Saturday January 16 2016  OUR NEW BEGINNING

Well, I went to church this morning to attend a women’s brunch and had an hour sermon along with brunch.  It might have even been longer than an hour.  And it was good!  It spiraled me off course however for this weekend.  All day long it has seemed like Sunday.  I must draw myself back to pre-retirement-reality, and remind myself that it is only Saturday and tomorrow is the real Sunday Sabbath.  So when I re-gain a day (even if it is only in my mind) it feels as if I have a whole new day added to my life.  And believe me, I will take all the extra days I can get.

Life is going by too quickly and the years are quietly and quickly mounting.  I no longer think in hours or days, but rather in months and years.  No sooner does the last year get packed up before it is time to start unpacking this year’s times of celebration.  I find I must start much sooner in preparing for whatever is coming up because it takes me longer to do everything.  Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this was going to happen?  Okay, okay…one person did tell me, and like she always says, “You (meaning me) never listen and learn by what is said to you.  You always have to experience it to learn it.”  And I think she is right!  She is probably the one person in the world, other than my husband, who knows me best.  I’m learning sister, I really am.  And the list of what I am learning is long!

While at the brunch this morning I sat beside a beautiful young lady who is engaged to be married in four months.  She was delightful to talk to.  So young and so full of life and energy and anticipation of the future with the love of her life.  I love weddings!  I think that is why I have enjoyed being a wedding photographer for so long.  But, I am retired now and will not be working as a professional photographer any longer, other than my volunteer work at the hospital.  AND…I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT I COMPLETELY FINISHED ALL THE WEDDING WORK FROM THE FINAL WEDDING.  Once I deliver the images I WILL TRULY AND COMPLETELY BE RETIRED!!!!  I notified the government that my business is closed.  SO NOW IT IS TAX TIME!

Back to the lovely bride to be.  As much as I don’t learn without experience, I emptied my heart out to this lovely young lady by giving all the wisdom I could muster in the short time we were together.  She was extremely polite.  She listened!  I hope some of it was worth it for her as she heads into her new role in life.  I wish her well. 

Even though I am extremely happy to finally be truly retired, I would be less than honest if I did not say that deep in my heart I do miss photographing weddings.  Each and every wedding was special to me.  My assistant and I usually traveled together to the weddings, as many were long distances away. We would always pray for the bride and groom as we traveled to the wedding.  We also prayed for the equipment, our alertness, and for our protection.   I could always feel God’s presence throughout the day.  Not all weddings were God based, so I prayed even more fervently, that the the couple would someday know the Lord.  The weddings days were always, busy, exciting, wonderful, and exhausting.  Some of my weddings were 12 hours on duty, with 90 minute travel times on both ends.  I never tired until it was all over and I was packed up, in the car, and ready to head home.  Then I could feel the adrenalin, and tension drain from me, leaving me in a state of exhaustion.  Years ago I used to do two and occasionally three weddings in one weekend.  That was in film days.  Digital photography is much more time consuming, both at the event, as well as post production work.  But now for me, it is over.  For that I am thankful.

Writing about the above, leads me to the thought that caused me to think about the end of my photography career.  I recently either heard or read this statement, “OUR LIVES ARE FULL OF ENDINGS”.  Over the years I have thought about that very concept as I watched my life unfold.  I’ve actually written a few poems about that topic, but I think it bears mentioning again. 

When we were young, even as little kids, we rarely thought about “endings”, but rather about new beginnings.  I have found that with each new beginning for someone, there is usually an ending of something else that is being left behind.  It begins on the day of birth.  It is new life for the baby, the end of a pregnancy for the mother.  And there are so many steps that build each year, creating new beginnings and new endings for both parent and child.  And here I am now, looking at the ending of something I loved to do, yet on the other hand, seeing new beginnings of a different kind of life.  About five years ago, my family doctor told me I was entering a stage in my life when I would be experiencing many losses.  Though I could see with my mind’s eye what he was talking about, I hadn’t experienced it yet.  But with each of those losses that he discussed I could also see new beginnings that would emerge.  As the years progress some of those losses may be catastrophic, such as losing a spouse, losing your memory, downsizing, limited function of body movements, giving up driving, poor health, and the list goes on.  But the way I look at it, each loss must come with a new beginning, a new normal, just as it did as we gave birth to our children and made more room in our heart and home for each child.  And we also experienced losses as well; children growing up (a good loss), empty nest syndrome, and so much more, but always a new beginning just ahead. 

