Good Morning,
I apologize for not writing yesterday. I was away celebrating the life of a loved one who passed away this week. I missed my cup of Door County Coffee yesterday. I will make up for it by having another cup of Door County Peanut Butter Crunch as I head for work.
At the church service for this life celebration, the preacher was very clear in his message of consolation to all the friends and family that were present. For my aunt, her Earthly life was over and her new eternal life has begun. He was very clear that she was saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ in whom she believed, trusted and loved. He challenged everyone present to think that through and make sure they knew where their personal eternal destiny would be.
John 14:6New King James Version (NKJV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus is the one and only way to heaven and eternal life with God Our Father. I will get right to the point. Notice for justice to be served God sent His Son to die and pay the price. This was for our sins.
John 3:16Good News Translation (GNT)
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
Our loving God paid the price himself as a gift to those who would accept it. In no way does He ever say we can earn our way, pay our way, or kill others and ourselves to attain heaven. Jesus is the one and only way.
Argumentative? Yes, that's the truth and I am sticking to it.
Happy Friday!
Marty
Friday, May 8, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Dear God I Just Want To Take a Minute To 5/6/2015
Good Morning,
My body is rejecting some long hard hours this week. It makes me look forward to this coming weekend all that much more. My shot gun rider this morning is a hot cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee.
Dear God, I want to take a minute not to ask for anything from you but to simply say thank you, for all those I have met, or ministered to, or worked along side of over the years on short term mission trips. I want to take some time to say thank you for all the pens I lost and for all the pens provided by a young lady named Christy.
Philippians 1:3-11King James Version (KJV)
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Christy also came into our lives during the time we spent working with the youth group at Faith Bible Church. Not an easy kid to work with at first. Christy wanted nothing to do with youth group or any of the leaders. At the threat of being kidnapped ( Joking) she came and tried it. During her "try us " period a young female youth worker befriended Christy. Game on! Christy grew in the Lord with the friendship and mentorship she was receiving. Then it happened! Christy tried a short term mission trip. I immediately saw some leadership skills and a willing ness to serve. Christy has been on numerous trips since then, usually in a leadership role. She is quite meek, but filled with the Holy Spirit and can have a take charge attitude in seconds. She leads with love. Christy desires to see others hear from God and obey. She has this uncanny ability to think like I do and anticipate my moves. The minute I am looking for the pen I lost, she pulls out another one out of her back pack for me. I tend to use about 15 pens per trip. She always has an endless supply of chewing gum, Pepto Bismal and toilet paper. When things are very tough on a trip Christy can make us laugh.
I wonder what or how she would have turned out if it weren't for the leader who took interest in her? I am so thankful she did. Christy has been like a right hand to me on many trips. You just never know when you will need a safety pin in the Lima airport. Christy will have one. Who can you reach out to that might just be the next Christy? Who are you thankful for?
God bless,
Marty
My body is rejecting some long hard hours this week. It makes me look forward to this coming weekend all that much more. My shot gun rider this morning is a hot cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee.
Dear God, I want to take a minute not to ask for anything from you but to simply say thank you, for all those I have met, or ministered to, or worked along side of over the years on short term mission trips. I want to take some time to say thank you for all the pens I lost and for all the pens provided by a young lady named Christy.
Philippians 1:3-11King James Version (KJV)
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Christy also came into our lives during the time we spent working with the youth group at Faith Bible Church. Not an easy kid to work with at first. Christy wanted nothing to do with youth group or any of the leaders. At the threat of being kidnapped ( Joking) she came and tried it. During her "try us " period a young female youth worker befriended Christy. Game on! Christy grew in the Lord with the friendship and mentorship she was receiving. Then it happened! Christy tried a short term mission trip. I immediately saw some leadership skills and a willing ness to serve. Christy has been on numerous trips since then, usually in a leadership role. She is quite meek, but filled with the Holy Spirit and can have a take charge attitude in seconds. She leads with love. Christy desires to see others hear from God and obey. She has this uncanny ability to think like I do and anticipate my moves. The minute I am looking for the pen I lost, she pulls out another one out of her back pack for me. I tend to use about 15 pens per trip. She always has an endless supply of chewing gum, Pepto Bismal and toilet paper. When things are very tough on a trip Christy can make us laugh.
