Review of Shattered by Dr. David Jeremiah with Sam O’Neal

On June 16, 2026 By vickleaIn Book Promo, Book Review4 Comments

About the Book

ISBN-139781400350773

PublisherNelson, Thomas, Inc.

Publication Date06/16/2026

SeriesThe Vanished Series

Pages: 368

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble)

Two years have passed since millions across the globe disappeared in a heartbeat including John “Haggs” Haggerty’s own family. Haggs, a military expert in pandemics, warned his agency of growing patterns in deadly epidemics and other threats to security. Then the “Great Disappearance” and the nuclear destruction of the US changed everything. Now he is invited to join the powerful Trident Group, led by the wealthy Matthias Vilks.

Inside Trident, Haggs sees patterns that suggest a coordinated plan to control economies and governments. He is not alone. Israeli tech expert, Saul Katz, saw his colleague disappear before his eyes. Now the Israeli government confiscates his life’s work, a defense system for Israel. Li Fan, monitoring seismic anomalies, sees terrifying signals in the earth’s activity, but no one will listen to her warnings.

As the disturbing pieces fall in place, governments fall, and John and his best friend’s daughter, Abigail, begin to see those prophecies from scripture come to lifeIsrael is in danger, natural disasters rake the planet, and world leaders bow to one powerful man. The signs are clear: the end times are no longer approachingthey have begun.

My Thoughts

This hard-hitting apocalyptic novel begins the story where the first book in the series Vanished ended, so I highly recommend that you read the series on order. In this book John Haggerty and Abigail take center stage as the opposition to the appearance of the Antichrist and the destruction that he and his minions want to reap on the earth. The story is not totally Biblical but it is definitely Biblically based, with fiction interspersed with scriptural truths. If you have read Matthew 24 and Revelation, you will notice that the events of the end times are well and mostly accurately portrayed. The characters are realistic and relatable as the ones left behind after the Rapture. The action is fast-paced and mostly centered around Israel. There is a great deal of use of technology to spread the word about the “rebels” and this rang true to me even though it isn’t specifically in the Bible because technology is rampant these days already so I can see how it could be used for both good and evil during the time of the Antichrist. The book is intense but a completely clean read and a must-read for those who enjoy stories about what will happen before the end of this age.
I voluntarily 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.

Rated PG due to intensity and End Times subject matter, Christian Fiction

About the Author

Founder and host of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, David Paul Jeremiah, was born February 13, 1941, in Toledo, Ohio. He is one of four children born to James and Ruby Jeremiah. During his childhood, his family moved to Dayton, Ohio, where his father, James T. Jeremiah, served as Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church. In 1953, the Jeremiah family moved to Cedarville, Ohio, when his father became the President of Cedarville College—which is now Cedarville University.

Growing up in a pastor’s home, David was immersed in ministry from an early age. During his senior year at Cedarville College, he felt God’s calling to enter full-time ministry. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963, and that same year he married his college sweetheart, Donna Thompson. After graduation, they moved to Dallas, Texas, where David attended Dallas Theological Seminary. He received his Master’s degree in Theology in 1967. Completing additional graduate work at Grace Seminary, he was granted the Doctor of Divinity degree from Cedarville College in 1981.

In 1969, David and Donna began a church plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with seven families in attendance. He served as pastor at Blackhawk Baptist Church for twelve years. During that time the church grew to 1,300 members, Blackhawk Christian School was founded, and The Bible Hour television program was launched.

In 1981, the Jeremiah family, which now included four children, followed God’s call and moved to California when Dr. Jeremiah became the senior pastor of Scott Memorial Baptist Church, which is now Shadow Mountain Community Church. Today Shadow Mountain Community Church is one of the largest churches in San Diego county with eight satellite locations including Hispanic and Arabic congregations. The main campus of the church, located in El Cajon, California, is also the home to Southern California Seminary and Christian Unified Schools, a multiple site kindergarten through twelfth-grade Christian school district. Website: Dr. David Jeremiah

Purchase Links

Monday Musings

On June 15, 2026 By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

Can we just be honest with each other this morning? We are all juggling balls…trying to keep things in the air and not let anything fall. And, of course, feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and not a little impatient at how long it’s taking for the balls to just settle and be still. Let’s be even more honest. Most of us put those balls in the air to begin with and now we don’t know what to do with them.

