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!

Daily

On By vickleaIn Admonition, encouragement, God’s blessings, promises, Scripture1 Comment

The Cambridge Dictionary says “daily” means “happening on or related to every day.” Of course, you already knew that! And I am sure that you can think of more than a few things that you do daily. For me, what comes to mind immediately is brushing my teeth, taking my meds and checking my blood pressure. But did you know that the Bible talks about doing things “daily” also?

One of the first scriptures I learned about and took to heart was the one in Matthew where Jesus says to give Him your burdens because what He gives in return is easier to bear. In the Old Testament, Psalm 68 encourages us to praise God for daily bearing our burdens. Well, guess what? The Lord cannot bear for us what we are holding onto and refuse to let go of. So, we have to daily lay down our burdens, whatever is worrying us, and trust that God is taking care of it. It’s a habit that I plan to work on because I am not there yet.

I am almost certain that this scripture verse is familiar to all of the Christians here in the blogosphere. Deny, take up your cross and follow…did you see that very important word daily? This is not a once-and-done action. Daily, we deny ourselves. Daily we take up our cross, the life that God has gifted us with along with the purpose that we are fulfilling in Him. And we follow Jesus, daily. We cannot say that, “Well, back in 1973, I became a Christian, so that is all done and I’m on the right road to heaven.” Again, this is a daily commitment to the Lord, not a “I did it, I got the tee shirt and now I am securely on my way to heaven.” Maybe. The assurance comes because we daily re-commit our lives, our everything, to Him. Sometimes, it’s easy to walk backwards and get tangled up in the world’s standards and attractions. That’s why it’s important to daily commit ourselves to our life with God, in God and through God. He is the one who sustains our lives, in every way, including physically, emotionally and most importantly, spiritually. We cannot stay alive spiritually without daily spiritual food. I didn’t eat a meal back in 1973 and tell myself that was all the food I needed for the rest of my life. I need to daily soak in His truth from His Word and allow the Holy Spirit to nourish my soul so that bearing my cross is not a burden but an honor because I am carrying out God’s plan for my life, daily.

We walk by the Spirit daily, with God’s Word hidden in our hearts and with a day that starts right with time with Him. I would no more think of running out the door without brushing my nasty overnight teeth than I would go out without getting dressed first. We cannot even consider being ready to walk by the Spirit daily without preparing ourselves by immersing ourselves in His Word. You may have five minutes, ten minutes, an hour or more to spend in His Word. I don’t think God is as concerned about how much time you give Him as how much quality time you spend daily with Him, getting to know Him better through His Word and devoting time to talking to Him in prayer.

Apollos is named in the scriptures several times by Paul who knew him personally. This verse says he was a “learned man.” Some could say of me that I am “learned.” After all, I have a degree in Spanish and history and a graduate degree in educational administration. But what I consider when I desire to be “learned” is to be versed in the scriptures, in the things that really matter in life, This verse doesn’t leave us to guess what Apollos was learned in because it explains that he had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. That comes, I think, by daily spending time in His Word. In a world full of Katy Perrys and Taylor Swifts, I would rather be like Apollos. Thus, I need to give my time daily to what will benefit my most, to God’s Word, soaking it in and letting it bathe me in truth and light.

So, back to my first question? What do you do daily to spend time with your first priority, which should always be God? Think about it. Schedules may need to be adjusted and time managed differently in order to daily devote yourself to time with the Lord, but I consider it a habit well worth cultivating. Don’t you?

Dependence and the Wilderness

On By vickleaIn encouragement, Scripture4 Comments

All of us undergo a wilderness experience at some time in our lives. You know what that is like; it’s dry and you feel all alone. Think about Moses leading the Israelites through the wilderness and Jesus going to the wilderness to be tempted. In both cases, how did they survive? I think it was by total dependence on the Father, and that is what our wilderness experience should teach us too, if we are willing listeners.

