Time To Take A Stand Acts Chapter 4 2/12/2018

Good Morning,

The kitchen has an aroma coming from it and I do believe It is Door County Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Coffee. I would recognize that smell, even with a head cold.

In Acts Chapter 4 we see the Apostle taking a stand for his faith. This is the same guy who only a few chapters back in the Bible was denying his relationship with Jesus. Once Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit he rose up and took his stand, never again to be the one who backed down. And my friends look at how he took that stand. He spoke clearly and laid down the Gospel message boldly  without fear or shame. There is no beating around the bush in his statements.

Acts 4: 1-12 New International Version (NIV)

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

4 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Peter was like an avid big game hunter here. He had one good shot and he took it. He laid it out on the line, resurrection and all. Jesus and only Jesus was the center of credit. Notice He did not have a band, or a fancy stage. He was just hauled out of jail and He was ready to preach.

How about you? If someone was to try and convict you of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to do so. Who do you say Jesus is? The messages you hear in your churches, are they proclaiming the Good News of Jesus? Do you even hear His name? Is the message sifted in a way that Jesus is forgotten?

Food for thought,

Marty

Pizza And The Kid 2/11/2018

Good Morning,

One more day without some Door County Coffee, but tomorrow morning will be different. I write today with joy and some agony.

Rene and I were able to spend the weekend with our grandson Dominic and later today we will fly home and he will be back to his school routine. The visit was awesome, but I don't look forward to the goodbye at the school. Saying goodbye is always a heartbreak.

Last night the three of us went for some pizza as we have done for many years. My mind started to wander back to the time when I referred to Dominick as the "Little Crapper" and how that little guy would smile while eating his pepperoni pizza. I recalled a cruise we were on and how he and I would sneak out of the cabin and eat pizza for breakfast. I will never forget doing that.

During our dinner last night I watched a 17 year old attack a pizza and garlic bread and all of a sudden this muscled six footer was a little boy again. I wondered where the years have gone and if he would remember the things we as grandparents have taught him. We started making plans for a return trip and we are already looking forward to it.

Deuteronomy 4:9   Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children

So how does my story impact you? Here is the thought for the day. Spend as much time as you can with those grandchildren. They grow up too fast and before you know it you  too are different. You grow old and the energy level just isn't the same. We talked about God and will attend the church Dominic found tomorrow. He really likes this church. So yes we have our God in common and for as long as possible we will have pizza in common. You do have an impact on those kids and it is important that you do so. They never really grow up because you never quit being a grandparent.


God bless,

Marty

Rest Relaxation, Family And God 2/10/2018

Good Morning,

I find myself without my usual cup of Door County Coffee today. Rene and I are taking a short weekend away from our normal routine and traveling with coffee did not work.

Back at home our dog Gibbs and our house are in good hands with our nephew Nick and we are taking some time to visit our grandson Dominic at school in Atlanta Georgia. What does this  have to do with inspiring all of you? Let me try to explain.

I have been burning the candle at both ends again and I am tired, beyond tired. I need some rest. But most importantly we haven' seen the youngest grand kid in a year due to schedules and school changes. Dom is in school pursuing a military career after high school and visiting isn't always on the school's schedule either.

When this grandpa announced that it was more than time for us to visit, the family wheels kicked in. Our daughter verified a date that we could visit and remove Dom from school for a weekend. She found us a place to stay, Grandma made arrangements for us both to be off from work yesterday. Our nephew jumped in and said "I have the house and Gibbs covered". And I forgot to mention I enlisted some prayerful friends to pray and make sure this weekend would happen.

Yesterday in the Midwest 1000's of flights were canceled due to a snow storm. When I checked the flight status at 4:AM I expected to at least see our flight delayed. When I looked out the window of the house I saw fresh piles of frozen fluff on the ground. But the flight status was ON TIME!

We drove in four wheel drive all the way to the airport and still expected a delay. The airport had dozens of trucks clearing snow off of the runways and it was still snowing. Our status was still ON TIME. Despite the mess outside that plane took off de-iced ON TIME.

The three of us were united by 4:PM and the fun has begun. I am writing now and the other two are sound asleep. The fun and nonsense went pretty late. This weekend will go too quickly but the cadet will be with the grandparents , steak and pizza are on the menu and all three of us will be better because of the hand of God.

Did I mention that we prayed about this trip.?Yes God allowed a snow storm to come in. But only God could have gotten that plane up in the air ON TIME yesterday.

Philippians 4:6-8 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Friends, when a plan comes to mind, it is time to start the prayer process. Not later but right at the moment of thought conception if not before hand. I have been praying about this for a few months. God knew my heart and decided to jump in and then show me some of His power. What a day!!!
Pray my friends, pray!

Love to all,

Marty

When The Night Is Long 2/9/2018

Good Morning,

A cup of Door County Lingonberry Tart Coffee would go good right now but it's not going to happen today. Instead, I am pouring a little Door County Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Coffee. I ran out of the Lingonberry. I swore I had some more stored away.

