Hey friend

We hope your last week was great. Our students from the fall school graduated and are moving into the new things God has for them. Its always so exciting to hear how God is using young people to change and impact this world. We also had 2 good friends from Iowa here for a visit. It was a wonderful time. During the week we were also meeting with different people in the neighborhood as well we started to connect with a neighborhood association which is exciting since we prayed for that to happen a week before. Praise God.

Heaven is more real than you think or believe

I want to share a story of hope with you that will hopefully encourage and challenge you. It actually just happened a few month ago. Jens grandpa, a wonderful loving old amish man, was close to dying. He was a man that was loved by everyone and people said about him that in his presence they felt loved. He was always humbled and had a huge love for Jesus. I would say a man after Gods heart. During his time of dying he was sharing about 2 heaven experiences he had. In one he saw many happy children and his son (Jen’s dad who passed away 14 years ago), who he didn’t recognize because of how young he looked. He also saw his wife. Another thing that happened was an encouragement to a hospice lady that was with him. He told her about a child that he saw in heaven and that she was ok. The lady was crying but also got really encouraged, her child died 5 month before that. After that experience he said that the food here was moldy and the water tastes bad. Shortly after that he died. His last days on earth he used to encourage and bring hope. A few weeks after that a not related person shared with me about a person in there life and how they experienced something similar and they also saw children.

Now you can put this down and say that it was a fantasy, or you can try to explain it in a medical way. But i believe that God brought him back for a short time to encourage us in our faith, to stop and think about what life really is about. Is it about success, money, power, ministry, doing good things or family etc.? Or is it about getting into a deeper relationship with Jesus and to learn more about his plan for our life and also get ready for the time in eternity. I think both of the reasons will coexist, but our main priority should always be our relationship with Jesus and after that all other things can come. Let this be a wakeup call for all of us to think about what has priority in our life.

You might read this blog and never had a personal relationship with Him. If you want to have a personal relationship with him just ask him into your life through this simple prayer.

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

 

After you did that get connected with a church, small group in your area so you can learn more about what it means to live our lives with and for Jesus.  Under this link you can get more info about everything.

Have a blessed week and know that you are loved

Markus and Jen

P.s. San Francisco, besides Manhattan, is the most expensive city in the nation to live in. However, we believe God has called us to be missionaries in the urban world. We found a few more monthly supporters in the last months, but currently we are still in need of $3,000 more a month to cover life and ministry costs. We’d like to offer you an opportunity to join us in engaging a city with a loving God.

This is what we are looking for

5 people that commit to give $200 a month
10 people that commit to give $100 a month
10 people that commit to give $50 a month
20 people that commit to give $25 a month
20 people that commit to give $10 a month

Or you can support us with any amount you would like. This could be monthly or as a onetime gift. Anything helps. Under this link you can find all the info on how to support us.

Thank you for partnering with us through your giving!

Hey friend

We hope you had a great week. Ours was really good but in the same way super busy. We had a ministry evaluation meeting, which was really encouraging. Then we had our normal events going on which ended up being wonderful.  We also had some wonderful friends here to visit us. It was a great time. Stand with us in Prayer this week that more people in the neighborhood see more of Gods loving and healing character.

Jesus heals the brokenhearted

This morning I looked at a big picture of a broken heart at the YWAM Base. In big letters it said “Jesus heals the brokenhearted”. Think about Valentine’s Day and how much our focus on that day is to show our wife, girl or boyfriend or just people in our life how much we care about them. I see that day a focus change of taking our eyes of ourselves and instead putting our focus on others. We have to do the same thing with Jesus. When we take our eyes of off our issues and problems and totally focus on Jesus it will change the perspective we have about the situation. I’m not saying ignore your issues, but bring them to the one who can actually heal or help with them. If you would have a heart attack, would you go to your computer and Google about how you can cut open your heart and take out the blocking? No, you would automatically call a doctor to help you. But how many times do you do that with Jesus? How many times do you look at him to find answers or healing? How often are we trying to figure it out ourselves instead of asking Him for help? He wants to bring healing and the answers, but we have to let him. And we can do that by taking our eyes off the issue or the circumstance and look at Him and trust that he knows best and that He has the perfect solution. It makes us dependent on him, but let me tell you, depending on Him is a healthy dependence.

