Happy Friday and October, Friends!
September was a rough month for many of us. But we persevered. We prayed. And God in his goodness continues to answer our prayers.
God is worthy of our praise, and he is worthy of our worship. As we bow down before him at the beginning of a beautiful, brand-new month, boldly ask Him to bless us as sheep in his pasture. Thank Him for what he has already done and accomplished for us. Let's kneel before him in our hearts wherever we are, whenever we think of our Heavenly Father this next week.
I would love to read your thoughts about our lesson, as always. Or you can always share anything else on your heart.
Below is this week's Psalm and the quote from Isaiah from the prayer.
ATTENTION: You have homework! Please look through your book and send me two lessons you would like to revisit when we've finished the book. We will finish it next week, and that leaves us several weeks left in the year. When you email me, please email me the page numbers of the lessons so I can find them easily.
Also, be looking around for another devotional for 2027.
I will be asking for your suggestions in a couple of weeks.
Prayer Requests
- Pray for Mary's family and friends as they grieve over her passing. She will be missed, won't she! I was always inspired by her blog posts and enthusiasm for celebrating the seasons.
- Pray for Kris's husband Terry to find something here in Illinois full or part time so they can stay there for a few more years. UPDATE: Terry is up hopefully for a good job here in Illinois. Prayers he gets an interview.
- Continue praying for Kitty's son Mike as he continues on his journey of no pain meds. Mike is off of pain meds for several weeks and is weaning off several other prescriptions. Mike is requesting that we pray for his mental health.
- Molly bought a home that’s 15 minutes from her work! What a praise! Molly sees the beauty in how this all worked out according to God’s plans.
- Let's pray for all of our health, and for the health of our families.
- Pray for Carla's son Sam and his new wife, Cate, who were married on August 29th. Pray for the happy couple as they begin their new adventure!
- Kris's Grandson Edmund will be a Big Brother in March! God is so good! Let's lift both mother and baby up in prayer.
- Please lift up Rita in your prayers! We have a praise that she is finally over cyclospora, and her arm feels like it's healing very well.
- Pray for Rita's brother's companion Betty who was diagnosed with squamous cell from her lung biopsy. Betty started radiation last Monday. Also pray for Rita's brother Joe; he had a prostate biopsy on 10/1. Please lift them both up in prayer.
- Kitty's brother is home from the skilled nursing care. Please pray that he can manage.
- Pray for Kris's SIL Tim who still needs a job. He has to test into another hospital system and they do not have an opening until the middle of this month.
- Pray for our male Westie Finlay. His vet found a large mass on his bladder. He will need further testing to determine the type of tumor and how to proceed. UPDATE: They have eliminated the really bad transitional cell carcinoma. He had another ultrasound, and a needle biopsy on Tuesday. The biopsy was inconclusive, but no cancer cells were noted. Finlay is scheduled for surgery on October 15th.
- Kris had a fall (just skinned-up), because sometimes her knee goes out on her. She's also struggling with a shooting nerve issue in her foot and leg. Pray that she will get the appropriate healthcare so she can feel and move better. UPDATE: She is undergoing lots of testing, including an MRI today. It should determine what is going on with the right side of her body with the nerve. She is hoping it will be something that is not complicated to fix or get some relief. She needs to be in top form for her family trip to Disney which is coming up soon!
- Please pray for Trip. His knee surgery went well, but starting with day three (on Wednesday) he was having pain. Pray for a speedy recovery of his drop foot.
- Please pray that I can get better sleep and rest.
- Pray for Kitty's grandson Connor (the one that was a Marine and was in Afghanistan when the thirteen Marines were killed). He has cluster migraines, and he needs to get an appointment at the VA to get referred to a neurologist.
- I had another root canal this week. They think that there's a slight possibility that my vestibular neurosis was caused from one of my tooth abscesses (I've had two this year!) because if they are in the upper jaw (both of mine were) they can cause it. Who knew?
- I am on steroids and antibiotics. Please pray that I can handle them well.
- Rita has an urgent, unspoken prayer request.
We have a lot to pray for, Friends.
Thank-you for your willingness to pray for each other.
Please let me know ASAP of any changes to the prayer requests. Also, please be willing to check-back throughout the week as I make edits.
