Joggins, Nova Scotia, Canada

Joggins Fossil Cliffs

It looks like a cliff and rocks, pretty boring. However, these unique cliffs reveal new rare plant and animal fossils every day as the highest tides in the world peel away the dirt and rocks that have held secrets for eons.

Frozen in place are trees that still stand where they grew millions of years ago, the footprints of numerous creatures and the earliest reptiles entombed in hollow logs.

If you find yourself near the Bay of Fundy and are interested in life before dinosaurs, you’ll want to check this out!

Happy travels!

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You Have Received Mercy

Wailuku Union Church
Maui, Hawaii

“Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10 NIV).
Being upgraded to the elevated status of a people of God from a condemned race changes the way you think about yourself. I know it sure did for me. I went from a sinner to someone who knew the Word inside out. I could quote chapter and verse to any sinner any day. I could defend God any day of the week. After some time I guess I forgot that I had ever been unsaved and that I was still a sinner, saved by grace.
I began to demand perfection not only from others, but from myself. In a flash I could spew out a Bible verse that would cut someone down. Yes, those sinners needed to hear the truth. Too bad if it hurt. They could get over it and get down on their knees and confess their sins and be saved. My holy opinion of myself kept me in the clouds and pretty much out of touch with reality.
Then one day my whole life turned up side down. I was at the end of my rope. God showed me mercy. I didn’t deserve it, but He taught me many things through my walk through the valley of the shadow of death. One thing for sure, He taught me that He didn’t need me to defend Him. He is God. Another thing He taught me was that giving mercy is as important as receiving it.
Today we can grant mercy to people all around us. It seems that everyday we run into someone who needs it. One thing about it, it doesn’t cost you a red cent to do it, and if you don’t extend mercy, there will spiritual repercussions.
Mercy is the closest thing to love that I can think of. And Peter said it best in 1 Peter 4:18: “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” (NLT). Substitute the word mercy for love.
The miracle is that God granted you the power to generously extend mercy to anyone.

This is an excerpt from a forty-day devotional, “The Miracle of You.” Click here to order.

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The Road to the Cross

Vicki at Belleview Chapel

On March 20th, I am honored to speak at the evening service at Alma Temple. My presentation is titled “The Road to the Cross.” The service begins at 6:00 pm. Beginning at 6:30 pm the message will be on live radio broadcast on KPOF, AM910 and audio streaming via the internet. Please join us. Alma Temple is located at 1340 Sherman Street, half a block from the state capitol building, Denver, Colorado.

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Springtime in Seattle with Leesa Lane

The Lane Trilogy

This blog was written as I was finishing The Lane Trilogy, Leesa’s Story. Leesa’s Story is book three of the trilogy. I couldn’t blog about it very well without revealing some of the people and scenes in the books. In any case, here’s what happened.

Just got back from three days in Seattle. I remember that the sun shone brightly when I took a two-hour Argosy cruise around Lake Washington. It got so warm with the bright sun beating down on the back of my neck I took to the enclosed area downstairs for relief. From there I could take pictures through the glass and enjoy the cool breeze through the room.

I was doing research for my fictional series, The Lane Trilogy, and came up with a great scene where Leesa tells her friend that everyone in Seattle is a part of a conspiracy. And the lie they are telling is that the weather is always cloudy and rainy in Seattle. Leesa believes everyone is lying about the weather here because every time she visited the Space Needle City, the weather was like it was the day I was there.

Bright sun, white, fluffy clouds against an azure sky with temperatures in the late sixties, this could be mistaken for a Hawaiian vacation. There’s certainly enough greenery everywhere, with rain forests a stone’s throw away! In any case, Leesa is convinced that Seattleites keep their secret in order to discourage Californians from relocating there. I tend to agree with Leesa because I’ve had the exact same experience!

The rest of my research centered on Leesa’s good friend, Gil Bates, who lives on the banks of Lake Washington. He’s a big shot like her father and he often lends his eighty-five foot yacht, The Winsome, to Leesa and friends. Gil’s happily married, smart, energetic, and generous to a fault. He’s in on the conspiracy.

Happy reading and happy travels!

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You Are A Chosen Generation

St. Mary’s by the Sea
Port Douglas, Australia

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV).

The plaque on my office wall displays a famous saying from St. Francis of Assisi. He said it so well: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”
Living up to the words on the plaque is a challenge. As one of my former pastors used to say, “Ministry isn’t for wimps.” I never paid much attention to that remark. I wasn’t a minister, so it didn’t apply to me. Then I came upon this verse. I read that Peter wrote this verse to Jewish Christians driven out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout Asia Minor, and to all believers everywhere.
All believers everywhere! That included me, so I went for another look and sure enough, it says that I am a royal priesthood. In Old Testament times believers went to the priest in order to interact with God. Since Jesus delivered us from sin, He is our high priest and intercedes for us. By His authority we have been handed the priesthood. In other words, all believers have been given this great responsibility of bringing men and women to the foot of the cross.
As priests, we can go directly to Him for guidance. He will give us the tools we need. He will renew our strength both physically and mentally. Don’t ever forget how valuable you are, in that the God of the universe sent His Son to die for you. Remember He loves everyone, and His greatest desire is that all will come to repentance and that none will perish.
And the miracle is this, as you bask in His glorious light, people will come to you seeking love, pardon, faith, hope, and joy. As the plaque in my office reminds me, I am God’s instrument. We know the key and we can sow the seed that will give them hope and a future.

This is an excerpt from a forty-day devotional, “The Miracle of You.” Click here to order.

Click here to check out my website!

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Visit Jerusalem

the citadel

If you’ve never been to Jerusalem, you should go. It is the trip of lifetime, especially if you take the time to do some research before you go. This amazing city has been totally destroyed twice, captured forty-four times, and attacked fifty two times. Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, that why I wrote a book about it.

“On Our Own In Jerusalem’s Old City” takes you with me and my husband on a spectacular twenty-six days within the walls of the ancient city (with only a few exceptions). If you’ve never been there, you will feel like you are walking with us as we discover the secrets of the old city.

On Our Own in Jerusalem’s Old City – Two Born Again Christians Explore Their Hebraic Roots

Happy Trails!

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