I Received A Scolding 10/31/2023

 Good Morning,

A hot cup of Door County Toasted Praline Coffee is entertaining my taste buds and it is time to write.

Luke 6:31 As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 

My wife Rene and I knocked out a lot of yard work yesterday and many chores were finished. Rene had to run to the grocery store for a couple of things we needed and I continued my share of the work. When she returned she asked me a question and she had a serious look on her face. She was looking at the ladder in our garage and I knew right then and there that I was in trouble. "I thought we agreed that all ladder work was to be done with both of us around?" said Rene. Where are the garden hoses? was her next statement. I was already condemned so I just fessed up that they were in the rafters of the garage. As I am getting older I am on the receiving end of more and more rules. Prior to agreeing to have her at least home when I am on a ladder, she asked me to consider not hunting alone. I fought that one off and agreed to mark on my phone my location while hunting and not waver from it without calling and marking the new area. I pretty much hunt in the same spots when I am alone. 

I don't like the rules, but I understand her concern and she worries about me. So I don't have to like it, but I do need to respect her concerns. We have built a marriage on love, respect and compromise. So Rene will feel better knowing that I am trying to be safe.

Respect, and compromise without love are just a business deal, not a relationship. 

Marty

Funeral Etiquette A Forgotten Practice 10/30/2023

 Good Morning,

There is a bite in the air this morning. The house was a little cold when I woke up. But with a hot cup of Door County Toasted Praline Coffee to warm me up, I am ready to write. 

1 Corinthians:14:40 But all things should be done decently and in order. 

Last week I attended the funeral of a friend of mine and after the service ended the mourners formed a processional of their automobiles and began to follow the hearse to the cemetery for the burial. All the cars were marked with a sign. The hearse had on it's flashing caution lights. The driver of each vehicle was given instructions  on what to do while driving in the processional. This include having their auto lights on bright and their emergency flashes illuminated. Very slow travel was to be adhered to.

There was no way you couldn't tell that the string of cars was a funeral procession. Yet, during the  drive to the cemetery many people were cutting in to the line, passing the mourners in anger and plain old rudeness. Many people did not yield to the funeral procession of mourners. 

Some simple rules of encountering a funeral procession are. 

Yield the right of way. Just as you would for emergency vehicles.

Be respectful. Never honk your horn or show you impatience for observing some etiquette. 

In some states, funeral processions have the right of way. So pull over or wait at intersections for the processional to go by, This is the courteous thing to do. 

Never cut in or tag along. Watch for the last car in the procession and then proceed. 

Back when I was 15 years old I was taught in drivers education the proper funeral etiquette.  My dad also answered my first question as to why he was pulling over for a long string of cars.

Now in may states divers education is not mandatory anymore. The evidence of the lack of training can be witnessed by just driving around and watching the mayhem in traffic. We have made it too easy to obtain a drivers license just to accommodate inclusiveness. It is hard to blame people for their actions sometimes because of the lack their of knowledge.  I am all for mandatory affordable drivers training. It should once again be included in the high school curriculum.  

The act of observing and yielding to a funeral procession is showing respect for those going through one of the hardest days of the lives. We have tossed out that kind gesture with our fast paced life and lack of knowledge. We have made it too easy to be rude and ignorant and it shows.

Marty

The Front Door To My Heart 10/29/2023

 Good Morning,

I just poured a hot cup of Door County Maple Coffee and it is filling the room with a sweet aroma. It is time to write. 

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven."

Later today our city will observe Trick or Treat for three hours. There has always been an argument for or against Trick or Treat. Some people won't observe the tradition because they see ghosts, witches and goblin costumes as evil and unhealthy. My wife and I decided that those costumes are not ideal but we respect the person inside the disguise. 

To Rene and I what is important is that we can afford to hand out candy. We also sit at the approach to our driveway so the kids don't have to navigate stairs and some of those little legs tire out easily. So we greet the kids as they approach and tell them to have fun and to be careful. 

The most important thing is that the kids see us as people who share with others and are generous. By being there as they approach, we make ourselves accessible/approachable. We are also ready to hand out an ice pack for someone who has tripped, or tissue for those runny noses. We help to provide a safe zone for the kids to be kids. I am proud of our neighborhood for being kid and family friendly.

Lastly there is a lesson for the kids. They learn that people can be friendly to each other even if the catalyst is a mask, and some candy. 

God bless,

Enjoy those kids and make sure to be sympathetic to the parents who are tired and keep on walking. 

Marty

The Power Of Prayer 10/28/2023

 Good Morning,

There is a hot cup of Door County Country Morning Blend Coffee next to me. Our dogs have eaten and are resting again. The house is warm. So it is time to write. 

Matthew 17:20 He said to them, :Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed , you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there, 'and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. 

                                              A field of mustard. Photo/Illustration: Phillip Harvey

I for one am 100% in support of prayer. Tonight after our weekly Saturday night church service a small group of people will meet for an hour or so, just to pray together. This group has been praying together for a very long time. While there in prayer, the group is very sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and prays as led to do so. 

I like to think about it this way. It's ordinary people, with ordinary prayers, seeing the extraordinary. The group has been blessed to see times when their prayers were answered in mighty ways. Not too often does the group pray for themselves. The bulk of the prayers are for other people, world events, and a myriad of things concerning others. They are protective of the prayer night, and what is said there, stays there unless a report of prayer needs to go back to who requested it from the prayer group. 

