Month: October 2025

Die So You Can Live

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

Dying to Live (YouVersion, Daily Refresh, 10-31)

Dying to ourselves can feel like a bad thing. Most people want to exalt, applaud, and promote themselves.

But in God’s kingdom, dying to ourselves is essential.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.”
Galatians 2:20 NIV

A lump of clay cannot become a work of art unless it is shaped into something else. A container of paint cannot be used for a masterpiece unless it is first poured out. A carbon deposit must change in order to become a diamond. A caterpillar must give up its old way of life in order to become a magnificent butterfly.

The invitation to die is actually an invitation to live.

When we give our lives to God, we’re choosing to surrender our plans, our desires, and our gifts. And that can be hard. But we also know there is something better—and Someone better—on the other side.

God can realign our plans, reshape our desires, and repurpose our gifts for His glory. 

The apostle Paul, the author of Galatians, knew firsthand the life-changing power of Christ. Christ’s power radically transformed Paul, from someone who persecuted believers, into a passionate follower of Jesus.

Because of that experience, Paul knew that the only way to live was by surrendering every area of His life to Christ. And that’s why he invites us to do the same. 

Jesus couldn’t have been resurrected without first being crucified—and the same is true for us. 

So what do you need to give to Jesus today? What behavior, habit, or thought do you need to “crucify”? Come as you are to Jesus, and give Him permission to transform and renew your life.

My Thoughts

This topic resonated with me today, mainly because the older I get, the more I realize that death is waiting. But then, I reflect on my life and realize that God has given me a new life to celebrate Him and to live for Him. I have never seen a caterpillar that stayed a caterpillar and died in that state. They change because that’s what God made them to do. That is also what God created us to do, to change and become more like Him and less like the self-centered creation we were before He came into our lives.

Change isn’t easy, but as the devotional says, it’s essential. If you are not getting closer to God, then aren’t you really moving away from Him? If you aren’t changing to be more like Him, as you die to yourself daily, then are you fulfilling God’s purpose for your life? God has a good plan and a good purpose for each of us, but in order to find out what it is and follow that path, we have to give up the old things. Remember the Scripture that says that “old things have passed away, we are a new creation.” Let’s strive to be that new creation every day so that we can be the person God created us to be and not a shadow just drifting through life collecting meaningless trophies and accolades that cannot go with us to eternity. Let’s make life count for God by “being all we can be.” (Yes, that’s a military slogan, but I think it really fits here, don’t you?)

Infused with Faith, Grace and Mercy

On By vickleaIn Admonition, encouragement, God’s blessings, Scripture2 Comments

In the last decade, one of my specialists decided that since my bones are so thin, I needed a special medication to be infused into my system every six months. To obtain this “miracle medicine” as he called it, I had to get the insurance to approve it and then show up at the infusion center in his office, where I spent a half hour or so with an IV in my arm while I sat in a comfortable recliner. I followed that procedure for about five years. But my bone density test showed no improvement, my kidney kept declining and the medication was no longer safe or effective for me to use. So, the doctor told me that I need to be very careful not to break bones because they are so thin and I am so much at risk. Bottom line, the infusion of the “miracle drug” did not work in my body.

I have a niece who is diabetic and has been diagnosed since she was in primary school. She had to do finger pricks and insulin injections regularly until just last year when she got a fancy glucose monitor that checks her glucose levels and automatically administers the correct dose of insulin. I have no idea how it works, but I do know that she is much happier and more stable health wise with the monitor than her own personal checks.

My point with these illustrations is that if we allow ourselves to be, we can be hooked up to God twenty-four hours a day and receive all of the faith, grace and mercy we need all the time. Our responsibility is to stay “infused” with His presence so that we receive from Him what we need when we need it. We don’t receive too little or too much, but just the right amount to function with each day’s challenges.