Living in the world we sometimes try to reinvent ourselves when one phase of our life is over, rather than just accept the new beginning that God has already provided for us.  With each ending, each change, or each loss, I have found my glass half full rather than becoming half empty.  I choose to see all the possibilities yet to come, rather than dwell on the endings.  Endings are expected.  Endings are needed.  To me, endings are nothing more than new beginnings in disguise.  And what is so wonderful about endings and beginnings is that when we walk with God, who has no beginning and no ending, we have the assurance that He has been with us through all the paths we have traveled, through all the trials and struggles experienced, through all the beginnings and the endings we transitioned through, as well as promising to be with us for that which is to come.  We, as believers, do not ever need to reinvent ourselves, because God already did that for us through the blood of His Son’s sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.  We have been made new, and we are His Beloved sons and daughters.  Our “final ending” will actually be our NEW BEGINNING.  THE BEGINNING OF FOREVER WITH OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, FOR ALL ETERNITY.  How awesome it that!   Yes, a lot of things will change over the course of our lifetime, but the wonderful thing is, God never changes and our new beginning began when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. AND WE NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE THAT BEHIND!  Come to think of it.  I think my glass is always full, regardless the circumstances.

OUR NEW BEGINNING

By Kathleen Martens

January 16 2016

This day’s beginning will have an end

As time progresses and darkness falls.

But some things will never change

When we answer God’s amazing call.

When our heart we give to Him

God leads and directs each day,

Through all the pain and trials of life,

Every moment He shows us the way.

So when this life on earth is done,

Even our death is not the end.

When it’s our time to be called home,

We will be greeted by our Truest Friend.

And heaven’s arms will open wide

As we see Christ in all His glory.

FOR OUR NEW BEGINNING, ACTUALLY BEGAN,

WITH REDEMPTION’S STORY!

Good night and God bless you!

Thursday January 14 2016  THINGS YOU CAN THANK GOD FOR

There are so many things to thank God for that I don’t think I shall ever run out of new things of which to give thanks.  My thank you journal has been an active place these past few days when I resurrected it from my ever-growing pile of books that surround my special chair in my downstairs library.  I differentiate the downstairs library from the “upstairs” library.  Actually we don’t have an upstairs library, per say, but as I sit here and look at my rickety little table desk, I spy way too many books that don’t have a home.  Piles here, piles there,…uh oh!  I feel a poem coming.

PILES HERE, PILES THERE

By Kathleen Martens

January 14 2016

Piles here, piles there,

Piles stacked everywhere.

On the floor are even more,

Everywhere, books galore.

On dressers, on living room shelves,

So I can go help myself.

In baskets and on the chairs.

Every place EXCEPT the stairs.

Books in closets, cupboards too,

And my desk has a few.

Neatly piled in a stack,

Books of God I do not lack.

Even on my chase lounge,

For books I do not scrounge.

Under my elbow there is one

Started, but not yet done.

By my bed behind closed doors,

Open them up, and there are more

End tables hold their share,

Wherever you look, books are there.

In the hall’s decorative case

More books have a place

And there are places left untold

Of little niches that can hold

More books dear to my heart

All of which I cannot part.

I dare not tell you all the places

Where my books take up spaces.

Many are read, most are not.

But there is always one more spot.

I must live to be quite old

Before these books can be sold.

To read every one is my desire

That my soul will be inspired.

I hope to read every word

Before my call to heaven is heard.

(Well, there you go, that is how a poem is born.  Thankfully, there is very little labor involved.  I feel it coming and I just give it one push and out it comes!)  And each one is given their own name!

