Ricki Jill

Happy Thursday, My Lovelies!

How is your week going? It has been a busy one for us, but Octobers are always our busiest month for whatever reason.

Today I'm sharing with you a new devotional by Christine Caine. I am working my way through it every morning.

About Whom Shall I Fear? 100 Devotions for Overcoming Fear and Living the Abundant Life

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication date: September 15, 2026

Learn to live to the life you are called to with the courage and joyful endurance that come from fully trusting in the God who fights for you.

What would you do if you woke up each day without fear? What wouldn’t you do? Today is the day to stop giving power to fear and start living the life you are called to.

Whom Shall I Fear? by bestselling author and internationally acclaimed speaker Christine Caine is your 100-day devotional journey to trade in your fears, overcome your doubts, and discover a life of courage and joyful endurance.

Christine Caine knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed by the path in front of you. But the God we serve reminds us hundreds of times in Scripture to fear not, and Christine wants you to know that you, too, can overcome your doubts and fears, and you can live in confidence in the God who fights for you.

Whatever you’re facing, and whatever you’re called to, you can live an overcoming, enduring life of joy and purpose. Discover how:

Your call to rest is more important than you think
Fighting the good fight starts with prayer
Worshipping in Spirit and truth helps you overcome
God’s joy is your strength, and He wants you to live a life of joy too

Whom Shall I Fear? is a perfect gift for anyone who is:

Seeking confidence and courage in God
Starting a new chapter in life
Working to overcome fears and doubts
Facing challenges
Needing to be infused with God’s strength, joy, and endurance

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? —Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

About the Author

Christine Caine is a New York Times bestselling author and an internationally acclaimed speaker whose message of hope and resilience has inspired millions. Along with her husband, Nick, she founded the A21 Campaign, a global nonprofit dedicated to combating human trafficking, and Propel Women, an initiative committed to activating women globally to fulfill their God-given purpose. Christine’s impactful work is also shared through her weekly podcasts, Equip and Empower and Life and Leadership with Propel Women. To learn more about Christine, visit www.christinecaine.com.

My Review

I quickly read through this 100-day devotional, and now I am working my way through it one lesson per day, and I'm loving it. I've only had it for a little over a month, so I've finished the first section "A Call to Rest" and I'm on Part 2 entitled "Fighting the Good Fight - With Prayer." So far I am truly appreciating and LOVING Part 2 because sometimes I struggle with prayer.

Did you know that there are 365 Bible verses telling us to NOT be afraid? That means that there is one for every single day of the year. God wants us to remember that he gave us a spirit of power and love, not fear. Fear is from the enemy. But seeing as how we have problems remembering God's intentions for us, we must be reminded. Daily.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
~2 Timothy 1:7

I am truly enjoying this devotional, and it's appropriate for everyone. With Christmas right around the corner, it would make a lovely gift or stocking stuffer.

This is an example of a lesson. It includes a scriptural reference, a lesson, and a short prayer at the end. It's the perfect start to your day with your morning coffee or tea.

Disclosure: I received a hardcover copy of Whom Shall I Fear? from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank-you so much!

TLC review tour schedule:

Tuesday, September 15th: @gallaghergirlreads

Thursday, September 17th: @kati.nicole02 on TikTok

Friday, September 18th: IG: @fullybookedinkentucky and TT: @fullybookedinky

Monday, September 21st: @readingintheheartland

Tuesday, September 22nd: @deannaturnsthepage

Wednesday, September 23rd: @teaandbookstoo and Reading, Writing, and Pondering

Thursday, September 24th: @danamarielovestoread

Friday, September 25th: Laura’s Reviews and @laurasreviews_1

Friday, September 25th: @kristens.reading.nook – feature

Tuesday, September 29th: @reading.withrach on TikTok

Wednesday, September 30th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Friday, October 2nd: View from the Birdhouse

Monday, October 5th: @books_old_and_new

Wednesday, October 7th: @beckys_bookshelves

Thursday, October 8th: The Bookish Dilettante

Tuesday, October 13th: @ink_drinker64 – feature

Thursday, October 15th: @nissa_the.bookworm

Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill

Devotional Review: Whom Shall I Fear?

