Happy Friday, Friends! Tell me about your week. Have you hosted anyone in your home this week? I must say I enjoyed reading about Maggie and her husband's adventures with the Amish. Clearly their kind, easy hospitality made an impression on the couple.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.~Matthew 25:35-36
How did Jesus describe true hospitality?
Prayer Requests:
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search. Pray that her one DIL's heart can change.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- I would like to add to Carla's requests to pray for Americans trapped in Sudan. Reports are claiming that the State Department is only helping embassy staff escape.
- From Rita: praises for all my family feeling better, managing symptoms!
If I missed any, please include them in the comments section or send me an email, and I'll update the post.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Scene from a Louisiana garden
Happy Monday, Friends! I hope you had a very nice weekend. We took a whirlwind trip to Louisiana for a family wedding party, and it was so nice to see everyone!
This week's reflection is about lessons we can learn from the Amish, specifically lessons about hospitality. This one sounds interesting, doesn't it!
Prayer Requests
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search. Pray that her one DIL's heart can change.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- I would like to add to Carla's requests to pray for Americans trapped in Sudan. Reports are claiming that the State Department is only helping embassy staff escape.
- From Rita: "I have been sick with a really bad cold since the Thursday before Easter, thinking at first it was allergies from working outside. Lo and behold, baby J is also sick with bilateral ear infections, and is being referred to an allergist. J's mama is also sick. Please pray we all heal completely. I'd also like to ask peace for my son-in-law who witnessed the aftermath of a teen's death on Sunday in a rolling car accident which pinned her to a tree. He's a fireman and was on scene. In the praise department: my sis-in-law went home after 50 days in hospital, and her husband was transferred to a nursing home." UPDATE: praises for all my family feeling better, managing symptoms!
- Thank-you for your travel mercies prayers for my family. We had a great visit with family in Louisiana!
If you have any other prayer requests or updates, please share in comments.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
The mountain laurels are blooming here in Central Alabama. I wanted to share them with you!
Happy Friday, My Lovelies! How has your week been so far? I hope you have a restful and peaceful weekend.
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This week's lesson was a fun one, and I love the idea that anyone can be a grandparent. I need to adopt a grand baby, LOL! I do have a little friend (family in California, and she does bring us all joy. Do you have any thoughts about the reflection?
Prayer Requests
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search. Pray that her one DIL's heart can change.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- Please pray for our oldest daughter Shanley Belle. She has a bad kidney infection.
- Please be in prayer for Carla's little Village. On Saturday two police officers were shot to death.
- The little town where our lake cabin is located, Dadeville, Alabama, is in mourning because there was a mass shooting at a Sweet Sixteen birthday party. Five young men have been arrested for the crime so far.
- From Rita: "I have been sick with a really bad cold since the Thursday before Easter, thinking at first it was allergies from working outside. Lo and behold, baby J is also sick with bilateral ear infections, and is being referred to an allergist. J's mama is also sick. Please pray we all heal completely. I'd also like to ask peace for my son-in-law who witnessed the aftermath of a teen's death on Sunday in a rolling car accident which pinned her to a tree. He's a fireman and was on scene. In the praise department: my sis-in-law went home after 50 days in hospital, and her husband was transferred to a nursing home. My kids returned from successful travel adventures with their island getaway!"
- Travel mercies for my family as we travel out of state for a family wedding party.
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Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Good morning, Friends! This week's reflection is about being a grandparent, and I would love to be one! Here's some scripture to get us started:
Prayer Requests
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search. Pray that her one DIL's heart can change.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- Please pray for our oldest daughter Shanley Belle. She has a bad kidney infection.
- Please be in prayer for Carla's little Village. On Saturday two police officers were shot to death.
- The little town where our lake cabin is located, Dadeville, Alabama, is in mourning because there was a mass shooting at a Sweet Sixteen birthday party.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! Do you have fun plans for the weekend? I hope you do! We might try to take a quick trip to the lake.
