Belong before belief

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Belong before beliefSo this week we have a video blog for you about the topic belong before belief. We hope it inspires you!

Hey our friend

How was your week? We hope great! Ours was just ok since Jen got sick again with another cold and by the end of the week I got sick as well. This winter it has been bad here for many people with getting sick over and over again. Please keep us and our neighbors in your prayers for quick recovery! We also watched a little dog for neighbor friends while they were gone. It was amazing to see how it opened doors for conversation.

During the week I had a board meeting and we had the last led prayer walk of our students. They all did a great job! Like I mentioned last week the skater school is graduating. Pray for them for their time after that each of them get plugged in well and keeps growing in their faith. I also had a board meeting which was a good time. Thanks for being part of our team!

Make sure this week to love on a few of your neighbors and think about how neighbors can belong more into your life!

God bless you

Markus and Jen

Where do you put your trust?

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where do you put your trustA while ago a good friend of mine gave me a new bible as a gift. It is a study bible that has study notes from a jewish perspective. It gave me a deeper understanding of the things Jesus was saying and doing through his life. Its amazing!!

You might wonder why would I mention this. So recently I was reading Matthew 19:16-26 which talks about the meeting between a rich man and Jesus. It comes down to the rich man asking about what good thing he must do to go to heaven. This sentence is very significant in understanding the power money can have over our lives. The rich man probably worked hard and did a lot of things right to come to the place where he was at. He put his life into it. His understanding now became that by him doing something he will get something. So he thinks that out of his strength or might he is able to do good things and by that earn his way into heaven. So the risk of being rich is that you start thinking that your money can fix all things. That is also what the world tells us. Have a lot of money and you can get the big house so you can rest after a hard day at work, a vacation to restore your body, best health care so you never have to worry. Pretty much you are in control. But then where is the trust in, that? If we trust money to fix all our things where does Jesus and God have a place? In the Jewish bible that I got the word faith is often translated as trust. So having faith actually means to trust. When Jesus challenged the rich man to give away everything and follow him, he couldn’t do it. It would have meant to give away everything he trusts in. So it was pretty much impossible for him to go to heaven. But that is actually not just limited to very rich people, this can apply to everyone that puts there trust in money instead of God.

So When I read that story it does 2 things 2 me:

  1. It challenges me to honestly ask myself the question where is my trust in? Yes all of us would say of course it is in Jesus. But if you look a little bit deeper and honest could we all still say that?
  2. It gives me a greater compassion for people that are rich. Its easy to look up to someone rich and be jealous of what they have. But instead we should actually have compassion and a true love for them. Our lives should reflect to each of them how good God is and how much he cares for us and that it is safe to trust Him. We need to be a true friend to rich people not with an alternate motive.

Of course, the chapter doesn’t end with that hopeless verse that its pretty much impossible for a rich man to go to heaven, no that wouldn’t be Jesus. Jesus always has a solution. The story ends with this: With men its impossible but with God all things are possible!! Let us remember this!! With our God nothing is impossible!!

So ask yourself this week honestly those 3 things:

  1. Where is my trust in?
  2. Confess and repent of where you put your trust in outside of God and ask God to help you to trust him from now on in that area!
  3. Be a true friend to someone who is rich so they can see the love of God in your life and how he is trustworthy!

Hey our friend

We hope your week was amazing!! We had an awesome meeting of many ministries in the bay area. It was amazing to see how many ministries are represented outside of ywam and how many churches. We are also looking out for a new meeting spot in the neighborhood since our old one just closed last week. Please pray with us that we find the right location! Last week YWAM’s skater DTS came back from there outreach and they will be graduating this week. Pray for them and their time of transitioning out of DTS and back into their homes. It can be hard to leave a strong Christian community behind and stand on your own.

Make sure to ask yourself the 3 questions above!

God bless you

Markus and Jen

How can Jesus shine through you? Wrapup

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how can jesus sthine through you wrapupSo over the last 7 weeks we talked about how important it is that people see more of how good God is through us, His Body on Earth. Today we will wrap it up with a video blog. Be inspired!

