Happy Monday Morning, Friends! This is the last lesson in "one thousand gifts!" We will start our Advent study next week. If you look on the sidebar, you will see the schedule for October. You can either download it to your phone or your desktop if you like. Whatever works for you!
Our last devotion is entitled "becoming grace," and I'm anxious to see what y'all think about it. It was not my favorite, unfortunately.
Here is this week's scripture:
- Please be in prayer for those recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
- Pray for our military and military families, and the Wisconsin National Guard deployed in Iraq.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Pray for free and fair elections in the Unites States in every precinct!
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
- Continue to pray for Kitty's granddaughter Cissy as she recovers from a car accident.
We went to the Farmers' Market over the weekend. We bought two pumpkins, an orange one for our kitchen, and a white one for our dining room.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you've had a nice week! I deep cleaned a few rooms in our home which needed it BADLY!!! I'm hoping to enjoy the weekend once the rain moves out, and we can watch a little college football outside. What are your plans?
Didn't you just love "trumpeting grace?" OMGOODNESS it is one of the best devotions from the book. If you haven't read it yet I won't post any spoilers, but just know this: Happiness is a choice. This devotion proves it and you can't prove me wrong with science! As I type this post, I'm grinning ear to ear, and I know my male Westie is looking at me like I'm crazy. I think with the rain he just wants to go get back in bed and sleep in an hour or two. Maybe I am crazy, but that's beside the point. I'm choosing happiness today and everyday!
Here is this week's scripture:
Prayer Requests:
- Please be in prayer for those in the path of Hurricane Helene. Also pray for the first responders and all the Alabama Power linemen standing by to assist.
- Pray that Kris and Terry's kitchen counters will arrive ASAP.
- Pray for our military and military families, and the Wisconsin National Guard deployed in Iraq.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Pray for free and fair elections in the Unites States in every precinct!
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
- Kitty's granddaughter Cissy was in a car accident this morning on her way to get gas. A pastor found her. Somehow she was able to climb out the window. Molly and Eric are with her at the hospital where they are checking her out. She seems to be ok. This is both a prayer request and a praise!
One thing I will be doing this weekend is shopping for a pale green, terracotta, or white pumpkin for a tablescape. Orange won't work
Wish me luck!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends! How was your weekend? Ours was very chill...we didn't do much. We needed a weekend of rest.
This week's lesson is entitled "trumpeting grace." It is the next to last lesson in "one thousand gifts." In two weeks we will begin our Advent Study! I'm truly looking forward to Christmas this year. On November 1st, when I take down all our Halloween decor, I'm beginning to decorate for Christmas. I think it will be fun, and good for our mental and spiritual health, too.
This week's scripture:
Boast in His holy name;Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be joyful.Seek the Lord and His strength;Seek His face continually.Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.~1 Chronicles 16:10-12 (NASB)
Prayer Requests
- Pray for our military and military families, and the Wisconsin National Guard deployed in Iraq.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
I think that the official first day of fall was yesterday.
Do you consider fall starting on September 1st or on the autumnal equinox?
Have a great week, Friends!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
My other white violet that's blooming
Happy Friday, Friends! It has been a week full of procedures and appointments. Not only did Trip and Shanley Belle have their colonoscopies and I had my port removed, I also had a dental appointment and an appointment with my internal medicine doctor. I'm looking forward to staying home this weekend and doing very little: grilling, reading, and watching sports. That's it! What are your plans for the weekend?
This week's lesson is entitled ""wearing grace." This one was truly one of the loveliest of all the lessons, I think. I can picture sweet, precious Liliana loving-up on that puppy, and mocking his expressions. Joy like that is truly contagious! Best quote from the lesson found on page 195:
What if we wanted to be beautiful more than we wanted to buy beautiful?
Thoughts?
Here is this week's scripture:
Prayer Requests
- Carla's son Sam has friends who will be deploying to Iraq. Please be in prayer for our military and military families... this is a Wisconsin National Guard unit that is deploying to Iraq. Sam is not deploying, but he has friends in this unit.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
- I have praises! Shanley Belle and Trip's pathology reports came back negative. Although they found a lesion in Shanley's colon, they think it is probably scar tissue from colitis. Also, I am so happy to report that my port is GONE! YAY! I have had no pain! My surgeon prepared me for it, and even subscribed some pain meds, but I haven't hurt at all. Thank you so much for your prayers. God is so good!
I'm going to ask Shelley to bring me home PSL's this weekend.
I'm craving it!
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends! How was your weekend? We watched rain, baseball, and college football for most of the weekend. Our dogs are miserable because they haven'e been able to go outside and play in so many days!
It's early, and I will be taking Trip to get his colonoscopy later this morning. Shanley is having hers today, too! Just a reminder: They both have Lynch Syndrome, and it requires annual colonoscopies. I'm praying that both are cancer free.
This week's lesson is entitled "wearing grace," and if I don't read it in a few minutes, I will probably read it at the hospital. I will be taking a couple of things to read with me.
Here is this week's scripture:
Prayer Requests
- Carla's son Sam has friends who will be deploying to Iraq. Please be in prayer for our military and military families... this is a Wisconsin National Guard unit that is deploying to Iraq. Sam is not deploying, but he has friends in this unit.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
- Please pray for good results for Shanley Belle and Trip's colonoscopies today. Please pray for me tomorrow as I'm having outpatient surgery to remove my port! God is good! I can't wait to have it out!
This is our larger white violet in bloom. I'll share the smaller one on Friday.