How do we stay so connected to God? I’m glad you are still reading and want to know the answer. It’s actually very simple. Through His Word! God gives us all that we need every day, all day in His Word. Need encouragement? It can be found in His Word. Need wisdom to make a decision? Call on God and read His Word for the answers you need. Need comfort? Peace? Love? Everything we need is right there waiting for us, but we need to pick up our Bibles and use it. It is our infusion center, the place where we are most connected to God and from which we venture into praying to Him and seeking Him more in our lives. Like me going to the infusion center, I had to do my part and show up. The nurses then hooked me up to the IV and the medicine flowed in. Likewise, we have to do our part and show up daily to spend time with God. Then God, through the Holy Spirit, does His part and infuses us with the faith, grace, mercy and whatever other power we need that day to make it to the end of the day. One more analogy and then I will let you get back to the Word yourself. You don’t pull up to the gas tank at the service station, sit in your car and talk on your phone and then pull away from the tank without filling up. Your tank is still empty. You can’t go before God and just sit there. You need to be actively engaged in reading His Word and listening for His voice to speak through it. Infusion from God comes from those who are willing to allow God to work in our lives, not those who pull away because what is happening may be uncomfortable (truth often is). Stay there, fill up and then move into your day ready for whatever happens. After all, that is part of putting on the armor of God that I addressed in a previous post. (See Ephesians 6.) Since all things come from God and we live through Him, let’s start our day with an infusion of His power and presence.

I pray for each of you to be infused with so many good things from God that you can’t hold it in so it has to overflow to others! We are blessed to be a blessing!

Review SHATTERED AMISH IDENTITY by Mary Alford

On By vickleaIn Book Promo, Book Review4 Comments

About the Book

ISBN-13:9781335957351

Publisher:Harlequin

Publication date:10/28/2025

Pages:208

When Amish school teacher Hannah York is attacked, she defends herself with skills she never knew she had. CIA agent Titus Miller arrives, claiming that she’s actually fellow agent Lara Redmond—and that she’s in danger from a powerful enemy. Despite suffering from amnesia, Hannah is certain she’s only ever lived a quiet Amish life. But why does Titus seem so familiar, and could it be true that he loved her once? When Hannah’s family is abducted, she and Titus must work together to find them. Can Hannah trust him to help unlock the truth of her past…and keep her safe? (Synopsis courtesy of Barnes and Noble)

My Thoughts

This book is a fast-paced cat and mouse game between the good guys and the bad guys. The big twist is that I didn’t know who the bad guys really were until the big reveal near the end. What a suspense-filled and heart-pounding story! Hannah York is a teacher at a local Amish school when she is attacked. Then, things start happening quickly as a man named Titus, a secret agent, claims to know her by a different name and warns her that she is in grave danger. Together, they race to try to find safety, only to constantly run into more danger. This book was hard to put down because every chapter held more threats from some unknown source. With lies and secrets as well as the CIA involved along with spies, this story held me totally captivated by the non-stop action and the chemistry between the characters. I had no idea who was trustworthy, but I really liked Hannah and her faithful dog Nala and wanted them to escape the evil that was surrounding them. No matter where they ran, the evil men followed. My imagination went wild as I tried to figure out, along with Hannah and Titus, how they were being tracked. The author did a masterful job of laying false trails with red herrings that kept me guessing all the way to the end. This is an edgy page turner that, in my opinion, is one of the best I have read by Mary Alford. The plot twists were terrifying brilliant and the tension was relentless, with a cleverly crafted and believable story. The theme of overcoming the past and forging on towards a hopeful future had me sighing at the end and wanting more of this remarkable story, with romance and action perfectly balanced and leading to a satisfying outcome.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Mary Alford grew up in a small Texas town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her two brothers and her sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seemed to come naturally to her.

As a teen, Mary discovered Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt and knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination.

She wrote her first novel as a teen, (it’s tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued her writing career seriously until a few years later, when she wrote her first inspirational romantic suspense and was hooked.

Today, Mary lives in Texas with her husband and loves to create characters who face dangerous situations with faith on their side.

Mary is very active online and would love to connect with readers on Facebook, X, or any of the social media platforms listed at maryalford.net.