Let God speak to you about the areas you shine well and the ones you have to grow in!!

Hey our friend

cafe romaHow was your week? Ours was great! We had a neighborhood watch meeting, a YWam Community night and a brunch just to name a few of the highlights. It was wonderful. We also still feel refreshed from our time away. Also, last week was sad as well. The coffee shop we went to since the beginning of our time in North Beach Cafe Roma closed. It was a sad goodbye with many wonderful memories attached to it. We met with many people there and had a bible study and an encouragement group and wonderful friendships with the workers of the cafe. Pray with us to find a new place where we can do all those things.

Since our series came to an end today it doesn’t mean we are done with it. No now we are actually beginning! Let Jesus shine through us!

God bless you

Markus and Jen

How can Jesus shine through you? Billy Graham

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Someday you will hear that Billy graham is dead. Don’t believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have just gone into the presence of god! Billy graham

how can jesus sthine through you Billy GrahamLast week Billy Graham passed away or in his words changed his address at the age of 99. I want to dedicate this video blog entry to him since he is a great example how Jesus can shine through us! Be challenged by Billy Graham and how he brought the gospel to many people and follow his example by stepping into the calling God has for you!!

Hey our friend

How was your week? Ours was awesome! We had the opportunity to visit a church in Redding together as a team. It was a very refreshing time. I was also able to connect with a friend who is working on planting another church in our area. Its amazing to see how God is working!! We feel so blessed to be part of that! Don’t forget to pray for your community and neighborhood. Let God lead you on how! It makes a huge difference for the area as well as for you!!

Remember this week!! God has a calling on your life step into it! And if you try to find it, this is the Foundation of it Matthew 28.16-20!

God bless you

Markus and Jen

How can Jesus shine through you? Part 6 Inspire

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how can jesus sthine through you Part 6So over the last 6 weeks we talked about how important it is that people see more of how good God is through us, His Body on Earth. Through the way we show patience, kindness, generosity, love and forgiveness. So now you do all those things and wonder what it does.

Let me share 2 of many little experiences we had with you. For about 1.5 years we have been running every morning on our hill. First it was an effort for me to loose wat, then it became part of the wake up routine and my time with God. During our run we run into many people and say good morning. A little while ago a neighbor came up to me and told me how we inspired her through our running to run as well, so she started. Another older man also came up another time and told us how he felt inspired to walk just by watching us in the morning. So we left an impact there just by living our lives. Another one is our brunch. We have been doing it for many years. Many neighbors came through and its always a wonderful time. Now since we have kept it simple people started coming up to us and telling us that they want to host a brunch as well. So it happened. But not just with the brunch also a thanksgiving meal was hosted in someone’s house.  So people are inspired by what we do and how we live our life.

Now again looking at the father in the story of the prodigal son we notice that he broke all cultural rules and invited his son back in. What do you think his neighbors are thinking about that? I bet all they could do is being inspired by that love. Just imagine this, we all start living in those principles of the father in our communities. Its impossible that we don’t leave an impact or inspire people. It will inspire them so much that they want to know what’s different about us. That they want to know the Father and His love for them.

So ask God this week what he wants to use in your life to inspire people in your community. It might be something you haven’t even thought about. Maybe God wants to use something totally different in your life that you have to stand against culture and etiquette to do the right thing. Ask the father and remember that he wants to use you to inspire people!

Hey our friend

We hope your week was awesome!! We baked cookies last week as a north beach team for Valentine’s day to hand out to different people. It was a lot of fun and people got encouraged. We also had a great game night, and this time our DTS students joined us. We want them to be inspired so when they go home they have ideas on loving their neighbors and neighborhood. I got to speak at a business man meeting to encourage local business people. Jen blessed neighbors through a visit with bridie a sweet dog we are watching for friends while they are gone.

Jen and I have been doing good too. We got to go on a delayed date night for valentines day. It was fun!

So don’t forget this week to ask God how he wants to inspire people through you!

God bless you

Markus and Jen