Week One
Happy New Year, Friends!
How is your New Year going so far? We always stay in on New Year's Eve. We live in a community with lots of families, and the fireworks are a nonstop thing from about 7:30 until past midnight. It drives our dogs a little bit mad, but the kids enjoy them.
On New Year's Day, we always have collard greens and black eyed peas for luck. It's a Southern thing! But I cheated this year, went to Publix, and bought cans of both.
I'm tired, y'all! Hosting the holidays isn't for sissies.
I hope y'all had a chance to read the introduction and lesson one of Peace with the Psalms. The introduction states:
Our goal in this book is to help you appropriate the peace of God by leading you in meditating on the truths found throughout the book of Psalms.page 4
I must say that I love the imagery in the 23rd Psalm. As Christians, we've read it a thousand times, yet something from the lesson was a new thought for me. The part about where he "leads you along the right paths for his name's sake." Okay so I always got and accepted that God is leading us, and we are not wandering around like the Israelites in the desert. But the fact that there are paths already in place intimates that God has planned these paths for us, that they are there for us to join him on our walk if we're willing.
As an artist, I loved the way the lesson visually guided us through the Psalm. How did you feel at the end of the lesson? How was your breathing? I know I was much more calm, and I read it at least three times this week, and I plan on reading it again this afternoon.
Thoughts?
By the way, I purchased and downloaded the Abide Christian Meditation app. I haven't had a chance to play with it much, but I will let you know what I think after a couple of weeks. Do any of you have the app?
Here is the scripture from the lesson.
- Please pray for Kitty’s son, Mike, who is excited about working on his own idea. Pray for Kitty that she can be supportive and encouraging to him as he shares his ideas and developments with her. He is such a good guy and needs something wonderful to happen in his life.
- Pray for Rita's daughter Megan as she finishes her masters program this semester. Pray that she will stay healthy, and that she will manage her time well for work/school/life balance.
- Pray for my best friend Barbara who is battling cancer.
- Carla's prayer request is for all the young people entering the military, the love they feel for the USA to become warriors to fight to keep us free. Let's especially lift up our National Guard as they are deployed both here at home and abroad.
- Pray for my mother. She is bouncing back a little physically, but she is only eating desserts. She's being difficult. UPDATE: She's in the hospital with pneumonia.
- 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.
- Kitty's younger brother is having health issues. Please lift him up in prayer.
- Continue to pray for Kris's husband Terry.
- Rita's HS Friend Pam needs us to start banking-up prayers now. Her oncology and reconstructive team of two surgeons will perform an estimated 12 hr surgery Jan 5 to remove at least half of her tongue (tongue cancer) and, minimally, lymph nodes on her right side of her neck. She will have skin grafts taken from her forearm and thigh to reconstruct. She's expected to be in the hospital a minimum of 10 days. It's a long road ahead for her.
I must have used this graphic for a lesson we had during the spring.
Our skies have been this blue the past week here in Central Alabama, but we're expecting lots of rain today.
I need lots of coffee this morning because I have an early hair appointment, and then I need to take down our Christmas tree today.
What are your weekend plans?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! We are expecting a snow day today. It's dark, and I can't really tell what's going on weather-wise this morning. I hope we have a cold rain and everything clears-up soon!
What did you think about our first week of study? This week seemed to be a bit of an overview, and Week One focused on building your nest with six Nest-Building Tips. I hope I can explore all six over the course of the year, but my main focus will be Number 1: Spend Time in Nature. Speaking of nature, I enjoyed reading about bald eagles and how they continually build and enlarge their nests.
This week I can't help but think about all the people in Southern California who have lost their "nests" due to the crazy fires and disastrous response to the fires. It breaks my heart! I have also been thinking about the Hurricane Helene victims in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina, as well as the fire victims in Maui. (I've also been thinking about Carla's friends in Florida. See prayer requests, below.) I cannot imagine losing everything; these people have to be so courageous to even begin to start over again by rebuilding or, if they can afford it, relocate. Anyway, my heart and head have been pondering these people. Will you join me in praying for these areas and the affected people?
Did you do anything to feed your soul this week? I finished taking down Christmas decor, and the last thing I did was take down the Christmas tree with Shelley's help on Wednesday. Everything seems so sparse and clean; there is literally nothing on our breakfast room table. It's almost like having a clean slate for a new year, and that feeds my soul. I also started a small group study at church yesterday, but unfortunately my book hasn't come in yet. I ordered it from a local, independent book store, and it should've been in at least a week or two ago. I felt badly going to class unprepared, but I enjoyed class, and I think it's going to be a lovely study.
What are your thoughts about this lesson? Is there a particular Nest-Building Tip to Create a Soulfull Life that calls to you?
