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Happy Friday, My Lovelies!  I hope you are having a blessed week, and that you have been able to drink something hot and spend a few moments reading God's word.

In today's Literary Friday post, I'm sharing Beth Moore's Walking With God:  A Five-Week Journey In Step With the Savior.   

Y'all, I must disclose that I am a huge fan of Beth Moore's Bible studies.  In fact, my very favorite Bible study of all time is her "A Heart Like His: Intimate Reflections on the Life of David."  It has been many years since I participated in the study with a small group at my church, but I still remember it vividly.  I love Beth's writing and teaching style: She truly has a gift for sharing God's word thematically.

I was thrilled when TLC Book Tours asked me to be apart of the team introducing and sharing Beth's new study.  

About Walking With God: A Five-Week Journey in Step with the Savior

Publisher: Tyndale Momentum

Publication date: January 13, 2026

Print length: 256 pages

What does it really mean to walk with God–not just for a season, but for a lifetime? No two people in Scripture walked with God identically, and the same is true for all of us. Sometimes, a stretch of miles when God seems gloriously obvious can be followed by months of wondering where he’s gone. God has his own objectives for each season of our walks, and some of them will remain a mystery until we see his face.

Join New York Times bestselling author of All My Knotted-Up Life, Beth Moore, as she leads you on a five-week journey through Scripture to explore what walking with God looked like throughout the Biblical storyline:

  • the Beginning of Walking (Genesis)
  • the Law of Walking (Books of the Law)
  • the Heart of Walking (Psalms and Books of Poetry)
  • the Discipleship of Walking (Gospels)
  • the Spirit of Walking (Epistles)

Filled with Scripture-rich teaching, thought-provoking questions, practical application, and insightful personal reflections from Beth gleaned from a lifetime of walking with God, every page of this Bible study was designed to spark an awareness of God’s presence in your daily life.

Whether you’re just beginning your faith journey or have been walking with God for decades, this study will teach you to walk nearer and more attentively with God every day.

My Impressions:

I read several of the lessons in this book, and I love how it's organized.   You can see from the bullet points (above) the themes for all five weeks.  Each week has five lessons, and Beth draws scripture from other sections of the Bible to support each day's theme.  Her questions are not only thought-provoking, they are encouraging.  Beth Moore is an encourager, and if you don't feel encouraged after a Beth Moore study, then you just didn't pay attention.  I love how at the end of each week's study are pretty graphics that serve as a "Recordkeeper for Your Walk."  Another helpful feature is that all the questions and written activities in the book have plenty of room for your thoughts and answers.  It annoys me when studies don't have the appropriate amount of space to write.  There are even interviews scattered throughout the study the reader can access via QR codes.  One is with Cece Winans, one of my favorite Christian singers.

If your Secret Sister, small group, Sunday School class, or other group is looking for a Bible study to start this winter or spring, why not check this one out?  I do tend to get more out of Beth Moore's Bible Studies with a group because the discussion is always top-tier.  NOTE: Her streaming video sessions for this study are sold separately.  

I hope I can talk my book club group at church into doing this study.  Ours are usually six weeks, so this one is the right length.  If not, I will do it on my own this spring.




DISCLOSURE:  I received a copy of Walking With God from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill




Literary Friday: Beth Moore's Walking With God

Friday, January 30, 2026

 


Happy Tuesday, My Lovelies!  I hope you are staying warm wherever you are.  We were fortunate here in Central Alabama to escape the ice and snow, however it is bitterly cold: we aren't accustomed to low temperatures in the teens!  

I want to first of all thank y'all for your kind cards, emails, text messages, and phone calls.  My mother truly suffered this past year, and I am thankful that her struggles are over, and that she's home with God.  The flowers above were from my cousin Lori.  I was able to separate them into about four arrangements, and this one is the largest of them.

Before my mother became ill last March, we had begun the process of renovating our home.  We have had several starts and stops, primarily because of my mother's declining health.  Currently, the only room in our home that isn't one hot mess is our library.  At one time it was a guest bedroom, and then it was Shelley's high school classroom.  Please join me in our library for a simple afternoon tea party.  But before we begin, I'd like to thank my friend Rita for hosting these blog hop parties.



Thank-you, Rita, for hosting!  You do such a lovely job keeping us organized and on task!



Welcome to our library!  I will share more about this project in a later post (there are three more projects that need to be completed first).  But for now, I'm enjoying this refuge in the midst of our chaos.  I want to disclose that I can't access much right now because almost everything from our kitchen is stored in giant bins.  I was actually lucky that I had the tea set sitting on our dining room table.



This is the only teapot I can currently find.  It's part of the High Tea Set from MacKenzie-Childs.






I put up the little lighted before Christmas.  I decided to keep it up through Valentine's Day because the ornaments are heart-shaped.



On the menu are strawberry petit fours and cheese straws from Edgar's Bakery and hot tea (Paris blend by Harney & Sons).

I can do very limited things in the kitchen now with a kettle, microwave, and toaster.  That's about it!


Resources:

Buttoned Heart-shaped placemats:  Kohl's
Napkins and heart-shaped ornaments:  Anthropologie
All pottery:  MacKenzie-Childs
Lighted Christmas tree:  Terrain 
Beeswax taper candles:  S. Flynn Home





Please visit all the blogs participating in today's hop.  If you're linking in order, Patti's blog, Pandora's Box, is next.  

Home Is Where the Boat Is - Heartfelt Table with Snowmen & Cardinals
Everyday Living - Forever Is Long Enough
Celebrating Everyday Life - An Italian-Inspired Valentine for Two
My Thrift Store Addiction - Ivy and Roses Valentine Table for Two
Thrifting Wonderland - Valentine's Day: From the Heart
Corner of Plaid and Paisley - Cottage Rose Valentine's Table
The Bookish Dilettante - Valentine's Tea in the Library
Pandora's Box - Lunch With My Valentine




Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill



Valentine's Tea in the Library

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

 











Happy Tuesday AND December, My Lovelies!  Today I'm joining Sweet Rita from the Panoply Blog and a few other stylist to share Christmas tablescapes.


Thank-you, Rita, for hosting our tablescape blog hop parties.  

Mine is very simple.  It's a miracle I was able to pull anything off, y'all.  I am grieving for my friend Jenna's passing.  My best friend is fighting cancer, and after a stint in the hospital last week, they moved her to the same facility, the same hallway, only two doors down from where Jenna was living.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  Plus our dog Finlay had to have eye surgery a few weeks ago, and he can't be left alone.  It has been a struggle to schedule someone at home with him at all times since the beginning of October.  Plus my mom is declining rapidly, and to top it all off: we are going through a major renovation of four rooms in our home.  

This is not an excuse for why my table is so simple this year....it's an explanation.  I'm just trying to keep it real.  But I am pleased with the table because even though it's simple, I think it's pretty.  Also, I think it's important to find your joy in the midst of sadness and upheaval.  

Because I've had very little free time, I am using mostly things I've had.  The tablecloth, however, is brand new.  I bought it to go with the napkins I purchased last year.  Each corner has evergreen trees on it:





I also like the ruffled edge on the tablecloth.



Mustang Sally photo bomb



Finlay photo bomb
The evergreen theme is continued on the Welsh dresser with the Anthropologie tea set.




The plate stacks are simple:  Williams-Sonoma evergreen salad plates on MacKenzie-Childs flat dinner plates.


The napkins match the tablecloth.



I'm a little disappointed that my roses didn't open up a little more because usually this variety opens up nicely.






I also like the color of the polka dots on the tablecloth and napkins.


Resources:

Tree-shaped plate (new), dinner plates, candlesticks, and vase:  MacKenzie-Childs
Table linens and green lowball tumblers:  Green Row
Salad plates:  Williams-Sonoma
Water glasses:  Horchow
Candle bobeches and napkin rings:  Leaf 'n Petal
Tea set:  Anthropologie


Please use the links below and visit the other blog hop party participants.  

