Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! Do you have plans for Halloween? I don't like it much, but I do enjoy the young trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. I still haven't bought any Halloween candy yet: That's errand number one on today's list!
Here is this week's journaling prompt:
Write about a time when someone got on your nerves. What did this person do to annoy you, and how did it make you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally?
I've actually had a pretty good week in that I haven't had to endure poor behavior from others. I have experienced at least one rude person this week. Friends, Trump Derangement Syndrome is real! Why can't some people move on? Why inject Trump hatred in a situation where it's completely inappropriate? He has been out of office for almost ten months. These people have no impact on me other than emotionally: I feel pity for them because they are so miserable. Bless their hearts!
What about you? Please share because I don't want to be the only one. ;p
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends! How was your weekend? Mine was full of blessings: We went to a beautiful wedding, and I was able to spend some time with my mom.
The introduction to this section of of Happy Today had me giggling (and cringing!) for some reason, especially the writing prompt for this week. It should be cathartic!
Prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! I apologize for the lateness of this post, but we were able to sleep in, and our oldest daughter needed some encouragement from her mom this morning.
How are you? I found it appropriate that today's guided journaling included this quote:
I have felt a calling for a while to be just that (a cheerleader). Seeing this quote was a little bit of a confirmation for me.
This week's prompt encourages us to:
Think of a friend or family member who needs encouragement. Write a few sentences praising his or her character.
I was thinking about this, and I want us to go further and share these thoughts with the person each of us has written about. What do you think?
Do you have any other ideas on how to encourage others?
I hope y'all have a blessed weekend. Our youngest daughter's best friend is getting married tomorrow evening. Please say a little prayer for Amelia (the bride) and her groom!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
(CEV)
Hello, Friends! I must confess that I did not take my Happy Today guided journaling book with me on my trip. On Friday I'll post the scripture and writing prompt for this week, but today, I want to share with you something I heard on a national "newscast" by a "commentator." He said that Jesus was not perfect when he was on this earth. Clearly this person does not have a clue... or maybe he does, and has disdain for our Lord and Savior because, as Jesus said, "If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first" ~John 15:18 (CEV).
What warmed my heart and soul was the instantaneous stream of rebuttals on social media, and these Warriors for Christ responded with scripture. It was beautiful, Friends! Perhaps one of my favorites was the one I posted, above.
I hope you have a super week, and thank-you for praying for travel mercies for us!
Prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Hello, Friends! I'm traveling with my girls this weekend, so I am requesting that your pray for travel mercies for us please and thank-you! (I will look at comments on my phone because I won't have much time to be on the Internet.)
This week's prompt:
Write about a time someone encouraged you by listening to your whole story.
I truly appreciate y'all, my Happy Warriors! Y'all have listened to, or at least read, many things from me, especially the challenges we've had with tornado clean-up and recovery. Sometimes my emails get very long-winded (sorry), yet y'all are always so kind and encouraging! Thank-you.
I hope you all have a very lovely autumn weekend with family and friends. Y'all are the best!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Moon carnations
Happy Wednesday, Friends! I wanted to pop in today and give you a little encouragement. First of all, our local grocer had these moon carnations in stock. They had four kinds, and the dark ones are "Moonshade," and the light ones are "Moonaqua." If they have some left next week, I'll try to find the really dark ones called "Moonvista." The darker color is almost a dioxazine purple, a color always on my palette. I use it in shadows, mostly. These carnations are so unique (at least to me) I wanted to share them with my Sweet Friends!
I know that many of us and/or family members are struggling with health issues and other changes that are stressful, so I thought I'd share this verse today:
Ask and believe, Friends!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
This week's assignment for our guided journaling.
Happy Monday, Friends! This week will be a challenge for me because I have several events and other obligations. Plus, our internet was down most of the weekend, so I'm playing catch-up today!
However, I'm determined to pay attention to others, and (hopefully) learn something new about someone....to truly listen to their story.
The scripture below should motivate us this week...I hope it motivates me. I'm putting it on my fridge!
How was your weekend? Prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Hello, Friends! How has your week been so far? Last night we had torrential rains, with some areas of town getting 13 inches. People had flooding in their homes, and even one of the major interstate highways had to be closed due to flooding. Please pray for the families affected by the storms.
This week's guided journaling prompt asked us to make a chart of the lies the enemy tells us on one side with the corresponding truth from God meant to encourage us. I won't share everything I wrote in my journal, but I will share two biblical truths that I hope encourages y'all.
1. When the enemy tells you that no one likes you, remember that you are the apple of God's eye:
"Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
hide me under the shadow of Your wings."
Psalm 17:8 (MEV)
2. When the enemy tells you that there is no hope, to give up, remember that your spirit is more powerful:
"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 John 4:4 (MEV)
All of the lies that the enemy whispers to us are powerless if we remember to dress appropriately everyday by putting on the full armor of God.
Do you have any prayer requests? *I need to add one: A young expectant mother I know is having complications. Due date coming up soon, so please keep her in prayer!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends! We truly have so many blessings, don't we! This past week, Kitty's family has a friend who died from an overdose, and I know two families devastated by suicide. Let us remember these families in prayer, and pray for people who are struggling during these contentious times.
For our encouragement today:
"But I trust in your unfailing love;my heart rejoices in your salvation."Psalm 13:5
Let's be the Best Dressed Christians not only this week but everyday!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope y'all have had a great week. Mine has been fairly eventful.
We have a few prayer requests:
- Kitty's Grandson Connor is coming home this month. Praise God!
- Some of us are having issues with neighbors. Please pray for understanding and peace!
- Rita is moving! She is super-excited, and she has a lot of work to do. Pray for her transition.
If you have any prayer requests you'd like to add to this list, please share in comments or via email.
Also, I wanted to share with you a devotional I finished a week or so ago:
I enjoyed this devotional, but it was a little distressing because several of the lessons centered around freedoms we are quickly losing. It is definitely an interesting read for the times we're currently living in.
Below is this week's prompt:
Write about a time someone older or wiser than you had a Michelangelo impact on your life. What did that person say or do to encourage you?
When I was a young teacher and mother, our school's superintendent gave me some advice that I can't share publicly, but it had a huge impact on my life not only as a teacher but also as a mother. He shared something very personal from his life about his sister, and I will never forget it.
What about you?
Have a blessed weekend, Friends. I hope you're enjoying beautiful October weather!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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