God – Faith Love n Joy

Seen, Known, and Included

Posted on January 20, 2026January 20, 2026 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

This past Sunday, my church held one of those services that stays with you long after it ends. It was a time of anointing with oil, prayer, and words spoken over individuals—words filled with encouragement, affirmation, and God’s tenderness. Even watching online, I could feel the weight and beauty of the moment. The Holy Spirit doesn’t recognize distance, after all.

Because I live more than an hour away, I attend church virtually. I’m grateful for technology, but I’ll be honest—there are moments when watching from a screen can stir a quiet ache. I’m not physically in the room. I’m not standing at the altar. I’m not being anointed or prayed over in the same visible way. And yet, this Sunday reminded me of something deeply important: God is not confined to buildings, stages, or proximity.

As each person went forward and received a word, I found myself rejoicing with them. Truly rejoicing. I felt joy rise up as I watched my brothers and sisters be seen, encouraged, and loved. And then I noticed something else—something subtle but significant.

There was no jealousy in my heart.

That realization stopped me in my tracks, because it hadn’t always been that way.

There was a time when moments like this would have been painful for me. I would have smiled on the outside while quietly shrinking on the inside. I’d think, Why not me? I’d convince myself that God must have forgotten about me or placed me on some invisible list of people who were just… missed. I believed blessings were handed out to those who were better, stronger, more faithful, more put-together.

I assumed I simply didn’t measure up.

But as I watched and rejoiced this time, I sensed God’s gentle voice speak into my heart—not loud or dramatic, but kind and sure:

“Yes, daughter. Take those words for yourself. I know your heart. I see you. What is being spoken over them is for you too.”

I can’t fully explain what that did to me.

In that moment, it felt like God reached right through the screen and straight into my soul. He wasn’t correcting me; He was inviting me. Inviting me to receive without striving. Inviting me to stop disqualifying myself. Inviting me to believe that His love and affirmation are not scarce resources.

Scripture tells us, “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Not those who are perfect. Not those who are visible. Not those who live closest to the church building. Those whose hearts are His.

For far too long, I’ve carried a quiet belief that something about me was fundamentally wrong. That “wrong” followed me like a shadow. I assumed I was always falling short, always behind, always watching others receive what I could only hope for. I compared myself to people who seemed to do everything right, who always had answers, who never appeared to struggle.

But comparison is a heavy burden, and God never asked us to carry it.

Thankfully, that is not how God works.

God does not measure us the way the world does. He does not withhold goodness until we perform well enough. He is not waiting for us to fix ourselves before He loves us. Scripture reminds us, “But God shows His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

That truth changes everything.

I am not seen through the lens of my failures, my doubts, or my past. I am seen through the blood of Jesus. Because of Christ, I am fully accepted, fully forgiven, and fully loved. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

There is no hierarchy in God’s family. No favored children and forgotten ones. No inner circle and outer edges. We are all equally known and deeply loved.

“For the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

What a comfort that is.

What a gift it is to realize that God sees the quiet ones, the unseen ones, the ones watching from a distance. He sees the heart that longs for Him. He sees the tears no one else notices. He sees the faith that keeps showing up—even online—even from far away—even when it feels small.

And He calls us His.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are” (1 John 3:1).

If you’re reading this and recognizing yourself in these words—if you’ve ever believed that blessings were for everyone else, that you were somehow overlooked or forgotten—I want you to hear this clearly: you are not invisible to God. You are not an afterthought. You are not disqualified.

Sometimes the words spoken over others are also an invitation for us to receive by faith. To say, Yes, Lord, I’ll take that too. To believe that what God is doing in the room, He is also doing in us.

You are seen.
You are known.
You are deeply loved.

And in God’s Kingdom, there is more than enough grace to go around.

Moments and Musings

Be Light

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Whenever something tragic happens, I try very hard to find the right words to say. Folks on social media are always talking in loud, screaming voices but mine is often never heard.

That’s because I usually just choose to stay silent. I don’t want to offend anyone. I have people I love who believe all sorts of things so I don’t say much except to tell myself that I’ll just pray for the situation and that will be enough.

It’s not enough though. Not anymore. I’m sick of being silent.

Last night, we lost a young man. A father. A husband. A son and who knows what else Charlie Kirk was the people he surrounded himself with.

I want to respond to this. I want to say something more than “I’m praying for the Kirk family” because that doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Like many others, I’ve looked at social media. Not for inspiration, mind you, but perhaps I just want to see what others are saying. I want to know there’s still some good in this world when proof of evil is so evident.