Moses led the people in the wilderness, with the Lord leading the way to show them exactly where they should go. Moses was well acquainted with the voice of God as He spoke to him from the burning bush and called him to lead. Moses had already spent forty years in the wilderness as a shepherd, and I am sure that he was learning from God during his sojourn there. Part of the wilderness experience is learning to lean on God and not be so self-sufficient. We can’t follow if we don’t listen for the voice to lead us. We don’t have a cloud or a fire to guide us, but we have the Holy Spirit inside us, guiding us in the way we should go and reminding us of the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus’s wilderness experience was specifically for Him to be tested and He passed with flying colors, as they say. How? He spoke back the Word to Satan and then Satan left Him.

I don’t know that the Spirit leads us into the wilderness, but He might if that’s where God wants us to be for a season so that He can get our attention and speak to us clearly. Many of us, including me, need to learn the lessons that we can only learn in difficult experiences, things we call a “wilderness experience.” It takes us out of our comfort zones and forces us to look honestly at ourselves and our relationship with God as well as what our next step should be.

Our strength comes from the Lord and it is in the challenging parts of life that we learn to depend on Him and not on our own knowledge and abilities, things that God has gifted us with, by the way. We learn that He is the one who sustains us in the dry periods of our lives, giving us just what we need, just when we need it, and also just when we are open to really listen to Him.

I think we can all agree that wilderness experiences are not fun and entertaining. But they are necessary for growth and we all want to become mature Christians, fulfilling God’s purpose for us. If God is calling you to a wilderness, be ready to depend on Him and to wait with Him there until He leads you to the oasis. The wilderness is not where He will leave you; you are just passing through it on your journey to a closer walk with the Lord.

Focus vs. Sidetracked

On By vickleaIn encouragement, Scripture2 Comments

Do you know how easy it is to get sidetracked, even when you think you are focused and moving ahead well? Look at this photo carefully. There’s a straight track and then, suddenly, a sidetrack. As I understand it, the engine cannot go on the sidetrack unless someone shifts the direction towards it and then off they go. Who shifts our direction? Well, the simple answer is that we do, but there are also all of those pesky little distractions in our lives that may or may not be sent by Satan.

I am more determined than ever to stay focused on my purpose in life. I think that I am a helper and that is what I want to focus on, not doing things for recognition (sidetrack), or for monetary benefit (sidetrack) or even for a prize of some kind from others (sidetrack). I just want to help and then go on to the next task that could use my help.

Let me give you a concrete example that happened recently. One of the authors for whom I help to launch books has her team members share graphics and/or create them. I have Canva so I create graphics frequently and I am better at it than when I first began since I have learned by trial and error what may or may not work. Anyway, this author gives points for these graphics and sharing them. Points can lead to rewards like gift cards. (Sidetrack) So, I decided to help others who cannot create graphics; I make graphics out of the quotations from the book that they provide. Then, they can share the graphic and get the points for it. One friend said she would mention me and give me credit for the graphic, but I told her not to do that because I am not turning in points this time. I am staying focused on my task of being a helper, not a winner of prizes.

Our granddaughter is totally focused right now on working towards her Master’s degree and getting ready for her August wedding. She left this morning about 4:30 to head to college for her every-other-weekend in-person classes. She studies and works on projects every afternoon when she gets home from her part-time job. She goes to bed early so she can get up and get busy the next day, or as in the case this morning, head out for her two and a half hour trip. She is a practicing Christian and takes time every morning for her devotional before she heads to work, so she is keeping her priorities straight. But her main focus right now is to get her degree in occupational therapy so that she can help others. I have no doubt that she will reach her goal because she is continuing forward with “her eyes on the prize.”

We need to pray and ask the Lord what He wants us to focus on. When I prayed, I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me that I am to be a helper, in as many ways as I can given my advanced age and limited capabilities. My heart is on Christ as whatever I do, I do for Him. I don’t desire or seek earthly rewards. After all, they all perish. I just want to be a helper. I don’t remember a single scripture in which Jesus asked for remuneration or any kind of payback for His work that He did for others. He simply wanted them to go and tell what had happened so that others would believe. Jesus accepted their gratitude, although their thanks was not a prerequisite to receiving His blessing. I am not trying to compare myself to the Lord; rather, I am trying to emulate Him and just help out where I see a need.

This is my prayer today for me and for you. I hope that you will recognize what is worthy of your attention and keep your focus on God’s Word. That is what I am trying to do, and I hope that this post today is helpful to you and your walk with the Lord. God bless you.

God Is Faithful

On By vickleaIn Characteristics of God, God’s blessings, Scripture3 Comments

I am feeling a little melancholy this morning because my devotional is all about God’s being faithful and as I meditated, I realized that God has always been faithful to me, but I keep falling short. But even in that realization, God is faithful to point out to me lovingly that He is still working on perfecting me.

When I am angry about some small thing (and aren’t all things small in the face of eternity), God is faithful and waits for me to calm down.

When I am feeling overwhelmed, whether about health issues or family problems or just things coming at me fast and furiously, God is faithful and quietly waits for me to acknowledge that He is my peace.

When I am sad about the loss of a friend or the events in the world, God is faithful, whispering in my ear that He is still in control.

When I am so tired that I don’t think I can take another step or do one more thing, God is faithful and encourages me with His strength.

And even now, when I am disappointed about all of my failures, God is faithful to remind me of where I began and where He has faithfully brought me to. I am not a finished work, and He has always been faithful to continue to work with me.

Meditation on this verse can give you astounding insight into your relationship with God. Read the first line and put emphasis on the word “my.” Yes, God is the God of the Universe, but He is MY God and He deserves all praise and honor. His faithfulness is always perfect as He has a plan and does wonderful things in my life, many that I don’t see and recognize at the time. God is faithful…all the time, in all ways.

This is a challenge I am making to myself, that no matter what is happening around me or what I am going through, I want to be faithful to praise God. It’s easy to look at circumstances and concentrate on all of the bad things that are happening. I want to be the one who looks at the circumstances and says, “Praise the Name of the Lord.” Not because what is happening is always good, but because God is always good and always present and always faithful!

Can you think of the ways that God has been faithful in your life? Please take some time today to praise Him for His faithfulness. God doesn’t change and is and will always be faithful.

Review: The Relic Keeper by Heidi Elijarbo

On By vickleaIn Book Promo, Book Review2 Comments

About the Book

  • ASIN ‏: ‎ B0FXNQKBN4
  • Publication date : ‎ November 18, 2025
  • Print length‏ : ‎ 142 pages

Inspired by Gerrit van Honthorst’s masterpiece, The Adoration of the Child, and the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

Italy, 1620.

Angelo is an orphan, lonely and forgotten. Having been passed on from one family to the next, he ends up as a common thief, subject to and under the thumb of a ruthless robber called Tozzo.

Angelo knows no other life and has lost hope that any chance of providence will ever replace his lonely, misfortunate existence. When he loses his master, his livelihood is shaken. Tozzo’s plunder is hidden in a safe place, but what will happen if someone comes after Angelo to get their hands on the stolen relics? More than that, he feels threatened by words he’s heard too many times; that he’ll always remain unforgiven and doomed.

One day, a priest invites Angelo to help with chores around the church and rectory and, in exchange, offers him room and board. Padre Benedetto’s kindness and respect are unfamiliar and confusing, but Angelo’s safety is still a grave concern. Two older robbers have heard rumors about the hidden treasures and will stop at nothing to attain them.

With literary depictions and imagery, Angelo’s story is a gripping and emotional journey of faint hope and truth in seventeenth-century Italy—an artistic and audacious tale that crosses paths with art collector Vincenzo Giustiniani and the powerful Medici family.

Using invisible threads, Heidi Eljarbo weaves together her fictional stories with historical figures and real events. The Relic Keeper is similar in tone to books by Geraldine Brooks, Tracy Chevalier, Deborah Swift, and Laura Morelli.