And I even forgot to mention all the books in my library.  That is why we are creating a library where my studio was.  But first I must finish getting everything sorted and out of their storage places in the prop room.  Everything is just waiting to be labeled and priced.  Hopefully we will have the sale this spring or summer and the rooms will be empty. 

Well, this wasn’t what I planned to write about today, but it came out of me, so that must be where my thoughts were.  I actually thought about writing about our highway system in the United States.  But now I will save that for another day.  There are a couple of facts I would still like to search out. 

As I began the first paragraph above I was talking about my Thank You Journal.  Let me get back to that for just one moment.  When I sat down to do my quiet time today with God I happened to turn to the back of the book of Psalm.  Some of my favorite chapters in Psalm are the last dozen or so chapters of the book.  There are so many words of praise to God in them.  As I read Psalm 145, what jumped out at me, were all the THANK YOU’S I could give to God.  So, I again retrieved my journal and started writing line after line of thanks for all that was in the scriptures.  Let me show you an example:

Psalm 145:1 reads “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise Your name for ever and ever.”

This is how I would write it in my journal, “Thank You God that I can exalt you.”  “Thank you, O King, that I can praise Your name for ever and ever.”

So that is what I did.  I just read each scripture and then wrote it in my journal in the form of a Thank You.  It is awesome when you later re-read your journal and come across all the beautiful scriptures turned into Thank You Notes to the Lord.

About now you may think I don’t have anything better to do with my time than to sit down and “play” with scriptures and a journal of thanks.  Well, actually I have too much to do, but I think it is more important to me, to just enjoy the Lord’s presence every day because I know that God desires my undivided attention.  I’m sure He would delight in your undivided attention as well.  Try it, you might like it!  Even though it is God who enjoys intimacy with each of us, it is we who really benefit.  It is the time when my faith is strengthened, when I hear what God is impressing upon on my heart, and the time I receive power and strength from His presence.  And for me, it is being obedient to what I believe He is asking me to do. 

Short blog, but I am sending it with lots of love.

Have a great evening.  It isn’t dark yet. 

Signing off at 4:32 p.m.  The days are lengthening!

Wednesday January 13 2016  A SHORT WINDOW OF TIME

A short of window of time to write.  And I must say, I am happy that my computer works.  Just after I published last night’s blog, my computer would no longer receive WiFi.  I spoke with the Geek Squad from Best Buy and made an appointment for today.  Before I left to go to the appointment I called the I.T. man that works at the place where I purchased my laptop.  He went over some things with me on the phone, only to discover that I had inadvertently turned the WiFi off.  All fixed, at no cost!  I called and cancelled my appointment and felt I had been given a two hour gift. Actually, I don’t ever remember turning the WiFi on.  The button has just always been that way!

Due to not having to go into town, I accomplished more than I ever thought I would.  Wednesday being my day off from the gym is the day I plan to stay home and get lots done.  It was awesome that I did not have to go ANYWHERE!

This morning we did a thorough cleaning under the kitchen sink.  The dishwasher will be delivered and hooked up tomorrow morning bright and early.  We couldn’t let anyone see the mess that was under our sink.  Right about now my sister will be shaking her head and probably thinking about how glad she is that she lives in California and I live in Wisconsin.  If I could say in all honesty, that I wished my house was as neat, clean, and decluttered as hers, I would say I would love it.  But…I know it never will be, and do not live with any delusional ideas that it will end up that way.  With me in it, it wouldn’t stay that way for long.  Once upon a time my house was orderly and neat, and believe it or not, that was when I had little kids.  But I got smart.  I realized there was too much living to do to worry about what someone else thinks of my messes.  Quite a bit of the house often looks presentable, but I know all that is lingers in the hidden places, unseen. 

Slowly those unseen areas are seeing the light of day.  I would like the world to know, that as of yesterday, every drawer in our dressing room (except my costume jewelry case) has been emptied, cleaned, sorted, and put in order.  I actually have two empty drawers.  Dave already sorted and purged his entire closet.  All that is left is my side of the closet.  And that is going to be a BIG JOB.  But it will be accomplished.  I still have eleven more drawers in our bedroom and another closet in the bedroom. 

