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Have Faith, God Has a Plan

Have Faith, God Has a Plan

I first experienced God’s presence in my life in 1973 when I received the body of Christ. I was askinny eight year old with hair that refused order and preferred hanging in unkempt strands. My FirstCommunion dress was delicately and lovingly made by my proud mother; it was simple yet pretty, but lacked the sequence and glamour that surrounded me. I was not a sequence and glamour girl. I would have preferred to arm wrestle, dress and all, “those” girls or better yet, their older brothers!

Your StoriesStaff TipcMay 12, 2017Reader RevelationComment

Kisses from Heaven by Marlene Sommer

Kisses from Heaven by Marlene Sommer

Last year I met a long time patient from out of town and soon realized it would not be a typical meeting. I sensed something was unusually wrong when she soon said she had some shattering news to share.

Your StoriesStaff TipcMay 12, 2017Reader RevelationComment

God’s Messages

God’s Messages

I believe that God has been sending me messages for many years. Unfortunately, I wasn’t wise enough to understand what He was trying to tell me. You see, I am a professional engineer who always thought about life in black and white … without any shades of gray. My career required me to focus all of my attention on things that were wrong and in need of a solution. I was supposed to have the answers to solve all problems, no matter what they were.

Your StoriesStaff TipcMay 12, 2017Reader RevelationComment

The Father’s Day Loss of Our Baby And The Hug From Heaven

The Father’s Day Loss of Our Baby And The Hug From Heaven

As many of my friends and family know, I have been blessed with many remarkably coincidental as well as physical “signs from heaven” in my lifetime. God has revealed himself to people throughout time. We learn from instances that happened years ago in Biblical times so why would we think God would not show His much needed presence in today’s world? This is my own personal miracle that has previously only been shared with family and several close friends. It has taken many years for me to reveal this for fear of what people would think but after years of prodding, I am finally going to do it. This is probably one my most profound experiences of them all…

Your StoriesStaff TipcMay 12, 2017Reader RevelationComment

The Pieta – Experiencing Christ’s Passion Firsthand

The Pieta – Experiencing Christ’s Passion Firsthand

I have had many mystical experiences in my life and believe God wants them to be shared. As a lifelong Christian, but certainly one thatwould never outwardly express my common and ordinary faith, I am now compelled to share the most profound experience in my life. This Lenten season seems the appropriate time to share.

Your StoriesStaff TipcMay 12, 2017Reader RevelationComment

God Heals Emotionally and Physically

God Heals Emotionally and Physically

God healed my celiac disease!

For the past five years, I could not even eat a crumb of bread without setting off a long string of physical issues. Any gluten ingested would start to make my left arm go numb and then in the next day or two it would cause severe stomach pain, diarrhea, urinary tract infection, weakness in the limbs, eczema, itchy blisters on my hands, heart palpitations, insomnia and flu like symptoms that would last up to two weeks. Therefore to me, gluten = poison. For the last five years of my life, I have avoided it at all cost. That is until two months ago.

Your StoriesStaff TipcMay 12, 2017Reader RevelationComment

Lessons for the Affluent in Africa

Lessons for the Affluent in Africa

When children of wealthy families who live in very affluent communities struggle unsuccessfully to meet the lofty demands and expectations of their parents, resulting failures can cause many to become seriously depressed and to self-medicate with alcohol or drugs. Sadly, the resulting downward spiral—one that is difficult to escape—often leads to suicide. Thankfully God can help break that cycle by revealing the values that really matter. That’s exactly what happened on a trip to Africa with my eighteen-year-old son, Zachary.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017At The Crossroads In Our LivesComment

Career Advice for Recent Graduates – Or Anyone In Need

Career Advice for Recent Graduates – Or Anyone In Need

When I speak to groups of young people, I always try to positively impact their lives. I thought you might find it useful to hear some of the career advice I’ve given to many of the people I have taught or mentored. I’m going to suggest three tips that can give you a fast start as you enter the workplace.

