A Heart That Doesn't Care . 5/7/2025

 Good Morning,

This day has me sitting at my desk sipping a hot cup of Door County Vanilla Almond Kringle Coffee and I must say it tastes very good.

Photo credit Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

For quite a few months there has been an abandoned boat stuck on a beach in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Several attempts were made to try and free up the boat and get it off of the popular beach area. All efforts to release the boat failed. The owner of the eyesore just left it there and now the county had to deal with it. Yesterday however, another try was taken at removing the boat  from the shore. Yes, it worked! The wreck is now resting in a lot, away from the beach awaiting it's final resting place.

My point for today is this. The unattended boat became the target of folks who with their spray cans of graffiti made an already bad situation an ugly one. 

Our hearts and minds left unattended and influenced continually by the world can become ugly and stuck in a mire of stagnancy. Once a heart that was vibrant and beating for righteousness and joy, then becomes a spiritual eyesore to our families, friends and God.  We can become shipwrecks spiritually when we abandon good habits for bad ones. 

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 

Psalm 119:9 How can a man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

An abandoned heart left to the world, void of God's Word will eventually run aground or sink completely. Food for thought!

Marty

A Change Of Heart 5/6/2025

 Good Morning,

I am up early and on my way to hunt for a turkey one last day until next year. This turkey hunting takes a lot of patience and a lot of Door County Peanut Butter Cup Coffee to keep me awake and alert. 

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 

Now in my 68th year on this beautiful earth I have encountered times when I had to have a change of heart. Most of the time when needing that change of heart, it was after I judged someone without knowing all the facts, never having walked in their shoes, or raised by different parents. Your upbringing helps you to form the same opinions as those who raised you. This can be good or bad. 

But there is also a time when you have a change of heart and up until then, you might have actually been mean or used your conclusions to justify doing wrong. When the light bulb shines and you have a change of heart, it may be that you also need to do your best to fix the wrong doings your ignorance dealt out to others. You might have to stand up and re-educate others.

We own the damages of our previous heart condition. But we put our nose in the air and are content with jumping to conclusions or passing judgement and not owning the consequences. 

Think before you judge others. Make right your wrong ideals and own your own crazy.

Food for thought.

Marty

Off Of The Grid 5/5/2025

 Good Morning,

I will be off of the grid today for awhile hunting for turkeys. I plan on taking a Thermos bottle of hot Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend Coffee with me and a few munchies to carry me through the day. My phone will be shut off and after I launch my bog today I really don't plan on interacting with too many people if any. 

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. 

I plan on not using any search engines or purchasing anything from the internet for the whole day. My communications for the day will be by choice and I will return most phone calls on Tuesday. I am going to quiet my mind and my heart for 24 hours. I will see if I like it that way and if I do, I might be tempted to make a few lifestyle changes and limit my computer time to "as needed". 

Why? I am not really sure, but my heart needs to be quiet and my thoughts unclouded. And I need a getaway. 

May God bless your day and keep you in His arms.

Marty

I Can Run Pretty Fast When I Have To 5/4/2025

 Good Morning,

I am sitting at my desk with a hot cup of Door County Jamaican Me Crazy Coffee and it is time to write. 

Psalm 32:7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. 

The desk chair doesn't seem too comfortable this morning. This chair was built in 1929 and sold by the Milwaukee Chair Company. I guess it was built to last and not to be too easy on your backside. 

When I was working and in charge on many things, inevitably now and then something would start to go wrong. It started out slow and manageable, but then just turned into a train wreck. I learned a long time ago that part of the team I needed wasn't on the payroll. It was a small group of men and women that I trusted to pray for my troubles when I asked. I could spot a potential flub or disaster and it didn't take this man long at all to run right to God and seek his comfort, guidance and wisdom. Being retired I am really not in charge of anything right now, but it doesn't mean that I still don't have an occasion or two now and then, that there is nothing I can do, but run to God with it and get under His wing of protection. 

Friends, when it comes to taking on a disaster or an issue I can run pretty fast to the Lord. Spiritually I posses Olympic sprinter speed. I can pole vault over anything that would keep me from getting to God for answers and peace. This warrior is a child and now and then I need to call on the Commander, Coach, and Father of us all to make sense of the mess that has found me or I found. 

