Notes from the Heart - Vicky Vaughan

Change

2011-07-05T20:57:00.006-05:00

Hello, Dear Readers!

Wow... Long time no write, huh? Well, it's probably due in part to the fact that I don't like to write only for the sake of writing. I want to have something that is going to pique the interest of those who visit this blog. I don't know that the words I pen actually do that, but that is the goal!I'm sitting here reflecting on how much things can change in such a short amount of time. For example, seven months ago on December 19th, I got married. The picture you see here is of my husband and me. We're also entertainers and this is one of our publicity shots. Just wanted to share it with you! Funny, it seems as though our wedding was just yesterday and at the same time, as though we've been married forever. That's good. I pray that for everyone who marries...that you will find your mate and rest in the love that you enjoy with one another for all your days.

This isn't my first marriage...but it is my last. And for those of you who have been or are married, I don't need to tell you that marriage cannot succeed without change... No longer are you an entity unto yourself once you marry someone (praise God!), but you are part of a union that requires you to stretch and grow in ways you may never have imagined you would. Sometimes the stretching is painful...learning to sacrifice your 'all about me and what I want to do' ways for the 'how can I bless this union so that we become truly ONE' attitude. Lofty thought, but sometimes not so easy to do! But then, I have learned that if you truly truly truly love someone, the sacrifices aren't so difficult to make at all.

Of course, for those of you who follow this blog, you know I'm going to relate this to our relationship with the Lord. As we learn more about Him and grow more deeply in love with Yeshua/Jesus, we find it less and less difficult to sacrifice our selfish desires in exchange for pleasing Him. And we do it because of the love that we have for Him...love that can only increase each day as we more fully surrender ourselves, our plans and everything we have to Him. Drawing closer to Him, we can see more clearly how He is busily at work in our lives, being faithful to His word and opening new doors into our futures with Him. And we begin to SEE and KNOW His love for us.

Yeshua/Jesus is a loving, generous, powerful, tender, wise and fiercely passionate husband. He is faithful beyond measure - never taking His bride for granted, but rather always inviting her to come closer to Him. HE wants her to catch the vision He has for the marriage, to learn more about the Father and to grow ever more confident and powerful in her love for Him. He is always inviting His bride to walk forward with full purpose of heart, knowing that He is the Ever Faithful and True King of Kings and He has chosen and called her to a destiny that she cannot possibly achieve on her own... He invites His bride to lay down her own selfish desires and to take up a cross and sword, to walk beside Him in the strength that only He can provide as she submits her life to His plans. He proves His love for her every day and calls her beautiful...the most beautiful bride in the world. He arms her with His strength as she rests in Him and He surrounds her with angelic hosts who protect and defend her - who minister to her because she is His bride - an heir of salvation - one who will inherit the kingdom of heaven and rule and reign beside her Husband/King. He equips her with wisdom and covers her with His glory as she surrenders herself to Him. And He becomes One with her, even as He is ONE with the Father. It's the most beautiful marriage in the world - and in the universe. And the Bridegroom - Yeshua/Jesus - is the One who asked for her hand - your hand - my hand - in this most beautiful marriage of all time and all eternity.

So, when you consider what it is like to be truly married - truly one with your spouse - remember this: the decisions you make every single day of your life are a reflection of what kind of bride you will be for your King. Learn submission in right ways... Seek His heart to find out where there is division between you and your earthly spouse... Ask Him where there is strife in your marriage and then get rid of it! Even if you are not married, you need to evaluate yourself in regard to your relationships with others. Ask Him to show you your own pride and when He does, lay it down and walk away from it. Your beauty isn't found in your appearance, intelligence, abilities or anything human. Your beauty is found in HIM. You are beautiful - gloriously beautiful - when you surrender yourself to your Bridegroom. Ask Him to show you how you can be a more submissive partner (remember, the Bible says that we are to submit to one another...not just women to men, but to each other). Ask Him to show you how to prefer your spouse over yourself. Ask Him to teach you how to be patient, to be humble, to surrender your will so that you walk in obedience to the desires of His heart. Obedience is just another word for love. 1 John 5:3 says, "This is love for God - that you obey His commands.

Ask Him to show you every little thing you do that brings division between you and your spouse. You don't need Him to show you what is wrong with your spouse - although you may need to ask Him what you can do to bless your spouse in areas where he/she is weak, whether in the relationship with you, with God or with others. Ask the Lord to make you the 'bride' He wants you to be. I know there are men reading this blog. The bride of Christ is made up of men and women... So if you belong to Him and have given Him your life, you are His bride - no matter what your gender may be. This isn't about gender. It's about our spirits - our real selves. Remember, God is Spirit and those who worship Him must do so spirit and in truth. Let's trust Him to work out all the details and just learn to submit to and love Him!

Ask Him to do the work in you that only He is able to accomplish. And then, beloved, let go and allow it to happen. Don't try to orchestrate that work. You can't. Don't try to figure it all out so that you can do it on your own. Again...you can't. Just let Him take you by the hand and lead you into His chambers of love. Go there willingly. Surrender yourself to His love and His leadership. His banner over you is love. His plan for you is love. His heart for you is love. You were created to be one on whom He can pour His overflowing, sacrificial, passionate love. You were created to share His glorious kingdom with Him. You were created because He loved you before He even formed you in your mother's womb. You are the longing of His heart - you are His bride...if you surrender yourself to His will and His ways. He will take you into heaven one day and you will sit at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb...as His bride. He will present you to His Father and you will be more deliriously happy than you or I can possibly imagine.

But it all starts with change. Change your mind and ways if you are being disobedient to Him. Change the ways you look at your relationships with everyone. Change how you respond to difficult circumstances, if your responses need to be changed. Change your attitude about submission to everyone around you. If you're constantly giving into Satan's plans, change your mind and your ways and give your full self to God. Change your heart. Change your direction. Change your mind. Change your plans. Give EVERYTHING to Yeshua/Jesus. Become ONE with Him.

Eternity is a really really really long time.... This life is our opportunity to learn how to be a righteous bride in Christ. I still have a long way to go, but I'm working on it... How about you?

Vicky

My Beloved - Part 6

2011-04-30T10:23:00.003-05:00

(And so, it is time for the last portion of this message from God. I hope this has blessed you as you've read and considered the words in it. I have been blessed to read them, too. There is more to come, but for this day, this is enough. Have a wonderful day! And now, for the last part of this message...)

"Bring these words to Me, little one. The enemy will try to steal them from you, but I will confirm them to you daily as you come to Me. You will see your self-esteem, which is found in me, begin to grow as you take hold of My hand and learn from Me, leaning only on Me for the sufficiency and provision you need. Remember, what I open, no one can shut and what I shut, no one can open. Turn, turn, turn. This is the season for you to turn. Turn to Me. Turn away from the lies of the enemy. Turn away from a closed and wounded heart to an open and healed one. This will come to you as you take hold of My hand and turn to Me anew.

Treasure these words of Mine, beloved. Seek me often for the refreshing you need everyday. Remember that My mercies are new ever morning. Remember, I came so that you would have more abundant life. Do not waste the opportunity to enjoy your life abundantly on this side of Heaven by choosing to listen to the lies of the enemy or by living in the hurts and disappointments of the past.

Listen to Me. Follow Me and learn from Me. I will fill you days with wonder. And remember this - even as it is written in My word...

I AM with you always, even unto the ends of the earth."

From the Lord and Savior, Yeshua Ha'Maschiach...Jesus the Christ.

(Blessings to all of you. I have enjoyed sharing these words from our wonderful Savior. I hope you have listened with the ears of your spirit as you read them. Have a fantastic day! Vicky)

My Beloved - Part 5

2011-04-30T09:42:00.003-05:00

(Dear Readers, hope you're pondering, praying over and absorbing this message from our fantastic Lord, Jesus Christ! Now, back to the message...)

See me in the people around you, for I AM there. See Me in the trials you are enduring and will endure in the future, for I will be there with you, also. Do not believe the enemy anymore. I have not rejected you. Your acceptance is found in Me. I AM your security. Let the plans I have for you cause you to rejoice, even though you don't have any idea what they are. I am delighted when My children praise Me and adore me when their lives look like they are falling apart. My passion for My little ones who are suffering and struggling, but still worshipping and thanking Me, blesses My heart, beloved.

Do you think I can overlook those little ones and turn a deaf ear to their cries? Do you think that you can love your children more than I love Mine? Do you know that you are My little child, My little one and that I hear your cries? Do you think I cannot see when you turn away, often expecting to be rejected by others? Do you think I don 't know that you also expect to be rejected by Me? Do you think I cannot see that you believe I have turned away from you, disappointed in who you are? Do you think I have been surprised by the events in your life or that I allow difficult things to come your way in order to punish you? Do you think I ask you these questions without knowing the answers of your heart? Do you think I don't know the desires of your heart? Do you not know that it is my joy and delight to give you the desires of your heart?

When will you let go of your past and step with me into this moment, today? When will you be ready to trust Me for what has been? Do you know that there are times I wrap My arms around you to comfort you? Do you know that I AM right here with you, right now? Do you know that I am deeply and profoundly, wonderfully and passionately in love with you?

Turn your eyes to Me. Keep them here, on Me. When you find yourself looking down or seeking the acceptance of others, remember that I AM the only acceptance you will ever need. Lift up your eyes to the hills. Your Help comes from Me. I Am and will be with you, always.

(To be continued...)

Blessings,

Vicky

My Beloved - Part 4

2011-04-30T09:23:00.002-05:00

Dear Readers, I hope you are being blessed as you read and consider - and pray over these words in the "My Beloved" message. Here is part 4)

"Do you look around you and wonder what is next? Do you feel somewhat lost right now? You are not lost. You are exactly where I want you. This is our time. Do not miss it. Do not look at the theology you have been taught by men and think that I am not able to speak with you in this way - through the weak vessel I have chosen to pen these words from Me to you. It is time for your little mind to grow. It is time for you to begin to trust Me in ways that are foreign to you and the teachings you have received from men. Know that some of what you have learned has been from Me, but there have also been teachings you have received that came from men and not from Me.

Remember the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Remember also the Tree of Life. I AM the Tree of Life. Many men and women, many pastors and theologians eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They have chosen the lesser of the two choices available to them in this. They reason in their own minds and develop human "Christian" theology that comes from their understanding, rather than choosing to come to ME - their Source - and eat from the Tree of Life. They do not always rightly divide My words and they stand in judgment of those individuals and beliefs that do not fit their doctrines. I tell you, I AM the Doctrine. I AM the Tree of Life from which you are called to eat. You will not always understand, even as you question now some of the things that you are hearing and reading. You are still a child and no matter how old you become or how long you live with Me in eternity, you will never know everything I know. Remember I said that you must become as a little child. You cannot see that you are a little child to me. You think that you have grown up and you do not understand that I want you to be a little child. I want you to learn to depend on Me and trust Me for what I am doing in your life. I want you to grow up and become a little child.

Remember, it is written that if you will trust in me with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but will instead acknowledge Me in all your ways, I will direct your paths. Do you not know that I direct your paths, beloved? Do you not understand that the paths I will lead you on are filled with joy as well as sorrow, with rejection as well as acceptance and love? Do you only see a half-empty glass? Wake up, wake up, wake up, sleepy child of Mine! I have called you. I have chosen you and called you by name! I AM your Father. I AM your DAD. Rejoice in the knowledge that I still have many wonderful places for you to go and many beautiful things for you to see. You will laugh and cry with Me. You will understand more about Me as you step out of religion and tradition, and experience Me instead. You will grow up to become a little child as you embrace ME and My love for you each day."

(To be continued...)

Blessings!

Vicky

My Beloved - Part 3

2011-04-30T09:10:00.004-05:00

(Dear Readers, here is the next portion of the message...)

Have you allowed yourself and your identity to become wrapped up in your position or circumstances in life? Do you think that was ever My plan for you? I do not love you based on your performance or your situation. In your mind you know that is true, but your heart has not yet comprehended that I love you because you are Mine. I loved the very idea of you so much that I chose to create you. Yes, I can see all of your faults. I know every weakness and sin you wrestle with. Your value to Me is not based on your performance, beloved. Your value is based on the fact that I love you. You cannot earn that love, nor can you reason it out.

Remember, all things are in Me. I loved you before you were born and I saw you before you were created. I knew you even as a mother knows the child she carries in her womb, before that child ever sees the first light of day. The difference is that I AM GOD and I saw all of your days before you experienced the first breath in your little lungs or the first thought in your little brain. You are not loved because you chose Me, beloved. I chose you, remember? I chose you and called you. You answered Me because I placed the longing in your heart - a longing that you did not understand, but one that you cannot deny exists. My plans for you are not finished; in that you must rest assured. Know also that I chose you and called you out of the depths of My love for you. I wanted you from the beginning, beloved. I want you still.

(To be continued...)

Blessings!

Vicky

My Beloved - Part 2

2011-04-30T08:28:00.004-05:00

(Dear Readers, this is part two of a message from our Lord. Part one is in a previous blog. Blessings as you read and consider these words...)

"Again I say to you, I AM calling you away. Come away with Me, beloved. Come and learn more of Me. I have the rest your soul needs. I have the rest your wounded spirit cries out for. Remember that my yoke is easy and My burden is light. You have sought to carry the burdens of others for many years, but dear beloved, I AM the One with the shoulders on which those burdens can be easily borne. I AM the Good Shepherd and I AM here, waiting for you to cast your cares on Me, for I care for you.

These words are not just nice platitudes for quoting from the pulpits, but so many of those who occupy positions of authority in the churches do not understand the truth of these words. It is far easier for men to carry their own positions than to release control and surrender their authority to Me. The temptation to have honor and power are built into the soulish realms of carnal man. However, unless the soul of a man or woman submits to My will and allows itself to be placed under the authority of My Spirit, there will be no true rest for that soul, and the people will suffer.

Do not give in to the temptation to let your soul rule any longer. Your spirit man must learn to tell your soul to 'sit down and shut up' so that you can endure the trials, temptations and rejection of this world. Those things will always be there, beloved. You must learn to overcome them by My Spirit and by the Blood of the Lamb. I have given you the keys of understanding in some areas through the written words in the Bible, but you must come to Me for greater understanding of My ways. Remember that I have said in My Word that My Holy Spirit would come to be with you and teach you everything you need to know. When you read, ask Me to speak to you. Ask Me to open My Word to you and then listen as Holy Spirit speaks to you. Hold onto the truth you have learned in My word - the Bible - and realize that the Bible is My book, but I AM the Author. Spend your time with Me, no matter what you are doing, so that I can teach you by My Spirit.

Remember that the government is on My shoulders and that it should be thus in the church. Remember that all will give an accounting before Me and I will judge with wisdom, mercy, justice, grace and holiness. Pray for those who have abused or misused their authority in your life. Pray that I will extend mercy and bring them to understanding and conviction about their sins, so that they see the need for repentance. Ask Me to soften their hearts. You must never judge their hearts, for you cannot see clearly into their motives or understand why they respond in the ways they do. Know this: I do not desire to lose one of them. They are all precious to me and I continue to labor with them, even as I labor with you. That labor is borne out of love for you, beloved. Choose to love those who have hurt you. Choose to let go of the anger that has tempted you to become bitter toward others - and even tempted you to turn away from Me. Pray also that I will bring greater clarity to you of your sins so that I can extend the same mercy to you that I ask you to extend to others. Ask Me to show you your own sin, so that you can humble yourself in those times when the enemy tempts you to rise up in pride or anger against others because of the sins and weaknesses in their lives. Repent - turn away from your anger and do not allow the seeds of bitterness to find place in you.

I do not say these words to you for any reason but one. It is because of My profound love for you, beloved. You must learn to forgive and let go - completely - of the sins of others, whether they have sinned against you, your loved ones or those you care about. Remember, all have sinned and fallen short of My glory. You cannot afford to allow any one's sin to cause you to pass judgment. You must leave that to Me. You must freely forgive - freely, freely, freely, freely forgive. I have forgiven you for what My Son endured on the Cross for you - the beatings, the rejection, the nails, the sin - I laid all of it on Him for you, beloved. I did it because I desire that you will be with Me always - not just when things are going smoothly for you. Forgive, forgive, forgive so that the Blood of the Lamb can cover you completely.

Learn that I, too, hate the blows of the enemy against My children and I will render judgment. He knows that his time is short and his fury has been unleashed on all people, but you must not let his winds of hate blow you away."

(To be continued...)

Blessings!

Vicky

My Beloved - Part 1

2011-04-30T07:35:00.010-05:00

Good morning! This post is part one of a prophetic word that I believe the Lord wants me to share with my readers. Due to it's length, I am dividing it into several posts. As with all prophetic words from the Lord, it is our responsibility to take it to Him for confirmation of its truth and origin.

Blessings to all! Now, here is the message...

My Beloved,

I call you My beloved, for indeed you are one I cherish and adore. Your heart beats because I tell it to beat. You have eyes to see the beauty of life all around you. This is the beauty that I have created and this is the desire that I have for you. Every day I call you to open your eyes and see the beauty. Breathe deeply the fragrance of ME in the life I have given you. Listen to the sound of MY creation as you go about your daily tasks. Do not wonder if I am with you every moment of the day, for I AM. There is never a time that I am not aware of your needs, hurts and desires. There is never a time when you are out of My sight or My mind. I watch everything you do each day and long for you to choose joy in the midst of your trials. I long for you to be encouraged in the knowledge that you already possess - knowledge that I have given you the ability to do everything through the strength that flows from Me.

You wonder why some things have happened and look to the wrong sources for their causes. I AM your purpose in this life. I have allowed and even called some things into being for MY own purposes for you. I have called you, and you have wrestled in your mind with the actions of others. You have wondered what could have been done differently. That is not the point, beloved. You have been called by Me to come away. We have places to go, you and I, and you must be willing to trust me in this or we will not be able to move forward together with joy and hope into the plans I have made for your future. I am calling you to come closer still in our relationship - to trust Me in what your life has become for now, as well as for the things which you cannot see that lie ahead for you. This journey we are going on will be different from what you have experienced in the past. I am taking you to places you did not know you would be going, but you will be pleasantly surprised when you get there.

When you are tempted to be discouraged or depressed, I ask you to remember the rejection I endured by My creation. Do not wonder any longer about your own rejection in this life. You know that I have told you in My word - and through My Word that you will be rejected and despised by men because you belong to Me. Do you wonder why? Go back and read again where I have said that they would reject you if they have rejected Me. Read again where I have said that the servant is not greater than the Master. Read those words with greater understanding of the depth of My suffering, knowing that it is for your own good that you have endured these things. You have a greater ability to understand more clearly the pain and suffering of your Lord as you embrace the Cross you bear now. Do not despise the things you have been through. Embrace this season in your life, for I am teaching you many things.

Allow your heart to be and remain soft towards Me. Your adversary has been roaring about "like a lion, seeking whom he may devour" and he desires to devour you. But I call you to remember that he is not a real lion. He is a liar and a thief. I call you to remember that his power was destroyed when I took back the keys of death and hell. I call you to remember that you are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness and rulers, against principalities and powers in high places. I call you to remember that those principalities, rulers and powers are not willing that you should know they exist, but prefer instead to hide in darkness and try to convince you that people are your real problem.

I call you to remember that I AM the Lion of Judah. I AM the First and the Last. I AM your Savior, your Prince and your King. I AM the Father of your children. I AM the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. I AM and I will always be I AM. No one can change that. There is no other GOD but ME. I AM here for you today and tomorrow. I AM here to comfort you, to strengthen and encourage you. I AM here to reveal Myself to you in ways you never imagined. I AM much more than you can comprehend in your finite little mind. I AM and will always be your Defender and Protector, your HIGH TOWER, your Very Best Friend. Run to Me, beloved. I AM the safe place for you to hide. Hide in ME. Cry to ME. SHOUT TO ME. Pour out your heart to ME. I AM. And you belong to ME.

(To be continued...)

Blessings,

Vicky

The Rhythm of Eternity

2011-04-14T22:40:00.006-05:00

Hi Friends!

I wrote this and thought that perhaps some of you might enjoy it. (Anyway, I hope you do!) :)

The Rhythm of Eternity

Movement pulsates through time and space

Carrying the cadence of life with every beat ~

Taking the joys and sorrows ~ the struggles and jubilation ~

The energy of the song in the music of the heart.

Soaring with the ecstasy of breath and sound...

Mingling together, they ebb and flow across boundaries known

And unknown...

While endless horizons sought after arise...

Racing with unrelenting steadiness, each consumed by and filled with wonder ~ breathless wonder ~

Toward the One Who created every nuance...

Every swell... every peak...

Every second captured and held within the perfect Answer.

The pace is set...

Unveiling the precise moment of time when all creation

joins the chorus of honor and reverence...

Every knee bowing in perfect unison...

Every tongue freely confessing and every voice crying aloud

With a thunderous sound filled with worship...

And adoration...

Professing with undeniable knowledge the wondrous news that

Jesus Christ is Lord.

And so, through His amazing love we see

The Rhythm of Eternity.

Blessings to all of you. Come back soon!

Vicky

God's Lace on Earth

2011-04-07T09:40:00.006-05:00

Pear trees... Dogwood... Redbuds... Don't you just love the beautiful 'lace' of these trees every Spring? And there's so much more than just those on which to feast your eyes. God is amazing. Beauty everywhere. Embrace it. Drink it in today. Feast, feast, feast, beloved child of HIS!!! Passionate, colorful, playful, artistic God designed it all. He's wonderful. Magnificent. Elaborate. Extravagant. Majestic. There aren't enough words to describe the Indescribably Beautiful Creator, Lord God Almighty....YHVH...Jehovah...Jesus Christ...Yeshua Ha Maschiach...Alpha and Omega... One Eternal Round... HOLY!!!

Just wanted to have a moment with you all to adore the Living, One and Only True God Thanks for joining me!!!

Many blessings to you all. I'm asking God to give you a wonderful surprise today. Be watchful and listening and let me know what you get if you want to!!! Unless you tell me otherwise, I'll post it for our other friends on here ~ and we can just ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER!!!

Love to all...

Vicky

The Rattlesnake Option

2011-04-01T08:56:00.013-05:00

Good morning, Readers. I hope this morning's blog really blesses you! And don't worry about the rattler in the picture. He can't get to you...or can he??? I woke up this morning with the Lord talking to me about the ways we human beings let the devil get away with murder sometimes...and we just sit idly by and not only allow it to happen, but assist in the very act itself. In a way, I guess we could say that we sometimes become the devil's accomplices. This blog is about what the Lord showed me this morning. And He showed me by using the following vision/story. Here's what I saw in the Spirit... A rattlesnake was coiled inside a cage. The door of the cage was closed, but then a man opened the door. He didn't do anything...just stood there looking at the rattler and waiting, knowing full well that the thing could strike at any time ~ with deadly accuracy. He didn't try to close the door. He figured he'd get around to closing it later, if at all. He knew that opening the door put his life in danger, but he wasn't really concerned about it because he didn't believe the snake would actually strike him. He reasoned that opening the door made it easier to see the snake and that watching it seemed to have a calming effect on him. But that was a lie. And the man wasn't tormenting the snake. He wasn't even taunting it. He was just removing the only obstacle that stood between himself and the poisonous reptile. The snake looked very passive and not at all threatening, coiled up in that cage. Relaxed, actually. He wasn't worried about timing. He knew he had the advantage now, because of the permission he'd been given when the man opened the cage door. But there was no doubt in the serpent's mind that he would strike. The poison inside the rattlers body was very real. The fangs were long, sharp and well hidden inside its mouth, capable of deeply puncturing the flesh and delivering as much toxic venom as he desired. He was watching the man. There was incredible danger in what appeared to be a non-threatening scene. And although the man knew that the snake was not his friend and even hated him, he foolishly believed that he was safe and could take his time closing the door he had so unwisely opened. Still, the rattlesnake was in no hurry to strike just yet. He knew that he had to bide his time... After all, the man had given the snake permission to attempt to kill him. And of course, because of his hatred for the man, the snake would do just that, if the door remained open long enough. Enough. I'm sure we all get the picture. God wants us to examine the things we allow in our lives. He warns us out of His deep love for us...telling us to be careful about the cage doors we're willing to open. In this particular experience, the Lord was talking to me about someone I dearly love who thinks that a behavior he's involved in won't actually hurt him. But the enemy lies in wait...watching...mesmerizing...lying to this man. Telling him that his behavior isn't dangerous. And the longer my friend watches, the more deeply he is drawn into the lie ~ and the greater the chance that the snake will strike a deadly blow ~ one that may be impossible to recover from because of the man's CHOICE to participate in the behavior. Years ago, God used another example for me to share with His children ~ and to remember for myself as well. The snake-and-cage parable this morning is like the children-in-the-backyard parable He gave me then. It's very simple. A father tells his children that they can play in the back yard, but to stay inside the fence, because directly behind the fence is a highway. As long as the children are inside the fenced yard, they remain safe from harm. With huge trucks speeding down that highway at 75 miles per hour, it would be foolish for the children to think they would be safe to play outside of the area their father provided. They may escape a few oncoming vehicles if they don't obey him, but the chances of them being hit and killed are HUGE if they disobey. Can't you just imagine what it must sound like to their dad as they run out into the traffic shouting, "Please protect us, dad..." They 'opened the cage door', so to speak. They stepped outside of the father's protection by their own choices to leave the yard. Their father can only do so much, because they chose disobedience. And anytime there is disobedience, there are consequences. Sometimes deadly ones, at that. I'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 6:12..."Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me ~ but I will not be mastered by anything. (Yeah, can't say that it's beneficial to be bitten by the rattler or run over by the trucks on the highway!!!) Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." I'm praying for my friend. I'm praying for you all, too. And ~ oh, yes ~ I'm praying for myself... Please, dear God, bless us to want to do your will more than we want to satisfy the cravings of our own flesh. Bless us to keep the cage doors closed, tempting as they may be. Bless us to remember that satan and his filthy demons lie in wait on the other sides of those cage doors, doing all they can to ensnare us. How we need your wisdom and strength, Lord! Bless us to be smart enough to stop playing around with the devil and to remember that we were bought with an extraordinary price...the life of Jesus Christ, crucified for each one of us. We say we love You. We say we love the Lord. Bless us to be ravenous in our hearts to prove it to You. You told us how to do that in 1 John 5:3,4..."This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world." We say we love You, Father. Bless us to choose to show You that we really do. In Yeshua/Jesus' Name.... Amen. Shut the doors that are open, dear friends. If you have any open, that is... Your life is precious in God's sight. Don't play around with it ever again. Be courageous and very strong. Hold onto Jesus. He'll take you through all the temptations and even provide you with the strength to firmly shut the cage doors, no matter how impossible it may seem. That's right.... Go ahead.... Close the door and step away from the cage! Love you all! Vicky

Living The Spamless Life

2011-02-10T06:15:00.011-06:00

Good morning, dear Readers!

