The New Bicycle A Sense Of Encouragement 1/14/2019

Good Morning,

My day started with prayer and a cup of Door County Frosting In The Cup Coffee. It is damp and dreary here, but we haven't had the wrath of winter show it's head yet in these parts. We are in a snow drought.

As of late, my writings have been heavy and strongly worded. God laid on my heart to send a word of encouragement to all of you today.

Isaiah 41:13 New King James Version (NKJV)

Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

¹³ For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,

Yesterday I watched a young couple and their oldest daughter who would be four to five years old try out a new bicycle. We have a sidewalk on one side of our neighborhood made for bicycle and pedestrians. Mom was pushing a stroller with a well bundled up baby. It was a family outing.

I  assumed the bicycle was Christmas present as it still had some Holiday ribbons on it. Again I make the assumption that the child lobbied the parents into "trying the new bike or learned to ride a bike". She was a little feeble on her riding abilities. The two wheel freedom mobile was equipped with training wheels for stability. Dad was very close to his daughter as they maneuvered the sidewalk.

The family made a couple of laps around the neighborhood and I am sure those little legs were all tired out. Mom looked ready to head into the house and warm up. On the second lap around our portion of the world I noticed that our young speed racer would get ahead of dad by 30 yards or so, showing her independence. But then she would stop, turn around and look to see if Dad was coming along. She enjoyed the assurance that Dad was close by.

Friends, every day is a new bicycle ride for all of us. Our bicycle rides take us down familiar paths as well as new or unknown roads. But when we venture too far or get the least afraid we to can turn around to a gracious God and know He is behind us, and even closer. He holds our hands and gives us that tug as He leads us faithfully through the path.

Have a great day!

Marty

We Tend To Forget That We Will All Be Judged 1/13/2019

Good Morning,

Door County Candy cane Coffee was chosen as the java of my morning and it is a delight to hear it perking and awaiting my taste buds.

Christians who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have been given the gift of eternal life with God the Father.  My fear is that although this is true, many live their lives wearing the safety net of salvation , but they forget that we will still stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives.

Now once saved by the blood of Jesus, nothing can separate us from that love. Nothing!

Romans 8:31-39 New Living Translation (NLT)

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But we forget that it is graced that saved us and yet we will look Jesus into the eye, stand before Him and give an account of our life on Earth, the good and the bad.

Romans 14:5-12 New King James Version (NKJV)

Every knee shall bow to Me,

And every tongue shall confess to God.”

⁵ One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. ⁸ For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰ But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹ For it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord,

¹² So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

1. When we stand before Christ as Judge, we will be judged according to our deeds in this life. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” This is not an isolated teaching in the New Testament. Jesus said in Matthew 16:27, “The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and will then recompense every person according to his deeds.” And in the very last chapter of the Bible Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every person according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12). In other words, the way you live is not unimportant. It does not mean you earn your salvation. Yet we are to be rewarded for the good we do in our lives and account for the lack of obedience along the way. We do not lose our place in heaven. We forget that we will look Jesus in the eye and give this accoint, yet our sins are washed away by His blood. 

We are saved through grace yet our lives should reflect our faith. You can't earn your way to heaven, but it is also not a free pass to keep a life of sin.

Heavy thoughts for a Sunday.

Marty

Nothing Short Of A Miracle. The Girl Was Found 1/12/2019

Good Morning,

I am once again writing to you from the kitchen table. The old table has become my office until I am a little more proficient with a flight of stairs. I will be fleeing the kitchen soon, probably within two weeks. I just poured a cup of Door County Spicy Nut Cracker Coffee and it is time to write.

In mid October a family of three experienced terror in their home that words cannot describe. Someone had entered their home. Both parents were killed and their thirteen year old daughter was taken. This left a small town in Wisconsin in shock , as well as the county, the rest of the state and the country. There was an immediate swarming of law enforcement agencies sent to the area. They collaborated with one another and went to finding this young girl with a tenacity that was much needed. The community cooperated and formed search groups who covered the area and other areas inch by inch. Prayer meetings and vigils were held. I know for a fact that this crime was the subject of prayer in our home as well as in our church gatherings.

People were pleading and crying out to God for help. The prayer was a cry of unity among God's people. Young and old alike united in prayer cried for her safety and return.

Just this week the young girl was found alive. She had escaped from her captor and is in the arms of loved ones. She has a long road of recovery ahead of her, but she is safe and sound. Our prayers were heard and answered and the communities as well as some of the world rejoiced together. My wife and I were ecstatic when we heard the news that she was found alive.

Tonight at our church service we will not only pray as we always do, but we will take time to thank God for the answered prayer and the showing of His might. I think it is important to show our genuine thankfulness. We will take some time to pray for our nation.

Our nation is at odds internally and our government is shut down. There are arguments between politicians seen every night on television. Demonstrations are taking place in all the large cities. Yet I have seen very few if any calls to prayer by churches and communities for our nation which is in calamity. High Schools are not holding vigils. Other teens and children are still missing. Where is the prayer?

