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.
Is this Scripture not true and applicable to our fallen world today? We are a proud people who think that we know all there is to know and yet we know nothing about the great God who created us and wants us to fellowship with Him. I’m saddened by this scripture that was written as a judgment against Israel so many hundreds of years ago. It seems that we have learned nothing about repentance except to be more prideful and less humble.
This book is a prime example of what romantic suspense should be! It started with a fast introduction to the conflict and the plot rolled along quickly all the way to the end. Dr. Ivy Collins in a vulnerable and sympathetic character who runs a successful business but whose life is in danger from some unknown threat. Enter Gil Dixon, a U.S. Secret Service Agent, and her first love when they were teens. Gil is investigating one case and gets pulled into the threat against Ivy. He is determined to protect Ivy at any cost, even his own life. I have read the first book in the series, but this book can be read as a standalone. I do think that getting to know the characters who were introduced in the first book, however, quickly engaged me in this new story as former characters played a role in this book as well. This book was intriguing and intense, with the danger ramping up just at the pace of the story quickened too. With bombs, guns, kidnapping attempts and computer hijacking, this story has everything that a suspense junkie like me craves and it definitely fulfilled my desire to read a book that had me engrossed from beginning to end. The plot was just complicated and twisted enough that I was not able to figure out the bad guy until Gil did and the characters were so realistic that I found myself giving them advice. For example, “Seriously, Ivy, don’t go in there. Just don’t!” I loved this book and would give it five plus stars just for its entertainment value. Fans of clean romantic suspense should run quickly to get a copy of this one because you will not want to miss it!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via the Revell Reads Blogger Program via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of 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.”
The story of Brynna and Leroy is heart-touching and realistic. The two met at a camp when Brynna was in high school but haven’t been in touch for years, since Brynna married the man she calls Dirk the Jerk. Dirk left her for a younger woman and now Brynna is feeling like life has passed her by. When her friend from school Jan asks her to go on a summer camping adventure with her, Bryanna reluctantly agrees, so the two set off from Oregon together. Brynna shares with Jan about her long ago love named Leroy whose family owned a vineyard, so Jan makes it her mission to find Leroy and see that he and Brynna are reunited. I enjoyed all of the characters and especially liked the descriptions of California wine country. The author made the places come alive, especially Leroy’s vineyard with its lovely sunrises, sunsets and rolling hills with vineyards. My favorite character was Leroy’s daughter Sophie who loved and accepted people as they were, without expecting perfection. She was also quick to forgive and an example to her sisters Gina and Luna. I was impressed with the realistic way the relationship between Leroy and Brynna was rolled out, slowly and with a lot of obstacles in the way, just like in real life. The plot was well-paced, telling the story of a second chance at love for both the protagonists as well as for the Leroy’s family. Told with vivid details and a knowledge of vineyards and camping, this is a story that was a real pleasure to read and to recommend to others.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell 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.”
Letter from Australia 108 – Ukraine – How Should the Church Respond?
Letter from Australia 108 – Ukraine – How Should the Church Respond?
— Read on theweeflea.com/2022/02/28/letter-from-australia-108-does-the-church-have-to-pick-sides/
Please go to the original blog and follow the author. He has great wisdom to share, especially about world events and the Christian response to it.
These days, it’s hard to pick up a newspaper or turn on the news for only a few minutes without getting discouraged. There is so much evil in the world that it seems to be overflowing with it. Now that war has begun in Europe, it seems that the vile things that man does to other men is indescribable. Nevertheless, in my devotional this morning, God spoke clearly to me that He is in control and He has a plan.
Have you ever started your day with your hours all planned out? It’s a long “to do” list and you proudly check off things as you accomplish them. Then, there are the days that you have the list, you have the plan, but you don’t get to check off anything because you are just trying to make it through the day. Have you ever thought about the fact that God, the Sovereign Lord, does not have those kinds of days in which He gets discouraged and nothing seems to go right? He makes the plan and carries it out. In fact, He makes the plan before the plan needs to be made.
A case in point is Jesus. There was a whole system of sacrifice established in the Old Testament and described in great detail in the Book of Leviticus. A lamb without blemish. Blood on the altar. Take away the sins. All the columns were checked. But it wasn’t enough. Even before the foundation of the earth, God had a plan to save mankind from our sinful natures, once and for all. His plan was Jesus! Before I knew that Jesus died for me, God had already provided Him as my Savior.