I imagine someone may have already written about it ~ you know ~ living the spamless life. If they did, I missed the blog...and wish I'd read it years ago. Ah, well... Such is life! You know what I'm talking about. A life that doesn't include all the clutter that gets thrown in without permission from the recipient... One that consists of only those things each of us would like to receive and nothing that takes up space for no good reason. Well. What an interesting idea that is, huh? Unrealistic, but interesting...

I don't know about you, but it seems my life has been somewhat spammy most of the time I've been on this earth. Some of it has arrived in great big packages, threatening to smother me with all the stuff inside. Oftentimes it came when I had no idea there was a delivery on its way. Lasting for days or weeks or even years at a time, it seems, the spamminess would almost overwhelm me with depression, discouragement, frustration and/or anger. I would frequently complain about how unfair things were ~ how wrong it was to have to suffer the injustice of it all! I was a crybaby, moaning, murmuring and mumbling my way through my days ~ tucking praises to God in here and there ~ but definitely mumbling a good portion of the time. Out loud or just inside my head... It didn't matter. It all sounded lousy to God. I just didn't get it.

I don't remember when the Lord actually got my attention about all the complaining I was doing. It probably was over the course of time...you know, with little checks in my spirit about the words coming out of my mouth. I can be a very slow learner at times and am so grateful for our very loving and patient Father. How He puts up with all of His grumbling children without giving up on us is just more proof of how wonderful He really is.

Several years ago, I heard a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley. I don't remember the whole sermon, but one thing he said really caught my attention. He spoke about being in his office one day, face down on the carpet if I remember correctly...and the Lord telling him that He wanted Charles to see everything that comes to him in life as being sent directly from God's own hand. It put things in perspective for Charles. Put everything ~ life included ~ in perspective for me, too. I needed very much to hear those words. And if you're struggling with all the 'spam' that pours into your life everyday, maybe you need to hear it, too. :)

Oh, I know that we may have a tendency to blame everything negative on the devil. I'm sure he would love to be able to take credit for it all, too. And before I get a bunch of comments from readers arguing the point, I would like to clarify so that no one misunderstands. After all, I don't want to be the cause of anyone murmuring!!! So please, allow me to explain...

We serve a sovereign God, as most of my readers know. That means that ultimately He is, always has been and always will be seated on the throne. It means that nothing will ever happen to us that He isn't already well aware of ~ in advance. It means that He could step in and make adjustments to circumstances or move in our lives in such a way that we wouldn't have to go through some of the things we endure. But He doesn't always do that. For that reason, many people consider Him to be a weak or uncaring or cruel...or even non-existent God. Some dismiss Him as being powerless ~ heartless ~ or just downright mean. Others turn away from Him, refusing to believe that He exists because they are sure they can manage their lives better than He can. All of those are vain and foolish thoughts. God is NOTHING of the sort. He is all powerful and more than capable of stepping in and changing the course of things on earth. One day He will do just that. And when He does, I pray that we're all on His good side!

Back to my point though. The trouble that many of God's people have fallen into is that they have become complainers...not satisfied because things are not the way they would like them to be. Instead of praising God for everything that happens, they/we start grumbling about how they/we think things should be...often missing the opportunities that these little 'spam' encounters present to us.

I have found that the Lord has let many things come into my life to teach me lessons that I've desperately needed to learn. For instance ~ and these are just a few things ~ PATIENCE! And... WISDOM! And the much needed growth in FAITH! All of which I was sorely lacking in. All of which I am still working on today. Every one of these three things are necessary ingredients in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. His life exemplified a perfect walk of faith, wisdom and patience when He lived here. His Father ~ and yours and mine ~ is at work in each of us, tirelessly shaping and reshaping us into what we were made to be. We all want to be the best we can be. Only with the help, direction and wisdom of the Lord is that going to happen. And our very frugal Father in Heaven will use every means at His disposal to bring it into being.

We are works in progress. Throw a little spam in here and there to refine us, knocking off the rough edges ~ making the 'crooked paths straight', so to speak...that's what our Father will do. He lets satan try to trip us up. He lets the messiness of life get in our ways so that we learn how to traverse the rough roads and learn how to be refreshed in the parched places. He isn't an "I'll-give-you-a-neat-and-clean life" God. We just have to look at the life of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to see that God allows spam...He allows messiness to make us grow...He works it all together for our own good. Yes, beloved. For our GOOD.

He does it because He loves us and He can't and won't have a lot of Prima donna's in His kingdom. Ask.com defines a Prima donna as "a temperamental person. Someone who takes adulation and privileged treatment as a right and reacts with petulance to criticism or inconvenience." Just imagine what it would have been like if Jesus had taken that attitude! We'd all be lost forever. And we are not the ones who should be receiving adulation anyway. Only the Lord deserves it. We are the created, NOT the Creator!!!

God gave satan so much power and so many wonderful things, but the stupid devil didn't appreciate it. God wants the humility and wisdom of Jesus to live in us. We will go through trials. We will have spam. We will suffer. And hopefully, we will grow as a result. So the spam stays, beloved. It stays...to bless us with more opportunities to grow in love, meekness, wisdom, faith, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness and especially in humility. God wants a humble people. He wants a people who will gladly and gratefully bow the knee to Him throughout eternity...not another stupid devil filled with pride, dissatisfied with the wonderful gifts already given...complaining about what he/she lacks...demanding, demanding, demanding. No. He wants a people who are humble and wise enough to know that God is and always will be GOD. He wants a people who are thrilled to be called His children...who really do view the trials that we have gone through in life to be there for our own good...grateful that He would allow and even bring about circumstances that purify us in His Refiner's Fire. He wants people who will rejoice that He didn't spoil us rotten, but instead matured us so that we will always appreciate Who He is!

So, when you get that little spammy thing going today, praise God for it. Show Him that you are grateful for another opportunity to love Him. Bless His heart with your reactions to the bad stuff... Bless His heart by showing Him that you know He has all things in His loving, strong, safe hands and that He has allowed the spam to come to bless you somehow. I"m not saying that He always brings problems...but He will use the ones that come. Maybe sounds crazy to some people, but those are the same folks who don't understand why He would send His Son to die for each one of us. Jesus' life was spammy before 'spam' was even a word. The beatings were spam. The mockery and thorns and cross were spam... He knew they were coming and He endured them all.

Let's learn from His example. When they beat Him, He didn't open His mouth to complain. When they reviled Him, slapped Him, spit on Him and buried thorns into His pure flesh, He never said a word.. He knew God was allowing all of it for a reason. And the reason was you. And it was me. He took our sin, sickness, disease and separation from the Father. He took it all. Some would say it was 'spam'. But God says, 'Not so, beloved.' You were worth it. So was I. According to Him, we are worth the extreme price. And that is the wonder of it all. That He could love us so much!

Pray for strength. Pray for each of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for the wisdom, faith and patience you need to go through every single trial. Then remember that you have all those things through Christ, because they are things He wants for you and by asking, you're in harmony with His will. 1 John 5:14,15...

"And this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us ~ whatever we ask ~ we know that we have what we asked of him."

He wants us to grow in faith and wisdom...and in patience. He wants us to thank Him for everything that comes into our lives for whatever the reasons He has allowed those things to happen. He wants us to remember that HE IS SOVEREIGN...and that no weapon formed against us will prosper. He wants us to remember that His ultimate goal is to bring us into His kingdom in Heaven one day, and we have many things to learn on the journey. He wants us to remember that He never leaves nor forsakes us...that His ways are not our ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts....His ways are higher and His thoughts are higher than ours.

Oh, and one more thing, beloved. He wants us to remember that He loves us with a love that will never grow weary, never fail and never ever ever die. Have a fabulous day! Let's get together here again soon, okay?

Blessings!

Vicky

Snow Diamonds

2011-01-26T07:14:00.009-06:00

Good morning, beloved friends! What an amazing day this is going to be! I can hardly wait to see what the day will hold and if the sun will shine again like it did yesterday. It was such a beautiful day and as always, God's beauty shone through the cold and warmed my heart with His powerful love. God is so good...always present, always loving, always GOD ~ and that is awesome!

When I set up the office in our home, I made sure that my desk was situated in such a way that I could easily see out the big picture window and enjoy the view of the sky and little wooded area across the road. It's sort of like God picked up a tiny piece of the country and planted it right there just for me. Of course, I know that sounds silly ~ no doubt the previous tenants enjoyed the view for many years before I came along...but I choose to believe that God not only gave me this house to live in, He also gave me this glorious view to behold each day. And believe me, I really do!

I love looking at His creation in nature...seeing the trees, bushes, grasses and flowers cover the land in the springtime... listening to the joy in the birds as they herald another season of life with the music of their songs...watching the weightiness of summer bring the sometimes-too-warm days, thunderstorms and nights filled with the sounds of crickets and owls and...oh, all the other critters that love the great outdoors...and the changes that autumn brings as the trees explode with colors and falling leaves, cooler days and nights and...I could go on and on and on...but I'll stop. You get the idea. God is good and colorful and creative. I love Him!

But I confess...I am not a cold weather person! And when the snow comes to blanket the city as it has twice in the last few weeks, I am always looking forward to the time that it melts...hopefully quickly...and the first little signs of Spring begin to show up. I start looking for them as soon as it starts to get cold outside. Ridiculous, I know...but still, I have a great deal of hope for the next season to arrive once winter begins. What's even sillier about all of this is that I could move to a warmer climate and not have to deal with the cold quite so much, but just like so many people who live in the Midwest and also dislike the cold weather, I seem to be planted here for now. Maybe that will change someday. We'll see... :)

Anyway, back to yesterday... Although I'm not crazy about cold weather, icy roads and trees and gray skies, there are a couple of things about winter that I do love. I love the bright blue skies that occasionally come and the warmth of the sunlight that breaks forth when every tree is bare and all of the roads are wet or slushy or even ickier than that. And if there is snow on the ground, well...the sunlight just seems to cheer everything up a bit. I love the way the snow looks on a sunny day.

It was particularly beautiful yesterday. We've had quite a cold spell here ~ by my calculations, anyway ~ and everything has looked so dreary outside for several weeks now. Being encouraged in all of that grayness can be challenging at best for some folks. But yesterday the sun was shining so brightly and all of the little snow diamonds (that's what I call them) were sparkling as beautifully as the diamond my husband put on my finger. Millions of them...beautiful in every way. It looked like God laid a shimmering white blanket across the land and said, "Look, isn't this gorgeous? Even in the midst of all of the hard things in life, I always have something glorious for my children to see!" Those snow diamonds were a testimony of that for me once again...a testimony of His beauty...His glory...His love for us all.

Some of them looked sort of silver as they glistened in the sunlight, but I noticed several places where the sun hit them just right and thousands reflected the colors of the rainbow. As I looked in wonder at the feast of beauty laid before my eyes, I was again reminded of His love for us. Once again He showed Himself to be glorious and wonderful. Once again I saw that even in the smallest things, God is there in all His goodness and that He does care about the details of our lives. And you know, I figure if He cares enough to make the little snow diamonds that don't seem to serve any purpose other than to be glorious to behold, He most definitely cares about the ins and outs of our daily lives. He cares, beloved. He truly does care.

Look for the snow diamonds He's put in front of your eyes today. Feast on them. Drink in the beauty He's given you to enjoy. And whether it comes in the form of snow diamonds, a friendly smile, a loving hand to hold, a bird in flight, the beautiful sunlight or a precious passage in His scriptures, don't miss it. Don't close the eyes of your heart to the beauty of God's goodness. Drink it in, beloved. Drink deeply. For truly this is the day that the Lord has made, so let's rejoice and be glad in it!

Vicky

Trickles and Choices

2011-01-14T06:56:00.005-06:00

Good morning!

What a great start to the day... I'm sitting at my computer, listening to beautiful music that my husband recorded ~ he's an awesome musician ~ and I'm just resting in the awareness that God loves and cares for me more than I can possibly imagine. Now, that's what I call a great way to start any day! :) I am so grateful for all that the Lord has done and is doing in me thus far in my life. I'm most definitely a work in progress!

I've been away from the computer for some time now...not posting for quite a while...and quite frankly, wondering if I would ever write another post for this blog. Many wonderful and many very hard things have happened since 2009...things that caused me to re-think who I am and where I am in my walk with the Lord. My life this past year has been very difficult in many ways and I've needed the last several months to put everthing into proper perspective. The Lord and I have been working diligently on me...and I've sure needed it! Guess you could say I've been restructuring and being restructured by God. It was necessary...and it's all good!

I learned many years ago that God is always good ~ even when the things we are enduring may or may not be. Whether they are things of our own design or something that the Lord is bringing into our lives for the purpose of growing us up...whether they are painful experiences or filled with profound joy...He is always at work in us...showing Himself to be good and merciful, gracious and patient, loving and kind, generous and wise. He is always using the things that seem to trickle into our lives... And at times it is only as we journey further down the road of our time on earth that we learn His 'trickles' came with a purpose...came from the heart of the Father who loves us without reservation...unconditionally...and who knows more than anyone ever could just what we need to purify us and set us free from all of those things that hold us down ~ things that keep us from running fully and freely into His loving arms.

My journey this past year has reminded me repeatedly that I need Him moment by moment and that I cannot afford to step away from Him for one second without expecting there to be some sort of price that will be paid for doing so. I've made choices that I wish I'd never made and done things I wish I'd never done...but I've also made decisions that I do not regret. Some of those very decisions have caused me to lose friends and to seek out my Father in heaven with a repentant heart...and a questioning one, too. I look at where my life is right now and know that God's hand has brought me to this place. But I also know that many people would disagree with me about that. They would say that I have walked away from God and that He is not pleased. I only know this...God is a loving Father and long ago I gave Him my life to do with whatever He chooses. I meant it then. I still mean it today. I trust that He has me where He wants me right now...and He confirms that trust in beautiful ways on a daily basis. I regret some decisions, but embrace others. They have all brought me to this wonderful place and time in my life. God is huge, my friends. Don't ever take that for granted. He is simply HUGE!

Things that come to us may appear to be sent by the enemy. I say 'appear' because I believe with all my heart that God can step in at any time to stop them from finding their ways to us. He could intervene and prevent us from being hurt, or making bad decisions because of the temptations we endure. He is, after all, GOD! Now, I don't discount the fact that He's given us a will that is free to choose whatever we choose and that sometimes, we absolutely make the wrong decisions. Nor do I wish to sound as though I am trying to justify sin or wrong choices where my life is concerned. But ultimately, He is and always will be GOD. (Yes, I know...I said that already... I just love the way it sounds... GOD IS GOD... Wonderful!!!)

If He allows things to come to us ~ things that just seem to trickle into our lives ~ it is for a purpose we may or may not understand at the time. But we can most definitely trust that He has us in His tender care. We must continue to put our hands in His everyday, regardless of anything we may encounter. He knows better than anyone how to work everything out for our good ~ and it even says so in the Word... "He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes." How reassuring that is! How much peace that brings when we feel as though we've lost our way or gone way too far in our poor decision making ~ or our sins.

I'm reminded of the fact that Jesus ~ perfect, sinless Son of God...our Lord Jesus ~ even asked His Father to take away the cup that he would have to drink... And the Father's answer was no. He could have said yes, but He didn't. He not only chose to say no. In Isaiah 53:10, it says

"Yet it was the Lord's will

to crush Him and cause Him to suffer..."

Wow.

So, my friends, there it is. I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I have confessed and repented, gotten to my feet once again and continue to hold onto the Master's hand. I have made decisions good and bad...and have held onto the promises that my Lord loves me enough to get me where I need to be. I've watched things 'trickle' into my life...thinking they were good or bad...whatever the case may be...and have been affirmed by God's love for me repeatedly during those times. I have seen the same in others...falling down...getting up again...continuing on their journeys as they endeavor to 'endure to the end'. My job is to love them. To love you, friends. Whatever you encounter on your journey. Whatever you choose to do when those things trickle into your lives. I choose to stay commited to God. I pray that for all of us. That we would find ourselves before His throne on a daily basis...loving and serving Him to the best of our ability...repenting and letting go of our sins...then getting back on the road to follow Him wherever He leads us.

December 19th, 2010 I married Charles. He's a wonderful man ~ a musician, songwriter, arranger and singer...who also plays piano, keyboards, flute and trombone fabulously... and who, most importantly of all, is a true worshipper who loves God dearly and lives his faith in powerful ways daily. I thank God for this man. He is truly a gift in my life. Maybe I'll write more about that later, but for now, it's time to say goodbye. Be blessed, dear friends. Thanks for following my blog. I'll write again soon, I think. It's good to be back.

Blessings!

Vicky

Smile

2011-01-03T16:25:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone!

It's been such a long time since I've been on here! Even received a note from someone (Anonymous), asking if I have quit blogging. lol. I sure don't blame you for wondering, Anonymous! Sometimes I've wondered if I'm ever going to get caught up!

I hope every one of you had a beautiful time with the Lord this holiday season and that you're looking forward to a wonderful new year. 2011 is a gift from God - as is every single day we have the opportunity to be alive. I'm so grateful for His faithful love and constant presence in my life. Hope the same is true for you, too, my friends.

As I sit here writing this post, I'm listening to a song entitled "Smile". It makes me think of how our response to God's gracious gift of life - whatever it may hold - should look in each of us. Now, I'm not naive enough to believe that life is all a bed of roses... Surely we all know that! But I do believe that the Lord wants us to have a right heart attitude, regardless of our circumstances. When trials come and life is difficult to say the least, it can be a real challenge to keep a good attitude and a cheerful smile in place. But He wants us to be thinking about 'whatever things are lovely....' I'm working on that one myself! Lately, it hasn't been as difficult as it used to be - and for that I am extremely grateful!

Hope to be able to write more in the next few days. I've so much to tell you all...if you're interested... ;)

For now, though, goodnight and God's beautiful blessings of rest and peace and...oh yes...incredible joy and wonderfully intimate relationship with you and Yeshua the Messiah!

Much love to all!

Vicky

2010-07-10T13:38:00.001-05:00

LOOK FOR WAYS TO PRAISE

When “I’m So Glad” was written, it was one of those songs that came so fast. The whole song took just a few minutes to write. No doubt, I had some divine help! After it was recorded, the Lord told me that satan hates that song because it is pure praise and worship.

Since satan covets GOD’s throne, he hates it when we tell the Lord that we’re glad HE is GOD, and that no one else, including us, is or should be! It glorifies the Father, and satan refuses to do that. Satan wants us to worship and praise him, and he hates it when GOD gets the credit for – well, being GOD! I could sense the Lord’s delight in letting me know.

Isn’t it wonderful when someone appreciates you? Doesn’t it bless you when someone lets you know that they appreciate you for something you’ve said or done? Doesn’t it encourage your heart when someone takes the time to let you know that you are appreciated just for who you are?

Well, God loves it when we appreciate Him and let Him know! When we appreciate God OUT LOUD, not just in our thoughts, He comes and gets right in the middle of that appreciation. Another way to say it is that HE INHABITS THE PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE. He loves to hear us tell Him that we think He is great, because He is! He deserves to hear it. He loves it when we let Him know that we love Him JUST BECAUSE HE IS GOD.

Imagine being a rich person who lives on the top of a mountain. Let’s just say that you, (rich person) have a dozen children, all grown up and living away from home, down in the city. You’ve been a wonderful parent, and have always loved your children deeply. You’ve made a lot of sacrifices for them, too. But most of them never come around to visit unless they want something from you – after all, you’re rich, remember? And as soon as they tell you what they want, they head right back out the door to get on with their all-important lives. It breaks your heart to have such thoughtless and selfish children.

But you know that they have their agency (free will) and they are going to do whatever they want to do. You love them so much that you would never force them to spend time with you. That is their choice to make.

Now let’s say that two of those children love to come home and visit you everyday. They just enjoy being with you because you are Mom (or Dad), and they want to know more about you. Those two kids love to come and tell you what a great parent you are and how much they appreciate you for everything you’ve done, and continue to do for your family. They love it when you pull out the old family album or set up the screen to watch old family movies. They want so much to spend time with you. They just love to be with you.

Well, God loves it when we just take the time to sit and be with Him. He loves it when we praise Him for what He’s done and worship Him for Who He is. He loves it when we listen to what He wants to tell us. He adores it when we just sit in His Presence, not constantly talking or asking for things. He isn’t our personal Santa Claus. He’s our Dad. We are His little kids. How wonderful is that!

If you can breathe, praise Him. If you woke up this morning alive, praise Him. If you have ever had a mother or father, praise Him. If the sky is blue, praise Him. If there is oxygen in the atmosphere, praise Him. If you can think, praise Him. If you are a human being, praise Him. It doesn’t matter if you are driving, bathing, eating, resting, working, playing, talking, singing, preaching, teaching, studying, crying, swimming, golfing, knitting, petting the cat, chasing the dog, cleaning the toilet, changing a diaper, catching a cold or taking out the trash… PRAISE HIM!

Lord, You deserve glory and honor and praise.
You deserve worship in a hundred million different ways.
Thank you for being God.

2010-06-21T08:00:00.004-05:00

Good morning! What a GORGEOUS day - blue skies, beautiful sunshine and....no rain in the forecast all day long! Yippeeee! Yesterday was an amazing day. Well, I say that, but really, every day is an amazing day.

God is so good to us. Even the hard days are amazing. Do you ever think about how He could have given us a black and white planet - no color aside from those two - and what that would be like? But He chose to lavish his palette on our world and paint such incredible hues all over, around and through it instead. Or, did you ever think that He could have chosen to given us only rocks and dirt to look at - and not put one single flower or blade of grass or tree or bush anywhere on the earth? Instead, He filled it with roses, lilies, mighty oak trees, fields of clover, meadows of color, splendid mountains, beautiful oceans, rivers and streams, tropical islands, birds as colorful as the planet itself...all rich with the life that He breathed into His creation.

He could have made the atmosphere work another way - oxygen coming out of holes in the ground and water coming out of rocks (hey, He did that...as I recall). He could have chosen to make this a very difficult planet on which to survive, but He chose to fill it with beauty and gave us an ever-changing, life-sustaining ball of wealth on which to live, suspended by His hand in a universe so vast that our little bitty brains can't comprehend it's magnitude.

Wow. What a GOD! Thank You, Father.

I think I'm going to enjoy this day immensely. He gave it to me, after all. Oh yes...and He gave it to you, too! Make it wonderful from the inside out!

Blessings!

Vicky

A Quick Hello

2010-06-13T21:59:00.002-05:00

Hello! :)

It's 9:59 p.m., Sunday evening, June 13th. I just wanted to say 'hello' to all of you. I have one whole minute to get this posted, then off to bed. Trying to be a better steward over my hours - as well as many other things. For now, though, just want to encourage you to continue to be a bunch of glorious blessings in the lives of everyone you know and meet... I will try to do the same!

Goodnight!

Vicky

Memories

2010-05-30T08:44:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone! It's been a couple of months now since my last post. Many things are going on in my life personally - none of which I'm going to be writing about today in any detail. Instead, what comes to mind is to write about memories. That in itself could be a book, but that's not what this is for. This is supposed to be a blog, not an autobiography! :) And, since this is Memorial Day weekend, it just seems to fit.

I can't help but think about some of the things that have happened in my life. I've seen wonderful and tragic things occur, even just in the last several years. The loss of loved ones, the birth of more grandchildren, people giving their lives to Jesus...the list is long and full of memories. My oldest grandson, Hunter, just graduated from high school. Wow. How did I get to be so old? I'll be 57 years old in July, for heaven's sake! And I cannot tell you where the time has gone. My life - like yours - is packed full of memories...some wonderful...some bittersweet...some not so good. But they are what they are and we carry them with us on our journeys along life's highway.

I've seen friends come and go - lives changing with the changing times in which we live and so much more. There have been very hard times for so many people and that continues to this day. For example, all we need to do is look at the conditions of the world in which we're living now and we can see the effect it has on all of us. People change...we grow, we win, we lose, we stumble, we fail, we get up and go again. The things we experience can touch us in subtle and profound ways. Even the smallest decision can affect the whole direction our lives will take - much like a little rudder on a huge ship has the ability to set a whole new course for the journey.

