Tag Archives: great commision

Thank you

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Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Philippians 4.8

thank-youEach year this special holiday comes around which in its name encourages us to be thankful. It is so easy to look at things in our life or the world that would make us upset and makes us ungrateful. But when you are ungrateful it can really affect your life in a negative way. In the moment you focus on the bad things in your life it starts to affect every part of you. But the opposite is true as well. When you look at the good in life and start being thankful for it, it affects you in a positive way. When you look at the verse above in Philippians it gives you a guide on what you should put your focus on.

I remember a time in our life where we started every day by saying 5 things we are thankful for. It was amazing to look at it and see how it affected my attitude and the way we looked at things. It was little things like being thankful for the parrots that are really loud and joyful in front of our window or that we are able to worship God freely. Thankfulness did not just affect us, it affected other people in our life as well. When we saw people they noticed that we were happier and in a way that was contagious and helped them to be happier too. As well it opened the door to share about how thankfulness can really change you.

SO we want to encourage you to make a change in your life in this thanksgiving week!

  1. Find 5 things daily in your life that you are thankful for and speak them out.
  2. Say thank you to someone that did not expect it maybe in a store or restaurant or at work?
  3. Start to focus more on things like it says in Philippians 4. Instead of reading just negative news, read things on what god is doing in this world.

Remember this week He is faithful like no one else ever will be and that is a huge reason to be thankful!!

Hey our friend

Thanksgiving week is here!!  Have you thought about inviting someone who doesn’t have family to go to, to your Thanksgiving Celebration? Maybe one of your neighbors?

We had a wonderful week in San Francisco. We hosted a small group at our house which was a lot of fun. It was all about spending time in God’s presence. On Saturday we were invited to a bingo event at the boys and girls club which was a great way to connect with more people from our neighborhood! It is actually a really great way to meet people in your community by going to events that are hosted in your area like police meetings or fairs etc.

Pray this week with us for increased thankfulness in our and your own lives as well as the lives of people that are connected with you and us! Also pray that each person will have a place to go for thanksgiving and let us be the family that open our homes to people that don’t have a chance to go home or might not even have a family or place to call home.

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Markus and Jen

Star Wars or how to let His love shine in a sincere way

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We weren’t aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.
1. Thessalonians 2.7-8 The Message

star warsYesterday we met with a girl who is part of a missions group who came to San Francisco to learn about the city. As we were sharing our hearts the verse above came up and the significance of how we live as Christians. When Paul shared these words with the Thessalonians he was sincere. He and all of his friends truly loved them and didn’t just want to pass on the things they had to say, no they really wanted relationship. They really cared about the people.

Star WarsI believe that is the key of bringing the full gospel to people. We can’t just come in share and go, no we have to be there so people can see our faith in action. We have to go in with a heart that really cares and never gives up even if it seems hopeless. Recently we watched Star Wars and the scene were Luke tells his father Darth Vader that He sees the good in him. He did not give up on the good even if it would cost him his life and his father saw that, which then lead him to destroy the evil one. But again he saw the good in his son, his attitude of never giving up and that brought him to a place of change. People need to see that love in our life that never gives up, always believes the best from the famous chapter in 1. Corinthians 13.

Each one of us is called to the people around them, remember love your neighbor! So let us do that, but not just to our church family but also our neighbors and the people we get in touch with!

  1. Ask God to give you a love for the neighbors and people you get in touch with. Let him show you the way He sees them.
  2. Show your faith in Action, and if you need some tips how read the Blog series on this topic by clicking on this link. You can always go to the next one by clicking on the bottom of each blog on the link for the next one.

Hey our friend

We had a wonderful German night at our house this week and it was amazing. It is always so nice speaking your mother tongue and also hear your wife learn how to speak it too. We also prayer walked our neighborhood with a friend. I feel every time we do that we get a deeper understanding of Gods heart but also see more of the need. It can be hard to see the need with your eyes in a middle upper class neighborhood, but it is there as much as in a poor neighborhood it just looks different. Gods heart for His children there is the same as anywhere else.

Thank you for keep praying with us for a friend from the neighborhood who faces eviction from his apartment. He is 81 years old and it will be a challenge for him to find a new place, but pray for Gods favor for him to find an apartment that he can afford (the average one bedroom goes for 3500 dollars and studios are on average 2500 dollars).

Ask God this week to give you a love like in 1. Corinthians 13 for the neighbors around you and people you get in touch with!

Have a great week!
Markus and Jen

Run on His strength and help others to do that too

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I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Philippians 4.13

Run on his strengthWhen I read this verse I feel inspired. Paul a man who wrote half of the new testament, a man who pushed a mission movement forward that changed the world, a man who went through really hard seasons and persecution  and didn’t give up tells us how he was able to do it. It was not on his own strength, but it was in the strength of Christ that he was able to succeed. He never walked through life alone, but he put his trust in Jesus. How did he do it? He realized that if he trusts just in his own abilities he would never been able to fulfill the great things God has planned for his life.

