It Makes Sense To Me 11/30/2023

 Good Morning,

I am heading out early once more this week and I am embracing a hot mug of Door County Country Morning Blend Coffee. It is time to write. 

Photo Credit https://minnesotasnewcountry.com/

In just about every home there is a drawer or closet filled with junk. My wife Rene and I have a drawer in the kitchen known as the "junk drawer". Pens,  pencils, thumb tacks, nails, screws, flashlights, string, batteries, measuring tapes, small tools, paper clips, tape, glue and many other assorted items. We do from time to time go into that drawer and look for different things. It is a chore to find anything in that drawer. Rene straightens it out twice a year, but no matter what she does it is still a drawer filled with things I can't find in a hurry.

So, not long ago I mentioned the idea to organize our junk receptacle and we tried, but once it was organized we could not get all the junk to fit back in the drawer. So then we purged some stuff and wouldn't you know, the next item I needed had been thrown away in the purge. I do believe we need to resolve the clutter in the drawer so it makes sense to us and we will be more organized. 

Sometimes our lives get cluttered with too many things to do or handle at one time. It's then that we need to call a time out and purge things that are just weighing us down and holding us hostage. In other words we need to organize by importance and if needed, step away from those things that could actually be harmful and cause us to lose sleep for no good reason. 

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace as in all the churches of the saints. 

Organize and purge if needed.

Marty

Middle Of The Week 11/29/2023

 Good Morning,

I just sat down with a hot cup of Door County Country Morning Blend Coffee and it is time to write. 

Today is Wednesday and I refer to it as the "Middle Of The Week" . Just a few more days and it will be the weekend once more. But we must make it to Friday and for me it has been a busy week. More than busy. 

So there is an urge or desire to slack off a little and not push it too hard. I know I started this week with gusto but it seems like I am already running out of energy, desire, and drive. 

So let's pray for one another. We all know someone else who is tired, worn and weary. It could be health issues, worries, and just plain old being tired. Pray and intercede for those you know who are burning the candle on both ends and need to keep going.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

If you are reading this, you were prayed for. Keep moving forward. 

Marty

Priorities Please 11/28/2023

 Good Morning,

I am off to work very early this morning. I have a tough week ahead. I just poured a hot cup of Door County Toasted Praline Coffee and it is time to write. 

I want to start this Tuesday with a thought or two about priorities. The number one priority for all should be  walking with God in our own personal life. That relationship needs to be strong and unobstructed by anything. Excuses are not to be tolerated. 

Deuteronomy 5:33 You shall walk in the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you shall live long in the land that you shall possess. 

The second priority is to have a healthy relationship with our families and our spouses. This takes time and is not something done very easily. Time is an investment for contentment and joy.

Note that both priorities take time and effort. If one of them is shortened of effort and commitment, you will see that the other is in failure mode as well. They go hand in hand. If the personal walk with God is not where it needs to be, and kept holy, there is no chance that the other relationships. won't fail as well. Sooner or later the ugliness of the world and our own ambitions will ruin the family love and functionality. 

Colossians 2:6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. 

Let's make these two priorities a "must do" set of things to take into the last month of the year and hopefully they can be carried over into 2024.

Marty

Faith Fit Test 11/27/2023

 Good Morning,

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

Come January 1st, many people vow to get back into shape and they start off slowly, working off a few pounds and adding a wholesome diet to their daily routine. It makes us wonder why we just don't do that all year long and why do we wait for the first of the year to start anew.

Today I want to look in a different direction and say this. Maybe we should examine our walk of faith with God and see if there is anything we could improve. A simple test is to assess yourself against Scripture.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law.

1. Love, do we love others unconditionally? Is our love for God number one in our lives?

2. Joy, is the joy of our love for God visible to others. Do we exhibit joy for the supplies God gives us? 

3. Longsuffering, do we quit too easily or are we there for the long haul? Do we place conditions on our faith? Do we barter with God?

4. Kindness, Can kindness be seen in our actions when people are present and when no one is there to give us credit and acknowledge our kindness? 

5. Goodness, do we practice being good and actually produce goodness in bad situations?

6. Faithfulness, are we faithful to our spouses, families, employers and our church? Our we faithful to God or is He just there when we need something?  Can we be counted on?

7. Gentleness, do we handle others folks emotions with gentleness? Are we one who builds up others one brick at a time or are we impatient? 

