“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” —Matthew 19:26

Get inspired. Discover what inspires you and do it each day, each week. It may be time spent praying; it may be singing in the choir; it may be reading devotionals, like this one. Maybe, it is paddle boarding on a calm lake.

Standing on my paddle board, the stillness of the morning surrounds me. My mind clears, filling me with indescribable peace, an answer to prayer I don’t need to speak. In these moments, God opens the eyes of my heart molding me into a person of possibility.

First Robotics

This is the type of person that everyone wants on their team, someone who makes things happen. When I was a principal, I had people on my team like this, Kyle, for example, an amazing math teacher and the coach of our FIRST robotics team. FIRST is an acronym. The letters spell out: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. It is an international high school robotics competition, with the goal of inspiring students to pursue careers in engineering and technology. It is a high energy sporting event that fills gyms and stadiums with cheering fans.

This year’s rookie team numbers start at 10900. Kyle’s team is Team 27, meaning she was there at the beginning. Kyle has won all the awards. She won the Woodie Flowers Award, the top honor for coaches and mentors. Her team has even won the FIRST International Championship. Kyle is a person of possibility.

So often the opposite is true, we are people of impossibility. Suggest something new and you will hear all the reasons why it won’t work. “We have too much going on already.” “We’ve tried it before.” I can imagine this negative focus grieves the heart of God. Pessimism is not a Fruit of the Spirit.

Find Possibility

Pessimism leads to cynicism, another enemy of the Holy Spirit. It is true that we live in a cynical time. So, it is easy to fall into the trap of being suspicious and distrusting of everything and everyone. Cynicism kills joy and strangles hope. It fills us with doubt that God loves us and that all things are possible with him.

Our attitudes must change. This happens when we get inspired. Inspiration causes us to step out in faith, to say, “Yes, Lord!” Whatever it is that inspires you, find it, and do it. I read an amazing statement recently, “People need inspiration for their souls like they need water for their bodies.”

I want to be a person like Kyle, a person that sees possibilities. Let that be our prayer; Heavenly Father open my eyes to see the possibilities of what you have for me, things that stir my soul.

My new TikTok channel made some of my blind spots glaring.

On Chuck’s Back Porch, I do book reviews… and promote my book. The surprising thing is that in the video, I don’t look like the image that I have in my mind. And there was not just one surprise, I was surprised to see how old I had become. I have wrinkles… on wrinkles. I have sagging jowls. My ears have grown. You might say, “It is just talking. How hard can it be?” I leave off word endings, “eds” and “ings” gone. When recording, I have to concentrate on saying every word… and still sometimes I get it wrong. I have to rerecord over and over. My voice is not the rich, deep baritone that I hear in my head. Then, my hair, it is really getting thin on top.

We All Have Blind Spots

I thought I’d watch the video and think, “The only problem is this one tiny thing. If I fix that, it will be perfect.” There were so many things that I didn’t notice about myself until I was forced to watch a video recording.

The truth is that: We don’t see things as they really are—especially ourselves. We think we have a clear picture, but we don’t. This is a fundamental truth that we need to accept or we will never grow.

Our family and friends may try to remind us of the truth, but often they don’t want to hurt our feelings. To grow as a person, we need help opening our eyes so that we can become the-best-versions-of-ourselves.

Get out some old photos, from maybe twenty years ago. Did you think you looked like that at the time? I recently got out some photos from before I was married. When I was a very young man. I was much thinner than I remembered, all angles and points. My face was thinner, so my nose looked bigger. And the hair, why didn’t I pay to have a stylist do my hair?

We don’t see things as they really are. Maybe that is good. It is likely a defense mechanism to protect our self-image. Knowing the truth can be overwhelming. We don’t see our marriage as it really is. We don’t see our parenting as it is. Our careers are not as bad as we think of them in our heads. We don’t see the realities of our personal finances. We don’t even appreciate our children’s school and their teachers as we really should. The truth is we need someone to come alongside and coach us.

