Totally Loved

On February 4, 2021 By vickleaIn Scripture9 Comments

From my devotional this morning, I got this promise. Isn’t it wonderful to know that no matter where you are or what is happening in your life, the Lord God is with you? He is the same Lord who died for you on the cross, the same Lord who loves you with an eternal love, a love that no one can change or take away. He saves! Hallelujah!

As I read, I related to being a small child and waiting anxiously for my father to come home from work. No matter what had happened that day, daddy always knew what to say and how to calm my fears. Now, broaden the scope and imagine that our Heavenly Father is waiting for us to call on Him. We don’t have to anxiously sit and wait for His arrival; He is always right there beside us. In my mind, I recall my daddy picking me up and holding me and telling me that he loved me. Those moments with my father were worth all that had happened that day: the hurt of being different from the other children because I couldn’t run and play due to my health conditions, the anguish of being rejected by my mother, and the multitudes of other pains that small children go through and think we just can’t live through them. I survived because I knew my daddy loved me and would be home soon to cuddle me. And when I began to go to church, the comforting arms of my earthly father were replaced by the everlasting comfort of my Heavenly Father. By that time, I was living alone and needed to know His love since my daddy was hours away and I could not share my daily frustrations with him. But God was there! He was there for me all along, just waiting for me to ask Him to come alongside me and be that One that I can always count on.

God quiets us with His love. He loves us totally, completely and unconditionally. I can choose to leave Him, but He will not leave me. He sees me as worthy, as beautiful and as a necessary part of His creation. The God of the Universe looked down on earth and thought it needed one of me. Awesome thought, right? Of course, it is also an awesome responsibility to fulfill His purposes for me during the years He has established for me here. Nevertheless, while I am here, He rejoices over me. Just as my daddy used to sing songs (“The Church in the Wild Wood” was a favorite of his) that showed me his love for me, imagine the Heavenly Father singing songs over you, not just when you need comfort, but just because He loves you. What song is in your heart today? Imagine the Father singing that to you. That thought makes my whole being quiver with anticipation for what the new day will bring and what the Father will do for me and through me in it!

I like the mental images that come to my mind when I meditate on these two verses. I added them to my promise journal so that I can look back and remember. That’s what life is all about sometimes, a series of memories that mean something important to us. When I am remembering the afternoon minutes that I spent with my daddy, I also recall the many times that God has shown me grace and mercy and love…lots of love. Can I do any less for others who are hurting and need a Mighty Warrior to save them and a loving God to calm and rejoice over them with songs? We are sent to tell others because we have a great truth that should never be hidden. The world is hurting, and we have just the right remedy…a relationship with the Lord!

Be blessed today so that you can be a blessing.

Review of THE PERFECT DAUGHTER by D. J. Palmer

On February 2, 2021 By vickleaIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

*I would rate this book for mature audiences since the content deals with mental illness, murder and family issues that are very sensitive.*

I was totally blown away by this intricate tale of family relationships, secrets, murder and mental illness! Penny was found in the park when she was only a small child, and Grace was determined to give her a good, stable home with her own children, Ryan and Jack. Life’s circumstances and Penny’s past got in the way of Grace’s plans for Penny when Penny’s biological mother is murdered and Penny is the primary suspect. Grace is hopeful that the doctor at the institution where Penny is imprisoned awaiting trial will be able to help her at the trial, determining that she was mentally ill when she killed her mother. The trial lawyer Navarro isn’t very hopeful, but he goes along with Grace’s ideas to allow Penny to testify. This book touched me in all of the right places and satisfied all of my reading addictions. With themes of dark secrets and unconditional love, this book was a complex story with clues left in unlikely places at unlikely times. In fact, once I finished the book, I sighed and told myself that now I have to read it again to look for all of the hidden clues about what was really happening in the background that led to the very satisfactory conclusion. I was totally enthralled and mesmerized by the story of Penny and by the family love that Jack and Grace showed to Penny, accepting her just as she was. There is also a sub-plot of Dr. Mitch’s son Adam and his addiction to opiates. Putting a more caring face on the doctor who is mostly all business was a necessary part of his characterization that made him more likable. The fact is that most of the characters were likable and all were three-dimensional and realistically portrayed. This is a spider-web of a story that drew me in and didn’t let me go, haunting my thoughts even after I completed it. Fans of the author and of psychological suspense will devour this book.
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.”

