Bob & Charlyne's Blog - from the heart of a restored marriage

Another year is gone! I know that you have mixed emotions at this moment. Bob and I pray that you will start this New Year with more determination to fight for your spouse and family than ever before. We want you to press on forward to win the prize at the finish line with your Lord being your Coach every day.

Bob and I are praying for a mighty harvest of souls for every stander and their family that we minister to each day. There is nothing greater to hear from a loved one than, "Guess what! I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord." What an answer to so many people praying for prodigal spouses and loved ones to come to know the Lord. Never forget your goal for the finish line.

May you start this New Year with more perseverance and tenacity to reading God's Word, praying and praying specific scriptures. God's Word will never return void, so stand firm in your faith and never give up on your God or on your spouse.

Happy New Year!

Bob has sent out the prayer request to pray for our family to pray for Lori, Scott, their children and our family already today. One of the twins has died.

I was privileged to be with Lori and Scott as they got Lori ready to have their twins close to midnight on December 29. We were all joking and telling Scott that he was going to have two more tax deductions in 2005. Lori was taken to have a C-section to have their twins with Scott beside her. Since I was alone, I was able to be right across from the room where the twins would be brought from the OR.

The babies were brought out quickly with a nurse carrying each one as a special package from God. Neither were breathing and then Scott came out immediately afterwards, shaking his head. Something was wrong. The nurses and doctor worked on both babies and then I heard Ashley Kristina start crying. PTL! Scott came over and talked to me saying that Tyler was dead. Tyler Jacob was not breathing and had died in Lori's womb within the last 24 hours. How could this be? They had just had a heartbeat, but actually they had trouble getting his heartbeat and then they thought they had it, when it was actually Ashley's or Lori's.

I will not go into the details, but the medical staff and doctor were excellent with Scott and Lori. Our family rallied together to be with Lori and Scott back in their Labor and Delivery room until 6:30 AM God was with us in such a special way. Now we seek our Lord as the Comforter for our family.

Christmas is such a beautiful time of year, a spiritual time, but also an emotional time for each of us to reflect on past Christmas' and of memories of our children growing up, of your spouse being absent, but also of special loved ones that are in Heaven like Bob and my parents. Each Christmas seems to be a little different after your children get married. Now we have six grandchildren running around blessing us.

It is a beautiful day today in Florida and the temperature is cool and dry. We are expected to be getting a cold wave tonight, with temperatures dropping into the low 50's. I sat on our back porch doing my devotionals and I read Ezekiel 36 again, praying several scriptures as a prayer for all prodigal's hardened hearts to be softened. I love Ezekiel 36:35-6 and often claim it as a promise for all our standers: "They will say, 'This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.' Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.'"

But today was different. As I read Ezekiel 36, I read a scripture that spoke to my heart. May it speak to your heart also: " 'But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home." Ezekiel 36:8. Wow! What a "rhema word" for us as we are praying for thousands of spouses to come home through January 1! I got up and quickly went and put this scripture on our web's start page! Thank You Lord, for an awesome Word for me and all standers! May my people, all prodigals, come home to the Lord and to their spouses!

Every year when Christmas is arriving, I think I will never get every package wrapped, but somehow they are all done and everything is ready! May you have a very special day with you, your family and your Lord. Merry Christmas! Our Savior has been born!

We went to church Sunday with a stander from out of town. I prayed all day that thousands of spouses and prodigal children would surrender their lives to the Lord and then go home. In the evening service, the Pastor preached, "Come and Worship Him." Every day, as I listen to radio, sermons and music, I hear over and over again that God so loved all sinners that He gave His only begotten Son to save the world. Christmas is when we celebrate His birthday. Our Pastor asked us what we were going to give our Lord for His birthday. What are you going to give to Jesus this year? How about your heart, totally surrendered to the Lord's perfect will and way in your life?

This Sunday, December 18, is when many churches will be presenting Christmas musical or pageant. We have a Christmas musical at our church Sunday evening. Start planning now to take someone who does not know the Lord to these service. May you and I never forget that we all need to "Come and Worship the King of Kings."

