The grace and power of God

As I was preparing for our class study on prayer earlier this weekend, my attention was drawn to a statement in the book, A Praying Life; "I am completely helpless to help others without the grace and power of God." This was in the context of the difference between “saying prayers” and honest praying. I underlined that statement wanting to be certain to remember it.

There are times that I am sure God either has a sense of humor or is quick to “test” me on what I was supposed to learn. Before the weekend was over, I found myself face to face with three situations that reminded me of my own helplessness in knowing how to effectively pray for individuals and their difficult situations…The kind of prayer that James refers to as being powerful and effective (James 5:16). It was refreshing to be able to pray for each of those dear friends recognizing my inability to really connect with the situations, but also recognizing the power of the Holy Spirit and knowing a God that loves each one of His people far more than I ever can, wanting to provide His very best for them.

Lord willing, I plan to spend a few days at the lake house over the 4th checking on our swan family, getting a little rest, and taking care of some minor maintenance items that need to be done. The approximate twelve hour drive is long, but it is always refreshing to enjoy the surroundings along with family and friends while there. Hopefully friend Keith’s schedule will allow him to go with me which will make the miles pass much quicker and will provide an extra driver.

I trust that each of you will have a blessed week and an enjoyable 4th with family and friends.

Love,

Chuck

Into The Light

As I turned the page in my Indeed devotional yesterday, I was surprised to see the title; Into The Light which was the title for that days reading. It was identical to the one Carol attached to the picture that daughter Sue painted and I positioned so Carol could view it during her final days here on earth. Through the generous help of dear friends, we were able to reproduce it on 4X6 cards with a final message from Carol on the reverse side for distribution at her celebrations in Charlotte and Lansing. I still have people requesting additional copies of the card for themselves or others.

After days of looking at the picture and visualizing what was ahead for her, Carol dictated some of her thoughts about the painting. She said in part; "I see myself along with millions of other pilgrims walking along the path toward the curtain that separates us from eternity. Thanks to the Light of the world (Jesus), the inconceivable light that welcomes us is full of hope and glory and peace. This has been a metaphor for the last days of my life here on earth and a mere hint of the splendor that waits for all of us." As I see the original painting prominently hanging in my living room, it draws my attention each time that I pass and I often wonder at what point along that path I currently am located.

This past weekend was a delight being with Friend Keith and his family in Wake Forest. We enjoyed swimming in their neighborhood pool, exploring a huge close-by park and lake along with consuming a generous amount of delicious home cooking. It is always a thrill for me to spend time with them.

Thanks so much for your love, support and prayers. You are very much appreciated!

Love to you all,

Chuck

Keep on praying

Do you ever feel like time flies? In many respects it seems that way to me…especially birthdays! How can a whole year pass so rapidly? I suspect that our reluctance to look forward to birthdays in our later years is the awareness of additional physical challenges that are likely to appear and new limitations we have experienced over the past year. The flip side of that is knowing that we are a year closer to stepping through that curtain of death into the presence of our God and Father who has loved us since before we were born.

I was tremendously blessed by the cards, emails, phone calls and greetings throughout the day along with a wonderful lunch with dear friends. The celebration did not end that day but continued with a delicious dinner and an evening of games with a group of friends the following day, topped off with a cake blazing with enough candles to set the city on fire. A reminder that I am in that classification of, older than dirt! The following evening I enjoyed another dinner with dear friends at a restaurant. Birthdays aren’t all that bad after all!

In our God Chasers class, we are beginning an intensive study on prayer using the new book by Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life. Teacher Tom describes it as not about techniques, not about placing guilt, but “…one of the most natural, refreshing, and freeing discussions on prayer I’ve encountered in many years.” I am excited about the study and the focus upon knowing God better through personal conversations with Him.

As I was preparing for the class Sunday, I was scanning the concordance to refresh my mind about various Scriptures about prayer. The one that literally jumped off the page for me was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; “Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” It struck me that as this was part of Paul’s final advice to the Thessalonians in his letter, it was also a vivid description of Carol’s life. Even when faced with cancer consuming her body and drugs that had many nasty side effects, even in her last hours, she glowed with her usual joy and continued to be thankful for her family, friends and the God that she looked forward to seeing. An example for each of us! Some of her last words to me were; “Chuck, take care of yourself, the family and many friends still need prayer.”

Lord, during the coming weeks of this study, help me to learn to communicate with you in an intimate and fresh way that will allow me to better know you and your will.

Love to you all,

Chuck

Focus on The Source

I trust that each of you had a wonderful weekend. My weekend was an exceptionally delightful one. Friend Keith traveled with me to the lake house helping out with several "chores" that needed to be done there and helping with the trip by keeping me alert and also taking turns driving, which takes about 12 hours each way. It is always a joy for us to get together and catch up now that he lives about 2 1/2 hours away from me.

Grandson Justin and his wife Laura joined us at the lake along with son-in-law Keith, Gavin and Calli. Karin could not make it as she was working hard in Indianapolis preparing to write her Bar exam since graduating from Law School about a week ago. We also took time for some fun on the water. Lots of riding the tubes and wake-boarding filled much of that time. Our swans visited us often with their little family of one. It is fun to watch them bobbing for food and the little one hopping on mom's back if he gets tired or mom detects some danger.



We all enjoyed attending the Sunday service together and were challenged by Pastor Denny's message "The Source" which is the second in his series on "Becoming". We were challenged to evaluate where we go for encouragement, guidance and the power that we need in our every day life. He contrasted looking to the Source (God) in comparison to trusting our many available resources. One of the verses he referred to was Matthew 11:28-30; "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Help me Lord, to be looking to you as The Source for all of my needs.

Love to you all,

Chuck