Tag: christian

Posted in Moments and Musings

Steeped in God: Finding Joy in Today

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Some mornings, I wake up and life feels…ordinary. Or maybe a little heavy. The house is quiet for a moment, and I sip my coffee, watching sunlight spill across the kitchen table, thinking of all I have—and yet sometimes still feeling restless. Psalm 118:24 gently reminds me: this day is a gift from God.

“This is the day the Lord has made…” Every single day. Not just the spectacular days when everything goes right, but also the mundane, messy, ordinary ones. The days filled with dishes and laundry, phone calls and errands, or the moments spent watching my granddaughter toddle across the room with pure delight. God made this day, just as it is, with all its ups and downs, and He invites me to recognize it as His handiwork.

“…we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Rejoicing is not always effortless. Sometimes it takes conscious effort to shift my perspective from what’s missing or what’s hard, to what’s present and good. That’s where I come back to one of my favorite images: being steeped in God like a tea bag in hot water. When a tea bag is placed in the water, it doesn’t fight the process—it releases its flavor, coloring and enriching the liquid around it. In the same way, when I immerse myself in God—through prayer, scripture, gratitude, and simply noticing His presence—He saturates my heart with His love, joy, patience, and peace.

The more I let Him steep into me, the more my ordinary moments begin to taste extraordinary. The laughter of my daughters becomes sweeter. The quiet presence of my family at home feels comforting and grounding. Even the small things—my granddaughter’s tiny hands clasped in mine, the first sip of my morning coffee, the turning of a page in a book I love—become opportunities to savor God’s goodness.

Being steeped in God doesn’t mean that challenges disappear. Bills still need to be paid, deadlines still loom, and sometimes hearts still ache. But when I am fully immersed in Him, I carry a flavor of His presence with me into every interaction, every task, and every moment of life. My joy doesn’t depend on circumstances—it flows from the One who made the day.

Today, I want to be fully steeped in God. To let Him infuse me so that my heart, mind, and spirit are saturated with His love. To recognize the blessings around me, both big and small, and let gratitude and rejoicing become my natural response. Life is not perfect—but this day is God’s, and in Him, it can be beautiful.

Prayer:

“Lord, help me to be steeped in You today. Immerse me in Your presence so that Your love, joy, and peace flow through every part of my life. Teach me to see the blessings in the ordinary moments and to rejoice fully in the day You have made. May my life reflect Your goodness, and may my heart be glad in You. Amen.”

Photo by Lara John on Unsplash
Posted in Moments and Musings

The Year I Get Intentional: My 2026 Goals Revealed

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

I’ve always loved the beginning of a new year. It feels like a clean slate—full of new opportunities, new growth, new joy, and best of all… new goals.

I’m not a resolutions person. Resolutions feel like promises I make to myself that eventually drift away. But goals? Goals demand action. They call for intention. They push me to move, not just talk.

And 2026? It’s going to be a big year for me. I can feel it.

When I started researching and brainstorming what I wanted for 2026, I won’t lie—I got overwhelmed. There’s so much I want to do, and the older I get, the faster time seems to move. So I narrowed each area of my life to three goals. Do I know exactly how I’ll measure them yet? Nope. But I trust God to keep me honest, guide my steps, and help me stay on track.

Before anything else, I surrender every goal to Jesus. Above all, I want His plans more than mine. God’s ways are better, higher, and infinitely wiser. My life verse is Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”

It’s not too late. Not ever.

So here are my goals for 2026:

Career
• Learn a new skill that will enhance my career—Excel, AI, and others—and earn a certification
• Officially launch my creative business, Vikki Lynn Stitches, with online ordering, digital art, patterns, and even online classes
• Learn how to monetize my blog

Financial
• Increase my giving
• Commit to no unnecessary spending
• Pay off all debt—including my car

Health
• Be active for 30 minutes each day
• Include vegetables in two meals each day
• Commit to only one sweet treat per week

Mental Health
• Do a one-week digital detox every month
• Complete a Bible study at least three times a week
• Travel worry-free

Creativity
• Complete at least 20 crochet blankets
• Finish all pre-bought embroidery patterns
• Learn to draw
• Create at least 20 new embroidery patterns
• Publish at least two articles per month on FaithLoveJoy.com

2026 will be all about stepping outside my comfort zone. Consistency has never been my strength, but with prayer, discipline, and faith, I know these goals can become reality.

What about you?
What goals are you setting for 2026?
What do you want the new year to look like?
And what tools are you using to stay accountable and track your progress?

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
Posted in Moments and Musings

5 Steps to a Prayer Life

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

Have you ever struggled with praying? Have you ever thought to yourself, “am I doing this right?”

Trying to pray “the right way” is something I’ve struggled with all my life. I would sit in a room, timer on the table and list in front of me of things I felt obligated to pray for. 

I prayed more for results than relationship. Insert a coin, get a prize. I approached prayer in the same fashion. Insert a prayer, get an answer (maybe). 

Joining a church meant praying in a group. I would break out in hives at the idea of being called upon to pray aloud. I wasn’t good enough, didn’t have the right words to pray and always felt like I didn’t know enough of the Word to pray. I would spend prayer time comparing myself to Sister Sally Sue who got at least 5 rounds of solid “amens” when she prayed. I would pray more to hear a “yes, Jesus” just to prove I wasn’t a bad pray-er. 

And of course, Satan used this over and over, repeatedly telling me, “See, you’re not as good as they are. God loves them more than He loves you.” 

Friends, can I tell you a secret? That’s not a relationship with God. That’s religion. 