The Perfect Daughter will be available on April 20, 2021. Purchase links:

Many thanks to the author and #StMartinsPress for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book! If you want to see a bio of the author and other books he has written, check out his webpage at http://www.djpalmerauthor.com

Shield of Salvation and Gentleness

On February 2, 2021 By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/psa.18.35.mev

This Scripture spoke to me this morning because of the word shield to show salvation. Doesn’t salvation shield us from the worst that the enemy can do to us? The enemy of our soul thinks that he can defeat us with death, but we have the shield of salvation. It’s like a piece of invincible armor that no weapon of the enemy can pierce.

Then, the second part of the Scripture didn’t make a lot of sense to me, so I looked it up in several versions. The one I liked the best exchanged the word “gentleness” for the word “humility.” It is Jesus’s humility that was our example and through following his example, we become great leaders in the advancement of His Word. It is not that we ourselves are great. Jesus is great through us when we humbly allow Him to use us to reach others. Just as Jesus humbled Himself and came to earth as a man, so we humble ourselves before the King of Glory and ask for His will to be done in our lives. It in only in submitting to His will that we can become great. Our greatness is not in our own strength or to “toot our own horns.” It is the Lord to whom we owe everything and to Him that we give all honor and praise. Anything we do that gives us praise should be reflected right back to Him.

So that was my meditation for today. I hope that you all have a blessed day, using the shield to protect yourself from the enemy of our soul and His example of gentleness to approach others with the Gospel.

Meditation for Today

On February 1, 2021 By vickleaIn Scripture9 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/exo.15.11.mev

The same God who parted the Red Sea and then sent it rolling back over Pharoah and his entire army, the same God who sent His Son to die on the cross for us and who raised Him from the dead after three days, the same God who promises eternal life to those who believe in Him and follow Him…that is the God whom we serve! This brings forth a heartfelt Hallelujah! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! Amen!

Be a Tree

On January 30, 2021 By vickleaIn Scripture8 Comments

I read a devotional this morning about Zaccheus climbing the tree to see Jesus. The devotional focused on the tree; God put it there knowing that one day a small man would need to climb it to see his son.

The devotional charged me (and other readers, of course) to think of all of the people who have lifted you up to see Jesus. For me, there was first my neighbor Verna and her fiancée Chris. Then, there was our first pastor Dean, the man who taught me so much about studying the Bible; his favorite saying was to “be a Berean.” There was Dub, a rotund, happy pastor in South Carolina who taught me the joy of worshipping freely. There was the pastor in Virginia Beach who moved me and Hope into base housing when it became available after Harry heads already left for his deployment. I was feeling really sorry for myself because I was pregnant and had no idea how I was going to manage to move but I knew that I had a limited time before the base housing office would just pass over my name. Help came just in time! There were the people who have given us groceries when we were low on funds, the neighbor who ran across the street to take me to the E.R. with my young son whose arm was streaming blood and I couldn’t get my car started. So many trees who have given me a boost in life!

But that is not the end of the story. I have been boosted over and over again, able to climb above the problems because of others who have been there for me, just at the right time. They have been the “trees” in my life. In similar fashion, I would like to think that I have boosted others, but I don’t want to go through incidents that would try to persuade you of my being a tree. God will be the judge of that. I just want to leave you with the question. Are you a tree? Do you help others up, so that they can see above the circumstances? If we are always wandering around with the lost people and never giving them a boost to see Jesus, they may never see Him. We may be the exact tree that God put in a certain place at a certain time for a certain person. We need to look for opportunities to be a tree, stand firm for God’s Word, and like a tree, point to the Heavens, right up to Jesus!

Have a blessed day, my friends, and may you prosper even as your soul prospers.