My Thoughts

I raced through the story of young Angelo, a child of the streets who is forced to make his living by stealing relics from churches. I knew that somehow the author would teach a lesson and have a happy ending for this unfortunate young boy. I was entranced by the story of Angelo’s life, how he was forced to live and how he got to know Christ as His Savior. This is a story of hope, unconditional love, a story of self-discovery and finding God’s purpose in your life. Included within the pages of this poetic and beautiful story are historical figures like a Marquess and an artist from the 1600’s. The description of the painting that so touches Angelo was so realistic and detailed that I could picture it in my mind and enjoyed the education that I got about the artist’s techniques with light. Angelo’s story was heart-tugging at times but ever hopeful as he goes on a quest to improve his lot in life by leaving behind thievery and attaching himself to the local parish priest, Padre Benedetto. The Padre is loving and generous, even protecting Angelo from bad actors who want to use him on the streets again. Padre was not just a hero to Angelo, but he was also the man who showed him a new way to live and gave him hope for getting an education and having a better future. Angelo’s desire to find his birth mother seemed doomed to failure since he never met her and doesn’t even know what she looks like. The author did a masterful job of weaving all of the loose threads of the tapestry of this story together in the end, making one magnificent and brilliantly written story of hope, redemption, second chances, sacrifice and love. There are so many good things about this book, especially the fact that it was completely absorbing and a fast-paced read that was uplifting in the messages and encouraging in the hope-filled ending. I sincerely appreciate the author’s notes at the end that informed me that Honthorst was a real artist who actually painted the canvas so painstakingly and wonderfully described in the book. When I read that, I immediately looked up an image of the painting online and fell in love with the light in the painting and the importance of that light. It seems that light was a theme of this novel too, as Angelo walked from darkness into the light, after years of thinking that all would always be dark. This is one of the best books that I have read that is a testimony to helping others and being a light in someone else’s darkness. I loved every minute that I spent with this book and think it would make a wonderful gift to yourself or for someone special in your life who needs to read about hope and the salvation story, told in a way that is enjoyable and believable, with memorable characters that will jump off the page right into your heart.
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.

Rated G, Christian Historical Fiction

About the Author

HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history.

Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are her family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical. Website: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/

To Purchase:

Amazon

Other books by the author that I highly recommend:

Under Construction

On By vickleaIn Admonition, encouragement, Scripture1 Comment

When you see a sign like this, do you rush to get around it or do you look closely to see how much progress is being made? I think the answer depends on how much you have at stake in the completed project. How interested are you in it, in other words?

We recently had a new Dunkin Donuts being built in a nearby town. My husband who loves all things coffee and donuts commented every time we went by about whether they were making significant progress or not. It was just completed, and of course, he went to check it out. How could he not when he was watching them build it? His interest was piqued and he couldn’t wait to see it all done.

We are all buildings under construction, and sometimes others are interested in what is being built and want to help us along to being completed. Others just want to gawk and keep going. But there is a third group that wants to try to tear down whatever has already been built. How do some help and others tear down? God is the builder, and some help by encouraging us in our walk with Him. We may not have a roof and be leaking, but God is repairing, replacing and restoring as fast as we will allow Him to do so. We have to be open to the changes in our hearts and attitudes that need to occur in order to complete the building. In order to be open to the changes, we need encouragement from others, especially those who have already experienced some of what we are going through.

When we encourage others, we get encouraged ourselves. We are a community of believers, not a one-man show.

The ones who discourage us are those with disparaging remarks, like, “You say you’re a Christian, but I’m just not seeing it.” Or, “If you’re such a good Christian, why do you use the language you do sometimes?” You know what I mean. We are Under Construction, meaning God is still working on us. We are not perfect and probably never will be on this side of heaven. But we keep reaching for that perfection and each time the Holy Spirit leads us away from temptation and toward goodness, we are helping to build the person we are supposed to be. Unbelievers don’t understand the whole thing about not being finished yet. They expect us to be super-Christians, without sin or errors or any humanity left in us. Only Christ would meet their expectations and they don’t believe in Him. The truth is that we all hear more discouraging remarks every day than the positive ones.

