Monthly Archives: December 2015

A resolution for us and others

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15.7

resolutionWow we already reached the last week of 2015. Many of us will make New Year Resolutions that are focused on us, but what about we make a resolution that is focused on us and others? What about our New Years resolution would be to make our community better and to improve relationships with people right around us? When I look at the verse on the top that was chosen for the year 2015 (from the church in Germany) it makes me think of all the refugees that flee from war and try to make it in a new place. One thing that they really need is acceptance and love. But that can only come from a loving community. What about if we start building this community? Look at neighbors that don’t have anyone that they can truly talk to, about how they feel and what’s really going on in there lives. And trust me even sometimes things look perfect on the outside many times that is not a true representation on what is really going on.

When we start to accept and love people around us we start to create a place in which a community can grow which is save and loving. And the great thing is that each one of us can do that. Start by showing love to someone right around you. Invite them into your life. If you need some tips on how read our series on love your neighbor.

Let us make our new year resolution count and let it change our communities. Remember the words Paul said: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! (Phil 4.13)

Remember:  You can do it!! All it takes is a willing heart!

Hey our friend

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas time. We celebrated with friends from our neighborhood and some traditional German Christmas food. It was amazing. This week we are off and just relax a bit.

Thank you to all who support us in our work here through Prayer and finances in this last year! You are a huge blessing to us! May god bless you richly!

To do the work we are doing we depend 100% on support. Over the last few months we lost about $287 in monthly support through changes of circumstances in people’s lives plus on top we lost more through the lower Euro exchange rate this year. So at this point we need about $1410 more in monthly support to be fully funded and about $8,050 more to reach our full budget for this year. We want to ask for your help in sharing with people you know that have a heart for missions and would be interested in joining our support team monthly or with a year end donation. Of course if you are not a part of it you are welcome to join as well! When you click on this link you find out more how to do that. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you for all your help in this area.

Make 2016 count and have your resolution change your community!!

We wish you a happy and blessed new Year 2016. We are blessed to have each one of you in our life!!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

4th Advent Love

4 Advent LoveBack home in Germany we celebrate the 4 Sundays before Christmas, called Advent, by burning a candle for each Sunday on the Advent wreath and by preparing our hearts for Christmas and the good news that came with it. Each of the candles symbolizes something different and we will write about the meanings for the next 4 weeks.

The fourth candle on the Advent wreath is also called the Angel Candle or the Candle of Love. What do you think when you think of the word love? Maybe a Hollywood love story where a couple walks down the beach together into the sunset. Or maybe a pair of shoes you just recently bought. The word love is used in so many ways but rarely in its true meaning.  But what is true love? Paul describes it in 1. Corinthians 13 the passage used in so many weddings. It talks about a sacrifice and giving up some of our own rights for someone else. It doesn’t even mention that feeling of butterflies which we only connect with love. One of the most famous and most quoted bible verses speak about true love, John 3.16.

For God so loved the world that he send his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Again a verse that talks about giving and sacrifice. When we think of Christmas and what love God has brought to us we actually see true love in Action. He cares so much about each one of us that he put the most precious thing on the line, his son. He did it so we can be reconciled with him. But the thing is he had no guarantee that people would actually take the amazing gift he gave them.  What if only one person on the planet would have chosen to believe in Jesus? Do you think God would still think it was a worthy cause? I believe he would. And that is the love that is shown to us at Christmas. A love that sacrifices, heals broken things, reconciles and many more.

  1. When you reflect on this love for you personally, read the verse above and replace world with your name and let it go to your heart.
  2. After you did that replace it with the name of someone in your area that doesn’t know Jesus yet and start praying that they will experience that love of the father and make a decision for him.
  3. And now take an action step and live your life with such a sacrificial love with every person out there. Mother Teressa was asked once what she finds when she gave all the love away. Her answer was More love!

Remember Jesus came at Christmas time to save the world, he didn’t come so each of us can have some extra ties and socks in there closet! So let us live our lives with love in action.

Hey our friend

We hope you had a wonderful week. Wow only a few more days and Christmas is here. We are excited to celebrate with our neighbor friends. It will be an amazing time. During this and the last week we wrapped up most of the things so Christmas can come. We baked cookies together and blessed many neighbors with a Christmas card and a little plastic bag filled with homemade cookies. Its sometimes the simple things that can truly make a difference.

Also we want to say thank you to all who support us in our work here through Prayer and finances! You are a huge blessing to us! May god bless you richly!

We have a request for you! To do the work we are doing we depend 100% on support. Over the last few months we lost about $287 in monthly support through changes of circumstances in people’s lives. So at this point we need about $1410 more in monthly support to be fully funded and about $8,850 more to reach our full budget for this year. We want to ask for your help in sharing with people you know that have a heart for missions and would be interested in joining our support team monthly or with a year end donation. Of course if you are not a part of it you are welcome to join as well! When you click on this link you find out more how to do that. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you for all your help in this area.

Start this week with a lifestyle of sacrificial loving of people right around you.

