Author: Pat Vick

Four Reasons People Are Afraid To Be Alone Inside Their Own Heads

~ Pat Vick ~ 4 Comments

 

Photo Credit: Rusty Russ Flickr via Compfight cc

It concerns me when I see someone who refuses to cease from their hectic lifestyle for even a short time to be still and quiet. Whether it’s an overwhelmed mom, an overachieving businessman, an overzealous teenager, or an overburdened Christian, the reason is usually the same, fear.

1. FEAR OF FACING THEMSELVES
Aloneness and loneliness are different states of being. I’ve spent a lot of time alone through the years, but rarely have I been lonely. I like the person that lives inside my head. I’ve made peace with her. I like the the way she thinks. I like her value system.

Most people don’t want to take the time to get to know themselves. Perhaps they are afraid of who they will find. If you don’t enjoy spending time with yourself, why would anyone else?

It’s a very intimate experience to meet yourself face to face. A very productive and telling exercise is simply to pretend you are meeting yourself for the first time. Look at yourself. Are you approachable? Are you trustworthy? Are you sincere? Do you have depth of character? Do you express yourself well in conversation? Do you manifest the Fruit of the Spirit? Do you add value to relationships? Being honest with yourself about yourself is the starting point to overcome the fear of facing yourself.

2. FEAR OF FACING THEIR PAST
Perhaps you have done things in your past that you are ashamed of. Even though the enemy of your soul wants you to believe that you have sinned in a way that is different or worse than the rest of humanity, Romans 3:23 declares, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Satan knows if he can make you feel condemnation, he can keep you from approaching God in repentance. 1 John 1:9 assures us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The devil is a liar. Yes, your past may be filled with unimaginable sin so dark that you keep living faster and faster to outrun it. If you want peace, you must stop, turn around, and face it head on. You must confess it to the Lord, repent of it, and change your way of living.

Another part of facing your past is to make things right, not only between you and God, but also between you and whomever you may have wronged. This may not always be possible, but to the best of your ability you should ask forgiveness, restore and rebuild trust as you are able.

3. FEAR OF FACING GOD
Another reason people are afraid to get quiet and go inside their own head is because God is there. In every single person who has ever lived, God has put an awareness of Himself. A person may not be a Christian or even have any knowledge of God personally, but there is a drawing to know Him. A perpetual rapping at the door of the soul. The sound can be drowned out by large living, but in the quiet, it refuses to be unheard.

Understandably, coming face to face with the Creator of Heaven and Earth is an overwhelming thought. However, King David got it right when he wrote, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” (Psalm 139:7-8)

The Living God is:
Omnipotent-All Powerful.
It does no good to fight against Him.

Omniscient-All Knowing.
It does no good to avoid speaking to Him.

Omnipresent-All places present; no place absent.
It does no good to run from Him. He’s already there.

4. FEAR OF FACING THE FUTURE
Many are fearful of their future because they know it will be dictated by choices in their past, hence, the need for repentance. We may have to live with certain consequences of past sin, but that doesn’t mean we can’t face the future with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us of God’s intentions toward us, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

*Notice that these four fears are progressive. To whatever extent you make or do not make peace with yourself, you will be able to make or not make that much peace with your past, with God, and with your future.

Warm Regards, -Pat

As always, please feel free to leave a comment, email me at pat@patvick.com and SUBSCRIBE to my mailing list.

Program Your Brain With Divine Data

Image ~ ~ Pat Vick ~ 1 Comment

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

(Psalm 119:11)

Did you know that the computer inside your smart phone would barely fit in a room a few decades ago? This generation literally holds in their hands more computer power than it took to send a man to the moon. Is the “smart” phone truly smart? No. Someone had to program it, and that initial data came from the depths of the human brain.

The human brain is an amazing organ. A super computer, really. Think, right now, of all the things you know. Let me get you started. Begin by thinking of every person’s birthday that you can recall. Husband, children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, friends, church family, co-workers, childhood playmates, teammates, celebrities, historical figures, a few beloved pets. How many would you say that you can remember? Between thirty and fifty is reasonable to assume.

