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.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/3
I love how the author of this devotional reminds us that we are uniquely created and each of us who believes in the Lord God is wearing a designer label. He is always with us and our identity is in Him. Challenges come along and He is there. Good times come along, and He is there. Always there, always claiming us as His own!
www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/2
If any nation today needs restoration, it is the United States. We have not fallen away as some say…we have walked away (in some cases, run away) from God as hard as we can. May the God of all hope offer hope, mercy and comfort to those of His servants who live here and are waiting for Him to act. His action may very well be a much deserved judgment and justice, but that, too, shows God’s love. After judgment comes the restoration.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/1
I am learning the truth of God holding me up in my weakest moments, and I am so thankful for His love and comfort. I cannot imagine how others go through life without God to help them through the valleys and the storms. I feel sorry for those who reject the Lord because it is to their detriment that they turn away. If they only knew the peace and joy they could find in His presence! Praying today for those who are lost and don’t know it, or they don’t want to admit it. I have many members of my family in this condition and it saddens me greatly. Say a prayer today for your lost friends and loved ones, that God will continue to show Himself to them and that they will ultimately confess their need for a Savior.
The last few weeks have been brutal as far as my health is concerned. Issues with breathing are not a lot of fun, I can tell you. I have lived with asthma my entire life, but not until the doctor tried a new medication on me to which I had an adverse reaction, had I really struggled that hard to breathe. Usually, my rescue inhaler or nebulizer would take care of things and I would continue with my regular routine. Such has not been the case lately. I have been short-winded, wheezing at small exertions like moving clothing from the washer to the dryer or from the dryer to the room to fold them. I have had to rest frequently and have gotten more than a little frustrated with my limitations.
I am turning to the Lord more than ever with all of the health issues. Monday I see a specialist to see if the medication affected my vocal cords since I am having hoarseness and cough each time I speak. Then, there was the call from my nephrologist yesterday. I have to return to have my labs repeated in a month’s time because there is some evidence from my recent labs that my kidney may be going into a rapid decline. I asked if this could be the result of the steroids I was on for two weeks after I reacted to the Trelegy. The nurse said that steroids can affect the kidney, but she knows I had to take them to help me breathe. Catch 22 situation, right? So, I have to carefully read labels on foods, avoid nitrates as much as possible, and stick with fresh veggies and fruits if I can. I know my single kidney is not going to keep chugging along forever, but I was discouraged to get this news on top of having to see a throat and a lung specialist about the effects of this medicine. The good news just keeps coming, huh? Finally, my primary care doctor wants me to see a pulmonologist because I still have bronchitis after almost two weeks of a strong antibiotic. Thus, the wheezing and persistent cough. But God…in the midst of my tears of anger and frustration, God reminded me that He has the final say and brought this verse to mind again. I had created the illustration over a week ago and posted it on my social media, but I am the one who needs to cling to it, so I am bringing it out again.
And this verse goes along with the first one. God is my help. He made heaven and earth and He made me…my lungs and my kidney. And I am here until I have fulfilled His purpose for me on this earth. I may be sad because of the current limitations in activity and diet, but I am still a walking testimony to God’s love and grace and hope to continue that testimony until the day He calls me home to be with Him.
I appreciate your prayers for me and my husband as we walk this unknown road. But we know we don’t walk alone because God is before us, beside us and behind us…and I cannot ask for more than that! Meanwhile, I am still making plans to visit grandchildren this summer, going to Maryland next week to see little Nathan celebrate his third birthday and then home for a few days. Then, I am supposed to visit my sister for her birthday in July and finally we are going to northern Pennsylvania to visit our daughter and her family. Of course, that is all provided the doctors allow me to travel, but I am trusting that God will work things out since He knows the desires of my heart. These trips have been planned and postponed multiple times because I kept getting sick, and I just don’t want to put them off any more. So, prayers for that would be appreciated, too.
I remain a servant of the Lord and am in awe of His power and mercy. I hope each of you has a blessed day and remember how much God truly loves you!
ettingerwriting.wordpress.com/2024/06/13/this-is-gods-world-2/
Please go to the original post and follow David. His insight is amazing!
www.bible.com/reading-plans/44512/day/4
Every time we take a step closer to Jesus and move away from sin, we are getting closer to the ultimate victory. I keep remembering that Jesus already fought and won all of my battles; I just have to be a good soldier of Christ and accept His sacrifice. As a military wife, it’s hard to imagine a commanding officer who goes into the middle of the battle, but that is exactly what Jesus does. He doesn’t stand on the sidelines and bark orders. He leads the charge and expects us to follow.
THE PARIS WIDOW
Author: Kimberly Belle
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9780778307976
Format: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing / Park Row Books
Book Summary:
From USA Today bestselling author Kimberly Belle comes a deliciously twisty new thriller following a married couple vacationing in Paris whose trip takes a dark turn when the husband goes missing, dredging up secrets from both of their pasts, perfect for fans of THE PARIS APARTMENT.
When Stella met Adam, she felt like she finally landed a nice, normal guy – a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. She loves knowing she can always depend on Adam, which is why when he goes missing during a random explosion in Paris, she panics. Right after what is assumed to be a terrorist attack, she’s interviewed live on TV by reporters, begging anyone who knows anything about her husband’s whereabouts to come forward and is quickly dubbed “The Paris Widow.”
