Standing Strong

With one setback after another recently, including a broken foot that kept us from visiting our son and his family in Maryland, I was whining and crying last night to my husband. What brought on this discouragement? An announcement from Maryland’s governor that one cannot enter his state without a negative Covid test. What?!? I have been looking forward to a visit to my family for months now. We were supposed to go at the beginning of the month, but then I broke my foot and ended up in a boot and can’t manage stairs. So, we postponed it only to have Governor Hogan throw a wrench into the works. Well, I am calmed down now, prayerful and hopeful that God will work things out. I have no idea how, especially since I don’t even know where to go to get a Covid test unless I have symptoms. And praise God that neither my husband nor I have experienced those! So, what will we do? We don’t know yet. It’s in the not knowing that the stress comes in.

Then there is the election that has been called by the MSM and Fox News but not certified by the states. So, in this election cycle, I am still holding fast to my faith that God will work things out. If President Trump in still in the White House, then praise God that He has saved us once more from socialism and leaders who may claim to know God but who perform ungodly acts. Nevertheless, if there is a President Biden, that doesn’t mean that God has lost His power. He is still our firm foundation and will see us through whatever happens in our beloved nation. My prayer is that, no matter what, we will continue to have freedom of religion and speech and will not fear what man can do to us.

Dr. Denison’s forum today was encouraging for me, so here it is for you to read.

Dr . Denison November 18, 2020

And here are the Scripture verses that really stood out to me and touched my heart and mind.

Doesn’t seem very encouraging, does it? But wait….the book of Habakkuk doesn’t end here and our story doesn’t end with the wicked winning along with injustice.
I rejoice in the midst of the troubles because God is still on His throne and I am still a Christian, on the earth temporarily, and headed for my real home in Heaven.
God helps me to stay on top of things and not on the bottom looking up. Instead, I am on the top looking down at all of the chaos and waiting for God to settle things, in His time and in His way.

May the Lord bless and keep each of you in the palm of His hand, and may you find contentment in His presence. ♥️

From Politics to the Gospel

This blog looks at a moving discussion I had with a dear unbelieving friend.

From Politics to the Gospel

Dear Friends of Vickie’s Blog: Please go to the original post and LIKE it there! I really want to give credit where credit is due and this entire piece was penned by David Ettinger. I’m sure he would enjoy knowing who actually likes his blog and would also enjoy the encouragement you could give him by following his blog. SO, REMEMBER, GO TO THE ORIGINAL POST AND LIKE IT!

From Politics to the Gospel

This blog looks at a moving discussion I had with a dear unbelieving friend.

From Politics to the Gospel

Dear Friends of Vickie’s Blog: Please go to the original post and LIKE it there! I really want to give credit where credit is due and this entire piece was penned by David Ettinger. I’m sure he would enjoy knowing who actually likes his blog and would also enjoy the encouragement you could give him by following his blog. SO, REMEMBER, GO TO THE ORIGINAL POST AND LIKE IT!

Faith

All of today’s post that is in bold is from The Bible in One Year 2020 Devotional by Nicky Gumbel on the YouVersion Bible App.

Forsaking All I Take Him (FAITH)

‘Faith is not shelter against difficulties, but belief in the face of all contradictions,’ wrote Paul Tournier.

Feeling Afraid I Trust Him (FAITH)

John Paton (1824–1907), a Scot, had travelled to the New Hebrides (a group of islands in the south-west Pacific) determined to tell the tribal people about Jesus, but he struggled to find the right word for ‘faith’. One day, when his indigenous servant came in, Paton raised both feet off the floor, sat back in his chair and asked, ‘What am I doing now?’ In reply, the servant used a word that means, ‘to lean your whole weight upon’. This became the expression that Paton used. Faith is leaning our whole weight upon Jesus.