Free Preview: https://a.co/cbJDCu8

Purchase Links

Harlequin

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Books-a-Million

Bookshop

Walmart

Rising Above

On By vickleaIn encouragement, God’s blessings, Scripture, Song, worship1 Comment

Have you ever been on top of a mountain and stopped at an overlook? We don’t do that much anymore, but my husband and I and our children would pause from a long trip and just take in the view. It was refreshing to be out in the nice clean air and look at the clear sky above us and the beautiful farmland and houses scattered in the valley below us. From that perspective we didn’t see the troubles people were having, the traffic snarls or the billboards that interrupted God’s creation. We saw the beauty, the peace and the stillness that comes from rising above all of it and looking down. A totally new perspective! We would linger a few minutes, do some stretches and head back to the car to continue our journey. Our mood is better because we got to take a break from the stress of the long trip.

I think all of us need to take some time at various intervals in our lives just to rise above the circumstances that are plaguing our lives and get a new perspective. God isn’t bothered by the cacophony all around us, but we are. We need to rise above it and rest with Him, seeing things from the protection of His comforting arms and love.

What we oftentimes see as a disaster about to disrupt our entire lives ends up being a small thing instead. As I write this, I am thinking about the looming storm heading towards Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. They indeed have a disaster about to happen. I am praying that the people there will take refuge in God and that God will have mercy on them. I would like to hope that the storm will turn and go out to sea, but the prognosticators say this storm will hit the island directly and cause massive damage. I am saddened by the plight of this nation, but I know that this storm will pass as so many others have before it. It will leave destruction behind, or that is the expectation of a Cat 5 storm and helpers will appear to offer assistance and hope.

Meanwhile, we are safe in our homes, with gray skies perhaps and a storm raging in our hearts because of the circumstances in our lives. We may not have a hurricane barreling towards us, but there is always a storm somewhere waiting for a period of time when we leave the shelter of God’s protection and venture out on our own to find out what is happening in our world. My answer to that is “nothing good” so it is better to keep our eyes focused on God and stay sheltered by Him. Let the storms find us in the shadow of His wings, not running around looking for troubles. May God help us learn a lesson from the storms that others face and endure!

The lesson that I am still learning after weathering various storms in my life is that I cannot change the direction of the storm so that it changes the direction of its course, but I can change my attitude. It is in praise that I find my peace and security in God. If I look at the circumstances when I am in the middle of the storm in my life, I lose hope and begin to focus on the solutions that I can come up with in my finite mind. But when I focus on God, I have a new perspective. I rise above the storm and see things in a different way that I never expected to see. My attitude is changed from one of hopeless surrender to one of victorious expectation.

God is and always has been faithful. We change, wavering with the winds that blow into our lives. What we forget is that the winds will die down, but God will still be there, right there beside us, waiting for us to take shelter in Him. For many, that means quietly waiting before Him for an answer. For others, like me, it means singing through the storm and repeating scripture verses to help remind us of God’s faithfulness. God doesn’t change just because our circumstances do. He is always the same—always loving, always present, always ready to help us if we just try to rise above the circumstances and take time to be with Him instead of wallowing in our problems.

I was guided to a new-to-me song in my devotional this morning. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do. It seems to be based on Psalm 57 and spoke to my heart about taking shelter in God and not in man-made, temporary solutions.

Shadow of Your Wings-Thrive Worship

May God bless you and keep you as you seek to rise above!

Choosing an Epitaph

On By vickleaIn grief, promises, Scripture4 Comments

I have my burial all planned, with instructions sent to my daughter and her husband. But what I don’t have written is my obituary or my epitaph. The obituary is for the grieving family to write, as they ponder the life of the loved one and decide what to include. The epitaph may also be theirs to write, but you may consider some of these examples as fitting for you.

I like this one because it carries the truth that everyone dies. After all, the Bible says, “It is appointed to man once to die…” (Hebrews 9:27)
We all suffer in life, so this is another one with truth and hope for a better life to come. I would like to see a cross on it or something that signifies Jesus’s Resurrection.
This is a quotation from Psalm 63:7. I like using scripture for the epitaph, especially one that is meaningful to the person who died.
Another epitaph with a warning that everyone dies. How do you prepare for death? By believing in the Son, receiving the free gift of salvation and living your life for Him.
This is my favorite. Notice that it is not on a tombstone, but is a scripture verse from Paul as he prepares to die. Would that all of us could have this verse written on our tombstone and that it would bear the truth. I would like for others to be able to say of me: She fought the good fight, She has finished her race, She has kept the faith.

