Only A Fool Would Say, There Is No God. 3/18/2015

Good Morning,

May the Lord bless you today with peace from above. I am looking forward to that first cup of Door County Highlander Grog Coffee this morning. I don't know what the day will bring, but with God for me, who can be against me?

Psalm 14:1-2

14 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
    there is none who does good.

² The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
    to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.

 

I was listening to a man yesterday tell a few others that "there is no God". I was not in the mood to debate with the fella. I was however in the mood to pray for him. I kept thinking, hasn't he witnessed a sunset, or a full moon? Has he never watched the tides come and go? Has he never seen a new born baby snuggle with mom and know exactly how to eat? Has he ever tasted honey? He must never have eaten fresh roasted summer corn. He must never have experienced love. I wondered if he ever watched the snow fall? I struggled with his statement, but most of all I felt sorry for him. He had no one to thank for all he possessed, saw, or experienced. I know it all came from God, but remember what he said "there is no God".

 

Later I heard this man boast about all of his accomplishments in life and then I realized that he suffered from terminal selfishness. He did not want to give anyone credit for anything they did for him. He did it all himself. He finally won me over and I had to tell him that he was right and wrong. I explained,  to him, the God I love and honor does not exist. But that there was definitely a god in his life and if he wanted to see his god, he should just look in the mirror. His sin of selfishness was robbing him from seeing that God the Father truly exists. 

 

I had to walk away in prayer for him. I shed a tear for the man God has labeled a fool.

 

God bless,

Marty

Take Me To Church 3/17/2015

Good Morning,

Today will be my last cup of Door County Christmas Coffee until July. I stored some away until then to have "Christmas In July". I hope and pray that your day is filled with the joy of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:25New King James Version (NKJV)
²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Last night Rene and I met with our attorney to work on our wills, and or power of attorney for health and finances. We have started to compile lists of what we want done with personal belongings. No, nothing has happened that has caused us hurry and get this done. We just want to make sure that our needs are met, for one another, and that we would not leave a mess behind someday for family to work through.

After reading the documents and seeing how our estate would be settled some day, or decisions would be made for us, all I could think about is this, when I get too old to drive and if I live to a ripe old age "how do I get to church?" We don't have a written plan for that.

You see, for us, church is a place to worship God with others. It is a place to learn and to serve. It is a place to see God at work through others. More times than I can count, church has been a place of fellowship and family. God clearly desires for all of us to be part of a local Bible believing church. Our desire should always be to be present in church and to belong. When attending church becomes an option, is it really an option at all?

Some day all of us will grow old and attending church might not be easy for us to do or even try to at all. So why not take full advantage of attending now while it is easy. Make a difference by getting involved. You are gifted and have a lot to offer.

Food for thought!

God bless,
Marty

Follow The Trail To God's Presence 3/16/2015

Good Morning.

I hope your weekend was as nice as mine was. But as usual, I am looking forward to the next one. My travel cup is filled with Door County Chocolate Cherry Coffee and off I go to work.

I believe that God still speaks to us in many ways. His number one way of speaking is still through His word the Bible. His word is alive and well.

Hebrews 4:12New King James Version (NKJV)
¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

People are always seeking the "meaning to their life". Yet many, many people do not follow the trail that leads them to time spent here on Earth in God's presence, let alone for eternity. They look at the Bible as a nice collection of stories and good rules to live by. The reason for that thought, is they really haven't read through it  and experienced the truth, love, and communication that comes through the Bible when read with the right attitude toward God. I define the right attitude as "Loving The Author". To read it is to know just how much God loves you. Reading God's Word and loving Him is a step down the pathway to His presence.

Psalm 119:105New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.

The nice thing about this trail to His heart is that it can be done anytime and is not weather dependent. It is not dependent on the day we had, or how much money we have. All it takes is a submissive heart.

Hike on!

Marty

Sinking Sand 3/15/2015

Good Morning,

As I look out of my window I see that God has painted the grass with some spring frost this fine morning. The sun is coming up and the frost will soon disappear and give way to the warmer air. In the meantime my view looks like our grass has been sprinkled with crystal. To help warm me up my mug is filled with Door County Highlander Grog Coffee. Spring has arrived.

 

Isaiah 28:16    
Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.

Yesterday was a day that a few chores needed to be done. A couple of the chores required the use of a large ladder. As I described in my opening remarks, spring has arrived and the snow banks that once buried our property are melting. The ground has absorbed about as much water as it can right now and the soil is not firm at all. I noticed that on the Eastern side of our property, water actually flies up when the dog runs in a couple areas.

So I set up the ladder to get to the top of our house and proceeded to climb. About half way up my journey the ladder started to lean to the right. I was only up about ten feet but it was time to come done before my decent was a little more rapid. Going any further would have resulted in a trip to the hospital.  The problem was that one leg of my ladder had begun to sink and caused the leaning. I was not on solid ground. I needed a firm foundation. Armed later with heavy plywood that spanned a larger mass on the ground, I was able to set up the ladder successfully and complete the repairs.

