I seem to be stuck on this abortion issue these days. The news this morning keeps reporting that the state of Virginia considered the same kind of abortion bill that was passed in New York State. What an abomination! Thank goodness our legislators in Virginia were able to defeat it! But my heart is aching because I cannot stand the amount of darkness that there is in the world today. If my heart is breaking, how much more must the Father’s heart hurt?

I am praying in faith and believing that God will bring some good out of this darkness, somehow. He is sovereign; He creates and He can change things in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, I have two sons who are extremely liberal and who constantly argue with me to defend the right of a woman to choose. I continue to be unapologetically pro-life, with the belief that the woman’s choice was when she had unprotected sex. I am even pro-life in the case of rape, incest or other atrocities. I still believe that the life inside the womb is a baby, in spite of the fact that others call the baby a fetus or a bunch of cells. There is too much injustice in today’s world and I can only cry out the name of the Lord and ask Him to be the final judge, to show mercy to those committing these murders and to show them the right way. That is where my faith wavers because I’m not seeing a lot of change these days. Having seen and listened to my sons for years, I know that changing them and anyone else who believes likewise would take a miracle. But since God is a miracle worker, I am standing on my faith in Him and believing that one day, my heart will be able to rejoice in the changes in them and in the world. I’m sure some are asking, “How is it possible for someone with such faith to have two sons who do not believe in the tenets of the Bible?” That isn’t an easy question to answer. After all, they were raised in the same household and in the same way as their sister who believes in all the truths of the Bible. However, the difference is that the boys wanted to go to a Christian college. So my husband and I went into a huge amount of debt to make that possible for both of them. Be wary! All schools that call themselves Christian are not so! The college we sent our sons to taught them to question the Word of God. So, they graduated as liberals with half-beliefs and continue that to this day, to my great dismay and sadness.

My belief is that God will be the final victor, over every belief that is a half-truth, over everyone who believes the lies of Satan, that murdering an unborn child is okay. God wins in the end! So, I can only pray and wait in faith and expectant hope. God is able and He makes me an overcomer. Are you at that place in your life where you need to know God as victor? Believe and accept His sovereign love for you and become all that He meant for you to be. Blessings!

Have you ever felt isolated? Perhaps like you aren’t doing enough for God? I have been so wrapped up in my medical melodrama that I haven’t felt like I am reaching out to people as I should. My prayer today was to be a blessing to others. Isn’t that what we should all pray each day? But prayer is asking God to bless our actions, so that means we have to step out and do something. What we do and say daily makes a difference to others. The world is watching us no matter where we are and what we are doing or saying. That can be a scary thought sometimes, but it is so true. God wants us to be that light that shines in the darkness so that others will be directed to Him.

This verse says that whenever we have the chance, we should DO good to everyone. What does that mean? Maybe we can watch a child for a neighbor to be able to have a break. Perhaps it means paying for coffee for someone at the local diner. Or it may mean stepping out of our comfort zone and actually speaking to strangers, to ask if they have any needs that we can pray for. Whatever God asks us to do and wherever He sends us, we should always be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. If we look around the world today, it is obvious that there are a lot of lost people in it. The state of New York just legalized abortion up to birth. The state of California is making it illegal to use the pronouns he or she. So, our world is confused, lost in its sin. What can I do? I’m only one person. Well, online, I am stating daily how precious life is and how wrong abortion is. I’m posting the Scriptures that God created male and female. The need is great, and we can’t meet the needs and the challenges of a lost world alone.

God will give us peace as we go out into the world to serve Him. In our daily lives, we always meet up with people and we can influence them for good. God will give us the strength not to get tired of doing His work. We are His hands and feet that He left behind to complete His mission on earth. Jesus paid the price for us to be able to live eternally with Him. As hard as it may be to believe, there are some who have not heard about Jesus’s sacrifice for them. We live in a world of screens: TV, computer, phone, tablets, etc. How many people open their screen daily and use it for good? We can do that! Spread the message of God’s great love on whatever social platform you are on! Tell others how He has changed your life. For me, this medical dilemma has been a way to show others the peace that God has given me, in the face of great obstacles called health issues. Bless others and don’t curse them, just because things are difficult for you. You may be the only representation of Jesus that they are going to see today. As I was waiting for six hours for my cardiac test to be over, I surprisingly did not get impatient or rude. That’s surprising if you know me, because normally I would be at the receptionist’s desk asking why there was such a long delay and demanding to be seen, sooner rather than later. Instead, God had me sitting quietly, reading and praying and waiting and then smiling and blessing the technicians who finally called me back. During my torturous manometry, the person inside me wanted to scream out that the nurse needed more training before she started threading that tube down people’s throats. But, again, God gave me grace and all I did is sit and pray, crying out for the help of God. He answered my prayer because the nurse called in her supervisor who was able to place the tube correctly and the test was completed. Again, I blessed the little nurse who tended me and who didn’t really seem too competent. God saw her as precious and needing encouragement, so that is what I gave her. As you go through the day today, look for ways to bless others. If your spiritual eyes and ears are open, you will go out and be the light in a dark world!