Feeling overwhelmed, put on your prayer cleats, and run to the Father with your woes, concerns, and fears.  Run like the wind. There is no shame in regrouping and waiting on the Lord for support and directions. Call on others who pray to pray for you.

Know this. If you are reading this you were prayed for.

Marty

This Day Filled With Gusto 5/3/2025

 Good Morning,

I have in front of me a hot cup of Door County Blueberry Cobbler Coffee and I have three Springer Spaniels at my feet. Yes I have three, not the customary two. Our nephew's dog Waylon is crashing at our place for a few days. He has made himself right at home and our two dogs have another source of  fun.

                1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 

Today I will be assisting with the building of a shed at the home of dear friends. I charged my battery equipment last night and except for writing this morning I could easily be working on that project right now. I know for sure that my buddy would have enough lighting for us to be able to work. It is still rather dark to be out there right now. The main reason we are waiting is the fact that he has neighbors and making a lot of noise prior to 8:00 AM would be very inconsiderate . Being considerate is somewhat losing traction in the world we live in today. 

Small acts of kindness are starting to be rare. Holding doors open for others to pass through is still done, but more and more I encounter those who wouldn't hold a door open for anyone. Some folks have automobiles with loud exhaust systems and instead of moving through a neighborhood that is asleep at a slow speed they gun their engines and it is loud enough to wake the dead. 

I believe that the time it takes for someone to lose their patience and reach for the horn at a traffic stop is really shortening daily. They can't drive one day without signaling someone to "Move quicker" by laying on their horn. Road rage incidents are in the news daily. 

My point is this. Before you start anything or do anything, think it through and consider the collateral impact your actions may have on everyone else. Waiting two seconds longer at a stop light might be annoying, but just maybe the person who is slow to move, might have a good reason for doing so. Or they just got caught day dreaming. We have all been there. 

So get on with this day and attack it with gusto. But be kind and considerate in the process.

Marty

Feeding Them Forever 5/2/2025

 Good Morning,

My day began with a hot cup of Door County Peanut Butter Crunch Coffee and prayer. 

Proverbs 15:29 ESV The Lord is far from the wicked but He hears the prayers of the righteous. 

I was just reflecting on time spent with my brother's two sons. Not sure how much less mischief they would have been in if I weren't around. I think it would be a lot less! I was browsing through some old photos and recalled fishing with them. When they were little boys there was so much to learn and to be taught about fishing. Like remembering to pack your tackle box or not tip it over. Hooks are meant to be kept in the water. When in a small boat, be aware of the other guy and his ability to hook your hat or your head.  Mosquitoes are not your friend. There are no toilets in the woods. Catching fish is fun. Cleaning them might not be, but it is the road best traveled to a fish fry. They also were taught the importance of praying before you hunt or fish. That was my biggest accomplishment with those two.

Now they are grown men and know their way around a fishing pole pretty well. So in my mind they also learned how to eat forever. 

My point for the day is this. Spend time with a youngster and maybe some of the good you teach them will last forever and they can pass on what they learned to some other kid. 

Fish on my friends!

Marty

What Is One Important Ingredient To Be A Family? 5/1/2025

 Good Morning,

I am headed back out to the woods and field to see if I can bring home a big turkey. I packed some Door County Black and Tan Coffee. I think the coffee is going to be needed on this cold rainy day. Sorry to say I was rained out. Maybe this afternoon. 

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

When I ask people what is the main ingredient in making a family. Most always I hear. God is to be number one in the making of a family. This is true. A relationship with God should be the main goal of all family members. The next answer I receive is "Love" which is also very important. Now if those two attributes are present, the third attribute of a good family is "Sacrifice" A good relationship with God, and sincere love for Him and the other family members makes it easy to make sacrifices for each other.  

Sacrifices blessed by God, done in love, never expect anything in return. True sacrifice doesn't keep score or an account to be settled. When I think about all the white shirts my wife Rene ironed while I was working it signals love to me and a woman who has a great relationship with God. Not one shirt ever hit the ironing board before the tightness of the buttons were checked and a close eye was put on any stains that might not have been removed in the wash. My shirts were always bright and well pressed. Every button worked. Not once did Rene complain about the shirt load or the ink on a pocket. 

Sacrifice my friend. Sacrifice. 

Marty