We wish you a blessed Christmas week with your family. We are blessed to have each one of you in our life!!

christmas card english

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

3rd Advent Joy

3 advent joyBack home in Germany we celebrate the 4 Sundays before Christmas, called Advent, by burning a candle for each Sunday on the Advent wreath and by preparing our hearts for Christmas and the good news that came with it. Each of the candle symbolizes something different and we will write about the meanings for the next 4 weeks.

The third candle on the Advent wreath is also called the Shepard Candle or the Candle of Joy. True Joy is something that is really needed in the world we live in today. Many people run after a short term joy which is not able to really fulfill them. Yes we need those short term joys as well, the joy when we have some good food or some special vacation, but without the long-term joy that the angel shared with the shepherds those joys will not bring long-term change.

.. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David. Luke 2: 10-11

When you look at the shepherds that came to see Jesus you see a total transformation in them. They came curious after the angel told them the good news, but after they saw baby Jesus they left praising and thanking God with great joy. That is what Jesus does to people. It was true then, it is true today and it will be true in the future.

To see the world changed we need to be the hand and feet of Jesus and share that true joy with people like the angel did 2000 years ago.

  1. Spend some time alone this week and think about what brings that true joy to you and how it changes you when you think about it!
  2. Ask yourself how you can share the gospel with people in your surroundings in a way that they understand and also that they truly see the joy and transformation it brought to you!
  3. Using the plan you came up with and share the good news with people around you.

Hey our friend

We hope you had a wonderful week. A little bit more than a week and Christmas is here. We can also see that in our calendar by the amount of Christmas celebrations we went to. Last weekend Jen helped to organize one here for our neighborhood and it was a lot of fun. We also started to wrap up the year and get ready for some exciting stuff in the New Year. Make sure to take some time out between now and New years eve to reflect back on this year and set goals for the new one!

Also we want to say thank you to all who support us in our work here through Prayer and finances! You are a huge blessing to us! May god bless you richly!

We have a request for you! To do the work we are doing we depend 100% on support. Over the last few months we lost about $287 in monthly support through changes of circumstances in people’s lives. So at this point we need about $1410 more in monthly support to be fully funded and about $8,950 more to reach our full budget for this year. We want to ask for your help in sharing with people you know that have a heart for missions and would be interested in joining our support team monthly or with a year end donation. Of course if you are not a part of it you are welcome to join as well! When you click on this link you find out more how to do that. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you for all your help in this area.

Spend time this week to bring joy to someone who is going through a hard time or doesn’t have much joy in there life!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

2. Advent Preparation

2 Advent PreperationBack home in Germany we celebrate the 4 Sundays before Christmas, called Advent, by burning a candle for each Sunday on the Advent wreath and by preparing our hearts for Christmas and the good news that came with it. Each of the candle symbolizes something different and we will write about the meanings for the next 4 weeks.

The second candle on the Advent wreath is also called the Bethlehem Candle or the Candle of Preparation. The time before Jesus was born was a preparation time for His family. They had to get ready to go to Bethlehem while being pregnant. If you think about the preparation it takes to go on a journey today, imagine that 2000 years ago without cars, busses planes etc. Traveling was a hard thing in that time so you had to be prepared for everything since you couldn’t just pick up things you forgot easily.

What about us and our journey with God? Advent is a time of preparation for our personal journey with him. Getting ready for Christmas doesn’t just mean to get all the gifts, bake all the cookies and clean the house. No preparation also means preparing our hearts. How do we do that? We do it by spending time with Him. It could be by meditating on scriptures from the bible, praying, spending time in silence in His presence or any other things that you do to spend time with Him. When our heart, mind, soul and spirit focus is on Him Christmas will be a different celebration. All the things we normally do at that time become secondary and the true reason why we celebrate Christmas is becoming the number one.

We want to encourage you this week to get ready for Christmas by preparing during your times with him.  Start reading the bible stories that lead up to Christmas. If you have the chance share the special things you got out of those times with a friend or maybe also people that don’t know Jesus yet.

Hey our friend

Wow this week was a whirlwind. I Markus was speaking at a Christian business man meeting which was a great time. Thank you God! Then we had a game night and a brunch at our house as well we celebrated early Christmas with our YWAM Bay area Family. It was a week of Christmas celebration and speaking. It also always opens the door for great conversations about our love for Jesus. Use this time to do that!!

Also we want to say thank you to all who support us in our work here through Prayer and finances! You are a huge blessing to us! May god bless you richly!

We have a request for you! To do the work we are doing we depend 100% on support. Over the last few months we lost about $287 in monthly support through changes of circumstances in people’s lives. So at this point we need about $1410 more in monthly support to be fully funded and about $8.950 more to reach our full budget for this year. We want to ask for your help in sharing with people you know that have a heart for missions and would be interested in joining our support team monthly or with a year end donation. Of course if you are not a part of it you are welcome to join as well! When you click on this link you find out more how to do that. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you for all your help in this area.

Spend every day this week some time with Him to prepare for Christmas.

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen