I have not read any other book that did more to encourage me in my daily life and my walk with the Lord than this one.! The cover is beautiful and enticing, but it’s the contents that spoke directly to my heart. The words spoke to the woman in me who needed to know that I am a strong woman of God, not to be defeated by any of the enemy’s darts that come against me. With sixty themed devotionals, Holley Gerth has reached out to each of us and confirmed the truth that God has already put into our hearts. We are “Strong, Brave and Loved.” At the end of each devotion is a time to reflect and to write how you are feeling about the truths you have encountered there. There are also quotations from the author’s previous book, FIERCEHEARTED. I think that this book is meant to be a companion to the other one, but I read it without reading the first one and was totally touched by the author’s honest tackling of real struggles in our lives. I did not identify with each part of the book, but I identified with enough of them that I can highly recommend this book to all Christian women, as a book to encourage and reflect on defeats, victories and how to continually be victorious.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from #Revell. 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 lovely and uplifting book is available now at your local bookseller or online.

When I attended Youth With A Mission, I read a book about intercession called REES HOWELL: INTERCESSOR by Norman Grubb. This book opened my eyes to the changes that intercession can effect. Then, this morning, I read an article by Dr. Denison about intercession.

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/tennessee-governor-proclaims-today-a-day-of-prayer-humility-and-fasting-the-transforming-power-of-intercession/?utm_source=The+Daily+Article&utm_campaign=6ca76686af-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_16_05_39_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51f776a552-6ca76686af-275095033&mc_cid=6ca76686af&mc_eid=dac620ebcf

If you are not already interceding for your family, community, state and nation, I hope that you will begin.

Prayer changes things!

As a child, I was told that I had a “sweet” voice. As I matured, my voice got deeper, and I went from singing soprano to singing alto. Now that I have reached an even more mature age, my voice is very low and at times I can’t hit the notes at all. Nevertheless, I am content to sing to the Lord and have Him hear my praise, from the early morning until the night. I have praise songs on my TV channel with praise music and sometimes I burst into a nice sing-along. I’m not sure that those around me appreciate my efforts, but I am convinced that God does.

I expect that I will continue to sing a song of praise once I enter into His rest, to spend eternity with Him. I’m not sure what Heaven is like, but I’m looking forward to being able to praise my Lord and Savior, in song and in words. When will His Kingdom come? We don’t know, but we do know that Jesus is preparing a place for us. He promised, and His promises always come to pass.

I look around at the evil world sometimes and get so frustrated because Jesus has not come back for us yet. The key word there is YET! He is coming, make no mistake about that! But He is much more patient than I could ever be and His timing is always perfect. Think about the monarch butterflies. Every year, yes, every single year, they migrate to Mexico from all across the U.S. and Canada. How do they know it’s time for them to head south? I think it’s because God tells them. After all, He created them and takes care of all of his marvelous creation. Monarch butterflies migrate over 3000 miles. Glorious creation! And so I, a mere creature on earth for a little while, sing to God because I can do nothing less. He has called me to His light and I can only respond with praise and singing.

Photo courtesy of NationalGeographic.com

Photo courtesy of Pinterest.com

There is no map to show the route that my soul will take, but I know that I will be homing in to my eternal home, where I can sing forever of God’s mercy and grace. And, maybe, just maybe, I will be able to sing as I did as a child, totally on key and never losing a note.

Blessings to each of you today as you marvel on God’s great creation and what He has in store for you for eternity. Praise His glorious Name forever!

Blessing the Lord has caused me to wonder more than one time how we, mere creations of His, can bless Him. I think we bless Him when we honor Him, not only for what He has done but because of Who He is. So, today, I just want to pause and honor Him and give you a chance to do likewise. Pause and think about Who He is…perhaps meditate on the Names of God and His attributes. Don’t think about what He has done for you, but think only about Who He is. Then, thank Him because He remembers us and cares for each of us daily. The God of the Universe has His eyes on Y-O-U!

Blessings for a day filled with His goodness and love and with a thankful heart for Who God is in your life!

One of the authors that I have read for years, Vicki Hinze, has a monthly newsletter and blog, and I am sharing her wisdom with you today.

https://vickihinze.com/when-you-win-and-lose-grace/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=RSS+Feed+for+http%3A%2F%2Fvickihinze_com%2Ffeed%2F&utm_campaign=20190913_m153993706_RSS+Feed+for+http%3A%2F%2Fvickihinze_com%2Ffeed%2F&utm_term=Read+More

Blessings for a day when you give, without expecting to receive!

I was discussing the Ten Commandments with my Sunday School class yesterday and we got to the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” In the NIV, it says, “You shall not murder.” So, with my class of 11-18 year olds, we talked about murder. The illustration that “Answers in Genesis” had provided to go along with the commandment was very interesting. It was a mom holding a newborn baby. So, of course, we started talking about abortion and whether it is murder or not. We included the new law signed by Cuomo in New York that allows babies to be killed up to and including at birth. But the Bible is clear.

Illustration from Pinterest

I also shared with the students my strong opinion that since we didn’t create life, we shouldn’t be the ones who destroy it. God decides the beginning and end of a person’s life. So, we also talked about euthanasia.

