A LUMP OF COAL!

My husband and I and I are truly blessed to be able to know so many

special people who are standing and praying for their spouses and

families. We have been blessed get to know many of you who live near us

as well as far away.

Last night we had a stander come to our home for dinner and then to

help with the ministry work. Chuck went under our Christmas tree and

handed me a gift that I had not seen him bring in. I unwrapped the gift

and found another wrapped box inside. When the second one was unwrapped,

I found a lump of coal with this note:

"Coal is made of the same material as a diamond but one is valued

as priceless and the other worthless as a present on Christmas.

Like everything else it judges, the world has the value of them

backwards. Coal has heated and lighted our nation for a hundred

years while diamonds are merely pretty to look at.

Just as coal is not valued as it should be, you two have shown me

that marriage is not valued by the world as it should. Charlyne

and Bob, you have shown me that divorce, like diamonds, is the

world's way but marriage is God's way and truly priceless.

When we burn coal we are releasing stored energy of the sun and

so coal is sometimes called buried sunshine. You have given me

sunshine in my life's darkest moments. Thank you and God bless

you."

Wow!! Bob and I were speechless. We told Chuck how profound was his

comparison. Bob asked if he wrote it, which Chuck said he did. I quickly

said that I knew what my next devotional was going to be!

Do you consider your marriage to be like a lump of coal that will be

very valuable in a hundred years, passed on from one generation

to another? Your marriage, like a lump of coal, can be used as a

light for your family, your friends and your church. It can be used

as an example of how God can rekindle, reignite love in your marriage. I

pray that you will see the value of your marriage regardless of how black

it looks right now. God can turn your marriage, a lump of coal, into

something valuable to be used in many different ways.

Never give up on your God, never give up on your spouse and never

give up on your marriage!

"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light."

2 Samuel 22:29

God Bless, Charlyne Steinkamp

THE STORY OF THE BLACK SATCHEL

In the Christmas Eve edition of Charlyne Cares, reference was made to

carrying prayer requests to church in a blaack satchel, Several have

made reference to the satched and I want to explain the story.

Charlytne and I have joked about the satchel being my favorite purse.

It is leather and wide enough to hold a stan dard sheet of paper. The

top snaps shu by tension. It has two compartments inside and a

zippered pocket on the outside. The satchel is carried by a sturdy

black handle. If you have ever met us while speaking, you have seen

the bag. It is just the right size to hold my New Testaament. I

keep some change, extra pens, and pills in th outside pocket.

The wife of a man who died gave the satchel to me eight years ago. It

has required a new zipper and two trips to the shoe shop for repairs,

b ut looks as good today as the day that Alice handed it to me, with

the comment that, "Glen would want you to have it to remember him."

That purpose it serves well. I call it my prodigal pourse.

Glen was a aptient of the hospice prograam where I served as chaplain.

He was a retired over the road truck driver. For a long time, Glen

refused my visits. He told one of the nurses that no "holy roller"

needed to come around tryng to save him.

Once Glen and I met, we became friends. As friends do, we talked. I

heard about some of the places that satchel had traveled. They can

not be repeated here. Although Glen's pain from his bone cancer was

difficult to control, and he suffered physical pain, he was always a

gentleman to our nurses.

There came a day when Glen asked me to help him with the spiritual

pain that he also suffered. On that day, Glen was born into the

Kingdom of God.

Glen lived near I-95. At the time that his physical condition began

to decline rapidly, I was attempting to arrange for a CB radio to be

installed so that Glen could chat with his trucker buddies.

A few weeks later, there came a cool Friday when it appeared that my

friend Glen would meet Jesus face to face. His family had come from

out of town. Members of our hospice team spent hours in Glen's home

that day. He life on this side lingered. That evening about 9 P.M.

I came home. Around midnight, I awoke, got out of bed, dressed, and

drove six miles to Glen's home. I saw movement inside the home, but

no one answered the door, so I walked in and went to Glen's bedroom.

That large family had gathered around the bed. I silently found a

place near the foot and waiched my friend Glen take his last breath.

His wife said, "someone needs to call Bob."

"He's here, Mom," one of the daughters replied. To this day I remain

amazed at how the Lord awoke me to get up and drive to that home to

arrive as my friedn died.

Monday I officiated at a celebration that Glen had gone to be with the

Lord. Some might have called it a funeral, but this was something

more. Back at Glen's home after the service, more than one family

member took me aside and asked about the previous Friday night, "How

did you know to come back?" It was on that day that Glen's wife

presented me with his trucker's satchel that I treasure.

"How did you know to come back?" That is what I have also been asked

time and time again about coming home to Charlyne when we were…..

THE STORY OF THE "PRODIGAL PURSE"

In the Christmas Eve edition of Charlyne Cares, we wrote of carrying

your prayer requests to church in a black satchel. Several readers

have made reference to the satchel and I thought you might appreciate

the post-Christmas story about that satchel.

The wife of a man who died presented me with that satchel seven years

ago. It has required a new zipper and two trips to the shoe shop for

repairs, but looks as good today as the day that Alice handed it to

me, with the comment that, "Glen would want you to have it to remember

him." That purpose it serves well. You could call it my prodigal purse.