March for Life

On January 29, 2021 By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

www.bible.com/111/psa.139.13-14.niv

Today is the annual March for Life, taking place throughout the country. You can join in virtually by going to March for Life. It has never been more important that we stand for the sanctity of life, because the President in the Oval Office is signing executive orders making life cheap and easy to “get rid of”, even at taxpayer’s expense. I have heard all of my life that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. I’m standing for life! When the President’s press secretary was asked how he could support abortion as a Catholic, her reply was that he is a “devout Catholic.” Really? Does the Catholic Church approve of abortions now? Actually, killing the unborn is a platform of the Democratic Party, supporting Planned Parenthood and the millions of abortions that this organization performs in the guise of healthcare. It’s not a choice! It’s a baby! Thus, I’m asking for you to attend the virtual March for Life, financially support the organization if you can, support Dr. James Dobson who has fought for life for decades. In my mind, it is absolute evil to sacrifice an unborn baby to Molech, which is what I consider abortion to be, a sacrifice to a demonic god. We are called to be salt so that the world will desire to drink of the pure water of life. Let’s be salt today!

God’s Tender Word to You: ‘Be Still’

On January 28, 2021 By vickleaIn Re-blog, Scripture1 Comment

God’s Tender Word to You: ‘Be Still’

God’s Tender Word to You: ‘Be Still’

— Read on ettingerwriting.wordpress.com/2021/01/28/gods-tender-word-to-you-be-still-2/

Please go to the original post and give David a “like.” He and I will both appreciate it! Have a blessed day filled with trust in God.

The Pathway to Life

On January 27, 2021 By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/psa.16.11.mev

As we walk the pathway that leads to eternal life, we have the presence of God with us each minute of each day. It is in Him that we find the pleasure that we really seek. It is not the external, like the clouds in the sky or the news reports. Instead, it is God and His Holy presence that nurtures our souls and helps us each day to find the joy that He means for us to have.

May each of you find the joy today that comes from walking on the pathway to life, in the presence of God.

God’s Love

On January 26, 2021 By vickleaIn Scripture16 Comments

www.bible.com/1171/1jn.4.16.mev

This verse was just what I needed to read this morning. It opened a door for me that I thought that I had closed long ago. You see, I don’t tell this to many people, but I grew up in an upper middle class home where everything physical that I needed and much that I wanted was provided, but I didn’t really feel loved. My mom told me frequently how ugly I was and even told me to plan to go to college and get a good job because no one would want to marry ugly me. I recall going to the bathroom where I could be alone and softly singing to myself the song that I had learned by going to church with my neighbor, “Jesus Loves Me.” I didn’t really know what that meant, but it soothed my aching young heart. Anyway, I studied my constantly. I didn’t date in high school at all because I was focused on studying. I had a high GPA in high school, got a scholarship and went to college where I studied to be a teacher. When I met my future husband the summer before my senior year, he kept telling me how beautiful I was and I knew, from experience with my mom, that he had to be lying. Thus, later, when he said that he loved me, I didn’t believe him. Not really. Then, in February of 1973, a neighbor told me about Jesus and His love for me. I read the book of John and discovered that love for myself. It was the forever kind of love that I had craved my entire life. I eagerly accepted Jesus into my heart and my life. For the first time in my life, I felt love and it was such a different feeling. I tried to explain it to my mom and dad, but they just dismissed my testimony. I explained it to my fiancé and he told me to get rid of this Jesus thing or he was walking away. Well, I told him that Jesus died for me and since he had not ever done anything so bold and loving for me, I chose Jesus. When Harry understood that I meant it, he started going to church with me and he, too, accepted Jesus into his heart. Two months later, we were married. I finally knew what love was because I had met the Man who is love. I knew God’s love for me, the kind that lasts forever. My new pastor soothed my old wounds and told me that God made me just the way He wanted me to be and God doesn’t make “junk.” Thus armed with new confidence, I have gone through over forty years of life and almost forty eight years of marriage, knowing in my heart, in the deepest part of me, that I am loved. When I was alone on base after base with the military, I knew that God loved me. Through all of the trials in my life, I have held on to that truth: Jesus loves me! He always has accepted me just as I am and He loves me, with all of my flaws and failings, He loves me. I am enjoying a life filled with God’s love. Does that mean that everything has been wonderful during my entire life? Of course not! God doesn’t promise that all will work out just as we want or expect. He does promise His forever love, and that is enough for me. I hope that is enough for you, too. If you don’t believe me and my testimony, I pray that you will believe God’s Word. It’s His gift of love to each of us, so that we can learn and hold on to His precious promises. God bless each of you with a special portion of God’s love today. No matter what happens today, you and God are going through it together, and His love will be there for you…always!

Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner

Author: vicklea