June 20, 2024

Let me explain that big title unless you’ve already figured it out. To me, it means God putting puzzle pieces together to reveal His will. It happened when we needed to make a major choice of downsizing and moving to VMRC–a retirement community. We were in good health and had it on our “back burner” to process sometime in the future, but when God said “Now is the time;” we were shocked. Then God proceeded to put the puzzle together so that we had no doubt that God meant “now.”

Soon afterward, my brother unexpectedly invited us to have lunch with him and his wife in the VMRC cafeteria. That particular day, the CEO “just happened” to walk by and stopped to chat. “So,” she said to us, “when are you moving in?” We laughed and explained to her that we didn’t know we were.

“Oh yes,” she said, “there is an apartment available for you.” One had been offered to us over a month ago, but we were unable to look at it then because we were leaving for a week’s vacation.

“I’ll call you when you get back,” the marketing official said. When we didn’t hear from him when we returned, we assumed the apartment had been taken.

“Let me check,” the CEO said. She was back in seconds with a wide grin on her face. “It’s still available,” she enthused.

It turns out that just that morning the couple who had been considering it for weeks, decided against it. Can you see the supernatural synchronicities here? This was just the start of them. We got God’s message and moved in three months later.

I’m guessing some supernatural synchronicities are happening to you. Look for them!

Blessings to you,

Charlotte

May 31, 2014

Keep your head up; keep moving forward. That’s good advice–sometimes, but sometimes it is also good to look back–see where you came from, and what shaped you into who you are today. Look back, and see what the Lord has done in your life.

In “Family Stories for God’s Glory” you will find the forward look as well as the rear-view situations. In a future blog we will talk about the forward look, but today I want to focus on what happened in the past. We will find happy moments and sad moments. We will see how God was with you in all kinds of moments. Often we don’t recognize Him or understand what He is doing. It’s a happy thing when you have an “Ah-Ha” moment and realize what was happening. Sometimes though, we may never figure it out. That’s when we choose to believe that God is the loving, caring God He says He is, and our trust-level roots grow a little deeper.

Here is one of my rear-view stories, (not in the book, as it happened after the book was written.) On a wet, near-dusk, chilly, evening, I was walking our dog–too hurriedly. Jumping upon a sidewalk curb, I caught my foot and sprawled face-down on the concrete. Miraculously, my glasses didn’t break, but I could not see out of my left eye. Thinking it was blood on my glasses, I took them off. Still, no sight. A dear friend who saw me fall helped me to my apartment. It was past office hours, so I didn’t call the doctor. I went to bed thinking it would be all clear by morning. It wasn’t. I saw my eye doctor that morning and he couldn’t see inside my eye any better than I could see out–there was too much blood. He referred me to a retina specialist.

The retina specialist confirmed that my retina was not torn, but it would take some time for my vision to clear up. “But you have blood behind your right eye as well,” he informed me.

“Wow,” I exclaimed. “I must have hit hard!”

“No, this has nothing to do with your fall,” he explained. “You have wet macular degeneration in your right eye.” That was a shock! Then he proceeded to tell me that the sooner we start treatment, the better it is. The treatment? A shot in the eye. Another shock, but well, okay, I mean, what else can you do in a situation like that?

Now for the rear-view scene. Had I not fallen, the macular degeneration would probably not have been discovered until it was much more advanced. God was there, not causing me to fall, but using it to reveal a problem I didn’t even know I had. He had a plan and was watching over me.

Here’s hoping you will look back and find how much God loved you in times when you thought your pain had no purpose.

Blessings to you,

Charlotte

May 8, 2024

Yesterday I went to Dr. Pan, my eye doctor. I don’t look forward to my repeated shorts in the eye, but Dr. Pan is a retina specialist who puts you at ease and does excellent work. In fact, yesterday when he indicated he was finished, I asked in surprise, “Did you do it already? I didn’t feel a thing!” He chuckled and assured me that it was all done. You see, I have wet macular degeneration in both eyes, which means a shot in both eyes, a week apart, every month.

One of the stories in “Family Stories for God’s Glory” is about my eyes when I was diagnosed with glaucoma. At that time, I was a young mother with small children, and I couldn’t imagine how I would take care of them while blind. I had already decided that I was going to lose my eyesight.

I’ve been working on seeing the glass half-full since, which is fifty-some years now. Even though I have wet macular in both eyes, I am not planning to go blind. In fact, I plan on being able to stretch out the injections from every month to many months, a year, or maybe not needing them at all. My glass may be filling up to the top!

Have a half-full glass kind of a day,

See you next time,

Charlotte

May 4, 2024

I spent a relaxing hour at Hilltop Reflections this morning. Hilltop is exactly what it sounds like. A unique feature of our retirement community is a plant/vegetable farm, immediately followed by a tall hill with spectacular panoramic views. Residents climbed to the top and looked down upon towering trees. Blue skies welcomed us, and the lush green grasses sprinkled with bright buttercup faces, made spots of yellow amidst the puff balls of dandelions gone to seed.