I am not planning on dying imminently, but the curious part of me would like to know what the most fitting epitaph for me would be. What do you think would be the most fitting words for your life?

God bless you as you follow Him!

Enduring to the End: Finishing the Course

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Re-blog, ScriptureLeave a comment

ettingerwriting.wordpress.com/2025/10/26/enduring-to-the-end-part-2-finishing-the-course/

I hope many of you read part 1 that I re-blogged yesterday and are now following David so that you got this message in your feed. If not, here is another chance to follow one of the most insightful and intelligent Biblical scholars on WordPress. Please go to the original post and follow David.

Sunday Hymn: Onward, Christian Soldiers

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Hymn, Scripture, Song, Video6 Comments

The Baptist Hymnal No. 493

1. Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See His banner go!
(Refrain)

2. At the sign of triumph
Satan’s host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver
At the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
Loud your anthems raise!
(Refrain)

3. Like a mighty army
Moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod.
We are not divided;
All one body we,
One in hope and doctrine,
One in charity.
(Refrain)

4. Onward then, ye people,
Join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices
In the triumph song;
Glory, laud, and honor
Unto Christ the King;
This thro’ countless ages
Men and angels sing.
(Refrain)

Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before!

Onward Christian Soldiers-Joslin Grove Choral Society

This image goes along with my post yesterday about preparing for each new day with the armor of God. Today, God reminded me of a hymn to spur us on as we go into battle, so I thought a visual of the armor would be appropriate here.

Prepared for Each New Day

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, YouVersion App5 Comments

Get Ready (Daily Refresh, You Version, 10-25-25)

Would a doctor begin an operation without surgical gear? Would a firefighter run into a burning building without a protective suit? Would a soldier head into a battle without armor?

With the exclusion of extreme situations, of course they wouldn’t.

In fact, not only do they spend years preparing for such moments, but they also learn to protect themselves from harm. If they aren’t prepared, they cannot do their job. 

Writing to the believers in Ephesus from a Roman prison, the apostle Paul said:

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬

Every day, we face battles that we can’t fully see. And if we’re not prepared, we cannot do our job of loving God and people well. 

God’s armor is readily available, but we must make the intentional decision to dress ourselves for battle. 

When we intentionally dress ourselves in the armor of God, we can be ready for the attacks that will inevitably come our way.

My Thoughts

One of my favorite things about being retired is that I can wear my pajamas every day when I don’t have an appointment to go to. The comfort and coziness of being in my favorite attire makes me content and able to move around more freely without the restriction of sometimes uncomfortable and weighty clothing.

But whether I stay at home in pj’s or venture out in my regular clothes, I always prepare myself for each new day by putting on my armor of God. I always start each day with a devotional and Bible reading, my quiet time to talk to the Lord and to listen to what He has to say to me. He is the One preparing me for whatever circumstances I will face that day, so spending time with Him is not an extra thing I do, it’s a must that I feel lost without doing it. Satan is always ready to attack, especially when we least expect it. So, isn’t it best to be prepared? I don’t fight fires as my fire chief brother does, so I don’t need to don his gear. But I do face the enemy of my soul daily who tries to tempt me to do things that are not pleasing to God and that might hurt other people. With my armor on, I can recognize the attack for what it is, fight back with God’s Word and continue on with my day. The attack may only last a minute, but it is important that I win the small battles so that I will be ready for the larger ones that Satan will use to try to defeat me.

Each of us who calls ourselves a Christian is a friend of God. That fact makes us automatically an enemy of Satan. God has given us exactly what we need to defeat him each time he shows up to thwart us in our daily journey with the Lord. But we have a part to play that is vital. We have to prepare ourselves daily, knowing that the lion roams about and that we don’t want to be his next snack. Thus we get ready with God’s armor, every day. And we don’t go to battle until God’s presence is clearly with us. He will show us what to do and tell us what to say, if we just listen and have our armor on, ready to take on the enemy and be victorious. The battle belongs to the Lord, He is and will be victorious, but we cannot sit around in loungewear and wait for God to do everything for us. He could, but He told us to put on the armor. So, let’s obey and get ready for the day!