Be Ready to Share

On By vickleaIn Uncategorized9 Comments

I know that you have been in a group of people and someone asks why you believe the way you do. Or they ask where you go to church and why you go there. Or they ask why you seem happy or full of joy after a traumatic event. Or you are just in line at the store and start chatting with someone. You may as well tell them why you don’t mind waiting in line…after all, what you are really waiting for is the Lord to return. Everything else pales in comparison, right? So, here is the Scripture for today.

If somebody asks you to explain your faith, are you ready to explain it. Do you know the Scriptures well enough to give a well-founded and thorough explanation for your faith in the Lord? I am working on this and I hope that you are, too. Many people in the world are lost and don’t know it. You have the map to eternity and need to be able to share it with others.

Here is the Scripture that I found in my Bible study earlier this week that has the answer that others are seeking. God’s mercy has saved us; Jesus was the firstborn, raised from the dead, and because of His resurrection, we can expect one day to inherit an eternal life in Heaven that no one on earth can take away. I think these verses say it all. I’m sure that there are other verses that you all use to share your faith. I haven’t used this one yet, but it will be the one that I use the next time I have an occasion to share my faith. I want people to know that Jesus is the reason I live, the reason I have to hope for the future. I want others to know that He is my everything. I hope that you awaken each morning with praise on your lips for the Father who has provided a way of salvation for you. Praise His Holy and Marvelous Name!

https://youtu.be/_eQd3K2Fxp4

Quips, Idioms and Lingo Tag

On By vickleaIn Uncategorized4 Comments

#Challenge

Here are the rules:

Come up with as many quips, idioms and weird sayings as you can think of. Comb or memory (or someone else’s) or the internet for old or new; or, make up your own!

Weave them into any kind of story–fiction, non-fiction, humorous, serious, thoughtful or fluff–to post on your blog.

Tag whoever you want to. Notify your tag.

Thank you mwsrwritings.com for nominating me. I will do my best to entertain you. It’s a fun idea and tag, but I’m not sure that I can do it very well.

Thanksgiving Meal

Well, it’s here! Thanksgiving Day! It’s time for a big parade (on the TV, of course) and for the men in the family to relax and watch some football. And what will I be doing? I will be preparing for the big meal, in the kitchen, of course! To everything there is a season and this is the season to be in the kitchen cooking, for a while. So, first thing to do is make a pie. I will sort through the apples to make sure there is not a rotten apple in the bunch. Who wants to make a pie with rotten apples? Then, peel, cut, dice, season, put in the pie crust and bake. I want to make a pecan pie, too, but those nuts are a tough nut to crack with my old arthritic hands. So, apple and pumpkin pies it is!

Next, it is time to make the turkey. I’m so glad that it’s a relatively new one and not a tough old bird that I have to wash and season. Oh, yeah! And I have to remember to take out the innards. I forgot that one year and there was quite a smell in the kitchen! I have to add salt of the earth to the bird that everyone else will eat. I can’t have salt on my food, so I use other seasonings. I want everyone’s turkey to be finger lickin’ good.

Finally, I know I have to make a cake because we plan on celebrating my husband’s birthday while our son and his family are here. With pies, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, and turkey, it’ s hard to believe that I still have to put icing on the cake. But our granddaughter Iris loves to lick off the icing, so I might as well get that done for her benefit.

Once all of the cooking is done, the family will arrive, the table will be set (with paper plates of course), and we will all sit down to eat. All of the food is just a drop in the bucket for all of the things that we have to be thankful for this year. Don’t forget to say thanks for all of God’s blessings! “God bless us, every one!” And God bless my readers on this special day set aside to enjoy family time and to thank God!

I nominate:

Tittle Thoughts

Train Today to Reap Tomorrow

Jess Kidding

Please do not feel obligated to participate, but if you have time and think it would be fun, I hope you do.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

An Image and Quotation Worth Sharing

On By vickleaIn Uncategorized6 Comments

Today in my devotional from the YouVersion of the Bible, this quotation was shared from Watchman Nee:

“Our prayers lay the track down [on] which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails.”

Image from unsplash.com

Image from merriamwebsterccom:

Think about these images the next time you are praying! I was blessed by this quotation and hope that you will be, too.

3-2-1 Quote Me Challenge: HOPE

On By vickleaIn Uncategorized11 Comments

Thank you, Stuart, at stubaby777.wordpress.com for including me in this new 3.2.1. Quote Me Challenge.  I sincerely appreciate it, especially since the word you have me is the name of our daughter.  

