I was chatting with the office receptionist about my recent interview on the popular Christian tv program, The 700 Club, when a middle-aged woman walked in.

“My name is Darlene Jones, and I have a one o’clock appointment with Attorney James Henderson.” The receptionist promptly called the attorney’s assistant to inform her his client had arrived. Moments later the assistant arrived at the receptionist’s desk.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jones, but Mr. Henderson is out of the office. He doesn’t have you scheduled on his calendar.”

Ms. Jones insisted she had an appointment with James Henderson and was told she would be meeting with him at one o’clock regarding her bankruptcy case. Mr. Henderson’s assistant said she would look up her case to see what she could find out.

While we were waiting, the three of us engaged in conversation. I shared with Darlene about my interview on The 700 Club, and how the Lord had dramatically transformed my life.

“My life is a mess,” she shrugged. “Besides filing for bankruptcy, my husband left, and my son is using drugs.” She told us she had been a Christian in her youth but drifted away from the Lord years earlier. “My grandfather and father were pastors.”

“Would you like me to pray with you,” I asked. “Sure,” she replied. I brought her into the nearby conference room and closed the door. We sat side by side as I grabbed her hands and prayed. Once we finished, we returned to the receptionist area.

“Ms. Jones, here is the name and address of the Attorney you were to meet with,” the receptionist said as she handed her a piece of paper. “His name is Steve Smith. He’s located a few blocks from here.”

“Steve Smith? How did I get James Henderson out of Steve Smith?”

“I don’t know, but they’re expecting you,” the receptionist said.

Darlene looked at me with a stunned expression. “How did I get this address?”

“God must have guided you here today,” I said as I looked into her tear-filled eyes.

She was visibly shaken and repeatedly asked how she could have been given the wrong name and address.

Darlene may have turned away from her relationship with the Lord, but he never forgot her. He guided her steps into our office to remind her about his love, willingness to forgive, and ability to transform lives. I often wonder what happened to her. I have a feeling that day was a pivotal moment in turning her life around.

The Lord is a gentleman. When he comes knocking, the decision to let him in is ours. Revelation 3:20 says: “Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in unto him and sup with him, and he with me.” When he came knocking on my door years ago, I didn’t answer for a while. I’m glad I eventually did.

Knock, knock.

Many years ago my Mom was enjoying her weekly visit to her favorite restaurant where she had become friends with the owner and staff. The hundred-year-old family owned and operated upscale restaurant, and local landmark, is located in the downtown area of our hometown in Upstate New York. Elegant, but comfortable, it’s close proximity to the state capital is a warm environment frequented by nearby business professionals and politicians alike. Within walking distance to a large concert arena adds to its popularity.

Mom was seated at her regular table reading the newspaper after a late lunch when in walked the famous baritone Robert Goulet, one of Mom’s favorite performers. He and his guests were seated across the room. She suddenly remembered that he was performing in town.

Mom was gifted with a beautiful soprano voice, although she was never given the opportunity to use it professionally. She did sing on stage during holiday performances when she lived in an orphanage. Over the years she would sing around the house or out with friends. I believe if Mom was given the proper resources and support, she could have had a singing career.

Moments after Mr. Goulet was seated, Mom arose. Looking into his legendary blue eyes, she sang, “Some enchanted evening,” the first lyrics to his famous hit song of the same name from the musical, South Pacific. As if rehearsed, Robert Goulet stood, stretched out his hand towards Mom, and continued with the opening lyrics: “You may see a stranger. You may see a stranger, across a crowded room.”

Tears filled Mom’s eyes as patrons and staff burst into applause. She called me that evening and told me about her adventure. It was an experience we never forgot. Years later after Mom passed away, the local newspaper dedicated a substantial sized article to my Mom who had been such a loyal patron at the locally historic restaurant for decades. In the article, one of the restaurant’s staff recounted the day Mom sang with Robert Goulet.

That little act of kindness on the part of Robert Goulet only took a moment, but it had an impact on Mom, me, and all those in the restaurant that day. I’ve heard many stories of celebrities being annoyed when approached by fans in public places. But Mr. Goulet used the gift God had given him to bring joy to an older woman and others around her.