Now think about all the addresses and telephone numbers you know. I’ll admit the number of telephone numbers is most likely significantly lower than a decade ago because we all have them programmed into our “smart” phones. This doesn’t reflect our lack of recall ability, but the agenda of “dumbing down” our generation. What about all the sports statistics filed away in your head? Or recipes? Or song lyrics? We are capable of learning, cataloging and recalling vast amounts of information, but that data must first be put into our brains.

I remind myself of this when I am tempted to pass on reading the Word of God. Our brains don’t come preprogrammed with scripture. If it’s not put in, it can’t be recalled. We have the Bible available to us in so many forms that it’s easy to take it for granted. We think that it will always be available when we decide to read it.

Throughout our lives, we will find ourselves in situations that we desperately need a scripture for comfort, for courage, for protection, for wisdom, for healing, for faith. In that moment of need, what will we be able to remember from the Word of God? Bits and pieces of scriptures that a dear old saint use to quote? A line from an old hymn or a catchy phrase from a praise chorus? The echo of a grandparent’s prayer?

While all of these are encouraging for a while, personal need requires personal knowledge. There’s nothing like facing a situation, praying for the Lord’s help and having scriptures begin to flood your mind. Scriptures that you have personally read at some point in your life that you thought you could never remember and would never need. What assurance! What power!

This is why I read three to four chapters of the Word of God every day. Day after day, month after month, year after year. I’m simply programming my super computer brain with Divine Data. If you do this, you will be amazed over and over at how much of the Word you have filed away to be recalled when you need it. Don’t wait. Start programming your super computer today!

POINTS TO PONDER

Do you read the Word of God every day?

How do you feel if you miss a day?

