The Cane And The Reminder 1/7/2019

Good Morning,

I started very early today so I could have breakfast and a cup of Door County Spicy Nut Cracker Coffee with my wife Rene. I was able to hobble around enough to make a small steak, potatoes and eggs skillet for her.

Psalm 23 New King James Version (NKJV)

I shall not want.

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.

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

23 The Lord is my shepherd;

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

I mentioned the other day that I had graduated from a walker to a cane for assistance in my walking. I can use the cane indoors only for now and that seems to be just fine with me. I also said that I would write about the cane a few days later. Today is the day.

We did not have to purchase a cane for my recovery. I had one hanging in the garage and knew that some day I would need it. The cane belonged to my great aunt Rose. For a short time in her long life Rene and I had the privilege to assist in her old age care. As Auntie Rose slipped further into a life of dementia her cane became an assist to walk and a weapon. One day I was called to the nursing home to see if I could talk her into surrendering her cane. This little old lady had all the attendants held at bay. She weighed about 85 pounds at the most. When I arrived she surrendered the cane and I took it home and hung it up. Before our little Zorro gave up her cane she cracked me one along side of the head with it. She had slipped into a state of dementia for a minute or two. She was confused and chewed me out before unleashing her love tap to my head.  From the time I spent visiting Auntie Rose I knew that she would recount family life with her brothers and sisters. She was the youngest girl in a very large family. Something the oldest brothers did used to anger her. I believe they raised a little "Cane" in town now and then and it embarrassed Rose. So as she would get confused she would remind me that she was angry at them and she saw me in them within her memory. I received the wrath meant for her brothers.

Rose was what you would call feisty and somewhat unfiltered at times. Yet she looked like a very refined, sweet little lady. ( which she was) She  said what was on her mind.and did not hold back.  She was one tough lady. I enjoyed our visits.  I was with her when she passed away and I can still see her peaceful smile. Her cane does several things for me as well as teach me a lesson daily.

1. It assists me in walking now. Family takes care of family.
2. It reminds me to be strong and of good courage. That side of the family raised some tough cookies.
3. It reminds me to cherish my memories and always work to make new ones.
4. It's shape is that of a shepherd's staff and God is my Shepherd

When I walk and use the cane I am carrying a small legacy with me. And as I look at the Shepherd's staff I know I walk with the cane, but God has carried me thus far.

God bless,

Marty

Being Late Is Not Fashionable. It's Late. 1/6/2019

Good Morning,

My prayer is that all of you have a peaceful day, filled with rest and love.  My mug of Door County Christmas Coffee is ready and now it is time to write.

I was listening to a Christian Radio talk show a few nights ago. A panel of pastors were discussing "problems in the church". All the problems they discussed are fixable, but really require a change of heart from the church members.and the leadership.

One of the issues which I will write about today is a pet peeve of my own. This one has no excuse and should be fixed. Again it will take a change of heart. ( Might I say, repent' or revival?)

I have been accused of legalism in my thoughts, and that I am old. I will take the "old" in stride. I have been told that I don't understand the younger folks. I have news for people, what we will discuss is not just for the young people.

Friends we are in the middle of a church epidemic and it is called " Being Late". This panel of pastors all agreed that at least one third of the Sunday attenders are late for the start of the worship service and some by twenty minutes or more. I know that things happen and people will be late from time to time, but it seems that  lateness besieges the same members week after week. Coming in late disrupts the thoughts of singers, musicians, pastors and other church members. Most areas only have one day of worship in the church, it is usually Sunday. I applaud those who because of employment or duty to the city or nation struggle to get there and are happy just to make it, even thought they are late. This one is not for you. It is for those, who can do better and do not.  This is for the group who has allowed their love, fear, and respect for God to become so small that they do not see being late as a sin and offensive to Him. I have heard some say that nothing important happens in the first 15 minutes anyway. Tithes are taken. Prayer starts off the day. Announcements are made. These same people are the ones who say. "I wish I would have known about that need or event. My answer is "show up and listen"

They are practicing idolatry. You say, "That's harsh". An extra 30 minutes of sleep just because the bed felt good and then being late for church has put said person ahead of God and that person is their own idol. Stopping for a cup of coffee is harmless, unless it causes you to be late for church. The coffee can wait. The spill over from this offensive sinful attitude is that it will creep into prayer lives, willingness to serve and will harden hearts in no time flat. The book of Revelation calls the epidemic exactly what it is.

