Apple Pie And The Harvest 9/5/2016

Good Morning,

This day is starting out slow and I have to say that I like it. In America this is a three day holiday weekend in which we reflect on hard work and take a day to celebrate. Seems like it is a little contradictory to me. But I am enjoying the time away from work and started this day with prayer and a cup of Door County Autumn Spice Coffee.

Yesterday I picked a small basket of apples from our trees. They were red and juicy. This year the apple crop seems to be better than the last few years. I was going to use the apples for our lunches this week but decided to be less lazy and make up an apple pie for Rene. My gal is diabetic and has been for many, many years. She takes great care of herself and does very well. So one sugar free apple pie was soon in the oven. She never makes us fuss when we go out to eat or places where she can't control what is served. For instance, when we attend weddings she just passes her piece of wedding cake over to me. If there is something on my plate that she can eat and is good for her it comes off of my plate discreetly and ends up on hers. That's how we roll.

So just before bed time, the pie was done baking. Now in the title I spoke of a harvest. It was not the apple crop that I was speaking about as a harvest. Rene saw that hot pie and I harvested a huge smile from her. She told me she would be home for dessert for sure. Her dessert will start before our goose fajitas.

I want to challenge all of us today to go about performing sacrificial tasks and see how many smiles you can put into your harvest basket.  Opening doors, please and thank you, pouring the coffee for your spouse are good ways to start. Cut some flowers and take them to a neighbor. Who knows? The possibilities are endless here. Do not forget to count your own smiles.

Always put a smile on your face because it’s a very powerful weapon. I’m not talking about a cheesy fake one. I’m talking about a genuine smile of happiness. Instead of putting on a frown when in hard times which will only make you frustrated and feel worse, turn that frown upside down. Give God thanks and always smile, which shows strength. Bless someone’s life today by just giving them a smile and that alone can indeed uplift them.  


What does the Bible say?
1. Proverbs 15:30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.
2. Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but depression drains one’s strength.
3. Proverbs 15:13-15 A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit. A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.

I just prayed for those who will read this today. Are you smiling?

God bless,

Marty

Sunday Morning Pancakes and Prayer 9/4/2016

Good Morning,

My day began  strangely with a ring of the doorbell. It was still a little dark out but I was already up and about. It was one of our neighbors who I don't know very well but I see her walking her dog every morning. Today was the same for her except that her dog was not with her. She had an empty leash and looked a little distraught. She apologized for ringing so early but that her dog had gotten off of the leash and chased a rabbit that was in our yard. She was sure that her little rascal was in our yard but was now confused and could not find his way back to her. She was asking permission to chase down her dog.  (Obviously not a well trained hunting dog) but long story short, we found the little lap dog with our Springer Spaniel Gibbs and all was well. While walking back to the house she said "Thank you. Do you know that I have to smell your coffee every morning when I walk by? It must come out of your stove vent and I have wanted a cup on cold mornings" I do brew the coffee close to the exhaust vent and have noticed the aroma outside a time or two myself. "I love walking by and have thought about asking you where you get your coffee". I said "Have a seat here at the picnic table and we will have some Door County Raspberry Butter Crunch Coffee".  I broke out the mugs and had my first surprise coffee visit. The two dogs played around and we talked about coffee. Be careful what you pray for! I have been wishing for coffee companions.

On Sunday mornings whenever possible Rene and I will usually have a better breakfast than normal. We celebrate the Lord's day with a treat that takes a little more time. Today it is pancakes and sausages. I found a sketch that looks just like what we will be having. We use an antique syrup dispenser bottle found in restaurants back in the 60's. We eat off of antiques plates and us two old antiques have prayer and talk about what will happen the rest of the day. The pace is slower and is much more enjoyable than the quick bowl of oatmeal I usually eat during the week. The prayer time might be a little strange to some though. We keep a list of prayer requests and concerns and review it at the table. We write down the answers to prayer and add new requests to the list. Some requests have been on that list for years and we wait patiently for an answer from God.

Hebrews 4:9-11New King James Version (NKJV)
⁹ There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. ¹⁰ For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

It helps us to keep Sunday in perspective and it refreshes our souls to eat breakfast with God.


Who did you eat with today?

This is a good lesson to instill in the kids. I wish we had started this with our daughter when she was at home. We discussed last week how we don't do this when we have guests and are praying about whether or not to include quests in the prayer time. We always pray before a meal when there are guests, but some of these requests are personal in nature. So to include or not include?  We await that answer to prayer.

Have a great day!  

Marty

PS: Try adding butter to your syrup and heating it together before pouring it on the pancakes. This is much better that a glob of butter on hot pancakes.

Saturday Morning Thoughts

Good Morning,

I am sitting on the edge of a field with a cup of Door County Apple Cobbler Coffee with my dog Gibbs, my buddies, some goose decoys and a sunrise. The picture below is my view of the morning. A man and his dog.

The mosquitoes are a little thick this morning but they will leave once the sun comes up. I was just sitting here counting my blessings. They are too many to count. But I did a pretty good job of hitting the main ones. Prayers were lifted up before the hunt and while sitting here. It is so quiet. You can hear your heart beat. I am content. Being content and quiet is a blessing itself. Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God. 

I could eat a cookie now with my coffee. I think I will. My prayer is for all of you to be well and content.

God bless.

Marty

My Lamp, My Light, My God 9/2/2016

Good Morning,

It is here. My first cup of Door County Autumn Spice Coffee for this fall! I heard it perking away about 20 minutes ago and now it is here next to me steaming as I write. Happy Friday.

2 Samuel 22:29       

"For You are my lamp, O LORD; And the LORD illumines my darkness.

