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.
Author: vicklea
I love to read! I’m a retired teacher with a spouse of 45 years, three amazing children and nine wonderful grandchildren. I am blessed!
Last week we had a big storm that came up suddenly. Just as suddenly, we lost our electricity. I grabbed my phone that was beside me and called the electric company. It was about nine at night and since we live rurally, everything was total darkness. After calling Dominion, I turned on my phone’s flashlight, checked on our granddaughter and then went to bed. The lights came back on about three in the morning, so not as bad as it could have been.
When we walk around in the dark, it is easy to stumble and fall. That is why I reached for the closest thing I had that would provide light.
Now apply that truth spiritually. When we walk in the darkness of the world, we need to make sure we have the light of Jesus shining brightly in us. We may not mean to stumble but we probably will if we don’t carry the light with us. Jesus is our light wherever we go and we shed that light to a dark and crazy upside-down without God world. They cannot see Jesus unless we bring the light; rather, they just stumble around in the darkness and don’t even realize that they are falling for lies and the deception of the deceiver.
Light doesn’t seem very important until there isn’t any. Be a light to a dark world. Their “electricity” won’t come on without Jesus and they will be totally lost forever if we don’t help with our little beams.
In the current season of my life, I have been having difficulty being joyful. It seems lately that every time I turn around, another doctor is telling me something that is wrong with my physical body. It’s enough to cause discouragement, but I am determining to choose joy. I do believe that joy is a choice and the contentment that follows that is a gift from God.
We have a reason to choose joy even when the news from our doctors (or the national/international news) is bad. We are all headed towards death. Not a happy thought, I know. But earth is a temporary home and we were never meant to get comfortable here forever. We are just passing through. So when the doctors give a bad report, I turn to the Lord and know that He is right there and it is His report that is most important. His report says that each day I am on earth, I am a little closer to joining Him in Heaven. I hope that is true of all of you, too. No, I don’t like the idea of leaving loved ones behind to grieve or leaving things I have started half done. But when God calls me home, whenever that may be, I want to make sure I am ready to go, not dragging my feet and telling Him that it is too soon. I want to be joyful every day, no matter how much time He has planned for me here on earth. My diagnoses don’t surprise God or make Him anxiously wring His hands. He already has a place for me and knows the very day, hour and minute I will join Him. He guides the doctors and their treatment plan because that is what I am praying and believing for.
So, joy is a choice and I am choosing to be joyful. Today we are going to MD and then onto PA to join our beloved family members and friends there for the wedding of our granddaughter. There was a while there when I didn’t think the doctors would allow me to travel, but my PCP said my heart is stable now, gave me cautions for along the road and reminded me that when I return I have tests with the cardiologist. (Of course, I do. And the nephrologist and now injections in my back at orthopedics.) But nothing will take away my joy and anticipation of seeing family and the happy occasion of a wedding. I appreciate your prayers as we travel and hope to have time to post along the way, but if not, I plan to be back in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, choose JOY!
The yellow rose bush in my yard and my favorite flower.
Here’s What Mercy Really Looks Like… (Daily Refresh, 8-10-26)
What would you do if you ran into someone who offended, upset, or greatly wronged you?
The Pharisees in Jesus’ time taught that it was excessive to forgive someone more than three times. But Jesus’ teachings set a standard for extravagant forgiveness. He emphasized that we should forgive others generously and continuously.
The outward expression of forgiveness can look different for everyone, but true forgiveness should offer mercy and compassion to those who hurt us.
Forgiveness isn’t easy. Showing compassion to someone who hurt us goes against our natural desire. At times, it can even feel overwhelming, unfair, and impossible. But showing someone undeserved forgiveness and compassion is what mercy is … and it’s what Jesus does for us.
God so loved the world that—despite our constant mistakes and continual rejection of His presence—He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for us. Although we didn’t deserve His forgiveness or love, He offered it to us anyways. And now, anyone who believes in Jesus can receive unlimited mercy and unmerited grace.
It’s because God freely offers us mercy that He asks us to show mercy also.
The world will tell you to hold onto your hurt and allow it to shape you. But Jesus wants to release you from the pain of your past by changing your heart’s posture toward others. This isn’t easy—it is often an act of continual, painful surrender. But Jesus doesn’t expect us to go through the process of forgiveness alone. He offers to help us if we are willing to trust Him and honor His teachings.
Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything that He hasn’t already done for us. And when we offer mercy to someone who has wounded us, we illustrate how God’s forgiveness has impacted us.
So is there anyone you can offer mercy and forgiveness to today? Spend some time with God, ask Him to search your heart, and give Him any hurt you’ve been carrying.