My satchel is leather and wide enough to hold a sheet of paper. The

top snaps shut by tension. It has two compartments inside and a

zippered pocket on the outside. The satchel is carried by a sturdy

black handle. If you have ever met Charlyne and I while on the road,

you have seen the bag. It is just the right size to hold my New

Testament. I keep some change, extra pens, and pills in the outside

pocket. Odds and ends mysteriously collect there also.

Glen was a patient of the hospice program where I served as chaplain.

He was a retired over the road truck driver. For a long time, Glen

refused my visits. He told one of the nurses that no "holy roller"

needed to come around trying to "save me."

Once Glen and I met, we became friends. As friends do, we talked. I

heard about some of the places that satchel had traveled. They can

not be repeated. Glen had been a rough and tumble truck driver.

Although Glen's pain from his bone cancer was difficult to control,

and he suffered much physical pain, he was always a gentleman to our

nurses. There came a day when Glen asked me to help him with the

spiritual pain that he also suffered. On that day, Glen was born into

the Kingdom of God.

A few weeks later, there came a cool Friday just after Christmas when

it appeared that my friend would meet Jesus face to face. Glen's

family had come from out of town. Members of our hospice team spent

hours in his home that day. He life on this side lingered. That

evening, about 9 P.M. I went home. Around midnight, I awoke, got out

of bed, dressed, and drove six miles to Glen's home. I saw movement

inside the home, but no one answered the door. I walked in and went

to Glen's bedroom. That large family had gathered around the bed. I

silently found a place near the foot and watched my friend, Glen, take

his last breath. His wife said, "someone needs to call Bob."

"He's here, Mom," one of the daughters replied. To this day I remain

amazed at how the Lord awoke me to get up and drive to that home to

arrive to be with his family just as my friend died.

The following Monday I officiated at a celebration that Glen had gone

to be with the Lord. Some might have called it a funeral, but this

was something more. It was on that day, back at their home, that

Glen's wife gave me his old trucker's satchel that I treasure. More

than one family member took me aside that day and asked about the

previous Friday night, "How did you know to come back?" Apart from

the Holy Spirit, I had no answer.

"How did you know to come back?" That is the same question I am often

asked about coming home to Charlyne when we were divorced. I have sat

here fifteen minutes attempting to reconstruct how I knew to knock on

Charlyne's window that day and remarry her. Apart from the Holy

Spirit, I have no answer.

Just as going to Glen's home on the night of his death, there are

times when the Lord leads and something deep within commands us to

act. That nudging of the Holy Spirit is what will call your spouse

back into the fold in God's timing. The one you love may not obey

the first call, but our Lord calls over and over and over.

This morning at 9 A.M. I will pick up my prodigal purse and head out

the door. It will hold a bank deposit, containing your contributions.

I will stop at the post office and slide your letters and prayer

requests into the other side of the satchel. Somewhere along the way,

my friend, Glen, will come to mind. I suspect that somewhere up in

heaven, there is a repentant trucker, watching how I drive. He might

be saying to his friend Jesus, "Lord bless every request that is

carried in my satchel."

That bag, that once traveled in bad places, now is used for God's

work. The purpose has changed. Your prodigal, going to all the wrong

places, can still be used for Kingdom work. May your prayers carry

your covenant spouse into the repair shop of God's forgiveness. He

can put a new purpose and a shine that you can not imagine into the

heart of every repentant man and woman.

DEDICATED TO EVERY PRODIGAL TRUCKERS AND TO THEIR STANDING SPOUSES.

Bless you, Bob SteinkampRejoice Marriage Ministries

LET'S PRAY IN AGREEMENT!

What praise reports we have heard this week! Let's each of us

continue to "pray without ceasing", for the next several days while

the Holy Spirit is doing and using Holy Spirit conviction on many

prodigals who are away from the Lord and their families this Holiday

season.

Let us pray in agreement for their obedience to their Lord God

turning from their sinful ways and lifestyles. Pray that all our

prodigals, "will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the

devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Tim 2:26

Pray that the Holy Spirit will give your prodigal, "a new heart and

put a new spirit in him; I will remove from him his heart of stone

and give him a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26

Praise the Lord that, "In his heart a man plans his course, but

the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Do not worry when your spouse will come home. God is in control of

your spouse's life. He will talk to them. "In a dream, in a

vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber

in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with

warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride."

Job 33:15-17

God does not give up on His prodigals nor should we! Let us pray in

agreement the rest of this week and see the power of prayer. Many

of you read stories of the power of prayer, now be part of God's

prayer warriors praying in souls for His touch changing their lives.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about

anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in

heaven. For where two or three come together in my name,

there am I with them." Matthew 18:19-20

I just believe that the Lord is going to bring home many, many

more prodigals this Holiday weekend before January 3, 2000. Let's

pray in agreement for a mighty harvest of souls coming to the

Lord this week, this weekend, and God's special day on the first

Sunday in 2000.

"The prayer of a righteous man is power and effective."

James 5:16

Let's pray in agreement for our prodigals, our families and our

marriages throughout the land!

Bless you, Charlyne Steinkamp