I hope we all have a restful and blessed weekend, and a productive, less stressful week!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Fall is officially here, y'all!
Boy, it has been a week.
Trip had many appointments this week, and the consensus is he will require knee surgery.
Monday morning.
I have a lot I need to accomplish this weekend!
Wish me lots of luck! ;P
Now on to the lesson....
This lesson is a tough one for me because, as my late, beloved grandmother used to say about me: "You've got a mouth on you." I can be very pithy and snarky. But it makes me feel a wee bit better that King David also struggled with his mouth. Because he, after all, was "a man after God's own heart."
Below is King David's prayer from Psalm 141 praying for God's help in his speech. I also included two graphics for the other scriptural references.
Prayer Requests
- Pray for Mary's family and friends as they grieve over her passing. She will be missed, won't she! I was always inspired by her blog posts and enthusiasm for celebrating the seasons.
- Pray for Kris's husband Terry to find something here in Illinois full or part time so they can stay there for a few more years. UPDATE: Terry is up hopefully for a good job here in Illinois. Prayers he gets an interview.
- Continue praying for Kitty's son Mike as he continues on his journey of no pain meds. Mike is off of pain meds for several weeks and is weaning off several other prescriptions. Mike is requesting that we pray for his mental health.
- Molly bought a home that’s 15 minutes from her work! What a praise! Molly sees the beauty in how this all worked out according to God’s plans.
- Let's pray for all of our health, and for the health of our families.
- Pray for Carla's son Sam and his new wife, Cate, who were married on August 29th. Pray for the happy couple as they begin their new adventure!
- Kris's Grandson Edmund will be a Big Brother in March! God is so good! Let's lift both mother and baby up in prayer. UPDATE: Kimmie was in a car accident, and she had to go to the hospital because the seatbelt cut into her. She will have a follow-up ultrasound with her OB/GYN. Pray for her and her baby!
- Please lift up Rita in your prayers! We have a praise that she is finally over cyclospora, and her arm feels like it's healing very well.
- Pray for Rita's brother's companion Betty who was diagnosed with squamous cell from her lung biopsy. Betty started radiation last Monday. Also pray for Rita's brother Joe; he was scheduled to have a prostate biopsy on 10/1 (yesterday). Please lift them both up in prayer.
- Kitty's brother is home from the skilled nursing care. Please pray that he can manage.
- Pray for Kris's SIL Tim who still needs a job. He has to test into another hospital system and they do not have an opening until the middle of this month.
- Pray for our male Westie Finlay. His vet found a large mass on his bladder. He will need further testing to determine the type of tumor and how to proceed. UPDATE: They have eliminated the really bad transitional cell carcinoma. He had another ultrasound, and a needle biopsy on Tuesday. Hopefully we will continue to get good news.
- Kris had a fall (just skinned-up), because sometimes her knee goes out on her. She's also struggling with a shooting nerve issue in her foot and leg. Pray that she will get the appropriate healthcare so she can feel and move better. UPDATE: She is undergoing lots of testing.
- Please pray for Trip. His knee surgery went well, but starting with day three (on Wednesday) he was having pain. Pray for a speedy recovery of his drop foot.
- Please pray that I can get better sleep and rest.
- Pray for Kitty's grandson Connor (the one that was a Marine and was in Afghanistan when the thirteen Marines were killed). He has cluster migraines, and he needs to get an appointment at the VA to get referred to a neurologist.
- Pray for Kris because she is having an MRI Friday, 10/2! It should determine what is going on with the right side of her body with the nerve. She is hoping it will be something that is not complicated to fix or get some relief. She needs to be in top form for her family trip to Disney which is coming up soon!
- I had another root canal this week. They think that there's a slight possibility that my vestibular neurosis was caused from one of my tooth abscesses (I've had two this year!) because if they are in the upper jaw (both of mine were) they can cause it. Who knew?
I hope you have a lovely first weekend of autumn!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
I'm not quite ready to let go of summer.
However a sweet friend will be hosting a Halloween Tablescape Blog Hop Party, and I will be working on my tablescape this weekend. This is summer's last hurrah!
Happy Friday, Friends!
Didn't you just love this week's lesson? I know that I did! :D I also enjoyed the prayer. God's love is steadfast. It never changes.