Home is Where the Boat Is - Cardinal Christmas with Plaid and Checks
Hyacinths for the Soul - Cozy, Comfy Christmas
Belle Bleu Interiors - Christmas Traditions
Red Cottage Chronicles - Ralph Lauren Inspired Tablescape
The Little Yellow Corner Store - A Pretty Poinsettia Tablescape
Corner of Plaid and Paisley - Oh, Come All Ye Plaid Lovers
The Bookish Dilettante - Simple Evergreen Christmas Tablescape







Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill


Simple Evergreen Christmas Tablescape

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

 

Hello, My Lovelies!  It is with deep sadness that I write today's Tales of the Traveling Tote post.  




Our beloved Jenna Meon from The Painted Apron blog has passed away.  She was a very sweet friend to me and a fellow artist.  I was fortunate to know her not only virtually, but in real life.  I enjoyed getting to know her, and I am missing her so much.  



Jenna, Emily from The French Hutch Blog, and I enjoyed getting together and do the "ladies who lunch" thing.

The top photo is at the carousel at the Galleria.  

The Christmas tree at the  Grand Bohemian has our totes nestled underneath

The last photo is a picture of Jenna and Emily in Jenna's backyard.


This is a photo of my mug at Jenna's house.  I took it for the "Where in the world is...." post that we Traveling Totes ladies shared in 2019.  Emily and I traveled to Jenna's house!



These are a few of Jenna's colored pencils and alcohol markers that I took at her house.


Here are three things that I want you to know about Jenna:

1.   She was kind, and she was an encourager.  Jenna was very thoughtful, and she liked to share.  She cared and listened to me during trying times.  I also loved how she encouraged me in my pursuit of art.

2.   She was a gifted artist.  Not only did Jenna and I have collecting MacKenzie-Childs in common, we also had art in common.  I will miss her Fearless Friday art posts, and it's fitting that her last post on October 17 was a Fearless Friday post.... and it was about wine!

3.   She had a wicked sense of humor.  She made me laugh, and this year especially as I've faced challenges with caring for my mother.  She always wanted the "tea" when I visited her, and her commentary was always laugh-out-loud funny.

The last time I saw Jenna was in September, and I was telling her all about my art teacher's opening reception for her show at the Canary Gallery in downtown Birmingham.  This was probably our last conversation, actually.  Jenna would probably want me to share it with y'all because she was always all about sharing art.










My sweet and beautiful art teacher Dori

The opening reception was a huge success, and there were lots of people in attendance.  The gallery also sold several of Dori's paintings.  Dori also taught a creativity workshop at the gallery in October in conjunction with her exhibition.  I attended it with a friend of mine, and we had so much fun!

I know that Jenna would roll her eyes at this post (except for the part about Dori's opening reception).  She would tell me to stop it and go make some art.

And I will do that today in honor of Jenna.

Please make sure you visit the other blogs in today's hop and enter our giveaway.


Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box  

Rita with Miss Luna C Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Bookish Dilettante  









Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill


Tales of the Traveling Tote: In Memoriam

Monday, December 1, 2025

 


Happy Wednesday, My Lovelies!  Are you excited about Thanksgiving tomorrow?  I know I am!  I'm looking forward to delicious food and spending time with my husband and daughter.  We might even watch a little football, too!

Today I am sharing in my What I'm Reading Wednesday post Bringing Heaven Here: How the Lord's Prayer Can Change Your Life and Our World by Brad Gray and Brad Nelson.  

About Bringing Heaven Here: How the Lord’s Prayer Can Change Your Life and Our World

• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 25, 2025)
• Hardcover: 237 pages

From the creators of the global television series The Sacred Thread comes a transformative exploration of how the Lord’s Prayer unlocks the power of God to guide, heal, and renew our lives and the world around us.