Glow in the Dark by Jason Gray

I am not seeing much of God’s goodness today in the world we live in. But we have to look with our spiritual eyes to see God’s actions in today’s world. We can see the children that God is drawing to Him, if we only look. Is there evil in the world? Yes, of course there is! But, we are called to look at things differently than those in the world do. I’m sure that you remember the story of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah reminded Elisha to look with spiritual eyes and only then could he see the army of God ready to take on the enemy. That is what I see as I pray for God to force back the evil in today’s world. The news of the “abortions” being performed on live babies in New York has my heart crying out to God for justice for these innocent babes. God’s reply to me has been to wait for Him to take action.

In the meantime, as I wait, I continue to speak out about this outrageous legislation and the deceived hearts of the men and women who would make it sound acceptable to kill babies. In fact, an online friend said that the babies would be better off dead than raised by someone who doesn’t want them. Really? Where does this behavior end? Are the elderly next? After all, we have outlived our usefulness. I stand by my belief that God creates life and only He should be able to decide when it ends. A baby is a life, not a choice! So I wait as patiently as my anxious heart can allow, wanting the governor and legislators to be censored, to be vilified in the press so that they see their wrongdoing clearly. I have been disappointed because the liberal media is not saying anything about the new law at all, except a brief mention that it passed. I cannot help but think of the civilizations in the past who sacrificed their children. These people groups died out; God is in control and will only allow people to go so far for so long. I fear for our nation if this is the direction in which we are going. But I know that there are others like me who are praying for a revival, for a stirring in the hearts of the people of the Lord, those who will not stand for such travesty, such a violation of the sacredness of life. I don’t know what God’s actions will be, but I do trust Him to act.

This is my prayer for the remnant in the United States who still believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible. He is saving us daily, He is blessing us daily, and He is being our Shepherd daily. We only have to open our eyes and ears to hear His word to us and to see His actions all around us. He is carrying us in His arms. And the little babies that are being murdered? They are in the arms of our Heavenly Father, being loved and comforted for all eternity. Was that God’s plan for them? I don’t think so, but then evil men with hearts of stone purposed to violate God’s laws and He has allowed this. But he comforts me with the word that He is saving, blessing, shepherding and carrying the believers…forever.

We are to continue to work out our salvation. What does that mean? To me, it means praying daily and asking God what He wants me to do and say for Him that day. I was saved on February 28, 1973. I am being saved daily. And one day, I will go to be with Him for all eternity…I will be saved. Meanwhile, like part of the army of God that I am supposed to be, I am occupying. Right now, I feel like I am part of an occupying force in a hostile land. Indeed, the world is hostile to the Word of God, as evidenced by the evil all around us. But God has assured me that His army is greater and will one day be totally victorious over all of the evil. Yet, a little while, we wait, with expectation, knowing that He will not always be absent. He is coming back as the Victorious King over all the earth, and even the most base and defiant enemies of the Lord will bow to Him. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Have you every wondered why you are here on earth? What is your purpose? Why do things happen the way that they do? I am certain that not one of us can be left out of these questions. They are not questions about how strong or how weak our faith is. Instead, they are questions of genuine puzzlement that I believe God has placed deep into our hearts and souls. Unlike Jesus, we don’t know our purpose unless we explore what and where and why God has placed us in certain situations and places.

The Scripture verse above is what Jesus told the Father. You see, Jesus knew the work that God had given Him to do and knew when He would be all done with it. He said on the cross, “It is finished.” He had once and for all completed the work that God sent Him to earth to do. How many of us can say that? I venture to guess that the answer to my rhetorical question is not many, perhaps none. Nevertheless, that should be the goal of each of us. We need to find the purpose that God has for us and then work our whole lives to fulfill it. Do you remember when you were a small child and your mom gave you a task to do? My reply after I had finished was always, “All done!” I knew that my mother would inspect the job and she would declare whether I was truly done or not. That is what I want to be able to tell the Father, knowing that He has performed inspections all along the way and will welcome me with a “Well done!”

This photo is from another blogger on Word Press at The Blue Tree House.

