Softly And Tenderly 11/26/2014

Good Morning,

My Door County Cherry Crème Coffee is brewing and filling the house with a sweet aroma. This is a day I have been looking forward to. A little field hunting with our grandson Dominick and our Springer Gibbs.

 

 

For the next few days I would like to take a look at some of my favorite old Gospel Hymns. Today I would like to share the words from "Softly and Tenderly". By Will Thompson

 

1. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
   Calling for you and for me;
   See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
   Watching for you and for me.
   
   • Refrain:
     Come home, come home,
     You who are weary, come home;
     Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
     Calling, O sinner, come home!
2. Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
   Pleading for you and for me?
   Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
   Mercies for you and for me?
3. Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
   Passing from you and from me;
   Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
   Coming for you and for me.
4. Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised,
   Promised for you and for me!
   Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
   Pardon for you and for me.

 

 Mark 10:49New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call for him.”
So they called out to the blind man, “Cheer up! Get up on your feet! Jesus is calling for you.”

So what do you say? Is Jesus calling softly to you?

God bless,
Marty



Going My Way 11/25/2014

Good Morning,

Tuesday has arrived and I am already looking forward to a day in the field with our Grandson Dominick on Wednesday afternoon. We have hunted hard for the last few days and have not been successful. My hat is off to this young teen. He is hanging in there waiting for his time to produce some wild game at the end of a good shot. My coffee this morning is Door County Maple. Out the door I go with hope for tomorrow.

 

It is that time of year when I start to look over the television channel guide to watch some of my favorite old movies with a Christmas theme. I am very fond of the movie "Going My Way" starring Bing Crosby.

The movie is heart warming and delivers a message of love and respect, with kind actions sprinkled throughout. This reminds me of what Thanksgiving and Christmas should be all about. Putting our faith into action. Christians are the face of God on Earth. God often shows himself through the actions of others.

James 2:14-26English Standard Version (ESV)

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[a] is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Tis the season to get active and get going for Christ. He's asking "Going My Way?"

Have a great day.

Marty

Pasta Sauce And Family 11/24/2014

Good Morning,

This morning has a full schedule of events today. A little hunting, a little car repair, a little stop in the office and then finally home I go! So of course the morning will start with a little Door County Christmas Coffee and an apple cider donut.

 
I started to make Italian pasta sauce on Saturday. It was a new recipe that calls for fresh tomatoes if you had them. I used some frozen tomatoes that we put up a couple months ago from our garden. That was blessing number one for the day.

Hebrews 6:7New International Version (NIV)
⁷ Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.

The second blessing came from a neighbor. We had performed  a plumbing favor in the early fall for her and she made us a big batch of garlic bread and lasagna in return. There was way too much garlic bread to eat so we vacuum sealed it and froze it. We thawed it out and it was added to the feast last night. We never intended to receive a gift as a thank you. But I guess the favor went full circle and we were blessed twice from her huge gift.

Mark 12:31         
 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The third blessing was to be able to spend time with our grandson and have the three of us dine together. How nice it was to be together.

Proverbs 17:6New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

 

I think we all can take some time to count our blessings. It only took a couple minutes for God to show me all that He provided. We are blessed and I am truly thankful.

 

Happy Monday,

 

Marty

Staying Up Late 11/23/2014

Good Morning,

Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Mine is door County Caramel Apple. I hope your cup is overflowing with blessings today and that you are well rested.

Rene and I are total opposites when it comes to sleep. If she has a day off her idea of a good time is to stay up late and then sleep in the next day. I however am a creature of habit. I like to go to bed at a reasonable hour no matter what and rise early to greet the day.

But there are times when I can't sleep because something or someone is on my mind. Many times it is a work situation that I am trying to solve or a church need. A loved one in trouble or who might be ill causes me to miss some sleep too. I think we all can relate.

Psalm 121:3–4
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

I have come to the conclusion that on my own in the middle of the night I have very little chance of solving anything. I can however go to God 24/7 and ask Him to solve the issues and if He desires to He can grant me rest. I can read the Bible and ask Him for wisdom and peace  in the middle of the night. I am never alone. With technology being what it is I can also look at my computer and see if there are friends or family awake. I can pray for them. If they see that I am active on-line they can contact me to chat.

But the important thing to know is that on my own, I just worry for nothing. My worry cannot solve a thing. Going to the Lord anytime is the best solution to any worry or fear.
Well, let me reassure you. God is wide awake and tuned in to your situation.

