Some years ago I came across a blog entitled, “Wordscroll.” I noticed immediately that this blog was different; the posts were all written in first person as words from God. Now, I’ve hung around charismatic and pentecostal circles for a long time and heard lots of “words” before. Some have been rich with the Holy Spirit while others fell flat and the Spirit didn’t bear witness in my heart. That was the second thing I noticed about Wordscroll: the Spirit did respond in my heart as I read. I started following Wordscroll and have enjoyed the spirit-given, personal messages there.

Wordscroll’s author is Lori J. O’Neil. In 2020, she was kind enough to share her first book with me, Comfort in the Challenge. Comfort is dedicated to caregivers, which made me smile. My social services work brings me in contact with a lot of caregivers, and I have been a caregiver myself. I understand the long-suffering, sometimes lonely office caregiving can be so I was delighted by the dedication. At the back of the book there is also a lovely testimony about how Lori was re-engaged to write after a season of not writing, then connected to a publisher for the book. Reading about the divine orchestration was encouraging in itself!

When I asked Lori about featuring Challenge on The Voice of One, she sent me a second book, His Voice in My Heart. It is the first in a series she is working on. Reading Challenge and His Voice is the same refreshing experience I have when reading Wordscroll: words that are full of God’s life and substance. There are also personal testimonies sprinkled in. The books can be read all the way through or devotionally. Chapters are self-contained and lend themselves to be read in any order. Here is a sample from His Voice:

“I Approve”

“Many spend their entire lives seeking approval from a parent or other family member. They toil and strive only to survive their life, but never to thrive. Stop right where you are. I want you to know—*For Now *For Always *I APPROVE

You have never had to ‘measure up’ to My love. My love is always there for you. You don’t have to ‘say’ the right thing, nor ‘do’ the right thing. There is nothing that you do to earn Me but—*Receive My love *Receive My Blood, shed for you *Wear My Crown.

My blood clothes you in righteousness—right-standing with the Father. It just doesn’t get any better than that!”

The words Lori receives from the Lord are full of scripture or allusions to scripture. Lori is very clear that these words are meant to amplify scripture, not replace it. She describes the words as “fresh bread,” and says God will never contradict Himself.

God’s heart to minister to the broken comes through clearly in Lori’s blog and books. When I read her writings, I can tell God’s been with her on the mountain and in the valley, so to speak.

The ministry of these books doesn’t end with the words. Proceeds from Comfort are donated to Canaanland Ministries, which helps men struggling with addiction. Proceeds from His Voice are used to provide books to people in prison. Information about both books and how to donate can be found in this post on Wordscroll.

I’d like to close this post with an excerpt from Comfort. Please ask the Lord if there is anything He would have you do to share these books and/or donate to the ministries they help. Stop by Wordscroll as well. You will always find living encouragement from the Lord there.

“Finding Confidence”

“Decisions are made by much deliberation but, truly, the best decisions come from looking within. For if you gaze into your heart, you can rely on the Holy Spirit to bring clarity and focus to your need; without the confusion that may enter your mind when you are simply trying too hard to find the answer or ‘come up’ with a solution. The best decisions and answers come from your heart—sent from above. For… *I know the end from the beginning. *I know the minds and hearts of each one involved. *I know the parameters and limitations. *I know what you know and I know what you don’t know. I know! Trust Me to guide you to the right decision.”