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Jesus Loves You – But Not Your Sin
(A Preface to “When God Brings Judgment – An Isaiah 1 Commentary”) God is many things. Most notably, we know Him as our Creator and Savior, our Healer and Redeemer. God is love. He is just. He is patient and full of grace and mercy. Yes, God is a good God. So much so that we refer to Him as Our Father. He cares for us endlessly and only wants the best for us. But like a Father, God has rules. Laws – commandments, actually. And He expects us to obey them like any parent would desire of their child. But when any parent sees their child is being disruptive…
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A Strange Way of Healing
Last month, I relapsed. What I thought would end as beautiful memories of the zoo and park with my family turned out to be days of pain and pressure. I overdid it, and I relapsed. You may be wondering how that can be. What happened to being healed? Trust me, I was asking God the same thing. I knew I couldn’t doubt what God had promised, but was I expected to ignore the way I was feeling? There was certainly no doubt there when it came to the stiff inflammation building in my back. There was no ignoring the pressure pushing on my eyes and tightening my neck. How could…
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Lessons from World War II
Note: the following post is for symbolic purposes only. No political opinions whatsoever are intended by this post. Historical discrepancies can be addressed via our email. It was the 1930s. Japan was already trying to take over Asia, and Germany had just invaded Poland. It was the beginning of World War II. Immediately upon the Polish invasion, France and the UK declared war on Germany. They stood up and said, “We’re not standing for this anymore.” They chose to fight the evil that was trying to take over the world. But standing up for what is right does not guarantee an easy fight. France was soon invaded by both…
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The Truth About Medical Trauma
⊗ Trigger Warning: The following post discusses Medical PTSD & Trauma. Please proceed with caution. “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank There are many reasons I write. Outside of it being my calling, writing can be incredibly therapeutic. Like seeing a therapist, it brings clarity to the situations in my life. Oftentimes, it can feel as if bees are swarming around in my mind. I can’t think straight, and speaking is almost completely out of the question. But writing allows for these “bees” to fly out one at a time and land on each page accordingly. It allows…
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Have You Tried…
We’ve all heard it. You don’t even have to have a chronic illness to have been asked this question in regards to all your problems. “Have you tried…” Have you tried losing weight? Have you tried this diet? Have you tried yoga? Have you tried essential oils? It didn’t take me long to realize how tiresome this question can be. For many who do suffer with a chronic illness, this question can almost seem like an insult. Because in truth, they have likely tried everything you can name. Personally, this question has never bothered me because I look at it as a way to research more into both what works…
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Could You Wait One Hour?
When Jesus said He was coming back soon, more than likely His disciples and followers took that literally. They had seen Jesus. They had seen Him live and die and rise again. They had seen Him return, and they lived expecting that He could return again at any moment. Soon. He said soon. And they made sure to live as blameless as possible because His return could be any minute. But time went on. And how impatient did the church get through time! How tired of waiting did we get! Since the time of Jesus’ departure, we’ve only grown more and more lax in our Christian walk because maybe “soon”…
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Repair the Breach
There once was a rich man, who though interestingly was never named, lived a life of absolute luxury. And at his gate every day, laid a beggar named Lazarus, who only sought for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. While the rich man dressed in the finest attire, Lazarus was dressed in wounds and sores that were licked by dogs. These two men obviously lived completely different lives. But neither was spared from death. When the day came that both Lazarus and the rich man died, angels brought Lazarus up to Abraham’s side. The rich man however, ended up in hell. When the rich man looked up…
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My Shunt Surgery – Healing
Apparently when my neurosurgery team told me, “If you feel anything at all, let us know.” They meant, “It can take even eight weeks before your body adjusts to the shunt.” So by three weeks post-surgery, I was back at the hospital once again begging for relief. As I stood hunched against the corner of the elevator trying to stretch out the pressure, who do you think was to enter the elevator that Friday morning but my neurologist – my God-sent angel – the only one who could ever convince my neurosurgeons to help me. And despite ridiculous feuds with my neurosurgery team that day, my shunt was adjusted and…
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Dreaming of Hell
The First Dream When I was younger, I had a dream that terrifyingly embedded itself into my mind for years to come. The dream began as normal as any dream can, until suddenly, everything turned pitch black. It was such an empty, hollow blackness, a never ending void with nothing able to be seen before you or around you. And from that desolate pit, I heard the whisper, “It’s too late.” It was hell. Without a doubt, I knew I had gone to hell. And while I knew and know that hell is far worse than that, it was enough for me. It’s too late. No second chances. No extra…
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A Daily Prayer
The following poem was written by my brother, Jason Vicknair. Less than a year later, he passed away due to a drug overdose. This would be one of the last poems he ever wrote: Lord, keep us safe and our loved ones well. Lord, bless this home and all who inside dwell. Lord, grant me the patience to wait for myself. Lord, grant me the endurance to keep my Bible off the shelf. Lord, grant me the diligence to follow Your path. Lord, grant me the knowledge to stay away from Your wrath. Lord, grant me humility to keep me from pride. Lord, grant me the strength to hang on…
