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Love your neighbor Part 4 Small things change big things

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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

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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!

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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?

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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

Alfred Nobel’s (peace price) legacy

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Hey our friend

20141004_165423_Richtone(HDR)We hope you had a wonderful week. Here in San Francisco we are experiencing right now our summer months with temperatures up to 96F which is very unusual for here but we wont complain since we actually really enjoy it! About 6 months ago we started an encouragement group at Café Roma. It is amazing to see how each person that comes is encouraged when they leave. It is a very simple concept but it literally brings hope and courage to people. Start one in your area. Email us to learn more on how to do it.

Please keep praying with us in this season for North Beach San Francisco. Over the last few months we had many car break ins in our neighborhood as well as robberies and other violence. Most of that violence is located on Broadway which holds 8 strip clubs in a very small area, which draws many other problems. Pray for protection over the police while they are doing their job and pray for the people that go into the clubs as well as the women that work there. Pray for Gods peace and love to come to those places. Thank you for praying with us!

Alfred Nobel’s (peace price) legacy

20141004_165257A little while ago  I heard the story of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the nobel prize (see more of his story on Wikipedia). Nobel was the one that invented dynamite. Many years into his life his brother Ludvig died while being in Cannes. But the French newspapers thought Alfred died and wrote this as an obituary: “Le marchand de la mort est mort (“The merchant of death is dead”) Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”

After Alfred read his own obituary he came to the realization that people would remember him of something he doesn’t want to be remembered for. So he created the Nobel Prize. In his will he left 94% of all his money towards those prices. The most famous one is the Nobel Peace price and that is also the thing Nobel is remembered for.

If a newspaper would write a obituary about you today what would they write about you? But more important what would you like them to write about you? But the most important what would God want them to write about you?

These are good questions to ask when we go on with our everyday life. Ask yourself and then write out a obituary for yourself with all the things you want to be remembered for as well the things God called you for. Read it every morning and live your day focused on that finish.

Remember!!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

http://youtu.be/JPOVwKPMG8o

P.s. Any fulltime ministry always comes with a cost. For Jen and me it is the cost of San Francisco. City ministry is expensive, but in the same way really needed since more and more people in the world live in cities. Consider joining our support team. We still have a way to go, but we are praying for that by January next year we are fully funded through committed monthly support. During this year we lost a few monthly supporters, so to reach that goal we need about $2852 more monthly. You can support us with any amount you like since no gift is too small or too big. Click here to find out more on how to do it! Thank you for considering us.