On a Mission for God

On June 21, 2025June 20, 2025 By vickleaIn Admonition, Book Review, Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

The Mission of God

All of our lives are spent on something. Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building their career, or amassing possessions.

While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.

In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.

For Paul, God’s grace and salvation are so great that nothing on this earth is as important as God’s work.

Paul says that nothing in His life matters as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
Acts 20:24 NIV

The mission of God is not opposed to growing families or building careers. In fact, God desires for us to use those opportunities to faithfully accomplish the mission of God. We can raise families in the way of God, and we can tell our coworkers about God’s grace. Any place we find ourselves can be an opportunity to accomplish the mission of God.

Take a moment to consider your own life and where you spend your time. Are you using every opportunity you have to spread the good news of Jesus? Does your life, like Paul’s, point toward God?

Consider a few ways that you can begin to change your perspective and live your life on mission for God.

My Thoughts

My first thought when I read this Daily Refresh today from the YouVersion Bible App was twofold. One, I am too old and tired to even think about being on a mission for God. And two, how can He use me when I can barely stand for longer than a few minutes and seldom see people socially?

Of course, the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to my heart and told me without hesitation that God uses everyone who is available. I just have to make myself available. After all, He has already called each of us to fulfill the Great Commission. I have received my “orders” so now I have to make a plan.

So, I thought to myself. Who needs to hear about Jesus that is someone in my circle of influence? So many names and faces came to my mind! After all, I have been praying for them for a long time. The Holy Spirit is prodding me into action, using the knowledge I have from God’s Word and the testimony that I live daily, to encourage people like my sister, our son and his family and my brother to establish a relationship with God. I don’t know how it will happen, but I know that I am on a mission for God and He will help me speak the right words at the right time.

I’m excited to know deep in my heart and soul that God isn’t finished with me yet and that I have a job to do. I hope that you have discovered this truth, also, and look forward to your testimonies of how God is using you to reach others for Christ.

I don’t know how long I have on this earth, but I do know that God has left me here to do His work, so I plan to do it to the best of my ability. I’m no Paul, but I’m a Vickie with a purpose and a mission!

But God

On June 20, 2025 By vickleaIn promises, Scripture3 Comments

The word “but” is a coordinating conjunction meaning that it connects words or groups of words. In the case of “but” it shows a contrast, an exception to what has already been said. I cannot possibly include all of the “But God” statements from the Bible, but here are a few of my favorites.

God makes the seeds we plant grow…we can depend on Him to do His part after we have done ours. Instead of trying to take credit for God’s work, let’s give Him all of the glory. But God…

Once again, people build houses, but God has built everything because He created everything. There is no material that a house is made of that was not created originally by God. All of those scientists who keep trying to be the Creator are not. But God…

We cannot save ourselves and never could. God showed us His love long before we even acknowledged His existence or His great plan of salvation. But God…

God raised Jesus from the dead and provided a way for all of us to have eternal life. When this verse says “you” the speaker is talking to the crowd that forced death on our Savior. But I know that I was one of them who caused His death because I am a sinner and He died for all of us. But God…

One day I will die. We all will. It is the end of life on earth, but it is the beginning of a new eternity with God. He promised and I believe Him. But God…

Getting old is not a picnic or much fun some days. But God continues to strengthen me daily and to show me new truths from His word that nourishes my soul. But God…

This verse is from one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament, when Joseph is reunited with the brothers who sold him into slavery. God takes the bad that others intend for us and changes it into a blessing, if we will just look for it. But God…

So, I hope this post has whetted your spiritual appetite to look for it the “but God” statements in the Bible. They are in the Old Testament and the New Testament, so keep an eye out. They mean good things for believers! But God…

Promises of God

On June 18, 2025 By vickleaIn promises, Scripture6 Comments

The Bible is filled with promises from God, things He promises to His dear children, which is all of us who love Him.

Do you remember your parents making promises to you? I don’t remember the exact wording, but I remember things like “I’ll take you to the pool later” or “If you take care of your brother, I will take you to get ice cream later.” Unfortunately, some (perhaps many) of those promises didn’t happen. But I didn’t wallow in bitterness and self-pity because I knew that life interrupted those plans, so the plans (and the promises) had to change. I am certain that I told my own children many things that I planned to do and promised them we would do them…but then, life happened and those things didn’t.

