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!
Who is the “them” in this verse? We, the ones the Lord has redeemed by His blood, are the ones who are to give our testimony to others. This is a sacred responsibility that we should not take lightly. We are able to be thankful because He already showed us His love that never fails and does wonderful things for us daily.
Who is this foe that God has redeemed us from? Sin and its consequences, death. Telling our story may plant a seed so another person can be redeemed by God, set free from sin and ready to receive His love and forgiveness.
So, today and every day is a day to be thankful, a day to lift up the name of God and to bless His name before others. No matter what our current circumstances are, there is always something to be thankful for, not the least of which is that He has counted us among the redeemed.
What a sweet romance about a couple who has trouble letting go of the past! Steve Weston has a secret tragedy in his past that keeps him from moving forward and Chloe Richardson has a devastating breakup in hers that causes her to not be able to trust her feelings. The two of them are brought together by Steve’s nephew, baby Aidan, a child in Steve’s custody since his mom died. Steve needs a child care worker and Chloe steps in to fill that role. The two have a history together which makes their reunion bittersweet. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting this characters who were flawed and realistically well developed. The romance was warm and satisfying without adding details that I am uncomfortable reading. The plot was tightly written, moving quickly from the complications in their relationship to the inevitable and remarkable ending. Although the ending was a foregone conclusion from the beginning, I really enjoyed reading the story and finding out how the two would overcome their difficulties with the past and with each other. And who doesn’t like a romance that includes a cute newborn? The secondary characters were also fun to get to know, especially Chloe’s brother Brett, a guy with a lot of wisdom for his years and a great sense of humor. This book is a fast read and perfect for holiday reading or any other time of the year that you feel the need to read a book that is heartwarming and enchanting. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Just Reads Blog Tour. 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.”
Meghann Whistler writes sweet Christian romance novels that won’tmake your grandmother blush.
Her debut novel, Falling for the Innkeeper, was named one of “Six Sensational 2020 Debut Series Romances” by the American Library Association’s Booklist Reader. It was also a finalist for the 2021 Book Buyers Best Award.
Her latest book, The Billionaire’s Secret, was a #1 Bestseller and #1 Hot New Release across multiple categories on Amazon.com, including Christian romance, Christian women’s fiction, and contemporary religious fiction, among others. It is currently a finalist for the 2022 Selah and Christian Indie Awards.
Before settling down with her rocket scientist husband and raising three rambunctious boys, Meghann earned a B.A. in English from Amherst College and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College. She is grateful to be living her dream of writing sweet, hopeful stories that demonstrate the power of love and grace.
This sweet romance will be released on September 27, 2022. Available now for preorder! Purchase Links:
This is LOVE INSPIRED ROMANCE at its best…entertaining and inspirational!
Pleased to be invited to join this book tour with JustRead! Many thanks to them for this opportunity. You can read all about them at http://www.justreadtours.com
Notice the promise that He WILL save us. No question! No doubts! God said it and He will do it. The same God who created us will also save us in the end to be with Him forever. That’s quite a promise, isn’t it?
Whatever we are waiting for from the Lord, He continues to be gracious and our strength. This is a prayer we can pray daily. Amen and Amen.
May you see the Lord’s grace and feel His strength in your life today, regardless of the circumstances. May you know that He is and always will be our salvation.
If you have ever gone into a crowded place with children, you know that sometimes you cannot walk side by side. Instead of walking ahead of my children, I used to walk behind them, guiding them with my hand on a shoulder or telling them which way to turn to get where we needed to be. It never dawned on me that I was guiding them in the same way that God sometimes guides me until I read this Scripture today in my devotional.
Notice the word “behind” in this verse. God is not always ahead of us although sometimes He is. Other times He is behind us and we have to listen carefully to hear His voice of instruction. If we turn the wrong way, He will tell us if we are listening. And if we turn the right way, He will also let us know. He doesn’t leave us to flounder alone on an unknown path. He is behind us, until He needs to step in front of us. I find comfort in the fact that God is all around me, if I just get quiet and listen. I can depend on Him to be just where He needs to be in my life, always. God is never too late or too early or in the wrong place at the wrong time. If He needs to be behind us in order to make sure that we are paying attention, then that’s what He will do.
This is a prophecy from Isaiah, but I believe with all of my heart that we can claim this promise today. We who are Christians are not blinded to the truth of the Gospel. We have chosen to hear that truth and now we can use our ears and the gift of the Holy Spirit to truly listen to what God is saying to us about our the choices we are making. He will let us know if they are good ones, if we just listen.
My prayer for you today is from Paul who says it better than I ever could. God bless and keep you, my friends.
Have you ever been following directions from your GPS and realized that it was leading you incorrectly? That happened to me and my husband a few months ago when we were in NC for an author signing. The GPS had us turn right out of our motel and head about fifteen miles away, but when we got where the GPS said “You have arrived at your destination” there was nothing there except a lot of houses and a small convenience store. We stopped in the store to ask directions and were told that the GPS had been sending a lot of people to this small town instead of to the bookstore where we needed to go. We got directions back to the correct place. Guess what? It was a left out of the parking lot and less than a mile from our motel! We were definitely misdirected!
God gives us clear directions about the road to eternal life, but we can only follow those directions if we keep our focus on Him and His Word. That’s where the clear directions come from.
The problem with a lot of people today is that they don’t want to hear about God. Like the Israelites, they want to steer their own course and go their own way, never counting the cost of moving in the wrong direction. Their choices are skewed by the fact that they think that their internal GPS will take them on the right road and eventually, one day, whenever they are ready, they will go to Heaven and meet God. Unfortunately for them, God’s plan doesn’t work that way.