This week's lesson is about parenting and how hard letting go can be. It focuses on the world's most famous mother, Mary. Let's look at the scriptural references:
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.~John 2:1-11While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”~Matthew 12:46-50When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,“They divided my clothes among themand cast lots for my garment.”So this is what the soldiers did.Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.~John 19:23-30
What can we learn from Mary about loving our children and then releasing them to their life's calling?
Prayer Requests
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search. Pray that her one DIL's heart can change.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- From Rita: Pray for travel mercies for her oldest and her husband as they travel out of the country for one week (they return this weekend).
- Please pray for my allergies. I am feeling a little better!
- Please be in prayer for Carla's little Village. On Saturday two police officers were shot to death.
If I forgot any requests, please share them in comments.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Happy Easter Monday, Friends! How are you? I hope you enjoyed the weekend.
If you didn't read yesterday's post and watch the video, I encourage you to do so. I hope it blesses you like it did me!
This week's lesson continues the parenting theme. It also includes insight into Mary and the things she pondered in her heart. I almost wish we were studying this lesson Mother's Day week! Maybe we can revisit it then.
Prayer Requests
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- From Rita: Pray for travel mercies for her oldest and her husband as they travel out of the country for one week (they left Saturday).
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Resurrection Sunday, Friends! The tomb is empty, and Christ is sitting at the righthand of our Father God in heaven.
We celebrate Jesus's triumph over sin and death today, and we should celebrate it everyday!
I hope you enjoyed the video. Happy Easter!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Happy Good Friday, Friends! I hope your Holy Week has been a blessed one.
This week's reflection is about women who are spiritual moms. Would you like to discuss a woman who has been a spiritual mother to you, or have you served as a spiritual mom to a younger woman? I'd like to read about your experiences!
The main focus of this lesson is Jesus's prayer in John 17.
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
John 17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Prayer Requests:
- From Rita: I must continue to ask prayer for various family members - the aged with chronic health issues, members with short-term health needs for healing, and for the grandbaby, whose necessary daycare is literally a petri dish for ongoing viruses. Lord, with your help I pray each one of my loved ones - and their caretakers - can cope and conquer these matters and enjoy a healthy, new season.
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families.
- From Rita: Please pray for the Nashville Christian school, where 3 children and 2 teachers were shot and killed this week - dear God, please comfort that community and protect them from evil. Please help us all realize how much we need You in our lives.
- Carla asks for continued prayer for our military all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- Please pray for my health. I'm having asthma and allergy related issues. I spent five hours getting tested for allergies Tuesday, and I will start allergy shots at the end of the month.
Check back on Resurrection Sunday for a special message!
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
This week we'll read Jesus's prayer in John 17.
Hello, Friends! I hope you had a blessed Palm Sunday, and this Holy Week finds you full of peace and joy.
I confess I have not read this week's reflection yet other than its title: "More Ways Than One To Be a Mom."
Thank-you for all your prayer requests and prayers! I will keep them as is until y'all tell me differently.
Prayer Requests
- From Rita: I must continue to ask prayer for various family members - the aged with chronic health issues, members with short-term health needs for healing, and for the grandbaby, whose necessary daycare is literally a petri dish for ongoing viruses. Lord, with your help I pray each one of my loved ones - and their caretakers - can cope and conquer these matters and enjoy a healthy, new season.
- From Kitty: Pray for family unity and her son's job search.
- From Carla: Pray for Sam and the 157th. Pray for all our military families.
- From Rita: Please pray for the Nashville Christian school, where 3 children and 2 teachers were shot and killed this week - dear God, please comfort that community and protect them from evil. Please help us all realize how much we need You in our lives.
- Carla asks for continued prayer for our military all around the world. For our leaders to make wise decisions and to not use our military for a 'war game'. Also, pray for the power of TRUTH to reach the hearts of those hurting, lost, and confused.
- Please pray for my health. I'm having asthma and allergy related issues.
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Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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