Share a situation when a scripture came to your mind and brought you comfort or direction.

~~~~~

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

Warm Regards,

~Pat~

THE WORD OF GOD: Is It In You?

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

The world and satan would have you believe that the Word of God cannot be understood -that it’s a mystery. While it’s true that the Bible does contain many mysteries, God wants you to understand His Word. Why would He speak it in the first place if He didn’t want you to hear it? Why would He commission it to be written if He didn’t want you to read it? Why would He allow it to be protected through millennia of time, bound and reproduced if He didn’t want you to study it?

The true mystery might be why does satan NOT want you to understand God’s Word? Why indeed? Could it be because God and His Word are inseparable? Could it be that to know God’s Word is to know God Himself? Could it be that to know God is to know His Plan? Could it be that to know God’s Plan is to know that satan will be defeated and that God’s people will be victorious in the end? Mystery solved.

So you want to draw closer to God? If so, you must get His Word in you. There have been generations of people who have lived and died, never having the opportunity to study God’s Word for themselves. That’s certainly not the case for our generation, at least generally speaking. There are Bibles in every bookstore, library, and hotel room. They are collecting dust on family coffee tables and office bookshelves. There are Bible apps for every device and multiple devices at once. There are video and audio Bibles for the non readers, and Braille Bibles for the seeing impaired. They are uploadable, downloadable, programmable, digital, and my personal favorite, the old school, leather bound, paper edition. Truly, we have no excuse not to read God’s Word.

I have decided that I’m going to get God’s Word in me in as many ways possible. I’m also going to make it a number one priority each day. First thing each morning, usually at 6:00 a.m., I sit down in my library with my coffee. I have my old school King James Bible and my GoBible Traveler. I listen and read three to four chapters, picking up where I left off the day before. In this way, I can read/listen through the whole Bible in a year. Listening and reading simultaneously helps me to focus more clearly and retain more of what I read.

This way of ingesting the Word is not sufficient for in-depth study, however. I also have a system of study that I follow most days where I choose a book of the Bible and work my way through each chapter verse by verse. Currently, I am in the Book of Acts. I usually cover about a chapter a week, using a concordance to break down the meanings of each word and taking notes with multi-colored pens in a spiral notebook as I go. It’s not uncommon to collect four to five pages of supporting notes on one or two verses as I spin off studying various subtopics and running references.

These handwritten notes are tangible proof that I have been in God’s Word, and are the seedbed for many teaching points. This is a slooow process, but that’s okay. I don’t have to be in any rush. Unlike the previous year-long Bible reading method, this verse by verse study will take me a lifetime. Coincidentally, that is exactly how long I have.

I also take opportunities when I am walking on the treadmill, riding in a car or flying on a plane to listen to scripture. No moment is ever wasted if it’s used to ingest God’s Word.

Is it in you?

POINTS TO PONDER

How do YOU get the Word of God in you?

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

Warm Regards,

-Pat

Seven Days And Counting…

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

Here we are, seven days from the election that will forever change our American story. It reminds me of Noah’s story. He worked steadily for over one hundred years, following specific instructions from God, to build a boat for the saving of whosoever would get on board. Whether or not anyone believed Noah’s crazy sounding preaching didn’t change the fact that a flood was coming, and nothing would ever be the same again. To believe or not only affected whether that individual or family would be saved from the sure and soon coming deluge.

Even though God is a God of judgement, He is also a God of mercy. This doesn’t mean He will not judge our sin. It means that He will continue to give opportunity to turn away from sin and to Him up to the end. This was the case for Noah’s generation. God gave Noah a seven day final warning:

“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.” (Genesis 7:4)

Noah and his family had seven days to finalize last minute preparations before the divinely appointed day when the rain would begin.

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” (Genesis 7:11)

Scripture doesn’t give us any indication that it began with a sprinkle and splatter of warning raindrops. God’s Word was the warning.

“In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;” (Genesis 7:13)

“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in.” (Genesis 7:16)

After the seven days of warning, on the same day that Noah’s family entered into the ark, the Lord shut the massive door, and the windows of heaven were opened and rain began to fall in torrents. There was no more opportunity for mercy after God shut the door. After a hundred years of hearing the preached Word, and seven days of final warning, only Noah and his family were on board when the door was shut and the rain began to fall.