My balls include the following:

~Health issues. I am scheduled to have a spinal injection on Friday but first I have to get my asthma/breathing under control. My peak flow is way down even after two rounds of steroids and all of my other meds. I may be wrong but I don’t think I can have a needle stuck into my spine while having a coughing fit. So, there is that ball.

~The AC at home has not been working right (contributing to my breathing issues, of course). My husband got up before six this morning to go to the AC repair place and snag a repairman.

~My grandchildren have been celebrating all kinds of milestones and I haven’t been able to travel to be there with them. Elementary school graduation, play performances, dance recitals, so many things!

~Books to read and review…so many books! Authors ask and I say “yes” and the pile is taller than I am.

~Family issues. My sister wants me to visit, but I have been ill. My husband wants to visit his brother, but he doesn’t want to leave me alone without a car.

I could continue the list, but now let’s get to the answers to the juggling balls. Naturally, the first thing we do is try to figure it out ourselves. That will not work! We need God’s input. So, pause, worship, pray and then be still and listen. This is what I heard this morning when I took time to forget about the balls and focus on God.

Before worrying about all of the balls you’re going to drop, why not ask God to help prioritize those balls and for help figuring things out. He promises wisdom, but you have the responsibility to ask for it.

So, having prayed and asked for wisdom, here are what my balls are doing now:

~I can’t change timing or my health issues, but I can change my attitude and relax into my breathing treatments. That really does help tremendously. So, ten minutes of nebulizer means ten minutes of not thinking about my balls falling but about spending time with God. He can hold on to the balls for me or let them fall…it doesn’t matter. Turns out those balls are a manifestation of my need for control and I need to let go.

~Hubby found an AC repairman and I am trusting that God will use them to show us grace, mercy and restore the cool air we need. Regardless, God gave me the breath of life and He can keep me breathing.

~One book at a time, one review at a time and a determination not to say “yes” to another book until I have finished two. I want to keep commitments since God keeps all of His promises to me. I just have to be practical and not so easily led to just say “yes.”

~An easy solution to my husband’s traveling. He can go see his brother while our granddaughter is still living with us. That way I have someone with me who has a car and Harry has the freedom to see his brother. Why didn’t I think of that before? Because I was too busy juggling balls! God took that ball away and told me I don’t need to be at all concerned about it anymore.

What balls are you juggling that you need to just let them drop?

I confess that I have been uneasy about dropping any balls, but that is my firm desire to control things that are out of my control. So, I am letting go and being still and trusting God.

There’s freedom in dropping the balls!

Come, Let Us Worship

On June 14, 2026 By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

Come, Let Us Worship-CRC

The Kindness Report #14

On June 13, 2026 By vickleaIn Re-blog1 Comment

theblogera.com/he-called-a-restaurant-to-order-his-dogs-last-meal/

Please go to the original blog and follow Ritish. We could all learn to pay attention to acts of kindness and follow through with some of our own. Not for publicity, but because being kind is always the right thing to do. Thank you, Ritish, for your post and for letting me share it.

Jesus Planned It All

On June 11, 2026 By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I don’t know about you all, but I am a planner. I make lists about everything: groceries, to be read, errands, household chores, etc. I even make lists for others who do not want them, just because I want them to know what they should be doing. (It doesn’t usually work for me to make lists for others, but I stubbornly try, anyway.) So, I am a planner. But do you know who the greatest planner is? JESUS!

From Max Lucado’s devotional, God Came Near, I read this today:

“Jesus planned His own sacrifice. It means Jesus intentionally planted the tree from which His cross would be carved. It means He willingly placed the iron ore in the heart of the earth from which the nails would be cast. It means he voluntarily placed His Judas in the womb of a woman. It means Christ was the One who set in motion the political machinery that would send Pilate to Jerusalem. And it also means He didn’t have to do it—but He did.”