The great thing about God’s promises is that He is actually able to keep all of them because He is in charge on the plan. Life doesn’t get in His way, circumstances don’t thwart His plan. He says it and He then fulfills it.

Do you see how these verses go together? God doesn’t lie. He fulfills what He says He will do. One of His promises is to watch over us, always. That doesn’t mean that we don’t get hurt sometimes. I have fallen more times than I can count and from my position on the floor, it didn’t look a lot like God was watching over me. But I know that He was. A few broken bones, but no serious damage or lasting harm. And each time I fell, I learned a lesson about how not to fall, like moving more slowly, not rising quickly and using my cane or Walker consistently. God watches over us, but He does expect us to use the tools that He has already given us to try to keep us safe.

Sometimes, the fulfillment of God’s promises don’t look like we imagine and then we start thinking that He didn’t keep His promise. Yes, He did and He does, just not always the way we expected. In the long run, what God does to keep His promise will be better than we expected and more than we needed. God does keep His promises in His Word, but sometimes we have to be in tune with the Holy Spirit to see God working in our lives as He fulfills His Word to us. If we are depending on our natural eyes to see God’s hand at work, we won’t see it. God is Spirit, and as hard as it is for us to understand, we cannot put Him in a box and say that He promised thus and so and it has to be exactly what we expect. Allowing God free rein (also reign) to work in our lives is the best way I can think of to release Him to fulfill His promises in our lives.

I am a person who loves to check off lists. So, here is one that I think you can use, too.

God saved me. ✅

God shows His love for me. ✅

God fulfilled His promise to sacrifice His Son for me. ✅

God sent the promised Holy Spirit to lead me. ✅

God desires a relationship with me. ✅

What can you add to this checklist that shows more promises that God has fulfilled in your life? As I said at the beginning, the Bible is full of His promises, and so are our lives.

Blog Tour: Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds by Allison Brennan

On June 17, 2025 By vickleaIn blog tour, Book Promo, Book Review3 Comments

About the Book

On Sale Date: June 17, 2025

ISBN: 978077838725

Pages: 400

Synopsis:

For fans of BAD SUMMER PEOPLE, FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT, and THE WHITE LOTUS, this sun-dappled mystery from New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan features a risk-averse bibliophile who gets in over her head when strange notes in a book draw her into a real-life investigation.

Mia Crawford is responsible to a fault. She has to be. Between her high-demand job and taking care of her grandmother and her cats, she has little time for anything else. What time she does have, she pours into reading. Mysteries, romances, thrillers…books filled with women who are far more impulsive than she would ever dream of being. Now, forced into taking a long-overdue vacation, she finds herself on a luxurious private island where she just might have a chance to reinvent herself—for a little while, anyway. She can explore the island. Flirt shamelessly with a cute bartender. Have a vacation fling. Live like a heroine in one of her favorite novels.

Or she can curl up with a good book on the beach. Turns out reinventing yourself is easier planned than done. But when gossipy notes written in the margins of an old book turn out to be clues to the disappearance of another guest, Mia finds herself diving head-first into a dangerous adventure. With everyone at the resort hiding secrets of their own, she’ll have to solve this real-life mystery before she becomes the next target.

My Thoughts

I have read all of Allison Brennan’s romantic suspense series, so I wasn’t sure what to make of a new contemporary romance-mystery. Let me just say that the author hit it out of the park with this humorous, witty and seriously great mystery. Mia Crawford is totally relatable, a workaholic who is an accountant and thinks that details matter. Coerced into taking a special vacation to a private island, Mia isn’t sure what she will do there but she soon finds herself solving a murder mystery, helping a teen with dad issues, counseling a gay couple and maybe, just a little, falling head over heels for the bartender who flirts with her. The action is non-stop, the pacing is quick and perfect and the characters are mostly lovable and all realistic. The story is absorbing, with secrets and clues and twists galore. I really enjoyed this book and hope it will be the first of many in this genre for this author. The ending was perfect and I think that all readers will appreciate the theme of self-discovery and being willing to change if change is the best choice.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

ALLISON BRENNAN is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author of over forty novels. She lives in Arizona with her husband, five kids and assorted pets.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: https://allisonbrennan.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllisonBrennan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Allison_Brennan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abwrites/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/52527.Allison_Brennan

Excerpt

“Diana.”

