Week Eighteen
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope your week has been lovely. We've had a lot of much needed rain here in Central Alabama, so I'm not complaining. Our weather reminds me of a poem by Steve Garnaas Holmes:
Weather ReportJoyborne on winds beyond our control,falling like rainthroughout the nightbefore we were awareChance of flooded hearts.
This week's lesson came at a very opportune time because I've been struggling with my allergies and asthma. Both can be scary, but I'm taking a new medication which seems to be helping. Sometimes when I struggle, I do feel like I'm in a pit. The Psalmists often wrote about this feeling of being in a pit with no way out. But God protects, delivers, and saves.
Below are the first two verses of Psalm 40, and then the following graphic includes verse three from the lesson.
I waited patiently for the Lord;he turned to me and heard my cry.He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire;he set my feet on a rockand gave me a firm place to stand.~Psalm 40:1-2
Prayer Requests
- Carla would like for us to pray for the military build up at the door of Iran. Pray for our leaders to seek wisdom. Continue to pray for our military, our young men and women who are at that door waiting what orders might be coming. May God protect them.
- Please pray for Kris's MIL because she has been having some heavy health issues, and Kris is currently her full time nurse. Pray that God will help and bless Kris as she cares for her MIL. Pray that other family members will step-up and will be discerning about what's best for her care.
- Rita's friend Pam needs our prayers because her cancer is stage four. She is in palliative care, yet still trying to live. UPDATE: Pam has a MRSA. Please pray for her throughout the day whenever you think of praying.
- Please pray for my baby great-niece, Lundy.
- Pray for Rita's neighbor Chris who is undergoing chemo treatment for her urethral cancer, and for her brother, Mike, who has esophageal cancer. UPDATE: Chris completed her chemo last week!
- Pray for Kris's son-in-law Tim. UPDATE: Pray that conditions will improve at work for Tim. Tim and Jen put their home up for sale. Pray for them as they prepare for this big move.
- Pray for Carla's friend Alice who had plastic surgery on her nose due to skin cancer. UPDATE: Alice did not have a good outcome with the reconstructive surgery. They will be looking at doing another.
- Carla recently had to deal with a very bitter person. She has been very bothered by this, and she does not want this person to steal her JOY.
- Carla has an extended family member stationed in Kuwait named Haley. She is her cousin Steve's daughter. Please pray for her safety!
- Carla's Sam has several Wisconsin Guard friends stationed in Kuwait and Iraq. Sam had an update for us from his teammates who are currently deployed in the war zone. Please be in prayer, they have been bombed several times. Continue to pray for safety.
- Continue praying for Kitty's son Mike as he continues on his journey of no pain meds. Mike is off of pain meds for 13weeks and is weaning off several other prescriptions. Mike is requesting that we pray for his mental health.
- URGENT: Pray for Rachel who has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
- PRAISE: I am going to be a grandmother. I am so excited!!! Please be in prayer for Shanley Belle and Christopher as they prepare for parenthood, and pray for my little precious granddaughter. I'm calling her my Little Starling!
- Kitty would like for you to pray that her daughter sells her barndominium and can find a home closer so that she’s not driving two hours a day.
- Pray that my allergies and asthma will improve.
- Travel mercies for Trip this weekend as he's traveling for business in Nevada.
- PRAISE: Rita's daughter Megan's graduation for her advanced degree is Saturday, May 9th. Congratulations, Megan!
- Pray travel mercies for Terry and Kris as they explore the Southeast for a possible move for retirement. Please also pray that they will extend Terry's contract for two more years, if it's God's will for them.
I am hoping to have a very quiet weekend; I hope to do a little gardening, drawing, and reading. I will probably go to church on Sunday and do nothing else but watch baseball on TV. I need to rest!
What are your weekend plans?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Hydrangea spotted in our neighborhood.
Hello, Friends. I hope you've had a blessed week. Mine has been difficult, yet blessed. God has been so good to me! However, I have been so busy that I think I have prayed less this week than I have in a really long time.
:/
It is true that I've had many responsibilities, yet I am wondering if maybe I took on too much this week. Maybe everyone would've been better served if I'd given over more to God.
I usually read each week's lesson several times during the week, and at the very least I read it at the beginning then again very early Friday morning before finishing writing the weekly post. Upon reflection, this quote hit home:
In our secular, self-reliant culture, faithfulness is a challenge.SoulFull, page 96
Yikes! That pretty much sums-up my week, especially my faithfulness concerning prayer. I don't know why sometimes I take on things that God probably doesn't want me to do. Giving it over to God's capable hands isn't a copout: It's usually the smartest option. It is enacting faith.
Although I know I did not pray very much, I was aware of praying the Examen, and mentally going through the steps a couple of days this week. I'm making it my goal to pray more this weekend, and also rest more. And I will pray the Examen.
What about you? Did you try praying the Examen? What are your thoughts about this week's lesson?
We had three Bible verses featured this week. I included an extra translation of Hebrews 1:11.
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This is the NIV translation of Hebrews 11:1.
This is the AMP translation of Hebrews 11:1, and I really like it.
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.