But let's not talk about the memories that have already been made. Those have been 'said and done' and must be tucked away inside of us for whatever their future purposes in our lives may be. Rather, let's talk about the memories that we still have some choices about making. For instance, what we'll do with this day. Is there someone to call or visit? Is there a fence that needs to be mended or a hand that needs to be held? Is there a park that needs to be enjoyed or a lake that needs to be fished in? Is there a picnic that needs to be shared with good friends and family? Is there a walk that needs to be taken, or a drive that needs to be driven? Is there something that the Lord has asked us to do that needs to be done and not postponed until another day? Is it time to jump right into that lifestyle change that we've put off, thinking that there would be a better day to start - or a habit that we keep saying we're going to break, but finding every excuse in the book about why this isn't the best day to break it? Could this be the day that we choose to make those changes and start a whole new journal of memories in the process? Hmmmm...

I wonder what kind of memories we will have dropped in our laps today - but I also wonder what kind we will choose to make. I've already chosen one... I have chosen to put my fingers on the keyboard and start blogging again. My sabbatical is over. My course is set and I am moving forward. My life is dramatically changing right now, but I know that it's important that I not allow those changes to cause everything I care about and love to do suddenly come to a standstill in the process. So, here I am again, popping back into your lives, making new memories and cherishing the old.

You know, there is one thing for which I am eternally grateful. No matter what the present or future holds, I will continue to walk with Jesus and we will make beautiful memories together. I know that some of them will be difficult to endure, but knowing that I can look back on all of my life and see His faithfulness to me - even when I wasn't choosing to walk with Him - gives me peace to know that He will make sure that we get where we're going and all of the trials will have been well worth it.

Blessings to all of you this beautiful Sunday morning. May the memories we choose to make today bless every person whose lives we have the power to impact.

Rain

2010-03-24T12:12:00.003-05:00

Rain. Sometimes it feels like the sky is weeping. Sometimes it's as if the earth is just crying out for a good bath. Once in a while, it seems as though the atmosphere just wants to be refreshed, cleansed of all the pollution that tries to choke the very life out of the air we're breathing; preventing the sun's beautiful rays from shining as brightly as they should. I don't know... maybe I'm just waxing sorta poetic today.

I'm glad it's raining. Even though the soft whirring of the sump pump reminds me that water levels are a little too high around the foundation and the ground is saturated with the melting of the most recent snow, I still appreciate the spring rains today. It feels good, knowing that the rain outdoors matches the rain in my soul and spirit. I need the rain today. And I want it.

Our lives are so intertwined, aren't they? Anything we do has the power to impact the lives of people we love, challenging them to grow because our decisions aren't always what they believe or even know to be best. Regardless of whether those decisions are right or wrong...the challenge is always there, however. Either we love one another through our choices or we become angry, afraid, resentful, accusatory... There are probably more negative choices we can make, but they are all to the detriment of not only the object of our frustration, but to ourselves and everyone we love. Our lives are truly woven together by our Creator. What a wise God. What a loving Father.

Frankly, sometimes the noise of it all becomes too loud in our hearts and we'd rather just go sit in the warm rain, letting it refresh us in the peace that comes with it... Absorbing the moment, waiting for the strength to return to us as God washes our wounds and wraps us in His love. We don't always need to hear the words of others. We need to be with our Abba Daddy. He's the Source from which we can draw our courage to go forward, knowing that there will be more arrows that pierce our souls and more sorrow that comes as the rain pours from our own eyes, whatever the cause for it may be.

If you're in a dry place right now and need to feel the refreshing love of God washing over you, I pray that you will find your own place in the rain...soaking rain...healing and nourishing and strengthening rain of His Spirit.

Have a blessed day, my friends. I truly do love you all.

Vicky

This is the first day of Spring?

2010-03-20T09:39:00.004-05:00

Wow. Hi everyone. First day of a new season and we're getting a ton of snow here in Missouri. There's something very prophetic in that - and we may all have different ideas about what it means. I am going with the thought that we can always count on the unexpected to come our way. Like God saying that He's doing a new thing...

Oh, I don't mind so much that we're getting snow right now. I'm going to stay all tucked in and try to get caught up on some work here at the computer that's been calling out my name for a while now. I much prefer staying indoors in this kind of weather and am very grateful that I have a place to stay. Life is funny and we never know what tomorrow brings...even if God Himself gives us a glimpse into the future. It's never quite exactly the way we thought it would be, is it? Yes, I know there are many people who have that ability to see, but there's always the unexpected...God moving in ways that we can't comprehend. And of course, He doesn't have to tell us everything He is doing - and He won't. He is, after all, GOD!

Recently, I was told that there are some folks who don't think that I'm a Christian. I find that odd. When people who profess to be Christians base their decisions of another human being on their human understanding of Who God is and what being a Christian means, it can be a scary thing! For heaven's sake, that's when stones start flying around and I try very hard to duck so that I don't get hit by one. Sometimes I don't duck quickly enough and I get slammed. I expect you do, too. I'm so sorry about that - for all of us. We can't see each other's motives or hearts any more than we can see every movement of the hand of God or His plans for us. We can't get it any more than we can explain why the weather is as wacky as it's been - except for the fact that God said it was going to be this way. Wacky. Yep. Sure is. Like human judgment of the hearts, motives and actions of others. Just plain wacky.

Today, I'm going to pray for all the folks who are caught up in judgment of another human being. God's plans are way bigger than ours - and His thoughts are, too. In our little bitty finite minds, we may tend to believe that we have it all figured out - signed, sealed and delivered... Yikes! Help us, Lord.

Like the first day of Spring this year. I'd love to see daffodils popping up and listen to birds heralding the day with their little songs of joy for this time of year. But that's not happening. Instead, a blanket of snowy white stuff covers the yards and streets and a hush has settled over the city.

I think I'll get back to work now and let the chips fall where they may. I'll pray over those chips that are falling. I'm going to ask God to help every single one of us as we 'work out our salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord'. Love, forgive, release and go on. That's my goal.

Love to all of you this first day of Spring 2010. Have a blessed and peaceful day of rest.

Vicky

Time For Rest

2010-03-13T12:14:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! The gentle (almost) Spring rain outside my windows reassures me that, once again, the seasons will change. Funny...my last post was about changing seasons. I guess I'm all caught up in that right now. It seems to be a reality in my own life - so apparently, it's on my mind and flowing out through my fingers and onto the keyboard as I type. I hope this Saturday finds you resting in the Lord all day long. I sure want that for myself!

And oh, yes...the clocks. Here in the Midwest, it's time for the clocks to do their thing...spring forward... Since we're in the spring forward season, all of us will 'lose' an hour of sleep to 'gain' an hour of sunlight. Not everyone in the U.S. has this option and there are many who don't care for it. Personally, I think it's a great idea. I love knowing that the sun is officially shining now at 6 something in the mornings! Silly, isn't it? It shines whenever God tells it to shine - regardless of our little score-keeping methods. Still in all, I love it!

I don't have any great new words of wisdom to post today. God has said it all. Follow Him. Do whatever He asks of you. I'm trying to do that in my own life. It's worth it, my friends. Sometimes it may be difficult, but it's always worth it!

Have a fabulous Saturday - rest in Him - (it is the Sabbath, according to the Bible) - and love everyone around you. I know, I know...sometimes THAT'S hard to do, too! :)

Here's a verse for today. It's from John 14:12-14. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

I hope you ask Him for everything He wants for you in this new spring season. And I hope you find and take the time you need to rest in and with Him.

Blessings...!

Vicky

Seasons Change...

2010-03-09T08:52:00.004-06:00

Good morning everyone! I've been away from my computer quite a bit lately. Last weekend, I was down in Branson, taping a concert. What a great time! The Lord was very much present and the studio audience, camera and audio crews - all of us - were very much aware of His Presence. I could do that every day and never get tired of it! :)

I titled this blog 'Seasons Change', not just because we are about to go into Spring, but because there are so many different seasons in our lives. Change is in the air. I can feel it...how about you? Changes often come unexpectedly and sometimes they are a delight. Occasionally, however, they can be difficult; disrupting our somewhat smooth day-to-day flow of life - challenging us to meet them head-on with courage and strength. Sometimes, that's a hard thing for me to do. Finding ways to adjust to those changes in positive ways only makes us stronger, though. And I want to be strong in all the right ways. I'm sure you do, too.

That brings me to this one quick thought.... When the seasons in your life begin to change and you are unsure of the direction they are going - or what it's going to look like on the other side of that change - take courage and lean heavily on God. I mean it. Lean HARD! I'm doing some heavy leaning right now in my own life. I'm reminded of the scripture verses about Joshua, who was told by the Lord to 'take courage' and to be very courageous. Apparently, it's not something that's always easy to do, or the Lord wouldn't have told Joshua to 'take' it, would He?

Embrace what lies ahead. Our Father in heaven has plans for all of us. Sometimes joyful and sometimes laboriously experienced. I pray for all of us the courage and strength, the determination and love to follow the paths chosen as we journey together through the ever-changing seasons of our lives.

God bless you all. Have a fabulous day! I'm sure planning on that for myself! :)

Vicky

Looking for Spring

2010-02-26T07:40:00.003-06:00

I'm so ready for the weather to change! No doubt, I'm not the only one who is, either. And even though it's another line from the old song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside", I'm going to do what the rest of the nation is doing...taking care of business and dashing - gingerly, so I don't slip and break my leg or something on the ice - still, dashing to the next warm place I need to be in order to do whatever it is I'm there to get done. (Now, there must have been at least three major grammatical errors in that last sentence, but I'm not too worried about it. It is, after all, freezing outside and some of that cold may have gotten stuck in the part of my brain that houses grammar stuff. I don't mind.)

So, these verses come to mind this morning. In Isaiah 42:9..."See, the former things have taken place and new things I declare; before they spring into being, I announce them to you." And then, from the very next verse..."Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim his praise in the islands."

I love that He wants us to know that He is doing a new thing. God is always doing a new thing. Just like the seasons that continue to change, every year, our God continues to do something new. Spring will come. The cold weather will pass. New things are on the horizon for all of us. And our job is simply to rejoice! Sing praise to Him - whoever and wherever we are, no matter where we live. On the islands, the sea, the mountaintops - even right here in good old cold Missouri. It's a great day to rejoice and praise God for all He's doing - every new thing - and all the faithfulness He's demonstrated throughout the history of this world.

Don't know about you, but that just warmed up my day rather nicely. Blessings, dear friends. Enjoy whatever it is that God is "springing forth" in your lives!

Vicky

One Step At A Time

2010-02-22T20:57:00.003-06:00

Funny how sometimes when I name these blogs, I have no idea what I'm going to say. Such is the case this evening. That's what ended up coming into my brain and out through my fingers on the keyboard. Let's see where this thing is going...

What is on my heart to tell you is that there are just days that require us to take one step at a time. Well, I guess I already sort of said that in the title, didn't I? But that's what this day has been for me. One step at a time. Little steps, actually. Just trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Never running too far ahead with my thoughts or stopping dead in my tracks. I know I have to keep taking steps. Sometimes, where my foot is going to land isn't even clear to me at all. That is when I have to totally trust that God has me - regardless of what I feel, think or see.

I heard it said once that, if we are not continually climbing the mountain, we will begin to lose ground. I'm not sure that I agree with that statement, though. Sometimes we need to stop and rest for a moment, enjoying the beauty that God has so graciously put in our world. Sometimes the small step is one that leads us to a little park bench on a hill overlooking a valley so vast and lush that it takes our breath away - giving us rest and peace for our souls. And occasionally, it's during that little break where we rest on our little park benches that eventually we are able once again to see the path before us with a little more clarity. That's always our hope, isn't it? To be able to see the way - even if it's just so that we can take one little step in front of us - trusting that we are moving in the right direction.

I've found that God likes to hide the path, though. Have you found the same thing to be true? Every once in a while, it's as though I've wandered into some forest that is so thick with all that jungly stuff that I can't see the trees that are right there beside me...and the path has totally been covered over with brush and weeds. And to top it all off, there's not a park bench anywhere in sight! All I can do in those moments is sink to my knees and sit quietly, waiting on God. Waiting for Him to light that one little step in front of me. Waiting for Him to do whatever it is that He is going to do in me, through me, for me, to me or with me. Before I even rise to take one more step, I must wait, for I am lost without Him.

There are other times, however, when I must move forward, trusting His word that promises me that He is with me always, as He said He would be - and that by trusting Him, He will 'make my paths straight' (Proverbs 3:5,6) When I am weary, He is where I find my rest. When I am lost, He reminds me that I am never lost to Him. He always knows exactly where I am - and He ALWAYS has a plan to get me where He wants me to go.

Many things line the path that I am walking right now. Music (that in itself is enough to keep me busy), a new book to work on (don't even ask where I am in that process), Heart Notes for Haiti (still hoping to find more places for concerts and gearing up for the one at Club D Mask Us in May)... There's more on the list - uh, path - but just those few things are enough to consider right now.

Robert Frost wrote a beautiful poem entitled 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening.' Seems rather appropriate for this blog, so I'll include it.

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there's some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

So, we've climbed to the top of a mountain, rested on a park bench overlooking a beautiful valley, wandered through a forest and stopped in the woods on a snowy evening. Been a very busy 'travel blog' tonight, hasn't it? :)

I pray that you will find the quiet moments that you need with God. I pray that you will always put your foot on the path with confidence, knowing that God has such a beautiful plan for you - knowing that it probably won't look the way you expected when you set out on your journey. We'll see more clearly when we get to the other side of the path, though, won't we? In the meantime, just continue to follow, trusting that He's holding and guiding you.

I love you, dear friends. Rest well this evening.

A Few Updates...

2010-02-18T07:45:00.002-06:00

Good morning all! My feet hit the floor running - as much as that is possible at this age - with all the stuff that needs to be done today. Rehearsal starts at 9:00. On March 5th, I have another concert date for Branson at Morningside, "Home of the new Jim Bakker Show" and there is a great deal of vocal work that needs to get done getting ready for that one. But I woke up this morning knowing that I had to drop a few lines on here so that it doesn't look like I've fallen off the planet!

The first email I read from a friend of mine noted that I hadn't been heard from for awhile... So, here I am! :)

Here's where we are with the Haiti concerts. The Kansas City, Kansas church hasn't responded yet, so I'm not sure what is going to happen with that - if it will be scheduled at a later date or whatever - but am still waiting to hear from the contact person about it. We do have a date at Club D Mask Us in Lee's Summit, Missouri. It's set for May 7th and will feature a band and several solo artists. Yippeeee!

For now, I want to share the verse that the Lord gave me for today. It's from the book of Proverbs and it goes like this..."A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." Proverbs 25:11. That word aptly means appropriately, fittingly, rightly, suitably, pertinently. So my desire for this day is to speak the right words - words that appropriately fit the circumstances into which I will be speaking. I pray that you and I will be successful in our venture to do exactly that today. There are lots of folks who need to hear the right words coming out of our mouths and God is more than able to put those words in us - for our own good as well as for theirs.

Blessings today, everyone. Thanks so much for following - even though at times it seems that I am wandering all over the place! I so appreciate that you are willing to still come looking!

Vicky

Little Rabbit Trails

2010-02-10T07:03:00.004-06:00

Good morning, everyone! So glad you could stop by today! I hope your day is a gloriously amazing day for you and that when you lay your head down on your pillow tonight, you can do it with a smile on your face and in your heart. God is going to be good to you today. Happy glory hallelujah!

Now, that may have sounded funny...God is going to be good to you today. Well, of course He is - because that's Who He is. He's going to be with you wherever you go. Oh, it may be that you find yourself off on some little rabbit trail that was never part of your plan for the day. But you know, sometimes those little rabbit trails are nothing less than God's plan for you...paths that He has chosen to teach you something or perhaps to give you the opportunity to bless someone who really needs blessing! It could also be that He just wants you to have a moment of peace in a very busy and stressful day. Possibly, He's just calling you to come and rest by His side in a most unexpected way - or even take you on a journey to show you the wonder of Who He is and the powerful love He has for you. Who knows...?

Don't miss it. Whatever it is - however He chooses to interrupt your day - don't miss it. LOOK for Him in it. Ask Him to show you something new today - about Him, His creation, His plan - whatever! Ask Him to surprise you with a gift. I did that one day a number of years ago and He surprised me with a beautiful little diamond ring. Now, tell me that God doesn't want to give us gifts and surprise us with unexpected blessings! That little diamond ring came from my husband, who had no idea that I'd asked God for a surprise earlier that day. When Alan came home from work that evening, we had some errands to run. On our way to do them, however we ended up going in the opposite direction of where we needed to be. I asked him where we were going and then generously offered my wifely duty of reminding him that he was going in the wrong direction. (WHEN will I learn to keep my mouth shut and realize that my husband has been driving for more than 45 years - and that he probably does still have most of his marbles (I refer you to my previous post), making him quite capable of finding his way around a city that he's lived in for about 40 years now....)

Anyway, I digress. Where was I? Oh, yes. We were going down some little rabbit trail that had nothing to do with our previous plans that day. Now, I've gotta tell ya...my husband is not the kind of guy who cares anything about jewelry. When we got married, his wedding ring went on his finger and has only been taken off during the times he's had surgery - then he puts it right back on. Outside of that, he has no use for jewelry of any kind. It's not in his line of vision, so to speak. He flat doesn't care about it and usually considers it to be a waste of money. And for us, money isn't something that we find ourselves rolling around in, if you know what I mean. :)

On this particular day, I thought he must have left some of his marbles at home and that we were on a little rabbit trail. He smiled at me rather smugly and told me that he just wanted to make a quick stop somewhere before we did our errands. A few minutes later, we were pulling into a parking lot and minutes after that, I was walking out of a store with a little used diamond ring on my finger. GOD's rabbit trail that day was an answer to a prayer I'd not voiced to anyone but Him. What appeared to me to be a little rabbit trail of my husband's doing ended up being the direct path set out before us by the Lord's Spirit to answer a request I'd made that morning. And no, I didn't ask GOD for a diamond ring. That was entirely His idea!

So, dear ones, look for God's little rabbit trails in your life today. He tends to leave His footprints everywhere He goes. Sometimes they are easier to follow than other times, but they are always there. So you just go ahead and be a little baby bunny and hop along behind Him, keeping your little bunny ears open for the slightest sound of change in direction and see what marvelous things He has in store for you today!

Blessings! See you on the little rabbit trails!

Vicky

Hunting For Marbles

2010-02-08T07:45:00.005-06:00

Good morning all! Getting ready for a great week?

Seems like it's been days since I've been on my blog. I'm sure it has been. Actually, I'm sure if I stopped to check when I last posted something here, I would be shocked. Keeping up with 'life' is sometimes more difficult than I realize. At those times, I've got to stop and ask for help from the only Source of life there is. Such is the case today, my friends.

But I've no doubt that you all have the same challenges in your own lives. Circumstances may be different, but there's always stuff to be done, right? And it's crazy how time can get away from me! If I didn't know better, I would say that someone comes to my house and sets my clocks and calendars to some time in the future, leaving me to wonder if I've just gotten really old and don't have all my marbles anymore. (For you young people, that just means that I wonder if I'm losing my mind.) Of course, I refuse to believe that. I checked this morning and all my marbles are present and accounted for. Hallelujah...if any of them are actually missing, I'm blessed to know that GOD knows exactly where they have gone...and He knows how to keep me.

The devil would love for me to believe that I'm going crazy. Probably because he went crazy and rejected GOD, thinking he was so much better and smarter than YHVH. Oh yes, the devil lost his marbles a long time ago and I'm not interested in keeping company with him! I know the Lord said we are to be a peculiar people and I am most definitely peculiar. But crazy people? No way!

Now, on to our fundraising efforts. Let me catch you up on Heart Notes for Haiti. As of today, I'm still waiting to hear from a new friend who attends a church in Kansas City, Kansas. Her pastor is considering providing their building for a benefit concert. There is also a church in Lee's Summit, Missouri where we will be doing a benefit concert in May. Isn't that great news? I'll have more details as they become available, but for now, I'm just happy to see that things are beginning to open up. I'm still looking for help with this, though. If any of you would be interested in helping me promote this by making phone calls to secure space, it would be greatly appreciated. Maybe some of you are stay-at-home parents or retired or...whatever...you just have some extra time on your hands and would be willing to use it in this way. Hey, what about those of you who have children in school? Maybe their schools would be willing to let us do a fundraiser....? Just a thought.

Well, I need to jump off here for now. Here's a scripture for us today. It just keeps coming up in my spirit, so this must be the one!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5,6

Lord, today I put my trust in You. My understanding gets all messy when I don't have You directing my paths and You know that there are a whole bunch of paths right in front of me. Today, I continue to acknowledge Your goodness and direction, Your blessings and Your power in my life. Thank You for being GOD every single day and night of my life. Have Your way in all of my friends here at Notes From The Heart and in me, too. I'm throwing the full weight of my faith on You, leaning heavily on Your love, power, mercy, grace and goodness. Thank You, GOD, for being Who You are! Bless us according to Your good pleasure, Lord, to be and do all You call us to be and do! In Jesus' powerful name. Amen.

The Flittling of the Dirty Birds... tweet!

2010-02-01T19:10:00.004-06:00

Actually, it's Monday evening...February 1st, 2010. Amazing, isn't it?

Hi everyone. Concert this morning. Meetings all afternoon. Long day. Wonderful, glorious and beautiful day - even if the sun didn't shine and the temps are still cold outside. I'll take it. I'm glad to have it. God is good. Even in cold weather, God is always good!

Yep, I wrote something similar not long ago about the weather. May have even been last week...I'd have to go back and check the blog. Isn't it something how a thing as simple as the weather can get all in the middle of us? Sure does for me. I feel better physically in warmer weather. Maybe that's why I notice it so much. Still, it's weather. We always have some, don't we? Hallelujah, GOD! Thanks for weather! Thanks for LIFE!

Rambling. That's what I'm doing. I'm just letting the thoughts that flow through my brain flow right on out my fingers. Sometimes, the thoughts that flow take me by surprise. Other times, I wonder what my brain is thinking!

You know, it makes me think about what we decide to think about. Yeah. That's what I said. I know that we are supposed to take every thought captive... Sometimes those thoughts flit around like little birds, first in this tree - next in that one. Makes me think of the song, Winter Wonderland. You know, the phrase that goes: "Gone away is the boo bird. Here to stay is the new bird who sings a love song as we go along..." There's always some kind of bird flitting around, looking for a place to land. Like birds in the trees, if I don't choose to let the right ones land there, they leave the little dirty birdies will leave their little birdie messes on the fertile ground of my brain. Not so good. I understand why the Lord wants us to take every thought captive. Otherwise, those little thoughts can pollute our minds, hearts and eventually the loved ones in our lives. Again, not so good.

Today, I encountered someone who obviously struggles tremendously with negativity. Negative comments, negative attitude.... I saw discouragement, depression, anger, resentment, rejection, bitterness and all kinds of little 'messes' that have found their ways into the life of this person. It's almost as if I could see the dirty little birds that have messed all over that brain. And who knows what happened to cause that? Difficulties in life? Disappointments somewhere along the way? Abuse? Ridicule? Scorn? God knows. God saw the whole life - beginning to end - and He understands it all.

What He doesn't want from that individual - or from any of us, for that matter - is for those little bird messes to stay around, smelling up our lives. He wants us to clean them up. His plans for us are so much better than we know. Lose the depression. Find peace in knowing that God can give us peace in the midst of our circumstances. Lose the anger. Dig up the rejection, bitterness, hate, unforgiveness....whatever it is....dig it up and throw it out of our lives. Rest in Him. Trust Him to take care of the circumstances. Trust Him to know what the best thing is for you to do. If we need to do it again to remind ourselves today, then let's do it...let's read the end of The Book. God wins. If we're on His side, then yippeee! We win, too. :)

So pray, people. Pray for each other. Encourage each other. Don't entertain the negative. Bless the Lord and yourself - bless the people around you and the ones you meet every day. Find and choose and give tons of joy to the folks you encounter. There's enough negativity - enough sorrow and sadness and all the depressing stuff to last a lifetime. How much better to leave a trail of overflowing joy, encouragement, hope, love and peace in this world!

God has a new song for you and for me. Let's sing that one, shall we?

Happy Tuesday Night

2010-01-26T23:19:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone. It's late - 11:19 p.m. according to the clock on my computer. Before I go to bed, though, I just wanted to stop by to say hello and goodnight to all of you.

I'm so grateful for all that we have this day. I'm grateful to GOD for His blessings that flow ceaselessly throughout my days and nights. I'm grateful for our home, the food on our table, the beds we have to sleep in, the little cats He's given us responsibility to care for. I'm grateful for the love of family and friends. I'm grateful for the life He's given me and the talents He's so generously poured into the lives of everyone I know. I'm so grateful for the mercies that are new every morning - GOD knows that I need those! I'm so grateful that He supplies everything I need and that it is done through His riches in Glory! It occurs to me that JESUS is GOD's "Riches in Glory". Never thought of Him in quite that way before, but it sure makes sense to me. How I love the Lord! How I love the Lord GOD Almighty. I'm so grateful that He is GOD!

Most of all, I am grateful for the sacrifices that were made for me. Maybe that sounds selfish. Maybe it is, I don't know. I just know that I am so grateful that Jesus came and lived and died and rose again without ever getting it wrong - without ever sinning - without ever giving up. I'm so grateful for HIS obedience to GOD. And I'm so grateful for the undeserved Gift of Holy Spirit in my life. These are the things I am most grateful for. How I cherish these gifts from GOD!