The Rules of this challenge are as follows:  

  • Thank the Selector.
  • Post 2 quotes for the dedicated topic of the day.
  • Select 3 bloggers to take part in 3-2-1 Quote Me.
  • Give them a topic/word.

The topic of the day which Stu gave me was HOPE!

Quote #1


Quote #2


Here are my nominees:

D Ettinger at ettingerwriting.wordpress.com

Gail Loves God at gaillovesgod.blog

Puzzles of the Sould at puzzlesofthesoul.wordpress.com

Note:  Although this is the topic for today, there is no specific deadline for it, meaning that you can answer when you choose.  My word of the day for you is  PRAISE.  


3-2-1 Quote Me Challenge: Justice

On By vickleaIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Thank you to Kathy Wire for nominating me for this quick and easy challenge.  I am honored to participate.  

Rules of the Challenge

Thank the selector.

Post two quotes for the dedicated topic of the day.

Select 3 bloggers to take part in 3-2-1 Quote Me!  

Give them a topic or word.  

The topic that Kathy gave me was “Justice.”

Thank you again, Kathy, for nominating me.  I inclulded an extra quotation because I had another one to share!  🙂

My nominees are:

Christy Istrate at miraculoussmile.wordpress.com

Loved by the Kings of Kings at plantedbylivingwater.wordpress.com

Seriously Seeking Answers at seriouslyseekinganswers.com

My word for you is:  holiness.

NOTE:  Althought this is the topic for today, there is no specific deadline to it, meaning that you can answer when you choose.  Of course, you are under no obligation to participate.   🙂

Our Shepherd

On By vickleaIn Uncategorized11 Comments

Most people are familiar with the 23rd Psalm, even if they know nothing else about the Bible.  But have you really thought about what it means for God to be our Shepherd?   Have you ever spent any time around sheep?  They are really dumb animals, according to all who have raised them.  They follow the lead sheep and may even follow it into danger if the shepherd or keeper isn’t there to stop them.  They graze until the pastureland is desolate and won’t move until the shepherd moves them.  Wait!  Is that really dumb or is it obedient and cautious?  After pondering the scriptures about God being our shepherd, I have decided that I want to be more like a sheep.  I don’t want to go my own way or follow a wrong leader over a cliff that represents danger and bad times ahead for me.  I want to depend on the Good Shepherd to lead me and to feed me daily from His Word, not to continue to graze in the old pasture that has dried up.

Did you know that the Scripture says in the book of Ezekiel that God will take care of His sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace?  Awesome stuff, huh?  God declares that He is our Shepherd.  The sheep don’t have to do anything but accept that truth and allow Him to give us a place to rest in His peaceful presence.  So often, we get caught up in running here and there, looking for God and what He wants us to do.  But God is right there next to us, speaking in our ear to be still, to rest in Him and in His love.  

If God says it, it’s true and He says He is our God.  We are His people!  Have you ever walked into a crowd, looking for someone you know?  Then you see a group of your friends and you say, “There they are!  Those are my people!”  That’s what God says about us.  He looks down on the earth, sees His followers and proclaims that we are His.  Then, as our Shepherd, He keeps His eyes on us forever.  There is nowhere we can go where God is not there.  I thought for a while when I was living in the vast snowy land that is Maine that God had deserted me, but I found Him there each time I made a new friend, in my job that He gave me, in the crafts that I was able to do and bless others with.  God was there; He had not moved away from me at all!

In the New Testament, Jesus calls Himself the good Shepherd.  Furthermore, He tells us that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.  I have been told that in some places, the shepherds let all of their sheep graze together.  Then, when they need to bring their own sheep together for shearing or whatever, they need only walk through the field calling out for them.  The sheep belonging to that farmer know his voice and follow him. Whether that is accurate or not, I know that the people who belong to the Lord will hear His voice clearly, recognize it and follow Him.  I heard the Lord calling to me when I was alone in an apartment in Smithfield, Virginia, reading my Bible and discovering that He was my Savior.  I heard Him comforting me when I had a stroke, encouraging me to live and to get stronger.  I hear Him daily now when I spend time in His Word and pray.  It is amazing to me that some do not think that they can hear the voice of the Lord in these times.  If God isn’t speaking to you and you know that you have a relationship with Him, then go back to the last time you heard Him and wait for Him to speak to you again.  I can assure you from experience that God didn’t go anywhere; He didn’t move away from you and He wants you to hear His voice.  

I hope that you are all as blessed by this lovely hymn as I am.  The scenery is beautiful and much to be admired.  As you gaze at it, know that the God who created all of that wonder also created and loves you, just as you are.  He is your Shepherd, and He wants to lead you to a place of rest and refreshing.  Be blessed today with His presence!