I wish I had more time to write because I would love to tell you about how fun it is going through all the “stuff”, some of which I had forgotten.  It is a time of both sorting and reminiscing.  When I am doing it, I enjoy it.  It may take me longer, but it makes the day fun and interesting.  How great is that, I have my own, perfectly free entertainment!   (Note to sister: VFM, I’m really not going senile.  I just choose to enjoy and have fun when I am doing whatever I am doing. So don’t worry about me.  Just be glad you are in California)!

My blogs will be very short the next four days.  Every single day is packed with appointments, doing childcare for my grandkids, a church event, and then Sunday Sabbath. 

TRY TO HAVE FUN

By Kathleen Martens

January 13, 2016

It seems life happens

At an accelerated pace.

So I plan ahead,

Just in case.

I try to take time

To make good meals,

And do my exercise,

Listen to how I feel.

I go to bed early

So I wake up rested.

Because I never know

How my day will be tested.

Appointments and disasters

Dealt equally alike.

One moment at a time

To access the pike.

And I resolve to do

What must be done,

And whatever the circumstance

To try to have fun.

Before I sign off I would like to tell you briefly of an excellent web page I discovered.  I don’t know why it showed up on my computer but I did some investigating about it and found it to be a great resource for me.  The web address is:  BibleStudyTools.com

You will need to type it into the URL address line because my blog is not hooked up to send links.  I recommend you try to find, or perhaps just google separately, the article:  “8 KEYS TO KNOWING GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE.”  I found it to be an excellent article by Chris Russell.  I am also signed up to read the Bible through in one year.  I am finding it interesting because I chose to do it with theme scriptures from both the old and new Testament.   

Good night and God Bless You!

“Wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.  Proverbs 8:11

Tuesday January 12 2016   TOO MUCH THINKING

When I think too much, I write too much!  So tonight I will think as little as possible.  Instead of allowing a topic to pop into my brain, I decided to just bring you up to date on what is happening around this place.

Our house is still entirely torn apart.  Wide strips of brown butcher block type paper is taped on the floor from one end of our house to the other so that workers will not walk on the floors with dirty shoes.  I know I have not mentioned weather lately, but we do have snow on the ground, and in the driveway, and everywhere else and it does track in.  The vanity is still in the middle of the dressing room.  I still can’t use the cupboards of our six foot bathroom vanity and all the linens and supplies are in the guest room.  We will hear back from the insurance company this week and then determine exactly what they will cover.

The last week or so, we have had a funny odor in the kitchen, especially when emptying the dishwasher.  Something just did not seem right with that smell but I couldn’t figure out what it was.  I was planning on running a vinegar rinse in it in case it was actually coming from the inside of the dishwasher.  We could see absolutely nothing when we looked into the dishwasher.  As I was getting prepared to run the dishwasher something told me, no, do not do it tonight.  I turned to Dave and told him that I did not want to run the dishwasher while we were in bed.  So we didn’t do it. 

The next day I was coming home from my massage across town.  The freeway was busy but moving at a normal pace.  A car came onto the onramp at my right as a two ton pickup truck was parallel with me in the lane on my left.  We were traveling about 58 mph.  The blue car on my right did not even look to see if anyone was in the lane to their left, and because I was in their blind spot, they undoubtedly did not see me.  Now remember, everything happens fast when it happens.  When the blue car started coming into my lane the only place my mind said to go was to swerve into the lane on my left, and fortunately the truck on my left realized what was happening and also quickly swerved to his left to give me a little room.  I never lost control of the car, but I could see the only way out of what was happening was for me to gun the accelerator while still half way in the truck’s middle lane in order to not be hit by the car coming into my lane.  I have a super charged engine and it has a quick response to acceleration.  It propelled me past the blue car before the truck had to come back over into his full space, and all three of us escaped unscathed.  Except for my adrenalin, that is.  That lasted the rest of the day.  It was a very close call!  The little blue car’s driver realized what was happening after it was too late, and swerved back into his exit lane.  The driver seemed quite contrite and subdued after that.  That little blue car moved in behind me and never even tried to pass me.  I finally came to my off ramp and I am sure that driver was happy to never see me again.  So, that was miracle #1.