The bible says in Galatians 6:10: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” I have no idea what Robert Goulet’s faith was, but I know that act of kindness was a clear demonstration of what God talks about in Galatians. I pray that as a Christian, I never miss the opportunity to share an act of kindness that will leave a lasting impact.

A global pandemic such as the world hasn’t seen in a hundred years. National civil unrest, violence and destruction spreading throughout the globe. Many are consumed with fear. Others have lost hope our world will recover.

But, 2 Chronicles 13:14-15 says: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” God is the answer, and repentance and prayer is the key. I know. I experienced it firsthand.

As a child, I was taught about God. After experiencing multiple traumas, I came to the conclusion either God didn’t exist, or he didn’t care. So, I turned away from him. Not long after my life became filled with sin, dysfunction and chaos. Sounds like the condition our world is in right now doesn’t it?

I had no hope that I could “undo” the evil that was done to me. I had no hope that I could feel normal after almost being murdered as a child by a man possessed with the devil. I had no hope of ever having a normal relationship with someone of the opposite sex and being happily married. My world looked dark and hopeless.

But then one night I turned my life over to God, and my life began to turn around. I have been happily married for thirty years, and healed from my childhood traumas as if the events never happened. I am no longer filled with despair and hopelessness. I know God can turn anyone’s life around, and anyone’s situation around, including this world. In John 10:10, God says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” I have experienced the destruction of the thief (aka the devil), and the blessings of a life lived for God.

We are physical and spiritual beings who live in a physical and spiritual world. What ails our nation and world is not only a physical problem, but also a spiritual one. And the solutions are not only physical, but also spiritual. Ephesians 6:12 says: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.”

With millions of Christians in our nation, we can turn this situation around by engaging in spiritual warfare. God has given us the power of prayer to use as a weapon. He’s also given us the Bible, which is the Word of God, aka the Sword of the Spirit. Hebrews 4:12(a) says: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword.”

Let us take up our weapons and turn this nation around. On guard!

Can God bring good out of something bad? My answer is a resounding, “Yes!” I’ve experienced it firsthand. Many times. On many different levels.

By far my worst experience occurred when I was almost murdered as a child. The resulting negative effects lasted for years until I became a Christian and God began the healing process. Not until my thirties did I ask God to bring good out of what happened. In the natural it would seem impossible that anything positive could come out of something so heinous.

Years later, I shared my incredible journey of emotional healing from those childhood traumas on The 700 Club, a popular Christian television program. The episode inspired thousands to call in for prayer seeking their own emotional healing from childhood traumas, and hundreds asked Christ into their lives. My story gave them hope that they too could be freed from their painful pasts, and live normal, happy lives. It’s a story I continue to share when given the opportunity.

Another bad experience I had, though on a much lower level, occurred over twenty years ago. My husband and I were out of town during the winter taking care of a dying relative when our neighbors informed us our upstairs bathroom water pipes had burst. I flew home right away and walked through several inches of water throughout the bottom level. The outdated shag carpeting and older furniture in the den and my husband’s office were unsalvageable.

The lower level held my least favorite decor in our home. It consisted of a mix of furniture from my single days and my husband’s bachelor days and needed a major overhaul. One that never made it to the top of my ‘to do’ list while working full time. Over the next few months, the entire level was replaced with modern carpeting and beautiful new matching furniture, thanks to our insurance coverage. I loved the transformation and thanked God for those burst pipes!

Romans 15:4, says: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures may have hope.” I believe the same thing is true about our past bad experiences. We can learn by them when we recall how God met our need and then brought good out of what happened. Sometimes the ‘good’ is that our faith is increased. And hopefully the next time we go through a trial, we have more confidence that God will meet our need. Or sometimes the ‘good’ is that we can encourage others through our own deliverance or redemption stories.

Though the current situation is on a much grander scale, I’m praying God will bring good out of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic as well. I’m looking forward to it.

“I can’t last another week!” I’ve heard that statement more than once since the beginning of the unprecedented home confinements brought on by Covid-19. But, I’m here to tell you, “You can get through this.” I know, because in the past I’ve accomplished what I thought was impossible.

One such instance occurred over twenty years ago when my sister-in-law (who I refer to as Susie in my memoir) was seriously ill fighting an aggressive form of cancer. She was living alone in my father-in-law’s home an hour’s ride outside of Los Angeles, getting treatment at Cedar Sinai Hospital. My husband and I took leaves of absences from our jobs in Virginia to take care of her. What we thought would be a few weeks turned into a few months.

