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!
God is omnipresent, meaning He is with each of us at all times. Our finite minds have difficulty conceiving of this idea, but the Bible declares its truth. It’s humbling to realize that I am on God’s mind, even when I am going in my own way and struggling to go on the path He did not intend for me to be on. Still, He thinks about each of us and wants the best for each of us, always. He is loving and merciful at all times and constantly aware of what we are doing, the choices we are making and the desires that He wants for us. He constantly cherishes us, more than we could ever imagine.
Have a blessed day as you ponder the truth that you are constantly on the mind of God and that He always desires what is best for you.
What I am sharing today is from my devotional on the YouVersion Bible App. It made me ponder and I hope it does the same for you and also brings you to the place of realization that God truly loves you.
Since I was a young child, I have preferred light over darkness and I still sleep with a night light nearby. In my childhood, my mother would not tolerate my foolish insecurities and never allowed me to have a night light, but there was a street light that shone brightly into my bedroom every night and with its shining comfort, I was able to sleep. I am not a fan of winter, not just because of the cold, but also because of the darkness that comes earlier and stays later. When we lived in Maine, I went to work in the morning in the wintertime, and it was dark. When I left school in the afternoon, it was already dusk and by the time I got home, it was dark. Darkness doesn’t really frighten me any longer; I just prefer to see clearly and darkness doesn’t allow that.
Jesus came for the specific purpose of saving mankind from darkness, but the darkness wasn’t surrounding them. Instead, it was in them. In fact, the darkness that is the equivalent of sin is in each of us because we were born in sin and only Jesus can lead us to the light of His grace and mercy and ultimate peace.
I cannot imagine Heaven because it boggles my mind that there is no need for the sun or moon there. God and Jesus illuminate the entire new city of Jerusalem. No darkness at all! After all, there is no sin in Heaven. When I think of how dark the world is today, and not just from winter, but from mankind’s evil choices, it gives me hope that one day there will be no darkness. It also makes me sad that so many who are living in darkness and think that they will never pay consequences for their evil choices are doomed to eternal darkness. I can only pray for them, speak truth as I am given the opportunity and wait for them to begin to make right choices, ones led by God. In the meantime, there is a blessed hope for each of us who are believers. One day, there will be no more darkness!
Imagine no more night! When I visited my husband while he was stationed in Iceland, it was amazing to me that the sun didn’t go down while I was there. There were blackout curtains on the windows to allow us to sleep during the brightly lit night. Now, imagine a world in which light is the only thing known. No darkness at all, ever. More importantly, no sin…no cursing, no lying, no killing, and most importantly, no evil in the heart or mankind. No woke culture proclaiming that lies are the truth. No politicians glad-handing and making promises that they never intend to keep. No sin anywhere in God’s New Kingdom, none at all! That is true light, isn’t it?
Have a blessed day and may you be encouraged by the thought that one day the darkness that surrounds us will be no more.
Remember the game we played as children that was called “pass it on.” Someone would tell a secret of some sort (usually foolish things that were not really secrets at all), and say, “Pass it on.” Then we would see how many different people we could tell. The age of technology has given way to a new way to play the game. We are still doing the same thing, but our message reaches a larger audience in a shorter amount to time.
As Christians, each of us is tasked with the mission to “pass it on” and the greatest mission field that we have is first to our own families.
Our lives are the testimony we live before our family members, especially the youngest ones who listen and watch everything the adults say and do. We may not be aware that is happening, but believe me, it is! A case in point is that I am currently in MD watching my youngest grandson. His older sisters spend a lot of time with their other grandmother because she lives nearby, and one of her favorite phrases is OMG. I don’t use that phrase at all and told the girls that it was wrong to say it because you were saying God’s name without any purpose, like a swear word. They still use it because it has become a habit, and I cringe each time they do, but when they see my disappointed face, they change the wording to, “Oh, my goodness” which is what I suggested they do. Children hear and mimic. I have been singing Christian songs with the little one and one of his favorites is “I’m In the Lord’s Army.” I have been here a few weeks now and when he wants me to sing the song while he does the motions, he comes to me and starts “marching.” It is very cute, but it also shows how attentive children are to what we say and do. It is up to us to plant seeds of righteousness rather than seeds of worldliness and rebellion.