So, here we are seven days from the election that will forever change our American story. No matter which candidate wins, it will cause a shift in the spiritual realm. I believe when this election takes place, a spiritual door will be shut by God Himself.

Am I saying you won’t have another chance to get right with God after the election? No. That’s not for me to know. I’m saying that God, in His mercy, is tugging at your heart right now, and it’s high time to get in the ark of safety. Seven days and counting…

“And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man…” (Genesis 6:3)

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

Warm Regards,

-Pat

My Pastor’s Wife Embarrassed Me

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

We were hosting a get together at our house for the Church family. This was years ago in Birmingham. It was common that we would have people over for food and fellowship. Everyone was outside sitting in lawn chairs, laughing and talking. The kids were weaving in, out and all around, getting scolded or snatched up by a frustrated parent.

I was in the kitchen preparing food to take outside, and my Pastor’s wife came in to help. You know how it is in a kitchen with several ladies working. Each one is doing her part, filling glasses with ice, pouring soda, adding serving spoons to bowls of food, washing a few pots.  Sister Raggio’s task must have been to open a can of something. I suspect baked beans.

We were all chatting as we worked, content just being together. That’s when I heard the words that I would remember for the rest of my life. Over the hum of chatter and from across the kitchen, I heard, “Oh, this can opener!”

My Pastor’s Wife embarrassed me.

I literally stopped in my tracks. Clueless. What was wrong with the can opener? I walked over to see what she was referring to. It looked the same as it always did. Actually, the same as it had for years. It was only the continued look of revulsion on my Pastor’s Wife’s face that caused me to look more closely.img_0851

As I leaned in for a closer inspection, I saw what she was reacting to. Thick, caked on crud was tightly gunked into the gears and around the magnet. Who knew you had to clean an electric can opener? Not me. I had never given it a moment’s thought. I had used this particular can opener for years, and never had any trouble. It had always worked fine. It had never occurred to me that it might be important to maintain it’s appearance for guests or to sanitize it so that they wouldn’t get sick. It had never occurred to me that what was on the outside of the can opener might cause a problem if it got inside the food I was preparing.

Until my Pastor’s Wife embarrassed me.

I never told Sis. Raggio that she embarrassed me. As a matter of fact, we never spoke of it again. I realized that it had not been intentional. She had simply reacted to filth. It was so disgusting and foreign to everything that she practiced in her own life, that she reacted without thinking. I couldn’t hold that against her. I also never forgot.

To this day twenty-fiveish years later, I cannot use an electric can opener without that incident coming to mind. I examine it closely. Every. Single. Time. I don’t remember if I went to work cleaning that old kitchen tool back in the day, or if I just chunked it and bought a new one. Today, I have a sleek, stainless steel model with detachable cutting gears that can be tossed in the dishwasher at a moment’s notice.

I wonder what would have happened if I would have gotten all bent out of shape that day. If I would have reacted in anger toward my Pastor’s Wife. If I had insisted on making my embarrassment the focus instead of the dirty can opener. I would have lost my relationship with one of the most important and influential people in my life…as well as made a lot of people sick through the years.

There are things in our lives that need cleaning up. Attitudes, conversations, wardrobes, entertainments, our very thoughts. Our Pastor’s Wife is often the one who notices these things and reacts first. Let’s not be offended at her, but simply start cleaning the dirty places in our lives. We’ll retain a beautiful relationship, and not infect a whole bunch of folks with the yuk we’ve been living with for years.

Sister Raggio went to be with her Lord years ago, but the lessons she taught me are just as powerful today, if not more so. She was an anointed speaker and teacher, but I find the lessons I’ve remembered and applied the most are the ones she taught me in our day to day relationship.

I’m so glad my Pastor’s Wife embarrassed me.img_0850

POINTS TO PONDER:

-Do you have a Pastor’s Wife that can speak freely into your life?

-Have you ever become offended when a spiritual leader gave direction?

-Are there areas in your life that you know you should clean up to be more spiritually productive?

-Can you think of a time when your Pastor’s Wife embarrassed you, but looking back, you are glad she did?

*****

As always, feel free to leave a comment, share on social media and link back to http://PatVick.com.

Warm Regards, -Pat

Tongan General Confrence 2016

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

“Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands.”