When I arrived home I was not yet ready to mention it to Dave.  Instead I turned to him and said, I think we are going to need to buy a new dishwasher.  Something compelled me to open the dishwasher, remove the racks, and to start investigating the interior.  The smell was awful.  I had mentioned the day before that it smelled like an electric burn smell.  There was nothing inside that showed anything different than usual.  So I started running my hand around the heat element and felt something sharp.  I came up with a couple of little hard broken pieces of something that looked black and melted.  One of the prongs of the rack had dropped in the back and lodged under the heating element.  I kept probing, and my fingers came up black and gunky.   I took my Iphone and snapped a picture from the back angling a look at the element.  The picture I view showed a scrap of plastic material of some sort of a packaging bag.  It was melted and burned and sooty.  It had actually caught on fire.  I suppose the water inside the dishwasher put the fire out, no smoke was involved, just a funny smell.  We were fortunate that it did not cause an electrical fire.  I believe that had I turned on one last load, we may have had more than a bathroom to repair.  Once I stirred the mess up it was really yucky and stinky.  It has been closed since then.  Again, I believe it was just the voice of the Lord speaking to my heart to not run that dishwasher the night before as we were going to bed. 

It was actually because of what happened on the freeway that pushed me a step forward to investigate “the case of the stinky dishwasher”.  I was so adrenalized with the freeway episode that it made me realize I had to come to the bottom of what was going on in our kitchen before another disaster struck.  I thank God for giving me direction and wisdom to follow through on my hunches.   Miracle #2.  So, two days, two miracles.  I can only thank God for the outcome of both.  Remember I promised not to think too much.  The rest of what I will tell you doesn’t take much thought.

We were able to find the time this past Saturday morning to buy a new dishwasher from our local appliance dealer, Tri-County in Oregon, Wisconsin.  I guess we are old school.  Every new appliance we have purchased over the years has been purchased there.  We’re on the third generation of a family run operation.  I remember the grandmother and mother of the young people who are now running the business.  The women pretty much run the appliance store, the men do the deliveries and repairs.  We get great service and their service is still affordable.  The new dishwasher will be delivered Thursday.  I am so thankful we did not burn our house down.  Two years ago one of our neighbors started her dishwasher and then went to work.  Her entire house burned to the ground.   That same week our Pastor’s daughter’s house burned partially down.  And again that same week, a family I know who live about two miles from us were on vacation, and a light in the ceiling shorted out while they were gone. Their house also burned to the ground.  Our neighbor’s dishwasher had been recalled due to a malfunction problem that caused an electrical fire, but the store where they purchased it had gone out of business, and they never received the recall notice.  That was a sad time for the neighborhood.

Again, I thank God for his protection. 

BE PREPARED

By Kathleen Martens

January 12, 2016

We never know what a day will bring

As dawn unveils first light.

And perhaps that is a good thing

That we not always know our plight.

But there are things that we can do

To be in a position for the best.

Be alert and make wise decisions

As we pursue our quest.

Be prepared in our spirits

Be right with God in our hearts.

And then no matter what comes our way,

From this earth we’re ready to part.

Life is uncertain but we need never fear.  Put your trust in God.  He doesn’t promise you a walk in the park, but He does promise that He will be with you regardless what you are going through.

Good night and God bless you!

Monday January 11 2016  WHAT MAKES YOU RICH?

I listened to a sermon as I was exercising this morning and the speaker asked, “WHAT MAKES YOU RICH”?  That set my mind spinning down different avenues.  I listened to the rest of the sermon and then gave some serious thought to this question of what makes me rich.

