Month: May 2017

Too Big

~ Pat Vick ~ 2 Comments

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)

One evening, when my middle child was fifteen, he came up the basement stairs at a fast clip, very excited about something he had just seen. It seems he was shooting ball when he spotted a slim stream of ants coming from a small crevice beside the concrete court. The exodus was getting wider and longer. Going where? On a whim, he followed the little soldiers, and followed…and followed…

He told me how they marched on and on, making grand detours for no apparent reason, until they disappeared en masse into a miniature canyon in the field behind our house. He was so animated that I decided to see for myself.

He showed me where the small battalion trickled from the crack, and together we weaved in and out, round and round, to where thousands, perhaps millions, were vanishing beneath the earth. As we backtracked toward the house, I picked up a small stick and put it in their path. It was if they hardly even noticed the obstacle. We bent down so close that they should have felt our breath as we tried to corral them with the stick, and yet, they just kept on their detour-ridden journey.

In amazement, I said to my son, “We’re too big. They can’t even see us.”

There was a time when God was too big for us to see. Immense. Infinite. Immeasurable. He watched us on our hopeless journey, knowing that we were making it much more arduous than necessary. He intervened in the lives of mankind time after time, often coming so close that we should have felt His Breath through prophets, angels and theophanies.

Still, He remained too big for us to perceive, until the day that He became small. God became man. Suddenly, Visible. Tangible. Knowable.

If I could have stepped into that miniature world and taken on the form of an ant, they could have seen me. They could have perceived me. They could have come to know, trust and even love me. They could have understood I was working for their good.

But why would I do such a thing? Unimaginable. Unthinkable. Inconceivable. Yet, exactly what our omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent Creator did when…

God became small for me. (1 Timothy 3:16) Share on X

Warm Regards, -Pat

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How Defining Words Defined My Life

~ Pat Vick ~ 4 Comments

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Hebrews 11:3)

WORDS DEFINE BORDERS. From the beginning, it was God’s spoken Word that brought definition to the world as we know it. His Word defined the boundaries of the seas, and the frame of the mountains. Without His spoken Word, it would still remain without form and void.

Likewise, the spoken word defines our lives. Whether the literal Word of God, or a person simply speaking from their heart, spoken words define the parameters of our lives. With a simple word, you can cause someone’s life to be blessed and flourish, or to be cursed and wither.

With a word, you can cause someone's life to be blessed and flourish, or to be cursed and wither. Share on X

There have been pivotal times in my life that words have been spoken to me that molded the course of my life. The people that spoke them didn’t realize they were defining the parameters of my life, or changing its outcome. They were simply speaking from their hearts.

POSITIVE WORDS BLESS. As a freshman in high school, I twirled a flag in the color guard. One day I spent a few minutes listening to and encouraging a fellow band member who was dealing with a life situation. This girl was several years older than me. We didn’t really have anything in common outside of the band room. I didn’t even play an instrument. It was simply an isolated encounter.

The band director noticed us chatting. Afterward, he came up to me and said, “Pat, you have the kind of personality that can relate to people in any social group.”

I don’t know if what he said was true before that day, but I do know that it became true from that day on. Throughout the rest of my high school years, and my life until now, I have never felt bound to any one exclusive social group. I have been able to interact and befriend people across multiple social barriers -age, financial, denomination. As a pastor’s wife, this gifting has served me well.

A similar incident happened years later, when a friend said to me, “Pat, you could minister to people in a palace or a mud hut.” Working alongside my husband in missions, I have often been appreciative of the reality these spoken words created in my life.

NEGATIVE WORDS CURSE. Words can also define the parameters of our lives in a negative way. I’ve always carried a song in my heart. I’m not sure that’s enough to make someone a singer, but I’ve always had a desire to let that melody out.

I had finally rallied the courage to sing in church…in front of real people. After service, several complimented my singing with kind words of encouragement. I knew my attempt had been less than stellar, due to a terrible case of nerves, and said so. A man in the congregation replied, “Well, we all can’t be good at everything.”

Looking back, I know this man truly thought he was being helpful, but I literally felt my world alter in that moment. Something shifted in the spirit realm. A rift was formed, a chasm that I’ve never been able to cross. Decades later, my throat stills swells closed in an anxiety attack when I try to sing in front of people.

