Friday In My Eyes 10/31/2025

 Good Morning,

I am enjoying a hot mug of Door County Wisconsin Harvest Blend Coffee and it is time to write. When my feet hit the floor and after some coffee, I was ready for Friday. I have plans to hunt for pheasants today with my nephew's dog Waylon and tomorrow I will duck hunt with my dog Leo. We were also asked to attend a bonfire get together tonight at our other nephews home. I am really looking forward to that one. 

So Friday has really filled my eyes and I hope it meets my expectations. As a family we do not gather together all that often. But what we have in town will all be there. 

It is a blessing to have activities to attend and family to gather with. So for me the day started with prayer and will end with prayer tonight. 

I hope to take some pictures in my mind and rest with thankfulness in my heart for Fridays and thankfulness for friends and family. 

Have a great Friday and remember to enjoy the time given to you. 

Marty

Nuisance Phone Calls 10/30/2025

 Good Morning,

I am sitting at my desk and sipping on a very hot cup of Door County Wisconsin Harvest Blend Coffee. It is time to write.

Mark 12:31 NKJV  Jesus Said. " You shall love your neighbor as yourself"

It was very quiet and peaceful until a few minutes ago. That's when my telephone rang and disturbed the silence. It is that time of the year when people on Medicare can sign up and make make changes to their insurance coverage. This starts a barrage of phone calls to your home, or cell phone asking you to consider what their company has to offer. In many instances these calls are a scam to steal your money. One has to be careful with these calls. They sound good but really aren't. 

Here is the challenge for me. I work with a reputable insurance broker. We sit down face to face over coffee and adjust whatever needs changing (which is very seldom). I woke up to the first call of the day this morning at 6:am. I live in the Midwest of the United States, This tells me that the call came from the East Coast of the US where they are on Eastern Standard Time. 

My complaint  is that I struggle  with being nice and answering politely to these unwanted calls. I have the latest a greatest screening applications loaded on to my phone, and I seldom answer my phone if I cannot identify the caller.  But I have never purchased anything from someone who called me on the phone. Yet the calls persist. 

This morning's call was answered politely and I declined in the first fifteen seconds saying nicely that my situation was fine and I needed nothing and added a thank you. Then the woman turned rude and insulted my intelligence and hung up. 

Well I spouted off and it didn't make me feel better. I prayed for the caller and asked God to give her a job, one that does not have to interrupt the peace of others, or to assist in helping her to leave a life of crime.  In addition, I believe that Loving your neighbor includes not violating their personal space. 

Food for thought.

Marty

When The Coffee Gets Cold. 10/29/2025

 Good Morning,

I just sat down at my desk with a hot cup of Door County Bourbon Pecan Pie Coffee and it is time to write. 

Revelation 3:15-17 NKJV I know your works, that you are neither cold , nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16. So then because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. 17. Because you say "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched , miserable, poor, blind and naked. 

There is only one thing wrong with a hot cup of coffee. Sooner or later the coffee grows cold. No matter how much I spend on insulated cups or bottles the coffee still grows cold. I once had a coffee mug that would plug into an electrical outlet in the truck. It kept the coffee hot as long as it was plugged in. I was one happy camper with that apparatus, until it shorted out and almost burned up my Jeep.

So I have concluded that the coffee needs to be consumed while it is hot or if possible rewarmed safely.

So where is my point in all of this? Relationships need to be rewarmed now and then, especially our walk with the Lord. Daily prayer, Scripture reading and service to the Lord keep the relationship fresh and hot. It is the same way with marriage, and friendships. You have to keep them fresh or they lose their appeal and all the reminiscing in the world can't keep the relationship fresh. 

So for today, the number one importance is the relationship with God. If that one is maintained, all of the others will fall into place and you will reap the benefits of God directing your paths and your other relationships.

Food for thought on this Wednesday!

Marty

 

Help Through A Loss 10/28/2025

 Good Morning,

I just made a pot of Moose Munch Coffee and it is the last of it. I am not sure who sent me the bag of coffee. The coffee was tucked away on a drawer inside a cabinet. And while looking for something else I found it and it has been a very nice treat. 

Psalm 56:8 NKJV You number my wanderings; Put my tears in your bottle; Are they not in your book?