Have you ever had one of those nights that just seemed like it would never end? Last night was one of those for me and I can tell you this, I can definitely wait for the next long night to come along. I had way too much on my mind and as hard as I tried, sleep just wasn't there. I prayed to God for some sleep but like a toddler in a crowded parking lot, it just escaped me time after time.

I prayed on and off and many of you who read this were prayed for. I have no idea why I could not sleep. So I got up and decided to accomplish something. I wrote my next sermon which I will preach on the 17th of February. It was then that I discovered why I was awake. The thoughts just seemed to roll onto the paper. God for some reason wanted those thoughts written down last night. Once I was done with my work. I fell asleep for an hour and woke up somewhat refreshed. I was going to question God as to why this was so important when He spoke.

Isaiah 55:8-9 New International Version (NIV)

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Once I heard that message, I knew that only God knows what my week will be like next week. Only God knows what the 17th will be like. I needed to trust and obey. Obviously this will be for the good of His Kingdom and for my own good. We will have to wait and see why God denied that sleep. I trust that He is protecting me for something or preparing me for something. The what, we will have to wait to find out. God is good! all the time!

God bless,

Marty

A Life Without Prayer 2/8/2018

Good Morning,

I pray that all who read this today are well physically and spiritually. I wish my table was big enough to invite all the readers to come and join me for breakfast and for a cup of Door County White Chocolate Cinnamon Dolce Coffee. That's a big dream of mine.

I will get right to it. Can you imagine trying to build a relationship with God without prayer? I once heard a preacher say that prayer is the God given right of each Christian to call on God for themselves or for others. Prayer is a lifeline for Christians. Yet some people will go for weeks, months or years with a weak prayer life. To some, prayer is like an after thought to the day. I see this as dining well on rich foods and then going for antacid tablets because you are miserable. Why wait for misery to turn to prayer? Why don't we call on Him before we lose our way? Why don't we count our blessings during our prayer time?

I can't imagine a life without prayer. Some of my best times were spent in prayer to God and then listening for the answer. Prayer is the one thing that cannot ever be taken away from a person. That just proves how important God thinks prayer is.

2 Chronicles 7:14 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Jeremiah 29:13 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Food for thought. Have a great day,

Marty

A Walk With God 2/7/2018

Good Morning,

Where did the night go? It seemed to fly by faster than I could sleep. Now I understand what my mother meant when she said "sleep fast". I can smell the Door County Vanilla Crème Brulee' Coffee brewing in the kitchen. First I will write and then make my way to my morning java.

Roy Lessin wrote " A man who walks with God is always moving in the right direction".

In today's times of doubt and fear there are those who are unsure which direction to take in every decision. They become frozen when it comes to making a choice in anything. The world seems to confuse them. But on the other hand we see those who despite the storms of life seem to be navigating through this world much easier or to say it this way "better".

I find that those who seem to have all the sails on their ship of life full of air and sailing through storms are those who have chosen to make God Number One in their lives. Through faith they accept and claim the promises of God. Here are some of those promises.

Isaiah 41:10 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Psalm 73:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁴ You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.

 

Psalm 23:2-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

 

They do not walk alone. They walk with God and they know they can count on Him to carry them when times are tough.

 

Romans 8:31 New King James Version (NKJV)

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

 

God allows us to call on Him to lead us. He will, but we must obey the directions and submit to His leadership. We fail to do this when we start to rely on our own thoughts and do not take time to consult with God. We rush a decision and then live to regret it, just because we want to trust our own ego or instincts instead of relying on God to lead.

 

Today, choose this day who you will serve, you or God.

 

Marty

 

 

Spin Outs In A Snow Storm 2/6/2018

Good Morning,

It is morning in Wisconsin and my mug was just filled with Door County Highlander Grog Coffee and now it is time to embrace the day!

Yesterday as I drove home from work the skies were dumping white fluff all over the highways and streets. Due to the weather being pretty cold the snow was light and fluffy. The salt that was laid down on the highways could not work due to the low temperatures. This made for some very slick roads. There is always those drivers who ignore the elements and drive too fast for conditions. I affectionately call them the "village idiots". They drive like they are untouchable by the road conditions and just don't pay heed to warnings. One fella in particular passed me on the highway. He reminded me of a kid running for the ice cream truck. I have never witnessed an ice cream truck running  out of frozen treats. So what's the rush? Anyway it was just about a mile down the road when I saw this same guy facing the wrong way in traffic. As I passed him in my four wheel drive truck I could see the fear in his eyes. The spin out must have been an experience he won't forget.

Folks that is how life can be when we get into the fast lane, a lane best left untraveled. We get into things that are not good for us and before we know it they suck us into more trouble and life seems to spin out of control. For instance a little flirting at the lunch table that goes unchecked and unhedged can lead to mistakes further down the road and before you know it you are in divorce court. There are many examples of spin outs in life. The Bible has a few things to say about it and advises us to "hedge our eyes and our thoughts". This is very good advice. However, you must choose to walk in that victory. Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). Every believer needs to make that decision as well. God promises, “If from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29).

We can drive through life sensibly and safely when we choose to. But it is our choice to make.

Marty


mmm