Last Monday evening at Rejoice Pompano Beach, we had four standers attending who have had their spouse come within the past six week. What a praise. All four people said they were they were at Bible study to continue to stand as their spouse is still in the process of going through all the emotions of coming home and leaving the other person. One or two prodigals had left a second time, but only for a day or two and then they came back, saying that they knew that they are to be home with their spouse and children. Praise the Lord!

As we have been praying and fasting for spouses to come home, may we now be sure to pray for all the hurting spouses who are coming home to have the strength and emotions to go through rebuilding their marriage and to break off all communication with the other person. May the Holy Spirit speak to their hearts showing them that He is the only way.

Today was a special day for me. Our daughter, Lori, is pregnant and expecting twins-her second set of twins! . Today there was a combined shower of church, family and friends. It was at the Fellowship Hall at Lori and Scott's church. I have been suffering from a bug, so my goal was to be able to attend this event. I made it, thank You Lord.

I walked into the Hall and thought I had entered a wedding reception. The Fellowship hall had been decorated beautifully. They had used white netting to decorate one wall, hanging baby clothes, alternating boy and then girls clothes. There were round tables with white table cloths and centerpieces. Around their centerpieces they had blue and pink Christmas tree ornaments that had today's date and either "Baby Boy Lassen or Baby Girl Lassen" handwritten on them. Eve, who was the shower's master of ceremonies, told everyone to take an ornament home after the shower to put on the Christmas tree as a reminder to pray for baby boy or baby girl Lassen and Mommy's health and delivery. What a neat idea. Everyone there knew that Lori has had two pregnancies with complications and presently is having blood pressure problems, so they were encouraging prayer for her and the babies. What friends. Praise the Lord!!

The shower started with prayer and then eating first, allowing time for any latecomers. Our son and daughter-in-law, Tim and Patti, had provided platters of finger foods. Everyone was talking and there were two or three babies there as well as Lori and Patti's daughters, all getting excited about the gifts and the future babies! Lori was being blessed.

I found out that there was a committee of four young women who had accepted the task to plan and decorate for Lori's shower. Another girlfriend bought two cakes, one being a chocolate cake with blue frosting and a white cake with pink frosting.

Before Lori opened her gifts, Eve asked people to stand up and give Lori ideas, hints or a special word of encouragement for her having two babies. What blessings she received from friends and family. Then Lori started opening the gifts and as she did, they would have a buzzer go off and the person who had bought that particular gift, also received a gift. Then Eve, the emcee, brought out a basket of Doublemint gum and starting passing it out saying, "Lori is having twins and she is going to have, Double the pleasure and double the fun!"

As I watched the women of all ages, I thought about how they were sharing the important event of twins being born to Lori and Scott. This was a celebration and a gift from God as many years ago Lori could not get pregnant. She had a miscarriage. Then they went to fertility doctors. They had twins and sixteen months later another baby, Ryan was born to their family. Now five years later they are having another set of twins naturally! God has blessed this family.

May I never forget that one of the reasons that I was so determined to not stop standing was for the sake of my children. I did not want my children to be exposed to another man in their lives who was not their father. I did not want to pass on the generational sin of divorce.. Our children were having enough trouble dealing with the other person's in Bob's life as it was. I needed to put my Lord and children first. I was praying for a miracle of restoration. God's perfect plan is for Mom and Dad to have children, raising them together going through life, with good days and bad days, but always believing that God would get them through each and every situation through the span of possibly forty to sixty years of marriage!

As I looked at these young women, I prayed that they would mature in the Lord, hating divorce and do everything in their power to be the wife and mother they need to be for their husband and family. You never know how valuable something is, until you lose it. I know. I lost my husband and became divorced, but by God's grace, love and mercy. the Lord gave me a second chance when I surrendered my life and marriage to Him forever! Please make that decision today to never give up on your spouse. Then love and nurture your children until your spouse comes home.

PS - May I say to our male standers, many of you are raising your children alone for this season. You are awesome. May God bless you. There are also many other men who are standers, who barely get to see or talk to their children. My prayer for you today is that you will pray and fight for the rights to see and to be a part of your children lives regularly. They need both parents.