Well, winning the lottery this week, which should be upward of one billion dollars, is one sure way that might make me rich.  And that caused me to start thinking about what it would be like to be the winner of the billion dollar lottery.  How would winning, a billion plus dollars, affect me, or any recipient?  How would it change my life?  After thinking about this, my first thought was to prayer.  I prayed that if a billion dollars would rob my soul, and turn my eyes toward the world, that God would protect me from such a catastrophe.  I have read several stories about multi-million dollar lottery winners which told of the devastation in their lives after they won; prison terms, suicides, murders of the winner, and  ultimate bankruptcy a few years after winning.  There is nothing I would trade for the serenity of knowing God, and knowing that I am headed for an eternity with Him.  Not even a billion dollars.  I actually prayed for the winner(s).   I prayed that God’ hand would see that a lottery of that magnitude would be placed into the hands of good stewards that He choose, so that His kingdom would prosper.  Now if God thought that would be me, I’d be willing to give it a try, but only if God entrusted me with such a vast amount.  Realistically, can you imagine how sudden wealth like that would open a new whole can of worms in your life?  Your life would no longer be the same.  Nor would your life ever be wholly  yours again.  That is a big price to pay for the riches of the world.  In God’s view we should never “love the world” and the riches it offers:

1 John 2:15  NKJV

“Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

You know what is even more amazing?  I already think I am one of the richest persons living in this world!

When I started thinking about what it is that I perceive to be true riches, I came up with quite a list.  Some of the riches were discussed in the sermon, and some written about in the Scriptures.  And many are only personal to me.  The Scriptures even go so far as to tell us where we store our wealth.

Matthew 6:19

  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;

 Matthew 6:20

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Below I will write a short list of my riches.

WHAT MAKES ME RICH

1. Having a personal relationship with God, knowing I am saved through grace.
2. The love of God.
3. Faith to believe.
4. Knowing that God is my protector, my provider, and my refuge.
5. Knowing that I am clothed in the righteousness of God.
6. The sun and the moon and the stars are mine to enjoy.
7. I have vision to see and ears to hear. In my family we never take that for granted.
8. I have people who love and cherish me.
9. I have people to love and cherish.

In addition to the above list, riches is awakening each morning with the the fact that I still live in a somewhat free society and  having the freedom to read my Bible.  My riches consists of God’s amazing creation, which to me is so unending, forever new, and beyond my imagination.  The richness of being able to express myself in words, and have poetry flow through my pen, is a treasure that is daily renewed.  The peace I experience daily is a richness that is unfathomable.  The joy God pours over me, in abundance, is better than gold or rubies.  Even to drive through the snow tonight, and see the snow sparkling like millions of diamonds in the car lights, adds richness to my treasure trove.  And I could go on and on.

In 2013 I began a Journal that is filled with my “THANK YOU’S” to God.  I titled it “MY BOOK OF JOY*MY STORY*GOD’S STORY”, “A JOURNAL OF TODAY’S GRATITUDE”.  Long title.  As I would be reminded of thank you’s while spending time with the Lord, I would pick up my book of joy and write my “THANK YOU” to God, dating and numbering each one.  My hope was to see if I could reach 1,000.  Not so as to impress God, or people, but to remind myself of all the riches I have been given by God, and all I’ve experienced BECAUSE OF GOD.  Some thank you’s are repeated several times.  Each thank you was pertinent to what God had recently done for me, or given me, or because of opening my eyes to new truths, and for all my answered prayers.  Thank you’s for His creation; for the tangible and the intangible.  Thank you’s for anything and everything that I was thankful for. 

I discovered there is nothing to lift your heart like a Thank You Journal.  You can go back and read all the gifts God has bestowed upon you.  Take time to pause in your busy day and reflect back over the hours of just this very day, and think of all the thank you’s that you can attribute to God. 

Do a “think tank session”, and see how many things you can come up with.  I would often do so and found it to be an excellent way to be reminded of all we have to be thankful for.  I hear people say to me quite often that they can never think of anything to write about.  Well, we can all come up with something to thank God for.  Then, all you need to do is have a pen and journal and write it down.  And there you go!  You have just thought of something to write about!  You never know where it might lead you.  And another thing, God loves to hear our thanks.  I have found that the more I thank God, the more He fulfills the desires of my heart.  And this next statement is totally unrelated to the thank you session, but the more you give to others, the more God showers down on you.  Then you have even more to be thankful for.  You cannot out-give God, nor can you give God too many thanks.  God loves a thankful heart.  And remember, thanks and praise are not one and the same.  I thank God for what He has done, what He has bestowed upon me, for prayers answered, that sort of thing.  I PRAISE GOD FOR WHO HE IS!  And that could be another entire journal!