The purpose of our meeting was to be still in God’s presence. Be still and listen for His voice instead of our own pitiful prattle. Pitiful, because we are at a loss for words in the beautify of His handiwork. We sat in silence.—silence from human noise, but God spoke through nature. With my eyes closed, my ears picked up a bird song from my left where a small grove of trees stood. A rather monotonous monologue, same tune, same pauses, and same notes, over and over again. And again and again. Over and over persistently.

For many years I had been praying the same prayer over and over and over. The same one, patiently persistently, and sometimes petulantly. Occasionally I wondered if I should pray differently. But that never seemed right. So I prayed on, over and over and over–same request. I was reminded of the widow knocking at the neighbor’s door, begging for bread until her request was granted.

The little birdsong spoke to me this morning. Be patiently persistent. So I’m continuing to pray the same prayer, over and over, although I’ve only seen a few crumbs of the whole loaf I am asking for. But hope or faith or something like that, is arising. My prayer is the same, but the notes are lighter, brighter, more hopeful.

If you read the story, “Battling with Bravery” you will understand what I am asking for. You will recognize my persistent prayer and patience.

Do you have a prayer you’ve prayed for a long time?

Have hope; persist patiently.

Blessings, Charlotte

April 27, 2024

I lost a special friend today. She left her home here on earth for a perfect one in heaven. My friend has been transformed. For years, she struggled with health issues. For years her strength dwindled until she was mostly bedfast. For years her faithful husband lovingly cared for her needs. She was living out 11 Corinthians 4:16 ESV. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outward self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Her physical body was wasting away, but inwardly she was becoming new. Little by little her physical being declined, but her spirit was being renewed. Transformation was taking place–until today. Transformation completed, she is fully In the presence of Jesus. She has a new body, glowing with health, no sickness, no pain, nothing but rejoicing with her Lord. How wonderful it is that when we leave this earth we will be in the Lord’s presence–forever!

The transformation for my friend was a painful, long, slow, journey. My brother’s transformation happened instantly. One day, all appeared well as he went about his normal duties. He ate lunch with his wife, took a nap, and worked in his woodshop. That afternoon, without any notice, he left his earthly home for his heavenly one. Transformation had taken place.

In both cases, God’s presence was there to bring the needed strength, comfort, and peace. The loved ones left behind may not always have realized how near God was in their most grief-stricken moments. Nevertheless, it was true. After all, God promised never to leave or abandon His children. And He didn’t. And He won’t–in all the days to come.

Be encouraged!

And join me next time,

Charlotte

She was less than two-years-old and did not understand all the expectations and pressure put upon her. She was supposed to be a flower girl at her cousin’s wedding. A scratchy tulle tutu irritated her tender skin. She was handed a little tin bucket full of peach rose petals. She was not allowed to play with them; instead, she was instructed to walk down a long aisle throwing them on the floor, one by one. Even before her second birthday, she learned not to throw pretty things on the floor. It seemed she was expected to do exactly what she shouldn’t do. The unreasonable expectations were too much! Halfway down the aisle, she’d had enough. Yanking the tin bucket from the guiding hand, she raised her tiny arm as high as she could and pounded that tin bucket on the concrete floor with a rousing crash. Rose petals flew everywhere. Then she flopped on her belly in the middle of the aisle and screamed at the top of her lungs!

Do you know the feeling of expectations beyond your ability, the pressure that results, and the frustration that makes you want to scream? There is a release valve. It’s found in 1 Corinthians 10:13. God has promised to provide a way out. He is faithful to His promises–another example of God being present in all the moments of your life.

Look for Him there, next time life’s pressures get to be too much.

See you next time,

Charlotte

April 6, 2024

Family is a word that can trigger all kinds of emotions. For some it’s a wonderful feeling, for others, it brings out negative emotions. And for some, the family has left deep damage in their hearts. No family is without its flaws, and the range is from the highest high to the lowest low. The saddest family situation is when family members do not act like family. They don’t care, they reject, or abandon, This is the family that cuts the deepest wounds.

Whatever your earthly family is like, there is a perfect and wonderful family that you can belong to. God wants to be your loving Heavenly Father. He wants you to be his child. He eagerly awaits you to join His family where you will be loved and cared for beyond your imagination.

God has blessed me with a wonderful family! I didn’t say perfect; we’ve had our challenges. But we are more than grateful for our children, and spouses who are just like sons and daughters. Our twelve grandchildren and spouses of those who are married and those who are not, bring us such joy. And now, they are gifting us with sweet baby great-grands!

One of the stories in “Family Stories for God’s Glory,” is entitled, “Part of the Family.” We love Sierra, our grandson’s wife, like a daughter. The very first time we met, she opened her arms for a big hug and exclaimed, “MeMee!”–the name all of my grandchildren call me. But this was the first time I’d been called that by anyone other than my grandchildren. She was Grant’s girlfriend, not his wife at this point, but Sierra already considered herself part of the family. It warmed my heart when Sierra exuberantly called me, “MeMee.” It communicated acceptance, belonging, and love.–all those good sensations associated with healthy family relationships. I loved being Sierra’s “adopted MeMee.”

So, whatever your family is like–if it’s a blessing, a huge disappointment, or downright devastating, you can be assured of a better one in the future. God wants you to belong to His.

Think about it–until next time

Charlotte