My Thoughts
Forgiveness is more than letting go of the hurt and the anger and the betrayal you feel. It is also extending mercy and compassion to the person who hurt you. It is wanting God’s best for them even though they hurt you.
For many years, I thought that I was forgiving when I just said the words every time a person and their past transgression against me came up in my mind. I would just say to myself, “I have forgiven them. It’s in God’s hands now” and try to move on. But I found that I never really moved on until I acted in love towards that person. Include them in an invitation? So hard…but so necessary! Offer to help them when you see that they are struggling? Yes, that too. Whatever it takes to show the mercy and compassion that Jesus gave to us is what we should be doing. I will not say it’s easy but I will say that the feeling you will get afterwards of freedom from a burden you have been carrying is worth it. I will not say either that I have arrived and practice mercy and compassion all the time. That wouldn’t be true because God is still working in my heart and life to make me more like Him and this is something that needs a lot of work. I am more prone to say under my breath, “Go get ’em, God” than I am to ask God to help me forgive completely.
People will always fail us because that’s what they do. We have expectations, they fall short and we hold a grudge. If God held a grudge against us every time we fell short of His standard, I am not sure that Heaven would be populated at all with any of us. But God doesn’t hold grudges. He constantly forgives us and prods us to do likewise. When we say to ourselves that that person doesn’t deserve forgiveness, remember that neither do we. And forgive them with an open heart of mercy and compassion, just as Jesus forgave us.
Have you ever thought about when you pray? I start my day with a short prayer of thanksgiving that I woke up, before I even get out of bed. And I end my day by praying about God’s character, His promises and intercede for family members. In between, all day long, I just have a long conversation with God, with short snippets like “I need some help here,” or “I am feeling lonely and could use a reminder of your love.” God is always there, ready to answer.
I really like this illustration because when we start the day with prayer, our hearts are unlocked to allow God to speak to us all day long. Jesus often went away in solitude to pray. He didn’t give a long and loud oratory; He just talked to His Father and that’s what I try to do. Sometimes, I am irate about what is happening in my life and I tell God just that. The time I spend talking to Him ends up calming me down. I may not ever be able to see things from His perspective, but I do take time to ponder and not to blame and insist on my way.
Ending the day with prayer gives me the peace I need to fall asleep. A lot happens each day, much of it out of my control. But when I pray, I know the One who loves me best is “at the wheel” and will perfectly handle the worries that I hand over to him. I just have to remember that God answers in His time and in His way, not mine. So, with that thought, I can roll over and sleep in peace, knowing that God has never left me and never will.
I will close with this verse that is one of my least favorites to use because it has been misused and abused so much. The whatever needs to line up with God’s will. And it will be yours, in His way, in His time. I always remember when I read this verse that God says His ways are not our ways or His thoughts our thoughts. His way is better. Thus, although this verse is true, it needs to be understood through the context of who God is and what Jesus was really saying here. He was NOT saying that His Father is our “fairy godmother” ready to grant our wishes as soon as we utter them. After all, Jesus prayed for the cup of suffering to be removed from Him, but He went to the cross and died. Why? Because He also prayed, ”Not my will, but yours be done.” That is how we should approach our requests to God, with the attitude that God knows best and we don’t. God has a plan in mind that we don’t always know but we can participate in it if we spend time in prayer and ask to be included in His plans, not just ours.
What thoughts do you have about this verse? It sometimes makes me cringe as I hear the “name it and claim it” advocates preaching it while they also give you the address to which to send funds to them. Then, I think to myself that it isn’t God’s fault that people misuse His word. He means it all for good, so I am going to lean on this verse, knowing that it’s true because God says it and He doesn’t lie.
We all hold onto things that we just don’t want to let go of, not to God and not to anyone here on earth. This book by Amanda Cox is helping me to ponder what I need to surrender. We cannot take anything with us when we leave this world, so why not let go of things now and see what God has in store for us? He may give those things back to us or He may bless us with new things for new adventures in life. We won’t know until we discover what in our lives are the “Things We Cannot Keep.”
This book releases 0n 8-18. If you enjoy books with heart, soul and depth, then preorder this one. As usual, Baker Book House has the best deal for preorders, with 40% off, free shipping in the U.S. and preorder goodies (as long as supplies last).
After fifty-three years of marriage, I don’t remember well when I first met Harry and first loved him. I have flashes of remembering soft touches and eyes that met with love. Now we are old, still married, and although the love is still there, it looks and feels different. It is Harry taking me to various doctors, making dinner every night even as the baseball game plays in the other room, and kissing me gently on the lips as he heads out to run errands. It is me making his coffee and having it ready for him in the morning, putting fresh soap for him to use in the shower, and reminding him to take his Wednesday medicines or to call the doctor for his follow up appointment.