We Need Coaches

Spiritual coaches listen to our dreams and complaints. They help us see ourselves as we really are, not as we imagine ourselves to be, or how we pretend to be, but the truth. Sometimes, I need someone to say, “Chuck, you are being too hard on yourself.” Other times, I need someone to say, “Chuck, you are being too easy on yourself.” Occasionally, I need to hear, “You really need to pay attention to this, because it could become a big problem.”

We don’t see things as they really are, because we have blind spots. Our pasts are full of experiences that influence our present and our future. Our past experiences give birth to fear and insecurity, which causes huge blind spots. Because of our past, we have hopes, dreams, and ambitions that we carry deep within us. At times, we can be cynical because of something or someone from our past. We can also be paranoid at times—another blind spot. We all like being liked. Nothing can blind us more than the desire to be liked… or loved. We all have heard the saying, “Love is blind.”

Humility

The first area in which we need to grow is in humility. Are you surprised by this? Were you expecting me to say, stronger, smarter, or bolder? The fact is that a humble person can be led, can be coached.

The opposite of humility is pride. Pride fuels the delusion which does not allow us to see ourselves and situations as they really are. We become puffed up and think that we are right and everyone else is wrong.

Blind sports cause a distorted view of reality. We don’t see things as they really are, including ourselves. We have blind spots, biases, and prejudices. Join me on Sunday for other ways we must grow to become the best-versions-of-ourselves.

Click to learn how to win a free backpack.

Would you let Core Tom, the antagonist, date your daughter?

As I shielded my eyes from the sun, I was startled by three figures standing on the hill overlooking Mallard Creek. I approached, undetected, and guessed these men to be the expected hunting party, including the mysterious Core Tom.

—A Storm Coming

Core Tom was a real person, and the perfect provocateur, sent by the Iroquois to push the Tuscarora into war with the English… and it worked.

Core Tom was attractive, and he knew it. A narcissist, he struggled with feelings of inadequacy and felt offended when others did not treat him as if he were special. He enjoyed being the center of attention.

What would a man like this do if he saw someone kicking a dog… or if he failed an important test?

The truth about Core Tom is that the pain of others, including animals, was not his priority… and he would never admit to failure.

Read A Storm Coming and tell me whether or not you’d let Core Tom date your daughter.

Order on Amazon.

If you loved Claire Randall in Outlander, you will love Jane in A Storm Coming. Readers first meet Jane in July of 1710 on the Coastal Plains of North Carolina.

Like Claire, Jane struggles with the English. Jane’s aunt, the clan mother, warns her that there is danger outside the village. “Women and children disappear all the time… likely seized for the slave trade.”

Despite these warnings, Jane cannot resist the lure of wild flowers on the hillside, which is where she meets Core Tom. Like Jamie Fraser in Outlander, he is handsome and mysterious. Jane plucks flower petals, until she has a handful, and throws them high into the air. The swirling bits of color remind her of how the English value their money.

Like flower petals, their money blows away on the wind.

Put here by the Great Spirit, the land remains.

As long as the sun shines, it gives us life.

As long as the water flows, we drink it in.

Can the land be bought? Can we sell it for money?

They know nothing. It does not belong to us.

Jane’s world is about to change. She will not be able to turn back time. Like Outlander, A Storm Coming will immerse you in a time period and a world you won’t soon forget.

Write a review of A Storm Coming on Amazon so others can discover this amazing story.

Looking for the perfect gift?

Buy your dad a gift he will love.

I’m probably your dad’s age, and if he is like me, he loves history. A Storm Coming is the perfect gift.

This is what one reader said:

“If you have ever wondered what Native Americans faced when the Europeans came to these shores, here is a fictional history with evident truths. As the Europeans immigrated into Native lands, the tribes did what they could to resist the taking. This is a story repeated many times in the history of humans. The author clearly has a studied knowledge and has woven it into the story with a particular understanding through his own experiences. This is the history you didn’t learn in high school. I highly recommend A Storm Coming for summer reading.”