Here is this week's scripture:
Prayer Requests
- Pray for our military and military families, and the Wisconsin National Guard deployed in Iraq.
- Please pray travel mercies for Shelley as she's traveling in Louisiana visiting her cousins and aunt.
- Pray for Kitty's son Mike to get a job that uses his talents.
- Pray for a peaceful and smooth transition of power between now and January 20, 2025.
- Thank-you for praying for my surgeries. I am doing very well! My post-op appointment is Monday.
- Carla asks that you pray for her Florida friends that lost so much during the hurricane and are still cleaning up and rebuilding... sadly they miscarried December 11th. They are devastated. They do have the blessing of family, friends and their sweet little girl who is 1 1/2 years old to help them during this time. I thank our prayer warriors to lift them up in prayer as well. Thank You!
- URGENT: There has been a shooting in a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin. Please be in prayer for the victims, their families, and the school community. UPDATE: Carla's friend Elena's son attends the school that the shooting happened. They were reunited later that day.
- URGENT: Pray for the victims and their families of the terrorist attack in New Orleans. Pray that the enemies' plans for future attacks will be thwarted, and that God will help Patriot law enforcement who want to protect our country and her citizens.
- URGENT: Pray for fire victims in Southern California.
- With all the terrible things in the news, let's pray for each other's hearts, too.
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Stay warm this weekend, friends!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! What have you been up to this week? I have been keeping very busy with chores. I also took a hula hoop class and went to my weekly art class. It's been a pretty good week!
What are you thinking about the devotional book so far? I am enjoying it so much, especially the prayers. My favorite this week was the one on page 10. What I got from it was that I need not to focus too much on troubles because that's when I miss the "beauty and the brightness of a day" and the blessings that come with it. I needed to read and pray that prayer, especially this week. I have flagged it. I've also included the scripture from this prayer below.
Do you have anything you'd like to share from this week's readings?
Prayer Requests:
- Please be in prayer for those recovering from the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
- 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. Christopher felt good about his interview! Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Please keep Rita's sister and youngest daughter in your prayers: big life changes about to happen.
- Be in prayer for Carla's Florida friends who lost 1/2 of their home. Today they received a forbearance on their mortgage payments until February 1st. PRAISE GOD!
- Let's pray that we are blessed by our Advent study.
Do you have any plans this weekend? We're going to a Fall Festival.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy First Monday in our Advent & Christmas Study, Friends!
I am so excited about beginning Advent early. We will be reading Sarah Young's Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas beginning this week until the end of December. What I love most about this book is that we will be praying quite a bit. I've already started marking with flags a couple of my favorites that I will probably pray multiple times. In Sarah's letter to us at the beginning of this devotional, she states that she often prays:
Jesus, help me relax in Your peace.p. 5
We all need to pray this daily and often. Our world is spiraling out of control, and our only hope for peace that surpasses all understanding is through staying in close relationship with Jesus.
Also on page 5, Sarah references Proverbs 3:5.
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I'm looking forward on Friday to sharing with you my favorite scripture and thoughts from pp. 1-21. I want you to share with us your favorite takeaways in comments, too.
Prayer Requests
- 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. He has an interview this week! Please pray that God's will be done for their job opportunities.
- Please keep Rita's sister and youngest daughter in your prayers: big life changes about to happen.
- Be in prayer for Carla's Florida friends who lost 1/2 of their home. Today they received a forbearance on their mortgage payments until February 1st. PRAISE GOD!
- Pray for the folks in Florida who will be impacted by Hurricane Milton later this week.
- Let's pray that we are blessed by our Advent study.
With all the Halloween surrounding me both at home and in the community, I'm trying to get in the Christmas spirit for our study.
Our local coffee shop is already serving Christmas drinks, and I had an iced pecan latte with cookie dough cold brew. It was delicious!
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope you've started our new devotional: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I read the introduction and Devotion One. I can't tell you how happy I am to start this study: I think it will be life-changing for all of us. I'm so excited!
I also downloaded the freebies from Ann's website, and I went to Kinko's and printed everything out on cardstock and high quality paper.
I have a binder for the originals and the pink one is for the Daily Gifts handouts. I doubt I'll fill out the Daily Gifts each day, but I hope to do it at least two or three times weekly.
I love the idea of the gift jar, too.
I decided to use a crate I made a few years ago instead of a jar because I don't have an empty jar. All my jars are filled with art supplies, like oil paint mediums, etc.
I have tiny little file folders for each month. August is ready!
I placed the little slips of paper in a yogurt pot.
I'm also looking forward to filling out the one thousand gifts numbered list in the back of the devotional. :D Have you started your list yet?