I needed this devotional today because although I do have faith in God, my faith has been at a low point recently. Two of my daughter’s very good friends were hospitalized within days of each other. One had a punctured lung and the other has a tumor on her spine. The one with the lung issue has been discharged to recover at home but still needs to be on oxygen. The other young woman has been undergoing radiation and chemo treatments and can only have one family visitor at a time. Please pray for both of these women. The one with cancer is a believer, the other not so much, but both need a touch from the Lord.

Then, the election happened and is still happening. I have ceased watching most news because it all upsets me too much and I was going to bed nightly with a severe headache. Unfortunately, my husband likes to report all things about politics so he reports the news that I’m missing to me in all of its detail. Nevertheless, I have a handle on my faith now. I listen to praise music, read my books, pray and ask God for His mercy and grace to be on our nation and for His love to rest on His people. I can even listen to my husband’s excited reports about the current event without getting an immediate headache.

I will close with a scripture verse that means a lot to me these days, and every day, really.

May you be blessed in the knowledge that God is ever present and ready to help you.

Review of SOFTLY BLOWS THE BUGLE by Jan Drexler

I loved this sweet story about the Amish in Weaver’s Creek. Elizabeth is a young widow who has a broken heart and trust issues. Aaron fought in the Civil War and was gravely wounded there. Traveling to Weaver’s Creek with Jonas after the war, Aaron feels like half a man and although he wants a “normal” life, he does not think that is a possibility for him. There is also a mystery involving a newcomer to the community named Solomon who immediately sets his eyes on Elizabeth and insists that she should marry him quickly. The story is fast-paced and engaging, with plenty of information about the Amish gentle and accepting way of life. I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and especially enjoyed the themes of redemption and a new chance at a new life. Although this is book #3 of a series, I have not read the other books and had no difficulty understanding the relationships between the characters and the plot itself. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Amish fiction, a clean read and an altogether enjoyable story.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. 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.”

Image and information from author’s website at http://www.jandrexler.com
A completely clean Christian read!

Available NOW! Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Christian Book

Google

Baker Publishing

Powells

Indiebound

I hope that you will purchase and enjoy this wonderfully, well-written book that will take you away to a small Amish community with a lot of heart!

Losses and Wins

This weekend brought devastating news to me. First the MSM declared that Biden is the president-elect. Never mind that the vote has not been certified and there are all kinds of allegations of election fraud and legal challenges to the current vote. There are statistical anomalies that make more sense and the election is being compared to Richard Daley taking over Chicago with “down ballots.” I’m disgusted and dismayed, but I’m not defeated and neither is the President. And if it turns out that he LEGALLY loses, then the USA has gotten what we deserve and what many asked for. Nevertheless, I continue to cry out for God’s grace and mercy for our nation.

But, to me, even more upsetting news was the death of the “Jeopardy” TV show host, Alex Trebek. I have watched Jeopardy since I was in my teens at home with my mom and siblings. We watched, played along and enjoyed that half hour of TV each night. (At that time the host was Art Fleming.). Then, when I got married and moved every couple of years, the one show that was a constant in my life was “Jeopardy.” I felt like watching it made me smarter somehow as I absorbed the trivia that was presented there. When Alex Trebek wrote his memoir last year, I got it and read it intently, wanting to know more about this guest in my living room for over three decades. The memoir was heart-touching and heart-rending as he accepted his inevitable death from pancreatic cancer. And yesterday, he passed away. May he Rest In Peace.

So, what wins do I have? I went to church yesterday for the first time in eight months! My husband and I attended a new church in a town about forty minutes away (twice the distance as my previous church), and I thought the service was amazing! Excellent praise and worship time, communion and a sermon that my heart really needed. Just going into public was a real challenge for me since I haven’t gone anywhere except to medical appointments since March. But, masked up and limping around with my boot on my broken foot, I went to church and loved every minute. Afterwards, I met an elderly lady outside waiting for her ride. But as it turns out, Deborah didn’t have a ride. She was trusting Jesus for one. Since she is currently staying in a town near ours, we took her home. Win! We got to help someone! Then, we went to the local restaurant and ordered a thin crust pizza for our lunch. I haven’t had pizza since March either. Even with my very restricted diet, I was allowed two pieces. A lot of thanks for that taste in my mouth again!