You can order directly from Amazon or from this website.

Two days to go before I’m a published author.

This is my first royalty check. Zoom in on the amount and you’ll be able to rule out one motivation for writing a novel.

All seriousness, I want to thank Histria Book for taking a changed on a first-time author. I want to thank Lizzy for being my editor in chief. I must also thank Suzanne Triviere, Mary Portser, and Alexandra Bednar for being loyal beta readers. There have been many who have supported my journey. That you everyone!

A Storm Coming is the story of his 7x great-grandmother and the 3x great-grandmother of Henry Berry Lowry, starting with her as a seventeen-summers-old Tuscarora woman, named Runehu’hu. She is unflinching until a handsome, yet mysterious, stranger arrives, recruiting allies to fight the English. She hopes for a wedding proposal, but he recruits her to spy against her own people instead. Runehu’hu reluctantly accepts her English name, Jane, “…just one syllable, plain.” A Storm Coming is a story about forbidden love, survival, and redemption.

Spoiler alert: she survives. (She was my ancestor.)

A Storm Coming was written for readers who enjoy historical fiction, who are fans of The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, addicted to Amy Harmon books, and binge-watchers of Outlander episodes.

A Storm Coming is available June 2nd form Histria Books.

Five days until publication day.

I have shared many sections from A Storm Coming on this site. I need your review.

Early Reviews are Key

The first week reviews drive Amazon rankings. Don’t wait; I’m hoping to make the top ten.

Anything you write is good. Here are some suggestions:

• A Storm Coming pulls you in from the first chapter and keeps your interest throughout. The book is based on true events and features a strong female protagonist. All the characters “jump off the pages.” The story has emotional depth.
• A Storm Coming is a heartwarming, yet heart wrenching story.
• A Storm Coming is emotional, at times tense, with just the right amount of romance.
• The author seamlessly weaves the facts into the story; similar to the style of authors Ariel Lawhon and Amy Harmon.
• The routines of Native American life give this narrative its intimate sense of connection — and set Jane up for a pivotal confrontation,
• Gripping historical fiction based on true events, with well-developed characters, particularly a strong female protagonist, and masterful writing that draws readers in from the first page.
• A Storm Coming features unexpected twists with a well-researched portrayal of pre-colonial America.
• This gripping tale feels like an authentic foray into the past and the wonderful heroine rings true. Indeed, Jane is so vividly portrayed that it is hard not to become emotionally invested in her life.
• Jane, the main character, struggles against evil men on both sides, producing a winning blend of fact and fiction.
• A tense, yet tender story about a remarkable woman, Jane, meant to be remembered.

I Promise

Pledge to write a review and I will mail you a free backpack. Starting June 2nd, go to Amazon and write a Customer Review.

Nine days until release day of A Storm Coming. The excitement is building!

Let talk about Thomas Kearsey, one of the main characters. One reviewer, Fiza Pathan, says “… the most surprising voice of all appears who is Kearsey, a half-Weyanoke indentured servant on Colonel Benjamin Harrison’s Virginia plantation, who will eventually re-enter the central narrative as its agent of grace.”

“Agent of grace” perfectly describes Kearsey. He embodies kindness, forgiveness, and unconditional love. Spoiler alert: He comes to the rescue in the end.

Known simply as Kearsey, Thomas Kearsey is from the Weyanoke tribe. He is diametrically opposite to Jane in personality. He is a good-natured jokester who enjoys bringing joy to others. Most of his actions center on the goals of faith and family. Kearsey is my 7x great-grandfather.

Kearsey was raised on the Harrison plantation.

The Harrison plantation on the James River is officially known as Berkeley. Located in Charles City County, Virginia, this 1,000-acre estate is famously the ancestral home of the Harrison family. It is the birthplace of William Henry Harrison (the 9th U.S. President) and Benjamin Harrison (the 23rd U.S. President). Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was also born here.

