You Have Not Because? 10/21/2024

 Good Morning,

My desk is a quiet place to be this morning. I appreciate the quiet and the hot cup of Door County Hazelnut Crème Coffee I have with me.

James 4:2-3 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and can not obtain. You  fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3.You ask a do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you  may spend it on your own pleasures. 

My wife Rene and I live next to a residence for assisted living. The home has eight residents. The women outnumber the men. We have a good friend ( Mike) who lives there. We met Mike at our church a few years ago, One other church member brings Mike to church on Sundays. Mike's former residence suffered a fire and Mike was relocated to the home next to us. We were made aware of Mike's move. It was just obvious to us that we should reach out to Mike and welcome him to the neighborhood. Mike now attends church on Saturdays with us as well as Sundays. He asked if he could attend the Men's Bible Study as well. So I pick him up on Tuesdays and he has been a great addition to the group. Mike suffered a stroke many years ago and cannot live on his own. He is now like family to us and when Rene and I go and vote tomorrow, Mike is going with us. 

Mike is very observant and although his speech is impaired, he says what is on his mind. He told me one night while we were traveling that his home does not see any churches come to visit the shut ins. I quote " We need a Bible study in our home." I guess that I did not take that as a hint or an ask. What Mike was intending was for me to give a Bible study in the home next door. A week later his question was "When can you do a Bible Study at our home? My friends cannot all get out and a Bible study needs to come to us." 

So tonight is our first Bible study and I don't have to travel too far. In a small way, Mike saw a need and started to pray about it. It will only take an hour of my time. Mike asked and God leaned on this old guy to go on a mission trip a whole forty yards from home. Mike wasn't asking for himself, he gets plenty of attention from our church family. He petitioned God for others and God answered his request. 

Friends, don't be afraid to pray and ask for others to be blessed. God is in the business of loving people. Reach out to those who cannot travel and are stranded due to their circumstances. Mike taught me a lesson. 

Have a great day and take a walk next door and be a blessing. 

Marty

Good Wishes For Your Sunday 10/20/2024

 Good Morning,

I just sat down to write and a hot cup of Door County Hazelnut Crème Coffee is next to me. 

It is quiet and peaceful in our home and in all honesty it is that way most every day. God has commanded that Sunday ( The Sabbath) should be a day of rest. Yet even on Sunday some have to work and that is a good thing. for us. (Hospitals, First Responders)  Some will experience the loss of a loved one. A car won't start somewhere. A car accident will occur. A pet or family member will run away. A shooting will take place over an argument. A drug addict will overdose and someone will burn the Sunday dinner and the dog will eat the dessert. Bombs will be launched in war. People are still recovering from hurricanes. Cancer is a seven day event 24 hours a day. 

1Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. 

My global prayer is for those who read this today, that your day will not hold any of the negative outcomes and happenings listed above for you. And if it does, God will sustain you through it and comfort you through this day. 

Many of us who read this today will never meet each other on this side of heaven. So this note is meant to let you know that despite what is going on, in your part of the world, someone just prayed for you.

God Bless,

Marty

No One Likes Correction 10/19/2024

 Good Morning,

I am enjoying a hot cup of Door County Pumpkin Spice Coffee and it is time to write. 

Tonight in our Saturday night church service I will tackle the subject of God's Correction s. I for one don't like being corrected, punished or having my wrong doings pointed out.

Here is a thought if we had no one watching over us and pointing out our faults and sins we would eventually be be guilty of more shame and reproof. 

We are blessed to have a God who loves us enough that He watches us and points out when we need a cleaning of the heart. We have loving God who will correct His children before, during, and after our walk on the dark side of sin. We have a God who understands our temptations and desires us not to give in. 

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 

Time for God to do a heart cleaning? He will go ahead without your permission. But better yet, don't let your back sliding get to that point. 

Have a great day.

Marty

Give Yourself A Gift 10/18/2024

 Good Morning,

I have an insulated bottle filled with Door County Autumn Spice Coffee and I will be on the road soon. Friday arrived as promised and I have just a little thought for this morning. 

We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is not a statement that implores us to love ourselves but assumes we love ourselves enough that we have an example of how we should love others. 

Many of you are to be commended for sacrificing daily for others whether it be for family, friends, co-workers and strangers. So don't take this wrong. Sometimes you just need to do something special for yourself. Treat yourself nicely. It doesn't have to be much. A nap, an extra hot bath and few more minutes in it. Maybe something nice to eat, or a little extra time in prayer. Maybe it's wearing something warm on a cold day and it just makes you feel good. (I broke out my favorite warm hat.) One more log on the fire? Give yourself a gift to celebrate you.