- Pray for Carla that she will be able to effect real and meaningful change in her village. She is serving on committees, and her village needs her conservative leadership!
- 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 keep Rita's sister who moved to West Virginia in November in prayer as she's healing from knee replacement surgery.
- 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 will leave for basic training at Fort Jackson May 22. He is her son Atticus' best friend. What is interesting about this... Carla's son Sam also did his basic at Fort Jackson.
- Pray for my mother as she settles into her new assisted living home.
- 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.
Please let me know if I forgot anything, and I will update the prayer list ASAP.
I want to apologize because I've been terribly distracted because this is only the second week Mom has been in assisted living, and I've had a lot of things to do getting her settled.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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Happy December First, Friends!
My hope and prayer is that we have the most blessed Advent and Christmas season ever!!!
What are your thoughts about this week's devotion? I thought it was a bit difficult to follow; I had to read it a couple of times! But once I focused on her message, I got it. I thought that Ann was being way to hard on herself, but I get her point that making gratitude a habit is pointless without removing the habit of grumbling. Also, I loved the C.S. Lewis quote:
If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad.
Here is the scripture:
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for our family friend Mrs. Powell as she is in the hospital.
- Kitty asks that we pray that her Grandson Connor and his dad will make amends; Son Mike will find a job; and Son in law Eric will be able to manage his cervical dystonia.
- Pray that God will keep a hedge of protection around each of our families.
- Thank-you, God, for your constancy in answering our prayers!
- Pray for unity in our country, and that God will give us mercy and continue to bless us.
- Pray that we will have a very blessed Christmas season with family and friends, and that we will be able to focus on what's truly important.
Have the very best weekend, Friends!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Street light Christmas decorations in Frankenmuth, MI
Happy Monday, Friends! How was your Thanksgiving? We had a great time: Ann Arbor was the place to be last Saturday, especially if you follow college football!
This week's devotion is entitled "hammering grace." I haven't had a chance to read it yet today, but I should be able to read it later this afternoon.
Here is the scripture for the lesson:
Praises:
This week I want to PRAISE GOD for answering our prayers in the affirmative. God is being so good to us all! I want to thank you especially for your travel mercy prayers. We had the easiest flights and airport experiences ever on this heavily traveled weekend. I am also praising God for answering our prayers about Julie and Kris (so happy you're better Friend!)...
On Friday I will begin with a brand new list of requests. Please email me any updates you may have, or list them in comments.
I'm off to make something hot and read the devo.
Have a great week!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
I've enjoyed seeing this beautiful maple on our morning walks with our Westies. We had a bad storm Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning all the leaves had fallen from the tree!
Happy Friday, Friends! I hope y'all have had a great week!
I enjoyed this reflection so much this week, especially since imposter syndrome has been a hot topic with friends lately. My favorite quote is the "Life Line:"
You are not a fake or a fraud. You're a Designer Original.~Maggie Wallem Rowe, This Life We Share, page 86
Maggie suggests that we read the scriptural references aloud. Do it now, if you can!
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
~John 1:12
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
~Romans 6:6
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
~Romans 15:7
…he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
~Ephesians 1:5
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
~Colossians 2:9-10
The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
~1 Thessalonians 5:24
Here are this week's prayer requests:
- Pray for our troops and Sam and his group.
- Pray we all have a Christmas filled with hope, joy, and peace.
- Please pray for Rita's 2 week old great niece who has been in hospital (PICU) with RSV since Wednesday.
- Pray for Kris's husband Terry as he searches for a new career opportunity. Pray for all upcoming job openings and interviews.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends! I hope y'all had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend.
I have a big morning today because I'm taking Shelley to the doctor. We think she has a bad ear infection, and I don't want her driving because she's a little dizzy. Then I have to run her home and go back to the hospital because I have my first physical therapy session today!
I'm very intrigued about this week's lesson entitled "Feeling Like a Phony." I haven't read it yet, but it's interesting that just last week I was talking about "imposter syndrome" with a friend.
Prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Dear Friends!
How did the week go for y'all? Did you struggle with the Mary/Martha dichotomy?
I must say that although we've been busy this week, I have been able to spend a lot of time in God's Word, which has been nice. Christmas will be special this year, although simpler.
Let's take a look at this week's prompt:
Write about how you identify with Martha. Do you ever crave recognition? How do you feel when you don't get the recognition you think you deserve?
I think recognition was much more important to me when I was younger. I think this is true when I first started blogging, too, and social media never helped.
In the past, I always felt slighted when I didn't receive the recognition I thought I deserved, whether it was at home, work, or in organizations. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be, thank goodness!
What about you?
Prayer requests or praises?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
This week I'll be trading out many of our houseplants for Poinsettias. We will also look for other fresh greenery as well.
This year we intend to keep our Christmas decor and celebrations simpler than previous years.
Happy Monday, Sweet Friends! I hope all of you had a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving.
This week's focus is all about the sisterly dynamics of Mary and Martha. Appropriate timing, isn't it, as it's the first week of Advent and the beginning of the Christmas season.
Let's try not to be a distracted Martha this week!
Prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
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