Thursday, October 8, 2026

Happy October, My Lovelies! I hope you are enjoying lots of fall activities in your neighborhood. October is usually our busiest month of the year, and this year is typical.

Today I'm participating in a blog hop party hosted by Rita at The Panoply blog. The theme is Halloween. Thanks so much, Rita, for hosting!

If you're hopping in order, then you're linking over from Lynne's blog, Thrifting Wonderland. Thanks for sticking with it: My blog is the end of the line! ;P

Do you decorate for Halloween? I admit that Halloween is not my favorite, and I tend to celebrate Pinktober and decorate with candy corn and pumpkins. I have decorated my dining room in all shades of pink, and I will share it later. However, I decorated our breakfast room for El Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead.

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration.

A blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion, and Spanish culture, the holiday is celebrated each year from October 31-November 2. While October 31 is Halloween, November 1-2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2.

I have included several Day of the Dead symbols on my tablescape, including the plates illustrated with sugar skulls.

The table runner, above, was the inspiration for my tablescape. I purchased it years ago from Crate and Barrel. Flowers are an important element for Day of the Dead celebrations as they are taken to cemeteries to decorate gravesites and used on family altars in the home.

Prized for their bright coloring and potent fragrance, marigolds are thought to guide the spirits to the living world with their vibrant colors and strong scent. Their petals are often laid out as walkways for the dead to find their way on earth so they may be reunited with their loved ones.

I purchased artificial marigolds for this tablescape. I placed them in September's Collectors Series vase from MacKenzie-Childs.

The word mariposa (butterfly in English) is often used as a metaphor for the soul, further connecting the butterfly to the spiritual realm. Monarchs migrate to Mexico from North America each year, arriving in large numbers in late October and early November. As the arrival of monarch butterflies in Mexico coincides with the beginning of Day of the Dead in Mexico, the butterflies have become a natural and symbol of this special time of the year.

Mexicans believe that these monarch butterflies represent the spirits of deceased loved ones returning to visit the living during this time.

When I saw these cute Mexican corazones with butterfly handles in the store, I knew I had to set a Day of the Dead table. The table is all set and ready for a festive breakfast. Plus, I like how they look with the vase.

The graphic, below, shows the plate stacks. I have used my MacKenzie-Childs dinner plates as chargers. I do not have many dinner plates other than MacKenzie-Childs. I don't have room to store much in our small house, so I usually trade out linens and small plates.

Chrysanthemums are often used in Day of the Dead celebrations. They are represented in the napkin rings and are also on the table runner.

Some elements on the table are older, but most things are new. Here is a list of the resources for the table.

Resources

Older Items

Table runner and black lace platter: Crate and Barrel

Woven circular and ruffled placemats: Pier 1

Dinner plates: MacKenzie-Childs

New Items

Day of the Dead plates, solid orange linen napkins, and napkin rings: Williams-Sonoma

Marigolds and floral embroidered napkins: Amazon

Mariposa-handled Mexican corazones mugs: World Market

Here is a list of the other stylists participating in the blog hop.

Panoply - Skeleton Duet Halloween Tablescape

Life and Linda - Phantom of the Opera Tablescape

Hyacinths for the Soul - Too Cute to Spook

Me and My Captain - Happy Ghosts Visit the Moon of the High Mountain Desert of New Mexico

Red Cottage Chronicles - A Charming Halloween Tea Party

The Cat's Whiskerz - A Witchy Halloween Tablescape

Corner of Plaid and Paisley - A Bit of Scare in that Scarecrow

Olla-Podrida - Haunted House Tablescape for Halloween

My Thrift Store Addiction - Charlotte the Spider and a Whimsical Garden Party

Dinner at Eight - There's a Full Moon Rising . . .

Thrifting Wonderland - All Hallows Eve Thrifted Tablescape

The Bookish Dilettante - Tablescape for Spooky Season: El Día de los Muertos

Thank you so much for reading my blog!

I hope y'all are curious about this one!

Until next time...

Stay spooky!

Ricki Jill

Tablescape for Spooky Season: El Día de los Muertos

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Happy Monday, My Lovelies! How is October treating you so far? I hope you are enjoying all the wonderful autumn things.

Today I'm sharing a wonderful Christian nonfiction written by the dynamic duo cohosts of the For the Girl podcast entitled This Wasn't the Plan: How to Surrender Your Stuck and Set Your Soul In Motion.

About This Wasn’t the Plan: How to Surrender Your Stuck and Set Your Soul in Motion

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication date: October 6, 2026

Have you ever looked at your life and thought, I thought my life would look better than this by now. This book is for the woman who feels stuck—in her career, relationships, emotions, or calling. It’s a guidebook for the one who feels like she’s just enduring rather than embracing life to start moving toward the life you really want.

If you’ve ever felt lost between the dreams you had freshly post-grad and the reality you’re living now, you are not alone. Mac Bridges and Kenz Durham get it. They’ve been in your shoes and walked through their own journeys with chronic illness, unanswered longings, and prayers that never seem to be answered in the miraculous way they’d envisioned. But in the midst of those seasons, they’ve also seen transformation.

It begins with a question: What if God is getting you ready? What could He be preparing in you and for you in this season? Readers are invited to imagine the great plans God is setting in motion for them, even when everything around them seems stuck in place. Through quizzes and powerful reflection questions, readers will name the areas in which they feel stuck, identify the root of those feelings, and get honest about the ways those feelings are manifested in their everyday lives.

But Mac and Kenz don’t leave readers there. Using the scaffolding of Jesus’ instructions to “ask, seek, and knock,” they challenge the reader to:

pray without having an answer in mind;
seek out clues about what God is up to;
take bold but faith-filled risks that unlock transformation; and
believe that your stuck place isn’t your final destination.

It’s time to stop waiting on the sidelines and start moving with God, trusting that He is inviting you to take the next steps into a story where every detail matters.

About the Authors

MacKenzie “Mac” Bridges is the passionate co-founder behind Delight Ministries, an organization that provides Christ-centered community for college women at 200+ universities across the United States. As co-host of the “For The Girl” podcast, Mac, alongside her best friend Kenz, brings warmth, wisdom, and big sister advice to women in their 20s seeking to follow Jesus. She’s also the author of several beloved Bible studies, including “In My Feels” and “The Wild Invitation.”

Mac currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, Tyler, and their daughter Myla. Outside of ministry, Mac is a proud connoisseur of chain restaurants, pickleball, and home decor. She’s never left a TJ Maxx without a knickknack in hand.

Mackenzie “Kenz” Durham is the passionate founder behind Delight Ministries, an organization that provides Christ-centered community for college women at 200+ universities across the United States. As co-host of the “For The Girl” podcast, Kenz, alongside her best friend Mac, brings warmth, wisdom, and big sister advice to women in their 20s seeking to follow Jesus. She’s also the author of several beloved Bible studies, including “In My Feels” and “The Wild Invitation“

Kenz currently lives in Vero Beach, Florida, with her husband, Josh, and their two kids. Outside of ministry, Kenz is health guru, self proclaimed baker, and lover of the sun! Catch her on the beach soaking up the sun 80% of her days!

My Review

This book is definitely for younger women, and would be the perfect gift for a young woman completing her education and/or beginning a career. The reason I say this is because the advice would work best before becoming stuck in a situation, whether it's in a relationship (or as the Mackenzies say "the lack there of"), or in a vocation that isn't one's calling. Both authors give their insight, and I like how each is responsible for writing different sections. However, if you DO have a daughter or granddaughter who's stuck in some aspect of her life, she should appreciate the lessons in this book. I believe them to be helpful. Another thing that's helpful is the "Where Am I Stuck?" Quiz on page forty-one.

At the end of the book there is a handy dandy workbook that has checklists (like Common Warning Signs of Stuck Seasons) and journal prompts. I really liked the quiet time prompts and tips. Between the anecdotal examples from the Mackenzies about how young women become stuck from their own lives and their practical approaches for becoming unstuck, I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure: I received a free paperback copy of This Wasn't the Plan from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.