So, even though the temps outside are in the 20's and the trees have no leaves right now, I will rejoice! MY GOD IS AWESOME!!! Even though there are many things that need to be changed and fixed and all that, I will still rejoice, because MY GOD IS ALWAYS AWESOME!!!

I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I love Him, I guess. I just wanted to rejoice with you before I go to bed.

Happy Tuesday Night, my friends.

Sleep well.

Vicky

It's Sunday Night...

2010-01-24T22:15:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! Haven't been on here for a few days and thought it would be a good idea to check in with you before heading off to bed. It's been a very full day and it's already midnight. I'm convinced that sometimes the clock just jumps forward about 10 hours without so much as the blink of an eye and I totally miss it. How does it DO that?!

It seems like so many things have changed these past two weeks. The earthquake in Haiti, for example. Lives lost. Lives found. Heartbreak beyond comprehension as the graves continue to open their mouths wider to receive the tens of thousands whose lives were snatched away in a few short seconds of time. Joy unspeakable as some learned that a loved one made it. Still, things will never be the same in Haiti. I would dare to say they will never be the same anywhere else in the world, either.

Agendas changed - mine included. Not that I actually have an agenda, but for lack of a better term, I'll use that word. My 'agenda' is to do the will of God and to get better at obeying Him, for one thing. Some days I seem to do better than others. Some days I am astounded by how much I need His grace to cover me. And now, God chose to put this catastrophic occurance in Haiti on my heart in such a way that made it necessary to seek Him for understanding about my involvement and the involvement of the ministry and the music. All of that happened because of events that took place over the course of a few life-changing seconds. Isn't that something?!

Heart Notes for Haiti is slowly taking shape and to me that is wonderful. There is still a long way to go, but I'm so encouraged by the people who want to be involved. Some of you know that there is a Heart Notes for Haiti group on facebook now. It's been up there for less than a week, I think, and we already have over 80 members. Hallelujah! My hope and prayer is that many of them will want to be involved in some way. Although many have made contributions to help Haiti through other organizations already, it seems that there is a hunger on the parts of people to be able to do more. If they are interested, there are plenty of opportunities to do more through Heart Notes for Haiti. If you are one of those people, then don't be shy! Join us!

Well, dear friends, my brain doesn't want to focus on this blog right now. It's been a terrific but also very full and very long day, so I'm going to sign off for tonight. Thanks for visiting and thanks so much for following. I truly hope and pray that the things I share on here somehow bless you. You all remain in my thoughts and prayers. Until the next post, be encouraged, be still and KNOW that He is GOD! :)

Vicky

Heart Notes...update

2010-01-21T11:14:00.003-06:00

Good morning everyone! I've been quiet for several days, just asking the Lord how to proceed. Still continuing to get input from some folks and still looking for more direction from Him. It's sort of reminds me of the Lord telling Moses to get the children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses went, as we all know, but didn't know how it was all going to work out. Now, obviously I'm not comparing myself to Moses. Just saying that sometimes the Lord calls us to do things that we have no idea how to accomplish initially. Well, I have been and am still in the 'initially'!

Some of you are on Facebook and have joined the Heart Notes for Haiti group. For those of you who aren't, I invite you to join. There will be ongoing updates here, but it would also be great to see that group grow and for all of its members to be able to connect there. Below is what I posted to the fb group this morning...

Making calls - looking for locations for concerts. Thoughts? Suggestions? Helpers? Hmmm...hello everyone! Some of you have already let me know that you have clothing, household items and furniture to donate. I think that's wonderful, but we don't have a place to store those items until they can be sold and conver...ted into cash. My sis, Linda, suggested that people have garage sales, then send the proceeds to Heart Notes for Haiti. I sort of stretched the idea out a bit and came up with having huge Heart Notes for Haiti Garage Sales this Spring, combined with an all day concert - many artists and a gigantic cookout. There may be someone with a good sized piece of property or land who is willing to offer their location to host the event. It could be like a giant all-day party, with wonderful ministry and networking opportunities. Some of you could also organize a community or neighborhood garage sale in your cities or towns, if you're not in the KC area. Anyone interested in any of those ideas? If so, let me know. Obviously, there will be relief efforts going on for a long time. Or, if you want to make a donation now but don't have funds to do so, why not put those garage sale items on craigslist or ebay and then donate through paypal? We already have paypal on the website, so it should be very easy for anyone who's interested. Just go to the website, www.heartnotesforhaiti.org. There are links on every page. Okay, back to brainstorming and calling. Hey, is anyone out there interested in getting on the phones and promoting our concerts? If so, please let me know. :)

So there you have it. This is where we are right now in our fundraising efforts. To do a concert, we need a location. Anyone out there have a location? Let me know! Hopefully, some of the other fundraising ideas listed above will spark your interest or springboard you on to other ways to help.

Blessings to all of you. Thanks so much for following these little posts. I appreciate, love and pray for every one of you. Have a fabulous day! :)

Heart Notes for Haiti

2010-01-18T18:42:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone. Some of you may have already seen it, if you've been to my website today or are following me on facebook. The site is live now! Hallelujah! So, it's time to get busy. Oh yeah. Right. Busy doing what?

(For those of you who haven't, the web address is http://www.heartnotesforhaiti.org/ . Go see!) :)

As I sit here wondering how on earth this ministry/relief effort is going to come together, there's no doubt in my mind that the whole thing is way bigger than something anyone should try to accomplish alone - and since I'm an 'anyone', that includes me. There are so many things that need to be done and my plate is already full. Therefore, I have two options: I can either burn myself out trying to make something happen, or I can wait on the Lord's direction for the next step and then take it. After less than a split-second of consideration, I choose the latter. I'm waiting!

Oh, yes. Rest. Wait before His throne for His direction. Hmmmm. I like it. Otherwise, I'll just be running around like a chicken with its head cut off, accomplishing some things, but most likely out of the plan that God has for me to do in all of this effort. You know - it's like the saying, "Work smarter, not harder". I want to work smarter. Only way to do that is let the One in charge of this ministry tell me what to do. And then my responsibility is to do it. That's the call for all of us, isn't it? Follow the direction of the Lord. When He speaks and says 'go now', we 'go now'. When He says wait, we wait.

There is a great deal of peace that comes with knowing that God has all of this in the palm of His hand. He has the people whose lives have been turned upside-down in the palm of His hand. He knows what He wants our little portion of the relief efforts to look like - and how - and when - and where all of that will play out. And, by the way, that's where I'm sitting, too. Right smack dab in the middle of the palm of His hand. I pray that all of you are there with me.

I'm not suggesting that we just sit back and let ourselves become hard-hearted or that we stand on the side-lines and say that we just don't have the resources or time to respond. I'm just suggesting that we all need His direction in order to be as effective as we possibly can. That goes for everything we do, I think. There are good choices, but there are best choices, too. May we always seek His face to find out what the best choice is in any circumstance!

There are people that are supposed to be a part of working with Heart Notes for Haiti and the relief efforts we feel so called to be a part of. So while I wait quietly in His presence, my heart trusts that He will be moving in those lives and encouraging them to get involved. I've already had a few of you contact me. Thank you so much for that! If you've checked out the website, you see what we need. And for the rest of you who may want to get involved in this, let's just agree to pray together and see how God leads you. If, when you do pray and get direction from the Lord, then contact me. We'll go from there!

For now, though, it's time for me to sign off. Here's my very small and simple prayer for Heart Notes for Haiti, you, the Haitian community around the world and me...

Lord God. Lead us all. In Jesus' name.

Amen

Heart Notes for Haiti

2010-01-15T17:55:00.009-06:00

Hi everyone. I've been working on a plan for the benefit concerts for Haiti and the setup for the relief efforts. I'd like to fill you in, especially since several of you have contacted me and expressed an interest in being involved in some fashion. I've asked the Lord how He wants this handled, so the information is included below. To make everything clear, it's necessary to start by telling you about FIJC...

Freedom in Jesus Christ Charitable Trust (FIJC), a 501(3) public charity, officially received non-profit status in 2004. I am the main trustee in the organization and my husband Alan is co-trustee. For the last 5 years, FIJC has provided assistance to individuals, families and organizations here in the U.S. and abroad. FIJC has distributed food, clothing, transportation, utility assistance, furniture and other household items, including books, cd's and gifts to the elderly and others in need. Abroad, FIJC supports orphanages and the ministries of several organizations dedicated to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ as they help the impoverished build healthy lives.

Since FIJC is a public charity, contributions made to the organization are tax deductible. Funds received for the relief effort we're setting up for Haiti will need to be made to FIJC in order to be eligible for tax credit.

Now, for the relief efforts of FIJC. The name the Lord gave me for this work is Heart Notes for Haiti. He is the HEART in the name. Beautiful, huh? NOTES has several meanings... As stated earlier, one of the main ways in which we will be raising funds is through concerts - hence, music notes. (Isn't God smart?) There will also be a place on the website where people can write notes to encourage Haitian families and friends. (I love this part.) And money is often referred to as 'notes'. There may be more that He hasn't told me about this, but I love the direction so far, don't you?

The main ways that we will be trying to raise money will be through benefit concerts, which will also include silent auctions. We are going to publicize our efforts to raise as much awareness about Heart Notes for Haiti as possible. We know that there are many organizations already involved in this work and I think that's wonderful! Ours is one more added to the list. You must decide for yourselves if, how and where you want to support it.

We are building a website for this project, but it is NOT up yet. I will post here the moment it's up and running. Please give us a few days to get it ready and online. The address is:

http://www.heartnotesforhaiti.org/

If you are interested in finding out more information about how to be involved, please contact me through this blog or at:

www.vicky@heartnotesforhaiti.org.

If you have any questions, please use the email address above to get in touch with me. If you or someone you know is interested in making a financial contribution now, then write to:

www.donations@heartnotesforhaiti.org

We will be using Paypal for our online donations. Someone will contact you with more information about that. If you or someone you know would prefer to make a contribution through regular mail, please send it to:

Freedom in Jesus Christ Charitable Trust

P.O. Box 3182

Independence, MO 64055

If you're making a donation, please be sure to put 'Heart Notes for Haiti' on the memo line of your check, so that we know where you want the funds to go. We cannot cash checks made out to 'Heart Notes for Haiti'. We are not setting up a bank account under that name, as that is just the name of this project. The IRS will only recognize income to Freedom in Jesus Christ Charitable Trust as being tax deductible, so if you choose to make a financial contribution, please write your check to Freedom in Jesus Christ Charitable Trust.

I want to assure you that all monies donated to the Heart Notes for Haiti work will only be used for that relief effort. If you would like to support our work in general, just leave the memo line blank and we will know that your donation goes into our general fund to be dispersed as the Lord directs.

We have need of assistance in many other ways, too. We need free advertising, gifts donated for the silent auctions, locations for concerts, event workers, music artists, go-fers...actually, we need volunteers in general... And, if you have any ideas you'd like to share with us to help enhance or expand our efforts, please let me know. This isn't a one-time event I'm talking about. There are lots of really good music artists out there who may want to donate their time, talents and possibly even a few of their cd's for this cause. It doesn't have to be about having a great deal of money - or even any money at all. You don't have to be a musician or singer to be involved...as a matter of fact, if you aren't, then let's find out what your real talents are and put those to use!

Thanks so much for reading all of this. I encourage you to pray about what the Lord wants you to do. No matter what you decide about involvement in Heart Notes for Haiti or Freedom in Jesus Christ Charitable Trust, please keep the work in your prayers and tell others about what we're doing. As far as your involvement, do whatever you feel Holy Spirit is leading you to do. There is no pressure to be part of this - I don't believe in pressuring people for donations. Our gifts should come from our hearts - just as God freely gives His gifts to us. Those are the very best gifts!

We trust God for all that we do. I'll be in touch soon. Now, I have to get started on that website!

Blessings!

Vicky

Times Like These...

2010-01-13T20:57:00.003-06:00

My fingers rested on the keyboard for awhile before I could find words with which to start this blog. Still, I am at a loss for ways to express my thoughts about what has happened to the millions of people in Haiti these last 24 hours. It's beyond comprehension for those of us who have never experienced the kinds of devastation and loss that impoverished country is experiencing this very moment. Times like these are beyond difficult to deal with or explain. I'm not even going to try, because I could never do justice to the magnitude of physical or emotional loss of those who have been impacted by the violent shaking that destroyed so many hopes, dreams and lives.

I think about the people who are still trapped - alive - hoping and praying to be rescued. What must they be going through? And then there are the loved ones who cannot reach anyone by phone - hoping and praying that their brothers, sisters, parents, children and friends survived the earthquake that rocked the nation so powerfully and unexpectedly not so very many hours ago. Their world has been turned upside down. And the grief that pours from that nation across the planet is almost palpable. As I said, beyond comprehension.

Like many of you, I also have friends in Haiti. A wonderful man by the name of Pierre lives there with his beautiful family. He is a minister we met about 10 years ago when we lived in Florida. Loves the Lord with all his heart and serves Him and the people of Haiti with full devotion. And then there are our Haitian friends here in the U.S. Our hearts go out to them, as I'm sure yours must, also. Glory hasn't heard anything about her family yet. I met her mother last year while she was here for a visit. I wonder what they all must be going through right now. I cannot imagine. Help, Lord God. Help them all.

So, what can we do? That's a question many are asking right now. Of course, we can and should do whatever the Lord leads us to do. You may be just one person, but you have something you can do. God knows what that is. Go ask Him...He will surely tell you. He knows the best way for you to use the resources that He's entrusted to you. I'm going to call Hubner and Joseph - two of my Haitian friends who live here in the Kansas City area. I have a plan...

The one thing I can do is sing. I, like many others, don't have money - but there are folks who do. As quickly as we can find a facility and organize a concert, I want to do a benefit to help the Haitian community. I can't do this alone, either. I'm also looking for volunteers to help with this project. If you want to help, then get in touch with me through this blog. We'll find a way for you to be involved. People from all over the world are reaching out to help. If you want to be part of it through this ministry, come on board. Let's see what God will do!

Please don't think you can't be part of this or that what you would have to offer may not be big enough. Remember the verse in the Bible where Jesus said, 'And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.' That's from Matthew 10:24. No matter how large or small, your gift is important.

I almost forgot - for those of you who may want to help financially, we have a non-profit organization called Freedom in Jesus Christ Charitable Trust, so your contributions to this ministry to help the Haitian community will be tax deductible.

God bless you. I encourage all of my musician friends to consider hosting a benefit concert to help, too. If you would like to be part of what I'm planning, then get in touch with me. Whatever you choose to do, let the Lord direct you in how to use the funds you receive to bless the Haitian community.

Until next time, much love to all!

Vicky

Bold Up! (Catchy, isn't it?)

2010-01-07T14:23:00.008-06:00

Hi everyone! It's so wonderful to have friends in the Body of Christ who will encourage us, isn't it? If you or someone you know is having a difficult time right now, then today's blog is for you - or them. Or maybe it's for you and them. ;)

When someone is truly your friend, TRULY, then that person wants what God has for you and your family. If he/she is truly your friend, he/she would not want to hinder the ways God is using you at your church, on your job, with the kids down the street, at the gas station or at WalMart! Instead, that person would pray over you and and ask God to bless and direct your endeavors for Him in Jesus' name. Do you understand why some folks can't do that? If they are professing Christians but they are trying to prevent you from moving forward for God, it is most likely because they are bound by religion.

Religion other than what the Bible describes is just plain mean and controlling. And those verses that do talk about religion say that true religion is to visit the widows and care for the fatherless, etc....they don't say anything about the kind of stuff we see and hear going on in the name of 'religion' - the stuff that seeks to destroy, divide, and divert the attention of God's people from the true call to 'go into all the world and preach the gospel, raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons in my (Jesus') name.' It doesn't matter what those things are, if God isn't allowed to move in and through us to do the work to which we've been called, but instead some one's agenda is being used to dominate us for the sake of religion, then we are being controlled and manipulated by the enemy through that person or denomination. Control. Oppression. Witchcraft. Take your pick - call it what you like. It's wrong.

So you want to venture out to do the work of the Great Commission - which are your marching orders - and your best friend or someone else tells you they want to see you stopped in the work God is doing through you somewhere besides at their little bitty congregation/denomination/ministry? They want to see you stopped in your tracks because you are not bowing down to their little bitty understanding of religion and because you are choosing instead to follow the call of God in your life without first checking with a human being to see if that is okay to do - receiving their stamp of approval before you dare to go and obey GOD? Exactly who is seated on the throne, anyway?

Whatever happened to getting into a relationship with God (see my blog from yesterday) and then trusting Him to direct your path, even as it says in Proverbs 3:5,6? If you are being oppressed or prevented from moving forward with the Lord in the things He's made known to you, or if that is happening to you or someone you love, then that 'best friend' is fast asleep in the Spirit of God. Once you are strengthened and can see clearly, then love those folks enough to ask God to help you WAKE THEM UP! I am encouraging you, my dear friends in Jesus Christ - you 'heirs of the kingdom' - to stop letting the oppression of the enemy through anyone or any institution, limit the call of God in you!

Of course Satan doesn't want to see you step out and go do what you've been called to do. He's not sure exactly what that is, but he definitely knows that you can cause a lot of trouble in his kingdom if you wake up to his tactics, stop being afraid to move out, pick up your sickle and start harvesting. Of course he's going to try to scare you off the plan that God has for you. Of course he will try. He sees the gifts and talents in you even more clearly than you do! He sees the Presence of God with you and is completely threatened by the possibility that you might do something crazy - like follow JESUS wherever He decides to lead you...even if it is right out the door of a little bitty denomination into the wide open spaces of a harvest field that reaches so far beyond your limited vision that it would stagger your mind to realize it! Stay in your little bitty denomination if you want to or if you feel that God has called you to stay there, but don't let anyone dictate what your work will be or how you will do it. Only follow YHVH!

If you are in a personal relationship with the Lord, if you spend time with Him and His word, if you continually seek His face, living in humility and with a repentant heart, then you are probably going to be willing to hear His voice in any way He chooses to speak. In addition to hearing from Him through the Bible, sometimes that voice will come directly - at other times it will come through other folks. If you've been smothered by religion and religious leaders who don't follow God in the ways that He wants them to follow Him, or if you have been swallowed up by the garments of religious doctrine, man made traditions and such, then you'll probably go through a process of getting all that stuff peeled off of you with the help of the Holy Spirit. It's so hard to see where we have believed falsehoods! We have to ask the Lord to bring us into all truth. His truth IS truth. Pray for it. Ask Him to show you every false thing you've been taught or believed. He will, you know. It will take time to clean all that stuff out of your thinking, but He'll most assuredly do it!

Remember, if you are bold enough to follow the Lord wherever He leads you, then you are a threat, dear one. You're a threat to satan and his kingdom. You're a threat that has to be stopped, as far as he's concerned. "Keep that one quiet", he says. "Keep her tucked away and fearful, in confusion, worrying about how to pay the bills, worrying about what will happen with her authority or church responsibilities if she doesn't stay submissive to the humans around her. Keep that one from moving forward. Keep him very very small - don't let his ministry get outside of the church walls. As long as we have that one in there, we can control him through other humans." I can hear him whispering it right now. "Keep them afraid. Keep them terrified about what is going to fall apart first: their reputations, their marriages, families, finances, homes, health, the health of their loved ones, the dangers of being sucked into false doctrines, false ministries, cults, whatever....just keep that one off track and terrified." That's what I am being allowed to hear right now. Do you see the deception? Wake up if you are sleeping! Come on...I'm rootin' for ya!

While I was writing the following prayer today, the Lord strengthened me in my spirit - which is wonderful - especially since I was writing to share/pray it with a friend. It was for both of us - and the Lord definitely moved in my spirit to strengthen me through it, too. I love how the Lord encourages us even while we are encouraging others! As I was writing, He told me that this is a prayer that should be shared on my blog and that the readers are invited to share it with others, also. So, if you want to share it, don't wait for a lightening bolt to strike before you do. Step out - BOLD UP! - and share it. It's time to 'Bold Up' even more than ever before!

Before I get to the prayer, though, I want to tell you what happened yesterday. I received an email from one of you who said the Lord said to put this scripture in my hands. Actually, since I'm not identifying anyone, I think it would be okay if I just quote her... She wrote:

"I HAVE A SCRIPTURE FOR YOU THAT THE LORD QUICKENED IN MY SPIRIT FOR YOUR HANDS.......

STRENGTHEN YE THE WEAK HANDS, AND CONFIRM THE FEEBLE KNEES:
SAY TO THEM THAT ARE OF A FEARFUL HEART,
BE STRONG, FEAR NOT: BEHOLD YOUR GOD WILL COME WITH
VENGEANCE, EVEN GOD WITH A RECOMPENSE; HE WILL COME AND SAVE YOU.
~ISAIAH 35: 3-4"

Now, dear friends, here's the prayer...

Lord, You are Holy! Holy! Holy God!!! In Jesus' wonderful and mighty Name we come to you with praise for ALL that You are! You are Jehovah Jireh - our PROVIDER! You are more than able to take care of utility bills and phone bills and empty pantries. You have more tires and cars and houses and groceries and medicines and gifts and blessings and everything else that we could possibly ever need or use - more than we can even imagine! You are RICH, Abba Daddy. You are ALL-POWERFUL, our beautiful Omnipotent Father! You are ALL-KNOWING, our glorious Omniscient Creator! You are ALL IN ALL...ALL-IN-AND-THROUGH-AND-OVER-AND-UNDER-AND-AROUND, our Extravagant Omnipresent King! Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world! Glory to the King of kings and Lord of lords!!! Glory! Glory! Glory to You, MOST HIGH GOD! You reign above the heavens; You rule from on high! Rule and reign in OUR hearts today!

We love the fact that You cannot be removed nor replaced! You are THE ONE TRUE GOD! Thank You for being God! Thank You for having plans that far exceed our wildest dreams - even for ourselves and our loved ones! Thank You for never sleeping, never slumbering, for always keeping watch over Your children! Thank You for the blessings that will never ever end in our lives - for the opportunities, the challenges, the circumstances that dare us to trust You! Thank You for the times that look hopeless, for it is in those times that You show Yourself Strong, Mighty, Capable, Brilliant, Extravagant and Shining - so much brighter than any noonday sun!!! Ohhhh, You are Holy! Yessssss, You are Wonderful! And we praise You because of Who You are...the Great I Am! The Deliverer! YHVH! Hallelujah!

Lord, You have been faithful to take care of us when we could not see our way clear to do anything to change our circumstances. You have been patient when we have refused to trust You to be GOD. You have blessed us time and again...called us without fail...strengthened us for tasks beyond our abilities...protected us all our lives. Thank You, Father! Thank You Lord God Almighty! Thank You for sending Jesus to die for us. Thank You for telling Him to lay His life down and then to get up out of the tomb and take His life back! Thank You for Your glorious Wisdom! You are WISDOM!

Thank You for seeing everything and knowing that we would need the Savior, we would need the Counselor, we would need to be comforted and corrected and we would even need the angels to minister to us. Thank You for not giving up on us, even when we have given up on ourselves or others. Thank You, thank You, thank YOU! Forgive us for every sin. We willingly acknowledge that we have sinned and we cannot make it without Your mercy. Please forgive us for every sin we've committed and strengthen us to never repeat those same sins. We cannot make it without Your grace. We need You, Lord. And while it is very true that we need You, we also acknowledge that we WANT You! We want You with us all of the time. We want You to lead us, teach us, help us and talk with us. We want You to know us, Lord. And we want to know You more. Thank You so much for being God! Thank You - with all that we are we want to thank You, Lord. Hallelujah!!!

Father, these problems we experience are very small in Your eyes. They are just little bitty things, Lord. Just like we are little, so are our problems in Your eyes. Father, we don't want to grieve You by doubting Your ability to handle our little bitty problems. You are far too magnificent to be torn down by our little bitty mindsets, so instead we choose to thank You for the ways that You will provide. We choose to thank You for the insight that You will give, the provision that You will make, the lessons that You will teach and the glory that You will rightly receive as we honor You by trusting You to be God in all of these little bitty problems. We do not pray with an attitude of fear about these things, Lord. We pray with confidence that You have plans and are more than capable to see those plans through in our lives. We pray in faith, God. We also pray with understanding - for You have faithfully shown Yourself to be Trustworthy and True every day of our lives. Thank You! You will always be GOD, YHVH, and absolutely nothing can change that! Glory!!!

Oh, the peace that fills our hearts when we honor You! How wonderful it is to have these times to show You that we trust You - no matter what may come! Strengthen us, Lord, to honor You always with the thoughts in our minds, the words that pour from our lips and the attitudes that fill our hearts during times of distress. Help us lift our hands in praise to You when our little bitty problems threaten to overwhelm us. Help us experience them with the right perspective! Sharpen our hearing and brighten our vision to hear and see You more clearly. Fill our mouths with praise that we can shout loud enough for all the host of heaven to hear! Be glorified! Be glorified! Be glorified, Holy Holy Holy!!!

Lord, we lay every single problem, need, desire, hope and dream down at Your feet. Answer and fill them according to Your plans for our lives. Thank You for doing that, Lord. We trust and believe that You will. We lay all the gifts and talents You have given us down at Your feet, also. These are Your gifts to us, YHVH, and we want to use them to honor You. We want to see them multiplied, so that the return for Your Kingdom is everything You desire to receive from Your generous investment in our lives. Thank You for faithfully doing Your part to accomplish all that You have said You would accomplish in us. Thank You for blessing us with the desire to honor, serve, obey and love You, Lord. Thank You for sending us into a harvest that is ready RIGHT NOW! Thank You for equipping us for every situation - even the ones in which we feel inadequate. Thank You so very much for being God!