(Isaiah 42:12)img_0841As we approached for landing on the main island of Tongatapu, two things made an impression on us concerning Tonga and her people. From the air we saw her magnificent blowholes. It seemed to us that no one could live alongside such beauty and not be deeply affected in their souls by its splendor. We also saw her patchwork of dark, volcanic farmland. Considering their 2016 General Conference theme was to be, “FLASHPOINT: Having a Mind to Work,” those rich, fertile furrows assured us that these people were definitely no strangers to hard work.

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Tennessee Missionary Sis. Crystal Reece, was awaiting our arrival, having been in Tonga for the past three years on her first appointment. On the same flight were fellow Tennesseans, Missionary Evangelist Monte and Sis. Diane Showalter along with Tennessee Global Missions Director, Gary and Sis. Pat Vick. Pacific Regional Director, Roger and Sis. Becky Buckland would be arriving later that day.img_0819The Tongan people are very hospitable. We were honored with a Welcome Feast when we arrived at the UPCI Headquarters Church and Bible School. The team was overwhelmed and humbled by platter after platter mounded with food that they had sacrificed to prepare.img_0837Services didn’t begin until Thursday evening, allowing us a few days to see the sights and get our bearings. A van had been rented, enabling our group to travel together. It was during this time that we first visited Tonga’s acclaimed blowholes at low tide. Here, ocean waves crashed into porous channels of volcanic rock, and blew skyward for twenty to thirty feet, in a great symphony of spray and sound. We were also able to drive through the countryside, taking in the sights, sounds and culture of these wonderful people.img_0820Even though they have little in the way of money or material possessions, they utilize every natural resource to enrich their lives. One example of this is their beautiful Tapa Cloth, which they make by pressing the bark of trees into paper-like sheets and decorating them with dye made from local berries. These are coveted pieces of artwork that are given as gifts in friendship and are also essential to the foundation of Tonga’s tourism. Missionary Crystal Reece said it best, “Tongans think they are so poor, but they are really so rich, and have so much to offer.”img_0828Once the conference started on Thursday evening, sightseeing was put to the side, and pressing into the Spirit became our focus. Bro. Showalter was the day speaker. With each session he laid a solid foundation of Apostolic teaching on the New Birth. Bro. Vick was the night speaker, focusing on moving forward into new levels of faith and commitment. Sis. Showalter and Sis. Vick ministered in the ladies’ service on Saturday. The Lord had prepared each speaker with messages that built upon the conference theme, “FLASHPOINT: Having a Mind to Work.”img_0840From the first song in the kick off service, it was apparent that the Tongan Church loves to worship. They are a naturally joyful people. This was manifested again and again, whether it was through their colorful clothing, the smiles on their faces, their beautiful voices as they harmonized in song, or their eagerness to dance with zeal in praise and worship. Since modesty is a cultural norm in Tonga, their long, fully-covered style of clothing allowed freedom in worship. The atmosphere compelled each of us to join in with exuberance.img_0824Each message had to be translated from English to Tongan. Bro. Showalter was overjoyed that his translator was the same man who had translated for him fifteen years before as a young man. What a joy to know he was still thriving in the Church and in ministry.

Bro. Vick’s translator and his family had travelled from the Tongan island of Vava’u (where he pastors) by ferry for twenty-four hours on rough seas to come to the conference. It humbled our hearts to realize that many did not live on the main island of Tongatapu, but had been so desperate for the Word of God and the fellowship of the brethren that they had come at great risk and sacrifice from the outer islands by boat. You might recall a story in the news from several months ago of a ferry that capsized with several hundred souls lost to the sea. This happened within fifty miles and could have been any of these precious saints of God.img_0830The structure of the conference was the same as one would expect at our North American General Conference. This is important to note because the United Pentecostal Church work in Tonga is only forty-five years young. We were blessed to meet eighty year old, Sis. Ofa Manu. She, along with her late husband, were the first UPCI converts in 1971 by Missionary Don Dobyns.img_0808Because of the strong structural foundation that was laid over the last forty-five years, there is a strong Bible School presence in Tonga today. We witnessed three new Bible School students graduate and be presented at this year’s conference. Sis. Crystal has worked tirelessly over the past three years in the Bible School on her first appointment, as well as several years previously in the Associates In Missions program under the leadership of former Pacific Regional Director, Bennie Blunt.img_0831 img_0832

Friday was Missions Night. There was great anticipation from the beginning of service. When the offering was taken, a spirit of giving flooded the sanctuary. The congregation began to flock to the altar to put their offering in the baskets provided. The giving was not done grudgingly, but with a joyful expectancy that God would use every single pa’anga for furthering the gospel.

