I remember having a mom who used to grab me by both arms and shake me until my teeth rattled. At that point, no matter what she wanted me to say to be agreeable, I was going to try to appease her. Nowadays, what she did would be considered child abuse, but for me, it was just a part of my growing up because I was rebellious. I didn’t always think before I spoke to my mom so I often found myself on her bad side. These days, I will not be shaken from my belief that God is for me, and nothing is going to happen to me today that God doesn’t know about and is in control of.

Are you one of those people who kind of waffles in your beliefs? One day, you are on fire for God and the next, you mumble that yeah, you just might believe the Bible. I am here to tell you that the way to true dedication to the Lord is to stand up for Him, no matter who may oppose you. There is a whole world of people dying out there without the Lord and you may be the only Christian that they ever see to tell them about Him. About four decades ago, my baby brother called me and told me that he had no car and no way to get to work. He wanted my help–any help my husband and I could offer. At the time, my husband and I had two cars. Neither of them was worth much, but we weren’t using them both because I was a stay-at-home mom at the time. So Jamie came to visit us and picked up the car. We signed over the title and registration, selling it to him for one dollar so that everything would be legal. During his visit, my husband and I sat down and talked to him about our faith. We got to talk to him about salvation and he ended up praying the sinner’s prayer and accepting Jesus as His Savior. He still talks about that night to this day, referring to the time that we gave to him in more ways than one, eternal life being the most important. He is now a fire chief in a town in Florida and continues to go to church and serve the Lord, alongside his wife of several decades. The moral of the story is not just to share the Gospel, it is also to give to others what you have to give. And don’t be afraid to share your faith with family members. I know…no one is usually more difficult to reach than those who knew you before you were saved and those who have seen your life afterwards. Maybe the change wasn’t as radical as they have expected and you have disappointed them in your so-called walk with the Lord. Nevertheless, you should not be shaken in your resolve to share. They may really need you to reach out with the truth of the Gospel so their lives can be changed, too. Don’t be shaken!

God revealed to me 46 years ago the pathway to eternal life. I rejoice in His presence! Moreover, His presence is always present with me. I was sound asleep on that operating table three weeks ago, but God was wide awake and right there with me. I am confident that He made sure that everything went well, and I am healing and feeling better every day. God is with me, through my trials and through my victories. Why would I want to deny this life and this happiness it brings to those I love and with whom I have spent a lot of my life? Answer: I don’t want to deny it, so I have to stand up for my beliefs and declare that I will not be shaken. I will not be deterred from moving forward on this road to salvation, bringing along with me as many as possible. Unlike when my mother shook me and I changed my tune quickly, I’m not changing my tune these days. I will sing it from the rooftops and where ever else God sends me. God is present. God loves you. God sent His Son to die for you and wants you to accept that truth and to live with Him forever. Amen. May it be so in my family and in yours! Blessings for a peaceful evening and one in which you are not shaken!

I know that many of my readers are parents and will identify with the question in my title because it is very common for small travelers to ask this question multiple times, especially on a long trip. I know that when my children would repeatedly ask me this question, eventually I would get irritated and tell them that I would let them know when we were close, but they should not ask me the question again. Now that I’m an adult, I find myself asking the same question, but mine is directed to God. It’s not that I’m eager to depart the earth and my mortal body. I’m just eager to get to the resting part of my life. Sometimes I get tired of the daily struggle.

It is quite obvious that I am not at that final resting place, and I am really working on resting in His peace here on earth. After all, when Jesus ascended, one of the things He left us as our inheritance while we are still on earth is His peace.

So, when I am struggling with the burdens of this life, I remember that Jesus speaks peace to my heart and soul. When there are conflicts within the family, my whole body tenses, my heart beats faster and I wait for the final shoe to drop. Meanwhile, I try to pray for God’s peace to be in the situation and resolve the conflict. There are a lot of conflicts in our family, some of them because of our very conservative beliefs and the very liberal thoughts of our two sons. Nevertheless, God is the God of the Universe and He can give me peace even during the back and forth debates. One of the things God has spoken to my heart to do is not to be so quick to post memes that are deliberately provocative. He also told me not to argue with my sons online. I state my belief and withdraw. Therein I find peace. I know that God is with me no matter what the conflict may be and that He will see me through to the other side. I am thankful that I am retired and no longer have to face daily conflicts at work. I don’t think that anyone who has not been a teacher in recent years could possibly understand how demanding parents have become and how lazy some students have become, all of which caused constant strife with me as a teacher because I never lowered my standards or allowed the parents to dictate how I would run my classroom. The conflicts were even more apparent the last year before I retired because the administration was not very supportive of my disciplinary habits. I was kind of sad to leave my colleagues behind, but the peace I felt in leaving the conflict behind was amazing!

