Nicki's Blog

Hi friends – As I reflect on 2022 I am reminded of the comfort, peace and strength that only the Lord Jesus can give you. My dad passed away this year and although it hurts my heart that he is gone, I am reminded of the good father I had and the great heavenly Father that will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). It is a great gift to have a wonderful father and an even more beautiful gift to experience comfort from your heavenly Father.

Several years ago I was asked how would you describe your dad. My response was this – I have always felt love, security and protection from my dad. I felt that love, security and protection as a child, a teenager and as an adult. Even during my dad’s final days and weeks on this earth, while he was frail and declining, he still wanted to make sure I was ok. I am so thankful for my dad’s care and concern until the very end of his life. A good father.

I will now lean on God as I navigate life without my dad. This gives me great peace and comfort because we are not meant to navigate this life on our own. I hold tightly to my faith knowing that the Lord Jesus is a good Father and He loves me and you so much.

Until next time my friends, remember you have a good heavenly Father that loves you.

Hi friends – This Advent season I have been thinking a lot about love, joy, peace, hope, and faith. Without these words, this would be a difficult season for me. This will be my first Christmas without my dad who passed away recently. I have a long list of wonderful Christmas memories and countless celebrations as an adult with my parents and family. These memories are filled with love and joy because of my faith in Jesus. These moments and celebrations will never be the same but I anchor myself in love, joy, peace, hope & faith. I love my family and seeing them over the Christmas season. I also know my dad would want to me treasure the times I had with him and focus on making new Christmas memories with mom, my family and extended family. I am experiencing the love, joy, peace, hope and faith that only Jesus can provide. I know that extraordinary things can happen when the Lord Jesus provides comfort and peace through this season and these words. No matter what season you are in I believe this Christmas season is meant to rekindle love, joy, peace, hope, and faith in your heart. Always know the Lord Jesus knows exactly where you are at and what you need to move forward. Be encouraged by one of my favorite scriptures from Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Friends, receive the gift of love, joy, peace, hope and faith this Christmas season. It is the best gift you will ever receive.

Until next time my friends remember you are known and loved by God. Blessings!

Hey friends – Just a few thoughts on giving before we enter the Christmas season.

Quote – Life’s persistent & most important question, what are you doing for others – Martin Luther King Jr

Meaning of giving – To provide someone with something (possibly not expecting anything in return)

Just a thought – Take a moment and think of how our world would change if we thought about others more often than ourselves & did not expect anything in return. 

Prayer – Dear Lord, Thank you for helping me to find ways to give before l receive this Christmas season. Lord Jesus provide creative ways for me to give. In Jesus’ name – Amen

Scripture – Matthew 22:37 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbour.

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Hi friends – Some final thoughts on “Good soil isn’t all about the dirt”. God uses the image of a garden and the different types of soil to help us understand scripture and life applications. The last verse I am highlighting is about good soil – Matthew 8:23:

²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

When I think of the word good a few things come to mind. I think we can all appreciate a good friend who is there when we need them. When you make a good decision that has a positive impact on your life. There is goodness in making a wise choice. If we dig a bit deeper into scriptures and the meaning of the word looks what else we discover:

James 1:17 – Everything good and perfect gift comes from above. The word good means something pleasant or brings delight. God has provided us with every good thing.

Romans 8:28 – God works things out for good. This scripture gives me peace and confidence that although things don’t seem right God is working things out for His good.

I love how scripture allows us to see the heart of God and His goodness.

There is a song that is called “Good Good Father”. Our heavenly Father is good. He is a good, loving, caring Father who wants to bless you. The Greek word for good is agathos. The word agathos means more than just not doing bad things. Rather, it means being active in beneficial deeds toward others. When you allow God to work in your heart and nurture that good soil something beautiful will happen to you and to those around you. That is a heart full of God’s goodness. God is at work through the good soil in your heart. Remember good soil is not all about the dirt. God is up to good things in your heart!

Until next time my friends remember you are known and loved by God. Blessings!

Hi friends – The next verse of scripture I am going to highlight is from Matthew 6:22 and it talks about thorny soil. As mentioned before I love how God uses word pictures to illustrate and get our attention about the reality of life. My husband has been growing raspberries for us for several years. They are delicious but the thorns that this prickly fruit produces is extreme. Keep this image in your mind as we look at this scripture:

²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Part way through this scripture it talks about the worries of life. We can all relate to worries. We have all been there when the challenges or valleys in life cause us to worry. Please understand that it is unlikely to have a worry-free life (shocking I know). Think back to the raspberry illustration and how prickly those thorns (or worries) can become. The pain can be all-consuming at times. What I would encourage you to do (and as mentioned in my last blog post), is get connected to a church and a small group. Trials and tribulations are doing to happen in life. Being connected to a church will give you a sense of community and provides a caring, nurturing environment to work through these times. God loves us enough to provide guidance, direction, and warnings about what can happen when we experience things like worry in our life. When you stay connected to a church family, this allows you to grow, talk about those worries that you are experiencing and be fruitful in the gifts that God has given you. God has given each of you unique gifts. Knowing that your life has a purpose, meaning and value is life-changing. Just something for all of you to think about.