This was eye-opening to me because I had never considered all of the planning that went into the sacrifice that Jesus made for us willingly and obediently. Sometimes my lists seem to overwhelm me, but God did all that He did with a purpose in mind…our salvation. He did not waver and I don’t think He needed a checklist. All He needed was the knowledge that one day His plan would bear fruit and the sacrifice and all of the planning would be worth it.

Waiting for God to Act

On June 10, 2026 By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Waiting Well (Daily Refresh, 6-10-26)

Waiting can be hard.

Most of us would prefer quick, efficient, and—when possible—instant results and answers.

But waiting is a part of life.

We must wait for seeds to grow into food, for one season to fade into the next, for babies to mature into adults, and for trees to stand tall enough to finally offer shade.

Like it or not, waiting takes patience.

We can wait days, months, years, or even decades for a prayer to be answered, for an overdue apology, for the timing to be right, or for a dream to finally come to pass.

Waiting requires courage.

King David lived nearly 3,000 years ago, but he knew what it meant to wait for God’s timing, to wait to be king, to wait to be rescued from his enemies. He wrote:

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If David thought waiting on God was important enough to write it twice in one verse, we should probably pay attention. But waiting patiently for the Lord isn’t an excuse to do nothing.

We can proactively wait on God by staying in communication with Him, by looking for His fingerprints in ordinary moments, by reading about His story and His plans in His Word, by worshiping Him no matter what’s happening across the globe, by serving the people both inside and outside of our circles, and by thanking Him for the gifts He’s already given us.

Just because a specific door isn’t opening, or a particular opportunity isn’t available at this moment doesn’t mean that God isn’t moving.

Even when we are waiting—God is working.

Noah spent decades building an ark as he waited for God to do what He’d said. Ruth journeyed with her mother-in-law and worked in the grain fields while trusting in God’s provision after her husband’s death. Joseph stayed faithful in prison for several years before his promotion to second-in-command of Egypt. John trusted God’s ultimate will for his life, and wrote several books of the New Testament while sentenced to exile on the island of Patmos.

So, no matter what you’re facing today, you can ask God for patience and trust that He is in control of your future. No matter what uncertainty lies before you, when you rely on the Lord, you can be someone who waits well.

My Thoughts

I will be honest and confess here that I don’t wait well. I don’t necessarily expect instant answers from God, but I don’t like saying the same prayers over and over and not really seeing any change. Two examples come to mind immediately: my health issues and a job for our grandson Isaac.

I pray for my health. Others join me in prayer. Yet, I don’t improve. Or not yet, anyway. I saw my pulmonologist yesterday and she said that the steroids I am taking should have kicked in and I should be breathing better, but I’m not. So, what to do? More steroids at a higher dose. Back to waiting with the added prayer that the meds will work or God will just take over and release my breath.

I pray for Isaac daily, sometimes several times a day. He graduated last year with a degree in computer science and mathematics. The economy has been in a mess because of the government delays on passing a budget, so that caused waiting. Now, it seems that AI is interfering with Isaac’s ability to get a job since AI can do a lot of what he is trained to do. Isaac is discouraged but still plugging away with applications and an interview occasionally. I try to encourage him about waiting for the job that God wants Him to have, but inside, I am having difficulty waiting myself. I am frustrated that this sweet grandson who has had surgery for cancer, has to have scans every few months because it’s so aggressive, and now he has problems finding a job. God keeps whispering to me, “In my time.” Yet I continue to ask, “When, God?”

So, waiting is hard, but it is necessary. I love the paragraph in this devotional about being proactive while you wait. I put that part in bold, so go back and read again what we should be doing while we wait. Most important to me is communication with God, continuing to worship and being thankful.

God is good all the time… and He is not on my timetable. So, I wait and pray.

Are you waiting on something from God? How can I pray for you today?

GOD IS…

On June 9, 2026 By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

When I say the name God, what comes to your mind immediately? For me, it is a peace and a calm that goes beyond anything that I can imagine. It’s blue sky, white clouds, birds singing and butterflies fluttering in a beautiful garden. It is complete and total serenity in the presence of the One who knows me best and loves me most.