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!

Important to God

On By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture1 Comment

I don’t watch awards shows anymore and it’s not just because they have become such an outright blasphemous display. I stopped watching them long ago when I realized that every award show is just a group of boastful people tooting their own horns loudly. My philosophy is that those who are doing good do it quietly and God rewards them, not the academy of motion pictures or the other musicians or even a group of fans. Doing good is without a lot of fanfare because one generally does it to benefit others, not to make themselves look good. It annoys me when millionaires announce that they have given a great sum of money to a certain charity. I would be more convinced of their generosity if they did it and didn’t then tout it everywhere.

Mother Theresa was a giver, deep in her heart and soul and for all of her life. So what if you don’t feel lauded by the world, appreciated and praised? That is not our purpose here on earth. God made each of us for a reason and He knows how important we are, so that is what really counts.

The Scriptures tell us numerous times not to boast or be filled with pride. The real reward comes from God when we stand before Him and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” I would rather have a “well done” accolade from the Lord than the applause of many empty-hearted people who don’t even know the real me. God knows the real me, the one that wants to do my best for Him, and He loves me and counts me as worthy of the death of His Son. I’m not really anyone important, but to God, I am His beloved daughter, and that’s enough.

May you be blessed with the knowledge of your worth before the Lord God and know that you are important to Him.

God Finishes What He Starts

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

If you are like me, you have numerous projects that you began but never completed. I used to crochet, back before arthritis made it too difficult, and I would start one project for one grandchild and another for another one and eventually, maybe, finish one. I had yarn for my first five grandchildren, but I only completed the blankets for three of them. I ended up giving the yarn away to a friend from church who loves to crochet so I knew that she would actually use it. I have started projects with coloring pages, projects to organize my books, and others that just never got done. I’m more than a little in awe that God always finishes what He starts.

Whereas I tend to get distracted by the next thing to do on my list, God always has His eye on all of His “projects” and He continues to work diligently to bring them to completion. God started a good work in me fifty years ago on February 28th, and He is still working hard to help me to be the person He created me to be.

The ultimate goal is eternity with Him, and our Sovereign Lord has prepared the way for us to escape death by saving us from it, daily. He continues to work with us to keep us out of the abyss and headed in the right direction. I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful that God hasn’t given up on me and never will. That’s how dedicated He is to His creation and to His purpose to establish a lasting relationship with each of us!

Have a blessed day and I hope that you will be aware of God’s working in your life today and every day.

Joyful, Patient, Faithful

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

It’s hard to be unhappy with life if you have joy in your heart. Patience will take you surely and steadily through any trouble you face. And faithfulness in prayer will prepare you for whatever comes your way. Just a little thought to start your day.

Have a blessed day filled with love for God and others!

Wisdom from God

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

Many times, when we are trying to make a difficult decision, we choose to consult friends, counselors, those whom we trust and consider wise. But the best person to consult is God because His wisdom has all of the characteristics of leading to true success.

Look at all of the adjectives that describe the wisdom that comes from God as you read the verse again. Pure, peace loving, gentle, willing to yield. The phrases that lead to a good Godly decision include: full of mercy, full of the fruit of good deeds, shows no favoritism and always sincere. I need to practice asking God for His wisdom and then waiting for the kind of answer that is full of all of His promises for me and also not harmful to others.

May you be blessed today and every day with the knowledge of how important it is to seek wisdom from God.

Praise Report

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture8 Comments

If you follow my blog regularly, you know that I have been undergoing some cardiac tests because of a few episodes of suddenly passing out. I am delighted to report that my stress test results are back and I don’t have a blockage of any kind in any of my arteries! Praise God!

I am still wearing a cardiac monitor for about another three weeks and have two ultrasound tests at the end of the month. I am confident that no matter the results, God is in control and will continue to take care of me. As I joked with my grandchildren this weekend, “My warranty expired about ten years ago and when I asked God to renew it, He told me that was the first thing He would do when I get to Heaven.”

Have a blessed day and remember that God knows all about you and loves you deeply.

