I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
I am a mom of three adult children, yet it seems only yesterday that I held them in my arms and cuddled and fed them. It seems only yesterday that I was teaching them to walk, encouraging them to talk and then, later, to be independent and, hopefully, to make good choices. Even though each of my children has his or her own life now, with their own family, my children are still close to my heart, prayed for daily and thought of more times per day than anyone could think possible. God sees each of us as His child; He has gently and patiently fed us, encouraged us to mature and to walk closely to Him. This verse reminds us that He has us written on the palms of His hands, just where Jesus received the nails of the cross. Coincidence? I don’t think so. It is at the cross that Jesus thought of each of us, even with His last breath. And it is there that God wrote us on the palms of His hands, that we might know forever His great love for us.
The story of young Amish woman Sadie Kuhns and her quest to find love and independence in her life was a unique and uplifting story. She decides that the young man who is courting her, Wyman Kauffman, doesn’t really have an aim in his life, so he is not for her. Honestly, he was a very weak character who thought that flitting from job to job and borrowing money from his brother was the way to go in his life. Fortunately, Sadie saw right through his proclamations in love and decided to break it off with him. She dedicated herself to creating a unique quilt that combined her Amish heritage and her new found love for the Hawaiian islands that she visited. Her independent spirit is an anomaly in Amish fiction and I was delighted to read her story. The characters in the story were wonderful and very human. I enjoyed seeing the family support and love that held up Katie in her quest for love and a place in her world. Fans of Christian/Amish fiction will totally fall in love with this clean read! 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 has been a hard season for all of us. We haven’t been able to do our regular activities and some of us have spent most of the last eight months or so mostly confined to our homes. But, God clearly told me that He has not changed and He is still my firm foundation. Hallelujah!
In the midst of this whole crisis, I decided that I needed to find another church. The reasons are numerous, but I prayed about it and got the “go ahead” from God. So, when I was getting a crown put on my tooth, the dental assistant was talking about her little boy being in a boot like mine after he got hurt accidentally at home. She said that he was possibly facing an amputation, but they had the whole church praying and the surgeon was able to save his foot. Again, Hallelujah! So, I asked about the church she attends and, long story shorter, my husband and I visited there and I really, really liked it! I felt peace there and love how the pastors (there are two) used so much Scripture in their sermons. So, we are transitioning to a new church now. I say “transitioning” because my husband is on the board of our former church and can’t really leave it until February. So, another big change in our lives, but hopefully, all for the better.
We had made plans to have our son and his family here for Thanksgiving and I was so excited about getting to see our grandson for the first time in almost nine months! He turned eighteen last February and that is the last time we saw him. But, alas! It was not to be because our granddaughter was exposed to Covid at school, so the family has to be quarantined for two weeks. I texted my son last night to make sure that they were able to get groceries delivered for Thanksgiving. They hadn’t purchased the turkey or anything previously because they had also planned to be with us. His reply was “yes” so that means that I don’t have to talk my husband into an hour plus trip to deliver a Thanksgiving meal to their porch. I hope that you will join me in prayer that Iris and her family don’t get sick. I praise God that I can share my prayer needs with you and I am confident that you will lift them up to Heaven with me.
So, where does the title of today’s blog come from? Dr. Denison, of course!
This was the first book that I have read by Davis Bunn, and I was absolutely engrossed in it from beginning to end. I didn’t know what to expect at first because it seemed to combine sci-fi with mystery and thriller, so I wasn’t convinced that the combination would work. I was pleasantly surprised as this book exceeded all of my expectations. The basic premise is that Ethan uses advanced technology discovered by his sister-in-law Sonya in order to travel back in time and attempt to save his brother Adrian’s life. The whole idea for the plot seemed so wild to me, but the author not only made it work, but he made it work well, tying up loose ends and explaining the unexplainable. The Christian aspect was the story of second chances and a prodigal brother who had spent his life living for himself only to find that he had wasted it and done nothing for the brother who had sacrificed for him. I really enjoyed getting to know the three dimensional characters and all of their facets, both in the past and in their current lives. Since the time frame was dual, the author faced the challenging task of making sure that I understood exactly where the story was going and who the most important actors were. Masterful job! At the end of the story, I just wanted to immediately find another book by this author because he demonstrated such talent in plot and character development. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy high-octane, fast-paced thrillers, with mystery and sci-fi stirred into the mix. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell. I was not required to write a positive review. 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 is a clean Christian read with intense action scenes.Image from Amazon.comInfo from Amazon.com
With one setback after another recently, including a broken foot that kept us from visiting our son and his family in Maryland, I was whining and crying last night to my husband. What brought on this discouragement? An announcement from Maryland’s governor that one cannot enter his state without a negative Covid test. What?!? I have been looking forward to a visit to my family for months now. We were supposed to go at the beginning of the month, but then I broke my foot and ended up in a boot and can’t manage stairs. So, we postponed it only to have Governor Hogan throw a wrench into the works. Well, I am calmed down now, prayerful and hopeful that God will work things out. I have no idea how, especially since I don’t even know where to go to get a Covid test unless I have symptoms. And praise God that neither my husband nor I have experienced those! So, what will we do? We don’t know yet. It’s in the not knowing that the stress comes in.
Then there is the election that has been called by the MSM and Fox News but not certified by the states. So, in this election cycle, I am still holding fast to my faith that God will work things out. If President Trump in still in the White House, then praise God that He has saved us once more from socialism and leaders who may claim to know God but who perform ungodly acts. Nevertheless, if there is a President Biden, that doesn’t mean that God has lost His power. He is still our firm foundation and will see us through whatever happens in our beloved nation. My prayer is that, no matter what, we will continue to have freedom of religion and speech and will not fear what man can do to us.
Dr. Denison’s forum today was encouraging for me, so here it is for you to read.
And here are the Scripture verses that really stood out to me and touched my heart and mind.
Doesn’t seem very encouraging, does it? But wait….the book of Habakkuk doesn’t end here and our story doesn’t end with the wicked winning along with injustice.I rejoice in the midst of the troubles because God is still on His throne and I am still a Christian, on the earth temporarily, and headed for my real home in Heaven. God helps me to stay on top of things and not on the bottom looking up. Instead, I am on the top looking down at all of the chaos and waiting for God to settle things, in His time and in His way.
May the Lord bless and keep each of you in the palm of His hand, and may you find contentment in His presence. ♥️
Dear Friends of Vickie’s Blog: Please go to the original post and LIKE it there! I really want to give credit where credit is due and this entire piece was penned by David Ettinger. I’m sure he would enjoy knowing who actually likes his blog and would also enjoy the encouragement you could give him by following his blog. SO, REMEMBER, GO TO THE ORIGINAL POST AND LIKE IT!
Dear Friends of Vickie’s Blog: Please go to the original post and LIKE it there! I really want to give credit where credit is due and this entire piece was penned by David Ettinger. I’m sure he would enjoy knowing who actually likes his blog and would also enjoy the encouragement you could give him by following his blog. SO, REMEMBER, GO TO THE ORIGINAL POST AND LIKE IT!
www.bible.com/1171/isa.49.15-16.mev
www.bible.com/1171/psa.100.4.mev
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 