There is an old hymn that speaks of Jesus Christ as our foundation. " On Christ The solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand". In my own efforts to perform the repairs to our home I could not get the job done without a solid foundation. Many people work long hours and seek counseling to repair broken lives without the proper foundation to start with. All the world has to offer in assistance is only setting up our hopes in sinking sand. All life repairs need to start on a firm foundation. Jesus Christ the True Architect of all life is that foundation. Jesus calls to us to come to him so he can repair broken lives. The following verses are an invitation from Jesus to give the load to Him. I have added nothing to the dialogue from God's Word. He is speaking to you right now, not me.

Matthew 11:28-30
²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

1 Peter 5:7

⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13
¹³ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John 14:

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
 

Friends, you might not be in need of this today, but someone you know has never invited Jesus Christ into their lives as Lord and Savior. Their life is standing in sinking sand. They have no hope for tomorrow, no hope for eternity and they don't know where to turn. Send this to them, share it on social media.

But it might just be you that needed to hear from God's own word that you are loved and He desires to have a relationship with you that all starts with Jesus.  Won't you do that today?

God bless,

Marty

Lord, I Need A Lift 3/14/2015

Good Morning World!

Nothing like a quiet Saturday morning, with a little extra time to see my first robin sitting in a tree outside of my den window while enjoying my  cup of Door County Chocolate Caramel Truffle Coffee.

Last year just around this time I was assisting a sister hospital within our healthcare system with a project. I still have fond memories of that one. Part of the project required some mechanical equipment changes. In order to accomplish this we needed to perform several crane lifts from the ground to the roof. No matter which way I planned this out I could not avoid having to change  the equipment. I had no choice and my deadline was approaching. I needed a lift! And I could not do it myself.

Whether it be a hard day at work, family trouble, health issues, heartache, depression, or a relationship that is causing stress in your life; there is always something in the Bible to look up to and lift us up when we are feeling down.
It is in God's Word that we can find encouraging verses to uplift us and give us hope when we are down. For anyone who is feeling the "weight of the world" on their shoulders, cast your care upon the One up above whose shoulders are big enough to carry the burden for you.

Isaiah 40:31King James Version (KJV)
³¹ But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint

I need a place to run and get lifted up from time to time. I run to our Father and seek Him out in His word. I read my Bible daily, but always go for more when it seems like I just can't get my head above the waters of life. Every now and then we all reach that point. You have a heavenly crane on your book shelf or next to your bed.  Time to admit you need the crane!

Have a wonderful day.

God bless,
Marty

Let Go Of The Past 3/13/2015

Good Morning,

Happy Friday to you. I hope this day is one that leads to a great weekend filled with faith, hope and love for you. My coffee which will be fueling my giddy up and go this morning is Door County Cherry Crème.

 

Many relationships suffer from memories that are too good. Every relationship between two people will be strained somewhere along the life of the relationship. It's at these times when there might be a disagreement that bad memories from the last disagreement or wrong doing are dredged up. It's amazing how a mind that can't remember what to pick up from the market after work can remember things from 30 years ago when anger kicks in. Thus, the bad memory adds fuel to the fire of an already inflamed encounter. The Bible has a lot to say about forgetting the past and letting that issue go.

Philippians 3:13-14         
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 Our growth in a Christ like life can slow down because of our unwillingness to forget. We truly haven't learned how to forgive.         

Isaiah 43:18-19        

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Dwelling on past wrongs that were committed against us blinds us as to what God is doing now. Who really desires to go through life blind to God's good works.

How can the other person know that they been forgiven? They have to relive the guilt and bad memory as well as you do when it is brought back up. Our anger has just caused harm to the other person in our relationship.

Psalm 37:8 Living Bible (TLB)
⁸ Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm.

So when it comes to healthy relationships and disagreements develop a healthy case of amnesia and forget the past.

God bless,
Marty

Standing Up For A Child 3/12/2015

Good Morning,

Each day we receive, is a gift from God. I opened my gift pretty early today. My coffee of choice today is Door County Mocha Mint. Nothing like a hot mug of coffee and prayer to start the day.

Matthew 18:10        
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

I listened intently to a friend of mine as he requested prayer for a family the other day. It seems as if the father of this family was roughing up his kids physically and mentally. During fits of rage the father performs these acts of abuse. Of course there was immediate prayer and concern. I literally could not sleep thinking about the kids within the family. What truly amazed me is that the mother has not taken action to leave the situation and protect the kids.

Psalms 27:10- When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

This lack of action is equally a sin and for either, there is no excuse.

My wife has offered up our home as a place of refuge for the wife and children. It did not take her long to tell me what we needed to offer as an action to stand up for these kids. I asked her what she would do if the father showed up here all angry with rage? Her reply was, "that's what the police are for, we have a dog, and I am sure I can shoot straight. This home belonged to God long ago. It was protected from a tornado, ice storms and flooding. It has always been open as a refuge. I'll trust God to protect it again. And remember I sleep with a lion"

We all have the duty to do more than just pray for kids being smacked around. We need to step up and protect them. If you have the opportunity to help someone who is being abused don't hesitate. Give them an out.

God bless,
Marty