I admire Corrie Ten Boom and all she endured on earth, especially since I have not had to endure anything like what she went through and yet she continued to serve and praise God. She was tortured at the hands of the Nazis and watched her beloved sister be tortured and ultimately die just before the arrival of the Americans and release from their prison. Yet she forgave her captors and preached forgiveness and love around the world. Her bestselling book The Hiding Place is her testimony of her sacrifices and love for a Savior; her devotion and faith never wavered. I cannot be Corrie Ten Boom, but I can be Vickie. I can be the one that God created me to be, with all of my failures and shortcomings. God loves me! Yes, he does and whatever I am going through now, He can use to prepare me for a future that only He can see. God is perfecting me, one day at a time, one trial at a time, one test at a time. I know that my recents medical tests have not been something that I want to endure, and neither is the testing that you are going through. But don’t you want to bring the Father glory when at last you can say that you have completed what He gave you to do, to the best of your ability, and always with the help of His Holy Spirit and the other saints who encourage you along the way? That is my goal. I want to finish this race and be able to say that I was victorious, that I truly completed all that God gave me to do. What is your purpose in life? I hope that it is to fulfill God’s purpose in your life. For that is all each of us is called to do. God isn’t finished with me yet, and He isn’t finished with you either. Blessings as you go out and complete your mission on earth for the Lord!

Oh, yes, it has seemed lately like I have faced one trial after another, and just when I think that the sun is breaking through, another obstacle has been placed in my path. I thought my surgery would be February 6th and I would be able to visit our grandchildren for little Penny’s fourth birthday on February 22nd. But, alas! It was not to be because my surgery was postponed until February 18th and I can’t travel until at least after March 7th, the date of my post-op appointment. So, I have been looking to God for guidance and for His comfort. He led me to the 23rd Psalm, specifically a couple of verses that really stood out.

In green pastures represents plenty of all we need, including rest. All is good because God is in control and He is taking care of keeping everything green and growing while I just rest. The waters are quiet because if they were rushing or roiling, I would not be able to rest because I would be listening for a flood or some other disaster. So, God has allowed me the last two months to count my blessings and to let me know that He has me in the palm of His hand. He hasn’t taken His eyes off of me, although I confess that there were many times when I was tempted to turn from Him. He has let me know how precious I am to Him, even in the middle of this wild and crazily restrictive diet that I have had to follow.

I must admit that one of the things that has been most concerning to me, of course, has been the idea of not making it through the surgery. After all, my friend had the same surgery in December and died a week later. Nevertheless, through much prayer and encouragement from friends and family, I am pushing onward, knowing that I cannot possibly live such a limited life wherein fish is my main staple and I am not allowed to travel. So, surgery it is! But God, in His infinite love and wisdom has constantly told me that He is with me, even through this. After all, He did not leave me when I was all alone on one strange military base after another. He did not leave me when my mom died when I was only in my thirties. And He was right there with me when my father died in July, 2017. Somehow, this seemed different though, so I have been seeking Him to make sure that all my “ducks are in a row.” I updated my will and the addendum to it. I have made sure to contact siblings with whom I have not been in contact for a while, just to say that I love them. Now, do I expect to die? Honestly, I don’t know. Nevertheless, I want to be ready. Just as I have spent most of my life organizing and planning, this, too, seems to be something that I should prepare for. But the greatest preparation took place almost forty-six years ago when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

God has let me know that He is and has always been with me, right beside me or walking in front of me, preparing the way. The promise is that, regardless of the outcome, I will dwell in God’s house forever. I will always be with the Lord. If I live, then I live to serve the Lord. If I die, then He has called me home to be with Him. There is an assurance in that, a calmness that the world cannot give. The surgeon tried to alleviate my natural fears, telling me that I will “only” have five or six small incisions. Hmm. Well, that didn’t help my mindset! On the other hand, knowing that God will be with me when they put me to sleep and with me when I awaken is the way I keep myself calm. My prayer for all of my readers is to have the assurance of God’s love that is your insurance for your future. Only God can give the peace to know that it’s all going to turn out okay, no matter what happens. He has been there for me, and He will be there for you! Blessings!

So, for those who have been following my blog, you know that I went to see my surgeon on Monday to talk about my upcoming surgery. I was very disappointed to find out that since my tests had been postponed (due to the doctors’ lack of communication with each other), my surgical appointment was postponed until February 18th. I was distraught because I had already missed Christmas with my youngest grandchildren and now I would miss a birthday, too. Anyway, after I calmed down and turned my eyes back on the Lord who created me, I was thankful to have an appointment at all and a surgery that promises to correct my digestive issues. I will have robotic assisted laparoscopic paraesophageal surgery with partial fundiplication. That’s a whole lot of words that simply mean a robot will assist in the surgery so the incisions are smaller and the fundiplication means that the doctor is wrapping my esophagus to strengthen it. I am very thankful for technology and the know how of doctors, but I know that in the end, the Lord is directing the hands of the surgeon and will be present to heal me, Lord willing.

