Tag Archives: wohngebiet

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

Hope and patience

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But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8.25

hopeWe live in a society where everything needs to be instant. We want things we order being delivered in the least amount of time, projects we work on need to be done quickly and companies need to be worth billions in a few years. But reality often looks very different. Many times it takes years of patience and not giving up reaching the goal. Often it is not the instant gratification, but it is the hope that keeps us moving forward.

It is the same in your community. You will not bring change if you are not willing to be patient and to stay. If you want to build true relationships and earn the right to share about your faith or anything else you need to be patient. Our community needs to see our faith in action and not just hear us talk about it. But again this requires patience and also hope. Are we hoping that our communities are changed and are we having patience to wait?

I want to challenge us to let God give us a vision for our communities that is greater than us and then to have hope for it to happen. And if you already have a vision stay on track with patience. Don’t give up hope even if things don’t look great. Keep moving forward. Let me remind you God didn’t part the red sea before Moses arrived, He did tell him what to do when he was there!

Hey our friend

We hope you had a fantastic week. What’s new in your life? Last week we shared with a small group about how to be more involved in their community. It was awesome to see how many people got encouraged and challenged through it. On Friday we had a Cinco the Mayo themed game night with neighbors and friends. It was as well a wonderful time. Its amazing to see what can happen when you create a space for community.

We want to encourage you this week to remember to live in patience with an hopeful expectation.

May God bless you

Markus and Jen