Thankfully, I seen an outpouring of love. But I’ve also seen a lot that hurts my soul. Comments like, “karma…” and posting about how the far right supposedly reacted when so-and-so was killed. It’s as if to say “the Kirk family doesn’t deserve compassion. They deserve just what they got so why should we care”.

It would be so easy for me to react emotionally to this. For me to remind them of a time when someone they loved was ripped away from them leaving us all to deal with the shock and awe of an unexpected death. It would be easy to say, “if that’s how you feel, unfriend/unfollow me”. I’ve heard many say that also.

But that wasn’t what Charlie Kirk was about. Moreover, it certainly isn’t what Jesus is about.

Jesus is all about love. But make no mistake, some of us don’t understand what that means. Jesus didn’t love us the way some “churches” teach about love. He loved us enough not to tickle our ears with false words of comfort, or watered-down religion that cherry picks through the words of the Father so as not to offend.

No, that’s not Jesus.

He came to turn the tables over. He came to uninstall puffed up religion and install the hardware called a very real relationship with the Father. He came to replace outdated software with the Bible. And it’s not The Bible 2.0, or the new and improved version. The Word of God was never meant to change with the times. It’s not going to. Not ever. The Word of God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Fact!

Jesus came to be lifted up on a cross of love. It was the love the Father had for us that held Jesus there ever so much more than nails. It’s a love we cannot hope to ever understand with our mortal minds. It’s a love that requires trust and surrender. Everything Jesus ever did was because of love.

I decided that will be my reaction to this – love. I don’t want folks who think Charlie Kirk deserved to die to unfriend or unfollow me. Trust me, if you truly feel that way, you need the same Jesus I did when I was locked in discord, unrest, hate and fear. He is the only one who can truly heal our hearts. Anything the world or other “religions” might have is fleeting.

Nothing and no one heals like Jesus.

Will I pray for the Kirk family? Yes! I know the sting of sudden death and whether it’s through violence or accident, the venom that comes from that sting is every bit as painful. They’re going to need every single prayer any of us can muster during this time.

I will pray for my country and when I do, the words “conservative, Democrats, etc…” will not come from my mouth. We ALL need Jesus and he’s not interested in our politics.

He’s interested in our souls.

I will do my best to love like Jesus at all times, and I know I probably need to do better moving forward than I’ve done in the past.

I will no longer be silent but instead, I’ll ask the Holy Spirit for the right words to say at the right time.

I’m not going to worry if people want to leave my life because I choose to be uncompromising in the face of a world determined to make sin a way of life.

But if you do choose to leave my life, know that I love you and I will never stop praying for you and you cannot stop me from praying for you. Know that Jesus is real and really loves you and you cannot change that either. You also cannot stop it anymore than you can change the FACT that he died on a cross a horrific death because he loved you just that much. Know that if you were the only person on the face of this earth, he STILL would have gone to the cross for you.

I would suppose there are many who feel as I do in this moment. Let me urge you not to be counted among those who would sow discord. I know we’re grieving and angry but let me urge you to be mindful of your words and be guided by the Holy Spirit when you do speak. But also do NOT be silent. That time has come and gone. Do not let your souls be lukewarm anymore. This world is hurting. This world is dark. It needs the Jesus in us to be a light.

So go….be a light. Be Jesus to the world.

It’s all about Jesus anyway. It always has been. It is now. It always will be.

I love you ALL and I’m praying for all of us.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Moments and Musings

Storms are My Favorite

Posted on August 20, 2025October 7, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

This morning, I took Percy for our usual morning walk. Multiple storms had come through the area two nights ago making the ground soft and wet. As we walked to the park, I thought about storms and how they relate to life. Storms come and they go and while they’re here, they change everything they touch, if only for a moment.

We hung out at the park for a good long while before heading home. I looked up at the sky. To my left, it was partly cloudy. To my right, dark clouds still loomed. But then, directly above me, the sun broke through. It made the raindrops hanging on to the leaves look like diamond drops. All the trees lit up, bright and green. I could almost hear them sighing in the aftermath of a terrific shower.

We started to walk home and I noticed these mushrooms on the side of the walk. Such growth in such circumstances. Beautiful, delicate and perfect in their own way. They grow just as they’re supposed to.

Percy wandered on the grass, also glittered by the sun. Looking up again, I found the clouds to my left dispersing. Bright blue patches became bigger and bigger as the clouds retreated.

I think about my life in these moments. How many storms I’ve weathered. How many times I focused so hard on the dark clouds to my right that I neglected to see the sun shining above me. How many times God has waved His hand, dispelling the dark while giving me blue skies and diamonds on leaves to focus on.