Revelation 2:1-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Loveless Church

2 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: ² “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³ and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. ⁴ Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. ⁶ But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

⁷ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God

When we leave God at the alter even temporarily we have put other things before Him. Our lack of respect for Him and others rears it's ugly head.

How do we fix this.
1 Repent and call a sin a sin.
2 Examine your heart and ask for forgiveness.
3 Develop a plan to get there on time. If you oversleep and hit snooze on your phone or clock, move
   your wake up device across the room so you have to walk to turn it off.
4 Plan ahead. Lay out your clothing the night before. Make God a priority.
5. Quit making God fit into your schedule. How about fitting into His?

Marty

Graduating From A Walker To A Cane 1/5/2019

Good Morning,

From our house to yours I hope this note finds you all with peace and your needs met. I intend to have a prayerful day and one of quiet myself. I just poured myself a cup Door County White Christmas Coffee and now it is time to write.

Proverbs 31:27 New King James Version (NKJV)

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁷ She watches over the ways of her household,

Rehabilitation on my two knee replacements is going strong. I have lots of help in that area. A physical therapist and occupational therapist have been visiting me at home. Now when I say visit I really don't mean it. They come and help me twist, bend, and turn my legs into positions they have not seen since high school.I look forward to their  "visits" because the pain is worth the gain. But in all honesty I am wiped out when they leave. They could be called "passionate" health caregivers.

In their absence I am to do my daily routine of strengthening, bending and icing my legs. This includes walking and walking correctly. It seems that while my knees were in their last part of the journey before replacement I had started to compensate for the pain and discomfort by adjusting the way I walked. This poor style has carried over into this phase of rehabilitation and it is not good for me. I never realized that I was walking funny in an unhealthy way.

My beautiful wife Rene assists with my therapy and will bend and push my legs as she was instructed when they tighten up on me. Her hands have rubbed a gallon of lotion on the legs to keep them from drying up. That nightly massage of the legs is something I look forward to.  Rene has also appointed herself as the "Walking Cop". When she sees me shuffling instead of the heel/toe and bend the knee proper style of walking she is on me like a two year old is on an Oreo Cookie, correcting my bad habit. She has received some glances and snarls from the "Bear" now and then.

Yesterday one of my therapists asked me to walk across the room without any assistance. I did and he was all smiles. I asked how it looked and he replied, "you are now ready to drop the walker inside your home and use a cane. Your walking great. Use the walker outside for another week or so. But you have graduated.!" My walking cop was all smiles too.  I will write more about the cane tomorrow.

Later in the day it was time for a little more distance of a walk than just doing laps in the house. Rene took me to a place at the medical center with a long straight hallway that is not too populated and I walked for about 30 minutes. She tagged along providing water and encouragement.  Once we were finished walking she pronounced that it was already time for dinner. Rene surprised me with a trip to the custard emporium. It wasn't frozen custard that she had on her mind for me. She knows that I love their "chili dogs". She stood outside and ordered our dinner and returned to the car with the Milwaukee South Side delight known as Leon's Chili Dog.  I devoured those two hot dogs in no time flat. My bride joined me in the dining delight.

She said "keep up the hard work Hon. It is paying off". I got a little emotional. She asked me why. I told her that in 1974 my journey with knee many knee surgeries began that year while I was in high school. And when I had the sutures removed from that first go around my mother took me to Leons Frozen Custard to celebrate a step ahead.  The memory was a little too much to ponder.

Here's the lesson. God knew in both instances that I needed a push and a little celebration. He provided Godly women both times to do so. Two women who prayed for me, loved me and helped me to recover. This memory helped me to appreciate what happened then and then the repeat helped me to see what was being done for me now and how to appreciate the gift God sent in the form of a mother and a wife.

Love to all,

Marty

When Is A Good Time To Pray? 1/4/2019

Good Morning,

I started my day with some stretching of the legs and knees. A cup of Door County Dublin's Delight Coffee sits next to me. and prayer time woke me up.

