Rev. Mark Marxhausen

God’s habit of forgiving you isn’t based on anything you did to deserve it. It’s not like you stopped doing a bad habit so then God changed His mind about you and decided to offer you pardon.

As I was reading the Word this morning I was reminded of a High School classmate of mine, I’ll call him Lowell. Lowell was really shy and somewhat awkward, but very likeable. He kept to himself most of the time. He was much smaller than the rest of us and it seemed to me that he got picked on quite a bit. One day, one of the upper classmen thought it would be funny to...

I have a couple of all-time favorite movies I like to watch. Many of them star Robin Williams. “Patch Adams” comes to mind, (I love that movie) as well as “Dead Poet’s Society” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” On the top of that list is “Awakenings” with Robert DeNiro. The movie is based on a real life experience. Robin Williams plays the part of a medical doctor, Dr. Oliver Sacks and Robert DeNiro plays the part of...

I remember reading, though I don’t remember where, someone saying that we all have three basic needs. Every human being is created with these needs and finds fulfillment when these needs are met. It was stated that we all have a need to be wanted. We have a part of us that wants to belong. Oh, we might like our alone time, our quiet time, but we do want to be wanted by others. We...

So my bible reading today was Jeremiah 37-39. Most of it is about two people… Jeremiah the prophet and the King of Judah, Zedekiah. Zedekiah is only the king of Judah because the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, allows him to be king. He’s really just a puppet king. Zedekiah’s an interesting person. At one time he wants to hear God’s word through the prophet concerning the future of the land, but he doesn’t want anyone...

October 3rd Affirm 2016 A number of people have asked me why I write these morning devotions every day and I always have a simple answer for them – to encourage myself from God’s Word and hopefully someone else who might need it. Discouragement is part of life. Discouragement comes most often when you do what you think is the right thing but experience poor results. You work hard, but you don’t make any progress. You...

It happens each and every week, usually on Sunday. Either my bride ask, or I do the asking, but the question is always the same: “What does your schedule look like this week?” It’s then we compare our notes so that we can find out when our paths will cross. Today is Monday. We’re back at it. Our schedules are probably fuller than we want them. Kids going off to school, meetings we need to...

It’s happened to me a number of times in the past. I’ll be walking through a convenience store and I notice some salesperson is staring at me as I walk by. I know better than to make eye contact with them because I also know as soon as I do they’re going to want to engage me in a conversation and want me to buy something. Well it happened again the other day. I was...

Let me tell you about Ellie. Ellie was a very distinguished senior citizen who lived in a very well kept trailer home. It didn’t matter if it was Sunday or a work day, Ellie was always in peak condition, mentally and physically. Though she was a widow, she was very strong. Maybe being a widow forced her to take control of things. Ellie loved coming to church. She was the epitome of Psalm 122:1, “When they...

Have you ever had your proverbial “back against the wall?” You remember, don’t you? Whatever the situation you were in, your opponent kept pushing and pushing until you had nowhere else to go. From any direction, things didn’t look so good. You were in a bad spot and you knew it. Well, let me ask you another question: Have you ever been in a situation that seemed totally hopeless – until “the tables were turned”?...

We consistently see the advertisements. I’ve noticed them with more frequency lately. Not only do I see them on TV commercials but now seeing graphic, heart wrenching interviews on the social media, like FaceBook. I’m talk about that issue of texting while driving. The latest one I saw showed a young person sitting comfortably in a room, being interviewed and nonchalantly answering some innocent questions about if they text and drove and why they text...

Do you know someone who needs a family? Maybe it’s you. Maybe it’s your coworker, neighbor, spouse, best friend. Why not welcome them home and introduce them to their family and let them know they belong!