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!
Yesterday was a difficult day for me since I had to go to the cardiologist for a consultation about some problems I have been having. The day started early, with the cat demanding to be fed and then knocking over a bottle of open water, leaving me a mess to clean up before I could settle into the rest of my routine. My husband got up and got ready to take me to see the doctor and prayed for me before I went in. My problems may or may not be serious, but anything dealing with the heart and circulation is scary for me. I couldn’t help but think of my best friend Heidi who had vascular surgery, got an infection, had a leg amputated and ending up dying of sepsis only a few years later. Not thrilled about the idea of any kind of surgery, I went into the office with trepidation and told my husband that I would call him if I needed him to come in and be with me.
Of course, God was with me all along, calmed my fears and is still calming me today as I face four different tests that will determine what is going on. All I know is that I have passed out a couple of times, without warning, and I am losing feeling in my lower extremities. The doctor wants to eliminate a heart issue, so I have to wear a heart monitor for a month, have an ultrasound on my heart, another ultrasound on my legs and a nuclear stress test. I am waiting for the Bio company to send the heart monitor which is supposed to arrive by next week. Meanwhile, my anxiety kicked in and I needed this Scripture verse this morning.
God assured me that He is right beside me. He is delighting in me, in spite of my doubts and fears and He is calming me. He is rejoicing over me while I rejoice in His love and His presence with me. Yes, it is a trying time for me, but there are many going through much worse and I am thankful that the doctors are willing to do the tests that can give them the information that they need to go forward. My heart has worked well for me for over seventy years and I know that the One who determines my future is in total control of my present. That being said, I would appreciate prayers from any of you who agree with me about God’s sovereignty.
May the Lord bless your going out and your coming in and may each step you take and each decision you make glorify Him.
What does it mean to you that God knows your name? That He knows the number of hairs on your head? That He knows your thoughts and your dreams and desires? What does it mean to you that the God of the Universe is mindful of you?
For me, just knowing that God is always caring for me and watching over me gives me security. It also makes me feel worthy, knowing that He who controls all gave me a free will so that I can worship my Creator and establish a relationship with Him. I want to be mindful of God just as He is mindful of me. I want to wake up daily with a prayer of thanksgiving on my heart and spend my day aware of all that He is doing for me as I take each step into a new unknown. I want to go to bed at night knowing that He is alert and guarding me as I rest. God is an awesome God and He is thinks about me…and you! That is a mind-blowing thought.
I hope that you will spend some time today telling God how much your relationship with Him means to you. He reached out and touched my life and it has never been the same…I pray that you will allow Him to reach out to you today, too.
May your day be blessed with the knowledge of just how much God loves you!
Don’t forget to go to my review of this book at Cold Light of Day Review and comment to enter the contest for a copy of this book. U.S. Residents only, please! Contest closes on February 14th and winner will be selected with a random drawing.
Don’t forget to comment to enter the contest. The giveaway for a copy of this brand new book will close next week, on Valentines’s Day. To enter, just comment about what you like about the review, the book or why you like or don’t like romantic suspense.
The House Guest is another diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller from USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan—but which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?
After every divorce, one spouse gets all the friends. What does the other one get? If they’re smart, they get the benefits. Alyssa Macallan is terrified when she’s dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband. With a devastating divorce looming, she begins to suspect her toxic and manipulative soon-to-be-ex is scheming to ruin her—leaving her alone and penniless. And when the FBI shows up at her door, Alyssa knows she really needs a friend.
And then she gets one. A seductive new friend, one who’s running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers Bree Lorrance the safety of her guest house, and the two become confidantes. Then Bree makes a heart-stoppingly tempting offer. Maybe Alyssa and Bree can solve each others’ problems.
But no one is what they seem. And the fates and fortunes of these two women twist and turn until the shocking truth emerges: You can’t always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you deserve.