She jumped, whirled around. Fear bubbled up in her chest until she saw who it was. Annoyed and tired, she said, “What do you want?”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“We’ll talk tomorrow. I’m beat.”

She turned her back on her uninvited guest and started to insert her card key, but before she could open the door, she was grabbed from behind.

“Wha—” She tried to speak, but her words were cut off. Her scarf tightened around her neck. She couldn’t talk. Then she couldn’t breathe.

Her vision blurred. Grabbing at the scarf, she scratched her neck. Her knees grew weak. Her vision faded.

Scream!

No sound escaped her throat. She heard nothing except for her own pounding heart, fear wrapping itself around her like a vise.

Then, darkness.

Purchase Links:

Bookshop.org:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/beach-reads-and-deadly-deeds-original-allison-brennan/21769923?ean=9780778387251&next=t&affiliate=397

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beach-reads-and-deadly-deeds-allison-brennan/1146225171;jsessionid=9E89D90BC49BFE6FAEA3FE557B8DEAC3.prodny_store02-atgap06?ean=9780778387251

Books A Million:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9780778387251

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=9780778387251&tag=hcg-02-20

Poisoned Pen (signed books):

https://bit.ly/3HKO4AK

The God of Hope

On June 16, 2025 By vickleaIn promises, Scripture5 Comments

If you read my blog last week, you know that the week was a hard one for me. Two friends passed away and I was devastated and faced with my own mortality and the certainty that death comes to everyone. I got through that week, only to be faced with another challenge.

My husband and I have one vehicle. For many years, when both of us were working, we had two, but once I had my stroke and my husband retired, he started doing most of the driving, so we just have one car now. We drove that car for thousands of miles last month to get to graduations and then at the beginning of June to go to the beach to meet my brother from Colorado. All of those trips were definitely worth the exhaustion I felt when we got home. Unfortunately, the car is feeling the effects of that long, arduous trip, also. On the way to the visitation for my dear friend, I noticed the engine was grinding so I told my husband that it needs to be checked again. Just before our trip, I paid almost $1000 for repairs because it needed a new valve cover gasket. So, I am not looking forward to new repair fees. When my husband checked the oil on Saturday morning, it was low, so he added oil. Now I have an appointment tomorrow to take the car in to have it checked for oil leaks and to have the oil changed again. That sound you hear is a big sigh from me.

My scripture verse this morning is one that I am now working on memorizing because I really need it.

That word “as” is very important in this verse. Joy and peace come at the same time that we trust in Him. That’s where we find our hope. So, even as I am frustrated about the car, anxious about the finances to pay for it again, and disappointed that this is happening now, God is telling me to trust and He will give me joy, peace and hope. That is quite a promise and one I really needed today.

We need to start looking for another car, but we are in total disagreement about what to look for. My husband wants a car for $5000 or less, so he is looking for what I call a “junker clunker.” I don’t want to put more money into repairing a car while we are paying for it, so I want to look at a mid-priced car with lower mileage, thinking it would last longer. We are not at a total impasse, so I am praying what to do. I love my husband, but his decisions are not always the wisest although they may be the thriftiest. I hope you will join me in praying that God will show us what to do in this situation and that we can reach an agreement by following Him.

Meantime, I will continue to focus on this verse and pray fervently that I can trust even as the anxious thoughts attack incessantly. I hope that you will join me in my prayers and that you, too, will find the joy, peace and hope you need for whatever you are facing.

For THE Good

On June 15, 2025 By vickleaIn Scripture, testimony, YouVersion App1 Comment

www.bible.com/en/videos/49737

I confess that I have been guilty of thinking that this verse is meant to be applied individually, to me personally. And when that doesn’t work out so well for me, I end of questioning God and wondering what happened to His fulfilling His word. This devotional today made a lot of sense to me and I don’t know why I didn’t realize this on my own. When we think of it as God addressing the church, then we know that it is indeed true. God is working for the good of everyone, not just me and not just you, but for His entire church. That may mean persecution, but the end result may be many coming to the Lord. It may mean our plans have to change, but we can trust that God will be in the new plan working everything out. I am seeing this verse with a new light and rejoicing in the fact that God isn’t letting me down, not ever! Rather, He is expanding my horizons to see the bigger picture of what He is accomplishing in the world, and I am a small part of His big plan.