In the spirit of sacrificial giving, one Tongan minister brought his ta’ovala and placed it on the altar as his offering. The ta’ovala is a woven mat worn wrapped around the waist on formal occasions. In the fashion sense, it is comparable to men’s neckties in North America, but with a great sentimental value. It is woven with many strands to represent community and tied with a four-strand rope to represent family. It is usually one of the only possessions of monetary value that a Tongan man would own, and is passed down from generation to generation.

It took only a few seconds for the congregation to realize what had just taken place before there was an explosion of praise, worship and more giving. Another Tongan minister, who had just received his Local License in this conference, walked to the front and placed his shoes on the altar. He worshipped the rest of the service barefooted. The image of the baskets of pa’anga, the ta’ovala and the shoes of a barefoot worshipper are seared into our minds.img_0811

Being the final day of conference, Sunday was a full day. We arrived to find all the beautiful children dressed in their very best, eagerly waiting to go in for a Sunday School presentation. They melted our hearts as they quoted scriptures and sang, “This Little Light of Mine in both Tongan and English.img_0805That evening, we were privileged to witness as Pacific Regional Director, Bro. Roger Buckland gave the charge to a minister and his wife receiving his Ordination License.img_0821The 2016 Tongan General Conference concluded Sunday night with twenty-two people having been filled with the Holy Ghost. That final worship service was phenomenal as the people praised God for all they had seen and experienced. After all, it had to be enough to carry them back across the sea until the next time they could gather with their brothers and sisters in the Lord.img_0835Monday came all too soon with the team members heading in different directions, some preparing to go home and others traveling on to scheduled conferences. The week had been so full that we hardly had the time to wonder how we would feel when the conference came to an end. Old friendships were rekindled. New friendships were forged. In both old and new, hearts were united for the cause of Missions.img_0839

Our one last trip to the blowholes was at high tide. What had been beautiful was now so much more. With the rising of the tide, every distinguishable characteristic had been enhanced. It was so majestic and powerful that at least one of us wept. However, in all of its glorious splendor, even this natural wonder could not compare to the glory of the Church in Tonga and around the world.img_0838

Seasons Change

~ Pat Vick ~ 2 Comments

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

 

This time of the year always makes me a bit wistful, like something is slipping through my fingers that I want to grasp and hold tightly to. Beach sand. Warm breezes. An incomplete thought. Relationships.

This unsettledness seems to be brought on by two things. One is the crisp morning air. I can look out the window and see the horse and cows lift their faces in the morning coolness, breathing it in. Even they know change is coming.

The second is my hummingbird feeder on the back porch. In the middle of summer, it is the center of much activity. Once the weather starts to cool, it hangs idle. I leave nectar in it longer than most, because you never know when a lone traveler will need energy for her journey. But sooner or later, all my beautiful jeweled hummers leave for warmer places.img_0800

It reminds me of a time in my life about twenty-five years ago. We were living in Birmingham, Alabama, and were very active in the Church there. There was a young man in the Church who was from Florida, but was attending college in Birmingham. He spent a lot of time in our home. Everyone who ever met him, loved him. When it came time for his graduation, and for him to move back home, I was so distraught that I could hardly stand it. I just couldn’t bear the thought of him not being in our day to day lives.

Fast forward a quarter of a century…Our family is now very involved with Global Missions, something we could have never foreseen twenty-five years ago. My husband schedules Missionaries to be in Church services all over our state while they are traveling on deputation.

Would you believe that young man from our Birmingham days is now involved in the Associates In Missions program of the United Pentecostal Church?! This means that one day, in the relatively near future, this man’s family will travel through our state on deputation and my husband is likely to be the one scheduling his services in our Churches. I am looking so forward to catching up and enjoying his new season right along with him for a while.

As I’ve grown older and matured a little, I’ve realized that not everyone that God brings into my life is going to be a permanent fixture. People have to follow the path that God is leading them down. There are seasons in each of our lives, and occasionally those seasons overlap.

People come and go in our lives for many reasons. Schooling, jobs, illness, vacations, military, dreams, passions, travels, bad decisions, good decisions, death and endless other reasons that we often have no control over.

Just remember it’s all about seasons. Whoever God has placed in your life during this season of time, be a true friend to them. Cherish them. Add value to their lives. Then when a season of change is in the air, don’t hold on so tightly that you nor they can enjoy what is right around the corner.