The Lord’s Prayer is the most iconic and widely spoken prayer in human history. It’s not only a sacred prayer, but the very essence of the Bible’s message—showing us who God is, why Jesus came, and how we fit into the unfolding story of God’s redemption. Yet, familiarity often dulls the power of this profound prayer, leaving its deep meaning untapped and unlived.

Every single phrase of the Lord’s Prayer is loaded with revolutionary significance for Jesus’ original audience—and for us. In this book, Brad Gray and Brad Nelson draw on decades of research to unpack these words in their original historical and cultural context, revealing the bold truths that can still shake our lives today.

You’ll discover how to:

  • partner with Jesus in bringing heaven here by aligning your daily actions and influence with His kingdom and will.
  • gain wisdom to mend broken relationships and stand against the forces of evil.
  • understand what Jesus’ words meant to his original audience.
  • gain confidence and peace from bearing God’s name, goodness, and glory to the world.
  • experience each moment as holy—as an opportunity for the life of heaven to be a part of your life now.

We are called to actively participate in Jesus’ mission to restore all things, bringing the abundance of heaven to earth. Bringing Heaven Here will unveil the hidden truths and untapped power of the world’s most famous prayer—and show how it applies to your life today. Discover how to stay rooted in Him, embrace the purpose He has for you, and let the Lord’s Prayer guide you into a life of true transformation.

My Impressions So Far

I can read fairly quickly, y'all.  And although I've read a big chunk of this book, the rereads are slowing me down.  There is so much information about this prayer (especially the historical/contextual tidbits) that I find myself rereading entire chapters!  One thing I never knew is that Jesus may have shaped the Lord's Prayer from the Kaddish, which is the mourner's prayer.  After reading the Kaddish, I can certainly see how Jesus might have used the framework of the prayer and transformed it into a prayer about how "God's kingdom works intself out and into the lives of others through us" (p. 35).

First of all, I didn't think I would like reading this book because it is coauthored by two friends.  My perception was that each author would present his own interpretation and application to his life.  I was so wrong!  What the two Brads have done is take certain aspects of the prayer, line for line, and expound on them.  Let me give you an example.  For "in the heavens" (who art in heaven), Brad Gray discusses "The One Who Sits Above It All."  In the next chapter, Brad Nelson shares "The One Who Is Always Near."  

So far the chapter on forgiveness "Make Us People of Release" is my very favorite.  Forgiveness is so hard, but it is obviously a very large part of God's kingdom because Jesus taught us to pray about it, to not only ask for forgiveness from Our Father, but to forgive others who have wronged us and those we love.  I have read this chapter several times, and I probably need to read it often because it is so instructive.

If you want to learn more about The Lord's Prayer and enjoy reading about biblical history, I think you will love this book.  The history is presented in a straightforward way, and it is not a "dry read" at all.  The anecdotes both authors share from their own lives are interesting and engaging. It's a nice mix.

I also thought you might be interested in reading the authors' version of the Lord's Prayer below.

Our Father in the heavens,
holy be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever.  Amen.


Disclosure:  I received a hardback copy of Bringing Heaven Here: How the Lord's Prayer Can Change Your Life and Our World from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.




TLC review tour:

Monday, November 24thDiary of a Stay at Home Mom

Wednesday, November 26thThe Bookish Dilettante

Monday, December 1st@dana.loves.books

Wednesday, December 3rd@deannaturnsthepage

Thursday, December 4th@gigithebibliophile

Friday, December 5th@oilycaffeinatedmama

Monday, December 8th@teaandbookstoo and Reading, Writing, and Pondering

Wednesday, December 10th@the.joy.within.every.page

Friday, December 12th@suzylew_bookreview 

Monday, December 15th@beckys_bookshelves

Friday, December 19th@lovemybooks2020




Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill
 



What I'm Reading Wednesday: Bringing Heaven Here

Wednesday, November 26, 2025


Hello, Lovelies!

I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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