After he had an encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus it flipped his life upside down. Many would say it was this moment that transformed his life and made him state that he can do all things through him. I think it was this moment, but more important all the moments that followed after when he felt the body of Christ around him encouraging him and helping him, the man who used to be there enemy. I think that is what made that encounter with Jesus even more real, when he saw how Jesus power helped people that he was out to kill, to help him and accept him as one of their own.

I believe that this is a key for believers and new believers to trust that they can do all things through Christ, when they had an encounter with Jesus and then see how Christ works through others and when they start to encourage them that they can do it too!

I want to challenge us today to really believe what Paul is saying: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! But not just believe it, but live with that knowledge and walk it out. And when we do that encourage others along the way with the things God did through us and how He can do things through them as well!

Hey our friend

Wow what a week here in San Francisco. We had  a wonderful brunch with neighbors. We also had a great time at our encouragement group. It’s a wonderful community that we started 2 years ago and which meets once a week and brings hope to the people that come. I’m amazed how much courage it brings to people that come. If you would like to know more on how the group works and how you can start one, email us!

Remember this week to run on his strength and not your own and help others to do that too.

Have a great week!
Markus and Jen

How to train your caring muscle

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How to train your caring muscleIn the city of San Francisco dogs outnumber children. I don’t know another place where people love their animals so much. Jen and I both really love animals but the level people love them here is above us. But how do you understand and care more for things that people around you care so much about. Immerse yourself into their culture. So recently Jen went to a class to volunteer at a local shelter in which the people shared passionately about the animals and why it is important that we care. When she came back she had a greater understanding and heart for people that love their pets so much. All it took for her was to get immersed into the things people care about here and to understand why they care about it.

The biggest dog we have ever seenWhen you do that it changes your heart towards people. From a value system based on what we think is important to a value system that values what is important to others. Of course with that also be wise, pray and don’t go against your biblical believes.

We want to challenge you to increase your caring muscle by looking at your community and see how you can care more about the things they care about!

  1. Find out what your community cares about
  2. Hear someone speak on that who is excited about it.
  3. Get a heart for it and connect through that with the people in your community

Hey our friend

We hope you had a fantastic week!! This week we had a lot of meetings. A board meeting at YWAM, a meeting about a prayer event for San Francisco and our usual Staff Meeting. As much as most of us are not excited about meetings, they are needed to get things done and also catch up on the process. You also get to know sometimes great people which otherwise you would have never met. I have to remind myself of that when I am in them. We also had a Visitor from Germany which was awesome!!

Start this week with training your caring muscle!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

Catch me if you can or Redemption is possible

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Catch me if you can or Redemption is possibleLast weekend Jen and I watched the movie Catch me if you can. It is a true story about a man who was a con artist who was pretending to be a pilot, a doctor, a history professor and an attorney and while he did that he was making his own checks to steal millions. While he was running all those frauds an FBI Agent was making it his mission to bring him into custody but also started to have a heart for him. The interesting turn in the story happens after he is caught and in jail. The Agent talks to his Boss in the FBI to use the young man. So his boss decided to actually offer him parole if he helps them with Fraud cases which he does. Later on he starts his own security firm to help banks to make things safer. The Agent and the ex con were friends for the rest of their lives.

What I really liked about this story was the part of Redemption and how it came along. The agent could have been really bitter since he went through a lot of trouble cause of this guy, but he decides to use his help to bring change in the FBI. Out of that something changed and all the things the young man used for bad he actually turned around and started to use for the good.

I believe that this is the way God wants to work with us. He wants to turn our biggest failures into our biggest success. And he also wants to use each one of us to walk along others to get there in their own life. I believe each one of us can do that.

  1. Ask yourself the question what failures did I have in my life and then ask God how He wants to redeem them!
  2. Walk alongside another person that might be in the middle of a struggle in their life and help them by praying for them and walking alongside with them to also come to a place of redemption.

Hey our friend

I want to start this off with a prayer request to all of us! let’s pray today for the families and friends of the people that died in orlando. Pray for God’s peace and comfort over each one of them. Let us as a followers of Jesus bring hope to the ones that lost hope in this killing. Let us show the love of our Father which is greater then hate! Let us not bring our agendas, let’s just respond with love and care! Let His love shine through us!!

Also here is a short update on our week. We had a great brunch on Saturday and also a wonderful game night at our house on Friday. It’s always so wonderful to share our home with friends from our hill. Over the years we lived here we have seen a little community form which is really awesome. Start doing it at your house. It will enrich your life!

Be a person that brings Redemption from Father God!

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen