Unlikely Connections (eBook)

Charlotte-Ann Lyons (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
216 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-5379-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Unlikely Connections is a 'life-picture' which shows that while a Christian lives out his or her life, God is all the while using people, jobs, and events, some of which may even be unique and unusual to accomplish His will.

For 50 years and counting Charlotte-Ann and William Lyons have been married and have worked together to serve God. Charlotte's life-position of help-mate included: raising their two daughters, working as a hospital RN, working with Bill as a customer account clerk in a busy public warehouse, assisting Bill in his pastoral ministry by typing his sermon and study notes, producing church bulletins, becoming the church organist, teaching the Bible to women and children, organizing church social events, and hosting a guest ministry in her home which served over 400 missionary families over the years it functioned. As they look back now, both Bill and Charlotte are amazed at how so many things in their life experiences which seemed unique and unusual at the time, were actually God-ordained Unlikely Connections. Seeing this has led Charlotte to share a quick and inviting look specifically into Bill's life and how God has directed his path through location changes, job changes, and ministry changes, in this book 'Unlikely Connections.'

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How many Christian's have asked themselves whether they are "e;in God's will"e;?As you think about serving God, the questions about which person to marry, which job to take, which ministry to be committed to are paramount for all believers, seeking God's will for their lives. This book is a Quick Look at the life of one man who made those decisions and now, looking back is able to see that the people, jobs, and events which seemed to have no connection at the time, were actually being connected by God to accomplish His will. Peeking into the life and times of William Kennedy Lyons you will discover how a Bible, a piece of cake, a moose head mount, an earth works developer, and a young woman from England, among many other people, places, and things were used by Almighty God to guide, direct, and move him into the "e;works prepared beforehand!"e;While each person's life is different, being able to "e;see"e; the connections in this man's life, will encourage each person to continue on their own path, knowing that our Lord is at work in each believer.

Textauszug

CHAPTER FOUR

Unlikely Rainbow Connection

“God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

Genesis 9:12-15

House By Jesus And Sweet Peas

You are continuing to peer into the life of one man, looking to see where God’s Hand touched and led him. You are in the beginning of 1971, and Bill and his wife are in need of a new place to live! This would not have been his or her choice because the rent for that apartment was cheap by the going prices so they would have chosen to stay as long as possible so they’d have time to save for when they needed to get into a larger place. However, the apartment had a rule - NO CHILDREN - and Charlotte was now “with child”! Decision made for them,. so - no time to waste - let’s get out the classifieds and start marking what looks possible! WAIT! STOP! Bill’s new found faith was about to be given its first test! “Let’s pray about it, and trust the Lord”, he said to his very devout Catholic wife. “WHAT?….ARE YOU CRAZY?” she said. “Pray…sure; but look for something!” “NO, I want to trust God completely”, said Bill. You can imagine her frustration having her due date looming over their heads. She had never heard anything like that. JUST PRAY and TRUST…without looking?! I don’t think so!

One thing about Bill, he talked with everyone. That’s how the CRACKER STACKER “got him!” And when possible he helped people and that’s where the Sweet Peas come into the story. Now, you may be thinking about the green peas sold in the freezer section, but you’d be wrong. A Sweet Pea is a beautiful and delicate flower with a delightful scent. They are usually grown on a trellis and can be enjoyed outside or picked for bouquets, and, flowers are sold in the produce department. Bill, who had now been promoted to Produce manager was responsible for what he purchased to sell. So an elderly gentleman, dressed in well-worn overalls and a t-shirt underneath had come in and chatted with Bill, asking him if he could sell the sweet peas which he grew in his back yard. Bill had agreed and by now, several months later, they were selling quite well. Every few days the man would come in to replenish his stock and as Bill would be helping him, they would chat about life, and even about his personal life. So one day in the course of conversation Bill had mentioned his need to move out of his apartment. This man said that he had an idea of someone to talk to about it but he would have to confirm that the other person would actually be interested. When Bill finally was able to tell Charlotte, he excitedly declared that he was already sure that Jesus had heard his prayers and was about to provide their need.To say that his dear wife was skeptical would have been quite an understatement! While she didn’t feel the need to debate that issue, she did, however, feel the need to be looking in the classifieds! So she began to make plans to do it herself, in case Bill’s prayers fell through. It wasn’t that she didn’t think that God might answer Bill’s request, but that she believed the adage of: God helps those who help themselves, which was a popular concept. She herself had asked God for things which He had granted, however, she felt she had done her part in order to get the positive response. Bill was simply waiting on the Lord as far as doing actual looking.

Charlotte was still working full time and intended to continue until her delivery date. Her due date was fast approaching, though back in that time, predicting the arrival of a baby was less than an exact science, so she was keenly aware that it could happen at any time! So the need for another place to live was becoming intense. She had begun checking the classifieds herself but had not found anything affordable. Bill was still waiting on the Lord. Then, close to a week before the due date, the SWEET PEA MAN came into the Produce Department and told Bill that his neighbor who had been renting his 2 bedroom, 1 bath house would consider renting it to Bill. Do I need to tell you that Bill was thinking that God had answered his prayers? He couldn’t wait to get off of work to meet Mr Caudell, the GEORGIA FARMER! And just like that…..it happened….prayers WERE answered….house WAS rented, and considerably below market once Mr Caudell met both of them together and was assured that they are not the “party types”. Bill had spoken to this older gentleman respectfully (which was not out of character), and shared his new found belief in Jesus and that he read the Bible daily. That clinched it for them. They were in because Mr Caudell was also a believer in the Bible. And this house and it’s owner, provided to them by Bill’s faith in Jesus and his willingness to depend on Him for that provision, was going to become a huge blessing in their life together, which, of course, both were completely unaware of at this time. And, this was not an ordinary, “run of the mill” house in a neighborhood with close neighbors on each side.

Neither Bill, nor Charlotte could have anticipated the dimension of this provision!

Let me describe their new “home”: In the middle of North Miami, not far from a main highway on the east but far enough away from the I-95 expressway to the west, was a section of town which few people were aware existed. All the properties on both sides of that street plus a few other blocks were situated on one to two acres minimum. Every house was different from every other. Several were concrete and built in what was then a modern style. Theirs, however (and a few others as well), was something you might see on an old Georgia farm road: a wood frame house built up about three feet on concrete blocks; entry down a short pathway of bushes with two thick, tall ones guarding the front door of the screened in front porch; large garage on the right side. You enter into a bright and spacious living room which had a kitchen on its right side, entered through a swinging door; and a short hallway to the left with a hall bath and two bedrooms, one facing the front and the other facing the back yard. The living room also opened to a back porch with windows all around which gave you a full view of the huge, 1 acre back yard which was lush green and had several 60’ tall royal palm trees, a huge mulberry tree, and a small concrete shed. Bill was in Heaven! He loved the “green”….his apartments’ plants would have a spacious new home too! All of the places Charlotte had lived with her large family of parents and eight siblings had been quite small so she did think that this house was indeed, spacious. And while she didn’t appreciate the yard as much as Bill, she did like the fact that the house was furnished. There was a glitch, however, which Bill had absolutely no problem with but which made Charlotte a bit uneasy: Mr Caudell, the owner, lived there too! He had built tiny living quarters for himself behind the garage. It was so small that you couldn’t even call it an apartment. From the garage toward the back of the house it was a bath with a shower, tiny hall alongside of that leading into a very small room which had a bed, dresser with a small tv on it, and an antique refrigerator. At the back end but on the side next to the main house was a door opening to a stoop which was shared by the house’s back door as well. Bill’s “Answer-to- Prayer-House” was causing him to rejoice, and causing Charlotte to be wary of whether it was a blessing or a curse. Still….baby was due any time…so…JESUS AND THE SWEET PEA MAN came through! They settled in, made that house their home and waited on the arrival of their firstborn child. The presence of God in their lives was starting to come into focus.

Marriage, Crackers & Rainbows

Having moved from the small “bachelor” apartment to a two bedroom house gave both Bill and Charlotte more of a “married” feeling, though “adjustments” and sometimes even verbal battles were still fairly frequent. Being married isn’t one big adjustment. It’s many, many little adjustments which actually take place over years of interaction with each other. Sometimes you will think an issue has been settled, only to have it rise up again, unexpectedly. Becoming “one” is a long and not-so-easy process, and the degree of difficulty varies according to how different you are from one another. The Bible has a great amount to say about how to accomplish this; however, you must be reading it for the purpose of seeking that information and applying it personally.

“Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33

At this point in their relationship, although Bill was indeed reading the Bible, it was not to gain insights in this regard; and Charlotte wasn’t reading it at all. She was still a practicing Catholic. She felt that she was “equipped” for making whatever adjustments would be needed by her as well as “equipped” for getting Bill to make the adjustments needed by him! This isn’t an uncommon approach to marriage. Yet, marriage and these two people were being drawn into a relationship with Jesus...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.6.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-5379-4 / 9798350953794