As for me, I’m going to leave my hummingbird feeder up for another week or two. When I’m sure there won’t be anymore visitors, I’ll take it down, wash it up and store it until Spring. Until then, I’m going to turn my attention to the feeder in my front yard. It hasn’t had much traffic through the summer months. Now that cooler weather is coming, my winter birds will be getting hungry.

Warm Regards, -Pat

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QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1. Have you lost someone and had no control over the situation?

2. If so, how does this affect your present relationships?

3. Do you hold on too tightly, or perhaps choose not to get too close?

4. Do you allow Jesus to be your constant and most treasured Friend?

*Please feel free to leave a comment, share content that has blessed you and link back to http://patvick.com.

Product Review: GoBible Traveler

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been reading the Bible through yearly for many years using a B.R.E.A.D. Chart, which stands for Bible Reading Enriches Any Day. You can purchase a pack of charts at http://Pentecostalpublishing.com.

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This year, however, due to travels, sickness, and well, dare I admit,  a good bit of laziness thrown in, I fell way behind in my Bible reading. So far behind that I didn’t know how I would catch up.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you must read the Bible through every year. It’s actually a lot to consume so quickly. For me, however, I just don’t feel like my day is complete unless I’m up to date with my BREAD Chart.

Enter the solution to my problem, the “GoBible Traveler”, an MP3 player that is preloaded with the entire Bible. I purchased this little piece of technology and it has been worth every penny. Now before all you techies start snickering under your breath, I do realize that I can use my smart phone to listen to the Bible, and have done so.

I prefer the GoBible for several reasons. I don’t have to worry about using up my phone battery or data. I also don’t have to worry about multitasking on my phone and not catching a call or text. I can bookmark the last chapter that I listened to and start right where I left off the next time.

I am a King James Version girl (But that’s a different story.) which you are able to choose when you make your purchase. The scriptures are read by Alexander Scourby, who most people agree is the best Bible narrator of them all.

One thing that could be perceived as a negative is that this model has no external speakers. This hasn’t bothered me in the least. I could not wear the style of earbuds that came with this model (pictured), but the jack is universal, so I just popped my old faithfuls in and now my ears are happy.

It has been perfect for me to listen my way through the B.R.E.A.D. chart while I am walking on the treadmill and riding in the car. I am also looking forward to using it on upcoming flights. Now I can spend more of my Bible reading time in actual study.

You can check out this little helper at http://GoBible.com. They also have other models to choose from. Let me know what you think in the comment section and feel free to share.

GoBible Traveler

The Day I Received the Holy Ghost

~ Pat Vick ~ 4 Comments

I clearly remember the day that I first received the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Many people are overcome with such joy at receiving the Holy Ghost for the first time that they are caught up in an exuberant display of praise and worship. This is normal and to be expected when the God of all Glory comes in to make His abode with you. While I have experienced this joyful elation many times since that first encounter, it’s not what I remember the most.

We lived out of state at the time, and were in town visiting family. It was Sunday morning service at Rushing Chapel, where my husband’s family had attended his whole life, and that we pastor today. (But that is a different story.)

I had been baptized in Jesus’ name about five years earlier, and had been seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost ever since. Service after service, year after year, I would sob and pray and beg God to fill me with His Spirit, until I was embarrassed to go to the altar yet again. I felt like I had “worn out the saints of the Most High.”

This morning didn’t feel any different…at first. I was with my husband in about the third pew from the back on the right side, when I felt it. The pull of the Spirit. Just a gentle tug, easily ignored…at first. A few minutes later the gentle tug became a persistent tapping. I dug my fingers into the back of the wooden pew in front of me, my knuckles whitening. The third time He passed my way, He spoke to my heart. Not an audible voice, but one that I heard just as surely. You might think that He wooed me with pleasant words of comfort, but He did not. As shocking as it may seem, He said, “This is the last time that I will call you,” …and I believed Him.

The Pastor was right in the middle of his message. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t finished or that it wasn’t time for the altar call. I could wait no longer. I stood up and stepped past my husband into the isle, lifted my hands to the Lord, began worshipping Him out loud and speaking in a heavenly language that I had never learned. Pentecost was mine.

As I said, upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, many understandably break into loud and joyous praise and worship. I just remember being so filled with sweet relief. My desperate soul had found rest in His Spirit.