I want to encourage you today to build someone up. Think of someone who can use an encouraging word. Call that person, write him/her a note, go to visit them. Just make a point of being an encourager today. Running errands today? Who might you meet that could use an encouraging word? You have a vested interest in the progress of others because they are your brother or sister in the Lord, or even possibly someone with whom you can share your testimony so that’s they can start on the road to salvation themselves. Remember that we reap what we sow, so let’s all of us sow seeds of encouragement. After all, don’t we want to see everyone a completed and perfect work of God? Heaven awaits. Until then, we are all “Under Construction.”

Veterans Day

On By vickleaIn Holidays, Veterans’ Day4 Comments

Do you have a veteran in your life? Someone who sacrificed their family time and some of their dreams in order to serve in the U.S. military?

My father served in WWII, under age with a fake ID. He went off to war. Patriotic? Possibly? He was trying to escape an abusive stepfather and found himself in a war instead. He survived thanks to the Lord’s grace and came home to marry my mom and have a family together.

A really old photo of my dad in his uniform with my mom when he was on leave.

My husband served for over twenty years, dual service. He was in the USN for eleven years and then 12 years as an officer in the USAF. He left the navy to be able to spend more time with his family instead of being at sea so much. Unfortunately, the USAF sent him to school constantly to train, but he was at home a little more and the children and I appreciated his home time.

Harry in our back yard in South Carolina as a newly commissioned officer.

I sincerely appreciate the service of all of the veterans, but most especially those whose service and commitment to honor and duty that I saw. I am very thankful for the lessons they taught me and our children.

If you see a vet today, thank them for their service. The United States is free because of them and others like them.

Missing Someone

On By vickleaIn encouragement, Scripture2 Comments

When my military husband was deployed, I missed him. The children missed him. We all counted days or made paper rings to count them, a countdown until his return. Then, we would make a cake, his personal favorites for dinner and wait expectantly for his arrival home.

I miss a lot of loved ones who have gone to heaven to be with the Lord. My mom died in 1983 and my father in 2017. My grandparents died in 1991 and 1992. My best friend Heidi died in 2017 also, only a few months before my father. I miss them, but I don’t wish them back because this life is hard and I hope that they have gone to heaven and they wouldn’t want to leave there.

I want to see my loved ones when I get to heaven, to be reunited with them at last. But I really want to see Jesus.

Jesus’s prayer to the Father is for us to be with Him. I think that He misses us, not the same way I miss my lost loved ones because Jesus is in contact with us through prayer and the Holy Spirit. Don’t ask me to theologically explain that because I can’t. But I do believe that the Savior who died for me longs for me to be with Him, and yes, He misses me being right there with Him. You know the videos in which the family is reunited with the spouse returning from his deployment. The child is surprised at the football game. The mom at work. Imagine all of the videos we could play of our meeting Jesus. We know Him in our hearts and when we get to heaven, we will know Him and be able to be right there beside him, much like the beloved spouse returned from the battlefield.

We are fighting a battle now. We are deployed on the earth to fulfill the mission that God has given us to do. Jesus is watching over us, along with the heavenly host. Can you imagine His cheer when we make a right choice or repent of a wrong one? Yes, I think He longs for us to be with Him. The time isn’t now, but it is coming when we will be untied with Him. That will be a day of rejoicing, a day when we see His glory and behold all of the love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I don’t know exactly what it will be like, but I know that Jesus wants me to be with Him, in the Father’s time and when the Father calls me home. We should all long for that day and know that it will be a joyous homecoming and a special day for the Lord and for us. We can be encouraged that Jesus misses us and wants to be with us, just as we want to see Him.