I like the part in this verse that says I was still a sinner. God didn’t wait for me to get my act together and complete a “to do” list of things to accomplish before I could be saved. His plan was Jesus…already made. Done! Finished!
Now, back to the scenario of war in Europe. This verse is my prayer for the brave Ukrainian people. But it is also my prayer for anyone facing a formidable enemy. Instead of thinking about the power of the enemy, consider the power of our God who is beside you and who already has a plan. When Elisha’s servant was downhearted in II Kings 6 because he saw how great the enemy was, Elisha prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes. The prayer was answered and the servant saw a host of angels prepared to fight the battle. We don’t always know what God’s plan is, but we can rest in the absolute certainty that He has one, and it’s good.
I have read this verse many times because waiting is just not something I’m very good at. But today is the first time that I paid close attention to the middle part of the verse. It says to be brave and courageous. We are not supposed to cower away from the world and events that cause us fear. Instead, we are to bravely wait for the Lord, knowing with all of our being that He has a plan. And it’s a good one!
Andrew Murray was a pastor and author, most known for his missions work and establishing churches in South Africa. I saved this quotation from one of my devotionals last year and when I read it again today, I knew that it would be useful for my current blog. We limit God because we put Him into a box of humanity, thinking that He can only do so much because that is what we can do. God, however, cannot be fenced in. He is everywhere, all-powerful and capable of doing anything. So, today, as you pray over your to-do list or pray for the people in Ukraine, be bold in your prayers. Be brave! Know that God is hearing and will answer them. Perhaps His timing is different than ours would be. Most likely, that is true. That’s because God is always on time, He knows the best time to answer, and He has always and will always be there for us. Why? Because He loves us and He has a plan. And it’s a good one!
This is a fantastic debut novel by a new voice in suspense and domestic drama! Three families are bound together by the events in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else and where the matriarch of the town, Rosalyn Callahan, pull strings like she’s a puppeteer. Catherine, Morgan and Leslie were once friends, but their relationship has deteriorated so that they are barely speaking and then only when necessary. When Catherine’s teen daughter disappears one night after a party, Catherine pulls out all the stops to find Emily, including seeking the help of Morgan’s son Alex and Leslie’s daughter Anna. There is a lot of underlying tension between the families and a lot of suspicion about what happened to Emily. The tension builds nicely, with a quick-paced plot and a well done conclusion. There were a few loose ends that I would have liked more information about, so that is the reason for the four stars. There is tons of family drama and people with real psychological problems who are mingled in a very complex plot, with lots of characters and more than a few suspects. I enjoyed the setting and the way the families were all connected in some way. I also enjoyed getting to know Sawyer, Leslie’s estranged son and one of the few characters who seemed genuinely honest and concerned about Emily. The characterization was fleshed out well, even with the number of people involved in the drama. All in all, this was an extremely well-written novel that kept me reading and guessing until the end.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Collins 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.”
Harper Collins (includes links to multiple sites to purchase the book)
Our Bible study group is reading a book entitled THRIVING IN BABYLON by Larry Osborne. It’s an enlightening book about God’s judgment and how innocent Daniel was taken to Babylon, not because of his own sin, but because of the sins of his nation. God had called on Israel to repent, repeatedly, in fact, but to no avail. So, God, being the just God that He is, allowed consequences including the Babylonian captivity. Harsh? Yes, but sometimes harsh is the only thing that gets our attention.
In pondering the sins of our nation and how God has called us to repent and the fact that it has not happened on a large scale ( or some would say, at all), I have to say that our nation is ripe for God’s judgment. God has been gracious and merciful with the United States for centuries, but He will not wait forever for repentance. Repentance is change, turning away from sin, not just crying because you’re sorry you were caught. Thus, I believe that the things that are happening in our nation today, with godless leadership who have few morals and no real moral compass, are a direct result of the lack of repentance in our nation.
