Sometimes, in the early morning hours as I have my devotions, my mind is not totally focused on God. It just runs away with me, like a train barreling down a track, as I think of all I have to accomplish that day and the people that I have to talk to. Hosea is an interesting book of the Bible because at the beginning of the book, God tells Hosea to take a wife who has prostituted herself. He wants Hosea to feel the betrayal that God Himself feels when we turn away from Him to other things, to other gods. Anything or anyone that is more important in our lives than God is becomes an idol, another god to us. So, God tells Hosea that He is in His place, just waiting for the people to repent and seek Him. Then, He says something that caught my full attention this morning: In their affliction they will earnestly seek me. Isn’t that true? When we are having problems, we turn to God and ask for His intervention. But when life is going along smoothly, we have a tendency not to even acknowledge God’s presence in our lives. God desires that we get to the point in our lives that He is a part of our everyday routine, no matter what is happening to us. I hate that the world has taken the Lord’s name and uses it in vain constantly. OMG is heard everywhere and seen online almost daily. That is NOT earnestly seeking God! In fact, it is using His name in a way that is disrespectful. We who hear this epithet daily have begun to just overlook it as what it is. I used to tell my students who said this, “Okay. You have His attention because you called on His name. Now, tell Him what you want or tell Him ‘Never mind’ because God is busy tending to His creation.” Some in my class would then snicker while the offending student would try to figure out just what I was saying. I was telling them in my own way that God desires that we earnestly, wholeheartedly seek Him. After all, the Word tells us that we will find Him when we seek Him with our whole hearts. God doesn’t want us just using His Name and then moving on with our life. He needs us to pause, to reflect on who He is and why He is great and to be praised. We have a tendency to ask God to bless the mess that we have made of our lives and to get us out of trouble. Then, when He does, we just keep on digging holes for ourselves to get stuck in. What would it be like if we truly sought the Lord about what He wants us to do that day, what He desires that we accomplish? Maybe sometimes, all He wants is for us to sit at His feet and worship, to learn more about His character. I am sure that God does not want His children to suffer, but I am equally sure that He allows us to get ourselves into trouble because He allows us to operate in the free will that He has given us. If you have ever been around small children, you know that they want to try new things. And in so doing, many times they get into trouble and call out to you to help them escape whatever mischief has captured them. That is us! We get into trouble and we call on God. However, in my devotional this morning, God has spoken clearly to me that it would be so much better if we would call on Him before the trouble begins, before we take that step that gets us into a situation that is untenable. God wants us to earnestly seek Him daily and then to live our lives, knowing that His Holy Spirit goes with us wherever we go and whatever we do. I’m trying to do what this verse says and I’m waiting with expectation for what my Heavenly Father will do. I hope that you have that same expectation and excitement as you wait for God to act! Blessings on you and your day.

One Thing by Hillsong Worship

This novel started out with a very fast pace. There was lots of action as Joshua Fields leaves the ordinary routine behind to pursue the elusive and mysterious woman he meets in the bar at the airport. Then the story gets very complex and is hard to follow, with lots of characters that are not fully developed. For example, Simon is a bad guy but we never find out his back story or what he is doing when the story ends. Overall, I found that the book was an okay read, but I probably would not have chosen to read it had I not won it. It really drags in the middle and then the ending is like, boom! Gotta conclude! I liked the character of Joshua Fields and his pursuit of the truth. I just wish that he had been a more mature character who actually chased his dreams instead of waiting until they knock him over. Readers of contemporary fiction will enjoy this book.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway, so I appreciate Penguin Random House for sending me a copy. 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.”

This book will be available tomorrow and I would rate it a very strong PG-13 because of violence, some language and some sex scenes.

Every day is a new day, filled with possibilities of new things to explore and do, new people to meet and hopefully, to touch their lives for Jesus Christ. Most of us, including me, get up every morning a little grumpy and not really wanting it to be morning. But, lately, God has been dealing with me about a new perspective He wants me to have. Each day that I have on this earth is a gift from the Heavenly Father, so I need to be thankful for it and look for ways in which I can serve Him and make His love known to others. For this elderly woman here, this seems impossible. But, not for God! He allows me to reach out and touch others using technology that was not even there when I was born. He allows me to have online friends with whom I can share the love of Jesus. He is allowing me daily to write a blog that I hope touches the hearts and minds of others. So, every day has its blessings and its challenges. Those of us who know the Lord and cling to the truth that is in His Word know that the challenges can never defeat us because the Lord is fighting right beside us.