8. Self control. How is our ability to say no to temptation? How long does it take you to go from angry to ballistic?

Take the test my friends. Adjust where necessary and prepare yourself for the best Christmas ever.

Marty

There Is A Time To Share Traditions 11/26/2023

 Good Morning,

I am sitting at my desk drinking some Door County Chocolate Cherry Coffee and it is time to write. 

Yesterday our daughter called and was inquiring about making a big pot of chili. She had Googled a recipe and was well on her way to making it, when she had a few questions about onions and such. It then dawned on me that my own kid did not have my chili recipe. My recipe is a version of the one my grandmother made. Over the years I have changed a couple of things and my version has actually won a couple chili cookoffs. Now I have tasted the chili other folks make and some are really good. I have enjoyed and consumed many bowls of chili in this lifetime of mine. 

2 Thessalonians 2:14-15 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions, that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 

Here is my point. Just like money and possessions can't be taken with you when you die neither can a recipe. It is a good idea to pass on to others the things you know and share the secret recipes before they wonder, "Now how did he or she make that". I wrote about this a few days ago also. 

I have a few guns and they are all labeled as to who gets them when I am no longer here. But each label has a story as to what I did with that particular gun or how I came to own it. Family history is a big part of things that need to be shared. 

The one most important thing I hope to pass on to those who I leave behind is this. My faith in God is number one and my love for Him. I want them to know of my belief in the power of prayer. My love for family comes second behind my love for God. That might hurt some feelings. But, my love for God has taught me how to love my family. God created the family and when we obey His commands and teachings on family we show our love and respect for God. In turn God shows us how to love others as He loves us. 

So, think it through. I don't make as much chili as I used to. It is time to pass on one of my kettles to our daughter. It was one that belonged to my great grandmother. I already sent the recipe. 

Love to all. 

Marty 

Out, And In The Cold 11/25/2023

 Good Morning,

I am out along the riverbank this morning doing a little duck hunting. I have an insulated bottle filled with Door County Chocolate Cherry Coffee to keep me warm and I am in good company with a nephew and our dog Leo. It is time to write.

Luke 3:11 Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do the same. 

I apologize for not getting out a blog yesterday. I took a break to enjoy some time with friends and gather some thoughts. 

Duck hunting in Wisconsin is usually the best in the last two weeks of the season. That brings us to hunting in colder weather. Being prepared and dressed for the cold is a must. Playing with the cold is not advisable. Taking on the cold with the right equipment and clothing is the way to do it. I hunted the other day with 3 friends. One of my compadres took a minor dip in the water. Spare gloves were offered and whatever we had that could be shared was offered. 

My point for the day is this. If you see someone in the cold and you can help with a blanket or a coat, do so. If you can spare a cup of coffee to warm someone up, do so. If a pot of soup is needed on a cold day and you can help, do so. 

My second point for this day is this. If you need to travel in the cold, don't be fashionable. Be warm! Be wise, make sure your automobile is ready for the cold. Carry a shovel inside the truck or car, not just for you, but to help someone else stuck in the snow. Gloves, hand warmers and a bottle of water can make the difference in a cold lonely ditch. 

Be kind. Help others, and use the common sense your mother taught you.

Marty

Be Grateful For Yourself 11/23/2023

 Good Morning,

The oven is filled with a ham that is baking already. The aroma of cloves is filling the house. I have with me our two dogs Leo and Gibbs and a hot cup of Door County Cherry Creme Coffee  and I am ready to write. 

Psalm 139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14. I will praise You. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16. Your eye's saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet, there was none of them. 

Today in America we are observing or you could say celebrating Thanksgiving Day. It is set aside each year as time to be thankful. There will be the opportunity to be thankful for family and friends, jobs, homes, food, health and all sorts of reasons to be thankful. We thank God for Jesus, His Son and how He blessed us with Him and His plan to save souls for eternity. This is the number one reason to be grateful. 

These are all noble things to be thankful for and I cannot dispute them at all. My challenge for the day is for all who read this is to be humbly grateful for yourself. Usually you are on the list of others who are grateful for you. Have you ever considered a world without you ever being in it. Your family wouldn't exist. Or there would be one less at the table. You were made by God and you are a blessing to others. If, in your life you only performed one nice gesture for someone, it would not have happened if you weren't here. You were made to be you and there is none other like you. So thank God for creating you. You make a difference.   Be thankful for you. I know I am glad to be here!

God bless,

Marty