Love Will Find a Way
By Henry Piarrot
Today, millions of Americans are living with, or have
fought off some frightening forms of
cancer. Such a serious illness may well challenge a patient's religious beliefs, causing enormous spiritual distress. Some cancer patients instinctively feel that they are being punished by God and instantly suffer a loss of faith after having been diagnosed. Yet, during these trying times, nothing is more important than prayer. Some have to learn this, while others already know.
Charlotte Marshall was born and raised in Greenville , TN during the spring of 1947. The daughter of a Baptist preacher, she entered the world as the fourth of her loving parents' five children. When she was a little girl, young Charlotte dreamed of one day becoming a secretary and being part of a successful business. She also taught herself to play the piano in the quiet sanctuary before services on Sunday and learned to singwith the choir later in the day.
Before graduating from Morristown High School in 1965, Charlotte became the first female president of the Trade & Industrial Club. She attended classes in the morning and
worked for Roberts & Turner Drug Store in the afternoon. After high school, the preacher’s daughter went to work for a printing company in Kingsport . The next year, Charlotte went on vacation to Myrtle Beach , SC. While she was there, she met a young man named Danny Bise, who was also on vacation. The irony of this part of her story is though they had never met, Bise was a co-worker at the same Kingsport printing company Charlotte worked for. They fell in love and married in 1970, ultimately raising two sons and a daughter in East Tennessee .
The years passed while Danny and Charlotte worked and saved. After many professions, Charlotte had become a real estate agent, allowing her and her husband to eventually acquire some rental property and condos. The kids grown, in 1994 the couple purchased the old Nestle Inn in Gatlinburg. For a time, life and business was good for the Bise family. However, happiness never goes unchallenged for very long, as on New Year’s Day 1997, Charlotte fell on the sidewalk and turned her ankle. It would be the misstep that saved, and then changed her life forever.
During the examination at the emergency room, the doctor noticed a small lump in Charlotte ’s throat. It did not seem to be much at the time, although he stillrecommended that she have it checked. A biopsy was made and no danger was discovered. But, once the growth was surgically removed, Charlotte received the terrifying news that she had throat cancer. The doctors finally found the source of the disease in her tonsils and a second surgery was followed up by 35 radiation treatments. If fighting cancer is not enough to deal with on its own, Danny had two heart attacks during that time, making 1997 a year that would have broken the spirit of most couples.
Nevertheless, through Charlotte and Danny’s darkest days, they each knew that their fate was in God’s hands and they found strength in their love for Jesus and each other. Then they prayed, as they knew that no matter the outcome,God’s love would guide their way. Miraculously, one year later, Charlotte was cancer free. Convinced God spared her to share his word, Charlotte and Danny created her first radio show, Jesus Talk Live in 1999. After running for a year on the Dollywood radio station, Living Faith Television contacted them for an interview to discuss bringing her popular show to cable. Although Jesus Talk Live is completely supported by donations, Charlotte never asks her viewers for money. However, that has never stopped them from giving. For the past several years, Charlotte ’s dream was to find a place where all would be welcome, from overalls to lab coats, to talk about Jesus.
Her dream became a reality when recently, on Christmas Eve, Charlotte opened The Manger on the Parkway in Gatlinburg. From this beautiful river-sifacility, shwill host musical events, prayer meetings, testimonials as well as broadcast her popular show to millions of viewers in five states on Living Faith TV every Saturday 7-8pm. With no real plans for how to pay for The Manger, Charlotte followed Jesus’ instruction to Simon Peter in Mark 5,
“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Henry Piarrot is a hotel manager in Sevier County . Please send all story recommendations to henry@lifeisvoluntary.ws