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.
The chaos of today’s world is our opportunity to share the Gospel. As Dr. Denison pointed out in today’s article, the best way to share is through personal experience.
I hope that each of us, me included, will spend some time in prayer about how to reach the lost in this world that we are living in. We don’t know when Jesus is returning. But these are the “last days.” If you read Dr. Denison’s article, you will have read his explanation for why that is true. Beware of our enemy and go forth boldly to proclaim how the truth has changed your life. Why? So that others may believe and be saved!
What started out as a really fun book to read kind of ended flat for me since there was little conflict, the plot didn’t seem fully developed and the characters were either eccentric to the max or not fully revealed. The premise was that Thomas and Savannah McClair are teens living with their permissive grandmother Maggie since their mom was killed in a terrible accident. The precocious twins decide to find their bio-father via their podcast. They research, interview people who knew their mom and sign a contract with a media company to hype the podcast and help them in their quest. My favorite character was the very quirky Chef Bart, the cook for the family. The deceased mom Bess “talks” to Maggie, giving her advice that is generally wise and may or may not have been followed. The father is revealed quickly, too quickly in my opinion since the reason for the podcast seemed to be irrelevant after that revelation. The plot is plausible and certainly relevant to today’s times, but it all fell short for me because there was an implausible villain and a mystery that just fell short of holding my interest. The disagreements between the twins were annoying and just added pages to the book but did not add to the plot in any way. All in all, this book provided a light and enjoyable read without a lot of take-away from it or a feeling of having read a really good book. It was okay and might be enjoyed more by a young adult audience. But even parents of YAs should be cautioned that pre-marital sex is a thing in this book, not a big thing, just presented as a regular occurrence. Three stars for entertainment value and timely topic. 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.”
Information about the author can be found at her website: Gretchen AnthonyAvailable tomorrow. Rated PG from me
Note to my readers: This book might make a good gift for a teen in your life, but I suggest you read it, too, so that you can discuss the issues from the book with them.
When I started this blogging journey over two years ago, I had no idea that I would make friends from all over the world just by blogging. This morning, as I prepared for my day, I was thinking about giving up the blog. It’s not that it takes so much time, but I don’t have that many readers. Then, I got this notification and it encouraged me. It’s like a milestone for a race that I didn’t know I was in. So, I’m still here for now, until it’s time to renew my account. At that time, I will be in prayer about what direction the Lord is leading me. But for now, I am thankful for each of you who reads my posts and especially for those who take the time to comment and encourage or correct me. God bless you all!
I read Dr. Denison’s post yesterday and it put me into a quandary. You see, one of my favorite channels to watch (when I actually watch TV, which is infrequently) is Hallmark. The news about them and their loss of a moral compass is disturbing. They have acquiesced to the LGBTQ crowd and plan to develop movies featuring gay couples. So, now I have to decide if I’m going to continue to pay for the channel. Candice Cameron Bure is a Christian who works for the Hallmark channel. I really want to hear her take on the whole thing. Yes, there are still good shows there. But do they seriously think that this will “normalize” gay relationships? After all, that seems to be the goal of the movement. God is the One who set the norm and he said: One man and One woman. The relationship was supposed to be for life, and then divorce became the norm when “no fault divorce” came along. So, is being gay going to be the new norm? But, I digress. I don’t think divorce is a sin; I do, however, think that choosing to be gay is a sin and there are all kinds of Scriptures to back me up. To me, Hallmark’s choice is just another indication of how far the U.S. has fallen into accepting sin.
I have come to believe that there is no fairness, no real equality in this world. No matter what you measuring rod, there will always be someone who gets “the short stick” so that fairness is not possible. Do you remember as as child being told something you didn’t like and replying to your parent.”That’s not fair.” I know that I did, but my mom and dad didn’t ever change their mind due to my opinion. I came to understand as I faced the challenges of parenting myself that you cannot always be fair, but you can make the best decision for the time and the circumstances. In my devotional this morning, I faced this whole fairness conundrum again. Is God fair?
God is sovereign. Period.We were formed in the womb by God, so it is not right that we should question God’s creation. Again, God is sovereign.God is sovereign.Trust God that He knows what He is doing. The end result is good.This verse is for the Israelites, but I’m claiming it for me and for our fallen world.Consider this carefully: God is sovereign! Hallelujah! We don’t make the final decisions. God can be trusted. He knows what He is doing. He is still on His throne! Hallelujah!
The answer to my question is that God is sovereign and yes, He is fair. Maybe not in the way we want Him to be fair, but God is not our puppet on a string waiting to do what we consider fair. He looks at the whole world, and He is fair because He can be trusted to always have our best interests at heart.
Have a blessed day, my friends. Go out and have a wonderful day, remembering that the sovereign God is watching over you and has freely forgiven you. Blessings!
Good afternoon, friends. I was planning on posting this morning, but life got in the way. By life, I mean that I was feeling really weak, so I went back to bed for about an hour or so. Then, when I got up, my husband and I had to get ready to do our pickup grocery order. Now I’m home again and feeling better. I’m not sure what happened this morning. I took my blood pressure and it was a bit high, so I took the Lasix that my doctor told me to take when it was a little high. The next thing I knew, I was dizzy and unfocused and having trouble thinking and speaking. My lips were numb, too, so I took a Tums to add a quick calcium solution. Then, I went to sleep and woke up feeling better. Of course, I prayed myself to sleep, so that helped me to have peaceful rest.
Now, onto my devotional for today. I got some really good Scripture verses today from the devotionals that I read. And I’m sharing them with you in the hope that you will find a blessing in them.
God is faithful, even when we aren’t.God loves us, period. And when we seek Him early during the crises in our lives, then He shows Himself to us. I need this verse every day during all of this turmoil in our land. I’m not sure that constant turmoil and listening to the news is good for me. So, I quit listening to the news all day and I’m much more focused on God. So, this has become another go-to verse for me during the pandemic and the riots in the States. Nothing. Not. One. Thing. Nothing can separate me from God’s love. Not diseases, not pestilence, not radical beliefs and not people who constantly tell me bad news. Nothing that has happened, is happening or will happen. This is a verse that is in my mind, but I need to get it into my heart.
Well, friends, that’s it for today. Just Bible verses and my commentary. I hope that you have had a blessed day and that your evening will be filled with the knowledge of His presence and His love.
What a delightful book to lose myself in during these days of the coronavirus! Absolutely delightful! This is book #5 set in Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina, but since the main characters change in each book each can be read as a standalone. The principal characters in my latest visit to this charming town were Emma St. James, the cafe owner, and Jack Hershey, the park ranger. These two have a past based on childhood friendship and the fact that Jack stood Emma up for her senior prom. So, yes, they have a friendship, but Emma is a little leery of taking the relationship further since she remembers prom night like it was yesterday. Reading this book was like stepping away from reality and into the pages of a funny and heart-warming romance. The characters were so realistic that as I read it was like I could actually hear them talking to each other in my living room. If you enjoy happily ever after books with some rugged territory before the finale, then this book is for you. It was a fun and fast read, and I loved it! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary hard copy of this book from the publisher. 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.”
A clean read with romance, humor and characters that will step right into your heart.Information and photo from the author’s website at Annie RainsAlso includes a bonus novella by Hope Ramsey
www.bible.com/reading-plans/17704/day/207
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 