I am old now, and the wisdom that I have comes directly from God. So does the witness that I demonstrate to my grandchildren. When I disappear to the basement bedroom weekly to attend church virtually, they know that Nanna is going to church and they hear me singing the worship songs along with the congregation. Sometimes, the curiosity of the older two leads them to come downstairs and listen with me. My desire is for them to attend church again as they did before the pandemic, but I am not sure that will happen. In the meantime, I am going to be the best witness I can and sow as many seeds as I can into their young and fertile hearts.
May each of you be blessed with the knowledge that someone is watching and God has given you a ministry right where you are. So, pass it on!
Working with the son of a serial killer? That’s a first.
FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioral analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. His own father, Peter, is a serial killer—in prison but certainly not out of Sam’s life, as much as he wishes he was.
When bodies start showing up with Peter’s MO, Sam and Grace are both called in to consult. They’ve met before, and though Grace thought they’d made a real connection, Sam ghosted her. They’ll have to get past the awkwardness and mistrust to solve this case—especially because it’s about to get personal.
My thoughts about CRITICAL THREAT:
The story of Grace Billingsley and Sam Monroe is one that is a fascinating character study as well as a fast-paced suspense thriller. The clever way the author builds the story, with layers and unexpected twists, is absolutely brilliant and addictive. I enjoyed getting to know the characters who were the FBI agents and was intrigued by the personality of the villains. Sam’s father, an inmate in prison and a serial killer, was a complicated character who added to the terror that unraveled in the plot. The plot was tight, with misdirection in just the right places and a satisfying mixture of romance building just as the suspense ramped up. I also enjoyed the signature humor of the author, like the dinner date that seemed to always get interrupted. This is a compelling book to read with edge-of-your-seat action and uniquely complicated relationships that are explained well and thoroughly. The suspense gets intense at times, but that must made the story more enjoyable for me. With well-developed ideas and clues throughout the novel, this book kept me guessing and absorbed. I did not like all of the characters but all of them were fleshed out and made me see them for who they were created to be. I enjoyed the resilience of Grace and her reliance on her faith and her colleagues. And I enjoyed seeing Sam develop into a man who deserved her trust. Unpredictable and heart-pounding suspense make this book the perfect addition to the series! It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend the entire series and getting to know all of the characters who are friends and who support each other in their quest for justice. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via Netgalley and from the author as part of her launch team. 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.”
A clean read but I would rate it PG-13 because of content concerning a serial killer.
Lynette Eason is the best selling, award winning author of almost forty books including the Women of Justice series, the Deadly Reunions series, the Hidden Identity Series and the Elite Guardians series. She writes for Revell and Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line. Her books have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists. She has won several awards including the 2013, 2016 and 2017 Carol Award in the Romantic Suspense category. She’s also the recipient of the Christian Retailing’s Best 2017 Award. She placed in the top ten (out of thousands of entries) in the James Patterson 2016 co-writer contest. Her Stolen Past was recently made into a Lifetime Movie Network movie and will air February 2nd, 2018. Lynette teaches at writing conferences all over the country. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Romance Writers of America (RWA), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), and Faith, Hope, and Love chapter of RWA as well as the Kiss of Death (KOD) chapter. Lynette can be found online at http://www.lynetteeason.com and http://www.facebook.com/lynette.eason and @lynetteeason on TwitterMany thanks to Lynette Eason for allowing me to be on her launch team and to the Revell Reads Blogger Program for providing an e-copy of the book for me to read and review. Once again, Lynette has outdone herself with plot, characters and suspense and Revell has published a sure bestseller!