Until next time my friends remember you are known and loved by God. Blessings!

Hi friends – The next few verses of scripture I want to highlight talks about rocky ground. When you hear God’s word something inside of you changes. The word of God is life giving and provides each of us with the opportunity to experience God’s plan for our lives. Just like a special gift it is important to take care of what we have received. Let’s review these scripture:

²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 

I remember hearing God’s word for the time at my church. As an adult, it was life-changing for me. I got connected and stayed connected at church through Bible studies, people who invested in me and other church activities. I make sure I was protecting what God had placed in my heart. Sometimes when we are new to our faith, people will put doubt in our minds about exploring faith in Jesus or question our decision. This scripture is encouraging you to stay connected to Jesus, pray and guard your heart with what you have learned. You have heard God’s word for a reason. In the book of John 8:32 it says that you will learn the truth and the truth will set you free. There is good soil in your heart for God’s word to be rooted. Don’t let anyone take away this beautiful gift that God has for you.

Until next time my friend remember you are known and loved by God. Blessings!

Hi friends – I love how God uses simple examples from life to help us gain a greater understanding and perspective of scripture. You don’t have to be an avid gardener to appreciate the importance of good soil, water, weeding, and ultimately a good harvest.

The scriptures I will be highlighting are from the book of Matthew in the New Testament.

Matthew 13 –¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

Part of the purpose of the Bible is to guide and direct us through our life journey. Once you hear God’s word it will change you forever. Getting connected and staying connected to a church is critical and evidently a small group. A small group will allow you to have community, good conversation, and a place to ask those questions you might have. In verse 19 it says if the message is not understood it will be snatched away. Staying connected to a church and a small group allows you to learn, grow and gain understanding in community. If you don’t take time to plant God’s word in your heart by planting it in good soil, nurturing it, and caring for it (sound familiar??), it will likely not be sown safely in your heart. My friends don’t let the seed that God has planted in your heart fall on the path and be snatched away. Allow God’s word to speak into your heart. The Lord Jesus loves you, cares about you, and wants to connect. God has so much He wants to share with you.

Until next time my friends remember you a known and loved by God. Blessings!

Hi friends – A few more thoughts over this Thanksgiving weekend.

Although I am in the midst of a difficult season, I am reminded of the positive outcome of thanksgiving and being grateful. This weekend I am amazed at how God has made us, our brain function, and the impact of being grateful. I recently read an article from Harvard University on this subject. There are chemicals released in our brain when we are grateful or express gratitude. The chemical is dopamine and it simply makes us feel good. It is the way God has created us. God has given us tools to manage challenging times in life. There is a scripture in Psalm 139: 13-14 that says we are knit together and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God made us and He knows what we need. I would challenge you to think about the impact of gratitude on you and those around you.

Until next time my friends remember you are known and loved by God. Blessings!

Dear friends – There was a time in my life when I wanted something so badly but I did not get it. The details of my circumstances are no important but the fact is many of us have been in this situation. You want something but you don’t get it. I prayed, waited, and even engaged a medical community to help me with my situations but I still did not get what I wanted. During this time in my life, I chose to focus on the goodness in my life and be thankful for a long list of other blessings like family, friends, health and wellness. With support from my family, friends, and church community I was able to navigate this season. My faith in Jesus kept me strong. I had to trust God with the rest and remain thankful.

In the last several years I have had several specialist appointments. I could have been and continued to be worried and concerned about the outcome. What I have chosen to do is to be thankful for the short drive to connect with a medical community that is so kind, caring, and supportive. One of the medical staff asked me if I ever become worried or concerned about my appointments or the outcome of test results. My response was I am not going to be concerned about something I have no control over. I will remain thankful for the medical care that I receive. I know that God is with me every step of the way. There are many unknowns (especially medical unknowns) in this world and I chose to leave those unknowns with God. God has been and continues to be by my side every step of my life journey. I chose to give thanks because I know the Lord Jesus is God and He is good.

When we make the choice to give thanks, we are changed forever.

Until next time my friends remember you are known and loved by God. Blessings!

Hi friends – I hope you are enjoying your long weekend. This post is simple but extremely important in my opinion. Try to take time this weekend to relax, recharge and rest. The word rest means to stop working and cease activity. Ultimately allow yourself time to recharge. The Lord has your best interest in mind and the attached scripture gives direction from a loving, caring Father who cares deeply for you. As mentioned this is a simple post but I believe that many of the simple things in life have great impact.

Until next time my friends remember you are known and loved by God.