Milwaukee and The Bible. 8/15/16

Good Morning,

Monday showed up and I must have missed the cheering. I started the day with a heavy heart and a cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee.

You ask why I might have a heavy heart? Here it is. We had an officer involved shooting in Milwaukee this weekend which culminated in a riot, fires and looting. There are many people and elected officials running off at the mouth and I personally am sickened by the rhetoric on television. There are two principals that seem to be forgotten and both are Biblical.

Romans 13:1-7New International Version (NIV)

Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor

No excuses here. It is pretty simple, when told by an authority to do something, then do it.

Next. 1 John 3:4New King James Version (NKJV)
⁴ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

I heard these acts of crime called "protests, urban incidents and acts of frustration". Let's call it what it is. Come on now preachers call it by the name it is. It is a sin. What the community needs is not more failed plans, it needs to be convicted of it's need for a Savior. A Christian man stays home with his children, works and makes sure that the kids go to school. He takes them to church and corrects them as needed. I don't see any races mentioned here. This is for all men of any race.

Think about it. We are breaking God's laws of Scripture and then expect good to come from it.

Enough for one day.

Marty

Doing What Is Right When No One Is Around. Leaving the Nest 8/14/2016

Good Morning,

Last night a neighbor was chiding me about how I always write about whatever delicious coffee I am dinking in the morning. It's a long story of love that led me to drink Door County Coffee and so I smile as I drink this cup of Cherry Crème today and recall falling in love with my wife all over again 6 years ago.

Daniel’s Training in Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ² And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.

³ Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— ⁴ young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. ⁵ The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
⁶ Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. ⁷ The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” ¹⁴ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. ¹⁶ So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead

Daniel was a young man of Israel and was now a captive of Babylon. He was told to eat things that for the Jewish folks would defile. His family was gone, and most of the other Jews had already given in except for three of his buddies. So, you see they were not the majority. Peer pressure did not make these guys cave in. Now Daniel was respectful and wasn't obnoxious with the authorities over him.  He did however know right from wrong. You could also tell from this passage that Daniel knew the word of God. He had no one in "religious authority" to hold him accountable. From this you can also tell that He loved God and also feared Him.

Daniel and his buddies were determined to do what was right and in a respectful way took their stand and God moved on their behalf.

It is almost September and soon many first time young men and women will be leaving home to pursue college educations. A lot of temptations will be coming their way. Some of them are not as grounded as Daniel and his buddies. These newbies will meet new people and be free from the watchful eye of mom and dad. Most will be ok and do fine, but some others will be swallowed up by the freedoms and choices they encounter now. Will they do what is right or will they give in to peer pressure?

If you know someone who is experiencing this for the first time, they should be on your prayer list. Many a good kid fails out in that first year of school and they take a long time to recover from the mistakes of that "semester" of knowing what is right but not doing it.

So dear friends, broaden your prayer horizons and include those you know who are leaving the nest. Pray for them and their parents. If you know them well enough send them a card of encouragement and be bold enough to share this blog with them or some Godly advice.

Love to all and if you are in the neighborhood, well, the coffee is on.

Marty

 

It's Really A Simple Plan 8/13/2016

Good Morning Friends and Family,

Saturday morning and I have to go into work for a short little project and I will be chugging some of my Door County German Chocolate Coffee in the old Ford as I drive in. Coffee, trucks, dogs and work, they all go together. If you have to go to work it should be in your truck.

I recently was chatting with a fellow that I would call "scholarly" and he was telling me about this book he was reading that gives guidance as to how to live successfully. I asked him how many pages were in the book and how he was doing with reading it. He replied "it has a little over three hundred pages and I am reading about three to four pages a day". Now I am a wise guy from the word go. I asked this "If that book is so good and it leads to successful living why haven't you completed it in just a day or two? Why wait to be successful?  Now my scholar friend replied "You make a good point". I just couldn't let this go. I asked him if he had ever read the Bible? The answer was "no, it has no relevance to today"! I thought to myself "here we go". I looked up Micah 6:8 on my phone and told him that I would prove the relevance of the Bible to today.

Micah 6:8New International Version (NIV)

⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.

 

I read the verse to him and said, "just think what the world would be like if everyone followed this verse. We wouldn't have law suits, lawyers would be less busy and less expensive, prisons would be day care centers, teachers wouldn't need the police, parents would have some peace and quiet. More people would be able to count to ten and not blow up at other people." It told this fellow that I believe I found the book for successful living and I read it every day and sometimes I just can't put it down. Unlike his best seller that barely kept him awake. He was dumb struck and silent.

 

Wondering what life is about? What path to take next? What is the truth about eternity? How to love? Open your Bible and unleash yourself on the pages and absorb the many truths and promises.

 

Start today!

 

God bless,

Marty

What Makes A Home? 8/12/2016

Good Morning,

Friday showed up just like it promised and I for one am happy it did. My cup of Door County Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream Coffee and an ice cold peach are making the morning a little special.

We have lived in our house since 1994 and really have no intentions to leave. We are quite content to be right here. Through the years we have had great Christmas trees, furniture that was new and then needed to be replaced. We have some beautiful dishes, adequate clothing, appliances and I have a few stuffed animals hanging on the walls. The apple trees in the yard are now mature and have turned out a few thousand pieces of fruit. The fireplace is well used and is ready to go for this winter. There are pictures hanging on the walls and books on the shelves. The house withstood one small tornado and several huge snowstorms.

