Verse of the Day

We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light. (Colossians 1:9–12 NLT)

Verse of the Day

I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.  On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. . . . And they will sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD. For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly. . . . Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me. The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; do not forsake the works of Your hands. (Psalm 138 NASB)

Verse of the Day

A huge door of opportunity for good work has opened up here. (There is also mushrooming opposition.) (1 Corinthians 16:9 MSG)

Stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. (1 Corinthians 15:58 MSG)

Verse of the Day

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. (Hebrews 11:1 NLT)

That is why we live by believing [faith] and not by seeing. (2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT)

Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35–36 NLT)

Critical Condition by Richard L. Mabry, M.D.

About the book: Dr. Frasier couldn't save the gunshot victim on her front lawn. Now she's fighting for her own life.

It began as a quiet dinner party honoring Dr. Shannon Frasier's colleague, but became a nightmare when a man was shot on her lawn, reviving emotions from a similar episode a decade ago. Then a midnight call from her sister, Megan, causes Shannon to fear that her sister is on drugs again.

Her "almost-fiancé" Dr. Mark Gilbert's support only adds to Shannon's feelings of guilt, since she can't bring herself to fully commit to him. She turns for help to her pastor-father, only to learn that he's just been diagnosed with leukemia. Shannon thought it couldn't get any worse. Then the late-night, threatening phone calls begin, the rough voice asking, "What did he say before he died?"

 

With everything around her in a critical state, simply staying alive will require all the resources and focus Shannon has.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/vyZt6

About the Author: A retired physician, Dr. Richard Mabry is the author of four critically acclaimed novels of medical suspense. His previous works have been finalists for the Carol Award and Romantic Times Reader's Choice Award, and have won the Selah Award. He is a past Vice-President of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of the International Thriller Writers. He and his wife live in North Texas.

Connect with Richard at: http://rmabry.com

Margie's Comments: "Doc" Mabry has another winner in Critical Condition. Every book I read authored by Richard Mabry is better than the one before. His characters are so real, I feel like I'm going to see them the next time I'm at a hospital. But not only are they real in their personalities, their struggles, their spiritual walk, they deal with real-life situations. This is the first book I've ever read that has a character diagnosed with the same cancer as my mother had—I relived the memory of getting that phone call from her telling me of her diagnosis and treatment through Shannon's experience. I am not trained in the medical field, but my mother was an R.N. and freely shared her knowledge and all the complications that could arise. With that one event in the book, I completely bonded with Shannon and Megan, and I longed to call them up and reassure them they would make it through this one difficult situation. I also appreciate the strong spiritual thread throughout the story, part of each character's makeup. Very well done without beating the reader over the head. Critical Condition is a medical thriller that will sit at the top of my list for a long time to come. I highly recommend it.

Verse of the Day

Though this is a message to the church, it has great personal application:

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true. He is the one who . . . opens doors, and no one can shut them; he shuts doors, and no one can open them. I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can shut. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. . . . Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you. . . . Look, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. . . . Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying.” Revelation 3:1–13 nlt

Verse of the Day

Bless the LORD, who is my rock. He gives me strength for war and skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him. He subdues the nations under me. . . . Reach down from heaven and rescue me; deliver me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies. (Psalm 144:1–2, 7 NLT)

Verse of the Day

In everything you do, I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. 1 Corinthians 7:32 NLT

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7

Verse of the Day

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. Psalm 121 NASB

Verse of the Day

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. . . . "Cease striving and know that I am God" Psalm 46:1–3, 10 NASB

The Lord has been reminding me all week of Psalm 46:10. Yesterday was rough, and I was overwhelmed with the enormity of the tasks before me this month. I allowed my spirit to focus on the circumstances not Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). I thought I needed to stay home from church and hopefully make some headway. But two people (my hubby and a dear friend) encouraged me to take a break. 

Guess what passage our pastor chose for the Bible study. Yep. Psalm 46. 

Yes, I listened. And when I got home . . . I had "urgent" emails from only one person. I decided to let them wait until this morning, and I went to bed. Seven hours of sleep and several reminders of God's peace and strength in my quiet time this morning keeps me calm this morning.

Has the enormity of the tasks changed? No, but looking at them through God's perspective has changed my attitude. God is SO good!