And so, we joyfully lift this offering of prayer up to You and eagerly look forward to all that You will do. We happily release ourselves into Your care - committed to believe You to be all that Your Word says You are and committed also to believe that You know exactly what to do, when and how to do it! And we offer this sacrifice of praise and prayer up to You in the Only Name that is above every other name...our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer King...Yeshua Ha'Mashiach - Jesus Christ, the Messiah!!!!! GLORY!
Amen!

Come on, everybody! Let's BOLD UP!

"...And There You Are. You're In It."

2010-01-06T18:26:00.007-06:00

A number years ago during one of my visits to a ministry here in my area, a woman about my age shared a vision she had of me as we all waited on the Lord in prayer. In the vision, she said she saw me standing on a beach and I was contemplating stepping into the ocean. The only problem was that I didn't know where to step in. She said that she understood the ocean to represent the "Deep" (Lord) and that I wanted to go in, but was unsure of how to go about it. In her beautiful Australian accent, she said, "Just step in and there you are! You're in it."

Sounds simple, doesn't it? But how many people do you know who don't have any idea how to get into a personal relationship with the Lord? Probably more people than we think. I've seen the blank looks on faces occasionally when I encourage people to develop a personal relationship with Him. They have no idea where to start - how to step into the Deep. And I can certainly empathize with them. Been there, done that...as the much over-used saying goes.

You probably already know that there's no special formula, just as there's no special formula for how you talk to your children or parents. There are no instructions to follow, no certain people to meet or study under, no diploma or certificate that qualifies, no elaborate do-da that has to occur before you talk with them. You simply talk. Right? And you simply listen. You get to know them by 'wading into the water' with them. And there you are. You're in it.

How many people do you know that only want you or someone else to pray "out loud" in a gathering, regardless of the size? Why, it might just be you and one other "no-thanks-you-pray" person who is afraid to talk directly to God in front of people. That person might even be afraid to talk to Him when they're all alone, too. That is incredibly sad. How can people who say they are Christians be afraid to talk to their Creator? We all have to get into the relationship while we're here, don't we? If we don't, isn't it possible that we will hear Jesus say, "Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness. You never knew ME." Scary thought, huh? Yeah. It sure is. So why are folks so afraid to 'step into the water'?

Could it be because we've made it too difficult? Could it be that people spend too much time comparing their relationships or their Christian walks with others, when that is not something we should be doing at all? What happens when children compare the relationships their siblings have with their parents to their own relationships with their parents? Comparisons with others usually leaves someone feeling inadequate, unloved or unwanted. It's a recipe for disaster.

Speaking of recipes, I read this really good story in a Chicken Soup For The Soul book today. (Nice segue, huh?) The author is a man by the name of John Holt. John started playing cello a number of years ago. His point was that, even during the learning process, he was playing the cello. Maybe not with the greatest skill, of course. Nevertheless, he was playing. Many people, he says, would say that he was "learning to play", implying that there are two different processes in cello-playing. Process one is the learning-to-play process. Process two is the actual playing. Ridiculous, isn't it? I never thought of it this way before, but this man is right. There are not two processes, just one. We learn to do something by DOING it. We may improve (hopefully) in the things we endeavor to do, but once we start, we are actually doing it.

It's the same with getting into the water. Step into the ocean. When you put your feet into the water, you are wet. Once you get wet, you are wet. As you move forward (practice, listen, pray - whatever) you may get more water on you, but you were wet from the moment you stepped in, right? The principle is the same. When we step into the relationship with Jesus, we're in. It's a start. But the fact of the matter is that we're in. Eventually, if we continue to move forward in our relationship with Him, we will one day look around and see that we're actually out in the deep water. Deep calls to deep, (God is the capital 'D' in Deep and we're the little 'd' in deep, by the way...) And all we had to do was step in and keep moving forward. Amazing, isn't it? And there you are. You're in it.

So, right now I'm going to pray with you in this blog. Join me, if you want to. Let's get wetter!

Father, I'm so glad that You are God. Thank You for being Holy. Even Your name is Holy - that is what Jesus told us. Thank You for being so patient with us, for loving us and calling us out into the Deep. Lord please teach us how to swim in Your love completely, with abandon, beautifully and unashamedly. Teach us how to float in Your tender care. We trust that You are the Admiral of the High Seas and You alone know how to preserve our lives on this thrilling journey that You have called us to take with You. So, let the waves of Your Holy Spirit wash over us, preparing and strengthening us for the next adventure with You. And the next one, and the next one, and the next.... Bring us to where You are, Almighty Holy God. As we step from the hot dry sands of the world into the cool refreshing waters of Your love, soak us with You, Lord. Soak us completely. Drench us with the beauty of You. Wave after wave after wave of You, dear God. Holy God. Precious Jesus. Strong and Mighty and Beautiful Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. Powerful Holy Spirit. Drown us in You until every cell is filled with You and only You. Dear God, I'm asking for this for all of these readers who want it. I'm asking for it for me, too, Lord. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Dear beloved friends. And there you are. You're in it.

Vicky

Baby, it's cold outside!

2010-01-05T11:00:00.006-06:00

Weather. That seems to be what everybody is talking about. I guess when something this cold jumps up and slaps the planet in the face, we all take notice, huh? :) What a huge blessing to be in a warm home. What a wonderful gift to have family and friends around us - people who love us in spite of ourselves...and often that is exactly what we need! How extremely blessed - and accountable - we are for all the Lord has given us and all He is doing in our lives! Every opportunity God puts before us to bless the lives of others is a gift. We can look the other way and let them continue to live in the 'cold cruel world' or we can invite them into the warmth and love of Yeshua/Jesus. You must feel that the second option is the best, or you probably wouldn't be reading my blogs, since they are filled with Him! Glory!!!

Every circumstance holds more than one choice. Every choice carries a consequence and every consequence has far reaching repercussions. And while God can use our every choice - including the wrong ones - to somehow bless the lives of others, wouldn't it be great if He didn't have to turn them around in order for that to happen? Wouldn't it be wonderful if it happened because we were in agreement with Him at the very beginning of any situation in which we find ourselves? I wish that it would always be that way with the decisions I make. (Sigh!)

Not long ago, I received a message on my Facebook page from someone who wanted to ridicule a man because of the sins of his past. This person read that I was going to be performing at Morningside last November. You know, it's the home of the Jim Bakker Show. The question posed to me was something along the lines of "Isn't that the guy who went to prison for fraud?" Interestingly, this young lady was just a child when that happened. It seemed odd that she would even know about it - much less be pointing it out to me. I sensed mockery in the question - or rather more of an invitation to defend my choice to perform there. The enemy was poking fun and I wasn't about to play the game. I had to decide how best to respond. Defensively? No. Angrily? No. Dismissively? Absolutely not. It had to be addressed. But first I had to take a deep breath...and pray.

You see, the question came from a young lady I love very much - one who has decidedly rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and doesn't believe in God right now. I sensed the challenge in her query - the invitation to defend my willingness to perform there, because I'm a follower of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach/Jesus Christ the Messiah. The devil was poking fun at me, my choice and most especially at my Lord. He was trying to start a fight with me, but I wasn't about to play his game. The stakes were too high. My loved one was the target that he had chosen to hurt - and I wasn't going to let him lure me into the conflict. My answer had to be the right one.

To give you just a touch of history about this darling girl, she was baptized when she was about 8 years old, but then grew up in a faithless and divided home. After she joined the military, she joined forces with Buddhism. Since I have nothing positive to say about idolatry, I will leave that alone - for this blog, at least. (Well, nothing positive except that the Lord Jesus Christ will crush all idols and their demons under his beautiful feet one day and then pitch them forever into the Lake of Fire - hallelujah!!!! Man, I am looking forward to seeing that happen!)

Anyway, this lovely young lady has come to the conclusion that all religion is fake and apparently doesn't believe in anything remotely associated with God. I haven't broached the subject of atheism being a religion, too. No need for that right now. Her conversations reflect her hurt, anger and bitterness in so many ways. She needs prayer. Please pray for her.

So, how did I answer her? Basically, I told her that she was correct, he had gone to prison. I also recommended that she read his book entitled, "I Was Wrong". I then told her how grateful I am for the forgiveness of others in my life, acknowledging that it would be a lonely life indeed, if people didn't forgive me for all of the stupid things I've done.

I haven't heard a word about it from her since. Oh, there were many other things that could have been said. I could have slammed her pretty hard about where she is in life right now; how hard-hearted she's become and how abrasive her language is these days. I could have said a number of things and been accurate on every one of them. I could have held up a mirror and shown her that she is standing outside in the cold...pointing out her negative attitude and criticizing her for her faithless walk. I could have shown her right then how wretched she is - as we all have been - and she would have just turned away from me and headed back out into the cold cruel world without a positive witness from me. Why? Because she wouldn't like what she sees in the mirror and she's not ready to surrender. The better choice was to get her eyes off of herself, her opinions and her life - and get them onto Jesus, even if only for a moment. So that was the mirror I tried to hold up for her to look into.

Just as He did with me, the Lord is planting seeds. And anyway, if I had accepted that challenge, exactly what kind of example would my walk with Jesus have shown her? Criticism? Debate? Accusation? And who IS the accuser? I didn't want satan to have the pleasure of attacking this precious child through me. I don't want to be that person. I want to be the daughter that our God has called me to be. And this daughter cannot afford to cast even one single stone in any direction. (I know, I know, I'm using lots of metaphors today...mixing them up terribly...but hey, that's okay!)

Instead, it seemed that the Lord was leading me to invite her into the warmth of the love of Jesus. Invite her to stand by the fire of forgiveness and warm her cold heart with the thoughts of His heart for people. She didn't need a lecture. She didn't need a combative rebuttal. She needed to hear how important forgiveness is for every one of us. I trust that Holy Spirit told her the rest. Forgiveness is important for her, too. It's not as though she has never heard it before. She just needed to hold her cold hands out and feel the warmth of it being demonstrated to her in that very moment. Oh yeah. God is good.

What's the weather like where you live? Cold? Freezing? Unforgiving? Well then. Invite folks in to warm their hands by the fire of His love.

Remember...baby, it's cold outside.

Happy New Year 2010

2009-12-31T08:35:00.004-06:00

Wow. Hard to believe that this year is over. It just started day before yesterday, didn't it? The older I get, the faster time flies. I know, I know, everybody says that. But it's so true. And the question I have is - what did I do this year that really helped to advance the kingdom of God? Maybe just as importantly, if not more so, is what did I do to get closer to God?

I'm grateful for the love He's shown me. No kidding. I'm deeply grateful that God is so generous with His love. The word 'love' means many different things and I am learning to embrace all of those meanings in deeper ways. Couldn't do it without His grace, though. I'm not even sure that I would be willing to try. The task is daunting and people can be difficult to deal with - including me... No, no...especially me!

There are times that I feel especially close to God and, like many others, times that I feel He could not possibly want anything to do with me. The good news is, though, that He never feels that way. And the other good news is that I cannot afford to live by my feelings. Deceptive things, aren't they? So, I've made up my mind to forge ahead, regardless of what I may feel about all of that. Besides, it didn't take me too many years to figure out that listening to my feelings could stop me in my tracks and prevent me from moving forward in my relationship with the Lord, as well as in the work that He has for me to do. Listening to my feelings can create alot of problems that I'm really not interested in having in my life. Nope, listening to feelings just won't do it for me!

How about you? Struggle with that 'feelings' problem? Well, if your answer is 'yes', I encourage you to get past it. Get over it. Go around it. Be done with it. Let go of it. Press forward. Lean in. Move out! Get going! Don't let feelings stand between you and what God is calling you to. Don't let ANYTHING stand between you and the plans God has made for your future!

Having said that, let me now say this:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Rejoice and be encouraged! Do a little happy dance! Jesus loves you! God is seated on the throne and Holy Spirit is right there with you - ready to join you in your little happy dance!

I love you, my dear blog friends. Of course, I don't know what many of your faces look like, but that doesn't matter. I don't go by what I see or feel.... I go by faith in the One who called me to love all people and who has put you into my heart. Have a blessed, and prosperous (in all ways according to His riches and His glory) New Year!!!

Vicky

Getting started...

2009-12-27T15:35:00.010-06:00

Good afternoon everyone! I dropped by the blog to let you all know that I'm going to start the new book early. Had planned on waiting until the first of the year, but I'm very excited to get it going! I hope you'll send your testimonies in, if you have some you want to share with folks. Don't know how long this one is going to take, but I'm really looking forward to whatever God is planning to do.

It's been very - well - somewhat restful around here for the past few days. If you noticed the picture on this post, you can see why. We've been snowed in for a few days - and of course, the cats aren't really crazy about it. This is a picture of Fisher and Bijou standing at the doors that lead onto the deck. Took it this morning. They are sooooo ready to be outside again, but we don't allow it in these conditions. They are house cats and the only time they're allowed in the yard is when one of us is out there with them. They've been declawed and there are far too many feral cats in our neighborhood to trust that ours would be safe without supervision.

As for being snowbound, we are all grateful for the time we've had to get some projects done around the house, too. Although, I've gotta tell ya, standing on a ladder on Christmas Eve day with 25-35 mph winds whipping ice cold air across my face while my sister held the ladder and I cleaned the gutters (in 20 degree weather, no less), was not exactly my idea of fun. It was definitely needed, though, or we wouldn't have been out there doing it. I know there must have been at least 2-3 inches of water in them - something my frozen fingers were very loudly protesting, as I pulled what seemed like tons of leaves out of the gutters and tried not to drop them on the house or my sister's head. It was quite an experience! Probably would have been better to have gotten it done before now, but that's another story. :)

Alan and I spent the day before the gutter-cleaning episode working on another task. The garage, a seemingly never ending project, had become intolerably messy. And, so that we wouldn't have to go through the winter frustrated by the mess it had somehow turned into over the course of several months, we decided that it was probably our last chance to get it taken care of before Spring. It never ceases to amaze me how we can clean the garage to near perfection, only to find a week later that more stuff has not only found its way inside, but has also destroyed everything else in there in the process. Somebody needs to explain that to me someday... Actually, the garage has become quite a joke amongst my family members. Every time we announce that we've cleaned the garage, no less than three people tell us not to worry, because it won't last. Talk about encouragement!

Anyway, I'm going to finish this blog and dive into the new book. Take care, everyone. You remain always in my prayers. (I always ask for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done in your lives every day in all things, just as it's done in heaven. Can't beat that prayer! I took my cue from Jesus, ya know...)

May the love of our beautiful GOD, YHVH, fill you with joy, peace, hope, anticipation and encouragement for the exciting things He has prepared for you this coming year!

Much love to all of you!

Vicky V.

Simple Blessings

2009-12-24T23:34:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! No doubt you're all either spending time with your families or already snuggled down in your warm comfy beds, ready for a good night's sleep before the joyous expectations of tomorrow (and for some of you, the TON of work...cooking, etc...), when you will be blessed with the companionship of family and friends for yet another Christmas Day.

But for some of you, this will be a difficult Christmas. I have a friend whose wife died on October 4th of this year. She left her earthly home after many years of suffering, and those who remain behind - her husband, son, daughter and six grandchildren - will miss her terribly. Pray for them.

Some of you have also lost loved ones recently, either to death or divorce. Whatever the cause, there has been a separation between you and one you hold dear to your heart. We will pray for you. I know there are no words that can comfort in times of loss. One of my sister's died 5 years ago. Cancer stole her life and like many others, praying didn't stop the beast from killing her.

And yet, I believe with all of my heart that God had a plan from the very beginning. He knows when all of us will go home to heaven. And while we may view the loss with grief, He wants us to also see it as a time of rejoicing for those who have gone to be with Him. So as you go about your day tomorrow, please trust the One Who knew exactly what He was doing when He called your loved one home. Live fully while you are here. Look forward to the time when you will be reunited.

Don't let the enemy steal your joy and hope for the future. Live and love to the fullest you possibly can. I am asking God to fill me with so much love that there's not a bit of room in me for even a whisper of criticism, frustration, anger or resentment of any kind. What a way to live! I want to embrace all He has for me in this life and spread JOY everywhere He takes me - to everyone I meet. I want to be a light that shines so brightly in this world that people are drawn to HIM just because of what they see in me.

That's part of the plan, isn't it? We must go forward with this life each one of us has been given. We should do all we can to bring the Father joy....the same Father Who sent His Son to this earth some 2000 years ago. He's the same Father that set in motion the life, death and resurrection of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMaschiach). He is the same Father Whose plans from the very beginning included making a way for you and I to be with Him throughout eternity. He is that HOLY. He is that GENEROUS. He is that LOVING. He is the same - yesterday, today and forever - and He wants us to remember His love, remember His loss, remember His holiness.

So when you celebrate the birth of Yeshua/Jesus tomorrow, remember those who have lost loved ones. Visit them if you can. Call them if you can't visit them in person. And praise God for His abundant mercy in our lives. Don't keep Jesus in the manger. He's not there anymore. Thank Him for what He's done. Thank Holy Spirit for putting up with you and ask God to forgive you for ever grieving Him. Thank Him for the wonderful people He's put in your life - including those who have 'graduated' to heaven. Thank Him for the wonderful ways He has taken care of you. Yes, you will miss your loved ones and I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that. I miss mine, too. But let's embrace the life we still have while we are here. Let's not miss a moment of it! What I say to you, I say to me, too. I don't want to regret one minute of time God has given me going forward. Let's resolve to honor God in that way, shall we?

Blessings, blessings and more blessings to you, dear friends. Thank you so much for reading my blogs. I know that they tend to be a little long and I appreciate the time you spend following. God bless every one of you. Write whenever you feel like it. I would love to hear from you! (And I'm still looking for testimonies from any of you who may be interested in sharing them in my next book.)

Much love!

Vicky

2009-12-21T14:33:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! So sorry it's taken me this long to get this picture for you. This is the angel that I made for the winner of the Golden Christmas Giveaway Contest. I wish my picture taking was better...sorry for the blurry shot, but I tried several times and...oh, well...I'm just not a photographer!

Congratulations again to our winner - Sweeter The Berry! The Golden Christmas cd and angel are officially on their way to your house. My prayer for you is that they will bless your heart and your home!

Vicky

Calling All Testimonies!

2009-12-20T16:41:00.006-06:00

Hi all! Well, this is a brand new venture and I am looking for any of you who have testimonies that you would like to share with the world. My plan is to start a new book filled with stories of God's work in the lives of His children. Please submit works that are true...not fiction.

Here's what I'm looking for:

Stories that have not been previously published and/or copyrighted.
Stories that do not disclose and/or identify personal information about others. In other words, don't name names! If your testimony is of a sensitive nature, I will be prayerful about including it in the book. (Only your name will be included with your testimony to give credit to you as the writer.)
Stories that encourage the readers.
Stories that reveal the power of God.
Stories that edify the readers.
Stories that are funny, serious, touching...whatever!
Stories about a variety of topics. For example, stories about love, friendship, loss, miracles, healing, giving, sharing, etc.
Stories that draw the readers closer to God through the positive impact of the written word.
Stories that are a maximum of 1200 words in length.

Now, since I am just getting this started, please be flexible with me as we go through this process. There may be more than one book in this whole thing, by the time I get all of your submissions. You are more than welcome to submit as many testimonies as you want to, but please know that they may or may not all be included in the book. I must listen to the direction I feel impressed to take this work.

Also, please let me know how you want to be credited...first name only? Last name also? Initials only? Whatever you feel comfortable with is fine with me - at this point in the process. Please be praying for me through this and I will also be praying for those of you who have submissions you want considered.

When you are ready to submit something for consideration, you can do it by emailing your story/testimony to me. Just send it to vickyvbooks@yahoo.com. I will be in touch with you soon after receiving it. If you have any questions, let me know! I can hardly wait to see what I get from everyone. (Isn't this exciting!)

There is a title that the Lord has already given me for the first book of testimonies, however I'm going to wait a bit before sharing it. For now, just put 'testimonies' in the subject line of your email.

One last thing. I will be editing as Holy Spirit directs. However, I will not be changing your testimony in the process. I know that God moves in powerful and sometimes very unusual ways, so you don't need to wonder if the impact of your story will be lost. Before the book is finished, you will be getting a copy of your submission with any revisions. If you are not comfortable with any changes that are made, we can discuss it via email. If we are not able to come to agreement about changes, the submission won't be included in the book. You need to feel comfortable with the way in which your testimony is shared and I need to feel comfortable that the Holy Spirit is having His way, whatever the revisions. This is why I'm asking you to be praying for me as I write, compile and edit and why I will be praying for those of you who want to submit stories!

There will probably be more info as we go along, but for now, just be prayerful about being involved. There is no testimony too large or small when it is from God! And do not worry about being a good writer, either. I haven't had any classes and don't have a college education, but that is not stopping me! I found that God uses me in this way, even with all of my limitations. He could choose to only use college graduates to write books, but I've learned He uses anyone He wants to use - as long as He has a willing vessel. So, having said that, don't hesitate to submit something! The world needs to read, hear, see and experience the power of God! After all, He said it was by 'the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony' that we would see lives changed for His glory!

Okay, now it's your turn! Pray. Consider. Ask God if He has something for you to submit. Do not be shy! Let the light of God shine through you!

I'm waiting!

Vicky

Reconnect

2009-12-19T13:56:00.003-06:00

Good afternoon all! I hope you've enjoyed your day today. It's a great Sabbath rest day... and for those of us who consider ourselves to be Christians, we remember that the Sabbath was established by God and came to us through our spiritual heritage - the house of David, the lineage of Jesus. Soooo, if we're really going to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy, we should obey Him and recognize it on the right day, huh? ;)

I'm enjoying this amazing day given to us by our even more amazing Father. I know it's freezing outside...actually, it's below freezing right now. Inside, though, it's warm and my ongoing thanks to God include appreciation and thanks for His provision to help us - whatever our needs may be. We are blessed to have food and shelter, warmth and companionship. And while we are in no way living in the lap of luxury by many folks standards, we do have all we need, including the luxury of beds to sleep in at night.

So many people are not living in the same conditions that we enjoy and we should all be doing whatever we can to help them. If we aren't sure how to help, all we need to do is ask God. He is more than capable of letting us know - either directly or through others - where the needs are and how we can help to meet them. I pray for all of us to be looking and listening for ways to share the graciousness of God that He has extended to us. There is nothing that can compare with the joy that comes from giving!

We had so much fun at the cd release party last night! God brought people together from different backgrounds and blended all of us nicely throughout the evening. It was a wonderful gift to see some people from my high school years (now THAT'S a long time ago!) as well as friends from different Christian denominations and organizations meeting, mingling, laughing and enjoying themselves. Several people blessed all of us with their musical talents, too. Thanks go out to Jerry, Dave, Randy, Alicia, Judith and Ron. You all made the evening extra special with your music and I was so glad to share the stage with each one of you. And thanks go out to Suzanne. Have I told you lately how much I value you? If not, then shame on me. You are my dear friend, sister and gift from God in so many ways. Thanks for taking care of the guests last night...serving refreshments, taking pictures for the website (can't wait to see the ones of Jerry and Tawnee dancing!) and setting up the product table. And also, thanks to Tabitha for your help serving refreshments, too! I'm so glad you all came. And you already know that I love you all dearly. :)

I titled this blog 'Reconnect', didn't I? Well, so let me address that for a moment. When I looked around the room at all the folks who had come to the party, it struck me how very different things would have been if everyone would have started comparing notes about their faith, denomination and opinions about Jesus Christ. I saw people sitting together at tables who were totally unaware of each other's denominations. With some folks (not necessarily those who came last night!), there could have been fireworks going off or cold shoulders being turned, but instead there was peace, joy and laughter in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.

Oh, I sang Christmasy stuff as well as stuff from the '40's. It wasn't about the music, though. I told a couple of jokes and even shared a bit about my past, but it wasn't even about that. No, it was because we all came together expecting to have an enjoyable evening. We wanted to like those two hours we had set aside to spend time with one another. For some of us, it was making new connections - for others, it was reconnecting with those we haven't seen in days, weeks, months or years.

What happened at that Coffee House last night was a gift for all of us. Why? Because God was present with us - pouring out His love...onto, in and through each one there. And we allowed ourselves to be an expression of His love without judgment, expectation, requirement or any other criteria. We just loved each other - and it was wonderful! Oh, I saw walls here and there. But I also saw folks trying to climb over those walls to reach people on the other side. I saw and experienced support from friends I didn't even know I had. I wish you all could have been there. (Actually, some of you were! Thanks again for coming! I love you dearly.)

Maybe we just need a reminder from time to time...reconnect, reconnect, reconnect. Some of us may have inadvertantly disconnected from others because of trials or life issues that caused us to shut down our feelings, emotions or even our love expressions. Well, this seems to be a really good time for anyone who's disconnected to pick up the cords of love and reconnect!

If you or someone you know has lost the passion for living because of circumstances that brought pain or suffering, then I encourage you to make the effort to reach out to that person (or come outside of yourself, if it's you.) Don't shut down. Open up - and if you don't know how to do that, then ask God to help you. Allow others who love Him and are filled with His life to embrace you. Let them plug into your run-down battery and charge you up with a fresh infusion of the love of God expressed in a tangible way. Hey, walk around the house talking to yourself, for heaven's sake! Tell yourself to 'hope', to 'love', to 'freely allow the poured-out expression of God's love' to saturate you without reservation. Find friends. Make friends. Be a friend. Reconnect, reconnect, reconnect!