I know that this is what a long for, and so I ask the question of the Lord. “Are we there yet?” The difference between my question and when my children asked it is that the Lord has a ready answer in His word. When I get there, I will be imperishable, glorious, powerful and have a spiritual body. So, really, I don’t need to ask the question any more and neither do you. “How long, O Lord?” This has become my new question. How long before all of this wickedness that I see and that hurts my heart will go away and only righteousness, goodness and purity will be present? I ask the question and God usually brings to my mind someone in my family or a friend who still needs to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. He reminds me that I don’t want them to be lost forever, for all eternity. He is in control of how long my journey lasts as well as yours. I am on this earth until He calls me home. So, I don’t want to be impatient. I want to be busy until he gets here and in my busy-ness, I want to have peace, knowing that He is right there helping me to get through whatever comes my way. He can help you, too. He can answer your cries for help, also. I hope that you will learn the lesson that I am learning, just to trust Him, with His peace in your heart, and know that all things will work out in the end. Blessings.

He Is With You by Mandisa

This book has multiple purposes for which it can be used. It may be used by an individual to improve their walk with the Lord. It may be used in a group study of self-discipline, like in a study group or Sunday school. I think the latter use is the best one because there is so much meat that Elliot addresses in her book about self-discipline that many will need the support and encouragement of others in order to make the changes that she suggests. Her suggestions are not radical; they are all Biblically based and very practical. However, those who have been living without self-discipline will find many of the topics challenging as well as thought-provoking. I found the chapter about time and feelings to be the most challenging for me, but also the ones that seem to be calling to be to “get it together” in my life. I can’t say that reading the book was enjoyable, but it was a trip down a road that every Christian needs to take, one of learning to surrender completely to our Lord.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell. I was not required to write an honest review. The opinion expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book is available now from your local or online bookseller.

Karen Cleveland has knocked it out of the park again, keeping me reading until late in the night to find out how the issues in her latest thriller are resolved. Stephanie Maddox is a mother and an FBI agent in internal affairs. Her whole life is upset when she is told that her son is suspected of being part of a terrorist group about to launch an attack in the U.S. Steph is determined to prove that what is suspected about Zachary is not true and that the whole thing is a plot by her enemies. The book is a wild ride, following Steph on her quest to prove the innocence of her son and to trap the evil doers before they can create more mayhem. The fact that Russians are involved makes the story more compelling since the Russians and their interference in our elections has been front and center in the recent elections. Cleveland takes that news story to greater heights and pens a scary story of their influence in the government and the law enforcement agencies. There are a lot of characters, but the main ones are memorable and so evil that you don’t care if something bad happens to them. I was so drawn into the story that I was practically a cheering squad for Steph by the end of the book. The conclusion is explosive and unexpected, just as in her previous novel NEED TO KNOW. The author’s knowledge of the FBI and CIA make her book believable and awe-inspiring. This book makes Karen Cleveland a force to be reckoned with in the genre of thriller!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book will be available on May 28, 2019 but you can preorder it today! Note that the author is a former CIA agent so that fact makes the book very realistic!

I used to teach high school students, and inevitably one or two would come to class without homework. I generally did not accept excuses because I always told them the same mantra, “You had twenty-four hours to do your homework, just like everyone else. It was your choice to not use part of that time to complete your assignment.” That same mantra applies to each of us.

This meme puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? Who gives us these 86,000 seconds every day? God does, of course! Now, you will be saying that at least 7-8 of those hours are spent sleeping. Okay, fine! You now have 16-17 hours to use wisely. How are you using your time? Break it down…TV, making meals, eating, reading, work, etc. Then, ask yourself if you are giving God a tithe of your time. That seems hard to do, doesn’t it? It might mean giving up watching a show on TV or reading a favorite book. But giving God your time doesn’t mean necessarily that you are sitting or kneeling and reading your Bible and praying. You can be an active giver of your time to God!

Are you giving time totally unselfishly to someone else? Then offer that time as a sacrifice before the Lord and ask Him to bless it. Maybe you are cleaning up a neighbor’s yard or taking an elderly person to the store. Whatever you are doing for others is time that you are dedicating to God because you are His hands and feet on the earth! Did you ever think of time like that before?

If you read your Bible regularly, you are more than likely familiar with this Scripture that Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes. God has made a time for everything. He set the sun and moon in the skies, established the whole 24-hour day thing and has left us to do what we will with each day. But, like my students, we have to make wise choices. One of the most important things we can do is share God’s Word with others.