I wonder what or how she would have turned out if it weren't for the leader who took interest in her? I am so thankful she did. Christy has been like a right hand to me on many trips. You just never know when you will need a safety pin in the Lima airport. Christy will have one. Who can you reach out to that might just be the next Christy? Who are you thankful for?
God bless,
Marty
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
The Smallest One With No Fear 5/5/2015
Good Morning,
This week has started with a bang. It's going to be one full of adventure, with God needing to balance this schedule for me. Coffee, coffee, coffee, just enough time for one big cup of Door County Chocolate Caramel Truffle.
I am keeping with the theme of remembering many of those who have trod the short term mission field with me. For instance Mrs. Miller is one small little lady who if she is lucky weighs 90 pounds. She too, started as a teeny bopper in youth group where Rene and I were so blessed to be part of her life. From day one she was chomping at the bit to be allowed to go on a trip with the high school group. I like calling her Mrs. Miller now because she always swore that she was never getting married and would never have children. I am happy to say that she was wrong and of course I was right. And I know how to get under her skin. She has a hard time telling me I was right.
Mrs. Miller was and still is one of those people who just never fears anything. At a young age she was called for a month to travel the Amazon River ministering along the way to many, many people. This trip proved to be very hard on her as she suffered from bacterial and parasite issues for a long time afterwards. Yet she was able to make it on another trip to Guatemala and she was still very ill. She tried to serve and did as much as she could until illness laid her low. I have no idea how many people Mrs. Miller has led to Jesus. I can't count that high. She still to this day shows no fear in the face of many adversities. Mrs. Miller trusts the Lord with all she has.
Psalm 23:4King James Version (KJV)
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
I understand that presenting the Gospel of Jesus to others can be an experience that causes fear in many. Now if this little lady can do it, straddle wooden joists to pay her way, fight with me in her sickness to let her go, anyone should be able to overcome the fear of sharing Jesus with others. Best of all, our Lord goes with you at all times. What is there to fear?
God bless,
Marty
This week has started with a bang. It's going to be one full of adventure, with God needing to balance this schedule for me. Coffee, coffee, coffee, just enough time for one big cup of Door County Chocolate Caramel Truffle.
I am keeping with the theme of remembering many of those who have trod the short term mission field with me. For instance Mrs. Miller is one small little lady who if she is lucky weighs 90 pounds. She too, started as a teeny bopper in youth group where Rene and I were so blessed to be part of her life. From day one she was chomping at the bit to be allowed to go on a trip with the high school group. I like calling her Mrs. Miller now because she always swore that she was never getting married and would never have children. I am happy to say that she was wrong and of course I was right. And I know how to get under her skin. She has a hard time telling me I was right.
Mrs. Miller was and still is one of those people who just never fears anything. At a young age she was called for a month to travel the Amazon River ministering along the way to many, many people. This trip proved to be very hard on her as she suffered from bacterial and parasite issues for a long time afterwards. Yet she was able to make it on another trip to Guatemala and she was still very ill. She tried to serve and did as much as she could until illness laid her low. I have no idea how many people Mrs. Miller has led to Jesus. I can't count that high. She still to this day shows no fear in the face of many adversities. Mrs. Miller trusts the Lord with all she has.
Psalm 23:4King James Version (KJV)
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
I understand that presenting the Gospel of Jesus to others can be an experience that causes fear in many. Now if this little lady can do it, straddle wooden joists to pay her way, fight with me in her sickness to let her go, anyone should be able to overcome the fear of sharing Jesus with others. Best of all, our Lord goes with you at all times. What is there to fear?
