JOYFUL + RISING NEWSLETTER #56
FEBRUARY 25, 2024
WHAT’S INSIDE THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER:
Introduction and Prayer
Weekly Devotional: Living a Life of Worship
Coming Up on the Blog
Recipes We are Loving Lately
Family Update and Prayer Requests
Good evening, my friend!
I hope this letter finds you well. If this is your first time receiving a Joyful + Rising Newsletter, WELCOME! It is an honor to have you here in this community. Your support and love are much appreciated.
How was everybody’s week? We enjoyed a very long weekend as a family, and then stepped right back into a busy week of appointments for Marsaili. Down here in Georgia, the weather has been lovely (for the most part). Despite some windy days and a few chilly ones, we are starting to feel spring in the air! This is always something that warms our hearts and lifts our spirits. No matter how your week turned out, I hope this newsletter can lift your spirits, too.
Thank you for the time you commit here every week. I hope the 10-15 minutes we spend together with this newsletter will bring you some joy before you start a new week. Thank you so much for being here.
Heavenly Father,
We come before you with hearts full of gratitude for your endless mercy and grace. In the midst of our daily struggles, we come to you with humble hearts. It is so tempting for us to forget the many blessing You have given us when we are deep in our anxiety and our grief. Pull us from the depths of these waters, God, and remind us of just how good and faithful You truly are, regardless of our circumstances.
No matter what we are facing, You deserve our very best in all that we do. You deserve to be honored with our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Forgive us for the times in which we fall short here. Forgive us for allowing bitterness to consume us and to cloud our vision. Help us to find peace through Your Son, Jesus.
May our lives be a reflection of the grace You have offered us. May we bring You glory in everything that we do. Guide us in our worship today and always.
Amen.
JOYFUL + RISING WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL
Living a Life of Worship | Malachi 1; Colossians 3:15-17
“Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus”
Colossians 3:15-17, NASB
*If you haven’t read the chapter in Malachi yet, go ahead and do that, and then re-read the verses above from Colossians.
Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, and the last of the minor prophet books. This book addresses the state of the Israelites after their return from Babylonian exile. At the time that Malachi was written, the Israelites had already been back in the Promised Land for more than 100 years. The temple had been rebuilt, and the Israelites even had the freedom to worship God under Persian rule. This was something they had not been able to do in a very long time.
Despite these blessings, the Israelites became apathetic in their worship. The priests brought defiled animals for their sacrifices, something the Levitical Law clearly prohibited. Despite God’s unrelenting faithfulness, the Israelites became bitter. Though they would have given their governor their best offerings, they gave God the bare minimum in their worship. Their worship was irreverent, callous, and dishonorable.
Ironically, the Israelites questioned God’s love for them. Instead of seeing God’s faithfulness and provision, they perceived that He was absent. Their idea of what restoration “should have been” was not the reality. Blinded by their own limited perspectives, they denied God’s goodness, and this was reflected in their lousy worship.
If you’ve been paying attention to the trends occurring in the modern American church lately, I’m sure a lot of this feels familiar. The church we see today reflects many of these issues: Pastors prioritize entertainment over the teachings of the Gospel. They use the pulpit to deliver messages that are lacking in Biblical truth and are, instead, dripping with their own biases. The parallels are evident, forcing us to ask this question: has humanity truly changed?
However, we would do ourselves a great disservice here if we focused solely on how this passage is relevant to the church and failed to reflect inwardly. These parallels we see apply to our personal worship as well. It’s easier that way - to reflect outwardly rather than inwardly. To see the flaws of other people and how they are falling short while we fail to see the ways in which we need to repent, too, but we must do the inward work.
The reality is, worship isn’t just about what happens on Sunday mornings. Worship is about our day-to-day lives. It’s about honoring God in all that we do by bringing Him our best. There will be seasons of struggle and hardship. There will be seasons of fatigue. God does not ask us to hide those struggles from Him. However, even in those seasons He deserves to receive the best of us. He deserves our gratitude and our praise.
In my own life, I feel that bitterness creeping in when I groan about the dishes in the sink that need to be washed. I feel that lack of gratitude taking over my spirit when my kid is prolonging his bedtime routine or when my husband and I are triggering each other because we are tired and overwhelmed. In so many areas of my life between Sunday afternoon and Saturday evening, I fail to bring my absolute best worship to God. That conviction is heavy, but it is a welcomed one.
Perhaps this conviction sits heavily with you, too. If that’s the case, don’t allow shame to lie to you and make you believe that redemption is impossible. I’m sure that the Israelites felt discouraged, maybe even hopeless at times, in those 400 years of silence between the words of Malachi and the coming of Jesus. But the story didn’t end there. Jesus did come. He did redeem us. We live in a post-resurrection world, a world in which Jesus reigns!
Even in periods of perceived silence or absence from God, we can praise Him when we reflect on the evidence we have for His goodness and His faithfulness. When we stop and take a moment to consider that evidence, we begin to see just how temporary our struggles are in comparison to the eternity we have been promised. It doesn’t make our struggles less painful or our concerns less valid. It just puts them into perspective, and it allows us to give God worship that isn’t dependent upon our feelings or circumstances.
God deserves our best. Every single day. In everything that we do. He deserves for us to honor Him and to live our lives as a reflection of His grace and mercy. When we are tempted to allow bitterness sink into our spirits because our circumstances are not ideal, we must find peace in the only place we can truly receive it: at the feet of Jesus.
RELATED POSTS:
If you’re wondering what events I’m referring to that have been occurring in the American church, these posts might interest you.