We are made in God's image and that shows the importance our existence is to God. We love others as He loved us. But we still need to take care of ourselves. Our sacrificial attributes won't be worth much if we are so tired we cannot perform them.

Luke 12:7 But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not fear, you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.  

Take it easy my friends. Rest to work another day!

Marty

Can't Stop The Music 10/17/2024

 Good Morning,

Yesterday we experienced our first freeze. To say the least it was a bit of shock to wake up in the cold since our weather has been warmer than usual. A hot cup of Door County Maple Coffee is next to me. It is time to write. 

Psalm 95:1 O come, let us sing to The Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 

This morning I woke up to a song on the radio, and it is one of those times in my life where the song melody and the lyrics are still tumbling through my mind. Maybe you have experienced it yourself. A song is played and you are either singing or humming to that tune all day. It seems that at times my mind takes over the play list and I can't get the tune out of my head. 

If you are reading this and are wondering why I am writing about this dribble, to be honest so am I. The point I am making is that just maybe someone else has the tune takeover experience as well. As people we have a lot of differences and just as many commonalities. We are surprised while conversing with someone and we talk about a destination we like to visit. The thought spurs smiles and soon we are exchanging information about that place or where we found some great food. 

I see parents walking their children to the bus stop and they chat while waiting with Little Johnny and Gertrude. They have in common that one thing, and that is they want an education for the kids and they want them to come home safely. If we can concentrate on the commonalities and less on our differences we might find our part of this world to be just a little more pleasant. So if you have a tune in your head or a jingle from a commercial the fact is, we have something in common. 

I hope yours is a happy tune today. God bless,

Marty

Thankful For The Rain 10-16-2024

 Good Morning,

There is a pot of Door County Maple Coffee brewing in the kitchen and soon there will be a cup next to me. 

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmuring or complaining. 

Our area of the world has had us experiencing a short drought. Everything had turned brown and there were even forest fire warnings and some restrictions on burning for the last month or so. We reseeded our lawn last Saturday before winter sets in. I anticipated the need to water the new seed. Since we reseeded it has rained just enough each day for the seeds to set into the plugs removed from the lawn. The rain has started to refill ponds and rivers just enough to do the job. 

One can only be thankful for this blessing and make the most of it. I pray for those who have experienced some real nasty weather as of late and suffered through hurricanes. I pray for those who lost family members in those storms and flooding. We should do what we can to help, and not complain about anything. Those suffering folks have plenty to complain about.

Complaining has become an incurable disease. People complain at times about anything or every thing. It is a bad habit and as I said it is a disease of the heart. Check yourself to see just how much you complain and about what today. Is your selfish attitude and hard heart keeping you from experiencing some joy and peace? If you are a terminal complainer, just hope God doesn't give you something to cry about and complain. 

Food for thought,

Marty

Using What You Have 10/15/2024

 Good Morning,

The old mug was filled with some very hot Door County Old Fashioned Coffee and it is doing a great job of warming me up. The coffee and a fresh crock pot of potato soup have this house smelling pretty nice. 

Genesis 1:11 And God said "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit, which is their seed, each according to it's kind, on the earth." And it was so. 

Yesterday I was able to take some more of our apples and dry them, and I will use them when I hunt to munch on in the field or the boat. They are a nice way to eat healthier and they are easy to share with your hunting partner, including that faithful retriever. 

We were blessed this year with an abundance of apples and we are also a family that doesn't like for things to go to waste in this house. We have been able to give plenty of apples away and some of our friends have turned them into bakery. I foresee an apple pie being baked tomorrow in our own home. 

My point for the day is this. Use what you are blessed with. Take some and share it with friends, family or strangers. Use what you have been given to bless others. This abundance of apples also reminds me of of the years when the apples were scarce. There is a sad feeling when hail comes down so hard that the baby apples on the trees are knocked off the branches and in the fall you barely have enough apples for one pie. 

I also trim our trees and the apple wood is used to smoke meats throughout the year.  Once again the trees provide a sweet aroma while the smoker is hot. The aroma from drying apples, baking apples, or smoking meat some how reminds me of the blessing God has given us. One of my favorite times of the year is to wake up and see the trees fully blossomed out in the spring. I have been watching for that morning for over 30 years and it never ceases to amaze me. So as the trees get ready for a long winter's rest, I look forward, (God willing) to a cup of coffee and some pink blossoms again in the spring. 

God bless,

Marty