I was talking with a friend yesterday and our conversation turned to grieving and loss. I found myself admitting that I am not over losing our grandson last December. I doubt that I ever will be over that loss. There are days when I am just fine and there are the other days when I find my eyes leaking a little and the emotions go from sadness, to anger, to disbelief. I thought that taking down all the memorabilia of him would help and it didn't. Some how that too was felt like a loss. So it is all back in place. Making it worse is watching our daughter suffer through and not much we can say or do helps. Our hearts break for her and we cannot imagine being without her. I don't know how to help. 

What is a comfort to me is that I knew his faith in Christ Jesus and that he now resides in heaven and some day I will see him again. I call on God monthly, weekly and daily to easy the pain of loss. It is never gone, but it helps to know that God is with me and will carry me each day. It was difficult for me to admit a weakness and not be the rock that I need to be for my family. Admitting I hurt was the first step in being able to truly seek heavenly comfort and peace. 

I will find my strength in God and He will take the dents out of my helmet, sharpen my sword, and let this warrior rest for awhile as needed. I will rest in His arms and when it hurts most, instead of looking down, I will look up and admit my weakness and and take my comfort in Him. 

Have a blessed day. 

Marty

Impressed By The Kids 10/27/2025

 Good Morning,

I just sat down with a hot cup of Door County Bourbon Pecan Pie Coffee and it is time to write. 

Hebrews 13:16 NKJV Bur do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Yesterday was Trick Or Treat day in my part of the world. As Is our custom in our home, we place a table outside and we share it with our neighbor Donna. She has half of the table, I sit at the other end. The kids come by and are given candy from two house holds. 

The costumes were cute and some were quite elaborate. But what I noticed especially yesterday that most of the kids readily said thank you. In some instances the wee ones were prompted by parents  to say thank you.  

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go. And when he is old he will not depart from it. 

So my point for the day is this. We witnessed good manners in action. In addition many of the kids were accompanied by their parents or some other adult who were their guardians for the day/evening. Automobile traffic on our street was at a minimum and most all of the drivers proceeded with caution and the guardians as well as the folks manning the candy took extra care to help the kids as they crossed the street. A couple came through a little quickly and were reminded by others and us to slow down. 

It is amazing what can happen when people place others first and just plain old do good. 

We were blessed to be a part of it. 

God bless,

Marty

 

Under The Sun 10/26/2025

 Good Morning,

I am content this morning and I am enjoying some Moose Munch Coffee at my desk. It is warm in the house and it is time to write. 

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understand have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

Soon this morning I will be prepping some pork shoulder roasts for the smoker. They will be used for a gathering on Tuesday. The men in my Bible study are having an October Feast and all kinds of different dishes will be shared. Everyone is bringing something to share. It should be a time to remember as we enjoy the company of each other and how  the Lord is working in this group. The following week we will be hard at it learning more about the resurrection of Jesus. 

The resurrection of Christ is a captivating class and I for one am walking away every Tuesday night once again amazed by what we have learned. 

My goal is to make sure that somehow we apply this knowledge in a way that there is personal use , and application of the principles in each of our lives. Application of the knowledge should have an impact on our Kingdom walk and the lives of others. A week from this Tuesday I will be asking each man how they are applying the knowledge in their lives thus far,

Remember this for today. Knowledge gathered and not applied is just knowledge. Knowing all kinds of knowledge under the sun and not used at all is like beautiful perfume spilled on the sidewalk. It does nothing for anyone.

Apply the knowledge you have accumulated and make a difference for good today.

God bless you all,

Marty 

Trick Or Treat 10/25/2025

 Good Morning,

I will keep it brief on this Saturday. I will be duck hunting shortly and will enjoy my Door County Highlander Grog when I feel the need to warm up.

Proverbs 11:25 The generous soul will be made rich. And he who waters will also be watered himself.

Tomorrow our community will celebrate the annual Trick or Treat event. It only lasts two hours and yes my wife and I will participate with our neighbor Donna. We have plenty of candy and will happily hand it out to the kids and some parents. Some people object to Trick or Treat and it's tie to Halloween. I say this. It is your choice and I think it is a privilege to be able to give away some candy treats. We sit outside and hand out the candy at the driveway. I stay right to the end to make sure no one gets hit by a car and every kid has some candy.

So for a few minutes the kids can see a world where there isn't violence and they are greeted by friendly people. 

God Bless,

Marty