Hello, Friends! I hope you enjoyed a special Independence Day weekend with your family and friends. Thank-you for your travel mercy prayers for Shanley Belle and Christopher. It was so nice having everyone together.
I don't know about y'all, but it seems like this past week has been one of the most upsetting in a very long time. Our lesson about fear struck a nerve with me: It was very relevant. I also put to use several of Farrell's recommendations to "temper the fear."
The enemy is the source for all fear, not God. He also wants to steal our joy. I'm determined that he will not be successful. Along with tempering the fear, I've also strived to find joy this week, and it hasn't been easy. I have had to deal with my mother's business all week, and I'm struggling not to be angry at the world.
Instead, I've taken Matt Haig's words to heart this week: He writes about "one beautiful thing."
Experience one beautiful thing a day. However small. However trivial. Read a poem. Play a favorite song. Laugh with a friend. Gaze at the sky just before the sun's final tumble toward night. Watch a classic movie. Eat a slice of lemon drizzle cake. Whatever. Just give yourself one simple reminder that the world is full of wonders. Even if we are at a point in life where we can't appreciate things, it sometimes helps to remember there are things in this world to enjoy, when we are ready.
Here is this week's scripture:
Please read over the prayer requests, and let me know what needs to be updated.
- Please continue to pray for Kris's MIL. Pray that she will be amenable to having the in-home healthcare help Terry and Kris found for her come into her home and help out.
- Pray for Kitty's grandson Connor as he trains as a corrections officer.
- PRAISE: Carla is getting a new family member! She's getting a daughter-in-law (Sam proposed to Cate, and she said YES)! Pray for all the pre-wedding planning and counseling for the happy couple.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike that he can find a job that uses his talents. He is a very talented artist! UPDATE: Mike has been working on a game with his friend and they have to get it done in three months. Mike can do his part but his friend needs to stay focused. Kitty asks for prayers for him, too.
- Keep praying for Rita's daughters because they are thriving!
- Please pray for Carla's friend C.M.H who has joined the United States Army. Carla and her family are so proud of him. He turned 23 in June, and he is a dear friend of her boys. He was in their homeschool group. He is in basic training at Fort Jackson, and he is her son Atticus' best friend. What is interesting about this... Carla's son Sam also did his basic at Fort Jackson.
- Please pray for our blog friend Jenna Meon. She is currently in rehabilitation for her walking. She is still struggling with her standing.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor who has a stage four cancer diagnosis.
- Pray that our leaders will ask God for direction as they make national security decisions.
- Kris's friend passed away from a massive heart attack. Please be in prayer for his widow, family, and friends as they are all in a state of shock over his unexpected death.
- Please be in prayer for Rita's brother Tommy who had a stroke (Tuesday, June 24th).
- URGENT: Pray for my best friend Barbara. She has cancer, and had to have a colostomy last week. Also, her husband also has stage four prostate cancer. Please be in prayer for them. UPDATE: Barbara is home, and is in good spirits. She still hasn't had her scans yet.
- From Kitty: Eric, Molly’s husband, lost his job last week. The company is closing the office. He’s applying for unemployment and also for disability. Molly is very positive.
- Kris has another friend who had a heart attack and is on life support. He is only 52 and has a 6 month old baby that needs her daddy.
I'm heading to my hometown this morning to take care of some business my mother neglected. I'm trying so hard not to be angry with her because these are things I thought she took care of years ago.
I hope you have a lovely weekend. I will try to find my joy by cooking several recipes with the fruits and vegetables from this week's community supported agriculture box.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Independence Day, Friends! We are so blessed, aren't we! I am so thankful for our inheritance and our natural rights endowed to us by God. I hope you are celebrating this special day with family and friends.
We are at Lake Martin, and we have had issues with our internet. On Tuesday we had to have Charter send us a signal to get our internet going again, and we had to do the same thing last weekend. I might not be able to update the blog until Monday, so please come back over the weekend to see any updates/prayer requests. Thank-you for understanding. I don't trust myself to update the blog on my phone. I'm afraid that I will mess it up badly if I try it!
I enjoyed this week's lesson. I get it, that we have choices to make, and we are responsible for and do have control over many choices. The PB&J lunch analogy had me thinking fond memories of homeschooling. Shelley used to call me her teacher and lunch lady. Some days I felt like I spent too many hours in the kitchen, yet I still miss them.
We made tartines for lunch often and Shelley's favorite was Croque-Monsieur. I even blogged about it years ago.
Here is the recipe:
Here is this week's scripture. I think it's so appropriate given how Patriots 249 years ago began a fight for their very lives, and the soul of this country was born. Our country was ordained by God because how else could a ragtag band of Patriots defeat the British Empire and the world's strongest standing army and navy? God is good, and my prayer for our nation is that we return to God and serve Him.