As Christians, we are appalled at the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ agenda and all of the sin that goes with it. But, are we equally appalled when a young couple comes to church and unashamedly admit that they are living together? God calls that sin, too, but we have come to accept a lot of things as just a change in the culture instead of the sin that it is. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the couple should not be allowed to come to church. What I am saying is that the fact that they are living in sin should be addressed and they should be told that the only clear path to God is repentance, which might mean they separate or even get married. In today’s culture, that is not at all popular. The current belief system is that you need to “try out” living together before you get married and make that commitment. I’m okay with that if you can show me one place in God’s Word that He says living together is okay. Are we equally appalled at those who steal from their employers by turning in false expense reports? Or those who walk away from a long-term marriage because they have “found someone else”? I think you get the idea.
There are many sins in today’s culture, even in the churches that we attend, and God will not be mocked. He consistently points out the sin and we consistently make excuses. My favorite excuse is, “But, God, what I am doing is not as bad as so-and-so and their sin.” Hmm. God may already be dealing with that other person, but if He is dealing with you and your sin right now, that is enough for you to deal with.
Judgment begins in God’s house, not with the pagans. After all, they are already on Satan’s side, so although God’s love reaches out to them, He is very concerned about the sins that we, the ones called by His Name, have allowed to creep into our own lives. We cry out to God because there are millions of babies killed by abortion. We cry out to God when the President of our nation supports abortion and rant about how godless that is. But, do we not see that our own attitudes towards the sanctity of life have led to this debacle? The silence of the Christian community is deafening. How many judge the one getting an abortion instead of reaching out a hand to offer assistance and counseling?
I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not surprised at the mess that our nation finds itself in. The church is a microcosm of the nation and the church itself needs to repent. Go back to the last thing God told you to do and do it, no matter how hard it is or how humbling. Then, do the next thing, Then, the next thing. The United States may not be carried off in captivity to Babylon (a wicked nation that is used as an example of evil in the Bible), but we may be more like Babylon ourselves than we are willing to admit.
Today is a day when candy and flowers are given and many restaurants expect a lot of business. But it is also a day when many are lonely or depressed and one that is dreaded by those who feel unloved. In a world that is so big and busy, take time today to practice the commandment to love one another. Know someone who is shut in and lonely? Call or visit.
Maybe you are lonely yourself today. You can have all kinds of people around you and still be lonely because of the hole in your heart that was left because of a death or abandonment. The good news is that God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you and to fill all of the empty spaces in your life and your heart. That’s not just a platitude. It’s truth! For many years, I was alone on Valentine’s Day as my husband traveled with the military. Yes, he would call and frequently send a card. But I used to have “pity me” parties, thinking of my friends getting ready for dinner and movie dates while I sat alone at home with three children. But the Lord did not want me wallowing in my self-pity. He wanted me to think about others. So, the children and I made Valentines for those who had no one, the widows and the single moms. They may have been cheesy-looking, but they were from the heart and when a small child delivers one with a smile, then they were accepted gratefully. So, my advice is to find someone who is as lonely or lonelier than you are and show them God’s love by giving them yours.
How do you have a successful marriage in a world that does not value a union between man and woman? My suggestion there is to pray together daily and to read I Corinthians 13 as though your relationship depends on the truths found there. God’s secret to a successful marriage is to put the other person’s needs ahead of your own, to love unselfishly and to give of your time always. Not easy things to do, and ones that I have failed at often. But, there is also forgiveness and knowing that you are forgiven so you should forgive others, especially your spouse.
In almost forty-nine years of marriage, there have been some real disappointments and some times when I wanted to pack up and move out, regain my independence and march to the beat of my own drummer. So, what stopped me? God. That simple. God, speaking to my heart and reminding me of my commitment to my husband, before Him and before a group of friends and family. After years of being alone while my husband was deployed, I had more than a few well-meaning friends and family members tell me to just leave him and start over. But God did not want that for me. He wanted His best, a marriage that has its problems but one in which He is the center of the relationship, reminding me consistently of His commitment to me and our commitment to each other. Marriage doesn’t get easier as you age because, if you’re like me, you get crankier and more demanding. I get upset more easily, knowing that dreams that haven’t been fulfilled yet will likely never be on this earth. But, God…He keeps His promises, so I have chosen to keep mine. Wherever you are, whatever situation in which you find yourself, remember that God loves you with an everlasting and totally unselfish love. More importantly, He wants you to reach out to others with His love and show them that they matter to Him.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 