He has never let me down. He has never left me. Like the sun follows the rain, every storm must end and when it does, the earth is left cleaner, brighter and ready for something new.

New growth. Like the mushrooms, something beautiful with raw edges growing in the seam where concrete meets the earth. I’m most alive during these times. Most in tune with God and most grateful. God isn’t absent in the storms but very much present during them. Afterwards, He paints the sky in rainbow colors, symbolizing His promise and its unfailing power.

What God has promised, He is faithful to see it come to pass. (Romans 4:21)

Maybe that’s why storms are my favorite. I love to see the endurance of nature and how it survives. I love the new growth. I love the freshness of it all. I love how it reminds me that I am never too old to be made new for this earth is very old and she is made new every time it rains.

Thank you, God, for each and every storm. Thank you for being with me during each one. Thank you for my rainbow afterwards. Thank you for mushrooms in the morning, for diamond raindrops, glitter in the grass and blue skies that chase away dark clouds.

Moments and Musings

February 2025

Posted on February 28, 2025May 27, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

When I started out with this idea of posting a monthly life update, I didn’t mean to be so inconsistent. However, here I am, almost four months later, and just now finding time to write again.

I’m not going to try to backtrack too much. My family enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving and a quiet, comfortable Christmas. 2024 ended with a bang as I was involved in my first car wreck since my early twenties. I spent most of January dealing with the fall out of that.

God is so very faithful! Even when we are not. I still feel so undeserving of his total provision and yet, this car accident is proof of that very thing. Provision! I spoke it out immediately. I believed it immediately. God has surpassed by expectations.

And He’s not done yet! There is still more to come!!

At the beginning of February, I held a baby shower for my baby girl and her husband. My home filled to overflowing with so many folks who came out to celebrate. Of course, my anxiety and perfectionism kicked in causing me several panicky moments. (Oh, when will I ever learn!) My sister and niece came up from Tennessee and it was such a blessing to have them here! I love it when we can be together!

Emilie and Ben were blessed multiple times over with so many gifts. My sister, who has organized corporate parties, helped me with the food. My stepmom brought a lovely fruit tray, and we had perfect weather. What a wonderful day for them!

We finally got some winter weather in the form of about 4 inches of snow and a couple ice “events”. I love snow but I love it most on the weekends when I don’t have to go out anywhere. As a Midwest girl, born and raised, I know how to drive in the snow and I’m not afraid. However, I don’t like others who drive in any bad weather like they’re in a hurry to meet Jesus. It doesn’t help that I’m also still suffering from some residual trauma from my accident so driving has its challenging moments on dry pavement, let alone in slippery conditions.

I purchased a new car – I had to, really, as my other car was totaled. But I’m loving my new car, and I plan to pay her off and drive her until bits and pieces are falling out behind me. She’s a 2022 Hyundai Sonata and she’s a comfort car! Definitely one of the most luxurious cars I’ve ever owned so I’m very happy with her. Again, God’s perfect provision!

On a financial note, I’ve waged war against my debt. I don’t have a lot of it but what I do have, I’ve decided to put as much as I can towards getting it paid off. I’ve been using Dave Ramsey’s snowball method and already have paid off 2 credit cards! I have one more to go and then a small personal loan (I know, it’s a complete no-no!). Money has been on my mind lately as I’ve put some big goals into place. While praying about it, I felt God challenge me to go big in my giving and go even bigger in my faith.

So, God told me to ask BIG. And I did. I’m 56 years old. I want to retire when I’m supposed to and when I do, I want the house that I just bought last year to be completely paid off. I want to own nothing to no one. No house mortgage. No car payment. I want to be completely debt free by the time I retire.

Creatively, I struggled just a wee bit. I have way too many incomplete projects and more ideas and plans than I can shake a stick at. I also have a deficit of knowledge where some much-needed technology is concerned (like Procreate and learning to read crochet patterns). I allowed it to all bash me about mentally and put me in a bit of a funk. So, I took a weekend off from crafting, put my phone down (no Pinterest) and did some reading. I haven’t spent a weekend with a book in a really long time. It felt really good to get back into the old groove and even better not having a crochet needle in my hand, if only for a little while.

I read The Crow Trap, which is the first of the Vera Stanhope books by Ann Cleeves. It’s a long read as Ann doesn’t rush when introducing her characters. In fact, the character of Vera Stanhope isn’t fully realized until you’re almost halfway through the book. It was very good and, after finishing that, quickly picked up the next one in the series called Telling Tales. Again, it didn’t take me long to get through it. All in all, I was pleased to have my reading mojo back.