Rest well, rest often.

Marty

Ice Skating 11/22/2014

Good Morning,

This has been a weird month for weather. Some states have seen 6 feet or more of snow. I keep hearing about global warming. I can't say that I am really convinced that it is warmer. It seems as if winter last longer. My coffee this morning is a hot cup of Door County Candy Cane. Hunting is on hold because of an ice storm this morning. Better to be safe than sorry. I am convinced that the time at home was allotted by God so I could spend some time on the phone with a dear friend who was awake very early like I was. Early morning prayer just seems to be the best!

When I was a kid it was very popular to ice skate during the winter. Our city had plenty of frozen ponds or flooded fields which the park commission actually groomed for kids and adults to enjoy. I really never learned how to skate very well. I was usually bruised and sore from my outings. But it was good exercise and great fun socially. I did learn that if one wanted to skate better it was important to keep your skates sharpened.

Our brains work better when we exercise them also. I find it harder and harder to remember things. Have you ever set your car keys down and then wondered where you left them 10 minutes later? I read that a good exercise for keeping the brain sharp is memorization. OK, if I have to exercise my mind and train it to remember, than why not memorize a Bible verse or two?

Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” That is a beautiful way of saying, When the heart full of God’s love can draw on the mind full of God’s word,  blessings can flow from your speech.

Exercise and keep your mind fit.

God bless,

Marty

Rescue Sleds 11/21/2014

Good Morning,

Friday at last. We are looking forward to a visit from our grandson today. I will be watching the clock all day until we head to the airport.
My coffee this morning is extra hot and very much needed for warmth. I am enjoying a big cup of Door County Cherry Crème.

Yesterday at work we practiced emergency stair evacuations in the hospital using rescue sleds designed to slide people down stairwells using straps and clips. I asked for volunteers to be placed on the sleds so we could practice. I have to tell you that not everyone wanted to volunteer. But a few brave souls raised their hands so their co-workers could practice the process. This is a process that I hope no one ever has to do. The staff performed well but this would be a last resort to save lives in a catastrophe like a fire or tornado.

Now our volunteers were brave but yet you could see a little fear and doubt in their eyes as they were lowered down the stairs by people smaller than them. It all went well and the practice drill was perfect. When the drill was completed they admitted their fears, but said once they were on a flat landing (solid ground) their fears were gone. They disliked not having control of the situation and being strapped into a sled going down the stairs.

Isn't life like that also? Now and then life sends something our way that takes us right off of our feet. We fear the worst and can see no hope for the future. But like our volunteers, we look for a landing that is solid and reliable to calm and take away our fears.

Friends, we always have a rock that we can lean on when life sends us on a slippery slope of fear and doubt. Jesus is that rock who we can give our fears to. He holds the straps of our sleds in life.

Psalm 18:2New Living Translation (NLT)

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.

 

Trust Him today. It makes that slide easier to handle.

 

God bless,

Marty

Bacon And Eggs 11/20/2014

Good Morning,

Today is starting earlier than usual for me. My coffee is Door County Candy Cane. It is very cold this morning and I am so thankful for a Jeep with heat. There was a time in my life when we could not afford to repair the heater in my car and I decided to go through the winter without it. So every cold morning that I get into my car and it starts and just a little later starts producing heat makes me say a little prayer of thanks.

I have been known to enjoy a good plate of fried eggs and bacon with a side of toast and jelly. I like heavily smoked bacon, preferably smoked in cherry wood. Now that is knowing what you like. I like my bacon crisp, but not burnt. add some fried potatoes with onions and I have the perfect breakfast. Add the Door County Coffee to wash it all down and it went from perfect to superb!

Now you would think that all that food would be enough to make a great day. Something is missing in that menu for me. I need to hear from God in the morning. I need to spend time in prayer. I need my spiritual plate filled more than I need bacon and eggs. To hear from God, one has to open His word, pray, read and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak through what you read.

Deuteronomy 8:3New King James Version (NKJV)
³ So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.


Charles Spurgeon the London pastor from a century ago, said,

Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven's gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory.

Heaven's gates are open wide and God desires to spend time with us. We just need to take time and make Him the priority.

 Jeremiah 29:12-14English Standard Version (ESV)
¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, declares the Lord,

We just served up some food for thought. Hungry anyone?

Marty