There is so much junk going on in the United States about when it is a a proper time or place for people to pray. I will say this, that if given a lunch break or a coffee break at work, that is a good time to spend in prayer. Work rules should be followed at all times. You will see the other side of this coin in a minute. If there are specific times called out by a person's faith to pray it should be worked out with the employer and employee to see if this is feasible. It all depends on the work situation. Again the work rules set forth by the employer should be followed. Prayer in schools, sporting events, public gatherings should be allowed. You can't keep God out of anywhere He wants to be.

Let's look at what  I did just before knee replacement surgery. Just before going to the operating room I prayed privately with my wife Rene. She was worried about the procedures and what the next few hours could bring.

Once the operating team had me in place and just before I was going to be sedated, I asked for a "time out". One of the physicians asked me why. My reply " I want to pray for all of us before we go any further." He stopped the whole team, which was easy to do. My request for a time out to pray had stopped them cold in their tracks. As I began to pray, heads bowed around the room and I prayed for God to bless those in the room and their families. I asked Him to guide their skilled hands during the procedure. I asked again for God to comfort my family and friends during the operation. I also thanked God for being right there with me. I finished my prayer and thanked all of them for thier work on me.

A day later as I was convalescing in a regular patient room two caregivers who were in the operating room the day before came individually to visit me and  thank me for praying for them that day. My time with God somehow touched their hearts and they said it was just what they needed right there and then. God accomplished more than just a successful knee surgery that day. He was operating on hearts in that same room.

A good friend of mine told me about how he had done this before a surgical procedure he was having a couple years ago.I always said that when my knees were replaced that it would be prayer time in that operating room. So what do I say about prayer time? Prayer time is a spiritual event that needs to take place in the lives of Christians. But we should be ready to pray at any time, or any place. The following verse does not tell us to pray 24/7. It tells us to be spiritual and pray whenever we can. Prayer can be done while driving. When I see a car accident I pray for those involved. When something tragic happens and it is in the news and I hear about it. I pray for those impacted the most by this or how the Holy Spirit leads me to pray.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So our lives are an open prayer book. Be anxious for nothing, pray.

Marty

Up Early For Breakfast With The Wife 1/3/2019

Good Morning,

The kitchen smells good and part of the aroma therapy for me today is a cup of Door County Mocha Mint Coffee.

May the Lord reward you for your kindness. Ruth 1:8

Being laid up with my knee replacements has my sleep very fragmented which will explain this blog today.  During all of this my wife Rene has not only kept up on my every need, the needs of the house, but she hasn't missed a day of work at the hospital. As I become a little better each day I have started to putter in the kitchen. My goal this week was to be up with her in the morning and send her off with an easy breakfast that did not include cold cereal. By the time the morning meal is prepared and eaten I am ready for some ice packs and stretching.
It has been easy to wake up and start the process, because 3:AM seems to be the time my pain flares up a little. Each day I get a little better and stronger. Rene enjoys the company before she goes to work and I enjoy seeing her munch on French Toast and strawberries. ( Today's Menu). Being with her during this time adds some sunshine to my long day of therapy, ice packs and pain.

Most of all, this is my small way of contributing to the team. This is a lot for her to handle. I can shower now from a chair, but I tend to leave a drippy mess on the floor. Before I can dry off Rene has it all wiped up. This morning, she thanked me for breakfast and went about readying for work. I replied, "it's the least I can do for you right now and my way of thanking my partner". She smiled and teared up a little saying "I know, I love every minute, the good and the bad, just keep getting better".

It is important that we remember to say thank you to people we might tend to take for granted. Thank you and a small gesture like some French Toast goes a long way in reminding them of the love and respect you have for them. I have so many to thank, for meals brought to us, rides to the doctor, shower installations and visits. One dear friend took me for a ride just so we could talk man to man.
( I did a little whining). Never take for granted friends and family. They are a gift from God. Some of my favorite meals were delivered to us. This made life a lot easier. How can you not be thankful?

So as you go through life today, be grateful for those around you, and don't be shy when it comes to being verbal about it.

Love to all,

Marty

PS: Rene will come home to a pot of chili in the slow cooker tonight. It has taken me two days to assemble this one.