We have had the pleasure of having our twenty-one year old granddaughter living with us for the last eleven months. Today is her last day with us as she leaves early tomorrow morning for her college classes and then heads home to Pennsylvania to get married next week. We have seen her with her beloved Josh and seen a lot of reminders of what first love looks like. The two of them sparkle together, with a constant desire to be in the same room just to be near one another. They look for ways to make each other smile or laugh at silly, seemingly unimportant things. They encourage each other, especially Josh encouraging Teya when she feels stuck on come college assignment. And of course, there are kisses and hugs…not passionate ones as one might do privately, but kisses that say, “You are my future and I am glad you are in my life.” Their eyes speak of promises and expectation for a wonderful life together.
The way Teya and Josh are together is the way our relationship should be with Jesus. Not stagnant or feeling old and in need of refreshing, but always a new beginning with Him each day. Every day is a new day to show Jesus how much we love Him by spending quality time with Him and listening for Him to speak to us. We should glow when we leave His presence, if not visibly, then inside because we know we are changing from the inside out just because we were with Him.
In Revelation 2:4, I can imagine the sadness in Jesus’s eyes and voice as He tells the church that they have left their first love. He, He is our first love. Do you recall when you first met Jesus? Were you excited? Overjoyed? A little afraid and a lot awed? That was how I remember feeling. But mostly, I remember that for the first time in my life, I felt accepted for who I was and loved just for being me. I didn’t have to perform with good grades and honor rolls. I was enough just being me. And I still am enough. I still am accepted. And I hope and pray that Jesus will always be a first love for me, that I will never lose the wonder of His presence and His love for me.
Next week, we leave to go to Teya and Josh’s wedding. I am excited to see this celebration of love occur and I am happy to be reminded of the similar vows Harry and I took over fifty years ago. Harry is my first love here on earth, the man who showed me what love is so that believing in the love of Jesus was easier for me after years of rejection.
I may or may not be posting regularly as we are traveling a lot and seeing family, all good things. Just know that I will be thinking of my dear friends online and praying that each of you remember fondly the first time you met Jesus and fell in love with our Savior.
FBI agent Collin Sullivan arrives at Broken Chains Ranch with Ollie Callahan—a foster teen and sole witness to a mob hit. The ranch, started by Collin’s cousin to provide a trauma recovery facility for veterans, should be a place he can keep Ollie safe until the trial. But what was meant as a peaceful haven becomes a battleground when armed attackers surround the property.
Survival expert Elena Thompson teaches wilderness skills at the ranch and coaches Ollie in self-defense, but soon the series of attacks on the ranch escalates into a full siege. The question is, Who are the attackers after? Ollie, the young witness? Or Elena, with her mysterious past? Cut off from help by tech skills superior to their own, Collin and Elena fight to keep everyone alive as secrets and danger close in.
My Thoughts
Twilight Tactics is the kind of book that I didn’t want to put down, but because of the intensity of the suspense and the danger that surrounded so many of the characters, I found myself just taking short breaks to ponder what I had just read and to try to guess what I thought would happen next. The plot is complicated, with a ranch that is serves as a haven for those who need a respite from life. It is appropriately named the Broken Chains Ranch. Everything there seems very peaceful for the owners and the veterans who reside there until Sully and Piper come with teen-aged Ollie, a witness to a murder whom they have to keep safe until she can testify. Ollie is precocious, proactive and one of those teens that you don’t want to be in charge of because she isn’t an easy client. But I loved her character and all of her believable flaws! In fact, I loved all of the characters and felt as though the author portrayed them all in a way that I could picture them in my mind. The plot was extremely fast paced and had a lot of twists along the way as the author covered subplots with the mob, preppers, the ranch and all who lived there, local law enforcement and relevant high tech like drones and jammers that cut off communication. Just when I was thinking that one more that could not go wrong for Sully and his team, another red herring fooled me. This is a tightly written plot that crackles with tension from beginning to end, with good chemistry between the characters and a sweet portrayal of a developing romance even in the midst of all of the danger. Filled with suspense and abundant secrets and lies, this is one of the best romantic suspense books I have ever read, with the emphasis on suspense. This is an edgy page turner that offers a strong message of forgiveness, hope and redemption which are all cleverly wrapped into the plot. I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I also purchased a personal copy because I collect this author’s books. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Christian Fiction, Rated PG for Intense Suspense
About the Author
Lynette Eason is the best-selling, award-winning author of over sixty books. Her books have appeared on the USA TODAY, Publisher’s Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and Parable bestseller lists. She has won numerous awards including the Carol, the Selah, the Golden Scroll and more. Her novel, Her Stolen Past was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network. Lynette can be found online at www.lynetteeason.com and www.facebook.com/lynette.eason and @lynetteeason on Twitter.