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

Hey friends

We had a great week here in San Francisco. During our week we were able to encourage kids, bring hope to the elderly, bring counsel to people, prayer walk, work on a city ministries website and spend time with a friend from Germany. It was amazing to see a week go by and see God move. Please keep one of our friends in prayer who is still battling cancer. Jen and I are feeling a lot better after getting over the cold, which is great. Thank you for your Prayers

God’s heart is relevant

When I prayed about what to write in today’s blog I felt God put John 9 on my heart. The story is about Jesus healing a blind man, but I think it’s even more about the heart of Jesus. The day he healed the man was a Sabbath which was in Jewish tradition a day were you were not allowed to do anything. So Jesus broke the rules of the time and all the religious leaders got mad at Him. Instead of celebrating that the man got his eyesight back they accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath. The point is not that we should break all the rules and not have a Sabbath, if you look at the life of Jesus he took time off and he also said that he didn’t come to take the law away but instead to fulfill it, but the point is to stay connected with Gods heart and to see what he wants to do. If we live our life guided by the love and compassion of God, we will see more happening then if we base our decisions on fear on what other people are thinking. If we base it on fear our decisions will always be based on people pleasing. God doesn’t fit in a box of rules; he has many ways on how to move. How does God want to move through you?

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

P.s. San Francisco, besides Manhattan, is the most expensive city in the nation to live in. However, we believe God has called us to be missionaries in the urban world. Currently we are in need of $3,200 more a month to cover life and ministry costs. We’d like to offer you an opportunity to join us in engaging a city with a loving God.

This is what we are looking for

5 people that commit to give $200 a month
10 people that commit to give $100 a month
10 people that commit to give $50 a month
20 people that commit to give $25 a month
20 people that commit to give $10 a month

Or you can support us with any amount you would like. This could be monthly or as a onetime gift. Anything helps. Under this link you can find all the info on how to support us.

Thank you for partnering with us through your giving!

 

Hello friend

We hope you had a wonderful week. Ours was exciting but also a bit hard. After we got back from the retreat Jen had a cold which lasted for most of the week. By Tuesday night I got hit with it as well which grounded me for the rest of the week. On Monday and Tuesday we had a great time with the students. We prayer walked all over north Beach, worked with the boys and girls club and did a teaching on bullying. On Monday night we also had the alpha meeting at our house. It was a really good time as always. On Wednesday night I forced myself out of bed to host a class from our church at our house. It was a really good time. Please keep praying for the people we work with in North Beach that they find true freedom and hope. Also thank you for your prayers for the retreat. 3 people gave their life to Jesus and many got encouraged in their faith. Oh and a last one, I Markus got my green card in the mail last Friday, so no more waiting for visas. Praise God

Meat or a way of how a loving father blessed me and Jen

Last Sunday Jen and I talked about life and in some way we got on the topic meat and my love for it. I told her that I don’t eat as much meat anymore since it is pretty expensive and our budget is tightly planned. Literally 1 minute after that conversation our doorbell rang and one of our neighbors was waiting out there. He asked me if I would like to have some ribs and of course I would never say no to meatJ. So he came back and literally brought me at least 10 pounds of ribs. I was just standing there and could not believe what just happened.

If you think about a the best father you know and how he wants the best for his child, just think about how many great things God wants for you. God is a loving father who deeply cares about you. He wants the best for your life. Sometimes it is hard to understand especially if you had no example of a good father.  We want to encourage you this week to really look at and think about how you see God as a father. That can affect every area of your faith as well as practical things in your life. It can also affect your motivation on why you do things. Are you doing them for God because you feel you have to, or do you do them because you love him and know that it is the best thing you can do? Do you believe that God wants to bless you personally? To get a better picture of how he sees you read or watch through this love letter from god’s side as a father. Life is too short to live it without knowing and believing that you are truly loved by your father.

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

My Child,

 

You may not know me,

but I know everything about you.

Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.

Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.

Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.

Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.

Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.

Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.

Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.

Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.

Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,

for all your days are written in my book.

Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth

and where you would live.

Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.

Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented

by those who don’t know me.

John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,

but am the complete expression of love.

1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.

1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child

and I am your Father.

1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.

Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.

Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.

James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.

Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.

Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless

as the sand on the seashore.

Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.

Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.

Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you

with all my heart and all my soul.

Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.

Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,

you will find me.

Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you

the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.

Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you

than you could possibly imagine.

Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you

in all your troubles.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,

I am close to you.

Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,

I have carried you close to my heart.

Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away

every tear from your eyes.

Revelation 21:3-4

And I’ll take away all the pain

you have suffered on this earth.

Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you

even as I love my son, Jesus.

John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.

John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.

Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,

not against you.

Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression

of my love for you.

1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved

that I might gain your love.

Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,

you receive me.

1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you

from my love again.

Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party

heaven has ever seen.

Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,

and will always be Father.

Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…

Will you be my child?

John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.

Luke 15:11-32

 

Love, Your Dad

Almighty God

 

Father’s Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications
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