Our church has many different ministries, and is in action for God all the time. But if I had to choose from the  ministries I am in and could only serve in one, hands down I would choose to keep on praying with this group. 

My dear friends and family. Pray alone, pray with others , but pray. It is a beautiful way to know the heart of God and for you to express your heart to Him. You can be a part of moving mountains, bringing peace to souls and experiencing God and working with Him, and God working through you.

Have a prayerful day.

Marty 

Good Morning. Friday Joined Us 10/27/2023

 Good Morning,

I am staring at a hot mug of Door County Country Blend Coffee. I don't want to interrupt the aroma just to have a drink of this morning brew. 

Did Friday arrive or did we catch it ,is the meager thought for today? God created this day and it is right on schedule. This last week seemed to drag on forever and then at times it seemed like the world was turning faster and faster. 

We are on the brink of a major war. In Maine another mass shooting took place. Stock markets are up and down like a yo yo.  A certain party in a government is riddled with animosity toward each other so bad that it went without leadership for weeks. Worker strikes are going on and compromise between labor and management seem to be stalled . Most businesses cannot find enough labor to keep the doors open. 

Yet my friends, each day was written and God is the God of the past, present and future. There is a time and a place for even this mayhem. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. 2. A time to be born and a time to die.; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which was planted; 3. a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up; 4. a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.; 5. a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; 6. a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away, 7. a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8. a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 

My advice for today? Take time to pray.

Marty

It Can Be Fixed 10/26/2023

 Good Morning,

The day began early for me and I am off to work in a few minutes. I just poured a hot cup of Door County Autumn Spice Coffee and it is time to write. 

Proverbs 14:23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk only leads to poverty.

Photo Credit Walmart

Way back when I was about twelve years old I caught our dad in a spoof on my brother. My brother Jim was a two year old toddler and our dad had him convinced that he could fix anything. Jim could be amused by playing with a balloon. He would also engage family members to play with him. At twelve I was not all that approachable by a two year old, but I did my share of swatting a balloon in the air until I had plenty of the toddler and then sent Jim off to our sister. Most people now shun the idea of balloons and toddlers as a swallowing risk. But then we did not ride our bikes while wearing a helmet. Things were different back then.  

Back to the balloons. Inevitably sooner or later the rambunctious toddler would break his balloon. I shed no tears about that happening. Jim would cry and look for Dad and show him his broken balloon. If Dad was working, Jim's balloon was set on the kitchen table for Dad to fix. Now broken balloons are very seldom repairable. Yet Dad would promise to "look at it later". Then a balloon of the same color would be filled with "hot air" and dispatched for the toddler. I found out how that balloon repair actually happened. Dad would always purchase  a bag of balloons for the little urchin and when one broke Dad would just blow up a new one and then tell "shorty" he fixed his balloon. I would roll my eyes and knew better than to spoil the scam Dad had on the youngest one. 

This continued through our lives. Dad was always there to listen and many times I would seek him out as a sounding board in times of troubles. He never told me that things could not be fixed. He did say that he wasn't sure how they could be fixed, but where you placed your sincere effort and worked hard you could weather the storms of your life. 

Our mother was very ill when I was a little boy and she had her first open heart surgery when I was in first grade. The medical bills were not covered by insurance, because that type of surgery was still classified as experimental. After all was said and done, Dad was handed a bill that was almost three times the value of a nice home. He was advised to file bankruptcy and get out of the many bills that came in every month. Dad said to our mom one day as she was crying about the bills. "This can be fixed if we just pull together as a family and I work an extra job or two." Things changed throughout the upcoming years and when I was Junior in high school the medical bills were finally paid. No bankruptcy!

As a family we celebrated with dinner at a place called Ponderosa and our dad was as proud as could be of being out from under the bills. Dad couldn't fool me any longer. He did not have any balloon tricks up his sleeve. He did however have a praying wife, and the ability as well as drive to work hard and take responsibility for our debt. 

I believe in prayer and how God blessed our family. But Mom had the biggest balloon trick. I recall her telling my sister and me to pray for our dad so he could continue the pace he was on to keep us moving forward. And pray we did. And God answered. 

Things can be fixed and sometimes it is with a fresh start and lots of positive prayer and major effort.

Marty

And The Winner Is ???? 10/25/2023

 Good Morning,

I just poured a hot mug of Door County Autumn Spice Coffee and it is steaming next to me. I am ready to write. 

John 14:6 Jesus answered, I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

If you are reading this and you feel like life just keeps kicking you in the back seat of your pants, you just might feel like you are on the short end of the stick, there is no hope for you, and you can't even win a game of darts if you are the only one playing. You might not feel like you are the winning solution to anything. 

The truth is, if you are breathing today there is hope. If you ate something today, there is hope. If You were able to have shelter over your head for the night, there is hope. Sometimes the only place to go from the dark valleys is up. God often places us in a position that we need to look up to Him and let Him lead us up and through the valleys of despair. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are a winner. Your future home is a mansion. It is never dark where you will live someday, and there are no tears or pain in heaven. With a life secured by Jesus, there is always hope for tomorrow.

Marty