I think that this Scripture has been misappropriated by many in the circle called “Name it and claim it.” They preach that we can pray for whatever we want or need to happen and God will answer. Well, I’m not a proponent of God being a genie in a bottle. I know that He is much bigger than that and I also know that He is not my servant. I am His! And as His servant, I am to look for opportunities to serve Him. It is within those opportunities, when I am doing His will, that I can ask and God will answer. He doesn’t send me a big car or a nicer home or any of those physical things that others seem to think is so important. No. He sends me His love and His desire for me to be a better person, to show that new person to others and to offer them His free gift of eternal life. You see, I guess that I have a simplified version of the Gospel. Jesus came to die for me and to set me free from sin. Now that I am free, I am to tell others about His great love and gift. In so doing, God will work out the impossible things that keep me from doing that which is His will. God is sovereign and can do the impossible at any time. We, however, need to know what it is that God wants us to do and start doing it. As we meet obstacles, that’s when God steps in and does the impossible. After all, He didn’t part the Red Sea until the Israelites were there and needed Him to do so. God is the God of the impossible and that makes anything possible in our lives. Isn’t that a wonderful truth to wake up to every morning? I hope you have a blessed day filled with God doing the impossible for you and your loved ones!

Photo from Surfertoday.com

The month is June. The year is 2019. There is no big election until November, 2020, yet you would think that the presidential and congressional elections are imminent if you listen to all of the hubbub on the news or radio. I have decided to remove myself from the conflict. There is a Scriptural reason for this.

When you turn on the water at your faucet, you can easily turn it off because there is a faucet there, a valve that lets water flow freely or turns it off. This isn’t so easy if you are just watching the natural flow of the water from a spring. You can change the course of the water by digging a trench, but you can’t stop its flow. Ask those who have been in the path of a raging river caused by torrential rains. Ask those in Louisiana if you can stop the destructive path of the water once it begins. They know because they lived through the destructive forces of floods. That is what arguing politics is like, a flood that cannot be stopped once it starts.

There are so many online posts that I want to respond to, sometimes with wisdom from above, but usually just from my own nature that cries against lies and deception. But I am holding myself away from the fray. I don’t want to be the one who starts that rolling flood of contention online about one candidate or another. Do I have my beliefs and my favorite candidate? Of course! But that doesn’t mean that I have to toot the horn of my candidate or make him look superior in any way. I have decided to sit quietly, be as active as possible in the local elections and let God help me to keep my spirit quiet. After all, the quarreling online does no one any good but generally causes ill feelings that last a long time. For example, one of my siblings did not speak to me for over a year because of my vote in the last election. She is speaking to me now, but she won’t allow my husband anywhere near her because he is such a staunch supporter of the one who was elected, and she wants no part of anyone who supports him. To me, it’s all like a game. I choose to sit it out and see what happens. I don’t argue online with my liberal sons who consistently post memes demonizing the one whom I support. I don’t answer any online friends who post political memes. Silence, as they say, is golden.

Did you know that when someone tries to start an argument with you and you remain silent, then the argument soon dissipates? It is absolutely true! I listen to my sibling rant and rave without answering her and pretty soon, there is silence. I had tried in the past to reason with her, to point out my reasons for my vote and support of a particular candidate. But that just made her angrier and more determined to show me “the error of my ways.” So now I just patiently (at least I try for patience) listen and wait for her to realize that I am not arguing. In the coming months, as the political campaigns ratchet up to fever pitch, my plan is just to stay calm and not answer. People who know me already know how I feel and I refuse to argue politics with anyone. That’s just how I feel. Water will flow…but I don’t plan to put myself into its destructive path when it starts to rage.

I wish you peace, joy and the love of the Father in your hearts and lives. Blessings!

This is one of those books that is hard to put down but it also a book that moves slowly, so you just want the author to get on with the story so you can find out what happens. Leona is a very protective mother, doing everything with her beloved daughter Beth. In fact, Leona has left her life in London behind to live in the Lake District because that is a better area for Beth. Leona lives with Scott, a tour guide for the area, and she makes a living creating jewelry to sell. Beth is miserable at school, friendless and constantly bullied, but she doesn’t tell her mom what is happening. Instead, she turns to a relationship with an older man, a secret she has to keep from her mother. The book is told from the perspective of Leona, Beth and another woman named Ria, a hapless creature caught in a loveless marriage and pregnant. The tales of Leona and Ria seem to be connected in some way, but the reader doesn’t find out how this is true until near the end of the book. The reveals in the book are done slowly and mostly via Leona talking to her therapist. This is a psychological suspense novel with a twist at the end. Readers of this genre will enjoy it, but I really thought that it moved too slowly to keep most readers interested until the end.