Here is Dr. Denison’s Forum for today. I hope that you enjoy reading news from a Christian perspective.

Dr. Denison November 9, 2020

By the way, I joined Parler because it doesn’t censor conservatives. If you want to join, it’s quite easy. I’m @wattsvickie on this app. I hope to see some of you there.

God’s Judgment?

I have almost turned off all news yesterday and today. I cannot watch as the election shenanigans continue and the votes are taken away from our President. I do not think that Joe Biden is evil, but I do believe that he is bad for America. Nevertheless, the election process and the legal challenges continue and the stress has been too much for me, so I just turn it off. I did read Dr. Denison’s take on the election and this is part of his forum for today.

In America’s Expiration Date, Cal Thomas makes this prophetic statement: “Given the history of other empires and great nations, the decadence that now is tightening its grip on America almost guarantees our demise, or at the very least a radical decline that will leave the country devoid of the liberties we now enjoy but are rapidly exchanging for a license to do whatever we wish.”

God destroyed the nation of Israel because of its sins (Amos 9:8). The less we fear divine judgment, the more we should (cf. v. 10). If a tiny virus can bring the world’s greatest superpower to its knees, what of the judgment of an omnipotent and holy God?

But as we discern and grieve for the sins of our nation, we must remember that it is always too soon to give up on God. And never too late to intercede for a mighty movement of his Spirit.

Methodist minister Samuel Chadwick wrote, “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”

Will you make Satan tremble today?

Article taken from:

Dr. Denison November 6, 2020

I was particularly drawn to the paragraph about interceding for our nation. We need to pray as never before that God will be merciful. I must admit that I had a conversation with God last night (or actually early this morning since I couldn’t sleep) and in my discourse, I just frankly told God that I’m angry about everything that is happening. I honestly told him that in the past I prayed for presidents that I had absolutely no real love for, like Clinton and Obama. And I told God that I just didn’t think I would be able to pray for Joe Biden. He calmed my heart and told me that He would give me the prayers to pray and the words to say when I need them.

Again, when I talk to God, I speak to Him from my heart and my frustrations came through clearly. I have not been able to attend church since March, although my husband has been going to our old church. I, in fact, chose to leave that church in August when the pastor kept preaching from commentaries instead of from the Holy Bible. The big issue was that he never makes it clear that what he is saying is from a commentary, so what he spoke was “extra-scriptural.” To me, that was wrong because the pastor is held to a high standard to preach God’s Word and I felt that He was adding things to God’s Word for the purpose of unnecessary theatrics. After speaking with the pastor, I decided that it was best for me to walk away since he does not see that he is erring at all and my heart sees things differently. I have spoken to the pastor since I left the church membership and even helped him edit a story that he wrote, but the relationship is not what it should be between a sheep and the shepherd. With my trust in my pastor fading and then disappearing, I made the only decision that I could, prayerfully, of course. So, I have been pastor-less, and I told God that I was upset about that, too. He has spoken to me repeatedly that He is my Shepherd so I don’t need to fear. Unfortunately, my husband is on the board for the church and is trying to fulfill his duties there, even while he searches for a new church for us to attend. In the meantime, when I have prayer requests, I have two good friends whom I contact as well as my daughter, and it is to them that I pour out my heart. I do miss praise and worship, so I keep worship music on most of the day, as I do my devotions, write this blog and read my books. But I miss the corporate worship in a way that I can’t describe. I miss the people in the church, but not the errors in the message that made me cringe.

I say all this to just say that we all need prayer, but mostly, our nation needs us to stand together in prayer. We need to stand our ground and pray for God to make things right and to protect us from the coming judgment.

Lauren Daigle “O Lord”