I didn’t post yesterday because I was busy with errands with my husband. But I was keeping up with the news and was very upset about the legislature in New York passing an abortion bill on the anniversary of Roe V. Wade. I am unabashedly and unapologetically pro-life. Whenever I vote for anyone, one of the first things that I want to know is if they stand for the protection of the unborn. Yes, I have heard all of the arguments: What about the mother’s rights? What about rape? Incest? There are many compelling arguments, but none of them has swayed me to stop standing for the life of the innocent unborn child, the one whom God created. In spite of the sins in the world, God gives life and I think it is an abomination for man to decide that he can destroy it. In the Old Testament, God warned His people about not sacrificing their children to Molech, a false god who demanded the sacrifice of the young. I think that abortion is the Molech of our times and I fear for those who would promote such an “in your face” rebellion towards God. But isn’t our entire world either running from God or rebelling openly against Him? There are a few who stand for what is right, but most are silent in the face of this open defiance of the standards of God.

From the womb, God created me to worship Him and be a person who knows to Whom I owe my life, every breath and step I take. So, it is not up to me to judge what others do. God is the final judge. I am just saying and putting it out there for others to ponder that God considers life sacred because it came from the Creator of all. I hate that so many have been deceived into thinking that the baby in the womb has no feelings or is just a bit of tissue that is inconvenient and needs to be wiped away. From the moment of conception, my belief is that it’s a baby, not a choice. Yes, bad things happen. But I believe that God can take care of the evil in the world when we are bowing down to His altar, not when we are always thinking about what is best for ourselves. In this time of my life, when I am facing so much uncertainty about my surgery and how things will turn out, I still know that the One I trust is the Giver of life and He should be the only One who can take it away.

Many years ago, I had the privilege of teaching a young teen girl who was pregnant and wanted an abortion. I talked to her about the Scriptures, went with her to talk to her parents and got to be present when she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. That baby boy has served our country well, a member of our armed forces who has been to Afghanistan and Iraq, a miracle child who was destined for abortion, but his mom decided to choose to give him life. I’m glad that she did and I hope that others who read this blog will think about life and how choices that we make determine the way the lives of others may turn out. If you have to choose, choose life! Blessings!

It has been almost six weeks since I first received my diagnosis of a large hernia in my abdomen that would require surgery. I have gone from one medical test to another and finally finished the last torturous one last week. Now, I am finally going to meet with my surgeon today for my pre-op consultation. God has been with me the whole way, comforting me when I cried out to Him and giving me encouragement when I needed it. These are His Words to me today. Each time I have gone for a medical test, I have prayed that God will allow me to be a good witness to those who are doing the tests. So many things went wrong that sometimes I questioned whether God had answered my prayers, but looking back, I realize that the trials that I faced, even in the midst of the medical tests, were there for me to work on being a good witness. I did not lash out angrily at the technician who caused me such pain because she was unable to place the tubing correctly. Nor did I fuss at the people involved in the heart test that ended up taking twice the amount of time that it was supposed to. You see, God is using this whole experience to prune me, to get rid of the bad branches not producing fruit and to make sure that the other branches of my life are whole and healthy. While I have been concerned about my physical body, God has been working on my spiritual one. That’s the one that is eternal and He wants it be the best that it can be. Do you have a relationship with the Father? Do things go wrong, so wrong that you wonder if He is even there with you? Maybe that’s Him working on you to make you more like Him. I am in no way saying that every bad thing that happens in our lives is God working in us. But I do know that He can take the bad things and use them for our good. He does have a purpose of each of us. Maybe that technician who really hurt me needed to know the power of forgiveness and love that day. Perhaps the heart technicians needed to work with someone who wasn’t grumpy because the delay was extraordinarily long. Maybe this is the day for you to look at God and ask Him what you can do to show Him to a lost world. Today is the day I see my surgeon. I’m not expecting things to go perfectly well, but I am expecting God to meet me in that office and to be with me so that I can be the witness that He created me to be. Whatever you face today, whomever you cross paths with, just remember that God is right beside you and He wants to help you to be your best. I don’t know what happened in the offices after I left, but I hope that the nurses and technicians will remember the old lady who blessed them instead of cursing them and who tried to smile throughout the procedures. I am a Child of the King and I want to go out into the world daily, with my crown on straight and my priorities in order. I will not give up on God because He has never given up on me. All that matters is representing the risen Savior to the world! Go out and be His ambassador today. Blessings!