I'm in a book club at church, and we are currently reading Seasons of Your Heart by Macrina Wiederkehr. The first season we covered today was the season of wonder. Our teacher shared with us a poem by Hannah Rosenberg from her book entitled Same.
Me as a Woman, me as a girlWe met the other day.Me as a woman, me as a girl.We looked each other up and down.Shy at first. It’s you? We both said, laughing.It’s you?Me as a girl spoke first. I like how you goWalking whenever you want. How you drinkCoffee by the window and write, like I alwaysThought I would. I love your home, she said,looking around. It feels just right.I’d like to live here, too.I hoped you would, me as a woman said.I love your confidence. How proud you are.How special you feel.Not always, me as a girl said. Sometimes I feel sad.Sometimes I am cruel.We all do. We all are, me as a woman said.Me as a woman and me as a girl looked at each other.We can’t exist at the same time, not exactly, but maybea part of me can stay with you somehow? asked the girl.Me as a woman smiled. I’d like that, she said.I’ve been waiting my whole life to take care of someone like you.
We also had a writing prompt where we were asked what we would say to our child self. This was difficult for me because I did not have the happiest of childhoods. For one thing, I was an only child, and my parents divorced when I was three.
But what this lesson from Peace With the Psalms reminds me of is that God is not constrained by time because he lives outside of it. He is still comforting my childhood self, wiping away my tears and showing me his steadfast love.
Both of these lessons dovetail quite nicely, and I would like for you to think about what you would say to the child version of you.
Here is this week's scripture from Psalm 136:
One seasonal thing I'm enjoying right now is the abundance (and variety) of chrysanthemums, especially at our local farmers' markets. I love them! They remind me of fall football games in the South (our dates would give them to us at football games, especially homecoming).
Prayer Requests
- URGENT: Please pray for a dearly loved blogging friend for a miracle for her health and recovery!
- Pray for Kris's husband Terry to find something here in Illinois full or part time so they can stay there for a few more years. UPDATE: Terry is up hopefully for a good job here in Illinois. Prayers he gets an interview.
- Continue praying for Kitty's son Mike as he continues on his journey of no pain meds. Mike is off of pain meds for several weeks and is weaning off several other prescriptions. Mike is requesting that we pray for his mental health.
- Molly’s contract fell through on the barndominium (Kitty's daughter). Pray that God will lead the right buyer to purchase her home.
- Let's pray for all of our health, and for the health of our families.
- Pray for Carla's son Sam and his new wife, Cate, who were married on August 29th. Pray for the happy couple as they begin their new adventure!
- Kris's Grandson Edmund will be a Big Brother in March! God is so good! Let's lift both mother and baby up in prayer. UPDATE: Kimmie was in a car accident, and she had to go to the hospital because the seatbelt cut into her. She will have a follow-up ultrasound with her OB/GYN. Pray for her and her baby!
- Please lift up Rita in your prayers! We have a praise that she is finally over cyclospora, and her arm feels like it's healing very well.
- Pray for Rita's brother's companion Betty who was diagnosed with squamous cell from her lung biopsy. Betty started radiation on Monday. Also pray for Rita's brother Joe; he will have a prostate biopsy on 10/1. Please lift them both up in prayer.
- Kitty's brother is home from the skilled nursing care. Please pray that he can manage.
- Pray for Kris's SIL Tim who still needs a job. He has to test into another hospital system and they do not have an opening until the middle of this month.
- Pray for our male Westie Finlay. His vet found a large mass on his bladder. He will need further testing to determine the type of tumor and how to proceed.
- Kris had a fall (just skinned-up), because sometimes her knee goes out on her. She's also struggling with a shooting nerve issue in her foot and leg. Pray that she will get the appropriate healthcare so she can feel and move better.
- Prayers for Rita's precious granddaughter Princess J. She had a tonsillectomy on 9/11, and Rita asks that we pray for a swift recovery.
- Please pray for Trip. He is having a problem with foot drop in his left foot caused by a disc in his back. Please pray that his foot will improve, and that he will tolerate the steroids prescribed for him.
- Please pray that I can get better sleep and rest.
- Mr. Panoply has a nasty cold. Pray that he gets over it quickly.