I not only did many of the mundane chores, but I also took Susie to her weekly appointments at Cedar Sinai while my husband was taking care of other matters. To get to Cedar Sinai, I had to take the ‘white knuckle’ drive on one of the nation’s busiest freeways—the 405. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the 405, there’s six or more lanes of traffic going in each direction on parts of that route. In addition, when there’s not a backup, most drivers are speeding along at 80 mph or more, far above the 65 mph speed limit. Clinging to the steering wheel, I prayed silently the entire grueling trip. I thanked God every time we made it to the hospital, and again when we returned home.

Part of Susie’s home treatment plan consisted of receiving three injections of one particular medicine each morning, noon and night. In addition, she needed a fourth injection of a different medication that could only be given by her R.N. during his daily noon home visits. He informed us that someone needed to give Susie her morning and evening injections. I knew my husband wasn’t interested, and I certainly wasn’t since I hated needles with a passion. “I can’t do that,” I told the nurse. But, he assured me I could. I knew I had no choice, and asked God for help. I confess, it wasn’t easy at first. But, the more I did it, the easier it became. And when she left this earth for her heavenly home, I was on the bed beside her, reading scriptures to her about heaven.

In Philippians 4:13, it says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” So, if you think you can’t make it through another day of home confinement due to Covid-19, or can’t make it through another day of whatever you’re going through, God can give you the strength. Just ask Him. And then take it one day at a time.

One Saturday evening in early March, I was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying my usual evening cup of tea and cookies when I texted a relative to see if her daughter was a Girl Scout. I knew if she was, she would be selling their cookies since they were in season. She informed me her daughter was not in the Girl Scouts.

Seconds later she sent another text with a photo of their foyer and living room. “The whole house looks like a construction site,” she texted. She stated they were in the midst of removing carpet and tile before they installed hardwood floors. But her husband was having great difficulty removing the stubborn tile’s underlayment. Even though her husband could fix or build just about anything, the underlayment was giving him a hard time.

“We have someone coming to help install the flooring on Monday, so we need to get the floors ready,” she informed me. “He has a long way to go on the tile.” I could sense the anxiety and concern since time was of the essence and the underlayment wasn’t cooperating. “Ask the Lord to help!” I suggested. “After all, he worked as a carpenter!”

“Thanks. Great idea!” she replied.

I looked forward to hearing how the Lord solved their problem. On Tuesday morning I received a text from her. “Thanks for the reminder that God cares about the small things,” she said. “I have a story to tell you about the tile.”

“I’m on my way to the vet’s office,” I responded. “Call me tonight.”

Hours later she called. She told me that after I suggested she ask the Lord for help, she went into the other room and prayed but didn’t say anything to her husband. She returned to her project sanding trim. Just moments later her husband told her that his tool broke. This confused her because that wasn’t the answer to prayer she was expecting, especially with at least six more hours of grueling work to remove the rest of the underlayment.

Her husband went to the local hardware store and rented a power tool. In amazement, she watched as he finished removing the remaining tile and underlayment in thirty-five minutes. She then told her husband of her prayer for help.

“See, God cares about the small things too,” I said. “Not just big things.”

In Philippians 4:6-7, the bible says: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

In that verse, God tells us to pray about everything! If he cares about a stubborn tile job, surely he cares about ridding us of Covid-19. Let us all pray for a swift resolution and return to normal life.

I was helping a friend sort her mother’s belongings after she sold her home to downsize. The activity brought back memories of sorting through my own Mom’s belongings in New York after her death.

Once my family and I made our selections from Mom’s personal possessions, I prayed. “Dear Heavenly Father, please guide me what to do with the rest of Mom’s things.” In no time at all, her possessions were given to friends or those in need. But when it came time to dispose of her clothing, I couldn’t part with them.

As I looked over the various items, they brought back special memories. I recalled the fun we had trying on clothes during shopping trips. And watching her smile when she unwrapped the beautiful blouse or sweater I’d given her on a special occasion like Mother’s Day, birthday, or Christmas. And seeing her wear her new flannel pjs around our home during the holidays. And discussing with her which hand painted t-shirt she would like when we attended the local art show on her summer visits. And ironing her jeans and being amazed how short her legs were compared to mine.