Prayer has been removed from so many areas in our country. I wonder what would have happened if someone had stood up during this time of tragedy for this family and tried to block public prayer meetings. God was invited in. He can't be kept from anywhere and the sooner we realize that we should turn our nation, our churches and our world over to His leadership, we will be much better off for having done so.. Stand tall my friends. Stand united in prayer for others and our nation and the world.

Praise God. She was found.

Marty 

A Ride In The Old Ford 1/11/2019

Good Morning,

It is a little chilly in the house this morning and my cup of Door County Jingle Bell Java Coffee is warming me right up. It's a nice feeling to be warming up as the day begins and sets me on a busy path today.

As I recover from knee replacements it is easy to say that the process has really grounded me to our home more than I am used to. The healing is going well and I am praising God for how it is progressing.

Jeremiah 33:3 New King James Version (NKJV)

³ ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

I have been blessed with most of my clinical caregivers being able to come to our home. A few Doctors appointments  had me traveling to the medical center or a clinic. My good friend has taken me to church and for breakfast. He is one in a million. Rene has taken me to areas of large space and small crowds to walk.  I am truly blessed.

All of this has been done in vehicles other than my Big Old Ford Truck. The Old Boy has been started and Rene takes it for a drive now and then to make sure everything is running.

But yesterday my physical therapist asked me if I wanted to try and get in and out of the truck to see if there is a way to do it safely. The thought of sitting in my truck tempted me beyond what I could take and we set ourselves outside for the challenge. I prayed for God's hand to guide me and protect me. It took us about three minutes to determine that this would be an easy accomplishment. The truck is equipped with a side step and grab handles in just the right places. My leg strength is coming along and the more I use the legs the quicker they will progress. Getting into the truck was easy. Coming down took a little thought and it can't be rushed, But we did it and I practiced several times. I became proficient at entering and exiting the truck. My leg response is still too slow to allow me to drive. This will come in time.

Last night I was showing Rene how I manged to get in and out of the truck. She grabbed her purse and our dog Gibbs and she said " Let's go for a ride. The truck needs to run and now I won't be alone." All three of us went for a thirty minute ride. It felt weird not driving the beast and seeing Rene behind the wheel of my hunting companion. But I have to say that the experience was liberating and it felt good. It marked a progress step for me to be able to make that climb into the truck and then descend.

At first, the idea sounded good to try the truck, but as I approached it, fear set in and it almost made me decline the offer to try. Then when it came time to leave the truck the same fear gripped me as I looked at the distance between the truck and the ground. But with the assurance of assistance if I needed it, and a proper plan, the step I almost did not take was taken and I was all smiles.

Friends, some of you will face a challenge this year or are facing one now. Fear of failure or fear of the unknown is holding you back.  In my prayer I asked God to remove my fears. I respected the challenge and did not take one short cut. But He removed the fear of trying from me. Victory over fear is only a prayer away. Be honest and enlist others to pray for you. Once you conquer your fear, remember it. Write it down, so that when the next fear comes along you can recall how God carried you through it. He is there in the complicated as well as the simple. God is the first step in beating a fear before it paralyzes you into not moving ahead.

Have a great day!

Marty

Weeping For The Violence 1/10/2019

Good Morning,

This morning came to me after a good night of rest. It was the first good sleep I have had in days. I cup of Door County Jingle Bell Java will set me on my feet in a quick hurry.

Ice packs, elevation and prayer finally took enough pain and swelling away from these knees that rest came to me like a blanket from heaven.

Unfortunately, before falling asleep I watched the local news and then some of the national news. There were more murders to hear about. Drive by shootings where a young girl was killed. Car jackings and then a loss of life. Last night fallen police officers were remembered at a hockey game. Crime, murder and mayhem seem to be taking the center stage on every news cast.

Politicals will blame guns as the cause for the deaths. Some will say that lack of jobs (in a booming economy) cause much of the violence. Some will blame drugs as a main cause for murder and robbery.

These are all genuine beliefs for many people. I  never saw a gun just walk off and shoot someone. It is a soiled heart that elects to kill. I was unemployed for 9 months and I know others who were in worse conditions than me. They never robbed or killed anyone to survive. The drug issue is getting worse and not much is being done about it. We as a nation are shut down because two political parties only care about themselves. Borders are needed to be protected , yet we are killing from within. Our ex governor was either liked or despised. He was voted out and now desires to move. People are protesting where he wants to move to. This sickened me. We cannot get beyond our social inadequacies and childlike behaviors that we now tell people where they should live. Yet these same people will call themselves Christians.

