Tag Archives: JMEM

2. Advent Preparation

Leave a reply

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

Love your neighbor Part 4 Small things change big things

Leave a reply

Love your neighbor Part 4Often we think big things make all the difference. The big gift, the big house, the big car, the big church etc. But in reality a lot of little ones make an even greater difference.

A few years ago we had a thanksgiving meal and invited a neighbor. He wasn’t able to make it so we send him off with some food to go and wrote him an encouraging card which we put in his mailbox. A day later he thanked us and we thought he talked about the food, but it was the card that he was so thankful for. Something so easy.

Another time a neighbor went through a hard time so I called and by that showed that we cared. The person was so encouraged and so thankful that we kept hearing that for a long time.

Once we hang up a sheet of paper at our door which said: Take what you need. On the bottom we had words like forgiveness, hope, joy, healing, inspiration which you could rip of and take home. We later found out that some of our neighbors took them and hang them up at their fridge to be inspired daily.

All of those examples are easy and small things, but they make a huge difference. To go further in a relationship, this is a great way to show that you care. What about if you start doing that with your neighbors? Think about how it can change your immediate neighbors and neighborhood! You can become a hope bringer to people that might be hopeless and a true friend.

How to start?

  1. Brainstorm and pray what little things you could do for your neighbors!
  2. When you figured it out, do them!! Faith without works is dead!

Hey our friend

Hopefully summer is still in full swing for you and we hope you have a chance for a few days off to enjoy it. Jen and I are on our way back from PA. We had a wonderful time which ended with speaking at a church in Lancaster about how to love your neighbor. We were also able to attend the wedding of Cousin Dave and his now wife Rebekah. What a wonderful day.

When we are back in San Francisco we have quite a few things going on. Please pray for a quick time to get over jetlag.

Thank you for all your Prayers.

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

It is well with my soul

Leave a reply

it is well with my soulLast year when we were on our way to Germany to go to the funeral of my grandpa we had to go on a 6 hour drive to LA. On that drive we listened to worship music and the song it is well with my soul just kept coming back on. It really encouraged me and brought me hope during that time. When I looked into the story of the song I was amazed. It was written by a Chicago lawyer after he went through many tragedies. First he lost his son, then he lost most of his wealth in the big Chicago fire and then he sent his wife and daughters to Europe for a vacation on which trip the ship collided and all 4 of his daughters died. On his way over to meet with his grieving wife he wrote this song:

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say:

Chorus:
It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, with my soul!
It is well, with my soul! It is well, it is well, with my soul!

2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded
my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul.

3. My sin, o, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: if Jordan above me shall roll,
no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
the sky, not the grave, is our goal; O trump of the angel!
O voice of the Lord! Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

6. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll. The trump shall resound,
and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.

His life was hit by one tragedy after the other, but in all of that he kept his focus on God. I’m sure he didn’t understand why things happened the way they happened, but he choose to keep believing that his Father in Heaven is good and does not want any bad for him. Ask yourself those questions:

  1. Do you truly believe that God is good even in times of challenge?
  2. If not, what do you think makes you believe it is not true?
  3. Spend time praying and ask God how you can see this truth again in your life!

Hey our friend

We hope you had a wonderful week. My brother and his wife left to go back to Germany. We had a wonderful time with them and look forward to see them again!! I was also meeting with a friend who uses the ministry concept to bring hope to his community. We also shared with one of my old students from Switzerland on how to impact his area with the ministry concept. God is starting to bring in more people who have a heart for their neighbors and community and want to use the concept there. Keep praying that all those starts will be fruitful.

Thank you for your Prayer and financial support. You are such a huge blessing to us. We are still in need of $1440 more monthly support to be fully funded. If you or someone you know would like to join our team in that way click on this link to see how!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

Seek his face to grow in faith!

Leave a reply

Hey our friend

jen markusWe hope you had a wonderful week. I (Markus) was in Redding last week learning more on how to teach on the father heart of God. This is such an important topic for each one since we live in a world full of orphans. It is not just important to teach but also to live. Let us show God’s father heart to others through the way we love and care for them. While I was in Redding Jen kept up all the local work. We are such a great team and she is just a gem! I just have to say I really love my wife. I could have not married anyone better!

