Trusting

I awoke early thinking about so many friends going through difficult times, lifting them up in prayer as they came to mind. First on my mind was Carol’s cancer buddy, John. He did not get a favorable report from the oncologist this week. The cancer continues to be growing, he has pretty much lost his voice again, has little appetite and is in considerable pain from the crack in his pelvis caused by the cancer. He will be starting on a new chemo program. This is an extremely difficult time for him and Mary Ella. Do join me in praying for them.

Several friends have passed through that veil since Carol’s passing, and their spouses are facing the same adjustments that I am. Judy, Julie, Annie, Ivan, Linda and Joyce are all in my prayers as they adjust to life alone. After so many years as couples, returning to a single life is quite an adjustment.

Psalm 37 comes to mind. Here are some verses that are speaking to me at the moment:

“Don’t worry…Trust in the Lord and do good…Take delight in the LORD…Commit everything you do to the LORD, Trust him, and he will help you…Be still in the presence of the LORD…Stop your anger…Do not envy others.” Verses 23-24 especially spoke to me; “The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.”

Lord take each one of your children that are going through difficult times by the hand. Keep each of us growing in our trust in you, and from stumbling as we continue on to that joyous day when we meet you on the other side.

Have a blessed weekend!

Love,

Chuck

Keep me focused!

What a change a day can make. Weather can make a quick change and our emotions seem to follow a similar pattern. There are times when I believe that the weather can exert some control over our emotions if we are not watchful. But I can’t complain about the sunny weather this weekend. As I watch the robins coming by on their way north, spring can’t be far off.

Saturday was a busy day catching up on laundry and housework. Then I went outside to do some trimming and spring yard preparation. It hit me…every spring Carol and I did this together, preparing the plantings that we had selected and planted years ago when the house was built. Now I am on my own with no one to share the activity or to even care if it looks okay or not. Momentarily I fell apart until I was reminded, I suspect by the Holy Spirit, that I was on the wrong side in my thinking. Soon I was back on track and thanked the Lord for the many wonderful spring activities that we enjoyed together in past years. Then picking up the tools I got to work.

Sunday we studied the Apostle Paul’s prayers in Thessalonians. Teacher Tom asked us to select three specific items of prayer from the fifteen that were taken from the text, that we would like prayed for ourselves. As I read the list, I would like to have all fifteen prayed for me, but I did narrow it down to three that seemed to lead the list for me at the time. I made the following selections, but tomorrow I suspect the requests may change: (1) “May the Lord strengthen you and guard you against the evil one.” (2) “May the Lord Jesus be glorified in you, according to His grace.” (3) May your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus.”

In the afternoon I had a visit from my cousin and his family from Michigan. What a joy it always is to have family and friends going out of their way to stop in, call or write.

Lord keep me aware of all the many blessings that you provide, and focused on being available for you to work in and through me for YOUR glory!

I trust that you will have a wonderful week.

Love,

Chuck

What is Jesus doing?

After our fun-filled days, Lisa and I have safely returned to our homes. Thanks so much for praying! There were those emotional moments for me but the blessing of family and friends is always a tremendous encouragement.

We attended The Global Village Church with Paul and Ruth where we saw several old friends and were thrilled to see how rapidly the church is growing. They truly are committed to their Mission Statement; “A church committed to growth through evangelism and discipleship” and God is blessing their efforts.

With all of the wonderful meals, I feel that I have gained several pounds. We had a special meal with Bob and Marcia at their beautiful home on the ocean. Bob continues to feel well as he diligently battles lung cancer and seeks God’s guidance day by day. We also spent an evening with the Johnsons getting updated on their lives and their delightful grandson with Down Syndrome. He is such a joy in each of their lives.

As I winged my way back to Charlotte, gazing at the fluffy clouds thousands of feet below, I was reflecting on all of the wonderful experiences, sharing lives during our visit. The thought “What is Jesus Doing” came into my mind as I recalled those experiences. A few days earlier I had read an article in Indeed titled WIJD which was a variation of the WWJD (What would Jesus do) phenomenon and it has prompted me to frequently ask that question of myself at the end of the day. Often I make a brief journal entry on that topic before rolling into bed so that I can return to that page at a later date to be reminded of His goodness, grace and mercy.

I had a call from Judy last evening. She lost her husband Joe to cancer just three weeks ago and is diligently working on making that huge adjustment in her life without Joe. It is a difficult time for her, but it is also evident that God is at work in her life giving strength and courage to carry on and serve Him. He is working!

A final thought from that Indeed article: “He indwells us to take us where we should go and lead us away from where we’ve been…We live by means of a living Lord.”

Love,

Chuck

Beautiful Bahahas

Just a quick blog to let you know that our trips went well. Both flights were actually a little ahead of time and flights were full to capacity.