Stu graciously chose me to participate in The Eclectic Contrarian’s challenge. The challenge is to be given a photo and then write a story based on the photo. Thus, the Tell the Story Challenge. This is a wild idea, so thank you Stu for choosing me to participate. You can read Stu’s post, Tell the Story-The Blemished Lamb at the link provided.

Here are the rules that John set up:

Write a story about the picture you’re given.

Select 3 nominees.

Give them a new picture.

Here is the photo that Stu gave me:

So, here I am just standing around in the forest and all of these things seem to be climbing on me and clinging to me for all they’re worth. It seems that I have become a support system for a bunch of other living things. That seems to be my purpose in life. Other trees get to be cut down and become parts of beautiful homes. Some get cut up and become tree houses for laughing children. But, not me! I just support all of this greenery. But, my Father in Heaven who created me must have wanted me to be just what I am. So, here I stand, supporting others who need me. I’m a tree, but I’m important to others, and to God.

For this challenge, I nominate the following bloggers:

Sunshiny SA

Chris Hall

Shae’s Days

And here is your photo:

Photo from The Audubon Society of Portland.

Have fun with this and enjoy telling the story!

In today’s busy world with all of the demands on our time, it’s hard to take time to actually call someone and have a conversation. I usually use texting because that way I get a quick reply. But the other day, after my procedure that was awful, I really wanted to talk to my grandchildren in Pennsylvania, the ones I see so infrequently. So, I texted my daughter and asked if we could do a FaceTime call. She said yes and gave me a time. I got to talk to each of my beloved grandchildren one at a time. We stayed on the phone for almost an hour, but it somehow didn’t seem that long.

This morning, my devotional was in Psalm 17. I have been calling on God a lot lately, and it’s not a quick text with a quick reply. I have been pouring out my hopes and fears to Him and He has sent His Holy Spirit to minister to me, right where I am.

I call on the Lord, knowing well that He will answer. He listens to what I say and really hears me. When I tell Him my frustrations about all of the delays before the surgery, He is there to calm and quiet my spirit. Lately, I have been telling Him honestly about my fears, the fear of going into the hospital and not ever getting out, just as happened with my two friends. But God doesn’t leave me in the place of fear. He again calms me and tells me that He is walking this journey with me. There is nothing happening to me that took Him by surprise, so He is ready and willing to help me through all of the obstacles of just living here with this body that is breaking down.

I am His child and He is protecting me and hiding me under the shadow of His wings. I have contemplated that before, but it is becoming more real to me now. He holds out His arms to me and I run to them and hide safely and securely in them. When we lived in South Carolina, our neighbor had chickens. Now, I didn’t much care for them and all of the mess that they made, but I did notice that when there were baby chicks and I approached the little hen house and fenced enclosure where Ava kept them, the mama hen clucked loudly and the babies all ran to her. She lifted her wings and the babies ran under there. Then, she folded her wings down and it was as if there were no baby chicks at all; she hid them from the danger of a stranger who was accompanied by two dogs (our children’s pets at the time). Anyway, that image has been in my mind this morning as I read this Scripture. I am hidden under the shadow of the wings of the Almighty and I can trust that I will be safe! Hallelujah!

I have been feeling God’s presence ever closer to me as I spend more time with Him. He never leaves me. He is in the smile of the stranger at the hospital, someone also awaiting a procedure. He is in the strong arms of my husband, hugging me as I fall asleep. He is in the laughter and sparking eyes of my grandchildren as they tell me of their adventures and show me their skill on the gymnastics bars. What we are all really awaiting is to see the face of God. If I go to sleep in the hospital and awaken in Heaven, then I will see His face. That’s a promise, not something to fear, but the reality that I am facing. So, if I live, that will be wonderful…more years with my family! But, if I die, I will be with the Lord, gazing on His face and totally satisfied with His presence. What does that mean for me now? I continue to seek Him and His presence. I am doing whatever He tells me to do to “occupy until He comes.” I am part of the Lord’s occupying army here on earth, and I am going to do my best to show His love and mercy and grace to whomever I meet. That is what He would have us do.

Are you part of His army? Are you spending time with the Commander-in-Chief, who is the Lord God? Do you know what He wants you to do today? The God of all mercy, the Lord of Heaven’s armies wants you to know that He loves you with an everlasting love and He wants to assure you (and me) that we are in His presence and that we are safe. We can call on Him anytime and get an answer. Blessings today as you look for the ways that God wants you to serve Him and be an active member of His army!

Who You Say I Am by Hillsong