Thank you for praying with us. Please pray for more open doors to share the good news with people.

We have almost 6 weeks left to reach our goal to be fully funded by January. Please consider partnering with us through becoming a monthly financial supporter. You can do that with $25, $50, $100 or any other amount you would like. Click on this link then choose under monthly giving the amount, under ministry Staff support and write under comments Markus and Jen. Thank you for partnering with us in Engaging a city with a loving God

Seek his face to grow in faith!

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord , I will seek. PSA 27:8 NIV

Last week we talked about faith and unbelief and what choice we make. This week I want to talk about how to get more faith. Faith actually grows by the way we know God and by deeper relationship with Him. David gives us a great example on how to grow closer to the father, it is by seeking his face. As more we seek God’s presence as more we get transformed. As more hope will come into our life and as more our faith will grow. As more we seek Him as more we know Him. As more we know Him as more we know His character and as more we know that He is good. So if He calls us to do something and step out in faith, we know that He will be right with us. We know that He is greater then anything that can stand against us. But then there is a second step. We actually need to step out in faith. Elija would have not seen fire coming from heaven and burning his sacrifice including all the stones of the altar and all the water he poured over it (1.King 18) if he would have not stepped out in faith. The lame man would still be lame if Peter would have not stepped out in faith and prayed for him (Acts 3). These are just 2 examples out of many, but both of them had 2 things in common they knew God, trusted Him and took action.

So faith needs relationship with the father but it also needs action. Which of those do you have to grow in? Pray and ask God to show you and then start investing in that area!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

Faith or unbelief, what is your choice?

Leave a reply

Hey our friend

20141104_131144We hope you had a wonderful week. We had a more office focused week which is sometimes important too, but not necessarily our favorite. During this coming week I (Markus) will be in Redding learning more from my friend, a YWAM Teacher, on how to teach on the father heart of God. Jen came up with me for the weekend and we went to many church services.

20141108_144119_Richtone(HDR)Please keep praying along with us while things are moving forward and we see God move in many areas of the work. Pray especially for our students since they start leading Prayer walks which they created. Pray that God will guide them in there walks.

During the last week God brought in 1 new supporter and a couple who will pray about supporting us. Thank you God! Please pray about if God wants you to be a part of this work through monthly financial support. Our goal is to be fully funded by January first so that we don’t have to focus on fundraising in this new year and can just use all that time for ministry. You can support us with $25, $50, $100 or any other amount you would like. Click on this link then choose under monthly giving the amount, under ministry Staff support and write under comments Markus and Jen. Thank you for partnering with us in bringing hope to North beach San Francisco!

Faith or unbelief, what is your choice?

…everything that does not come from faith is sin.  Romans 14.23

One morning during our quiet time we read in the book of Romans chapter 14. One thing that stuck out to me was the verse above. Paul is saying here that everything we do without faith is sin. Why is that? Let me look at another story with you before answering that question. When David was King over Israel he started to count his troops. In a human logical sense there is no issue with that, but in a Godly sense there is. David assessed what he had so he could figure out how to fight the enemy and especially how big the enemy could be he wanted to fight. When David did that he started to keep God out of the picture. Instead of trusting God fully he started to trust in manpower. When he fought Goliath he attacked him with faith and even said you come with weapons but I come with the living God. The situation looked impossible, but he won, because his faith was in God. When he counted the troops his head faith might still be in God but in reality he had unbelief. And unbelief is not compatible with faith meaning it brings you to a place of worry and self-sufficiency. When we put all our trust and faith in God we are not depending on our strength but His. So however the end result will be the Glory will always go to Him since we did it through Him. If we don’t do that it is really easy to fall into pride which is sin and holds us away from our loving father. Lets asses our lives and see where we made decisions based on faith and where not. After we did that lets change things to move more and more into a lifestyle of faith.

Have a blessed week.

Markus and Jen