I like this quotation from my devotional. At first, I thought, “Well, I’m okay, because I hardly ever call a bunch of people to tell them my problems.” In today’s world, you don’t have to call people to be more reliant on your phone than on God. You “google” whatever your problem is and then follow the advice that you find online. Instead of going to the phone and all of its technological advances, it would be a lot simpler to go to God’s throne and just ask for His guidance and help in whatever you are going through. True, I don’t call, but I do “google” and I am reminded to stop and pray not scroll and read the phone. It has few if any answers to the way that I should follow to life.
The “HE” is God…He has put us on the exact road that we need to be on to go straight to eternity with Him. That is the good place where we will end up if we follow His directions, His plan. Instead, we (including me at times) have followed my own way, my own GPS or even the google master and ended up frustrated and lost. Thank the Lord that He does not leave us in that place where we insisted on going! He picks us up right where we are and tells us the right way to go, putting us once again on the pathway to life. We just have to stay focused and be willing to admit that we messed up and need His help.
God will show us the way of life if we just ask Him. We don’t need a GPS or Google or our own internal voice telling us which way to go. We need to just listen to God so that one day we will have the pleasure of being in His presence forever.
This is high-octane romantic suspense centered around an obstetrician, Dr. Cynthia Myers, and the head of a special forces team, Captain Rick Norton. Cynthia is in Africa doing medical missions when a warlord threatens her and the entire village where she is practicing. One of Captain Norton’s missions is to safeguard Cynthia, so he does, killing various enemies in the process. Cynthia, a pacifist by nature, is torn up by the violence and does not understand why Rick has to kill people as part of his job. The action in this book is absolutely non-stop. I was a little put off by the three or so pages of military jargon in a glossary at the beginning of the book, but I did find referring to those acronyms useful more than once. This is a dynamic and riveting page turner, with a fast pace that never let up. Rick is coming to grips with his career, his failure to safeguard all of his men, and his growing feelings for Cynthia while Cynthia is in denial about her feelings for Rick and determined to forge a future without him. The story of their romance is a roller coaster ride of emotions. There is a great deal of depth to the story as the two separately explore their feelings and their faith in God. The plot was well-crafted and multi-layered with insightful looks into the lives of those in the spotlight and the warriors tasked to protect them. The character studies are fascinating and cleverly written to move the story along. With a unique perspective of military life and sacrifice, this book was enjoyable entertainment and a delightful story at the same time. I sincerely look forward to the next book in this series by the author. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Books via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Intense action but a clean Christian read Hallee Bridgeman is the award winning and USA TODAY bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee settled with her husband in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she’s not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her. Author photo and bio on website on Amazon at Amazon/Hallee Bridgeman
This is a new release for September! Purchase Links:
Thrilled with great appreciation to Revell for introducing me to a new-to-me author who blew my socks off with her meticulous research and attention to detail!
I was teaching a Spanish class when the PA system interrupted my lesson to give us the news about what had happened in NYC and that school was dismissing early. We were to hold our students in the classrooms until the buses arrived. Students who were usually jubilant at early dismissal were somber, speaking in quiet voices if they spoke at all. Some were crying. I was silently praying. Then I went home and watched TV all day, waiting for news about my daughter-in-law who worked in NYC, only a few blocks from the World Trade Center. We did not hear that Melissa was safe until after midnight. Pregnant and frightened and covered in ash, she was well cared for by the heroes in the city and ended up finally getting a ferry back to her home in New Jersey. I was thankful that she was okay but so afraid of what was happening in the world. The Lord gave me the Scripture above at that time and each year, I remember. I know that He is close to those who are mourning today and I honor the sacrifice of the heroes who gave their lives that others may live.
Can you imagine anything better than knowing that you have a ticket to Heaven and don’t have to worry about dying and what will happen afterwards? This is a promise we can count on! A reason to desire to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I want to be counted as righteous and to be remembered as righteous. Remember all of the bad kings listed in Chronicles? I remember a few, but I am more likely to remember those to whom God ascribed righteousness and favor, like King David. He was not perfect, but he was in right standing before God. Be a David, not an Amon. What a promise! Read it again and let it sink in! God, the Creator of the Universe cares about Y-O-U!
Blessing and honor and glory to God and may He bless you with the truth of His Word today and every day!
This is such a heartwarming, toasty feel-good book that I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys family stories, even if the family is not the traditional one. Vera Swanson moves to a new town to be near family, but her family moves away for a new job opportunity. When she befriends a young neighbor named Fiona, Vera’s eyes become open to the possibilities of new friends and a substitute family. The pace is perfect for a Christmas novella, moving along at a good clip and resolving all of the conflicts along the way. The characters were realistic and relatable, even curmudgeonly Eleanor who seems to have no heart for the holidays or anything else. There was even romance included between a young couple that was fun to get to know. I enjoyed the entire story and especially enjoyed how the group came together to help each other and a struggling family. The themes are having hope and reaching out to others to meet their needs. Faith is a theme here but it does not overwhelm the story. A lovely, sweet tale that deserves to be read any time of the year! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Clean Christian Read, rated G for all audiencesMelody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including Romantic Time’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/Author’s photo from her website and bio from her page on Amazon Amazon/MelodyCarlson
Just a short encouragement today to do what God says and to show mercy and compassion to all that we meet. We don’t know what others are going through, but we know that everyone is facing something new every day. Instead of looking at ways to get back at someone who offended you, how about looking at the ways that you can show love to them. After all, isn’t that what Jesus told us to do?
May your day be blessed with others who will show mercy and compassion to you just as you extend it to them.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 