But all that stuff in abundance does not make a home.

Hebrews 3:4
For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

It is the people inside that make the home. A family with God at the head survives the tornadoes of life and weathers the storms. The "attitude" of the home is built with unconditional love, forgiveness, and kindness. Strangers are welcome. It should be used as an emergency room for others to come and get a meal, some love, respect and support. The house becomes a home when the word of God is alive and well in the home.

Joshua 24:15
¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

I see people with larger houses and they look beautiful. But all too often when I talk with some of the owners I find that they are still not happy. When I listen to them for awhile I come to the conclusion most of the time that the house is beautiful but it is not a home. They have a family inside that goes in two million different directions and does not put God at the head.

The people inside a house need that main element (God) to truly make the house a home. Friends if the house seems like four walls and the people inside are living like strangers, well? The one thing that makes a house a home is a family united in their relationship to God.

Only you know what is missing or just lacks enough of.  Hey don't just read this, do something about it. You are as close to God as you choose to be.

Have a great day!

Marty

I Rejoiced When They Said To Me. 8/11/2016

Good Morning,

I can hear the racket of my Door County Cherry Crème Coffee brewing in the kitchen. I am up a little earlier than usual today. Our alarm clock of a dog decided that it was time for us to move. I heard a small flock of geese pass over the house way earlier than usual. I was hoping that the Springer Spaniel hunting machine didn't hear them, but I was wrong. His internal calendar is telling him that it will soon be time to hunt. My internal clock was telling me "15 more minutes of sleep" would be nice. I get up, he goes outside for a minute, he eats and goes back to sleep. I have a hard time not getting up with that eager face staring at me. I mumble, "just a few more weeks buddy"

 

Tuesday night our elder board met at church for our monthly meeting. One of the items on the agenda is a time for us to share praises. We do share prayer requests and pray for guidance, but to be honest I really enjoy hearing about all the things that God is doing within our board and the church. I get goose bumps on my arms when I hear the stories of our Awesome God.

God does some amazing things in my own life, but to be able to praise Him with others as I hear about what He has done and is doing means so much more when it is shared. Somehow rejoicing with others seems to be a big deal for me. I really don't care if I have anything to report or not. But being happy for others and listening somehow is just as good. I see their smiles and their passion when they discuss victories and lift them up in praise.

I guess for me, church has taught me another way to praise. Psalm 122:1New International Version

Psalm 122

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

I hope your day is blessed from above.

Marty

God Showed Himself 8/10/2016

Good Morning,

I put on a happy heart today and headed to the kitchen for a cup of Door County Country Morning Blend Coffee. An ice cold peach and some Cheerios for breakfast and I am set to challenge this day.

Matthew 5:8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

I don't know about you but there are times in my life when I seem to need God the most and it's then that He seems so distant. I have figured out what my personal plan for God's absence is. I get too involved in "stuff". I allow myself to wander from God's path because I get too wrapped up in stuff or worries. My quiet time with God suffers, my prayers are rushed and Bible time is depleted to almost non-existence. My formula for disaster is self made and I am the owner.

If during these times I were to keep my heart focused on God at all times my life storms would not seem so lonely. When my heart is consumed with stuff, it has no room for God. I miss out on what He is doing in the world and what He is doing in my life.

I have added a picture of one of our team members who went to Haiti for a short term mission trip. One American teen, one Haitian child. Neither could speak the other's language, yet this child needed to be embraced and loved. The teen had plenty of love to give. Both saw God at work and only God could transcend, age, race, language and color of skin to produce moments of love. The focus of the heart was God and His work. The heart focused on God is a pure heart. The mission trip cost that teen money, time away from family, friends and hobbies. The results of following God was priceless.

When did you see Him last? Does your heart need to be swept clean? Only you know.

Have a great day!

Marty

The Bucket Brigade 8/9/2016

Good Morning,

I wish you could be here this morning to share some biscuits and sausages. We could wash them down with some Door County Highlander Grog Coffee and sit back and discuss the good things in life.

Hebrews 10:24-25New International Version (NIV)
²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

In order for us guys to take a bucket shower while on our mission trip to Haiti we had to fill a barrel daily with water kept in a cistern at the top of a hill. That small bucket of water at the end of a hot day poured over your body was a blessing beyond words.

 To fill the barrel each night we formed a bucket line and handed off pails from one person to the next. Now our team was primarily comprised of young ladies. Each night they lined up to make sure that the men had water and could clean up. I truly believe they did this out of their love for God and for others. Some might think that they did this out of self preservation. Us fellas smelled pretty bad at the end of the day. I know for sure that they did it because the love of Jesus burns within them. As a team we made short work of what would have been a long chore by carrying individual buckets down the hill one bucket, one guy at a time.

People have been asking me about the things I saw while in Haiti. The one thing that I saw time and time again was love in action. I don't think I ever worked with a group who knew the word sacrifice and practiced it the way this group did. Not one complaint, no whining, just a "get it done attitude".

God loves teamwork and a team that works hard together, sacrificing for the good of a group is Christianity the way it should be. I doubt that this team will ever reassemble on the mission field again. but I know this, they will be great team members wherever they are. Because they no how to love the Lord and others.

How about you? What kind of team member are you. can you be counted on, even when it hurts? Are you a "show up" kind of person?

Food for thought!

Marty