God RevealedSeth CooganMay 4, 2017At The Crossroads In Our LivesComment

Korean Discovery

Korean Discovery

When we adopted our daughter Dena, a Korean orphan, at the age of five months in early 1979, we knew only a few basics about her background—that she was given up for adoption by her unwed mother and was living with a foster mother until she could make the long flight to the United States to join our family.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017In Our Family RelationshipsComment

Johnny’s Yard

Johnny’s Yard

Even before we realized we could not conceive, Sue and I had decided we would eventually adopt children; we wanted to extend our love to children most in need of such love and nurturing.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017In Our Family RelationshipsComment

Dad’s Transcendence

Dad’s Transcendence

We often read of near-death experiences and tend to discount them as illusions or hallucinations. That all changes when someone close to us—someone we trust and believe unequivocally—has such an experience. That’s exactly what happened to me at the deathbed of my own father, and it was an experience that changed my life.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017In Our Struggles, In Our Family RelationshipsComment

Sue’s Prayers

Sue’s Prayers

During my early years of marriage, I was obsessively driven to succeed in my career. And ironically what helped keep Sue and me together was her response to my nearly all-consuming work-related efforts; she was not only tolerant, but she was supportive of my work habits and time away from the family.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017In Faith Stirring ExperiencesComment

Epiphany in India

Epiphany in India

The power and magnitude of God is not an isolated thing, and it was on another continent that I was reminded of the undeniable truth of God’s hand in human creation. As I observed the incredible durability of the engine that sustains human life – the heart –my faith in God was profoundly reinforced.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017In Faith Stirring ExperiencesComment

Trusting God to See Us through Failures

Trusting God to See Us through Failures

In the mid-1990s, New York Life became aware of an opportunity at the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae). With more than $1 trillion in assets, it was the largest financial institution in the world, and we had the chance to offer life insurance to millions of consumers who had obtained mortgages through this agency.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017In The WorkplaceComment

Finding Roots in Poland

Finding Roots in Poland

I had traveled much of the world, but I’d never explored my roots; the task seemed so overwhelmingly difficult that I never gave it a second thought. But in May 2009 when Sue and I decided to take a two-week tour of Eastern Europe, I was excited. We would focus on Poland, the original home of my maternal grandfather, Ignatius Matusiak. The appeal of Poland was fourfold: (1) we had never been there; (2) it was part of my ancestral background; (3) I had always wanted to visit Auschwitz; and (4) the trip was highly recommended by some dear friends who had visited the country several times.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017In Our Family RelationshipsComment

Answered Prayers: The Miracles of Birth and Adoption

Answered Prayers: The Miracles of Birth and Adoption

Even before our marriage, Sue and I shared a love of children and a strong desire to raise a family. We had both enjoyed very happy, traditional childhoods in two-parent families in the lower-middle-class suburbs of Detroit and were eager to provide similar experiences to our own children. Our love for children also led both of us to pursue teaching related careers during the first few years of our marriage.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017According To His TimingComment

My Not-So-Secret Love

While president of New York Life, I had the honor of serving on the boards of trustees of several industry-related associations and organizations. During my service as chairman of The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, God gave me the gift of developing a friendship—better described as a love affair—with Margaret Bradshaw. It was one I could not have anticipated would change my life in such a dramatic way.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 4, 2017Through Our FriendshipsComment

The Migraine Headache Cure

The Migraine Headache Cure

Beginning in my adolescence, I suffered from classic migraine headaches. Doctors believe that migraine headaches are most commonly stress-related, though external stimuli, such as bright lights, often trigger them. In my case it seemed that most often my migraines were triggered by bright lights: the glare of the sun off of water or the glare of bright lamplight shining on a highly reflective surface, such as the pages of a magazine or a recently waxed and polished linoleum floor.

God RevealedStaff TipcMay 2, 2017In Our StrugglesComment