When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of a deathbed confession connected to her brother’s murder, she’s determined to protect her remaining family. Under further investigation, she discovers the disclosed information points to a decades-old government secret buried deep in the Cascade Mountains. With this knowledge, she heads to the Pacific Northwest looking for a guide who knows the mountains like the back of their hand.
Ryder Goodwin, a wilderness guide and former Navy SEAL, quit guiding for the family business after his father’s death in a tragic mountain accident. At first, Ryder refuses to help Sarah, but he sees the trouble chasing her, and he can’t stand by while someone brings danger to this small-town mountain community.
Ryder and Sarah gear up to climb the mountain in a race against time and a looming winter storm. With her brother’s killer closing in, their search for answers now shifts to a survival mission. Their only chance to make it out involves trusting each other and confronting the truth no one wants them to find.
My Thoughts
The new series by Elizabeth Goddard starts with intense intrigue and never lets up. Sarah is determined to find the secrets hidden on the mountain near Mercy Ridge and hires guide Ryder Goodwin to lead her to the top of Blackspire Mountain. A lofty peak that rumbles with a volcano that threatens to erupt and is covered with ice and snow, the trek to solve the mystery of her brother’s death could mean Sarah’s own life is in danger. The tension escalates even as the mountain is a constant reminder of danger and the power of nature. This is an atmospheric novel in which the mountain is personified and the characters are actors in a dangerous scenario that they cannot even imagine how risky this adventure will turn out to be. Facing a blizzard and with bad guys pursuing them, Sarah and Ryder have to survive some of the toughest weather conditions as well as some of the most evil foes possible. The escalating tension caused my heart to pound and my pulse to race as I attempted to direct Sarah and Ryder how to best avoid the peril that was headed their way. I was completed immersed in this riveting story and kept waiting for the next disaster to befall them before they could accomplish their mission. This novel had no intermission, no really safe spaces in which I could take a deep breath of relief and hope for the best since the next bad thing was continuously finding them in their vulnerable position that left no room for errors and plenty of ways to die. The characters were so realistic that I tried to give them advice, the sound advice to forget their quest and return home. I am glad that they didn’t take my advice because this book left me breathless with anticipation and cheering for Sarah and Ryder as they overcame one obstacle after another. The story would not have been the same without the ever-present threat of bad weather and a mountain that was more enemy than friend. The setting was perfection, the characters were dynamic, and the plot made the book unputdownable. I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via NetGalley as well as a hard copy. Since I regularly purchase all of this author’s books, I did preorder my own copy and look forward to seeing this beautiful cover on my shelf. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Christian Fiction, Rated PG for intense suspense
About the Author
Elizabeth Goddard is the PW, ECPA, and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of over sixty novels, including the Missing in Alaska and Rocky Mountain Courage series. Her books have sold more than 1.5 million copies. She is a Christy Award, Carol Award and two-time Reader’s Choice Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award and HOLT Medallion finalist. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website at https://elizabethgoddard.com/
Pondering this verse first made me consider who is righteous? We are, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He is righteous and extends His righteousness to us through His sacrifice on the cross. It’s all about grace and mercy and a free gift for those who choose to accept it.
The next part of this verse is the “no fun” part. It is no fun and somewhat surprising that we whom God counts as righteous can still expect to have many troubles. They are not promises…the verse says may have many troubles. But such is life…we all have problems. Some with family, some with finances, some with health. But I don’t think anyone gets out of this life without some kind of problem at sometime.
The final part is the promise: the Lord delivers him from them all. It doesn’t say that the Lord takes us out of the situation and we are totally freed from it. No..it says we are there and God delivers us from the troubles. And just so we are all on the same page, keep in mind that God’s deliverance may not look like we envision. I think of recently being diagnosed with congestive heart failure. I can kick and scream and shout “unfair” all I want, but that won’t change the situation. I had to come to the realization that my only deliverance will be from God. He could use doctors, but maybe not. He could use miraculous healing, but maybe not. Perhaps the deliverance will come when I go home to be with Him and all of the health concerns I have here on earth are gone, just vanished. Or God could do something totally unexpected and unimaginable that I have not named because I don’t have His thoughts or the ability to think His thoughts. In every situation, we need to step back and let God be God. He made me and He can fix me in the way that He deems best. The deliverance is promised but my desire to tell God how I want to be delivered is not promised. I am not God, He is…so the promise is there. And once again, we all have to bask in God’s presence and know that He is working on the deliverance because He is always present with us. In the hard times, in the good times, in the sad times and in the happy times. God is there. He is present and waiting for us to surrender our will to His so that He can deliver us in His perfect way.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 