NIKI FLORICA

The Quiet Quill

Reading, Writing,

& Dreaming Fantasy

Books, Blessings,

& Quiet Contemplations

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I Got Slapped in the Face Today (and Other Thoughts)

Mar 24
2 min

I Got Slapped in the Face Today (and Other Thoughts)

Don't you just love it when your daily devotion reaches out to slap you in the face? I certainly do. Well, mostly. Some of the time. It kind of depends on the slap. Sometimes a spiritual message targeted to what we're going through can be incredibly encouraging. Other times, that bible verse, song lyric, or line from a devotional is a hard wake-up call we need, but don't necessarily want. In both cases is evidence of God's intimate involvement in our lives, but if you ask me,

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Troy, Gabriella, and the Terrifying Future

Feb 1
3 min

Troy, Gabriella, and the Terrifying Future

Anyone who's watched High School Musical or the Teen Beach Movie or any such Disneylicious teen drama know that at some point or another, the heroes and heroines always get hung up on the idea of the future. I never got it before. I mean, I've seen High School Musical a bajillion times and for years, Troy and Gabriella's anxiety about the future never resonated with me like it does now. Because now, I find myself where they are—older, actually, which is too terrifying to even

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Shout It, Sing It, Weep It If You Have To

Apr 28, 2020
2 min

Shout It, Sing It, Weep It If You Have To

It's one thing to be convicted and motivated by a devotion. It's quite another to seize that conviction and follow through when the trials come. I write from experience: how many beautifully-articulated devotions have I read on the subject of trust, only to despair the moment I felt a tremour in the ground beneath my feet? Trust is tricky. It requires an understanding of our lack of control before it can be activated, but sometimes we might be fooled into thinking that trust

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Off the Safe Path

Apr 20, 2020
2 min

Off the Safe Path

I've been thinking a lot about courage. It's not something I have in abundance, and in truth, it's not a trait that I often think to strive for. The word conjures visions of dragon-slaying and sword-fighting and setting off upon wild adventures, and though I love to write about things like that . . . I don't have much experience with living them. So in day to day life, I focus on practicing other traits, like patience and kindness, honesty, fruits of the Spirit. Maybe that's

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The Worst Three Days

Apr 16, 2020
2 min

The Worst Three Days

In the past, I've been pretty quick to judge the disciples for their lack of faith throughout the gospels. I mean, as Christians of today, we haven't seen Jesus in the flesh; we haven't witnessed his miracles or looked into his eyes or heard his voice speak our names, but the disciples had. Their relationship with Christ was tangible, visible, measurable. And yet, they still despaired and lost hope. Take the crucifixion for example. Jesus had warned the disciples on more than

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A Message from the Prophets of Old

Mar 30, 2020
2 min

A Message from the Prophets of Old

I'm fascinated by the concept of ancient prophets. Men and women selected by God to be the mouthpieces of divine messages—often outcast from society, ignored or called foolish, feared or hated or both, and always sustained by the very hand of God. What would it have been like to experience that calling? To spend days spouting messages that you might never see manifested, that you might never understand? A sermon brought that to my attention recently, and it fascinated me all

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When Transformation Takes Its Time

Feb 17, 2020
2 min

When Transformation Takes Its Time

The Bible tells us that if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creature—that through him, our old selves pass away and we are made new. (II Corinthians 5:17) I remember how I used to think of it as a little kid, the word "creature" conjuring an image of a hideous monster that went down into the baptismal waters and came out as something reborn. That Beauty and the Beast image made an impact on me as a kid, but one thing I've had to learn since giving my life to Christ is

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The Rest of the Way

Feb 11, 2020
2 min

The Rest of the Way

"The Lord's gotten you this far, He'll take care of you the rest of the way." These words glowed from the page of Frank Peretti's, This Present Darkness, to warm me with a much-needed burst of spiritual strength. No matter what path we're on, no matter how difficult the road has been, there's no question that whatever progress we have made is due to God's strength and guidance. Hindsight shows us that each trial we endure can work good in the world and in our lives, and after

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Blind and Blurry

Dec 4, 2019
2 min

Blind and Blurry

Sometimes answers come slowly, through doubt, like an ice-blurred windowpane that melts into clarity one steady droplet at a time. We don't tend to think in those terms, especially when it's our prayers soaring to heaven for relief. We tend to want the answers now, this minute—instant healing, instant direction, instant results—forgetting that sometimes we need to endure a time of doubt before the answers are made clear. Jesus healed a blind man in Mark 8 in a way that may se

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