- Please continue to pray for Kris's MIL. Pray that she will be amenable to having the in-home healthcare help Terry and Kris found for her come into her home and help out.
- Pray for Kitty's grandson Connor as he trains as a corrections officer.
- PRAISE: Carla is getting a new family member! She's getting a daughter-in-law (Sam proposed to Cate, and she said YES)! Pray for all the pre-wedding planning and counseling for the happy couple.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike that he can find a job that uses his talents. He is a very talented artist! UPDATE: Mike has been working on a game with his friend and they have to get it done in three months. Mike can do his part but his friend needs to stay focused. Kitty asks for prayers for him, too.
- Keep praying for Rita's daughters because they are thriving!
- Please pray for Carla's friend C.M.H who has joined the United States Army. Carla and her family are so proud of him. He will be 23 in June, and he is a dear friend of her boys. He was in their homeschool group. He is in basic training at Fort Jackson, and he is her son Atticus' best friend. What is interesting about this... Carla's son Sam also did his basic at Fort Jackson.
- Please pray for our blog friend Jenna Meon. She is currently in rehabilitation for her walking. She is still struggling with her standing.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor who has a stage four cancer diagnosis.
- Pray that our leaders will ask God for direction as they make national security decisions.
- Kris's friend passed away from a massive heart attack. Please be in prayer for his widow, family, and friends as they are all in a state of shock over his unexpected death.
- Please be in prayer for Rita's brother Tommy who had a stroke (Tuesday, June 24th).
- URGENT: Pray for my best friend Barbara. She has cancer, and had to have a colostomy yesterday. I am in a state of shock, and her husband also has stage four prostate cancer. Please be in prayer for them. UPDATE: Barbara is home, and is in good spirits. She still hasn't had her scans yet.
- Pray that we will accept the best contract to sell mom's house. UPDATE: We have a accepted a contract, and the closing should be mid-August.
- Please pray for my mom because she fell in the bathroom over the weekend. She was not hurt, thankfully.
- From Kitty: Eric, Molly’s husband, lost his job today. The company is closing the office. He’s applying for unemployment and also for disability. Molly is very positive.
- Pray travel mercies for Shanley Belle and Christopher this weekend.
- Kris has another friend who had a heart attack and is on life support. He is only 52 and has a 6 month old baby that needs her daddy.
Until next time...
May God continue to bless the United States of America!
Love you all!
Ricki Jill
Hello, Friends! I hope you've had a fantastic week. Do you have any plans for Independence Day? The kids are flying down from Ann Arbor, and we will be spending the holiday at the lake. We are so excited to have the family together!
My mom's house was listed for a day, and we already have had three showings and one contract (and it's a good one). There might be more contacts. We shall see!
What did you think about this week's lesson? I thought it was wonderful, and here is my favorite quote:
We must stop buying into the idea that "more is better" and embrace "sacred is best."~p. 126
I think we can all relate to Ferrell's metaphor of the trashed car after a roadtrip representing our "inside self." I also loved her ideas about honoring the Sabbath. We have sweet friends who used to live here in Birmingham and moved to NYC. Since their children were small, they taught them to honor the Sabbath by resting during the afternoon. Even as adults, their children still find a quiet spot on Sunday afternoons to rest, nap, and reflect no matter where they are. I wish I had instilled that reverence for Sundays with our children.
What are your plans for Sunday? Will you try one of Farrell's suggested activities, or do you have something else in mind?
I'm thinking about drawing something from nature. If I do, I will share it next week.
Here is our Bible verse from this week's lesson.
Prayer Requests
- Please continue to pray for Kris's MIL. Pray that she will be amenable to having the in-home healthcare help Terry and Kris found for her come into her home and help out.
- Pray for Kitty's grandson Connor as he trains as a corrections officer.
- PRAISE: Carla is getting a new family member! She's getting a daughter-in-law (Sam proposed to Cate, and she said YES)! Pray for all the pre-wedding planning and counseling for the happy couple.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike that he can find a job that uses his talents. He is a very talented artist! UPDATE: Mike has been working on a game with his friend and they have to get it done in three months. Mike can do his part but his friend needs to stay focused. Kitty asks for prayers for him, too.
- Keep praying for Rita's daughters because they are thriving!
- Please pray for Carla's friend C.M.H who has joined the United States Army. Carla and her family are so proud of him. He will be 23 in June, and he is a dear friend of her boys. He was in their homeschool group. He is in basic training at Fort Jackson, and he is her son Atticus' best friend. What is interesting about this... Carla's son Sam also did his basic at Fort Jackson.