I, like most everyone have experienced rough days during my life. Life always seems to be a series of ups and downs. I remember days that just seemed like they couldn't get worse. It was like walking in the dark without a light. It was a long time ago that I experienced God whispering my name, just Him and me. I knew then that I might experience dark days ahead but I would never walk alone. I remember what I read in a Bible that one special night and I knew God was speaking. And He was speaking to me.

Matthew 11:28-30New International Version (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.”

I had no where else to turn and I reached out and said "yes Lord" I am here and I will surrender. All the dark things of my life did not disappear but they were illuminated by God in such away that I did not need to fear them and there was a way to pass by them without harm.

I have shared a light with those who's homes were darkened by storm produced power outages. They had no lights at all and I was able to give them an extra light that we had. Just the light seemed to take the fear away from what the storm was doing. We now have a full house generator and I have been able to give my neighbor a line of electricity to his home when the power goes out. That gift is even better. More light and some heat if needed. I can still see his smile when the light went on in his refrigerator.

God is not just a one candle God. When He lights the way during the storms of our lives we experience His power. It is like having more than one candle in a power outage. God wants us to know He is there. His Word was the light to the path that I had to choose. That option was well lit by the power of God's Word.

Are you in a personal storm, with hurt, fear or no where to turn? Open that Bible. Get on your knees and let God speak, directions, words of comfort, words of eternal life and words of love. Don't continue to walk alone in the dark.

God bless,

Marty

A Sharp Ax And Marriage 9/1/2016

Good Morning,

Hey! One more day until Friday. I will be starting to drink my favorite Door County Fall Flavors on Friday. Maple or Pumpkin? Now there's a question. But today it is a big cup of Red Velvet Mocha.

I like to cut wood for our fireplace. I enjoy having a hot fire on a cold day while eating a bowl of chili. I like to split the logs by hand. Somehow it makes me feel more manly and splitting wood is a long time family tradition. But splitting wood with a dull ax is never a good idea. I keep mine good and sharp. It makes the task easier and there is nothing like the sound of an ax as it slices through a log.

Ecclesiastes 10:10New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom brings success

You might be wondering what a sharp ax and marriage have in common. Well here we go! If a dull ax adds more hard work to an already difficult task, so does having a dull marriage add to the difficulty of life for a husband and wife. Couples we need to keep the marriage sharp. We need to keep dating long after the "I do" portion of the wedding. Dedicating some time together and doing something is a key link in keeping the marriage "sharp". Guys don't be afraid to ask your spouse if she wants to go with you when you do guy things. Rene doesn't hunt but she loves to take pictures. So once in awhile we go out together and I shoot pheasants and Rene takes pictures. I do not like to shop but Rene does. Most of all she loves shopping for antiques. So off we go, she shops and I look for things on her list. We always end up in a custard shop on the way home. We compromise on what we will do, but we do something and it is a date.

Before the marriage is swinging a battle axe at each other start dating just like you were doing when you met. I suggest once a week or once every other week, But do it!

The fire you rekindle may just be heart warming!

God bless.

Marty

God And Going South 8/31/2016

Good Morning,

I have a solution to Wednesdays. They should lead right into Friday. But that probably would not keep us employed very long. So today I will fill my Thermos with a big cup of Door County Cherry Crème Coffee and get some work done.

Lately I have noticed the Canada Goose flocks getting larger in numbers. This is the start of them all joining up to head South for the winter. I think geese are one of the more interesting birds to learn about and watch. I found it very interesting that the geese are monogamous throughout their lives unless their mate dies. Humans could learn a lesson from them!

Canada geese are known for their seasonal migrations. Most Canada geese have staging or resting areas where they join up with others. Their autumn migration can be seen from September to the beginning of November.The early migrants have a tendency to spend less time at rest stops and go through the migration much faster. The later birds usually spend more time at rest stops. Some geese return to the same nesting ground year after year and lay eggs with their mate, raising them in the same way each year. This is recorded from the many tagged geese which frequent the East Coast.

So how can a goose know where to go, when humans need a compass, a GPS unit and a map. The answer is this. God made them unique and designed them that way.

Genesis 1:20-23 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

Only God would  wire a bird to know when to fly South and how to get there.

Have a great day.

Marty

Watch Out! The Grill Is Hot 8/30/2016

Good Morning,

I woke up today and the alarm clock was playing the music so loud that I thought I was in the front row of a concert and my ear was in the speaker. I can always tell when Rene dusts the house in a hurry. She bumps that volume dial every time! Now it's time for that first cup of Door County German Chocolate Cake Coffee.

We grill outside quite often and we do it all year round. While entertaining throughout the years I have always been mindful of a hot grill and kids. Little kids just seem to be attracted to a hot smoking grill like a moth is drawn to a lightbulb at midnight. Now we all know that hot grills and kids are a severe burn just waiting to happen. Most kids will keep getting closer and closer to the hot grill just wanting to throw something in and see it flare up. They know it's dangerous and wrong yet they just want to experiment.

Sin is just like a hot grill. It seems that all the things that could burn us spiritually, emotionally and physically, attract us to them like ants to cake on the ground. Drugs for instance are one of those things that might start as an experiment, but can suck you in for life. It started out as a temptation but turned into an addiction. When you play with sin and don't get burned you trust more in your ability to "handle it".  The sin is just warming you up for the full heat. Why burn a couple fingers when you can destroy one life as well as other lives.

All sin comes from Satan and must be avoided at all cost. The best way to resist Satan and his temptations is to run the other way, recite Scripture when tempted, and pray. Satan will flee.

James 4:7New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Most of all when you run and pray you are running to Jesus for help. He will never let you down and will show you a way out.

Don't get burned by Satan. Run to God and avoid the consequences of sin.

Marty