We are enjoying the beauty of the Bahamas, going out for an extended boat ride with Paul and Ruth yesterday afternoon and the the evening exploring The Digs at Atlantis, which is amazing with all of the beautiful fish and artifacts that make you feel that you are actually down deep below the once great city. Today we are heading to church and then will be getting together with a Bahamian friend from college days in the afternoon.

This a bit of an emotional trip, having made it with Carol just one year ago when she became very ill here and I had great concern about getting her back home. Just last Saturday I found a note in a CD addressed to Carol's sister as she must have planned to bring it with her and forgot it last year. We are listening to the beautiful music this morning which helps get us ready for the day.

I trust that you each have a blessed day.

Love,

Chuck

A very safe place!

I was thinking about Lady Wisdom’s words in Proverbs 8:34-37 as I awoke this morning:

“Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
awake and ready for me each morning,
alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.
When you find me, you find life, real life,
to say nothing of GOD’s good pleasure.
But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul;
when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.” (The Message)

Wisdom is what I need each morning and throughout the day. We are bombarded by all sorts of so-called wisdom, but it is God’s wisdom the is really essential in our lives. Thank you Lord for your Word and for your Holy Spirit that are available to us!

Tomorrow I am taking daughter Lisa to the Bahamas to spend a few days with Carol’s sister and her husband. I am looking forward to that time together and trust it will be a special time of refreshment for both of us. Hopefully I will be able to get a blog out from there to keep you updated. Last year at this time, Carol and I had just returned from the Bahamas and she had much digestive trouble there as you possibly recall, but it was so good for her to have that special time with her sister, Ruth. A verse that came to her mind and she mentioned in the blog was Psalm 68:19 “Praise the Lord; praise God our Savior! For each day he carries us in his arms” Carol’s comment about that verse was; “That’s a very save place to be.”

I trust that each of us will be aware of those arms of love about us today.

Love,

Chuck

Seven Months

I am always amazed how busy I can get when I feel it is time to send out another blog. I am thankful for all of you out there checking on me and praying so I will continue to do my best to get one or two out each week.

Tonight at 11:38 pm to be exact, Carol slipped through that curtain of death seven months ago. Each month on the 8th that memory floods into my mind and I am learning to thank the Lord for the nearly forty nine wonderful years enjoyed together and His tender care of Carol during those two and a half years fighting cancer. Earlier it was far to easy for me to slip into a “feeling sorry” mode for myself rather than rejoicing in what God has done and will continue to do in our lives as we are obedient to Him.

Friday I had some fun guests for the night. A couple in their mid 80’s that were on their honeymoon. Both lost their spouses after over fifty years together, one couple living in the state of Washington and the other in Pennsylvania. If you are interested, ask me about it, but I will not fill pages here telling their story.

Today I was blessed by a dear couple taking me to lunch and another couple having me at their home for dinner and an evening of rich fellowship. Now I am going to have to be careful or I will gain those pounds that I was pleased to loose earlier.

As I was working in the kitchen yesterday, I was reading some of the little cards with verses and sayings that Carol kept there for regular review. One that spoke to me as I was working and hopefully will encourage you too, was Hebrews 10:35,36.

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you. Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Sometimes I wonder if Carol intentionally left some of these reminders around the house for me, knowing that I would have times when I would struggle too.

Tomorrow friend Bobbie in Alabama has a second eye surgery and implant. Join me in praying for a successful surgery and rapid recovery.

Love to you all,

Chuck

Enjoy a sun-washed day!

These past days have been rather busy catching up from being away, spending time with wonderful friends, and just dealing with the emotional adjustments that continue to be a bit of a challenge. How thankful I am for the dear friends that God continues to bring into my life and for His Holy Spirit that I need to listen to more closely. It is so easy to "be human" and think that I need to "fix" a situation or find some degree of fear or anxiety creeping into my mind.

The service for our friend Joe was a tribute to the Lord doing a special work in one of His own. The words spoken along with the solos were fitting in remembrance of our good friend. Do join me in continuing to uphold Judy and the family in prayer during the months of adjustment ahead. Also Julie, Annie, Ivan and Linda continue to be in my prayers as they too face the adjustments of life without their spouses.

Carol's cancer buddy John is having a difficult time with several physical problems. He had a meeting with a specialist yesterday and will meet with his oncologist today. Pray for wisdom for the medical people and for peace, an improved appetite and freedom from pain for John. Also wife Mary Ella needs our prayers as she does all that she can for him but feels so helpless at times.

Friends Ross in Michigan and Jim in Indiana continue their treatments. Bobby in Alabama has his second eye surgery scheduled for 2/6, and Bob in the Bahamas continues to battle cancer. It seems like there are an excessive amount of physical problems among friends these days, but it is a reminder that we are each getting rapidly closer to wrapping up our time here and joining our loved ones on the other side of that curtain of death. I think often of a message by a missionary friend many years ago about finishing well. May that be the goal for each of us!

In Psalm 19:13 (The Message) David says:

"Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
Keep me from stupid sins,
from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
these are what I chew on and pray."

Have a wonderful sun-washed day!

Love,

Chuck