My Review:
First, let me give you some honest advice. Run, don’t walk to get this book! Second piece of advice, don’t believe anything you read until the very end and then you can shake your head in disbelief at how brilliantly everything comes together. This is the most deliciously twisted book that I have read in a long time and so enticingly deceptive. Alyssa Macallen is living alone after her husband Bill left her. He has plenty of money and she is expecting to be poor any day now. When she meets Bree Lorrance, another put upon female who has been wronged by the male in her life, the two of them click and Bree becomes Alyssa’s house guest. Then, the twists and the labyrinth maze that was the plot begin to really get complex and oh so well written! This fantastically engrossing novel included characters that were just as deceptive as the plot and so devilishly realistic. There were clues and red herrings, but they were so well woven into the plot that I could not figure out who was bad and who was good in the story.The design of the author to trap me in the mousetrap of deceit worked well and thoroughly captivated me. I thought I was on a runaway train, down a mountainous track with switchbacks at every intersection. This book was totally engaging, with characters that popped with credibility and a plot that captured my mind and imagination with awe and wonder about what would happen next. This is a diabolically and cleverly written domestic thriller that gripped me from beginning to end and fooled me all along the way. Loved it! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. 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.”
Rated PG-16 for more mature audiences due to content. This book is diabolically clever with some deviousness not suited for younger readers. The genre is domestic thriller with an emphasis on thriller!
About the Author:
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the USA Today bestselling author of 14 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, five Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, with 37 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. National book critics call her “a superb and gifted storyteller”; she’s the only author to win the Agatha in four categories: Best First, Best Novel, Best Short Story and Best Non-Fiction. Her newest is the page-turning standalone thriller The House Guest–a story of psychological manipulation that explores the dark heart of marriage and friendship—it’s Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise. Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline says, “Ryan is one of my favorite authors and The House Guest shows why,” EMMY-winning host Tamron Hall says, “The House Guest kept me on the edge of my seat…” and the Publishers Weekly rave review says, “Ryan is a master of suspense!” and the Library Journal starred review calls it “Binge-worthy.” Hank is a founder of MWA University, host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze, and co-host of First Chapter Fun and The Back Room. Visit Hank online at HankPhillippiRyan.com, on Twitter @HankPRyan, on Instagram @hankpryan and Facebook at HankPhillippiRyanAuthor.
We are meant to be people with community, with fellowship with one another. The early church met daily and had communion and fellowship. These days, we meet once or twice a week and in order to be with other believers. While I was in Maryland, I attended virtual services. It wasn’t the same as being in church, but it was better than missing church altogether. Churches are not perfect places because they have imperfect people in them. However, we are told to get together with one another and I think that is for our own benefit. Being with other believers and sharing about my week or upcoming events helps me to focus on how God is taking care of me through everything.
It is for our encouragement that we get together, not to judge each other or to look for faults, but to see Jesus in each other and be aware that He is returning soon for each of us.
Have a blessed day and may you find somewhere and someone with whom to fellowship this week, to share your testimony and to encourage one another.
Before the month of February gets started every year, I see boxes of heart-shaped candies, ads for low-cost roses and cards depicting Cupid everywhere. I get ads in my inbox and see them online, too. In spite of this onslaught of advertising, I am thoroughly convinced that the world that doesn’t know Jesus doesn’t know what love is either. It saddens me that many people settle for a cheap substitution and never consider the real sacrifices that true love requires.
This Scripture verse goes along with what our pastor told us almost five decades ago when my husband and I were going through pre-marital counseling. He said, “Love is always choosing the highest good for the other person regardless of what sacrifice you have to make to do that.” His pronouncement has stayed with me through the years and has meant that in spite of our many difficulties and differences, Harry and I have stayed together for almost fifty years. We have learned to see things through each other’s eyes and make a concerted effort to make choices that will be for the good of our life partner. In today’s world, marriage has become a trial and error situation. If it doesn’t work out, you can always get a divorce and move on. That is not the way we approached our commitment to each other. We saw it as a covenant before God and have spent many hours praying about situations beyond our control that tested our relationship with one another. Regardless, we did not see marriage as a “if it doesn’t work out” proposition but rather as a promise before God to love each other in the way that our pastor described, choosing the highest good of the other person.