God bless,
Marty
Monday, May 4, 2015
Jesse And Katy 5/4/2014
Good Morning,
My day is starting and my brain is trying to wrap itself around the weekend and all that I saw God doing through others, for others. So as I sip my Door County Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti Coffee I must also smile and look up. Our God is an awesome God.
The weekend was busy performing a fund raiser for our church's mission team and their summer mission trip. I have been on too many short term mission trips to keep count now. But as I prepare for another one this summer my mind wanders back to a lot of the people I met or ministered with.
There are two that Rene and I had in youth group many years ago who went on short term mission trips in high school and later on agreed to help me lead a trip to Peru. Both are a little older now and have turned out to be just what I thought they would be. Fine Christian women is a description that applies in so many ways. They always had a heart for the lost, the underdog, the misfit, and both were not afraid to work. One still goes on mission trips and uses the skills she picked up over the years to benefit the Kingdom. The other one is on a mission at home raising her children and supporting her husband in ministry. Much of her younger years were spent serving the Lord in children's camps. Both are, two very busy people for the Lord.
I am not writing this to brag on them. I had a little influence in their lives, but not as much as their parents who raised what I call Proverbs Kids.
Proverbs 22:6New King James Version (NKJV)
My day is starting and my brain is trying to wrap itself around the weekend and all that I saw God doing through others, for others. So as I sip my Door County Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti Coffee I must also smile and look up. Our God is an awesome God.
The weekend was busy performing a fund raiser for our church's mission team and their summer mission trip. I have been on too many short term mission trips to keep count now. But as I prepare for another one this summer my mind wanders back to a lot of the people I met or ministered with.
There are two that Rene and I had in youth group many years ago who went on short term mission trips in high school and later on agreed to help me lead a trip to Peru. Both are a little older now and have turned out to be just what I thought they would be. Fine Christian women is a description that applies in so many ways. They always had a heart for the lost, the underdog, the misfit, and both were not afraid to work. One still goes on mission trips and uses the skills she picked up over the years to benefit the Kingdom. The other one is on a mission at home raising her children and supporting her husband in ministry. Much of her younger years were spent serving the Lord in children's camps. Both are, two very busy people for the Lord.
I am not writing this to brag on them. I had a little influence in their lives, but not as much as their parents who raised what I call Proverbs Kids.
Proverbs 22:6New King James Version (NKJV)
6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Their parents saw which way they were bent in ministry or wired and did all they could to support and nurture them toward that service. How about you? Have you figured out your child? How are they wired for the Lord? How are they wired for a vocation? Are you nurturing the way they are to go or are you leading a direction of your desire?
It all started with the example set at home.
God bless,
Marty
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Ham And Rolls For Missions 5/3/2015
Good Morning,
Pardon my short message this morning. I am headed out the door with a cup of Door County Peanut Butter Crunch Coffee in my hand. I have to get to church early. Our mission team is working on selling hot ham and rolls to assist in funding this summer's mission trip. Later this week I will focus on what we will actually be doing.
In leading mission trips for quite a few years and knowing that relative strangers will be staying with each other for several days I like to perform fund raisers to see how the team works together. The funds raised also help to offset the dollars each team member needs to raise. But I like to see how they function as a team. Who works without needing too many directions? Who stands in the gap? Who can lead? Who is the weakest in the bunch? It helps me to pray and to be able to correctly match team members to a task. In ministry, team work, unity and looking out for the other person at all times is extremely important.
1 Corinthians 12:20-25
As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our un-presentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it.
I have used these two verses and prayer to lead and develop teams in the past. If you are contemplating a short term mission trip, read these verses. If God is calling you to go, seek to develop the heart that is needed to live these two verses. In ministry, especially short term mission trips a diverse armory of talents is often needed. But most of all people that are willing to serve the Lord, and the other members of the team is the greatest talent or gift needed.
I can smell that ham with cloves all the way to my house.
Have a great day.