As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer in the black market for priceless antiquities, making deals with very high-profile and dangerous clients. Reeling from this news and growing suspicions about her husband, Stella can’t shake the feeling that she’s being followed. And with Adam assumed dead, she realizes that whoever was responsible for the bombing will come after her next. Everything – and everyone — that Stella has tried to keep in her duplicitous past might be her only means of survival and finding out what really happened to Adam.
An irresistible and fast-paced read set in some of Europe’s most inviting locales, THE PARIS WIDOW explores how sinister secrets of the past stay with us – no matter how far we travel.
This book gave me whiplash as I sped through the pages trying to find out quickly what would happen next in this twisted tale of love and secrets. Adam and Stella are on a dream vacation when an explosion occurs at a little cafe and Adam is gone. Stella is left on her own to discover what was really happening in Adam’s life that endangered him so much and at the same time, she makes revelations about the secrets she is guarding from her own past. There are a lot of shady characters in this book that deals with the underworld of stolen antiquities, so there’s a big question throughout the novel of who can be trusted and who should be avoided. Just for the record, I kept guessing incorrectly, but I kept guessing because that is part of the entertainment value of this mesmerizing book. The pace is fast, the characters are not all relatable but they are all realistic and dynamically portrayed. This book is a spy thriller, a psych thriller, a mystery and a romance all rolled up into a neat package and in several settings throughout Europe. It was obvious that the author knew the areas well as the details she offered about the various places were fascinating, adding to the atmospheric drama of the story. This is a book that is masterfully crafted to capture the reader and it succeeded with me, becoming one of my favorite thrillers of the decade.
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 and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Kimberly Belle worked in marketing and nonprofit fundraising before turning to writing fiction. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Kimberly lived for over a decade in the Netherlands and currently divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam. She is the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie, Three Days Missing, Dear Wife, as well as The Last Breath, The Ones We Trust, Stranger in the Lake, My Darling Husband, and The Personal Assistant.
Social Links:
Author website: https://www.kimberlybellebooks.com/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/kimberlybelle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimberlySBelle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlysbelle/
Sometimes, I reach out to the lamp next to me to turn it on and it doesn’t work. Why not? It isn’t plugged into the outlet so it has so source of power. That’s how we are when we decide to operate all on our own, making choices without praying and consulting the Lord. We move away from our source and lose our ability to make a wise choice. The source of all of our strength, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, is our close relationship with Jesus. He wants to be our source all the time so that when the waves and storms rage against us, we are accustomed to running to our source and plugging into His omnipotent strength to help us through the situation.
I have been challenged lately with health issues that seem never ending. At my follow up appointment yesterday, the doctor pronounced that after more than a week of strong antibiotics, I still have bronchitis. No surprise for me to hear since I am still using my rescue inhaler several times a day! So, next week, I go to see a specialist to see if my vocal cords were badly affected by the medication that I reacted to. Then she wants me to see a pulmonologist. She couldn’t believe that I have reached my age (72), had asthma my entire life and never seen a lung specialist. Well, whatever. I will go where they tell me to go, pray about doing what they tell me to do and trust the Lord to be my source of strength and healer. I was talking with my husband yesterday and told him that I cannot imagine what it will be like in heaven to draw a breath and feel the air completely since I have never, not once in my life, had that experience. I know my body will be different and resurrected, but I am so looking forward to being truly healed and whole. In the meantime, I walk the earth, take the breaths God has given me and am thankful that I can live each day and see the wonders He has created. Do I feel strong? No. But I feel strengthened by the power of His love and might and know that He is working on me for His purposes. I want to end my days yoked to the One who knows and loves me best and who has cared for me all of these years. May everyone who reads these words know the real source of strength in your lives and come to know Jesus as the only support you really need.
When You Need Support
Everyone carries burdens, and the things we go through shape the way we view the world, and ourselves. But we weren’t meant to carry our burdens alone.
In fact, Jesus says to the people following Him—
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. … For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 NLTA yoke is a heavy wooden beam that lies across a pair of oxen, evenly distributing the weight of the loads they carry. But the term was also used by Jewish Rabbis. “The yoke of the law” symbolized complete submission to God’s law, and Rabbis taught that becoming yoked to it would free the Jews from enslavement to the world.
Jesus is using a phrase that His Jewish followers would have easily understood, but then He flips the illustration. He tells the crowd that they must yoke themselves to Him—because He is the fulfillment of their law.
When they do this, the burdens they carry won’t be heavy at all—because He will bear the weight of their burdens.
Paul references this teaching in his letter to the Galatian Christians:“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2 NLTThe law of Christ is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). But the only way we can fulfill the law of Christ is if we bind ourselves to Him. When we are yoked to Jesus, He becomes our source of strength.
He helps us endure hard situations and enables us to walk away from poor decisions. He fills us up with His love so that we can pour His love out onto others. He gives us the capacity to support other Christ-followers just like He supports us.
Just as Jesus bore our sins and suffering, we are called to bear the suffering of others. In this way, we show them the love of Christ and guide them toward Jesus.
Right now, spend a few minutes talking to God about the burdens you need help carrying, and then allow Him to show you the people in your life He wants you to support.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/44512/day/2
As a member of a very large church, I am sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer numbers in the auditorium. Then, God will speak quietly to my heart and remind me that He sees me there as an individual, worshipping Him and learning from His Word. When I look around and see others worshipping, too, I am reminded that we are all there in unity for one purpose, to worship and to serve and to learn.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/44512/day/5
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 