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.
Have a wonderful and safe weekend and week!
I love you all!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Hello, Friends! I slept in this morning. Mr. Prayer Warrior did not wake me up, neither did the Westies. I woke up to a super-quiet house. It was so nice! I needed the rest.
I'm not close to being 100%, y'all. This cold has been wicked, and it will be two weeks tomorrow. I think the problem is I start feeling better, then I do too much, and I have a setback. UGH!
What did y'all think about today's lesson? I love the title More Wonder! In order to experience God's wonderful creation we have to experience it. Did you try the social media sabbatical? I did not completely, but I did limit my time this week. And do you know what? I was able to finish a painting I'd been working on for months! I did not get to experience as much nature because our air quality has been horrendous with allergens, but at least I found joy in other ways. I did spend about half an hour this week watching the rain as it watered our flowers in our garden and containers. It was very peaceful.
This afternoon I'm making the tea recipe from last week. I will share it next Friday! :D
Please share with us what joy you found this week!
Below is a poem about learning by Amanda Gorman, and I thought it was applicable to our lesson.
Every Day We Are LearningEvery day we are learningHow to live with essence, not ease.How to move with haste, not hate.How to leave this pain that is beyond us, behind us.Just like a skill or an art,We cannot possess hope without practicing it.It is the fundamental craft we demand of ourselves.
Isn't it true that More Wonder! feeds our hope! Let's be cognizant of feeding it this next week.
Below is this week's scripture.
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.
- 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. Her village is becoming more and more draconian by the day!
- Praise! Kitty had a wonderful time with her family on her trip, and Grandson Riley even made it after coming home from South Korea for his leave.
- Pray that I can get over this cold. Please continue to pray because my asthma is also ramped-up.
- 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.
- Let's also pray that the 250th celebration for our Army will go as planned, and pray for all the communities in our country planning on holding the "No More Kings" protests.
- Pray for our law enforcement this weekend especially!
Now I'm off to drink copious amounts of hot tea!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Hello, Friends! I hope your week has been better than mine. I caught Shelley's cold, so I'm making this post short and sweet.
I think this week's lesson is an important one because of its focus on practicing peace. This is something that does not come easy for us as Christians; it's something we have to give our attention to intentionally.
We should aim to live in such a way that we imprint peace and serenity on the Earth.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
p. 111
I loved how she related the lesson to a tea ceremony.
Growing up, I had afternoon tea on most days. Trip's family is originally from Cornwall, so tea was always a part of his culture. I have fond memories of having tea every afternoon when our girls came home from school. These moments weren't always peaceful because usually the girls were excitedly telling me about their activities that day.
Making the time for tea, prayer, and reflection in the middle of the afternoon can sound like a luxury, but it might be a habit good for your entire being.
I would've liked to have tried Farrell's tea recipe. Not that I haven't had any tea this week...I've had copious amounts of it (mostly Earl Grey and English Breakfast). I think I will make her recipe using hibiscus tea as soon as I'm well enough to go to the store and purchase some.
Here is this week's scripture:
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.
- 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. Her village is becoming more and more draconian by the day!
- Travel mercies prayers for Kitty and her family as they travel to Playa del Carmen, Mexico today, and will return home on the tenth.
- Pray that I can get over this cold.
- 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.
What is your favorite kind of tea?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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