It's OK To Sit One Out 1/2/2019

Good Morning,

A cup of Door County Cherry Creme Coffee sits next to me and one tired Springer Spaniel is on the floor right on top of my feet warming them up. What a picture.

Proverbs 22:6 King James Version (KJV)

⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Yesterday I was unable to participate in our annual pheasant hunt on New Year's Day. The surgery for my knee replacements did not have enough time between the operation and the hunt. I think I am a few months away from activities like that. I started doing this annual event as my nephew approached a time when I wanted to teach him to avoid the trap of New year's Eve parties. Hunting calls for a clear head,not one polluted by alcohol and lack of sleep. It is now a tradition to hunt on New Year's Day morning.

I turned the whole thing over to our Nephew Nick. It was hard to watch as our dog Gibbs did not want to leave the house without me yesterday morning. It was a tear jerker for me. He went to Nick's truck and came back twice to the house before I convinced him to leave with Nick. There is a bond between man and his animal, especially a man and his hunting dog.

I pretty much am responsible for Nick's passion to hunt and it is now natural for me to turn things over to him as I get older. I recall taking him hunting and then camping in one day. The weather was bitter cold and Nick still recalls that as a good time. I recall it as a good frozen time! I can still see him sleeping in his stocking cap. Our dog Fritz was snuggled next to us as we weathered through the night in the back of my pick up truck.

Later yesterday, the farmer who's land Nick and a few of our buddies hunted, called me. He was telling me how well the hunt went and that I need to know how blessed I am to have four young men represent me the way these young fellows did.  He said this. " Those are some real nice young men". I must tell you this. A guy doesn't mind hearing that. It proved to me that the time spent with three of those guys was never wasted. I spent some time with two  of them in their high school years. I can still see one of them missing his first duck. One of the fellas is new to me and from what I have witnessed, His parents should be proud.

There is hope for this younger generation and it starts with you. Time spent with kids early in their lives always pays a dividend in the end. Spend time with them while they are still teachable.  There might be a set back or two as they wander off the path now and then. But never give up. These four young men all went to work today and know the value of getting paid for their labor. They will extend a hand shake to others and they will come home tired today. They will be inclusive to others and kind to children and animals. They have been taught to pray.

All four of them are welcome to hunt with me anytime.  And I would go hunting, and then camping in a frozen tundra, eating fresh pheasant for supper by a campfire all over again. It was worth it.

Marty

Starting The New Year 1/1/2019

Good Morning,

I rang in the New Year with a cup of Door County Mocha Mint Coffee, cereal and dried cherries. During these days of physical rehabilitation for knee replacements, two ice packs accompanied me to my lap top.

Early this morning our Nephew Nick picked up Gibbs our hunting Spaniel and carried on the annual New Years Day pheasant hunt. We have been doing this for a lot of years. This is the first time I could not partake in the fellowship and hunt. Next year hopefully will be different, Lord willing.

This morning or last night, many people were making promises to do something different or quit doing something. This is the annual "New Year's Resolution."  For some it might be to reduce weight and get in shape, so they enlist a company "Big Fanny" to help them work out. It might be that they decide to go back to school. It could be they stopped the intake of alcohol. All of these are good things.

I as well have a resolution for 2019. I laid awake last night praying through this one. I think this will be a tough one for me, because I am not good at it and did not seek it out. It seems as if I was sought out, probably from God, since I was praying about it.

In 2019 my goal is to be a better "Encourager" to others. This is not in my wheel house. I am not a warm fuzzy type of guy. My motto "suck it up buttercup" seems to fit me all too well. But being laid up with these knees that are now barking for Tylenol I have been humbled to have to rely on many people for some of the simplest things. I am pretty good with please and thank you. But encouragement is a foreign tongue to me.

But the Lord is going to help me do better in this arena. I have looked up some verses and I see that God encourages us. I see that His pattern of encouragement it to start with love and end with love. Our true encouragement comes from God. I will do my best to emulate Him as I attempt to be a better "encourager."

Ephesians 6:10 
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Deuteronomy 20:4 
For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I want to encourage all of you today to find love, joy peace and happiness in the Lord.

God bless,

Marty