RELEVANT? OR IRREVERENT? THE DANGERS OF THE MODERN AMERICAN CHURCH
This blog post take a look at recent events in certain churches across the country, highlighting instances where pastors have displayed irreverence toward God's Word and teachings. It questions the necessity of making the Gospel more entertaining or relevant, emphasizing the importance of upholding the Truth of the Gospel and maintaining reverence for God. The post urges accountability and redemption within the American church, emphasizing the possibility of restoration through Jesus Christ.
PODCAST EPISODE: HE GETS US: THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE GOSPEL
This week, I sat down with a good friend of mine, John Richardson, to discuss the controversial viral advertisements of the “He Gets Us” Campaign. In this discussion, John and I address the good that we saw in the ads from Super Bowl Sunday, as well as some concerns we have (and that many others have) regarding the campaign as a whole.
This is a conversation meant to encourage unity, not division. It is one that we hope will encourage others to think critically about people and things that claim to represent Christ.
In an era in which the American church as a whole likely would do well to receive a letter from St. Paul, this campaign is merely a symptom to a much larger problem: Western “Christian” culture often doesn’t sound or act like Jesus.
Beyond this discussion, we hope that people will feel convicted to practice discernment and that above all else, this campaign would truly lead people to come to know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
On March 31, the first digital Bible study of the year will go out to paid subscribers. This Bible study will include some of the content we have studied about parenting over the last several weeks, but content will be much more in-depth. The digital devotional will include study pages, study questions, additional resources, and beautiful graphics throughout. It will be printable and formatted for a standard 8.5x11 page. Consider upgrading your subscription if you would like access to this and other digital devotionals throughout the year.
COMING UP ON THE BLOG THIS WEEK
There are two blogs already scheduled to post for this week! Be on the lookout for these in your inbox. Don’t forget to like, comment, and share!
Monday, February 26 at 8:30 PM
Thursday, February 29 at 8:30 PM
RECIPES WE ARE LOVING LATELY
The sourdough journey is still in the works! I’ve having a lot of problems getting it to rise, though. I’m thinking the cold weather hasn’t helped that lately, but I’ll send you guys some updates when we finally make progress. I did finally join a Sourdough for Beginners Facebook group, and found some great recommendations there. Stay tuned!
On the Menu this Week:
Steak Tacos/ Turkey Tacos
Frozen Pizza
Leftovers!
PRAYER REQUESTS FOR THE WEEK
World Prayer Requests
Safety, peace, protection, and provision for the one million Palestinian citizens who are currently trapped in Gaza without food, water, or shelter
Provision for the thousands of people, including children, who are in desperate need of medical care both in Gaza and Israel
Comfort for the families in Gaza and Israel who have lost beloved family members in this violent and rapidly escalating war
Wisdom, conviction, and compassion for leaders in Gaza and Israel and all over the globe - may they be led to find a path toward lasting peace and not toward more violence
Discernment for citizens all over the globe who are trying to make sense of this heart-wrenching crisis
Protection, safety, and justice for the millions of citizens who have lost homes, belongings, loved ones, and they livelihoods in the ongoing crisis in the Ukraine
Wisdom and peace as our country prepares to enter into a new presidential election cycle next year
Community Prayer Requests
Safety for all who are traveling during the holidays
Peace, comfort, and healing for Stephanie F. and family as Stephanie recovers from surgery for breast cancer
Protection and comfort for Shauna P.'s mother, Cheryl, who is currently experiencing heart failure; pray for wisdom for the doctors who are working hard to avoid having to place a defibrillator
Peace and smooth transitions for Rikki H.'s husband as he transitions into a new job
Strength and comfort for two anonymous friends who lost close friends recently to cancer
If you have a prayer request that you would like included in the newsletter, you can post it in the comments below. If you would like to submit an anonymous request, you can email me directly: joyfulandrising@gmail.com.
"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3, NASB
RAMOS FAMILY UPDATE
The Christmas tree came down today y’all. Finally. And the room feels a little empty, but the fresh start is appreciated. We also cleaned out one of our doom spaces today - the closet under the stairs. This space has been in need of a clean-out for well over a year now, and we finally got to it. What are your doom spaces in your home? How do you keep them tidy?
We originally had two appointments on the books for this past week, but Marsaili has been having some trouble keeping her morning medications down. We had to miss our neurology appointment, unfortunately, because she vomited that morning. She has sounded very congested the past several days, but we have thankfully avoided any fevers or hospital runs. She did have a good appointment with endocrinology this week, though, so we are grateful for that. This week, we are resting! It will be nice to have a week of no appointments before everything kicks back up again in March.
Even though my sourdough starter is struggling, some of our spring flowers are starting to bloom! We have hyacinths in pots that are just starting to show signs of coloring, and they are just gorgeous. We have some pinks and deep blues so far. I also planted strawberry and mint seeds this past week in some mason jars, so we’ll keep an eye on those! I’m hoping that by summer we can have a small garden growing. Do you have any favorite herbs or easy fruits and vegetables you like to grow in your home? Let me know in the comments!
As February draws to a close, we are quietly celebrating being home for an entire month after our month-long stay in January. Please continue to pray for us in this season. We are hopeful that one month can turn into many at home with both of our babies.
Specific Ramos Family Prayer Requests
Smooth delivery process for all of our mobility equipment and insurance approval
Improved seizure control for Marsaili in the weeks and months to come as we begin the weaning process of some of her medications after months on hold
Continued improvements to Marsaili’s respiratory status - we were able to do a few room air trials with her this week for a few hours at a time, but the progress with this is very slow due to residual inflammation in her airway
Health and good rest for all of us during this challenging winter season
Safe travels to doctors’ appointments and good reports
Successful implementation of home nursing, the Katie Beckett program, and intensive therapy sessions for occupational and physical therapy - in regards to home nursing, we FINALLY found a company that has some availability so please, please pray that they are willing to work with our insurance company!
Guidance and wisdom as we seek the Lord’s direction in all that we do
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