God made us! He created us, from the tiny sperm and egg that came together miraculously and formed a human being…each of us! Who are we to decide that a life should end because it is no longer contributing to society or because it isn’t convenient at the time? I will always stand for life and the Scriptures back me up. Wonder what the pro-abortion and pro-euthanasia people use to back up their beliefs? I think perhaps they use their own sense of self-worth and making their choices more important than God’s. What do you think?

Blessings for a day filled with gratitude for life!

If you watched the news this week, you saw an extraordinary event, one that did not involve politics or politicians. The brother of the murdered victim in Dallas, Texas, reached out to his brother’s murdered and hugged her. He witnessed to her from the stand, telling her that “the greatest gift she could give his slain brother would be to accept Jesus Christ as her Savior.” (Paraphrased) I have been told from many sources, including the pulpit, that the membership of the church is declining in America, but Dr. Denison points out statistics that disagree and that are actually encouraging. I am encouraged when a young man will forgive in a public foray as he did and when the judge herself hands the convicted killer a Bible to take to prison with her and tells her to start with John 3:16. In a world in which there is way too much bad news, I am happy to report on some good news. But…there is always a but, isn’t there? We have the responsibility to reach out to someone who needs the Lord. We can’t lead everyone to Christ, but we can lead someone, one person at at time. Our goal is, as the song says, “Until the Whole World Hears.”

Photo from USA TODAY NEWS.

Here is the link to the original article by Dr. Denison:

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/brother-of-murder-victim-forgives-woman-who-shot-him-refuting-the-secularization-thesis-through-courageous-compassion/?utm_source=The+Daily+Article&utm_campaign=edf86a663b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_16_05_39_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51f776a552-edf86a663b-275095033&mc_cid=edf86a663b&mc_eid=dac620ebcf

And here is the link to the song that I referenced above.

Until the Whole World Hears by Casting Crowns

Finally, have a blessed day. Go out and be a blessing to someone, one person at a time!

I was reading my Bible this morning and thinking about the color “white” and what it means to the Lord.

Jesus died so that our sins could be totally wiped out…clean like newly fallen snow. The metaphor needs to be to new snow because it is all white and clean, pristine and sparkling in the sun. I lived in Maine for four years and I was amazed at how white the snow was when it first fell and how dirty it got after only a few hours, especially along the roads. But in the woods, where no one had gone, it was still white, still pure.

I want to be an overcomer, dressed in white, don’t you? That means that we have to “keep on keeping on” in this life, no matter what we face.

I found it interesting that the armies of Heaven are clothed in white garments. They are clean because Christ has made them clean. I’m not sure if I’m going to be in that army because many parts of Revelation are hidden to my finite mind, but I’m willing to go and do whatever and wherever the Lord sends me.

Do you recall reading this when you read about the Transfiguration in the Bible? I have read these verses many times and somehow I just skipped over the part that Jesus’s garments became white. I just thought that was awesome…man and God, His humanity and Godliness all at one time, together, and His garments shone like white light. Imagine looking into an LCD light and how bright it is. That’s what I thought of when I read this.

Finally, you women who are married, did you wear one of these at your wedding? Mine was a very plain white dress, but it was white. The tradition was (and maybe still is, for some circles) for the bride to wear white. It symbolizes virginity and purity. I’m not sure that with the accepted low sexual standards of today’s society that the women wearing white realize what it is supposed to mean. There are so many young girls who do not consider their virginity as worth saving until marriage. It is and always has been! The “white” references in the Bible tell us how precious purity and cleanness is to God, so I am glad that I wore white at my wedding. I guess I’m old-fashioned, but that’s just me. God set the standards for marriage: One Man + One Woman for Life=Marriage. That’s what I tell my Sunday school students and we discuss how standards have changed today and whether God has changed His standards. (He hasn’t!)

What are your thoughts on the color “white”?

Blessings for a day filled with goodness and God’s light in your life!

This is a delightful romance about two women who have been friends since college. Jenna and Maureen have accepted that they have no romance in their lives, but they are challenged to start looking for love. They have been friends since college and share everything, so they both decide to start dating again after their last child leaves the nest. Jenna was married to a successful doctor and a philanderer, so she knows that she doesn’t really want to date a doctor. Maureen is a slightly uptight and oh-so-proper librarian who wants someone sophisticated in her life. What both women find in love is a surprise and the escapades they go through are very funny, especially Maureen. Without giving away a lot of the plot, I will say that this is a clean read and is a love story that will have you cheering for both women and their “gone from the nest” children. Debbie Macomber always knows how to tell a good story that will captivate your heart and your imagination! This book is for all who still believe that love is possible, even after a certain age.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I checked this book out from my local library using the Overdrive App. I was not required to write a positive review.

This book is available now at your local bookseller or online. It is a clean read!

This was a well-written and suspenseful book about how the past can haunt you. Claire seems to have the perfect life, with a loving husband and two sons. When she was in high school, she was initiated into a group called the Queen Bees, otherwise known as the “mean girls.” It is this choice to belong to this group that comes back and smacks Claire in the face when she least suspects it. The story is all about how past choices can affect your current life, when you least expect it. This well-written novel was written with a steady pace, using a dual timeline and increasing intrigue about Claire’s past. The clues were spot on and the book was a gripping and realistically told tale. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy psychological suspense.

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 is not a Christian book although it does teach a good lesson. Some of the content is not suitable for all readers. Just FYI.