IT’S NOT JUST MIND OVER MATTER. Spoken words create reality. Believing or disbelieving them is not enough to alter their effect. They are already at work the instant they are released. God’s Word didn’t require anyone to believe it for the Earth to be formed. Neither do our words have to be believed to create either a positive or negative reality.

WORDS ARE POWERFUL. Choose them wisely. Speak life.

I would love to hear your stories of how words defined your life in either a positive or negative way.

Warm Regards,

-Pat

As always, feel free to leave a comment, share to social media, email me at pat@patvick.com, and subscribe here to my mailing list.

The Blessing of Committed Sheep

~ Pat Vick ~ 2 Comments

As a pastor’s wife, I wrestle with so many insecurities. In my twentieth year of fulfilling this role, I often feel less qualified for the responsibility than when I first embarked on this journey nearly two decades ago.

My mind goes back to the faces, precious faces, that have come and gone during that time. Some stayed for years, others for months, and some only for days…and I loved them all. Granted, some were easier to love than others, but in the end, my heart wrenched in agony when they left. Every. Single. Time.

Each one had issues. Relationships, health, finances, emotions, addictions, heartaches, strongholds, flesh. For the most part, I (along with my husband) was right in the middle of their situations -befriending, loving, advising, encouraging, teaching, defending, protecting, interceding. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to keep most of them.

Many have come through the church doors, and sat on its pews. They studied the Word, and prayed with us. They went on youth outings, and brought food to pitch ins. They all loved God and wanted to serve Him. They wanted to be part of the Church. They wanted to do right. They wanted to be faithful. They wanted to live holy. Yet, one by one, most went back to former lifestyles, habits and circles of influence.

Willpower isn’t enough to sustain your walk with God. Will power has its roots in the flesh, and eventually, all flesh will fail God. When I look into the faces of the precious sheep who have remained, I see the difference. Those who stayed were committed. Commitment has its roots in faith, and faith is very pleasing to God.

Willpower has its roots in the flesh, and eventually, all flesh will fail God. Share on X Commitment has its roots in faith, and faith is very pleasing to God. Share on X

Committed sheep are faithful. Faithful sheep are consistent. Consistent sheep are hungry. Hungry sheep are filled. Filled sheep are growing. Growing sheep are maturing. Mature sheep reproduce more sheep. This is the strength of the flock, as well as the strength of each individual.

A person who is committed will stand the test of time, with all of its trials, heartaches, frustrations, and disappointments. No matter what comes their way, they will be found sitting on the pew decades later, with a praise on their lips. Why? Because they made a decision years earlier based on commitment, not emotions or circumstances. In comparison, a person who only wants to live for God based on emotion, and not commitment, is likely to turn back as soon as he is faced with any temptation or offense.

There is often an unsaid expectation when people come to the Lord. Many assume that making the decision to live for God will solve all of their problems, and fix all of their issues. Trials, temptations and heartaches come to everyone, whether they are living for God or not. People are people, both inside and outside of the Church, with all of their various personalities and quirks. Life happens to every individual, born again, or not.

Running from God and His people is not the answer in difficult times. Sheep need the Good Shepherd. Sheep need other sheep. The enemy will lure weak individuals away from the flock by telling them that they have their own personal relationship with the Shepherd, so they can serve Him anywhere by themselves. Multitudes have fallen for this lie, and been picked off one by one, at the enemy’s discretion. God’s design for His sheep is for them to abide in the flock, and to rest securely in the sheepfold.

If you are a committed sheep, I applaud you. You are a strength and encouragement to your Pastor, Pastor’s Wife and the flock. If you are a sheep serving God out of emotion, I urge you to dig deep into your innermost being, and make the decision now, before hard times come, to live for God within the parameters of the flock and sheepfold He has chosen for you. If you are a sheep wandering aimlessly on your own, I beg you, come back and abide in the flock. The enemy of your soul is lurking just out of sight. The security of the sheepfold awaits. The Shepherd is calling, and the sheep will be happy to have you home.

Warm Regards,
-Pat

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Do All Speak With Tongues?

Video ~ ~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. Hopefully, you can ignore the angry looking face in the still shot. LOL! This is my first attempt at posting a video here, as well as on YouTube. I’ll get better at it.

Do All Speak With Tongues?
1 Corinthians 12:12-31

In this lesson, I explain the difference between speaking in tongues when you initially receive the Holy Ghost, compared to when you have the gift of tongues and interpretation.