This week Ann shared a "surprising grace" in the devotion. Can you share an instance when you were expecting one outcome only to have God completely surprise you with His grace?
The lesson also touches upon how thanking God is a sacrifice (not just the literal levitical sacrifice), especially under certain circumstances. This is illustrated in this verse:
Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High.~Psalm 50:14
There are several biblical references in the devotion, and here is one of them:
One gift I cherish is the honor to pray with y'all. Here are this week's Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for Kitty's DIL that she will want to participate in family events. Let's not give up! Let's bombard God with prayers that He'll turn her heart!
- From Rita: Friends, please pray for my daughter's personal marriage/family situation. She needs strength, wisdom and encouragement for her stressful situation. Thank you.
- I have a praise: All my health test results are fantastic! God is so good. Also, please pray for travel mercies for Trip and me as we're going to New Orleans today for the weekend.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends!
Y'all!!! I am so looking forward to One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. This one will take us almost through September of 2024 since there are sixty reflections rather than fifty-two. I have looked ahead in the book, and if you haven't already, I suggest you do the same. There are lines for writing in it, and a journal in the back for counting 1,000 Ways God Loves You!
Can you believe that this is the beginning of our fourth year studying God's word and praying together?
Also, using THIS LINK, you can receive:
- “How to Always Find Joy” Frameable
- a Daily Joy Map & Planner
- a Family Gratitude Gift Jar
- a 12 Month Joy Calendar
- a Daily Joy Compass
FOR FREE! :D
I will try to download all the goodies by Friday so I can begin to play with them.
This week's study is entitled "Choosing Grace."
His secret purpose framed from the very beginning [is] to bring us to our full glory.1 Corinthians 2:7 (NEB)
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for Kitty's DIL that she will want to participate in family events. Let's not give up! Let's bombard God with prayers that He'll turn her heart!
- Pray for Kris's daughter's pregnancy and grandbaby. Both are doing so well!
- We have a request and praise from Carla, and it's an exciting one: The 157th and Sam are back in the states!!! They have to take sometime to quarantine. Then back to Wisconsin!!! :-) Please pray for the reunion with family and back to civilian life can go well for all the soldiers and family.
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Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Friday, Friends! How has your week been so far? Mine has been busy with appointments and (more) repairmen.
I enjoyed the first lesson, "Too Much To Do." I was thinking at first that I might not be able to relate to it because I have been forced to clear my schedule the past several months. I can relate to unplugging from the internet and social media, though.
I'm anxious to read what y'all learned from this lesson, and if you've delegated or delated tasks/events from your calendar.
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise...~Ephesians 5:15
Prayer requests?
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Happy Monday, Friends! Are y'all excited about our new Bible Study? I know I am! I've only read the foreword and introduction so far, and I am looking forward to beginning the first section: "The Inner Journey." I love the whole premise of the book, how our journey is not meant to be a lonely one.
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Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
This photo was shared by Richard, Citizen Journalist, and it was taken in Colorado. I think the flowers are cheerful!
Happy Friday, Friends! I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts about this week's prompt:
What does happiness mean to you? What words, feelings, or images come to mind when you think about being happy?
I admit that Week One was not as easy as I had anticipated due to unforeseen circumstances....
....like car trouble.
While at the car dealership, I struck up a conversation with a psychiatrist who practices at one of our local hospitals. I asked her if she was seeing more patients due to COVID, and she replied that she was, and she explained that her workload would be less if her patients would get off social media and not watch the news. I laughed, and I asked her if she was on social media. She said that she does not have a social media account, and she rarely watches the news. She said that she lives in her own little "bubble of bliss," and it's a healthy and happy place to be.
I got a free session at the dealership! ;P
"Choice" is the first word that comes to mind when I think about being happy. When I choose to focus on the wonderful times I've had with family and friends, I'm choosing happiness. Studying scripture brings me joy, and my days are happier when I choose to start my day with Bible study. Finally, choosing to serve others leads to happiness. Some of you have shared your community service projects with me, and your enthusiastic joy is contagious. You inspire me!
Isn't it great that we have a savior who cares about our happiness!
(The Voice)
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
Ricki Jill
Abbott Handerson Thayer
Angel
1887
oil on canvas
36" X 28"
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of John Gellatly, 1929
And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."Luke 2:10-11 (RSV)
Happy August, Friends! I have been so excited all weekend about our new adventure in Bible journaling. I'd like to thank Carla for helping me think of another title and tagline for the blog.
I love how our journey begins, with CHRISTMAS! :D Our prompt for this week is "what does happiness mean to you." I look forward to reading everyone's comments today as we begin, and Friday when we come back and share what we've learned.
Please leave prayer requests in the Comments Section below, and remember to check during the week so we can pray together.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
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