JOYFUL + RISING NEWSLETTER #57
MARCH 3, 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: BIG SOURDOUGH UPDATE!!!
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.
I know this newsletter is a tad later than normal, and I apologize! We had a busy week despite not having many appointments, and before I blinked, it was Sunday! I’m just now sitting down to type this out for you guys at 8:55 PM on Sunday - certainly not my usual routine! Thank you for your patience, and I hope this newsletter can bring you some joy as you start your week.
Heavenly Father,
We come before you with hearts full of gratitude for your endless mercy and grace. There are so many things demanding our attention, Lord, but right now, help us to commit this time to focus on you. It is tempting to let our minds run wild with the expectations for this new week ahead. But help us to slow down for just a moment and enjoy the peace that we are invited to experience in your present.
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
Peace that Surpasses Understanding | Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7, NASB
Since I was short on time this week, I wanted to allow you guys some simple reflection time on these verses with a few questions. Feel free to write your answers down in a journal or just spend some time in quiet reflection with them.
Read through all of Philippians. It’s a short book - only 4 chapters. Then read the focal verses (6 and 7) again.
How does the context of the entirety of the letter of Philippians change or broaden your understanding of these verses? Go back and look at chapter 1 verses 12-18 if you need a refresher on when Paul was writing this.
In Philippians 4:4, Paul reminds believers to rejoice in the Lord always. He follows this command with the call to prayer and thanksgiving in verses 6-7. Paul is very intentional with his writing style. Why is this reminder of where our joy is rooted essential to understanding verses 6-7?
What circumstances in your life right now feel uncertain, frightening, or challenging? Contrast these with things you know to be true about God and His character - flip back through Philippians and see all of the ways Paul refers to God.
Presenting our requests to God may not change our circumstances immediately (they may not even change at all or for many years to come). However, our perspectives can change. How does consideration of the entire letter of Philippians (and a better understanding of these focal verses from chapter 4) change your perspective and response to the challenging circumstances you are facing?
RECENT FAITH-BASED BLOG POSTS AND PODCASTS
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
Last 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
Being totally transparent, I’m not sure what’s coming up on the blog this week just yet! I have some writing to do tomorrow morning and throughout the rest of the week. But stay tuned! At least one blog post will be posted this week, and I’ll keep you updated as we go along.
RECIPES WE ARE LOVING LATELY
You guys…it happened! My sourdough starter FINALLY took off! I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to finally wake up one morning and see that the starter had gotten a good rise throughout the night! I have my first batch of sandwich dough resting right now so that I can bake with it tomorrow, and I can’t wait to share with you guys all of the fun recipes we try.
If you are new to the sourdough journey, let me share with you a few things that really helped me in this process:
START SMALL: start in a very small mason jar and use small amounts of flour and water at a time. It will be so much easier to deal with discard as you go along. I was most successful with a 1:1:1 ratio. This means, I started with just 25g of flour and 25g of room temperature filtered water. Then, each day, I made sure I had 25g of starter, 25g of water, and 25g of flour. It took almost 3 weeks of this daily feeding and discarding routine for me to get that first good rise.
WATER: be careful using water straight from the faucet. It may have chlorine in it. I put water in a bottle from the fridge and let it sit overnight before I use it.
FLOUR: I have had success with both unbleached bread flour and whole wheat flour. I tried mixing them a few times along the way, but had the most success when I just stuck with one type of flour in the jar. My whole wheat flour starter rose first, but my bread flour starter rose the very next day.
TEMPERATURE: we keep our house pretty cold (68deg year round), which is probably why my starter was a tad slower to get going. However, you do NOT have to have a super warm house to be successful with sourdough. It WILL acclimate. It just might take longer. On colder days (and sometimes for the first few hours after a feeding just in general), I put my starter in the oven with just the oven light on. Be careful, though! This can heat up the starter too much if you leave it in too long. I only leave it in for a couple of hours.
PATIENCE AND CONSISTENCY: these were the two biggest things I had to work on. Every tutorial I saw talked about having a starter ready in 7 days, so when I didn’t see any rise in those 7 days, I panicked and assumed I was doing something wrong. The only things I needed to work on were being more patient and feeding my starter consistently every day with the same ratio and method. Like I said, it took almost 3 weeks (3x the advertised time frame!) for my starter to be ready for baking!
So, now the question is…what do we name the sourdough starter?! A lot of people choose super sassy and cute names for their sourdough. I have two now, and I have no idea what to name them! What do y’all think?
Here’s the recipe I’m using for the sandwich bread this week!
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
Specific Ramos Family Prayer Requests
Improved tolerance to medications - she hasn’t been tolerating her morning medications well through her G-tube the last several days, and we aren’t sure why
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
Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for helping to make my dreams of being a writer become a reality. Every post you read, every newsletter you open plays a significant role in this journey of mine as a writer. So, THANK YOU. I hope you have a fantastic week!
Many times, people ask how they can support this journey beyond reading and subscribing. One of the biggest ways you can help to support the growth of this blog is to share, share, share! Did you know that if you refer friends, I have a tiered reward system for gaining access to the paid blog posts?
If 5 people you refer subscribe to this blog, you’ll be compensated with 1 month of access to the paid blog posts
If 10 people you refer subscribe to this blog, you’ll be compensated with 3 months of access to the paid blog posts
If 25 people you refer subscribe to this blog, you’ll be compensated with 6 months of access to the paid blog posts
The more you share, the more this community grows! The more this community grows, the more we can share perspectives of medical motherhood through a Christian lens, and that just warms my heart. Thank you for the gift of your support and presence!