"Suddenlies" by Steve Martin

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A beautiful horse in South Carolina. Photo by Steve Martin, March 2026)

Suddenlies

You wait. You wait. You wait. 

And then suddenly! The time has come. And you get the “Now is the time” word from the Holy Spirit.

We all have waited for events to come, people to respond, the answer to a concern we have prayed for. For a long time.

Trusting in the Lord’s timing is what brings us His shalom, His peace, as we, “normal humans” anxiously wait at times for that time.

“Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him.” Psalm 105:18, NASB

Sometimes we get ahead of the Lord. Remember how King Saul didn’t wait for the prophet Samuel? It later cost him the throne.

Not every time will be this serious, but waiting for His perfect timing is always the way to go. Stay off the horse until the Lord says, “Go!” And then move on it.

I like suddenlies. I feel the presence and joy of the Lord then too. It is like the little kid waiting at the door to get outside, and then Mom gives him the “now” word.

Be expectant. Your suddenly, well certainly, will come. Suddenly.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Message #16 in the year of the Lord 03.25.26

#Suddenly #suddenlies #time #horses #HolySpirit #Jesus #Yeshua

Go where they are…

Steve Martin with grandson Daniel Martin. Daytona 500, February 2023

Tom Bach, Steve Martin, Charlotte Motor Speedway October 2025

Hendricks Motor Sports Museum in Concord, North Carolina near Charltote Motor Speedway

Go Where They Are

There was a time when I was really into NASCAR. Now some people would say how “ungodly” that is. Mixing with all those “sinners.”

And yet it blessed me when I heard the Lord say to me, “Enjoy the time when you go. Just take Me with you.”

I thought, “Wow!” And then I realized Jesus (Yeshua) has the heart for those who walk a “different beat” and that is where He went.

Sure, He went to the synagogues, to the religious people, but He walked among the sinners, the ones who really knew they needed a savior, and He showed Himself to them - that He was the One.

We need to understand that the lost need saving. They no longer come to our big, beautiful buildings, but they do go to other big stadiums. 

I no longer feel out of place you g to where the people are and enjoying a race now and then. Opportunities do arise to share His love and compassion.

Off to the races then! And Yeshua loves coming with me.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:10-17, NASB

Message #14 2026, March 22, 2026

#NASCAR #Jesus #Yeshua #racetrack #races #sinners #Daytona500,

Disappointments

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We all have disappointments. Schedules get changed. Trips having spent months working on get cancelled. People leave as friends and we are left with a big hole in our life.

It’s not easy to just put on a “happy face”. So what do we do?

There are times when we will grieve, knowing that whatever caused the disappointment may come again or it may take awhile to recover from it. I believe that is a normal process, to draw us closer, not away from, the Lord Jesus.

When I was seriously praying about leaving a ministry that I had labored with for 14 years, the Lord instructed me to take a trip to Jerusalem. In fact, to the holy place of the Western Wall in the Old City where the Jews pray. 

After all the details had been worked out, I made it there. As I stood waiting at the Wall (Kotel in Hebrew), I placed my hands and forehead against it, grateful that I had heard and obeyed.

And the “flood waters” of emotion poured over me, as the Lord spoke softly, “Your years of service have not been in vain.” His heart of love was what I needed to heal the pain and make the decision I needed in this situation.

Draw near to the Lord with your disappointments. He will bring healing and renewed hope.

The Lord promises in James 4:9, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (NKJV).

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

#disappointments #healing #hope #waiting #GodtheFather #Jesus

Keep On Keeping On

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

In days gone by, when the computer monitor was the big one with the large tube, barely fitting on your home desktop, I had taped on the side, printed on a 81/2” x 11” paper, this verse, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.“ Galatians 6:9, NKJV

It was a daily reminder to keep on keeping on.

The same old same old, the daily grind, can wear us out. We need encouragement. We need renewed strength. We need grace to start each day and see through to the end.

Whatever makes you wonder, “When will a break come?” remember that our Lord is the One able to cheer us, giving us the ability to complete the race set before us to the finish line.

“Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.“ Hebrews 12:1-2, NASB

Lord, bring us each renewed strength so we can keep on keeping on.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

#Keepon #keepingon #SteveMartin#loseheart#encouragement #Jesus 

Anticipation

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Psalm 37:4states: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (NKJV)

This was the first Scripture verse I ever memorized, going back a few decades (ok, it has been 5 decades now.) When I read the Bible, after giving myself to believing in Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the Word of God meant more than just being the big white book on our family TV room endtable. (The one we bought from the door-to-door salesman back in the 1960s.)

Being raised a Roman Catholic, and going to Catholic schools from 1962-1973, walking with the Lord was not personal. Just something we did as part of growing up - hearing the Sunday sermonette of 15 minutes weekly, and going on with being a kid and then a teenager in those years.

But new life really meant new life. Having a true relationship with Jesus (Yeshua) changed the meaning of life, the purpose, and ongoing times of discovering His plans for the world, the country, and yes, me.

Anticipation was now becoming a way of life, knowing that as I gave myself to “delighting in Him”, wanting to please Him, He would give me the desires of my heart. After all, He is the One Who gives us those good desires.

That is the promise for you, too, every day. Anticipate the promises and watch them be fulfilled.

Ahava and Shalom,

Steve Martin

P.S. The restaurant was out of blueberry bagels yesterday. I had to settle for raisins and cinnamon. My next “go to.”

#Psalm374 #Scripture #anticipation #Catholicschool #Bible #relationships #Jesus #bagel #coffee