I can't wait to see what God is doing with the connections and reconnections He made just last evening at my little cd release party. I'll tell you this though...I fully intend to enjoy every moment of it along the way!

Be blessed today, dear friends. You are all very deeply and dearly loved and held in God's great big gentle - and powerful - hands. Be excited about it!

Love!

Vicky

New Life Seasons and a CD Release Party is tonight!

2009-12-18T10:49:00.006-06:00

Hi everyone!

This has been an incredibly wonderful week - lots of singing, yes, but also just getting the opportunity to visit with people all over the city. Last night after my concert, I had the chance to talk with a 99-year-old gal who served in WWII. She was a WAC (Women's Army Corp) soldier and had the blessing of serving our nation in various countries around the world. As a matter of fact, she told me that she wishes she could rejoin, but they won't take her because of her age! Said she still considers herself a WAC. Now, that is dedication!

Life seasons change, though and when they do, the enemy comes along and tells us that we should be discouraged, or depressed, or even hopeless about the changes. Isn't that so annoying? Just like my WAC friend who wants to go back into the Army. She struggles with frustration because she is too old! Maybe you or people you know are frustrated with something that makes it impossible to move forward in a given area of life.

It's in those moments that we need to lean way back in our Father's arms and rest. Trust Him to take care of the situations that we have no control over, for whatever the reasons may be. Honor Him by telling Him that we know that nothing is so great that He cannot handle it - including our health, finances, relationships, jobs, children, parents, physical limitations, the neighbor's noisy dog or the broken down car in the driveway - you know, the one that needs a new heater coil and transmission. God can even handle our greatest disappointments and deepest losses if we will let Him. God can handle everything we wrestle with, if only we will step out of His way and allow Him to be in charge of our day-to-day living.

It makes things so much easier to deal with when I give Him all my stuff - and I'm learning to do that more as time goes by. It's almost as if each day or circumstance is a new life season... I don't always get the letting go part right, but I'm definitely working on it. Relinquishing control can be easier in some situations and more difficult in others. Telling my flesh to shut up and allow God to have His way isn't something my flesh wants to hear, but it's learning!

And so, the frustrations of not being able to do what we may once have been able to do will always be with us - in this life, anyway. There may be things we want that are not in our best interest. There may be things that are not part of God's plans for us - things that would only hinder or hurt others if we try to force them into being. You know, like with my WAC friend. Although she says she would love to be back in the Army, her body wouldn't love it. Things have changed and she is in a new life season. Just like you are. And just like I am. New life seasons. New things to experience. New opportunities. New life! Let's embrace it today, shall we? Let's just lean back into the Father's arms, embrace everything He puts in our path and trust Him for the reasons and the outcome.

And if you're in Independence, MO tonight, come over to Main Street Coffee House. It's time for Golden Christmas (my new cd) to have an official release party! It starts at 7:00 and ends somewhere around 9:00. I would love to have you come and spend some time with us.

Whatever you do this weekend, I pray that you will be blessed - resting on Sabbath and doing whatever you've been given for this portion of this season in your life!

Blessings!

Vicky

Golden Christmas Giveaway Winner Announced!

2009-12-12T14:40:00.008-06:00

Hi Everyone! Well, the contest is over and the winner has been chosen. Before I announce the winner, though, I really want to thank all of you who entered. It's such a blessing to have you in my life - even if it's just through a blog! You continue to be in my prayers and I appreciate all of your emails. Thanks for sharing a piece of your lives with me!

Now, before I get all wordy (which some of you know I can easily do :), here is the blog name of our winner for the Golden Christmas Giveaway contest....(Drum roll please....)

SWEETER THE BERRY

An email just went out to notify our winner and as soon as I hear from her, I will be mailing the giveaway gifts. Before I send them, though, I'll post a picture of the sachet and cd she will be receiving. Thank you all for entering. I've had alot of fun with the contest and hope that you have enjoyed following the blogs. Hope you'll continue following! :D

Blessings to all.

Vicky

Circumstances

2009-12-11T11:04:00.005-06:00

(This is Friday's blog that missed getting posted.)

Good morning all! How is your day going? I'm just trying to get about a zillion things done around here before this evening. We're having a Hannukah party - our first ever - and approximately 20 people will be descending on our little house - and I do mean little! - about 7:00 tonight. Before that happens, though, there's housework to attend to, grocery shopping to be done, lots of cooking and baking...chili to make and a cake to bake...(sounds like a song...) and a cat to be taken to the vet. I think that's all. Anyway, I sure hope it is!

And although my day is just getting started, I've already heard all kinds of bad news and it wasn't through television, the internet or radio. It was from family and friends who have real needs because of the situations in their lives. Probably none of us even needs to turn to outside sources to find difficult circumstances. There are plenty of them all around us, which is not surprise considering today's economy and the general conditions of the world.

I'm reminded of the time that Jesus rebuked one guy for being upset about Mary pouring the costly perfume all over his feet when it could have been sold for a great deal of money to help the poor. Jesus told them that they would always have the poor with them, but what she had done would be remembered and spoken of always. And to this day, that is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible.

Even in the midst of difficult circumstances with sorrows all around, Jesus was to be honored and adored. I used to be upset about the fact that he seemed heartless in his response...you know, that he would just tell them that the poor would always be here. It seemed to me that he considered what she was doing to be of greater importance than feeding the poor. But I really didn't get it. He was setting a precedent in that moment about how we are to live our lives.

The Lord wanted his disciples to understand that our first priority should be our worship of God. And not just throwing a prayer up to God from time to time. He wanted them (and us) to be extravagant in our worship. He wanted them to see that there will always be needs, trials, struggles, hunger, poverty and every other difficult circumstance we can possibly imagine that will fight for first place in each one of us. There will be things that will labor to push us away from giving him our very best because we're worried, depressed, hurt or confused by circumstances around us.

Beloved friends, whether it's divorce, a death, an illness, job loss or trouble at school... whatever the circumstances, we can't afford to withhold our worship of the very One who created us. It could even be that there are wonderful things taking place in our lives that distract us from our relationship with him, but we must remember that he is The Way - and truly, he is the only Way. You and I need him every day of our lives. We cannot afford to forget that.

So, with all of the circumstances and things that need to be done before our guests arrive, I'm making sure that I give Him my full attention and devotion before I head into the rest of the day. Of course I realize that He is always with me, but I want personal time with Him without all of the busyness of the day. Undivided attention time. I need His strength and the fellowship of His presence. Not only do I need it, I want it all of the time. I want HIM all of the time. I pray for all of us - me included - that the passion of our love for Him will only increase and that each of us will be so hungry for His presence that nothing will ever be able to deter us from pursuing Him with every fiber of our beings.

Love to all!
Vicky

Checkin' in!

2009-12-10T19:33:00.002-06:00

Hi everybody. So sorry to be late getting this post up today. It's been a very busy and wonderful day, though. I hope you all had a great day, too.

Spent part of the morning in the recording studio, getting my vocals laid for the last song on the cd. This has been a long time coming and I'm so glad to get the last track finished. Can't wait to hear what it sounds like!

Then we headed home to grab our sound system and dashed out to Harrisonville for a show with our seniors there. What a great time we have with them - wherever we go. I sang a bunch of Christmas songs and did some of the oldies from the 1940's, which is always so much fun. Love to sing the old songs. They're beautiful!

Then on to Mardel's to look for some more music, home for a bite and now we're heading back out the door to go sing at a Christmas thing in Lee's Summit. I'll be tired but content to get home tonight to get into some warm comfy clothes and love on two cats who feel like we've abandoned them for the day!

Please remember that you are loved. I get emails from some of you who are struggling and want to encourage you to think about all of the good things that God has done - and is doing right now. For one thing, He's growing us all and sometimes that means we experience growing pains. But it's so very worth it, beloved friends. Heaven is worth it. Remember that this is just a moment in time and before long, we'll all be home with our loving God and Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and all the angels and the host of heaven. It's going to be glorious! And, although we're still here for reasons we may not understand right now one day we will see the beauty in God's plan.

There's still so much to see and do while we're here. Let's not miss a moment of it!

Until tomorrow, enjoy this wonderful night and I'll touch base with you again tomorrow...hopefully in the morning! :)

Much love to all,

Vicky

Snow!

2009-12-09T15:35:00.002-06:00

Yep. Snow. It's out there - all over the place....on the trees, the grass, bushes, sidewalks and roadways. Winter has definitely arrived! And although it's as bitter cold, (-4 degrees wind chill....brrrrrr!), it's still very beautiful to see. We're praying for all the people and animals that are stuck out there in this weather. We're asking GOD to provide the shelter, warmth and food that each one needs. Whenever possible, the Lord wants us to help. All we need to do is ask Him how and where - to direct our paths in such a way that we don't miss one single opportunity to bless others. In these economic times, it can be very difficult, but we've always found that GOD is faithful to take care of us. And He comes up with some really creative ways to do it, too! Well, of course He does....He's GOD!

I just want to take a quick moment to tell you all hello and let you know that you are all in our prayers. I'm so grateful for the rest of the body of Christ! We need each other for so many reasons. Apparently the Lord thought so, or He would have put each person on his or her own planet! :)

So enjoy your day and spend time with Him whenever possible. Turn off the tv, the computer, the cell phones and the ipods. Just go be with Him. It's worth it!

Love to all!

Vicky

Good Morning!

2009-12-08T10:05:00.005-06:00

The sun is not shining, but this is a great day. The weather is cold, but it's still a great day. My body isn't as young as it used to be...parts have decided to relocate themselves with a little help from gravity, but this is still a great day!

I may not have all the money I would like to have, or a beautiful figure or the highest I.Q in the world, but this is absolutely a great day. There are people with more influence, bigger houses, newer cars, fewer debts and healthier bodies than mine, but this is positively a wonderfully and gloriously great day.

There is nothing more powerful I can do today that will honor my Father in heaven than to praise Him for every gift, every sacrifice, every blessing, every loss, every struggle, every trial and every hope and wish and dream in my heart. There is no temporal gift that can compare to the Holy and True and Matchless Creator of all things - known and unknown, seen and unseen, existing or future-coming - no, there is nothing that can compare with Yahweh, Jehovah, GOD! There has never been and can never be anyone nor anything capable of taking His place, removing Him from His position, or diminishing His power. He is always going to be the most breath-taking, awe-inspiring, life-restoring, way-making Lord and King!

Every night and day - in every single way - His light shines, His passion burns, His love consumes, His heart protects, His hands enfold, His Word delivers and establishes His children. His law is not destroyed - it is fulfilled. His plans are eternal. He looks and sees and knows yesterday, today and forever - start to finish, inside and out, top to bottom, front to back, through and through.

He sets his hand to deliver and nothing can stop Him! Nothing can withstand His mighty glory! Nothing can take away from His holiness. He is holy beyond comprehension. He is vast! He is never going to stop being! He is more than these little words I use today. He is EVERYTHING! He has no need of counselors - He is the Counselor. He has no need of comforters. His Spirit is THE Comforter.

He has no need of anything, and yet He wants us! He wants you and me and all the rest of His creation....with all of our frailties, our weaknesses and our little tiny dreams. He wants to grow us up into little children. He wants to give us the desires of our hearts. He wants to put crowns on our heads and robes on our backs. He wants to bring us home to heaven to live with Him in beautiful mansions that will never crumble. He wants to sing over us - and He does - songs of love and life and hope, of encouragement and strength. He wants to share the secrets of His heart. He wants to show us things that we could never imagine - even in our wildest dreams.

So look up! Look up! Look up! Your Father is watching. He hears your heart cries. He laughs at the devil. Yes, God laughs, because He knows He will win. He laughs, because He has made sure that the punishment for Satan and those who rebelled against The Holy and Almighty God in the beginning will be absolute and eternal. His laughter is warfare. His laughter is powerful warfare - and He fights for you, beloved. He wars for you!

Today is a great day! Don't miss it! Don't get stuck in the mud of discouragement and depression. Don't get lost in the minutiae of the moment. Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! You are going to see Him! You are going to laugh and dance and play around the throne! You are going to worship with all your might! So rejoice!

Yep, today is a great day! :)

Vicky

Jots and Tittles

2009-12-07T20:52:00.004-06:00

I'm cheating. I admit it! Boldly, frankly and unabashedly, I admit it! I'm posting Tuesday's blog three little hours early. Ah, well. Just trying to keep up with all you early bird readers. *winky wink* (winky wink? Did I actually type 'winky wink*... I'm 56 years old... I guess it's okay if I type *winky wink*. Hey, I think I like that. Wonder if anybody else says that. You know, I may be starting a trend, here...) Anyway, back to the blog... I hope this blesses you! Love to all...

Jots and Tittles

Even the words sound skimpy and cute – almost like they aren’t really words. Jots and tittles sound like little pieces of almost nothing. The definition for jot is “the least bit”. A tittle is “the minutest quantity, like the dot over an ‘I’”. Something that could easily be overlooked, perhaps? Hmmmm…I wonder.

And yet, Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:17,18 KJV) Sounds like we could say that obedience is a very important thing to Jesus Christ. And we would be right.

I’m reminded of the scriptures that talk about those who are faithful in the least little things, who are later given responsibility over much – like the parable Jesus gave us about the talents. Remember the story? It’s about a man traveling in a far country. He called his servants together before he left on his journey and divided his goods among them. Each servant handled his gift in a different way. One servant, however, didn’t do anything but hide his gift in the ground because he was afraid of his master.

When the master returned and found that two servants had been wise investors, he was pleased and increased their gifts 100%. The servant who had hidden his talent (gift) in the ground was called “wicked and slothful”, and his master took back the gift he had given the servant. The gift was then given to one of the other servants who had instead chosen to be faithful and put their gifts to good use.

We are also called to be faithful in the little things. Things like paying tithing or giving offerings of time, talents or finances into the work of the Lord. Sharing the small things – like a smile, a kind word, a ride to the store, mowing a neighbor’s yard, encouraging a child, hugging an alcoholic or holding your tongue. Things like that. Something that seems so minor, but could impact the whole world. Really.

I remember the story that my sister Linda shared with me one day a few years ago when she was working as a floral designer. On her way into the shop that morning, she had run out of time to stop by the bank to pick up some cash to buy lunch. It was too far to go without making herself late for work, and the schedule for the day was far too hectic to allow her to do so.

After a quick glance in her wallet, she found that she only had a few dollars, and decided that she would just use it to buy herself a fresh chocolate chip cookie from the cookie shop a few stores away from where she worked. They always made a fresh batch in the afternoons, so she made the decision to forget taking a full lunch break, and instead wait until later to get one of those delicious cookies. Since she had to work late that evening, it seemed like the perfect plan. All morning long, she would think about the treat she was going to give herself later that day. Such a small thing, really. But with all of the difficulties she was enduring at that time in her life, it was special to her, and she was really looking forward to it.

As the noon hour approached, one of the new employees at the shop asked my sister if she had any money she could borrow for lunch. The young woman had only recently begun working at the shop and hadn’t received her first paycheck. With a smile on her face and gentle reassurance, Linda told the young woman that it was no trouble at all, and handed over her cookie money. Turning back to finish the floral arrangement she had been working on, Linda cheerfully sent the girl on her way.

The day wore on. Later that afternoon, Linda was busily going about her tasks when a woman from the cookie shop came breezing through the front door. Bubbling with joy, the woman from the cookie shop handed a sack to my sister, explaining that they had just finished baking a fresh batch of their delicious chocolate chip cookies. She said she had decided to bring one to my sister as a treat, because she remembered how much Linda loved them.

As she stood there listening to the woman, my sister stood in awe and wonder at the love of her Creator. She knew that Jesus had sent her that cookie. She knew it as surely as she knew anything. No one else had known what she planned to do with her few dollars that day, but God surely did. She also knew that Holy Spirit had touched that woman’s heart, and the woman had responded in obedience, not even knowing how precious the gift really was to my sister. At a time when the pain in her life was unbearable, the gift of a warm chocolate chip cookie from Jesus meant more to her than words could express. She graciously thanked the woman for her thoughtfulness. And as she opened the bag to enjoy the treat she wasn’t able to buy for herself, she stopped to take time to thank the One Whose love for her encouraged the gift bearer to bless my sister that day.

Now, before any of you theologians get in an uproar about this story, kindly let me explain myself. I realize that there are no references in the Bible about giving warm chocolate chip cookies to women who work in flower shops. I also realize that it’s neither a jot nor a tittle that must be fulfilled. Now that I’ve said that, I’d like to say one more thing…

“Oh God, please help us all be obedient to the impressions You give us daily through the gift of Your precious Holy Spirit. For You have taught me that walking in obedience is the way to live the love we say we have for You. Help us, dear Lord; help us all be obedient with the jots and tittles, and the warm chocolate chip cookies in our lives. In Jesus’ Name...”

Jots and tittles. Such funny little words. Such a powerful message to us all.

What's the Verdict?

2009-12-07T13:01:00.008-06:00

Good afternoon everyone! Sorry to be so late getting this up today. We just finished doing a show out in Lee's Summit, MO this morning and had to run by the hospital afterwards to visit Alan's son, Mark. He was in a motorcycle accident a couple of weeks ago and his foot was split open. Seems he's had an infection in there since the accident, so the doctors decided he needed to be on heavy antibiotics. They did some surgery yesterday and will probably be sending him home today. Please just keep him in your prayers. Thanks!

I was just thinking about what to write on this blog for today. The thought came to me about how easy it is to judge someone by their appearance, their income, where they live or work, who they are related to, where they go to church (if they go to church), what they believe....the list goes on and on, doesn't it? Sometimes people judge others by the kind of clothes they wear and whether or not they are intelligent. There doesn't seem to be an end to this casting judgment thing! But that's not what we as God's children and heirs are supposed to be doing.

I'm reminded of the verse in the Bible that tells us to judge with 'righteous judgment'. Can I tell you how many times I've heard that used to justify a critical word about or attitude toward another person? Probably not! Too many to count. It's amazing how easy it is for us human beings to do that! And yet, I don't have a sense that God intended for the scripture to be understood in that way.

So what is 'righteous judgment'? Could it be that God wants us to learn that we do not and will not have all the information there is in any given circumstance, so the best thing for us to do is LOVE the other guy, pray for everyone in each situation and honor the Lord by doing what Jesus said to do? I recall that He told His disciples that He had not come to judge the world. Taking it to the next step, perhaps what He intends for us to do is seek Him in all matters so that we don't unrighteously judge or criticize another person. Plain and simple. Why not just ask Him if there is something we should be doing and then only do that when He tells us to do it?

And how can we know that it's Him telling us what to do and not just our own selfish ideas? Well, I think there are a couple of things we can do to help us determine whose voice we're hearing. First, being in the relationship with Him - following, praying, studying His word, listening to Him, obeying...these are all necessary if we want to have confidence that we are in His will. Second, if what we decide to do or say in response to the actions of others makes us feel smug - you know...having that 'I'm right and you're wrong' attitude - then we probably need to reevaluate our own intentions. Chances are, that smug feeling means we're really listening to our own selfish motives (judging unrighteously) instead of hearing from God (judging righteously). Our feelings of justification in how we judge someone are not valid if those feelings give us the deceptive notion that we are somehow 'better' than someone because we would never do what they are doing. Oh, they may be our feelings, but do those feelings leave us with a right heart attitude? Do our feelings allow us to see all the way into the heart of a person? Do our feelings make it possible to be mistaken about the motives of another person?

No one but Holy Spirit is Holy Spirit, after all and no one knows every single thing that drives any human to do what they do in everyday life, much less in a difficult situation. Oh, we may see everything with our eyes and hear everything with our ears. We may even have a sense of how things came together to create situations, but we only see the outside. It's like the scripture that says we only 'see in part and know in part'. According to scripture, we 'see through a glass darkly'. How then, can we possibly make judgments about the motives of another person or the real heart issues and life experiences that drive anyone to do the things he/she does?

We may see anger on the outside, but perhaps Holy Spirit sees deep hurt on the inside. We may see manipulation and control on the outside, but perhaps Holy Spirit sees someone who is so full of pain and so broken on the inside that the very thought of more pain drives them to say and do things that are hurtful to others. Who knows?

And that's my point exactly! Who does know? Only our loving God who created each one of us - fashioned us before we were even born - knew the things that would drive us and all the in-between stuff that would try to keep us from succeeding, whether it be the devil or our pasts or whatever. Only God knows the deepest thoughts and desires of our hearts. Only He knows what it will take for us to be able to allow the changes that will spur us onward in our journey through life and into the kingdom with Him. Only He knows how to reach each heart in ways that will unlock the floodgates and let the healing waters of His Spirit flow in to wash away all of the damage done by the enemy. He alone knows what it takes to change a heart for all eternity.

So, dear friends and dear readers, the only safe place I've found in all of this 'judge righteous' stuff is to purpose in my own heart to love more. More. More than that. More. Every day and in every circumstance. I wish I could tell you that I'm successful every single time I'm faced with a situation to judge righteously, but that would be a lie. I fail so miserably sometimes. But there is a beautiful Example of what my goal is in this and every other area of life. His name is Jesus Christ. Yeshua Ha Maschiach. He is beautiful and loving. He is strong, brave, powerful and generous. And I am His.

So, it is worth the ongoing battle against my flesh and my own selfish desires. After all, He didn't judge me when I was an alcoholic and a drug addict. He didn't judge me when I was a prostitute, or when I walked away from my children. He didn't judge me when I went through multiple abortions and multiple divorces. No, He judged me with righteous judgment. He remained in right standing with God and chose to love me and draw me to Himself, regardless of what I'd been and all I'd done. Now THAT is who I want to be like. That is who I want to follow. That is how I want to love. That is how I want to judge. He saw all the things that drove me to the life I lived - but He didn't take a smug attitude toward me and say anything foolish or hateful to me. He never said, 'you made your bed, now you can sleep in it.' No, He said, 'I love you, I forgive you. I died for you. And I will walk with you every day of your life if you will come and follow me.' How could I resist?

If you're struggling with a critical spirit and a judgmental attitude, please give it up. It's not worth it to hang onto it. We truly will be judged as we have judged others - and forgiven as we have forgiven others. There is so much freedom and peace in simply loving others and following (obediently) the Lord Jesus Christ. If you need prayer, let me know. And you pray for me, too, okay? I want to walk in right standing in my heart attitude every single time in every single situation. I'll be glad to pray for you, too.

For now, take care, let go and truly LET GOD. :)

Love you all! Until tomorrow....

Vicky

Golden Christmas & Sachet Give-Away Update

2009-12-05T13:36:00.003-06:00

Wow! Suzanne, you did an awesome job on this and I am excited for everyone who entered. I would love to be able to give both gifts to every entrant, but of course, I know that's not possible! (Sorry!) Just want to tell you all, though, that the songs on the disc are beautiful and it was such a joy to be able to record it. And I always enjoy making the sachets. It's so much fun designing each one and this little angel will be even more fun to make than the rest!

For all of you who have entered the contest, thank you so much! I hope you find something on this blog that blesses you and your loved ones in some way. My prayer is that you will catch glimpses of Him every time you visit this blog - or see my website - or listen to my music - or read one of my books - or watch one of my videos - or see one of my sachets.

I've read every one of the comments that came in today and I am truly excited to see your names and pray over you. I wonder what your lives must be like, where you live and how your families are doing. I will be praying over you long after this little contest is over, dear friends.

Thank you so much for following me. There is such a sweet awareness of His Presence as I see each of your names and read your comments. I visited the websites of those of you who posted one and was blessed by what I saw on them, too. And I'm going to be watching each day to see who else has signed up so that I can be praying for them, too!

You know, the most important thing in my life is my relationship with God. Jesus Christ means more to me than I can express and without His Spirit there is no way I could ever do anything! I know I need Him all of the time - but even more than that, I WANT Him all of the time.

We may have to do this again sometime soon! Suzanne's creativity in this area is so wonderful - I can hardly wait to see what new idea pops into her pretty brain next! :)

Well, I suppose it's time to sign off for now. But let me leave you with this scripture today. These are some of my favorite verses:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, " Now the dwelling of God is with men and he will live with them. They will be his people and he will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son..."

Isn't that a meeting to look forward to?!

God bless you all today. See you soon!

VickyV
http://www.vickyv.com/

Golden Christmas Give-Away Details - click here

Golden Christmas Give-Away

2009-12-04T19:48:00.022-06:00

Notes From The Heart is formally having our first give-away!!! As you probably know, Vicky Vaughan usually writes every post. Notes From The Heart truly is a reflection of who she is. I love reading her writing. I love listening to her share her heart. And I love listening to her sing.

But for this one post, I've "hijacked" Notes From The Heart. I wanted to take a moment and share my heart. And then - I'll get to the Golden Christmas Give-Away details!

We are all given gifts from the Lord. Each of our giftings are unique, beloved and beautiful. Whoever you are - God blessed you for His Kingdom. He says in His Word that you were beautifully and wonderfully created! What a blessing this very fact is. A startling wonder to think He created, appointed and has molded each of us - in His image for His glory!