There is much to say about our world, and there are many good things. But if I were to be honest and I am. I have to tell you that as I look into this world and our country I envision a cemetery filled with dry bones.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 New International Version (NIV)

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’

What is lacking, is a respect for life. A desire to work and earn a days pay. Dads that need to be around to raise the family. There is a lack of love for our neighbor. There is a lack of love in our homes, schools, work places and churches.  We are a cemetery of dry bones.

There is only one solution to these problems and that is revival. Revival starts with repentance for not acknowledging Jesus Christ as Savior to the world and each individual. It then continues at the local churches where   a basic knowledge of Biblical principals are taught and lived out. This leads to a deeper love for God the Father who has to be angry and weeping for His creation.

The church is set up to assist the homes in teaching the young ones a better way of life. But this can only happen when we as individuals fall on our knees and cry out for it. Where are the large prayer meetings that are for prayer only, not political rallies with hidden agendas?

Churches are content to be in small groups praying for Uncle Joe's chest cold instead of gathering in strength and crying out for a lost world.

Revival all starts with you and me. We have to want it, and want it bad enough to pray and call out to God for others to hear the message of Hope through Jesus Christ. I believe this can happen.

God Save Us.

Marty

A Long Night In Prayer 1/9/2019

Good Morning,

A cup of Door County Candy Cane Coffee awaits me later. I hope is that I will go back to sleep for a couple hours. But while I am up, I shall write.

Last night found me struggling to sleep. My two new knees dialed in a pain level that wasn't absurd, but just enough to keep me awake. While curled up in my bed, I was led to pray. I consider it all joy when the Holy Spirit tells me who to pray for and nudges me with a reminder.

Mark 11:23 New King James Version (NKJV)

²³ For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Several of you reading this were prayed for last night. I had tuned in an old movie earlier with two funny comedians, Abbott and Costello as the headlining stars in the movie. Usually those two can make me laugh and forget my woes. But last night only prayer and faith was going to help. Funny thing as I prayed for others I did not notice the pain in my legs. When my prayer list ended for others I asked god if He would relieve the nuisance and within minutes I was asleep, only to have the alarm clock wake me up so I could make my wife Rene some breakfast and see how she was doing. She has been ill with a stomach virus and she is headed back to work today. I think I had been asleep for about forty minutes or so.

My point for today is this. Despite anything that can be going on in our lives we can always find time to pray for others. This is a God given right to all believers to call upon God 24 hours a day. Heaven never closes and God doesn't mind a late call from His kids.

I don't know how god will answer the prayers I lifted up. That is up to Him. His will be done. My faith in God let's me know my prayers were heard. Most of the people I prayed for will never know they received prayer last night.

In our time of faithful prayer, we are being obedient to God as He has commanded us to pray. I just prayed now for some test results to come through for a loved one who is waiting on them. It's not important as to how we verbalize our prayers or if we are eloquent with words. It is important that we pray. So skip a movie or two and see if your prayers of faith don't move mountains.

Marty

Observations From The Window 1/8/2019

Good Morning,

The cup of Door County Bourbon Vanilla Cream Coffee that is next to me has the duty of warming me up this morning and waking me up. It's a tall order for the coffee mug this morning.

Rehabilitation continues on my knee replacements and so far so good. I am still using ice packs through the night to alleviate or mange the pain as well as reducing the swelling. So by morning my core temperature is low and it takes awhile to warm up once I am removed from the warm covers on our bed.

So as I sat at the kitchen table today, praying and pondering I just s observed the world outside from the inside of our home.  Here is what I observed and what I learned.

Genesis 8:22 English Standard Version (ESV)

²² While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

The weather is going to change. The squirrels are feeding and storing. The cardinals are busy doing the same.  My neighbor just loaded some salt bags into her kids car. I assume this is extra weight to avoid sliding around. People are out walking their dogs early and those folks are bundled up in warm coats and hats.  The incoming weather is seen in the actions of the animals and the humans.

Daniel 2:21 English Standard Version (ESV)

    he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

    and knowledge to those who have understanding;

²¹ He changes times and seasons;

The kids in the neighborhood all gathered on the corner for the school bus to pick them up. Some were dressed for the cold weather, while others were dressed to be more fashionable. Guess which ones looked colder than the others? Some of the kids were wide awake, while others looked like they needed more sleep.

I observed the wind speed pick up just by watching the trees move with the wind. Although it's colder and more dreary than it has been in a few days I really did see God at work just from the window.

How did I see Him at work?

1. He blessed us with a warm home.
2. Only God makes the wind blow and the trees move.
3. He changes the seasons and the daily weather patterns.
4. He created the birds and the squirrels. He taught them how to survive the winter.
5. He blessed the neighborhood with children. I enjoyed seeing some of them laughing and enjoying      the beginning of their day.
6. I saw God in those who prepared for the day with salt and early dog walking. He instilled common
    sense in all of us.

Now, all in all. I did not see rainbows, tornadoes, or life altering actions. I saw a typical day. A day that God made. The view He shared with me of the morning was His to share. I saw God at work.

Marty