“Why don’t you just take them to Goodwill,” someone suggested. “I can’t,” I insisted. At that moment I recalled seeing a memory quilt years earlier at the home of my husband’s godparents. Made from the baby and childhood clothing of his godmother, it made a lasting impression. I called my sister right away and discussed having quilts made from Mom’s clothes. She loved the idea and even offered to pay the cost. I packed up Mom’s clothing and shipped them to my home back in Virginia.

I searched for a local quilter experienced with making memory quilts. After several interviews, I found the perfect person for the task. We met to discuss size, pattern, fabric, etc., with my sister participating from New York via telephone. A year later we received the bed quilts, lap quilts, pillow shams and throw pillows. “Do you want me to throw away the scraps?” the quilter asked holding up the bag of remnants. “No!” I shouted as I grabbed the bag and stared at what was left of Mom’s clothes. “There must be something we can do with them.” I then commissioned her to make tote bags from the scraps.

Overjoyed with the project, I called the local newspaper suggesting an article about memory quilts so others could know about this special way of using their loved one’s clothing. The newspaper liked the idea as the following month was National Quilt Month. The story was printed with a large photo of me wrapped in Mom’s quilt. After the article was published, the quilter received so many orders she had to hire extra help. Months later I received the beautiful tote bags.

I don’t believe the timing of receiving the quilts was a coincidence. It was all part of an answer to prayer. God just so happened to bless a lot of others in the process.

The Illumination Book Awards just posted their 2020 winners in their annual book awards contest, and I am excited to say that “The Road to Mercy” won a Silver Medal in the Biography/Memoir category. You can check it out on their website at: http://www.illuminationawards.com/15/2020-medalists

If you have read my book or are planning to, I would appreciate it if you would post a book review on Amazon. Thanks so much! (A special thanks to my editor, Jeanette Windle, and to Amy Deardon, who handled all of the technical and graphic aspects of the publishing).

Over twenty years ago I found myself unemployed, praying and looking for a job. I didn’t want just any job. I wanted a government pension-earning position in Virginia similar to my former position in New York. I applied for every available secretarial/assistant position within the local, state and federal government. After numerous interviews and no offers, I began to feel like I was emblazoned with a scarlet letter. I suspected my previous higher salaries might be a drawback since employers could hire someone much younger for less money, but the revolving door of interviews was becoming quite irritating. I couldn’t understand why my prayers hadn’t been answered as my search had gone on for almost two years. In the meantime, I did temp work, and continued to pray.

“Lord, Philippians 4:19 says, ‘my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus,’ and I need a job. So, Father, I know you have the right job for me. Please guide me to it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” On and on the prayers went, and on and on the frustration and bewilderment went. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t offered any of the positions I applied for when I was highly qualified for each one and had stellar references. If I wasn’t so upset, it would have been quite comical. After all, why wouldn’t God give me a job with the government like I wanted?

Then one day I happened to notice the tiniest of help wanted ads in our local newspaper for a legal assistant position at a law firm. The ad read, ‘no legal experience required.’ Hmmmm…. Since Katharine Gibbs School trained us grads for any executive, medical or legal assistant position, I decided to apply. During the interview I learned the position required a person who was highly organized. Bingo! That was me to a tee! I love to organize and keep things that way.

The day of my interview I was hired on a one month’s trial basis. By the second week, I was offered the position permanently. While there, I eventually started and led a prayer group during lunch hour on a bi-weekly basis and prayed with many co-workers during their times of need. I even had several ‘divine appointments’ as I call them, that convince me to this day I was exactly where God wanted me. Eleven years later I left that job for semi-retirement. I made some wonderful friends at that firm who’ve remained friends ever since.

As I think back on that job search, I realized I had only looked in the direction that I wanted to go in. It took two years, and numerous interviews, before I asked God where did he want me to work? After all in Proverbs 3:15 it says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” I’ve learned to go to him sooner rather than later about all things, no matter how big or how small.

My book, “The Road to Mercy,” just won 3rd place in the Xulon Press 2019 Christian Author Awards contest in the Autobiography/Biography/Testimonial category. See link:

https://www.xulonpress.com/christian-writers-award/winners/category-winners-2019-fall.php?cat=2