It is with delight I have been discovering this Truth in my own walk. And it is with awe that I see His master craftsmanship in my beloved sister in Christ, Vicky. I have been blessed to know her and work with her in her ministry, her music and all the ways God has allowed over the last several years. Her testimony is powerful and it faithfully reflects God's ability to heal and change. Her music is timeless, poignant and beautiful. Her life is in Worship to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I am honored to call her friend. I am blessed to call her sister - Hand chosen by God! Thus - thank you for stopping by Notes From The Heart. I pray you will stay and read more from Vicky's heart.
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Now to the give-away: Notes From The Heart and VickyVMusic are giving away a Golden Christmas Gift Set. Vicky's newest CD "Golden Christmas" is in the set. This CD includes Vicky's newest songs along with favorites like Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Angels We Have Heard on High, and The Christmas Song. Also included is a beautiful custom designed VV Sachet Angel. Vicky's talents are vast - and to raise money for her ministry, FIJC, she also designs Sachets. These fragrant beauties make wonderful presents and are designed to delight the eyes and warm the heart. Tulle, faux jewels, flowers, ribbons, wings and halos - all come together to make your little angel so very special. (*The angel in our photograph is an example of what VV Sachet Angels look like. Each one is unique and the one Vicky creates will be designed specifically for our winner!*).

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The Golden Christmas Drawing will be December 12, 2009!

Give-Away Guidelines - All you have to do is be a follower of Vicky's blog and leave her a comment on this post, letting her know that you'd like to enter. That gives you 2 entries. If you link to her blog or post a blog about the give-away, you will get another entry. And if you are on Twitter and tweet about Notes From The Heart's Golden Christmas Give-Away, you will have another entry. Make sure to post in the comments section a link to wherever you post (your blog, twitter) so that we can follow you and read your post! It is really as simple as 1,2,3.
To Recap: There is an opportunity for 4 entries per person**.
Follow Vicky's Blog, Notes From The Heart = 1st Entry and then leave a comment on this blog post = 2nd Entry. (Editor note - you do NOT have to be a blogger to enter - you just need to sign up to follow Vicky and post a comment).
Blog about this give=away on your own blog = 3rd Entry (make sure to let us know by leaving us a comment w/a link).
Tweet on Twitter about Notes From The Heart and our give-away = 4th Entry (make sure to let us know by leaving a link to your tweet)
The last day to enter is Friday, December 11, 2009 by Midnight CST. The drawing will be done on Saturday, December 12, 2009. Vicky will announce the winner here, so make sure to check back at Notes From The Heart and see if you won!! I am so excited for the winner already!! You are in for such a wonderful gift!

** This give-away is for United States residents only.

God bless and Merry Christmas!!
-- Suzanne

Just touching base...

2009-12-03T16:46:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone. This was a great afternoon - had so much fun singing, even with the remnants of allergy season hanging on.... Ick! I'll be so glad for this to pass, but I'm so grateful that the LORD is always faithful to help me through it. Seriously, two days ago I sounded like a baritone. Glad to be able to get through the show this afternoon and still have a voice left when I was done.

I've probably said this before, but I really want to encourage people to take the time to visit the elderly. Especially now. We're heading into the Christmas and Hannukah season and so many folks have no living relatives to share them with. Whether you celebrate the holidays or not, love can always be celebrated! Share the love you have with everyone you can.

I finished the design for the second website. I've chosen to set up a second website so that existing an potential clients will be directed to either the secular or the Christian site. Of course, the links pages on each site will make them easily accessible.

The secular site is going to take over the VickyV.com address. The ministry site will be called VickyVMinistry.com. Hope you'll be able to visit both of them soon! I'm looking forward to getting the second one up and running in the near future.

I have the most amazing friend who helps me with all of this. Her name is Suzanne and she is priceless to me - not just because of all her gifts and talents, but more importantly because she is one of the most loving and giving human beings I know. She loves the LORD Jesus Christ with all of her heart and it shows. I value everything she does for me, absolutely. I value everything she is even more.

So, there you have it. GOD is always abundantly good to us. He's generous, loving and kind. He surrounds us with people who love Him - as well as with people who just need the opportunity to get to know Him and who are waiting to hear and see how good He really is.

Have a great day, friends. Talk soon!

Vicky

Saying Hello

2009-12-01T18:36:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone. I hope that this has been a good day for each one of you. Mine has been spent resting and recovering from an allergy thing... It just seems interesting to me that there are so many singers with allergies! But, the Lord has been very gracious and made it possible for me to keep singing at times when it seemed impossible to do. I love that about Him!

If you've been reading my blog, you may have noticed that I haven't been on here every day as planned. I've been taking a tiny break from some of my regular computer time to relax. Nothing like a break to refresh your spirit and body! Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Seriously, I may not be posting as much for the next week or two - lots of stuff on the agenda. Still have one more song to record and there are quite a few singing engagements coming up this season. Hopefully, I'll be back in full force before long.

In the meantime, remember that you are loved - deeply and profoundly loved. Your are all in my prayers and I hope that I am also in yours. We need each other in ways that we cannot imagine. So stay encouraged, stay positive, stay in peace and love everyone you know in the very best way that you can. Give your heart fully to GOD and let Him lead you in everything you do.

Blessings until next time!

Just Stayin In Touch

2009-11-29T16:37:00.002-06:00

Hi, everyone! It's Sunday afternoon and I've been enjoying the peace and quiet of the day. Getting to the computer wasn't on my priority list for things to do, but I decided to at least say 'hello' to you all! HELLO!!!

I hope you're enjoying a peaceful day, too. But, just in case you're not, it would be good for you to know that there are many people around the world who are praying for your safety, your families and friends and your relationship with GOD. I'm just one of them. Even though you may be in a country that is at war or in the middle of circumstances that are extremely difficult, you are not forgotten. GOD loves you with a love that won't quit and He has plans for your life, too. So please be encouraged today. No matter what difficult circumstances this life may hold for you in this moment, realize that it is not going to last forever. And know that you can find peace in the middle of anything. Remember, Jesus said He came to give us peace that is unlike the peace the world has to offer.

So, reach out to Him today. Lay all that stuff down at His feet and ask Him to help you with it, okay? And if you don't know Him yet, it's a great day to get that relationship going. Just ask GOD to forgive you for your sins (we've all sinned...it's a fact of life, friend) and surrender yourself to Jesus. Invite Him to be your Lord. He's already paid the price to become your Savior - and oh yes, you and I need Him! Then turn it all over to Him. Ask Him to teach you who He is. Ask Him to show you whatever He wants you to see and to draw you close to Him. Spend time with Him every day. Soon, you will walk through this life with wonderful peace in your heart and mind.

GOD bless you, dear friends. And may Jesus' peace, the 'peace that passes all understanding' fill you to overflowing wherever you are.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T12:17:00.002-06:00

Hello, dear friends. This is such a great day! I am so thankful for all the wonderful things GOD is doing in our lives and around the world. You know, it's so easy to get focused on the negative things the devil is up to, but what a horrible waste of time that is! Besides, I'm really not interested in giving him any glory by worrying over the conditions we're experiencing today. Of course, the conditions are what they are, but I'd much rather focus on the beautiful ways our LORD is moving - touching and changing lives in the midst of difficult circumstances, encouraging, healing and delivering people of everything from depression and rejection to cancer and deafness - and everything in between. Now THAT is something to focus on! And I believe that as we praise Him for being the Omnipotent GOD that He is, He ENJOYS it.

Our circumstances are not supposed to dictate our attitudes. Rather, we should be viewing each situation as an opportunity to show God how much we trust Him. Besides, don't you feel so much better when you maintain a positive attitude? Again, I'm not suggesting that we should ignore the fact that there are terrible things happening in our world today. I am suggesting that we should glorify the GOD Who is the Creator of every person on the planet. He has plans and He's never taken off guard by the things that happen. Maybe we are - but HE is not!

So once again comes the encouragement to live the Isaiah 58 fast. Jesus did. Do it and remain positive in the doing. Give, share, love, laugh, hope, encourage and thank! Thank, thank, thank!!! Thank GOD for being GOD. That may sound laughable...He couldn't be anything else. But still, thank Him for it! Aren't you GLAD that He's GOD? Don't you just love the fact that He is Who He is? Don't you adore the thought that He cares for you in ways that are way bigger than you can imagine - even on your very worst days? He is magnificient! My GOD is MAGNIFICIENT!

Thank You, dear LORD for being GOD - ALMIGHTY, ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING, ALL LOVING, ALL MERCIFUL AND ABOVE ALL THAT I COULD EVER ASK OR THINK (OR IMAGINE!). Thank You for this nation, our freedom, our families, our lives, the food in our bellies and the clothes on our backs. Teach us how to SHARE those things more freely than ever before. Teach us EVERYTHING You want us to know and do and say and be. Thank You especially and above all else for Your beautiful Son, Jesus Christ and for Your glorious Holy Spirit. We love, want and need You every day. And we always will.

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

2009-11-24T07:57:00.003-06:00

Good morning Tuesday! This is going to be a wonderful day. I'm absolutely sure of it! A young woman from Arizona is coming over for her second voice lesson in a couple of hours. Her family is in town for the Thanksgiving holiday and we're squeezing 3 lessons in while she's here. I'll just have time after that to work on some new music, throw in another load of laundry (how can two people get so dirty, anyway?) and fix a quick lunch before we go do another show this afternoon. Then it's off to see Misty, Jay and little Hayden (the newest addition to the family.) Afterwards, we'll be heading downtown to take spend time with my niece Jane's cats. We're some of the temporary kitty-sitters until she gets home tomorrow. And somewhere in the middle of all this stuff today, I need to give Alan a haircut - oh yeah, and Dad needs one, too!

What a blessing to have such a huge blended family! Near as I can tell, we have 15 grandchildren between us. Alan has 9 and I have 6. How on earth did we get this old? And every single one of those lives are incredibly busy, too.

I don't know what your life is like, but it's probably very similar to ours....busy, busy, busy! I'm reminded of an old saying (well, it's not that old, but it's not new, either)that goes something like this, "If the devil can't pull you off the track, he'll get behind you and push!" And yet, when I look at the things that we're doing everyday, I don't see anything evil in them, nor do I believe that it's 'evil' to be busy. We live in a very fast-paced world and there always seems to be a million things to do - needs to be met, lives to be touched, dishes to be done - and sometimes attending to the most important thing of all can slip by undone if we don't do it first thing each day.

I'm talking about spending some time with the Lord. For me, I've got to go to Him before I even let my feet touch the floor in the morning, because there are some days when that's the only quiet time I can have with Him. And I need that time. Not only do I need it, I want that time with Him. He's my Source of life, my Hope and my Strength. But He's also my Joy. He keeps me focused on what's important and helps me set my priorities in order. And, I know that it's too easy to wander off the path when I don't spend time with Him.

Well, the clock is ticking away and I haven't fixed breakfast yet. The bed's still not made, even though I've been out of it for the last 45 minutes, so I'd better get 'busy'. Until tomorrow, friends, I pray for God's blessings of peace, protection and right relationships between Him, you and everyone else! Have a great day!

Here I AM

2009-11-23T11:51:00.003-06:00

Hey everybody! This is the last devo from my little 30 & 3 Vol. 2. Hope you enjoy it! Tomorrow, who knows what will be on here! :) Blessings!

Day Thirty

Isaiah 58:9-11

“Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Well, it’s our last day together in this devotional, beloved. I hope that you have dipped deeply into the well of God’s love these past thirty days. These last two days of verses are my prayer – and God’s desire – for you. Look at the promises He’s making here, if we will only believe and obey Him. He’s so faithful. No telling how many times I’ve said that on these pages, but I am amazed by His goodness and faithfulness. There’s so much peace that comes in knowing that our God is faithful to His word. I never forget that He’s the “If/Then God”. His word is filled with promises, but to receive those promises we have a part to play. We can only hold Him to His word if we are obedient to His commands and when we fail, we must trust His mercy through the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ. We can never earn our way into heaven, beloved. But we cannot hold God to His word if we are not even trying to be obedient. Although we may never meet in this life, I want you to know that I love you, too. You are a precious child – someone that God considered important enough for Him to create in the first place. Never forget that. Do all you can to glorify Him with your words, your thoughts and your actions. Until we meet in heaven or here on earth, I pray you will live up to the great calling of Jesus Christ in your life to the best of your ability as you surrender yourself to the Great and Immortal God of all creation. Blessings to you and your loved ones from me and mine.

Dearest Lord God, my Father and my King. I thank You for the opportunity to write these words. Thank You for Your provision in every area of my life. Lord, all the little prayers written in this 30 day devotional for these beloved people to read are lifted up to You by me also. Let Your light shine on us, Lord. Let our healing spring forth. Help us take away the yoke from our midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness. Show us how to extend our souls to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul. My prayer for each of us is found in these verses: “Then your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Thank You, Father. Thank You once again for your abundant love. We lift all of this up to You now in the Name of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Fast!

2009-11-22T22:45:00.001-06:00

Day Twenty-Nine

Isaiah 58:6-8

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”

Well, He’s done it again, beloved. God has given us another beautiful day to thank Him and praise His goodness in our lives and the lives of those we love. I love these verses from Isaiah. A number of years ago, the Lord revealed something to me about these scriptures. He showed me that Jesus lived this fast. He came to walk it out in the flesh, leaving us the example, and then sacrificed Himself for our salvation so we would understand what real love is. Love isn’t just some gooey feeling we have for the Lord. It’s a far greater effort than that. Love is the action of sacrifice for others – starting with God. Love is giving without unrighteous judgment. Love is Jesus coming here to die for us, so that we might live for Him and do the will of His Father. Love is Jesus saying ‘yes’ to God, even when it cost Him His life. That is the purest fast of all. He didn’t consider His own needs, but chose instead to pour Himself out for those around Him, so that His Father in heaven could be glorified and receive back to Himself His own creation for eternity. That would include you and me, beloved. Well, we have the Example right before our eyes in these verses. Let’s get started…

You are so amazing to me, God! Thank You for sending Jesus to teach us the gift of sacrificial love through His pure and true fast. What a joy it is to belong to You. I understand that fasting isn’t about starving yourself. Rather, it’s about drawing nearer to You by serving You and others in humility and without consideration for my own flesh. The rest is up to You, and I know that Your promises are sure. I do love You, Lord. Help me find ways to show You today. In Jesus’ Name…

Higher Ways

2009-11-19T09:16:00.002-06:00

Day Twenty-Eight

Isaiah 55:9-11

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Welcome to a fresh new day, dear friend. How about today’s verses? Don’t you just love the fact that God’s word is sure and dependable? Everything – and He does mean everything that His word was sent forth to accomplish will happen. He’s going to do what He said He would do. He’s the One Who takes care of the rain that waters the earth so we can have food to eat. My mind cannot comprehend the enormity of our God. When I sit here and type words to try to describe His indescribable majesty, I know those words are inadequate, but then trying to describe God’s magnificence is like trying to describe the inexpressible joy a new mother or father experiences as they hold their newborn baby for the first time. It’s an overwhelming feeling, and even that comparison is inadequate! Get up and dance around His throne – even if you can’t get out of the chair. Do it in your spirit. Dance, child, dance! Dance with all your might because He is God – all powerful, all knowing, ever present God… He will dance with you. His arms long to hold you close to Him. His eyes long to see you gaze into Him with total abandon, hungry and thirsty for more, more, more of Him. Doesn’t He take your breath away?!

Holy God. Magnificent, awesome, amazing, strong and gentle Father. Dance with me. Dance with me, Lord. You feed me, You dress me, You comfort me, You surround me with Your goodness every day. Thank You a million times over. I gladly place my hand in Yours today, Lord. Lead me wherever You want me to go. I love You. In Jesus’ Name…

What God Thinks

2009-11-18T08:18:00.002-06:00

Day Twenty-Seven

Isaiah 55:6-8

“Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.

Good morning again, dear one. How was your day yesterday? Did you rest in the Lord – trusting Him for each moment and the outcome of those difficult situations? Are you at peace today? I love knowing that God is not able to be figured out by me. I mean, how horrible it would be if I could second-guess God! This universe would be in a lot of trouble if God wasn’t hard for me to know everything about. Come to think of it, this universe wouldn’t even exist if God’s mind wasn’t any bigger than mine. I find so much peace when I think about how merciful He is. I am very happy to say that God knows all there is to know and I can trust Him to work everything out. All I need to do is obey Him. That’s my whole job, you know. Yours, too. So go enjoy this day and rest in the knowledge that He is near, ready to teach you what you do not know and to forgive you for your sins as you forgive others. Love Him and everyone around you. You can do that, I know, because the One Who lives on the inside of you has freely poured His love into your very being.

Oh, Lord, thank You for being God. Thank You for all You are doing that I cannot see. Thank You for being a constant surprise to me, Lord. I appreciate that You show me daily that I am the clay and You are the Potter. There’s so much peace that comes from knowing I don’t have to figure out what kind of vessel I’m going to be when You’re all done. All I need to do is stay on the wheel and You will do the rest. Thank You, God. I appreciate and love You so much. In Jesus’ Name…

Feast on GOD today!

2009-11-17T07:29:00.002-06:00

Day Twenty-Six

Isaiah 55:1-3

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your souls shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you – The sure mercies of David.”

Good morning, my friend. I hope your day will be all that you desire in the Lord. You are so very special to Him and His love for you has no end. When you are at your weakest moment, His strong and loving arm is wrapped around you with such tenderness and care. Don’t ever wonder if God loves you. He could not do anything less than love you. Read the words of these scriptures again. He extends His goodness to you in this very second. Eat at His table - it is the most delicious meal you will ever have in this life or the next! Breathe in the breath of the Living God, then go forth sharing that beautiful fragrance with everyone you see today.

Dearest Lord God, I am thirsty for more of You. I want to feast at Your table, Father. My ears are open to You. Speak to me, Lord. I wait here in Your Presence, Father…in Jesus’ Name…

The Majesty of GOD Day 25 Devo

2009-11-16T20:13:00.002-06:00

Isaiah 51:4-6

“Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, my salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands will wait upon Me, and on My arm they will trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished.”

Hello again, sweet friend. Aren’t these tremendous promises? I love how the Lord speaks of His power and sovereignty in these verses. God is awesome strength. With a word from His lips, the earth is formed and with another word the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth and everything in it will die. Doesn’t that make you tremble? Consider His majesty. He could snuff us out like little bugs, but He doesn’t. He goes on to say that His salvation will be forever. He is our only hope and our salvation. We need Him far more than we realize. God will go on long after this earth has passed away and I want to go on with Him! I believe you do too, beloved. Worship His majesty today with all you say and do.

Blessed Lord, King of my life, how I long to be with You forever. Just as the song says, I need Thee every hour. Stay close to me, Lord. Help me stay close to You, too. I don’t want to stray one tiny inch from Your presence. I love You so much, Father. Have Your way completely in me today. In Jesus’ Name…

Pure Love

2009-11-15T07:10:00.001-06:00

Day Twenty-Four

Isaiah 50:4-6

“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”

Good morning, my dear friend. Look at our Example. It took my breath away for a moment when I read the words He put in me for today’s devotions. After the last two days’ topic being about forgiveness, I was surprised to come to this day’s verses. You see, I don’t know what the conversations will be in these paragraphs once the Lord has given the verses to me. I just list the verses He puts before me, then write thoughts after all the verses have been chosen. I am once again humbled by the majesty of God. He is so wise! So here it is in today’s verses. Jesus – our Example – encouraging us once again with His humility, His willingness to suffer what should have been our punishment. We deserved to get what He endured for us. We deserved the beatings, the scorn, the crucifixion – He didn’t. Can you see it? His forgiveness is all over these verses. Wow. It’s almost as if He is putting an exclamation point on the end of our last two days devotions. Isn’t He magnificent? What else is there to say? Let’s just pray…

Awesome God. How beautiful You are in all Your ways – and how majestic is Your love. To love me so much that You would remind me that I need to forgive others and then to point to Your sinless Son as my Example is such a gentle way to correct me. I know You mean it, Lord. I know I must forgive others. I want to do that with all of my heart. My whole desire is for You, God. My greatest longing is to be in heaven one day with You. Do whatever You need to do in me to make that happen. I love You so much, Father. Love through me, Lord. Love through me everyday. In Jesus’ Name I pray…

Washed Clean! 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Devo Day 23

2009-11-14T11:34:00.002-06:00

Day Twenty-Three

Isaiah 6:6-8

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away. And your sin is purged.’ Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”

Good morning, beloved. Is He talking about you in the verses for today’s devotions? Are you one who has been touched by the live coal from the altar? Would you be surprised to know that the answer may be ‘yes’? The Lord’s ‘live coal’ in your life is Jesus Christ. He took away all your sins, dear one – that is if you have forgiven everyone. If you are having a hard time with the words you read in this devotional yesterday, then let me encourage you. If you keep being tempted to withhold your forgiveness, just keep doing it everyday until it takes hold in your heart. Ask the Lord to bless the person you’re angry with, then pray for him, her or them. And don’t try to fool yourself. If you have not forgiven someone, you are definitely angry with them. True forgiveness only comes when we are no longer angry with the person. It doesn’t mean we don’t hate the action, but it does mean we no longer hold that action against the person who committed it. If we haven’t forgiven, we are still mad. Period. If that person has already passed away, then just concentrate on forgiving them. Do it until you get it deep in your heart. Unless God chooses to reveal it to you, you will never know all there was to know about what caused them to sin against you or your loved one in the first place. Your only chance for peace and hope for eternity with God is to forgive them, beloved. Just keep doing it until you get it right. We can’t get away from Jesus’ words in our reading yesterday. We must forgive. We must be purged. We must be washed clean. Our iniquity must be taken away. When we are, the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?” Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. We must be clean vessels that carry the Lord’s Spirit. Forgive. Have you been touched by the Live Coal from the altar? Have you forgiven? Is your sin purged? You can do this. Forgive. Then go in the name of Your God. Be blessed!

Holy Lord, I am here. I want to be sent by You every day of my life. Let Your forgiveness pour through me as I pour my forgiveness out on others who have hurt me in some way. Help me see anything that I need to deal with in my own heart, Lord, and I will deal with it. Send me, Father. I want to be sent. In Jesus’ Name…

Forgiveness Day 22

2009-11-13T07:30:00.003-06:00

Day Twenty-Two

Mark 11:24-26

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Good morning, friend. Forgiveness. What a powerful word. Of all the things we struggle with, sometimes this is the most difficult – and yet the Lord says it’s absolutely necessary. I’ve listened to people talk about being saved. I’ve heard them say that they are definitely going to heaven. And I’ve also heard them talk about how they will never forgive so-and-so for what they did. Amazing. We think we can go to heaven just because we said the sinner’s prayer! But you know, it doesn’t sound like Jesus is mincing words in these verses. He makes it very clear that we must forgive others. Period. This isn’t a negotiable thing. If someone in your life has offended or hurt you or someone you love, you are still required to forgive them. If you’re struggling with unforgiveness, let me just ask you a question…is your eternity important to you? Is it worth it to hold onto that anger, bitterness or unforgiveness and end up in hell? Is the hate you may feel for someone more important to keep than spending eternal life with God? I mean, we may get upset with people, but quite frankly, no one – or their sin – is worth giving up my life in heaven! I hope you feel the same way. If you are having a hard time forgiving someone, humble yourself. Even if they did something horrible and unspeakable, don’t let this day come to an end before you repent, forgive them and ask God for His forgiveness for your sin of unforgiveness. After all, you have no guarantee that you will wake up in the morning and have another opportunity to make things right with God. The real estate in hell isn’t pretty, beloved. And the view in heaven is amazing! Where do you want to be?

Father God, I am so sorry for the things I have held in my heart against people. Please help me see my way to forgive them, Lord. I know that You paid for all of my sins, but I understand that I won’t be forgiven for them if I don’t let go of the sins of others. Please help me, Lord. I know this is a decision I must make, but I ask You to show me my own sin so that I may see more clearly the path to true repentance and forgiveness. Your love amazes me, God. Expand my heart so that Your love in and through me amazes everyone I meet. In Jesus’ Name…

2009-11-12T20:46:00.002-06:00

We had a great time at Crown Care Center in Harrisonville this afternoon. Such a joy to spend time with the seniors and of course, I LOVE to sing and they say that they love to listen to me, so that sounds like a good combination! :) I hope you're all having a great day, too.

Also, I found the most wonderful booking agent. Can't wait for her to get started - and she's all fired up to go so....who knows what's next?

I'm really looking forward to being at Morningside next week. If you haven't checked out my itinerary, please go to my website and look at the Engagements page. I hope to see lots of you great people at Jim Bakker's place next Friday night. You can also watch the concert on the web. It will be live streamed. Just go to www.jimbakkershow.com, find the calendar on the home page and check out November 20th for more information. Hope to see you there!

Have a great evening!

Servanthood 30 & 3 Devo Day 21

2009-11-12T08:14:00.002-06:00

Day Twenty-One

Mark 10:42-44

“But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.”

Welcome to today, sunshine! This is a terrific day to be alive on the earth. There will be fantastic opportunities in front of you today. You are going to have many chances to bless the lives of people around you by being their servant. Hmmm… How does that sound? I think it sounds wonderful. After all, the greatest servant who ever lived on earth was our Lord, Jesus Christ. If He decided that the best role He could have was to be a servant to those around Him – and He continues to be a servant to each of us today – then you couldn’t have a better role to play in today’s activities. Besides, there’s great joy that comes when we give ourselves in servanthood to others. Think about a time you helped someone without expecting anything in return. Didn’t it make you feel good to see how they were blessed by your giving? Well, nothing’s changed! Go see whom you can bless today. Whether it’s something big or something small, every gift you offer the Lord by serving others is a precious gift to Jesus. Thank you for being a humble, giving child of God. By the way, He said that those who are great are ‘slaves’ or ‘servants’ to all. Bet you didn’t know – you have ‘greatness’ in you!