I have visited Berkeley Plantation. It still boasts the original 1726 three-story Georgian brick manor. Benjamin Harrison IV, Kearsey’s best friend, built Berkeley. It is one of the oldest three-story brick houses in Virginia. It also houses the slave cabins, where Kearsey likely lived. Berkeley is a great summer trip.

Free Stuff

Join me in Greenville NC on June 24th at the Joyner Library on the campus of East Carolina University as I reveal a locked away secret.

The secret… a 16^th century gunlock. The artifact motivated me to write A Storm Coming, set during the Tuscarora War, 1710-1715.

500 Years of American History

This gunlock solves the mystery of the Lost Colony. It is physical evidence linking the English who sailed to the New World from 1584-1587 with Croatoan Indians of Hatteras Island.

The 1580s “snaphaunce” gunlock was discovered by archaeologist Dr. David Phelps, Professor Emeritus at East Carolina University, in 1998 at Buxton, NC.

The name snaphaunce comes from the Dutch Snaphaan, which roughly means “pecking rooster.” This is due to the shape of the mechanism and its downward-darting action. Manufacturing of these gunlocks began in Scotland about 1575. One of the earliest known records of these gunlock is a document dated 1580. It is the sale of “9 cases of snaphaunces at 40s the peece” (40 shillings each). English soldiers sent to put down the Irish rebellion used these guns. These were some of the same soldiers who traveled to Roanoke Island in 1585.

During my research, I enjoyed visiting the places where the story occurred. But I also spent time in libraries, such as the Joyner Library. This is where I was able to hold this gunlock linking the Lumbee people and the Lost Colony.

Meet Runehu’hu

A Storm Coming tells the story of my 7x great-grandmother, starting with her as a seventeen-summers-old Tuscarora woman, named Runehu’hu. She reluctantly accepted her English name, Jane, “…just one syllable, plain.” Jane was unflinching until a handsome, yet mysterious, stranger arrived, recruiting allies to fight the English. She hoped for a wedding proposal, but he recruited her to spy against her own people instead. A Storm Coming is a story about forbidden love, survival, and redemption.

Despite attempts to exterminate Native American people, we are still here.

Free Events

I checked Amazon this morning and there are fourteen days left until publication day.

“We are Family” are not just words. If you are reading this you know my story and you are an advanced reader. I need your help to write a review. I have shared many sections from A Storm Coming on this site. Don’t wait to finish reading the book. You have already started the book by reading my posts.

Early Reviews are Key

Early reviews drive the Amazon rankings. I want Jane’s story to be in the top ten.

Anything you write is good. Knowing what to write can be an obstacle. So I can help jump start your thinking by providing ten suggestions. These are my words, but I give you permission to use them:

• A Storm Coming pulls you in from the first chapter and keeps your interest throughout. The book is based on true events and features strong a female protagonist. All the characters “jump off the pages.” The story has emotional depth.
• A Storm Coming is a heartwarming yet heart wrenching story.
• A Storm Coming is emotional, at times tense, with just the right amount of romance.
• The facts are seamlessly woven into fiction; similar to the style of authors Ariel Lawhon and Amy Harmon.
• The routines of Native American life give this narrative its intimate sense of connection — and set Jane up for a pivotal confrontation,
• Gripping historical fiction based on true events, with well-developed characters, particularly a strong female protagonist, and masterful writing that draws readers in from the first page.
• A Storm Coming features unexpected twists with a well-researched portrayal of pre-colonial America.
• This gripping tale feels like an authentic foray into the past and the wonderful heroine rings true. Indeed, Jane is so vividly portrayed that it is hard not to become emotionally invested in her life.
• Jane, the main character, struggles against evil of men on both sides, producing a winning blend of fact and fiction.
• A tense yet tender story about a remarkable woman, Jane, meant to be remembered.

Join the Family

We are family. You know Jane’s story. You can write a review. Starting June 2nd, go to Customer Reviews on Amazon and say something.

Order on Amazon

Free Events