Imagine my joy at finding a small group of women at my last church who humanized the idea of prayer for me. They were intimate with God and it made me desire that for my own life. And guess what? When they prayed, it wasn’t perfect. They stumbled over their words, they stopped to gather their thoughts, they laughed and cried and even said the word, “um” once or twice. It dawned on me that their “imperfections” were actually conversations. 

They were having a conversation with God. 

So, I stopped trying to be perfect. I stopped treating God like a gumball machine and I stopped trying to get “likes” when I prayed out loud in a group. Here’s 5 simple steps to get you on the road to a prayer life that produces relationship. 

  1. Read the Word. If prayer is a conversation, then we must know the One we are conversing with. Knowing who God is and what He’s about helps us to understand more of what the conversation will be like. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 
  2. Ask God to help you pray. God’s Word is all we need to get help in every situation, including prayer. John 14:13 encourages us to ask for help. It states, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do…” So if you need help knowing how to pray, just speak that verse and relate it to prayer. 
  3. Be yourself. This is probably the most important one. I fell into the comparison trap and lost precious time with God. I tried to copy the prayer style of others. God knows all about you. He wants a relationship with you on a one-on-one level. There’s nothing we can hide from Him. So stop trying to be like others and you do you in your prayer time with God. 
  4. Start simple. You do not need to thee and thou your conversation with God. He knows you! He wants to hear from YOU! If you’re stuck on where to start, just thank Him for who He is and all He’s done for you. The rest will follow, I promise! 
  5. Be honest and real. When my mom died, I went to God and let Him know I didn’t understand Him or His plan in this. I was so upset and in so much pain. I cried out to Him out of complete fear and anger. God was a total gentleman and He said, “Vikki, I hear you. I love you. I won’t leave you. You can either move forward with me, or without me. With me will be so much better but the choice is yours.” (Yes, God is that real with me!)

There are days when I start out in prayer. There are days when I end in prayer. There are also days when I say little prayers all day. Sometimes, I talk to Him as a wife would to a husband and sometimes, I talk with Him as a daughter would to her father. Most often, I talk with Him like the best friend I know Him to be. 

Through all this, I’ve learned this is what it means in the Bible when it says “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18, The Message)

So without fear, I encourage you. Find your spot. Get your cup of coffee. Grab your blanket. And talk with Jesus. I guarantee you, friend – Jesus cannot wait to hear from you! 

Let me know in the comments how it goes. I’m praying for you!

Posted in Moments and Musings

Footprints in the Snow

Posted on by Vikki Lynn Sorensen

One morning after it’d snowed overnight, my older sister and I were getting ready to walk to school. Hats, boots, gloves, scarves…much of which we’d take off once we were out of Mom’s sight because cool kids don’t wear hats and gloves. The snow was deep. Plowing and shoveling hadn’t been done just yet in our neighborhood. My mother commissioned my sister to watch over me as we walked to school. Then she told me to be sure to walk in my sister’s footsteps to help me navigate my way through the snow.

My sister was at that age where lugging her little sister around wasn’t considered cool. Typical sibling relationships. Her answer to my mother’s directive was to make sure those footsteps were as wild as she could make them. She pointed her feet inwards, and she pointed her feet outwards. She took super huge steps and walked in a zigzag. Anything to make it hard for me to follow. Again, typical sibling relationship stuff. I fought hard to keep up with her and she laughed watching me mimic her unusual walking pattern.

We laugh about it now as we’re older and wiser. We share a home where she is my best friend, my fellow prayer warrior and one of my favorite people on this planet. I still think she’s cool.   

Recently, I’ve been marinating on that word “follow” during my morning Bible study. Following Jesus and what all it means. As a natural over-thinker, I’ve wasted a lot of time looking for the perfect answer.

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Following Jesus isn’t about my ability. It’s also not about being perfect. In fact, God keeps telling me to stop focusing on perfection. Just take one step and then the next and the next. When I asked where these steps would lead, He reminded me of this story.

Even though I knew my destination, the snow was falling so heavy I couldn’t really see where I was going. I didn’t know if I was on concrete or grass. I wasn’t sure if I was in the street or on a sidewalk. The only thing that helped me get to school that day were those footprints.

I said to God, “That was crazy! Her feet were all over the place, and I had to step in wherever and however she planted her foot.” God said, “But she knew how to get there, so all you had to do was trust her.”

Trust her? Yes. I did then and I still do.

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus doesn’t always feel like it’s a straight shot to our destination. In fact, many times, we’re not sure what the destination is, outside of Heaven. There are times when we have to jump to make it to the next step. Call it a leap of faith, if you will. There are also times when we may need to take steps that don’t make sense to us at all. But God knows where he’s taking us even when we don’t. And all he asks us to do is follow him.

If you’re in a similar season, let me encourage you. We may not see the destination but it’s important to find joy in the journey. That all sounds very Hallmark-y, I know but it’s also true. Every day, God shows me the next step to take. My part is to be obedient. I take a step, then the next and the next and soon, I see the path. Like any path in a forest, you can’t always see where you’re going but that’s not as important as staying on the path. When I think back on that day now, trying to walk in my sister’s footprints was fun!

“So be very careful to act exactly as God commands you. Don’t veer off to the right or the left. Walk straight down the road God commands so that you’ll have a good life and live a long time in the land that you’re about to possess.” Deuteronomy 5:33, MSG

Each day we follow Jesus brings us closer and closer to God and He uses each moment for His glory and His honor. Following Jesus can seem hard some days but remember, God’s not interested in perfection. He’s interested in obedience. We don’t have to figure out where to go or how to get there. All we need to do is trust Him, stay on the path and walk in His footprints.

Posted in Moments and Musings

Be Light

Posted on 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