I wanted to sleep in today… but as always – I’m wide awake with a vast array of stampeding thoughts racing through my mind. So I whispered to see if Emily was awake… she was… and I started crying on her shoulder. Her early morning councel was short, sweet, and straight to the point. She said, “Charlie, stop thinking… go into the family room and PRAY… get up real close to God, and tell the devil to get out of your thoughts!”

There can be no sleep where there is no peace. Yeah I know this, but every once in a while I still get overwhelmed with the very real issues of life… and I find myself concerning about things that God has already promised to handle for me. Instead of sleeping while God does his job, I lie awake trying to figure out how I am going to do Gods job for him – just in case for some odd reason God forgets about me.

The Bible tells us over and over, that God will never forget us… that he will never leave us alone… he will never forsake us… that he loves us because we are his very own children… and he is not only our GOD… he is also our FATHER. And as long as this is true, we can face anything life throws our way. 

Psalm 23:4 

“Even when I walk
      through the darkest valley,
   I will not be afraid,
      for you (God) are close beside me.
   Your rod and your staff 
      protect and comfort me.” 

It’s so hard to keep our eyes on Jesus while walking across stormy waters. During these times, we must pray a whole lot more than usual. Instead of contemplating all potential scenarios and projecting certain actions based on each of these scenarios… we should “stop thinking… go into the family room and PRAY… get up real close to God, and tell the devil to get out of our thoughts.”

Life will hand each one of us a perfect storm or two… and maybe one or two more than that. If you haven’t faced one yet, be thankful… and learn from those of us who have lived to tell their perfect storm stories. Please don’t misunderstand me here… I am not yet a perfect storm survivor. I’m only a few weeks into mine… and so far, the only advice I have is this: Whatever it takes… get yourself into a mode of unbroken communion with Father God… and STAY THERE until the waters are calm again.

Yesterday, my Uncle Tuff (Adam Paul Dobzeniecki) died at the age of 41. Now you all know I am POLISH… so be nice! He’s been needing a heart transplant for several years now and hasn’t been able to get onto the eligibility list. My Uncle Tuff was like the best big brother there EVER was! He loved me so much… his encouragement was like spring rains… making me GROW and THRIVE. (He’s the guy in right of this photo with me on my wedding day)

When I was a 12 and he was 17, he always let me tag along… made me feel so cool riding around Belport High School in his sweet new red Camaro. I spent every Friday night at his house, eating a bowl of ice cream, watching the Dukes of Hazard, and doing all kinds of silly things! Throughout the years we disconnected over faith… and it was so painful for us both. And over the past few years, we reconnected in a VERY BIG WAY! My Mom died 3 years ago… then her dad died a year and a half later… and now her baby brother.

I had the honor of leading all three of them to the Lord… and all three of them are in heaven today! That’s good news! Yet, it does not ease all my pain… and the loss comes at a very bad time. So… I’m going to log off now and do what Emily told me to do… “stop thinking, go into the family room (I’m already here) and PRAY… get up REAL CLOSE to God… and tell the devil to get out of my thoughts!”

Thank God for the gift of being able to DRAW NEAR TO GOD IN PRAYER! Thank God for the secret place… that awesome pavilion where God hides us in times of trouble! Thank God that EVERY time we draw near to Him, HE ALWAYS DRAWS NEAR TO US! 

Maybe todays blog will help you today or sometime in the future. I pray as always that this message adds tremendous value to your amazing life! Love you guys!

Happy Friday Everyone!

I awoke today thinking about my wife… how thankful I am to have such a friend as Emily! This August, we will have been married NINETEEN years, and an amazing nineteen it has been! No, today is not some special day… not yet her birthday or Valentines Day… just a regular Friday morning. She’s not sitting here beside me… I’m not even sure if she will read this blog… I’m not trying to buy myself out of the dog house… or rekindle romance. Every once in a while I notice the beauty of who she is and it overwhelms me with gratitude.

Since I am one of the most driven men you will ever meet, I tend to carry pressure every day of my life. For me… it’s very challenging to celebrate accomplishment while there are always so many meaningful missions yet to be successfully completed. Even on vacation… I find myself hoping that my family will sleep late so I can write for 5 or 6 hours before they wake. Trust me, I work hard for balance and I cherish every second of quality time with my family. Balance is just not natural for me, since I have such a passion to alter world history! On some days, I spend hours consciously warding off the discouragement that comes with the huge dissonance between my dreams and my reality. This is who I am… and even though I pray to be more content and far more focused on my progress… my unfulfilled dreams never let me rest!

Emily is the exact opposite of me… she lives in the NOW like no one else! Life is NEVER complicated for Emily… never hopeless… never incomplete. Emily lives every day of her life CARE FREE… her smile is always shining! Her face announces her PEACE… more tranquil than a thousand gardens. She is the PERFECT “peaceful phlegmatic!”

Left to myself, I would be driven to certain insanity. I would burn up… self destruct… and fade away. This is why God gives us friends… partners… opposites. God made us for other humans… he made other humans for us… to balance us and complete us.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken.”

Today, recognizing the weakness of who I am left to myself… I am thanking God that there are TWO of us. Together, we accomplish more than twice as much as one! And when one falls… the other reaches out to help! On a cold night, we are warm… standing back to back, we cannot be defeated! What’s even better is the fact that our relationship is tied together as a triple braided cord… God being the center braid! This is the power of blessed relationships! It’s the phenomena of the force of synergy: that mutually advantageous conjunction where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts!

Today, pay attention to those synergistic relationships in your own life. Appreciate the people who make you BETTER than you are left to yourself! Emily and I are so thankful for all of you guys and gals!! Have an amazing Friday… chat with everyone later!