercy and not react with retaliation or anger. It does help when things go awry with others and it seems like they just cleaned up all the dog poop in the neighborhood and dumped it  on to your shoes to remember what you are like and how many times God has forgiven you. It is then easier to show mercy when you think of the mercy given to you.

Now that's lesson number one for the day. Lesson number two is do not plant flowers before you are pretty sure that the frost is done for the season. Lesson number three. If you are angry today and need to cool off my neighbor's pool is just the right temperature for you to have a nice cool down.

God bless,
Marty

Peanut Butter Cookies 5/16/2014

Good Morning,

Friday has landed and it was right on time. My coffee this morning is Door County Highlander Grog. My friend Bob from Alaska recommended this flavor a few years ago. I am glad he did.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 KJV

Go thy way , eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

Yesterday was one of those days that wasn't one worth writing about for good or bad. I was telling someone yesterday that my mind seemed to have checked out and I did not really seem to care. I just wanted to get home after work, have the dog greet me with his tail wagging, and then spend some time with Rene , before studying.

We were out of milk, so I stopped at the gas station near our home to purchase a gallon. The gas station is more than just a fuel stop. They sell food and bakery. I noticed that some big peanut butter cookies were there, just begging me to buy them and take them home. I pondered the purchase for a minute and then decided that a peanut butter cookie with a large glass of cold milk was just what I needed to finish the day that seemed to be without any zip.

Later as we were each munching on a cookie I decided that I felt like a kid who had just been rewarded with a cookie for eating all of my supper or for performing some chore. It was then that I knew that just to have a cookie is a blessing and that all the ingredients for the cookie were made by our Creator. And despite my feelings about the day a cookie comes from heaven and it is ok to sit back and enjoy one now and then and feel like a kid once in awhile.

Go ahead and do something to feel like a kid again. It's ok and might be just what you need to make a ho hum day better. God doesn't mind, He provided the ingredients.

God bless,
Marty

My Favorite Bible Verse 5/15/14

Good Morning,

Very thankful today for a friend who came to our home yesterday and cut down some trees that needed to "leave". LOL  My coffee this morning is Door County Coconut Crush.

Last night my Nephew Nick sent me a text message and asked me what my favorite Bible verse is. I did not have to think very long before I replied. Matthew 11:28-30 is and probably always will be my favorite.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Many years ago on a night when my heart was burdened and I thought that anger and hurt were going to win the battle for my life, I saw an open Bible where there was a picture of Jesus and the verses from Matthew 11:28-30 were written below the picture. It was then that I heard for the first time Jesus call my name. He was extending a saving hand to me and asking me to trust Him. Those verses spoke new life to a heavy soul.  My life has never been the same.

What's your favorite verse? Please feel free to share.

God bless,
Marty