If you try this exercise I believe you may see God in a new light.  Your eyes may be opened to see your world in a new light.  You may realize that you have so many more things to be thankful for than you ever thought possible.  As for me, it opened my eyes to see the world with more clarity.  I am so content with what I have, rather than always wanting something more.  I realize too, that the beauty of God’s creation is always waiting for me to partake of it.  I now see the details in a tiny flower.  I hear the buzzing of bees.  I smell the lilacs as I pass.  I stop and really listen to what the bird is singing.  I realize that God gives us the gift of a new, and unique sunrise each morning, and then blesses us with a sunset each evening.  Stop and take time to enjoy the riches that surround you each and every day. 

I did not write in my thank you journal last year.  When I picked it up today I realized I had 1,250 thank you’s in it, from October 6, 2013 through December 5, 2014.  The journal is three quarters full.  My hope to fill the journal up this year!  Almost every day there is something new to thank God for, and if there is not something new, I will thank Him once again for something I have already written.  My memory doesn’t even remember all the topics I have written, so to me, it will be new again.  And I don’t think God even minds.

THANK YOU FATHER

By Kathleen Martens

January 11, 2016

THANK YOU Lord for all You give,

THANK YOU for the life I live.

There is never an end to what I can say

In THANKS to You throughout each day.

I give You THANKS for my very breath

And Your plan of relinquishing death.

THANK YOU for the flowers of spring,

The tiniest bud that makes my heart sing.

THANK YOU for trees, and sky and sea,

And THANK YOU God for looking out for me.

THANK YOU for the light of early dawn,

And oh how beautiful are the spots of a fawn.

THANK YOU for Your intimacy which You share

And THANK YOU for always just being “there”.

THANK YOU that my words You always hear,

And that close to me You are always near.

THANK YOU for your love that you lavish over me,

And the astounding beauty of Your creation I see.

THANK YOU for the pen with which I write,

And for my eyes that give me sight.

And Lord, special THANKS for filling me with wonder

And THANK YOU for forgiving me all my blunders.

THANK YOU Father for the song of the bird,

And THANK YOU Lord that to me they are heard.

And for all the poems You place in my heart

THANK YOU that Your gift does not part.

THANK YOU for tears that cleanse my soul,

And filling me with Your love, that makes me whole.

THANK YOU for wrinkles upon my face,

They speak of long life by Your grace.

THANK YOU for wisdom that comes from You

And my white hair, a crown of glory too.

THANK YOU for my fingers even when cold,

And what they can still do now that I’m old.

THANK YOU for feet that walk your path

And special THANKS that You give me no wrath.

THANK YOU for music that delights my heart,

And for food with which each day I start.

THANK YOU for Your Spirit that draws me close,

THANK YOU that it is in You that I can boast.

THANK YOU Father for wealth beyond measure

All from You, that which I treasure.

Your riches are what makes me content,

Because You’ve made a way for me to repent.

Gratitude overwhelms me from within

With THANKS to You, for forgiveness of sin.

THANK YOU Father that you are

Not only God, but the best Father, by far.

I realized that all those thank you’s in my journal translated into just how rich I really am!

No billion dollar lottery could ever replace what I already have!

Good night and God bless you.

Sunday Sabbath January 10 2016  AN EXCELLENT SERMON

Last Sunday I gave a synopsis of Derrick Wright’s sermon.  Today I will do the same with Pastor Tom Flaherty’s address to the congregation.  The title of the message was “COME AS YOU ARE”.  Scripture reference is from Luke 15:20-32 which is about “The Parable of the Lost Son”.

Now those of you who have attended church on a regular basis have probably heard the story of the son who leaves with his inheritance, uses it up on prostitutes and extravagant living, and finally destitute, decided to return to his father.  I have heard this message many times.  However, I have never heard it told quite like it was today.  I found it to be interesting and right on; identifying with the analogy which Pastor Tom used.   It was very thought provoking and eye opening.  I recommend that you take a look for yourself by googling City Church Madison WI and going to MEDIA.  Check out today’s (January 10^th) sermon.  Extremely well presented to purposely touch your heart.