We often make receiving the Holy Ghost so much more difficult than it need be. After a few minutes of quietly speaking in tongues I wondered why I had taken so long. As soon as I gave everything over to Him, even the small, dark recesses of my mind, He came in to abide with me.

If you are seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost, don’t make it hard on yourself. Remember:

-The Holy Ghost is a gift. God wants you to be filled with His Spirit. His Word says He is our Heavenly Father, and He will withhold no good thing from us.
-The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 is the only time in scripture that people “tarried” for the Holy Ghost. This was because it was appointed to be poured out on this particular day, so they had to wait for it. You don’t have to wait now.
-Do your part. Repent of your sins and be baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of those sins. (Acts 2:38-39)
-Lift up your hands and begin to praise the Lord out loud. The Holy Ghost comes when we praise Him.
-If you have been seeking the Holy Ghost for a lengthy time, it is always good to check yourself and ask, “Have I given over every part of myself to Him? Is there something I’m holding on to? Blatant sin, habits, addictions, attitudes, pride, fears? No matter what it is, how seemingly small or insignificant, if you are thinking about it right now as you read this, there is a good chance that is the thing that is keeping you from experiencing your own Day of Pentecost.

“For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.” (Isaiah 28:11-12)

I would love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a question/comment below or shoot me an email at pat@patvick.com, if it’s too personal for you to share here. God Bless.

All Rights Reserved
-Pat Vick

Camma’s Tribute

~ Pat Vick ~ 3 Comments
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“Camma” 3/04 – 9/12/16

My oldest son’s childhood friend passed away a few days ago. Logan worked for that little golden puppy the whole summer of his fourteenth year. It was hard work and quite a bit of responsibility working at the kennel where she was born, but he didn’t mind at all. He passed the time making big plans and dreaming big dreams for the two of them.

Every hour that he put into cleaning kennels, he was also being mentored by the best dog trainer around. Oh, he learned how to muck a pen, for sure, but he also learned self discipline, patience and respect. As he followed that old trainer around and did his bidding day after day, Logan thought he was working for the price of a puppy, when he was really learning to be a man.

Once he brought that wiggly canine home, they were inseparable. They tromped through every field and swamp within walking distance, and when they got tired, they rode. The four wheeler, the ranger, the truck, the boat. Camma loved to ride. Logan would drive and she would sit up tall and smile.

One of his big plans was to make her a great duck hunting dog. She never actually cared much for jumping into icy water or holding feathery birds in her mouth. She was a good sport, though, and would do anything that Logan asked of her. Mice. Now that was something Camma got excited about. One little rodent darting through the grass or a scurry under a brush pile would turn that pudgy pup into a well honed weapon of mouse destruction. Once we all stopped trying to make her something she wasn’t, everyone was happier for it. She was some kind of mouser.

There was only one time in Camma’s twelve years that she and Logan had a true falling out. He had wanted a litter of puppies so badly. All of the arrangements were made and the whole family anticipated sweet puppy breath. The big day arrived in the middle of a horrid, storm-ridden cold snap. You can imagine the pandemonium that ensued when Logan found brand new puppies scattered all over the muddy kennel. Of course, Momma and the whole brood were immediately brought into the basement and made comfortable.

We grieved over the first pup that didn’t make it through the storm. We comforted the anxious mom when she laid on the second pup and it didn’t recover. When Logan happened upon her intentionally doing away with a third pup, I was afraid for her life. The remaining three pups were raised on a bottle, and Camma went back to doing what she did best, being a boy’s best friend.

Logan came through his teenage years with Camma at his side. It wasn’t uncommon to see them in a distant field, coming home from their latest adventure. Logan would be talking, and Camma would be listening. I’m sure she heard all of his woes about girls and siblings and being a Pastor’s kid.

1 Corinthians 13:11 says, “…when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Logan’s friendship with Camma must not have been childish. After he got married and moved out on his own, he would still come over every couple of weeks to visit his childhood friend. I would look out the window and see them coming through the field. Logan would be talking, and Camma would be listening. Often they would be riding the ranger. Logan would be driving, and Camma would be sitting up tall and smiling.

Yes, today there is sadness because of the freshly turned soil under the pine trees. Yet, there is also much thankfulness for the memories of a little yellow pup and how she helped to raise the big, strong man who lives down the road.

-Pat Vick (All Rights Reserved 9/16/16)