God gave us things that we are supposed to be doing, and they are supposed to be so near to our hearts that we can teach them no matter where we are. Our very important job, if we have children, is to teach God’s Word to them. We are not supposed to put it on the back burner, but to make it a central focus of our lives, no matter what we are doing. If we are sitting, if we are walking, when we are lying down and first thing in the morning, our minds should be established firmly on God and His Word. We cannot do what is right without knowing God’s Word. If you read the second Scripture above, you may be asking yourself what enemies you have to defeat. Well, think for a minute. Who is your enemy? Satan, of course! All of those annoying people are like chaff in the wind; they will soon blow away. However, Satan is always there, trying to trap and destroy you. But the Lord will drive him out before you so that you can prosper and enter the Promised Land, i.e. Heaven. You only have to call on the name of the Lord for Him to come to your aid. You have to know that truth before you can use it.

Knowing and using the Word that is God’s promise to you will get you out of trouble and help you to make wise choices with your time. Satan would just as well divert your attention on all kinds of things–anything except on God is His plan. It is up to us to make the choices that will defeat Satan daily. Yes! I said daily because that is how often Satan will come to you to try to get you to turn your attention away from God, His Word, sharing His Word, meditating on His Word, praying and doing good deeds. Your neighbor asks you for help to jump start his car. Satan whispers in your ear, “That’s not a good idea. After all, what has he ever done for you? And you are really busy today already, headed to work or on an errand. Just tell him that he can call a garage and you will give him the number.” Your reply to Satan should be to stand aside and then continue to do what God would tell you to do in the circumstance.

Choices with what you do with your time come every day, every hour, every minute, every second. Will you decide to tithe your time to God? He just wants to spend time with you, in a relationship with you, so close that you can hear His voice in your heart telling you what you should be doing. A task for God…no problem! We have plenty of time, don’t we? Think about it. Blessings for a day filled with good choices!

This is a dramatic book that reads like a soap opera, with a lot of dialog and a great deal of emotion. Julia Butler is still suffering from her mother’s death and her boyfriend leaving her for another woman. She is feeling totally alone and somewhat at odds about how to move on. Then a stranger named Linda introduces herself to Julia at her mother’s funeral and hints at a long-held and deeply-buried family secret. Linda is the character who keeps on giving in this novel because she continues to show up at the most inopportune times and continues with her air of secrecy and mystery. The plot in this novel is very convoluted and complicated, but it not particularly believable since there are a lot of coincidences that just seem to come together, thus taking away from the realism of the novel. The characters are mostly very weak and needy, and none were very likable, although I did sympathize with Julia and her loss. Her quest to discover the family’s secret is the theme of the book and the desire to know that secret kept me reading. I did guess part of Linda’s role in the family secret long before it was revealed, but that did not stop me from wanting to read the rest of the story to find out the fate of the much beleaguered and grieving Julia. Readers of suspense will enjoy this book as long as they don’t expect a great deal of action or reality.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not requested to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book will be available on April 11, 2019. Happy reading!

Stu from Something to Stu Over has kindly nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award. I apologize to Stu for the delay in posting this, but I do enjoy learning more about our fellow bloggers, so I am happy to participate. Thank you so much, Stu, for the nomination and I hope that many of you reading this will check out his blog and follow him!

The Rules

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

2. Include a link to their blog.

3. Select 7 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.

4. Nominate those bloggers for The Versatile Blogger Award.

5. Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

Seven Facts about Me

1. I am a distant relative of Buffalo Bill Cody. I live in Virginia, so I’m not sure how all of this genealogy stuff works.

2. I was 5’7” tall when I reached adulthood. My children call me the “incredible shrinking woman” because now I am just over 5’2″” tall. My spine’s discs seem to be collapsing.

3. I have lived in 11 different states and the District of Columbia.

4. I went on a missions trip to Guatemala and had my eyes opened to how many in the world live…not like we do in the U.S. that is for sure!

5. I am a born again Christian with a deep love for my Savior and an increasing appreciation for His sacrifice. I was born again on February 28, 1973. My daily joy is reading God’s Word and discovering new truths to apply to my life.

6. I have three children, nine living grandchildren and one grandchild who is in Heaven. Although at times I fear death, I think of little Tessa Serenity who is already waiting there to meet me and that helps to calm my fear.

7. I am a pro-life, conservative woman who votes for the candidate who most closely follows my beliefs. I believe in creation, that there are two genders because that is how God made us, that homosexuality is a sin and that one day God will judge the whole earth.

My nominees are:

Three Kids & Chaos

Train Today to Reap Tomorrow

Mws R Writings

Susies Opinions

Loved by the King of Kings

Chris Hall

The Lost Coin Blog

I am happy to nominate these bloggers, but they should not feel obligated to participate. I just want to find out more about each of you and to let you know that I appreciate you and your blogs. Have a blessed day, everyone!