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.”

Available now at your local bookseller. This book has a disturbing theme so is not suitable for all readers.

This is a very dark and disturbing book that deals with children murdering a classmate. Charlotte, the female protagonist, has absolutely no memory of the crime and just wants a chance to start over, to rebuild her life without Sean, her partner in the crime. She has frequent visits to her therapist, Dr. Isherwood, and there is much mystery about this woman who takes phone calls in the middle of a therapy session. This is psychological suspense that has a slow start and a lot of flashbacks in the lives of Charlotte and Sean. The flashbacks are necessary to the story, but they do slow down the current action and are somewhat frustrating at times. The plot is interesting and drew me into the story of Charlotte and Sean, making me want to find out the truth about what really happened. Readers of psychological suspense will enjoy this story and will find the conclusion satisfactory.

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.”

Available now from your local bookseller. Has a dark theme, so be warned that this book is not for everyone. I would rate it PG-13 for the mature subject matter.

Readers of Claire Douglas’s latest mystery/suspense book will want to set aside time to read this book at one sitting because they will not want to put it down. Jess is friends with teen sisters Heather and Flora, that is until one night, Flora just vanishes. No one admits to knowing what happened to her, so it is like Flora vanished into thin air. Jess returns to her small hometown as a reporter, trying to report on the new mess that Heather has gotten into. Heather is accused of killing two people, and Jess is caught between reporting the story and being a good friend. Although there was not a lot of suspense in the story, there was plenty of mystery and lots of characters who could be involved in Flora’s disappearance and in the murder of which Heather is accused. Jess doggedly follows the clues, leading the reader in a circuitous route that finally leads to the truth. This was an entertaining mystery with plenty of questions to be answered, holding my interest to the end. Fans of Claire Douglas and readers of mysteries will enjoy this latest 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.”

This book will be available on June 27, 2019. TOMORROW!!

I used to take a lot of walks, when I was a child and then later as a spouse living on various military bases. I found that taking walks calmed me, the me that was angry over the things going on in my life over which I had no control. I can’t take as many walks now. One reason is that we live in a wooded area that is very rural and there are no sidewalks or even a safe space for me to walk. Another reason is that my ability to walk is impeded by a leg that doesn’t like to move around for very long without aching. So, I content myself with chair aerobics and going to the pool twice a week for swim aerobics. It just isn’t the same for me, but I am learning to be content with what is the natural course of my life. Everyone who doesn’t die young gets old. Getting older has challenges of its own, but it also has the promise of eternal life that will be coming sooner rather than later.

I love how this verse expresses what my future will ultimately be like…God’s call is UPward! That is the future for all of us who serve the Lord and have purposed to spend eternity with Him.

I don’t know if I will live until Jesus returns or not. I’m not even sure when the Church will be called away. I just know that I plan to be ready whenever it happens. And if I am already dead, then I will awaken to eternal life with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is the positive part of this verse in Daniel. The negative side is that some will go to “everlasting contempt.” One version calls it “eternal shame.” (MSG) My grandson has been visiting this week and he is very curious about eternal life and what is to come. He asked me the other day, “What happens if I don’t believe in Hell or eternal condemnation?” My reply to him was very simple, “Your belief in the existence of Hell or not doesn’t make it not real. Hell is a very real place, created for Satan and his angels. But if you insist on living your life selfishly and not accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then God will sadly allow you to go there at the end. It wasn’t meant to you, but God will allow you to have your choices fulfilled.” Well, let me tell you that had him really thinking and asking more questions. I wish that I had all of the answers for him, but I honestly could only answer with my limited knowledge. God is God and will do as He has promised. He has promised salvation to those of us who love and worship His Son as our Lord and Savior. He has also promised judgment and condemnation to those who have not. As my grandson said, “That’s harsh!” Yes. Yes, it is. But God lives up to His character and fulfills His Word. If we choose to live outside of His plan for us, then we are choosing a final destination that He did not choose for us.

Yes, I am older. More of my life is behind me than in front of me. But I have no regrets about living for the Lord and making Him a priority of my life. I know that some day I will reap an eternal reward. I pray and hope that each of you has the same hope of salvation, of eternal life.

Made New by Lincoln Brewster