- Carla is also feeling under the weather with cold-like symptoms. Pray that she knocks it out quickly.
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Now that I have this post live, I'm headed to get a PSL and go to the carwash.
That's the only errand I have today. I got most of them done yesterday!
Have a great weekend!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Being a summer girlie, I always hate to see Labor Day come and go.
One thing that helps lift my spirit is anything pumpkin, especially pumpkin spice latte.
Hello, Friends!
Before I address this week's lesson, please be aware of a few new (and one very urgent) prayer requests. Thank-you so much for being Prayer Warriors. I am so thankful for you all. Also, it's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since the 9/11 attacks on our country. My prayer on this day is that we will remember, teach, and learn from our history.
With everything that has been going on in our lives, I can't think of a more perfect time to read a lesson about God's sovereignty and omniscience. Amen!
But perhaps my favorite part of the lesson is:
"Lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:24b)." And that starts HERE on this planet, not after we pass.
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.~John 17:3
This is one of my very favorite Psalms, and I have included three graphics: The first one has the featured verses from the lesson, and the other two are favorites from the Psalm.
All of these verses focus on the fact that God knows us, loves us, and constantly thinks about us.
I well-up with tears just thinking about Psalm 139!
We have all been incredibly busy lately with family and other things. I will probably have a busy weekend. Today will be busy because I have an appointment first thing, and then I'm headed about an hour out of town to a friend's lake house for a book club meeting.
But I am determined to make time for relaxation. Below is a quote from Matt Haig, and when I read it earlier in the week, I thought about us all. I think it's good advice to take now and again.
You don't always have to do stuff. Or achieve stuff. You don't have to spend your free time productively. You don't have to be doing Tai Chi and DIY and bread making. Sometimes you can just be and feel things and get through and eat chips and survive, and that is more than enough.
Prayer Requests
- URGENT: Please pray for a dearly loved blogging friend for a miracle for her health and recovery!
- Pray for Kris's husband Terry to find something here in Illinois full or part time so they can stay there for a few more years. UPDATE: Terry is up hopefully for a good job here in Illinois. Prayers he gets an interview.
- Continue praying for Kitty's son Mike as he continues on his journey of no pain meds. Mike is off of pain meds for several weeks and is weaning off several other prescriptions. Mike is requesting that we pray for his mental health.
- Molly’s contract fell through on the barndominium (Kitty's daughter). Pray that God will lead the right buyer to purchase her home.
- Let's pray for all of our health, and for the health of our families.
- Pray for Carla's son Sam and his new wife, Cate, who were married on August 29th. Pray for the happy couple as they begin their new adventure!
- Kris's Grandson Edmund will be a Big Brother in March! God is so good! Let's lift both mother and baby up in prayer. UPDATE: Kimmie was in a car accident, and she had to go to the hospital because the seatbelt cut into her. She will have a follow-up ultrasound with her OB/GYN. Pray for her and her baby!
- Please lift up Rita in your prayers! We have a praise that she is finally over cyclospora, and her arm feels like it's healing very well.
- Pray for Rita's brother's companion Betty who was diagnosed with squamous cell from her lung biopsy. Betty starts radiation on 9/14. Also pray for Rita's brother Joe; he will have a prostate biopsy on 10/1. Please lift them both up in prayer.
- Kitty's brother is home from the skilled nursing care. Please pray that he can manage.
- Pray for Kris's SIL Tim who still needs a job. He has to test into another hospital system and they do not have an opening until the middle of this month.
- Pray for our male Westie Finlay. His vet found a large mass on his bladder. He will need further testing to determine the type of tumor and how to proceed.
- Kris had a fall (just skinned-up), because sometimes her knee goes out on her. She's also struggling with a shooting nerve issue in her foot and leg. Pray that she will get the appropriate healthcare so she can feel and move better.
- Prayers for Rita's precious granddaughter Princess J. She's having a tonsillectomy today (9/11), and Rita asks that we pray for for steady hands, a smooth procedure, and swift recovery.
- Please pray for Trip. He is having a problem with foot drop in his left foot caused by a disc in his back. Please pray that his foot will improve, and that he will tolerate the steroids prescribed for him.
I'm off to my appointment, and then get a PSL for the road!
Have a lovely weekend!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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