Faithful God

On June 14, 2025 By vickleaIn Characteristics of God, Scripture, Song2 Comments

It has been a tough week for me, but through it all, God has shown Himself faithful. Being faithful means He keeps His promises, and it is part of who he is, not just something He does. Since it is one of the fruits of the Spirit, God wants us to develop that quality in our character, too.

As I spoke quietly with the family last evening at the funeral home, I felt the Lord’s presence surround me with His comfort and love. I saw the teen granddaughters, trying to maintain their composure and smile, but I saw the hurt in their eyes, too. So, when I got up to them, I told them how much their grandmother loved them and talked about them all the time and that she would always be with them in their hearts. That’s when they shed a few tears and I gave them a hug. God is faithful to show us what people need and how we can help them.

God is faithful all the time, in all the ways we need Him. Sometimes, I think faithfulness means that God marches to the beat of my drum, but that isn’t true. God fulfills His promises in His Word, but it is His plan that is unfolding, not mine. He is faithful to His plan for all of our lives, oftentimes in spite of my getting in His way and trying to demand changes in His plan. God remains faithful.

God is faithful when I am irritated with Him. Be honest. You get irritated at God, too. His timing isn’t working out for you. His plan is taking too long. The prayers you consistently prayed weren’t answered the way you thought they would be. But God is still faithful. He is doing what is best for us, even when we are too short-sighted to see it.

God’s faithfulness to us is part of His great love for us. He faithfully works with us, to make us more like He created us to be.

God’s faithfulness surrounds Him and when we are in His presence, it surrounds us, too. There is no one like our God!

When God is shows us His faithfulness, He wants us to share it with others so that they, too, can have hope and believe. In a world where lying, deceit and chicanery are part of the everyday habits of most people, tell others about our faithful God, the God who does not change and who is always faithful in all ways. We may disappoint Him, but He remains steadfastly faithful.

Faithful God-I Am They

A Friday Prayer

On June 13, 2025 By vickleaIn prayer, Video, worship, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

From the YouVersion Daily Refresh

My additional prayer:

Lord God, I thank you for who you are and for all you have done for me all the days of my life. I bless your name for your goodness and mercy that you have showered on me abundantly. I thank you for your gifts of children, grandchildren friends and other family. These relationships have taught me so much, Lord, about your character and how you want people to be. Thank you, Lord, for being there for me when I was lonely or afraid. Thank you, Father, for being a father to me when mine was not there. I am overwhelmed by your goodness, Lord and your unimaginable and deep love for all of your creation, including me. May I ever be aware of your presence and your desire to bring everyone to you. In Jesus’s Name.

Amen.

Thank You, Lord-Don Moen

When Grief Comes

On June 12, 2025 By vickleaIn grief, Scripture, Song, Video4 Comments

This was my devotional this morning, after a heart-wrenching day yesterday. The devotional is from the YouVersion Bible App and is entitled “Knowing God Has a Plan: 5-Day Devotional by Anne Wilson.”

When Grief Comes, Is God Still Good?

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Some say grief is horror at loss…at not being able to touch them, laugh with them, or make new memories with them. Others may say it is soul-crushing…excruciating…and it makes eternity feel instantaneously close… yet so far away. For me, it is all of this on top of the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens rolled into one.

In the “Seventh of June” song, I wanted to be transparent about the process of grief…how it comes in waves and on anniversaries…how it spills out in tears. We are all in the trenches at times – “praying and trying to make sense of what don’t make sense in this life.” We are all put on notice, waiting for the impossible moment that we never want to face. But we all face loss. We are not getting off of this earth without it.

Grieving people ask themselves: Did they know how much I loved them? What should I have done differently? It can be heavy and full of despair, yet empty of adding up to make sense. How could this have happened? Why did this happen? And the ones no one likes to talk about: Is God still good? And where is God in the midst of our grief?

Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the broken-hearted for they shall be comforted…but ask a new mother holding her stillborn baby if she feels blessed. Ask anyone at the edge of a hospice bed if they feel blessed.

I have learned that the blessing is having Jesus to weep with you. To hold you. To give you supernatural peace that only He can give. At my lowest times and my darkest days, the Prince of Peace is there to encourage me and to catch my tears. I want to remind you that He is good and promises us that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Here are some questions to ponder as you process your grief with the Lord:

Is God responsible for our loss?
There must be a reason we have a period on earth to experience truth, beauty, and goodness but also deception, ugliness, and evil. What could God’s purposes be?

Now, back to me and my losses. Two good friends and former colleagues passed away this week, but I just heard of their deaths yesterday on my way home from my urologist. I was rejoicing that my bladder scan was good and the solution proposed was an easy one of long-term, low dose antibiotics. Then, I got the text that shattered my world and sent my heart into a tailspin. Ann Garner, the attendance secretary at the high school where I worked for so many years here in Virginia, passed away on Sunday morning. Ann was a dear friend as well as a co-worker. She and I used to go out to lunch together several times a month. After my stroke, she was gracious to include my husband Harry in our outings, since I couldn’t drive myself. We shared laughter, tears and a lot of happy times together. I spoke to her just before I went on the grad tour. She called me to tell me that a former student wanted my phone number and she wouldn’t give it to her without my permission. When I called her back, she sounded really weak, not like herself at all. So I asked her what was going on in her life these days. We hadn’t seen each other for over a year since I had health issues, she had health issues and we just couldn’t make our schedules work. But we stayed in contact, so I was devastated to hear her news that her cancer was not only back but she was on home hospice care. I asked if there was anything I could do and she just asked me to pray. So, my husband and I did. I knew then that the end was close, but I refused to accept that truth and kept praying for healing. After all, she had survived for twelve years with cancer. But the end came in spite of my prayers because God called Ann home to be with him. A widow since 2006, she is reunited with her beloved Clarence now, so I know that her cup is filled with joy. I, on the other hand, feel distraught and a deep grief, a sense of longing for our times together that won’t happen again.

The second blow came as I was online trying to find the information about Ann’s services. I finally found it on Facebook, of all places, and in scrolling, I discovered that a second colleague, Coach Joe Harper had passed away yesterday. Joe was a wonderful man and a good friend who encouraged everyone to enjoy life while we had it. After my stroke, he used to come by my room almost daily just to check in with me and ask how I was doing. I should note here that he taught all the way on the other end of a very large building, but he made the trek to the language hallway because he cared about others, including me. He used to greet us in the office at the mailboxes each morning with the same big smile and the words, “Another day in Paradise!” I truly believe that this kind and loving man who was unselfish to his core is also in the presence of the Father.

After these two deaths had time to settle in my conscious, I cried quietly, then I sobbed. Then, I went to bed early, long before my regular time. In fact, I was asleep before 6:30 last night, praying for peace and comfort for all of the friends and family and that God would give me peace and allow me to rest. He did, and I did. I awakened a couple of times as usual, made my bathroom stop and fell back to sleep. Today, I am feeling a little numb and like I have entered a world that is not well known to me. The death of two friends within days of each other invokes grief but also a wake-up call to my own mortality. None of is promised tomorrow, but if we know the Lord, we are promised eternity.

So, to answer the questions in the devotional: God is not responsible for the loss. Sin came into the world and death follows sin. God’s purpose is not always known, but He is always working out His plan, in others and in me. May the deaths of these loved ones point others to Christ. I know this must be part of His plan.

I am not really feeling joy this morning, but I am feeling a peace and a comfort that can only come from God. Whoever you are missing today, I hope that as you read these words, you will know that God is close beside you and longs to comfort you with His loving presence.

Seventh of June-Story Behind the Video

Seventh of June-Anne Wilson-Official Video

Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner

Month: June 2025

On a Mission for God

But God

Promises of God

The God of Hope

For THE Good

Faithful God

A Friday Prayer

When Grief Comes

When Grief Comes, Is God Still Good?

Thank you for participating! Have a blessed day!

About the Book

My Thoughts

About the Author

Excerpt

Purchase Links:

When Grief Comes, Is God Still Good?