Precious Lord, thank You for showing me how important it is to You that I serve others, even as Your Son showed us by His example. There was never a greater servant than You, Lord Jesus. Thank You for helping me see it from Your perspective. I pray for those I am called to serve, Lord. Help me be sensitive to the direction of Your Spirit as I make myself available to meet their needs. Increase the compassion in my heart, Father. I want to walk humbly before You, always aware that everything I do for You is just my ‘reasonable service’ and not something about which to brag. You are the Good One, Father. Jesus told us that only You are good. Help me remember that I’ve been blessed to be a blessing in the lives of others. Every good gift comes from You, Lord. Whatever gift You choose to place in my hands for others needs to remain pure as I pass it on. Thank You for using me, Lord. I love You. In Jesus’ Name…

The Prodigal 30 & 3 Devo Day 20

2009-11-11T15:44:00.002-06:00

Hello all! Sorry I missed posting yesterday. Trying to finish the final rewrites on 'Unshakable Faith' took 13 hours yesterday and all morning. Still working on it, though! Look for it to be available soon! Here's the devo for today. :)

Day Twenty

Luke 15:30-32

“’But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

Good morning again, sweet friend. It’s so good to spend this time with you each day – even though we can’t see each other! You know, these scriptures today can help us see when we are resentful, jealous, angry or bitter in our hearts. There are people who have a hard time accepting the sons and daughters of God that have been living wild lives before they became followers of Jesus Christ. My prayer for you is that you have so much love for God that you have no room in you for any of these things against anyone in the body of Christ. God is so big, beloved. His love for you is sure, strong and never-ending. When you meet a new believer or someone who just recently gave their lives to the Lord, rejoice with them! If you meet someone who has struggled to fully commit their lives to Him – someone who goes in and out of relationship with God – then pray for them. After all, how many of the rest of us are faithful and obedient in absolutely everything He’s given us to do? We need His mercy for ourselves, so we should absolutely be extending that mercy to others. You are so precious to God and to me. Don’t give the enemy any room in your heart. You just love freely, freely, freely and trust God for everything. He’s just as in love with you as ever!

Dear Lord, You have forgiven me for everything and loved me even when I haven’t been very lovable. Thank You for that, Father. Thank You for your patience with me and for being so generous. Thank You for the story of the Prodigal Son. It’s a reminder of how expansive Your heart and Your love are. How awesome and magnificent You are! How amazing are Your ways, precious Father. Search my heart and clean it out, Lord. If You find one evil thing in me, get it out, God. I want to have so much love that the enemy can’t get one tiny foothold in me. Thank You, Lord. I believe that You want that for me, too. I’m looking forward to being so free in You that nothing can shake me, God! I love You,

Love the lost 30 & 3 Devo Day 19

2009-11-09T07:54:00.005-06:00

Day Nineteen

Luke 15:4-6

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!”

Good morning, precious friend. It’s good to have this time with you each day. I hope that you have had a wonderful morning already and that you are looking forward with great anticipation to God’s plans for you today.

These verses in today's devo mean a lot to me. I am one who was lost. Jesus had to come and find me a long time ago. There’s no way I can tell you how grateful I am that He did! Sometimes we can get so caught up in our own world and its problems that we forget about the needs of others. Sometimes we forget there are people who don’t have a clue that God loves them and wants to help them. You know, Jesus never forgets, though. He diligently calls each of us when we disappear in the wilderness of the world and lovingly carries us home on His shoulders when He “finds” us.

Do you know how exciting it is to Him when we finally decide to respond to the call of the Good Shepherd? We are so precious to Him that He wants everyone to rejoice with Him because He’s found us! Did you have any idea you are that important to Him? Can you see that His love for you is immense? In this world, we are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. As we agree to take up the call to “go into all the world”, we find people who are broken, lost, hungry, fearful, dying, angry and mistrusting. Let’s go love them with the same enthusiasm He demonstrated in pursuing us. Just make yourself available to Him today. He’s sure to lead you as you reach out to those who need to know Him. It may not be easy at first. Don’t worry, all you have to do is show up and love them. He’ll tell you what to do. He’s very faithful. Now go, with the grace of God and the Presence of His Holy Spirit to guide you in this day’s adventure!

Good Shepherd, what can I say? You called me and forgave me, Lord, for all of my sins. Expand my vision, Father. Help me see the broken and lost sheep all around me. Let them hear the sound of Your voice reaching out to them through my words and actions today. I want to rejoice with You over the ones who answer Your call, Lord. I want to sing and dance before You every time someone moves one step closer in Your direction, including me. Thank You for sharing this life with me, God. Hallelujah! You are worthy to be praised! I love You, Father. In Jesus’ Name…

Where Your Treasure Is... 30 & 3 Devo Day 18

2009-11-07T23:58:00.002-06:00

Day Eighteen

Luke 12:32-34

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Good morning, beloved friend. This is a beautiful time of year, don’t you think? It’s time for another great day. Are you up for it? What kind of plans have you made for this day? Have you made sure that you check out those plans with the Lord? You know, He does have plans for you. Some people have told me that they don’t believe that God is interested in their day to day activities. That’s amazing to me. He’s our Father and Creator. I believe that He cares about everything that touches our lives. I believe that we are His precious treasures on this earth and He wants the very best for each of us, whatever that may be.

So, where is your treasure? Is it in the relationship with Him? I hope so. Don’t waste your life on the things that will turn to dust. Spend your life with God instead! Set your heart on the treasure of eternal life with Him, then find out what you can do for Him to bless every life you touch today. You know, there are times I wonder who you are, what you look like and how the Lord touches you through the words on these pages. Can you see it? Our lives are connected through Jesus Christ. Until we reach the other side, we may not meet, but my prayer for these devotionals is that they will bless you in some way that causes you to be encouraged to walk closer to the Lord. If that happens, you will touch other lives that I may never meet on this side of heaven. We are connected. Store your treasures in heaven, my dear friend. God loves you!

Dear Treasure God, how I love You. Father, please help me see more clearly the beauty of the treasures I store in heaven and less clearly the things that the world considers valuable. Your word, Your ways, Your forgiveness, Your love, Your Son, Your Spirit, Your faithfulness, eternal life with You, Your children, – these are treasures to me, God. They are all so beautiful, Lord. You are Most Beautiful of all. I love You, Father. Have Your way in me today. In Jesus’ Name…

Two Sparrows 30 & 3 Devo Day 16

2009-11-07T07:46:00.001-06:00

Day Seventeen

Luke 12:5-7

“But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Welcome to another new day, friend. After yesterday’s reading, I hope you were strengthened in your resolve to speak life to and about others. Today’s reading just reminds me how loving God is. Jesus was warning the people in verse 1 of this chapter to beware of hypocrites, encouraging us to know that everything we speak will be revealed in some way. He counsels us to be afraid – not of people or the enemy – but of God, Who has the power to send people to hell. However, isn’t it just like the Lord to then encourage us to know that God loves us so much; He has even numbered the hairs on our heads? Sometimes the ways He rebukes us for our sins is so gentle, we have to stop and think about it. He wants us to know how valuable we are to Him because He knows that the enemy lies to us all of the time, telling us that God doesn’t care, when in fact we are priceless in God’s eyes. The Lord doesn’t want us to be deceived, however, thinking we can just get away with anything! Remember what it says in James? Faith without works is dead. No, He wants us to know that we are valuable, but He also wants us to know that He is holy and He wants us to learn to walk in holiness, too. That means the gossip, the slander, the death that we speak against others has to stop. If this isn’t a problem for you, then praise God! Perhaps you know someone who needs your prayers in this area. Love them, pray for them and be sure to watch the words of your own mouth. Just decide to glorify God with every word that passes through your lips and see what an exciting life you will have!

Dear Lord, thank You for every word You spoke through Your Son, Jesus. Sometimes we forget how dependable Your words are. It is so easy to fall into the mindset that You will just let us get by with things because You are so loving. Father, Your word also says that You are holy, and we need to be holy, too. While You go about the task of perfecting me through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, I ask You to show me the part that is mine to do in cleaning up my life. Show me the things that offend You, God and forgive me for those sins. Thank You for Your grace in my life, Lord. Please strengthen me to walk behind You with greater dignity and determination as I get rid of the things that need to be eliminated from my life. I love You, Lord. Thank You for being my Father. In Jesus’ Name…

On the Housetops 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Day 16 Devo

2009-11-06T10:30:00.001-06:00

Day Sixteen

Luke 12:2-4

“For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more they can do.”

Good morning! Nothing is hidden, loved one. The Lord knows everything – absolutely everything – we say or do. The Lord doesn’t want us to make the mistake of thinking we can just get away with saying any old thing we feel like saying about or to someone. Whew! That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? I have a great idea…let’s pray for each other today. Let’s ask the Lord to let His Spirit reveal the hidden motives in our words before they even come out of our mouths. We don’t want to offend God and we don’t want to say something that will hurt someone else, either. If you’re mad at someone, get over it! Let it go. The last verse in today’s scripture tells us not to be afraid of those who kill the body, but the following verse (which is part of tomorrow’s reading) tells us that we should fear the One Who can send us to hell. The only One Who can do that is the Lord, precious friend. It isn’t His will for us to end up there, but we must choose Him and obedience to His word. We must also be forgiving. It’s critical that we watch the words of our mouths. Pray for me and I’ll be praying for you, too. Let’s honor God by keeping our mouths shut against words that won’t bless us – or anyone else, for that matter!

Dear Lord, please forgive me for every time I’ve spoken negatively about someone. I’m so sorry for my sin, Father. I know that Your word says there is life and death in the power of the tongue, and I want to speak life – not death today or any other day. You know what I need, Lord. Do those things in me that need to be done, so that I glorify You with the words of my mouth all day long, each and every day for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ Name…

Ask 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Day 15 Devo

2009-11-05T12:15:00.001-06:00

Day Fifteen

Luke 11:9-11

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?”

Good morning, you beautiful child of God! How greatly you are loved! How awesome is your Father in heaven! I remember the Lord telling me once that I had not because I asked not. I knew when He said it that He was inviting me to ask Him for something, so I searched my mind to see what I wanted to ask for and then asked Him for it. To make a rather long story short, let me just share with you that what I wanted seemed unreasonable to ask for at the time. It took a couple of years for me to receive what I’d asked for, but it came! This was no small thing, either. God is so humble. He waited until everything was over to let me know He had answered that particular request. Seek the Lord. He’s there with you right now. Ask Him to help you know what to ask Him for! He may want you to ask for wisdom, patience, humility or a buyer for your home. Who knows? Invite Him into your life in a new way, knowing that He loves to bless His children. And be sure to bless Him, too. Follow His direction in your life today. Obey Him. You’ll be glad you did.

Lord, sometimes we don’t have any idea what to ask You for. We know that You don’t want us to see you as some big Santa Claus sitting in the sky, but we also know that Your word says you love to bless Your children. You know what is best for me, Father. Please speak to my heart and help me know what You want for me. Thank You so much for Your generosity, God. I’ll say it again – You are truly AMAZING! In Jesus’ Name…

Hidden Treasures 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Devo Day 13

2009-11-04T11:27:00.004-06:00

Day Fourteen

Matthew 13:44-46

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Rise and shine, beloved! How is your morning going so far? Have you embraced this beautiful day with joy? Or are you wrestling with a negative attitude, instead? You know, you don’t have time to waste on negative attitudes. God gave us such a beautiful world in which to live! I know, there are so many horrible things going on in life today – perhaps some of those things are even going on in your life – but you have discovered a great treasure and you don’t want to waste one minute whenyou could be rejoicing over it instead! You have found a treasure in this great field called earth. You have found a beautiful pearl of great price. What I’m talking about is just this….you have found the Lord! If you have already given your life to Him, you have a place in His kingdom. What awaits us on the other side of this earthly life is beyond our wildest dreams, precious friend. Just days before my sister Cindy died, the Lord gave her a priceless gift. She was allowed to hear some of the music in heaven. Many of the people in my family are musicians and music is very important to us. What Cindy heard that night was the sound of voices singing “all of the notes at the same time” according to her. She turned to our sister Linda and asked her if she could hear it. She then told Linda that she was going to love the music in heaven, because Linda is a singer. In her experience, the Lord also showed Cindy a beautiful choir, wearing robes that she said shimmered. What a gift! What a privilege to catch a glimpse – and an earful – of what was awaiting my precious Cindy. Dear sweet friend, the Lord has such beautiful pearls to share with you. Don’t miss any of them!

Father, sometimes I have a hard time finding words to tell You how I feel about You. Sometimes, just sitting in Your presence, waiting on You and being still before Your throne is the greatest thing I can do. How I love You, God. You are the most priceless Treasure of all. Reign in me, God. I love You. In Jesus’ Name…

Seize the Day~

2009-11-04T11:10:00.003-06:00

Matthew 13:44-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Rise and shine, beloved! How is your morning going so far? Have you embraced this beautiful day with joy? Or are you wrestling with a negative attitude, instead? You know, you don’t have time to waste on negative attitudes. God gave us such a beautiful world in which to live! I know, there are so many horrible things going on in life today – perhaps some of those things are even going on in your life – but you have discovered a great treasure and you don’t want to waste one minute when you could be rejoicing over it instead! You have found a treasure in this great field called earth. You have found a beautiful pearl of great price. What I’m talking about is just this….you have found the Lord! If you have already given your life to Him, you have a place in His kingdom. What awaits us on the other side of this earthly life is beyond our wildest dreams, precious friend. Just days before my sister Cindy died, the Lord gave her a priceless gift. She was allowed to hear some of the music in heaven. Many of the people in my family are musicians and music is very important to us. What Cindy heard that night was the sound of voices singing “all of the notes at the same time” according to her. She turned to our sister Linda and asked her if she could hear it. She then told Linda that she was going to love the music in heaven, because Linda is a singer. In her experience, the Lord also showed Cindy a beautiful choir, wearing robes that she said shimmered. What a gift! What a privilege to catch a glimpse – and an earful – of what was awaiting my precious Cindy. Dear sweet friend, the Lord has such beautiful pearls to share with you. Don’t miss any of them! Father, sometimes I have a hard time finding words to tell You how I feel about You. Sometimes, just sitting in Your presence, waiting on You and being still before Your throne is the greatest thing I can do. How I love You, God. You are the most priceless Treasure of all. Reign in me, God. I love You. In Jesus’ Name…

2009-11-03T04:25:00.001-06:00

Day Thirteen

Matthew 24:5-7

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.”

Good morning, dear friend. Did you see the news on television last night? The conditions of the world have continued to get worse, it’s true. But the good news is that Jesus Christ is still the Name above every name. He is the name above wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last and He is the King of all Kings. He is your Comfort, your Savior, your Redeemer, Your Strong Tower. He is the Anchor for every storm in your life. He is the One Who will be your Protector in times of trouble and your Refuge when the enemy comes against you in the night. He said, “See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass…” Amazing! No matter what happens, He will always be there – with you. Love Him with every breath you take. Thank God for that Love. Thank God , fear not, and do all He asks you to do. Have a fantastic day!

Dear sweet Lord, open my eyes. Help me see You in every situation. I have no desire to fear anything. I need Your guiding hand with me always, Lord. Draw me close to You. I want to hear the slightest whisper from Your lips. There are so many who still don’t know about You – so many who need You desperately, Father. I know that I cannot afford to be fearful about the things taking place in this world – I must extend myself to others so they can find their peace in You. Beautiful, handsome, holy Lord. I love You! In Jesus’ Name…

Amazing God 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Devo Day 12

2009-11-02T09:25:00.001-06:00

Day Twelve

Psalm 107: 1-3

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”

Good morning! Do you know that you are deeply and richly loved by God? It’s true. He has redeemed you, which means he paid for your sin with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ –because He loves you soooooooo much! What a magnificent God He is! How amazing is that? Your Father in heaven is crazy about you! He’s good! He’s spectacular! You’ve been bought with the highest price possible. All of the gold in the world could not have paid for your sin. No amount of wealth the world has to offer could have redeemed you. Only the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is valuable enough to pay for your sins. So rejoice today! He’s searched the world over; north, south, east and west, and found you. He took you out of the hand of the enemy and saved your life. He even says He will take our sins and put them so far away that He will not even remember where they are! What amazing love He has for us. Let’s praise Him all day long today!

Oh,God! You are truly amazing. How can I ever forget Your awesome love for me?! Bless Your name, God. Bless Your perfect, beautiful, strong, tender and fierce heart! I love you, Lord. Glorify Yourself through me all day long. Use me to tell of Your glorious ways with every step I take. I’m an instrument in Your hands, Father. Play the strings of my heart and use the words of my mouth to bless You in everything I do. Sing through me, God. Love through me. I adore You, Lord. You are worthy to be praised every second of every day. You are worthy to be respected, honored and obeyed without question. How mighty are Your ways, O Lord. Let me bow before You and rise to dance before Your throne. I love You! In Jesus’ Name…

Following Instructions 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Devo Day 11

2009-11-01T06:58:00.003-06:00

Welcome to Sunday! We're getting ready to go to one of our senior care centers for church this morning and I wanted to be able to get today's devo posted before we head out the door. I hope you have a very encouraging day and that you are able to find quality time to spend with the Lord today. Blessings until tomorrow! Here's today's devo...

Day Eleven

Proverbs 4:10-12

“Hear, my son, and receive my sayings and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life.”

Good morning, precious friend. This is a glorious day the Lord has made and we can rejoice in it. You know, when I was learning how to walk with the Lord, one of the hardest things for me to do was ‘take firm hold of instruction’. The words ‘obedience’ and ‘instruction’ were not two of my favorite words. I had a hard time getting myself to submit to the Lord because my flesh wanted to do whatever made it feel good and it wasn’t fond of being told what to do.

Aren’t we all like that in the beginning of our walk with God? We may have all kinds of good intentions, however, getting our bodies to go along with those intentions is a different story. But as we ‘take firm hold of instruction’ and learn to obediently follow the Lord, we begin to understand there is great wisdom in taking ‘firm hold’. God’s instructions for our lives are meant to bless us, not to keep us from having ‘fun’.

Life lived in obedience to the word of God frees us in so many ways! Don’t despise the Lord’s instruction. Grab hold of it! Embrace it and His promise to you is that you will not stumble (fall into sin). He is the One Who leads us into ‘right paths’ that take us on incredible journeys with the Creator of the universe! What better tour guide could we find than Him? Enjoy this day – and every day – knowing that there is great wisdom found in you when you choose to take hold of God’s ways and never let them go!

Dear God, You are so far beyond what I can imagine! I love the fact that You are God and You hold all things in the palm of Your loving hands. Thank You for revealing more of Yourself to me. I want so much more of You, God. I want to know You more intimately with each passing moment. Let me hear Your sweet voice throughout the day and instruct me with dreams and visions as I sleep. Beautiful and holy God, I love You. In Jesus’ Name…

Birthdays and giving 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Devo Day 9

2009-10-31T10:17:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Saturday morning! This has been a wonderful week. We celebrated my mother's 75th birthday last night with a surprise party. And today looks fabulous. Even though it's chilly outside, the sun is shining and - above all else - God is seated on His throne, blessing, loving and teaching His children. I love how He faithfully continues to pour out His love in my life and the lives of my loved ones. He pours out faithfully into the lives of all of His children. Isn't it good to know that He doesn't base His love on our performance? Rather, it is freely given to us, regardless of anything we do. I know that He wants everyone to be obedient to His commands, so my prayer today for all of us is that we will choose to surrender ourselves to the leadership of the One who created us, cares for us and draws us to Himself. Have a glorious day, dear friends. Now, here's the devo for today...

Day Ten

Proverbs 3:27-29

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,’ when you have it with you. Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he dwells by you for safety’s sake.”

What a beautiful day this is! Good morning again, dear friend. I hope you are enjoying this time with the Lord each morning as we share together the words in this little devotional. You know, we have been so blessed in so many ways and we should reflect on that more often. When our hearts are filled with gratitude for what God has done and continues to do in our lives, we have a greater tendency to open our hearts and hands to those who have less than we do. For example, if you have an abundance of food in your kitchen and someone else is hungry, doesn’t it make sense that you should be willing to feed them? We never know all of the details of someone else’s situation, even if we know a little about what has caused them to be in need. What we do know, though, is that God has seen fit to make it possible for us to have that abundance and He is watching to see how we will respond to those in need. Since you and I are not called to judge others – but only to love God first and others as we love ourselves – doesn’t it take a great deal of pressure off of you to know that you can freely give, because you have been given to freely by God? Ask God to search your heart and to reveal to you the ways you need to adjust your thinking. We all have areas that need to grow up in the Lord and He loves it when we search His heart for understanding and growth. Two dear friends of mine said something to me years ago when I was worrying about some insignificant thing and it helped me change my whole perspective. I occasionally have to say it to myself when I am feeling “stuck” about something. What they said was “Be free, sister…be free!” That really blessed me. Jesus came to set us free. We are here, in part, to bless the lives of others, but we can’t do it if we are busy trying to decide whether or not they are worth blessing! So go ahead, sister (or brother) in Jesus. Open up your heart to God, release your judgment or criticism of others, see their need and just “be free”!

Dearest Lord, how freely You have given to me. Your hand has been open for me all the days of my life. I have air to breathe and I am breathing. I have a place to lay my head at night. I have people around me on this planet that love me. I have food in my belly and water to quench my thirst. Most importantly, I have You, Lord. Help me open my hands and freely give today. Use me however You will, God. I love You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name…

Who Foots The Bill? 30 & 3 Vol. 2 Devo

2009-10-30T09:27:00.004-05:00

Me again! :) I hope these little devos are bringing you added encouragement each day. Hey, if you know someone who you think may be blessed by these little blogs, why not share them? Just copy the address in the url and paste it into an email and send it to them. Or, how about going to my website? The address is www.vickyv.com. There are other links there on the Links page that may be of interest to you and to them. And while you're at it, check out my Engagements page to see if there may be a time you could come to one of my shows or to one of the places I preach. Everyone is always welcome and that includes you, dear friend. The services are held in senior facilities, but we don't care how old or young our visitors are - we just love having them!

Now, on to the devo for today. Here it is...

Day Nine

Luke 23: 41-43

“’And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’”

Good morning, my friend. Have you ever stolen anything? Oh, it may not have seemed like a big thing at the time. Maybe you took credit for something that another person did, or stole someone’s joy with a negative word. Or maybe you stole a grape from the grocery store - you know, ate it right there in the produce aisle without paying for it. The fact of the matter is that we have all sinned. Everyone. It says so in the Bible. Jesus, Who was carrying the weight of the sins of the world, comforted a thief hanging on a cross and assured the man that he would be with the Lord in Paradise. Isn’t that something! Our Savior suffered beyond our ability to comprehend and still continued to minister to a dying thief hanging on a cross. Jesus loved that thief who recognized His Lordship as the King of Kings. Do you ever feel like you’re that dying thief hanging on a cross and like the world is crucifying you, too? Then praise God for His grace to carry you through your crucifixion! Remember, Jesus is no longer hanging on a cross – He’s seated in heaven at the right hand of His Father, interceding in your behalf daily. He will give you the strength you need to endure every trial you will ever face in this life. Because He suffered while He lived on this earth, He knows what you are going through and has the compassion to carry you gently through every circumstance, heartbreak and loss you will experience. Just praise Him today for Who He is, for all He’s done and for what He’s going to do in and through you in the days, weeks, months and years of life you have ahead of you!

Oh Lord, sweet God, how beautiful You are! How wonderful it is to know that You are there and that You care so much for Your creation. Father, please forgive me for every time I’ve stolen anything from anyone. I want to be a giver, Lord – not a thief. Help me recognize the opportunities to bless others every moment of every day. Put words in my mouth that will honor you and bless the lives of others, Lord. You have richly blessed me with life, so I ask You to help me find ways to richly bless the lives of others. Thank You, God, for being Who You are. I love you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name…

Perfected Love 30 & 3 Vol. One Day Eight

2009-10-29T10:18:00.003-05:00

So much to do today! I'm looking forward to time spent with our ladies at Freedom Pointe. It's time for another 'Red Hat Party', and I love entertaining the gals there. Hope you have a great day, too! Now, here's today's devo...

Day Eight

1 John 2:3-6

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

Welcome to this beautiful day, precious one! I hope that you rested well last night. What does your “walk” look like today? It isn’t always easy to walk the path that He has for us, but His word to us is very clear. If we say that we know Him, then we will obey Him. Sounds like it doesn’t matter if we’ve memorized the whole Bible if we aren’t obeying His word, doesn’t it? It matters very much to Him whether or not we keep His commandments and I believe that you must feel the same way or you wouldn’t even be reading this devotional. Another verse in 1 John says that we show Him we love Him by keeping His commandments and that they are not difficult to keep. You know, if we just keep our attention on Who He is and serve Him to the best of our understanding – walking in obedience to His word – then our lives will tell Him that we love Him, and that we really do know Him. Spend time in His presence all day long no matter where you are or what you are doing. Do your best every day to love Him through your obedience to His word and you will find yourself blessed to be “perfected in love”.

Dear Father, sometimes I have a difficult time being obedient to Your word. I am sorry for that, and ask You to forgive me for those sins. Thank You for staying patient with me, Lord. Thank You for helping me stand up every time I fall into disobedience. I want You to know that I love You, so please strengthen me to follow You in humility. You are so wonderful, dearest God. Bring Your words to life in my spirit in every circumstance. Light within me a burning desire to read and learn what You have said. Talk to me, Father – all of the time – talk to me. I am hungry for what You have to say to me, so satisfy me with the words of Your mouth. Thank You, God, for being Who You are. Thank You from the depths of my spirit. In Jesus’ Name…