I don’t like all of the hearts, flowers and candy that attempt to romanticize a commitment that is taken seriously by God. Sure, they are nice surface things but the flowers die, the candy gets eaten, the card gets misplaced and the love that you felt for that one day or that one month fades quickly into the daily battles of everyday life. I prefer to think of love as a lifetime commitment, not a month of hearts and flowers, no matter how pleasant the latter may seem. I want the love that lasts through the mountains and the valleys, the one that says, “In spite of everything, I choose you.” My husband and I spent many years separated due to his military deployments, but not once did I doubt his love for me. His calls, letters and the cassette tapes he sent just so I could hear his voice when I was lonely showed his desire to fulfill his commitment to me and our children. So, a month of love is not for me. I prefer the kind that lasts forever, the kind that brings candy home “just because” or the kind that plants flowers outside of my window for me to enjoy for the entire season. Yes, the temporary things are nice, but the ones that are deeply rooted in God as the foundation withstand the storms of time, life and trials that we all undergo. It’s good to have someone to go through life with. Life is hard…it takes a lifetime of love to make it. Jesus set the example with His sacrifice and showed us the way to truly love.
May you each find the love that God has for you and the love that is meant to fulfill you in this life. Have a happy life filled with love!
Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.
Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are–to disappear–when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.
As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 novels, including Cold Light of Day and the Rocky Mountain Courage and Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold nearly 1.5 million copies. She is a Carol Award and Reader’s Choice Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award 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 http://www.elizabethgoddard.com. Photo and Bio from author’s page at Baker-Elizabeth Goddard
My Review:
This is a race for survival for Sheriff Autumn Long. Not only does she have to survive those who want to take her job away, but she also has to find the killer who is stalking and killing multiple people in her little Alaskan town. She enlists the assistance of newcomer Grier Brenner who has his own secrets that he is hiding and who may have brought danger with him. The plot is propulsive and unique, with authentic details about the setting and intricate plot threads woven seamlessly into an action-packed story. There is a lot of spiritual truth built into the story with Grier and Autumn both exploring what they believe and how to keep believing in the hard times. The secondary characters were a dynamic addition to the story and I enjoyed getting to know the people in the town, especially the mayor who just couldn’t bring herself to fire Autumn without putting up her own struggle against it. This is an edgy page-turner that taught me a lot about Alaska during the intriguing and fast-moving plot. Crackling with tension between Autumn and her deputy Craig as well as with Grier, this book presented multiple layers that captured me from the prologue and just kept reeling me in. With characters that are relatable and realistic and a plot that is cleaver and totally satisfying, there was nothing I did not enjoy about this book and I am already looking forward to the next book in the Missing in Alaska series. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary hard copy from the author as part of her launch team as well as an e-copy from Revell as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. 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.”
Rated G for all audiences who enjoy good clean Christian romantic suspense
Releases on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, so you still have time to preorder and get freebies from Revell. Follow this link for all of the details: http://www.missinginalaskaseries.com
With much appreciation to Revell Books for the e-copy of the book to read and review and to the author for sending me a hard copy as part of her launch team!
I’m glad that you are still with me because I want to share a copy of this book with one blessed person from the U.S. I purchased an extra copy just for this giveaway. All you have to do to be entered to win is to tell me why you want to read this book in the comments. That’s it! I will randomly choose a winner next week.
Thank you to all who commented for the contest of a copy of this amazing book. The winner is ALISHA COLLINS. I have contacted her by DM and sent her book. Congratulations to Alisha!
We all want God to extend His grace to us, but when it’s time to extend that same grace to others, oftentimes we fall short. According to the dictionary, grace is unmerited or undeserved favor. Every day that I wake up, God extends grace to me. He gives me grace just to get though the day and to make good choices. He treats me like a favorite child. And then I come across a person who irritates me and I avoid them or cut them off in mid-sentence or treat them like they annoy me (because they do). I think of all of the times that I must have annoyed God yet not once did He withdraw His presence from me and turn away. I am ashamed to say that I need to practice more extending grace to others.
We need to practice the art of patience with each other. We are all works in progress, so we need to show each other love, humility and gentleness. There is a world of people out there waiting like sharks to devour us and to belittle us and our faith. We need to support each other, give each other the time needed to show encouragement, uplifting each other so that we can survive what the world and the enemy throws at us.
May you take these words to heart and be a blessing to someone today who needs a kind word.
We need God’s help every day in every way, no matter what small or large challenges we face. God is our healer, our deliverer, our comforter, our refuge and our strength. Thus we need Him and need to acknowledge our need for Him in our lives.
May you recognize and accept the help that only comes from God and may your day be blessed with the knowledge that He loves you enough to reach out to help you.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 