Think about what it means to be created in God’s image. In my devotional this morning, a new idea that I had not considered before was presented to me and I now present it to you. When Satan appeared in the Garden of Eden, he appealed to Eve to eat the forbidden fruit so that she would be more like God. Think about that for a moment. Adam and Eve were already created in the image of God. How much more like God could they be? They forgot their beginnings already and succumbed to the temptation. And since then, man’s quest for more…more fame, more money, more of everything they can grasp, is just a quest to be like God. Discontent to be in God’s image, man strives to become a god unto himself and in that effort, he will always fail. There is only one God, and mankind is not Him.
May you be blessed to be a blessing and may each day bring you closer to God, your Creator.
Jesus is a gentleman. He is not the morality police who storms into your life and demands subservience. He is the King of King and the Lord of Lords who humbly asks to come into your life so that He can restore the relationship between you and His Father. Just open the door!
May your day be blessed with Jesus constantly opening your eyes to new truths from His Word!
Synopsis: A wallflower in her Amish community, Mary Margaret hopes a trip will offer her a chance to come out of her shell. When a chance meeting brings new friends and a gentle young man into her life, she imagines a whole new life in Florida. But will it all disappear once vacation ends?
My thoughts about the book:
This is a quick and sweet romance with the Amish characters visiting a beach in Pinecraft, Florida. I was surprised by the setting and the boldness of the main character to leave her protected Amish community and travel by bus to Florida, but the surprise added to the story as Mary Margaret was joined by other like-minded Amish young women seeking respite from their lives and the troubles that they faced there. Mary finds her true desires in Florida and even has to face forgiving a former enemy who unexpectedly shows up there. I loved the themes of relationships, honesty and forgiveness. I especially enjoyed seeing how all of the conflict worked itself out in just the right way for the lovable characters. I was invested in the story and wanted everyone to get a happy ending, but the ending was not without some real twists along the way. My favorite characters were Jayson who is a responsible young man who feels the weight of taking care of his diabetic sister Joy and Michael, a young orphan who works hard to escape from his cruel aunt and uncle who make him feel worthless. My sympathy lay with these two young men who were courageous and determined as well as dedicated to doing the right thing regardless of the cost to themselves. This is a quick read that can easily be read in a few hours and thoroughly enjoyed! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads Blogger Program 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 G for all audiences. This is a clean Christian fiction book. Check out the author’s website for more information about her and her books. http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com
With many thanks to the Revell Reads Blogger Program for introducing me to this author last year and for giving me the opportunity to read and review this first book in her new series.
Yesterday, the calendar flipped a page and the year became new, a clean slate, ready for you to write on it your plans for each day. But, as you contemplate what those plans will be, I urge you to first spend time with God, praising Him for a new year and a new beginning. Maybe last year was particularly hard for you or perhaps it was a great year for you and you have no idea how you would ever top it. God doesn’t want to change your plans. He wants to change you so that you will know His heart and follow His pathway for you. I think it all begins with praise.
We go to sporting events and wear strange colors and shout for a team that will entertain us for the next couple of hours. Why don’t we spend more time exalting the one who holds us in the palm of His hand and who loves us with an everlasting love?
When we lived in Maine, I was always happy to get behind the snow plow because I knew that he was clearing the road for me to drive on so that I didn’t wander off the road into a ditch or slide off into the surrounding landscape. I think of God as my snow plow, going before me and clearing the way. But it’s not just any path that He is clearing; it is the path that He has prepared for me to take, if I just trust Him to lead. First praise, then trust, then step out into the new year filled with endless possibilities. Mostly, it is filled with God’s promises that we can claim as we get closer to our Maker.
May your New Year be blessed with praise, thanksgiving, and trust.
By the way, I don’t do resolutions. But I do a word for each year. Last year’s word was “trust.” This year’s word is “listen.” I want to be attuned to listen to the voice of the Lord and to actively listen to those around me instead of being absorbed in my own life. Do you have a word for the year. Feel free to share it in the comments.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 