On the back of our Sunday morning brochure is a message for all who take the time to read it.  It is titled: OUR DESIRE.  There are four short paragraphs, each with a topic.  The topics are:  1.  COME AS YOU ARE.  2.  CONNECT WITH GOD.  3.  CONNECT WITH PEOPE.  4.  CONTEND FOR MORE OF GOD’S PRESENCE.

Pastor Tom indicated that he will be teaching on all four of the topics beginning with today’s message.  Today’s sermon title, as I said above, was “COME AS YOU ARE”.  Here is the text on the back of our bulletin:

“THERE IS A GREAT JOY IN REALIZING THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO PRETEND OR PERFORM FOR GOD; HIS LOVE IS DEEP, PASSIONATE, AND UNFATHOMABLY ENDLESS.  HE SENT HIS SON TO DIE FOR US SO THAT WE COULD BE RESCUED AND DRAW CLOSE TO HIM.  JESUS TRULY IS A FRIEND TO ALL, AND WE DESIRE TO EMULATE THAT EVERY DAY BY EXTENDING HIS LOVE TO OTHERS AND MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.”

In a nutshell, Pastor Tom explained that Jesus is waiting for us to come to Him, just as we are.  We don’t have to clean up our lives or try to impress God.  God loves us as we are.  He will slowly work the miracle of “cleaning us up”.  He accepts who we are, what we are, regardless of past sins or unforgiveness toward others, habits, or anything else we might think of that would cause us not to approach Him.  What Jesus desires, is to have a relationship with us.  But first, we must offer Him our lives.  Even when we have known God and walked away from Him, He will welcome us back with open arms, thus, the example of the parable of the lost son.

The words of that little paragraph on the back of the bulletin kept noodling around in my brain as I listened to the morning sermon.  I use poetic license and began to write the lines of a poem referring to the words in the bulletin.  If it were a scripture I referred to I would call it “a scripture poem”.  But since it was from our bulletin, I’ll call it “a bulletin poem”.  Who knows, perhaps I’ll be inspired to write a poem for each of the four topics on that back page.  Following is the poem I received from that inspiration.

COME AS YOU ARE

By Kathleen Martens

January 10, 2016

God of the universe

Is awesome beyond measure.

Though He owns the earth and stars

It is YOU He treasures.

You need not ever pretend,

God does not ask you to perform,

Or be something you are not

He knew you before you were born.

God’s love so deep and passionate

That He created you for heaven above.

His Son died so we might live,

So unfathomably endless is God’s love

God calls you to draw close

So He can truly be your friend,

That you too can give to others

All the love, that to you, He gives.

Accept all people as God accepts you.

Extend your love and a helping hand.

No greater gift you can ever give

Than helping another, by Christ to stand.

I believe the moments we spend in seclusion with the Scriptures and communicating with God, are the most important moments of our entire day.  Some days I do not spend my mornings alone with Him, but I speak to Him every day.  Even though I may listen to sermons on my Iphone throughout the day, it does not compare with my quiet time, alone in his presence.  That is when our intimacy grows.  It makes a great difference in my life.  I will paraphrase what I heard Pastor Tom say in one of his sermons years ago.  He said, “If you take time out to spend time alone with the Lord and with the Scripture, WATCH OUT, BECAUSE IT WILL BECOME ADDICTIVE.”  And I found out that he was correct.  Try it, it may amaze you.  If you are going to be addicted to something I don’t think there is anything better to be addicted to.  It would be my joy if I receive a response from even one person, that what I am saying in today’s blog caused them to stop and take time to be alone with God each morning.  The more time we spend in God’s presence, the more intimate our relationship becomes.  If you love God, share that love with another.  And what better day, than on the Sunday Sabbath?

It is only 3:25 p.m. and I think I shall go and rest an hour.  I hope your day is restful also.  May God’s peace and joy be with you.