Almost all of my African violets are in bloom right now!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you've had a blessed week. I had an appointment with my surgeon, and she wants to take out my port next week. I am so, so thankful for that! I still have two more doctors' appointments this month, and one next, and I think I'm good until my mammogram in February. *whew* As thankful as I am for healthcare, it takes a whole lot of time out of my week, and it's difficult to put aside all the things I think I need to do. I don't like the anxiety it causes me, and I truly need to learn to let things go.
So what did you think about our lesson this week? It amazes me that the topic is about:
...[the] lavish, radical nature of the upside-down economy of God.Empty to fill.p. 192
The reason I'm amazed is because yesterday at church my class started a Bible Study based on The Cup of Our Life by Joan Rupp. It's a six-week study about this very thing, about our lives in Christ as a cup that is filled, refilled, and sometimes empty. I enjoy it when our devotions dovetail so nicely with my life.
My prayer is that we can up our game as we serve in this world and watch and see how God lavishly and extravagantly pays us back with joy in Him. After all the timing is perfect with the holidays around the corner!
Below are a few of the biblical references from our devotion, "cycling grace." I already had several graphics made, so I'm "re-cycling" them from previous lessons.
Prayer Requests
- Carla's son Sam has friends who will be deploying to Iraq. Please be in prayer for our military and military families... this is a Wisconsin National Guard unit that is deploying to Iraq. Sam is not deploying, but he has friends in this unit.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
- Pray for travel mercies for Trip as he is traveling to Wisconsin for the weekend.
I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! Mine will be a little quiet, and I think that instead of doing chores I'm going to find a little joy with my Bible study, art, and doing a few fun Halloween decor projects. I love y'all!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Most of my African violets are blooming now, so I will probably share them in the weeks to come!
Happy Monday, My Lovelies! Did you have a nice weekend? What did you do? I deep cleaned the bathroom adjacent to Trip's home office. It needed it! Our daughters call it the Chevron station because it can get gross fairly quickly. So after that chore was done and dusted, Shelley and I visited a large antique mall and went out to lunch.
This week's lesson is entitled "cycling grace," and I wish I had a photo of one of Kris's beautiful bikes from one of her previous cottages to share. Instead I'll share this one:
Here is this week's scripture:
Prayer Requests
- Continue to pray for Terry and Kris as they decorate, unpack, and get settled into their new home.
- Carla's son Sam has friends who will be deploying to Iraq. Please be in prayer for our military and military families... this is a Wisconsin National Guard unit that is deploying to Iraq. Sam is not deploying, but he has friends in this unit.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
Have a great week, friends!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! I'm still enjoying dahlia and zinnia season. And we will enjoy lows in the fifties this weekend. We call it "fake fall" in the South because we will be zapped with extra hot temps in a matter of days! But I will enjoy the cooler weather while it lasts.
This week's devotion is entitled "comforting grace." The main point is that we can't be comforted by the Holy Spirit unless we step outside our comfort zone or face hardships. This makes perfect sense because unless you're in a precarious situation, why would you need to be comforted? It is a blessing to have God as Comforter, and I agree with Ann that we need to add these hardships that lead to heavenly comfort to our list of gifts.
Thoughts?
We only have four more lessons in this book. We will be like the Hallmark Channel and start our Countdown to Christmas in October! Our reading of Jesus Listens for Advent and Christmas will begin on October 7th. I already have a page devoted to our reading schedule if you look at the top of this blog post.
Here is this week's scripture:
Prayer Requests:
- Continue to pray for Terry and Kris as they decorate, unpack, and get settled into their new home.
- Carla's son Sam has friends who will be deploying to Iraq. Please be in prayer for our military and military families... this is a Wisconsin National Guard unit that is deploying to Iraq. Sam is not deploying, but he has friends in this unit.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
It's going to be cool enough this weekend to enjoy a hot PSL!
I can't wait!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Labor Day, Friends! How will you be spending your day? We have no plans, and we might just stay home, watch some baseball, and grill out.
This week's lesson is entitled "comforting grace." I like the title! Everyone is sleeping in around here (I'm always an early bird), so I'm off to make a pot of coffee and read it as soon as this post is live.
Here is this week's scripture:
Prayer Requests
- Continue to pray for Terry and Kris as they decorate, unpack, and get settled into their new home.
- Carla's son Sam has friends who will be deploying to Iraq. Please be in prayer for our military and military families... this is a Wisconsin National Guard unit that is deploying to Iraq. Sam is not deploying, but he has friends in this unit.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job. AI has taken away many jobs in his industry. Mike might have the opportunity to redo a game with a friends. Let's pray that this works out for him, and it will lead to more opportunities.
- Rita asks for prayers for her sweet daughters as their graduate school semester is beginning. Pray for them to have a healthy and productive work/school/life balance.
- Pray for Christian leadership in our country. Also pray that God will turn our hearts to him, and he will lavishly bless us with his steadfast love.
- Please pray for a job opportunity for our oldest daughter Shanley (her post doc will be coming to an end). Also, our son-in-law Christopher is applying for a CMO position within the pediatric practice/company he works for. Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Rita has a praise regarding helping her SC sister relocate: small signs are pointing toward possible options for an apartment and for the logistics of moving. It's hard, and she's thankful for numerous siblings offering to help!
- Today is our girl Westie Mustang Sally's birthday. She is 12 today, and the light of our life. Please pray that her day will be extra special!
Today I'm baking an olive oil cake. Have you ever had any?
This one has lots of orange and lemon zest in it.
I hope everyone likes it!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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