- Please pray for our blog friend Jenna Meon. She is currently in rehabilitation for her walking. She is still struggling with her standing.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor who has a stage four cancer diagnosis.
- Pray that our leaders will ask God for direction as they make national security decisions.
- Kris's friend passed away from a massive heart attack. Please be in prayer for his widow, family, and friends as they are all in a state of shock over his unexpected death.
- Please be in prayer for Rita's brother Tommy who had a stroke (Tuesday, June 24th).
- URGENT: Pray for my best friend Barbara. She has cancer, and had to have a colostomy yesterday. I am in a state of shock, and her husband also has stage four prostate cancer. Please be in prayer for them. UPDATE: Barbara is home, and is in good spirits. She still hasn't had her scans yet.
- Pray that we will accept the best contract to sell mom's house. UPDATE: We have a accepted a contract, and the closing should be mid-August.
- Please pray for my mom because she fell in the bathroom over the weekend. She was not hurt, thankfully.
- From Kitty: Eric, Molly’s husband, lost his job today. The company is closing the office. He’s applying for unemployment and also for disability. Molly is very positive.
I'll be taking my coffee to go this morning because I'm headed to my hair stylist to get my hair cut.
I don't know what to do with my hair, y'all. It grew in really thick, dark, and wavy. I don't look like myself! ;P
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! Y'all...it has stormed EVERY SINGLE DAY this week. We are all mildewing here in Central Alabama. I don't like being on the road when it's stormy, but I've been on the road a lot because I had to take my mom to an ENT doctor's appointment and go to my hometown a couple of times, too.
What did you think about this week's lesson? It has been one of my favorites so far. I love the comparison of the two mountains, and how each day when we approach the trailhead we should choose the mountain that will bring sustained inner joy. I am bookmarking this one!
Below is a quote from Howard Thurman. His thoughts about joy dovetail our lesson well.
There are some who are dependent upon the mood of others for their happiness.... There are some whose joy is dependent upon circumstances.....There are some who must win their joy against high odds, squeeze it out of the arid ground of their living or wrest it from the stubborn sadness ofcircumstance.....There are still others who find their joy deep in the heart of their religious experience. It is not related to, dependent upon, or derived from, any circumstances or conditions in the midst of which they must live. It is a joy independent of all vicissitudes.
Did you try the matcha latte recipe? I did (look at the photo, above), and I enjoyed it. Matcha is a great way to get the benefits of green tea with better taste. I did add cinnamon as a garnish, but not turmeric. Another matcha tip: Add matcha powder to vanilla ice cream for a delicious green tea ice cream. This is one of my favorite flavors of ice cream!
I made the tea from a couple of lessons ago, and I blogged about it, too.
Mr. Happy Prayer Warrior drinks hot tea all day long, but he prefers iced tea with meals. He actually preferred this tea iced. It was lovely both ways!
You can read my post HERE.
Here is our Bible verse from the lesson.
Prayer Requests
- Please continue to pray for Kris's MIL. Pray that she will be amenable to having the in-home healthcare help Terry and Kris found for her come into her home and help out.
- Pray for Kitty's grandson Connor as he trains as a corrections officer.
- PRAISE: Carla is getting a new family member! She's getting a daughter-in-law (Sam proposed to Cate, and she said YES)! Pray for all the pre-wedding planning and counseling for the happy couple.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike that he can find a job that uses his talents. He is a very talented artist!
- Keep praying for Rita's daughters because they are thriving!
- Please pray for Carla's friend C.M.H who has joined the United States Army. Carla and her family are so proud of him. He will be 23 in June, and he is a dear friend of her boys. He was in their homeschool group. He is in basic training at Fort Jackson, and he is her son Atticus' best friend. What is interesting about this... Carla's son Sam also did his basic at Fort Jackson.
- Please pray for our blog friend Jenna Meon. She is currently in rehabilitation for her walking. UPDATE: I visited with Jenna on Tuesday. She has the best attitude, and I had so much fun laughing and talking. Pray for her physical therapy so she can walk again.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor who has a stage four cancer diagnosis.
- Pray for Carla and family as they decide whether or not God is urging them to move.
- Prayer requests... for all our National Guard and also the Marines deployed in LA.
- Carla's son Sam is at Fort McCoy: please be in prayer as a protest is planned in Milwaukee.
- Pray that our leaders will ask God for direction as they make national security decisions.
- Kris's friend passed away from a massive heart attack. Please be in prayer for his widow, family, and friends as they are all in a state of shock over his unexpected death.
- Please be in prayer for Rita's brother Tommy who had a stroke (Tuesday, June 24th).
Have a wonderful and safe weekend and week!
I love you all!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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