Marty
Pardon my short message this morning. I am headed out the door with a cup of Door County Peanut Butter Crunch Coffee in my hand. I have to get to church early. Our mission team is working on selling hot ham and rolls to assist in funding this summer's mission trip. Later this week I will focus on what we will actually be doing.
In leading mission trips for quite a few years and knowing that relative strangers will be staying with each other for several days I like to perform fund raisers to see how the team works together. The funds raised also help to offset the dollars each team member needs to raise. But I like to see how they function as a team. Who works without needing too many directions? Who stands in the gap? Who can lead? Who is the weakest in the bunch? It helps me to pray and to be able to correctly match team members to a task. In ministry, team work, unity and looking out for the other person at all times is extremely important.
1 Corinthians 12:20-25
As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our un-presentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it.
Philippians 2:1-30
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus
I have used these two verses and prayer to lead and develop teams in the past. If you are contemplating a short term mission trip, read these verses. If God is calling you to go, seek to develop the heart that is needed to live these two verses. In ministry, especially short term mission trips a diverse armory of talents is often needed. But most of all people that are willing to serve the Lord, and the other members of the team is the greatest talent or gift needed.
I can smell that ham with cloves all the way to my house.
Have a great day.
Marty
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Did You Die Today? 5/2/2015
Good Morning.
Happy weekend to you. I pray you will be blessed and rested. My early morning cup of coffee is Door County Cherry Crème. It is going down very well.
If you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you have died. Did you know that?
Romans 6:4Good News Translation (GNT)
4 By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.
Because you died with Jesus, you are no longer alive to the things that Jesus opposed. You can regard yourself deceased to the power of sin. You have victory. The worst thing that could happen to you never can. You will not spend eternity in Hell.
Your former life died with Jesus on the cross. You are identified with Christ totally in His plan of salvation. When He died so did you. When He was buried, our old lives were buried with Jesus. When He was raised from the dead, you were raised with Jesus. It's not really your life anymore, but Jesus living in you.
Have a great day. Enjoy the victory.
Marty
Happy weekend to you. I pray you will be blessed and rested. My early morning cup of coffee is Door County Cherry Crème. It is going down very well.
If you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you have died. Did you know that?
Romans 6:4Good News Translation (GNT)
4 By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.
Because you died with Jesus, you are no longer alive to the things that Jesus opposed. You can regard yourself deceased to the power of sin. You have victory. The worst thing that could happen to you never can. You will not spend eternity in Hell.
Your former life died with Jesus on the cross. You are identified with Christ totally in His plan of salvation. When He died so did you. When He was buried, our old lives were buried with Jesus. When He was raised from the dead, you were raised with Jesus. It's not really your life anymore, but Jesus living in you.
Have a great day. Enjoy the victory.
Marty
Friday, May 1, 2015
All In A Day 5/1/2015
Good Morning,
Friday at last! This is going to be one hectic weekend with a Mission Ministry fund raiser and the Men's Ministry breakfast and trap shoot.
My coffee pot just brewed my morning treat of Door County Mocha Mint.
Genesis 1 New International Version (NIV)
It has been said that right after God created day and night and angel turned to God and asked. "What are we going to do now?" God replied "Let's stop and call it a day"
To think that God created the first day and then all the days ever since is just amazing. Even though we weren't there on that first day God knew that He would be giving us this day. God saw the light of day as good. So today, on this day given to you and me let's find the good in the day.
God bless,
Marty
Friday at last! This is going to be one hectic weekend with a Mission Ministry fund raiser and the Men's Ministry breakfast and trap shoot.
My coffee pot just brewed my morning treat of Door County Mocha Mint.
Genesis 1 New International Version (NIV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
It has been said that right after God created day and night and angel turned to God and asked. "What are we going to do now?" God replied "Let's stop and call it a day"
To think that God created the first day and then all the days ever since is just amazing. Even though we weren't there on that first day God knew that He would be giving us this day. God saw the light of day as good. So today, on this day given to you and me let's find the good in the day.
God bless,
Marty
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