I can’t tell what helped me creatively more, reading or not spinning through Pinterest. I think I might give myself a social media break for lent and just refocus a bit. More God. More Word. More ideas. More finishing what I started. That’s a big goal for me for 2025. I don’t mind having a few projects going at once, but I have many more than that at the moment and it’s starting to grate against my anxiety. Too many tabs are open and I need to close a few.

After another long really cold snap, we’re finally warming up. It’s giving me Spring vibes in a huge way. This is the time of year when I count down to when the clocks turn back, and I wait for the snow to melt, revealing an ugly brown carpet of mud and dead grass. Spring is an ugly time of year as far as I’m concerned. However, I’m ready to put away the heavy coats, scarves, hats and gloves in favor of rain jackets, umbrellas and Wellingtons. It’s time to come out of hibernation, get out in the sunshine and take some walks. Already, I’ve noticed new blooms on the trees and increased birdsong. I can’t wait to sit outside and soak it all up.

February ended on a super high note! And you can read all about it here! I’m absolutely in love! God is so very good. And this next season of my life is about to be the best yet!

Photo courtesy of Glen Carrie via Unsplash.com

Moments and Musings

How To Stop Being So Sorry

Posted on March 4, 2021May 27, 2025 by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Every since I was a child, I’ve always felt…wrong. Everything I did was wrong. Everything I said was wrong. I even looked wrong. Everyone around me always seemed to know the right thing to do and say and here I was – Lil’ Miss Awkward, wanting to badly to fit in and be accepted by those around me. I couldn’t measure up. Worse were the people in my life confirming my worst fears by either telling me to my face how weird I was or just walking completely out of my life without any explanation.

So, how did I cope? I began to apologize. For everything.

I said ‘I’m sorry’ for the things I said and the things I didn’t say. I said ‘I’m sorry’ for the things I did and for the things I didn’t do. I apologized for my immaturity and I apologized as I began to mature.

It started out being situational. I would say ‘I’m sorry’ in specific situations, like when a friend tripped over the sidewalk and I didn’t stop her from falling. Or if we were grading each other’s papers in school and I had to mark wrong an incorrect answer to a question.

I didn’t even know I was taking responsibility for things that didn’t even concern me. I just kept apologizing over and over. Before long, it wasn’t situational: it was personal. No longer was I sorry for things that went wrong but I was sorry for being wrong.

The phrase “I’m sorry” had become part of my everyday language to the point I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for.

I still don’t.

This habit has been hard to break and I still struggle with it today. It’s only been recently that I’ve discovered how much this lifelong habit has bled into my relationship with God. All these years I’ve spent apologizing has somehow translated and morphed into….I’m not good enough. How can God ever love me when I’m just not good enough?

Sound familiar? Has being sorry become a part of your personality, too?

If it has, let me share some good news with you. God’s not having it anymore! We’re too busy! Listen, if God’s Word is the antidote to what’s going on in the world – and it is – then we don’t have time for apologies to be part of who we are. We’ve apologized enough.

So how do we break this cycle? Two big important things were super helpful for me and I hope they will be to you.

The first thing God did was to reveal how hurtful this was to me. God didn’t create me to be sorry about my life. He created me to be victorious. Even named me Victoria! Jeremiah 29:11 is all about God hoping and planning good things for me. To be sorry for who I am is to be sorry about how God made me and that goes against what God says about me and to me. God said to me, “You’re not sorry; YOU ARE MINE.”

So now, whenever I say, ‘I’m sorry’, God says, “Are you really? Did you do something wrong? Is there something that’s really yours to repent from? Or are you sorry just out of habit.”

God expects me to be intentional when it comes to living life His way. Philippians 4:9 says,

“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

The second thing he did was to pull me out of my comfort zone and gave me a mission, so to speak. When the idea of Faith Love N Joy first came to me, I began telling God how I’m not good enough to do this. I began telling Him how sorry I am and that I will most likely fail. No one will read this. No one will care.

God said two things to me:

First, He reminded me of who I am to Him. I’m His daughter (John 1:12). I’m a joint-heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17). I am loved by the King of Kings (John 3:16). I’m a princess of Heaven (Proverbs 45:6)

Then He told me scores of people don’t have to read this – just the ones that need it. He wasn’t expecting perfection from me; He was expecting obedience.

I didn’t have to say sorry. I did have to say yes.

I am who God says I am.

I apologize to no one for being that.

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