Review of SHATTERED by Lisa Harris

On By vickleaIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

This is a fast ride on a bullet train as the series concludes with the story of Chase and Hope. Introduced in the first book, with Chase transporting a prisoner and Hope remaining behind to provide medical care in the little town of Shadow Ridge, these two characters needed to have a conclusion to their tale and this book not only finishes the story but it also wraps everything in the entire series up in a neat bow. Very satisfying conclusion with some happy surprises along the way as well as some extremely unexpected twists that added to my enjoyment of the story. The characters were well-developed and so realistic that I wanted to comfort Hope as she had a melt down from all of the pressure she has been under since the grid went down. As I read, I kept thinking to myself what a good series this would make, with its lessons on forgiveness and redemption and its story that is heart-wrenching and soul-touching as so many lives have to change to adapt so quickly to a new reality without any electricity or modern conveniences like cars and technology. I cannot recommend this series highly enough. It is scary at the same time as hopeful with an underlying theme that God is always in control no matter what is happening in your world. A clean read with some thought provoking scenes that made me wonder how I would survive under similar circumstances. The series is concluded but the message that it teaches will long stay with me and is a series that I know that I will re-visit in the future as it teaches the eternal lesson of gratitude, family and faith.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

A clean Christian read that with intense suspense

About the Author:

Photos and Bio are from Lisa’s page at http://www.lisaharriswrites.com Check out her page and sign up for her newsletter to get a free copy of her prequel to the Fallout Series!

The entire series is available to read free on Kindle Unlimited!

The Fallout Series, in order! Read and enjoy a trip to Shadow Ridge where crime and investigation mimics the old west!

If you’re like me, you will want your own copy to keep. Here’s the purchase link for SHATTERED:

Shattered on Amazon

I hope that you enjoy your visit to Shadow Ridge as much as I did!

A Fearful Heart

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

As a student of languages, as I meditated on this verse, my attention focused on the tenses used. ”Be strong and do not fear” are all in the imperative form, i.e. they are commands, giving us a directive for how to behave when we are facing an enemy. “God is coming” is the present progressive tense, meaning that it is happening right now. I remember when my children were small and I would call them to the dinner table. I would inevitably get a response from at least one of them, “I’m coming!” But they really weren’t. What they were actually doing was continuing to play, read their book or whatever they had been doing when I called them. They did not let my calling them to dinner interrupt what they were doing at the time. It is good to know that when God says He is coming, He truly means now. It is in the progress of happening, now. His promise to be on the way sustains me until He gets here and ultimately saves me from my enemies, whoever or whatever they may be at the time.

This verse means a lot to me right now because of all of the health issues that I have had recently. God has promised to be right there with me and He assures me that He is coming to defeat my enemies. More than that, He has already defeated our ultimate foe, death, on the cross, so there is no reason to fear. Yes, there are numerous medical tests, some more uncomfortable than others, but God is coming. He will be there right when I need Him, not a minute too early or too late. I hope that each of you has that reassurance that no matter what is going on in your life right now and no matter what enemies you face, God is coming. He is in the process of moving closer to you, to stand between you and your enemies, and to fight for you in whatever battles you face.

May your day be blessed with the knowledge that God is coming and He is never late!

Weapons and Our Assurance of Safety

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

No matter what weapon the evil one and his minions use against us, it will not succeed. We will be able to silence our accusers, and I think that will take much prayer and time with the Lord. These are benefits only enjoyed by the Lord’s servants because He will vindicate us, removing all doubt that we are His and that He is on our side.

This is a beautiful promise from God that is a little hard to grasp unless you have ever been in battle. We do battle daily, but not on a traditional battlefield or in a traditional manner with earthly weapons. Our battles are against the prince of darkness and his weapons are fiery darts that can pierce us if we don’t consistently wear the armor that God had provided for us. With our armor in place, we can go into battle, assured that the weapons of the enemy cannot harm us in any way and that in the end, the battle is totally the Lord’s.

May your day be blessed with the assurance that the battle belongs to the Lord!

Eyes and Ears

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

The older I get, the more difficult it is for me to hear certain sounds. Sometimes I have to ask my children or grandchildren to repeat things. I’m sure it frustrates them to think that I didn’t hear, but that is one of the results of aging. I have also been diagnosed with a TRACE of macular degeneration in my left eye. I am taking eye vitamins and using eye drops regularly to hold off what seems to be inevitable as long as possible. In the meantime, I am thankful that I can still hear the voice of the Lord clearly and see His beautiful creation all around me, reminding me of the gifts He has given me. These gifts are from the Lord specifically to bless me and I am so grateful for them. My ears don’t hear well, but they still hear. My eyes still see and appreciate the beauty of the world, especially the affection I see in my grandchildren’s eyes and the sparkle of joy when they “play tricks” on me. The senses that God gave us should never be taken for granted but always a source of thankfulness. God is good, all the time.

Look around you today and appreciate the beauty. Listen quietly and appreciate the sounds. God provided them for our enjoyment. May your day be blessed with an appreciation of these marvelous gifts from God!