Worship into the Week- Grant Us Peace

 

Worship into the Week-

Jeremiah 28:5-9

Here we have a standoff in Jerusalem between Jeremiah

 and the false prophet Hananiah. 

Jeremiah endorses the hope that peace and the return 

of the Temple treasures and exiles would happen, 

but he is also cautious.

It is certainly what the people wanted to hear.

Jeremiah states." Amen! May the Lord do so!."

Though it sounds like an endorsement,

 it was actually a response of sorrow because he

knew the situation warranted another solution.

There would be the test of whether the prophecy

 of peace would happen. 

 (the story continues- v.10-17)

The story goes against Hananiah as the Lord 

endorses Jeremiah.

God tells Jeremiah to tell Hananiah that he has lied,

 and was not sent by the Lord.

He will die within the year,

because he has rebelled against the Lord

Two months later Hananiah is dead.

Caution to us- be careful who you listen to.

We are still waiting for peace.

Supplies:

Visual Church Year Printable

vcy-graphics-only-june-2026

Magazine cutout

Watercolors

Colored pencils

Postage stamps

Distress ink

Calendar Journaling - June 2026

 

Calendar Journaling- June 2026

Looking for the pieces that fit in the puzzle of this month.

What does the Lord want me to see?

How can I be a part of what He is doing?

Hope and anxiety weave through the month 

as well as His Unhindered grace.

This month I read through the book of Romans,

 as I move through the New Testament.

Next up?  Corinthians.

Always thankful for a practice that is doable, 

grace filled and tells the story of God's 

faithfulness in my life.

Jonah is 7!

This young man turned 7 this month.

Jonah- the Sloth King.

He had a great birthday celebration 

and we love watching his growing love for reading.

Can't go wrong with a cake this great.

 

A tackle box and fishing poles

 and he is ready to take his brothers and go fishing.

We always love a bit of outdoor fun.

On his birthday it was baseball

 and down for the championship game.

In a stunning upset and "come from way behind"

 they pulled off a win.  What a fun end to the season.

So this made for an extra special birthday event.

Love you Jonah!

 

The Chaste Tree

 

The Chaste tree turns blue purple 

in these days before the 4th of July every year.

Early this Spring it got a trimming of about a 1/3 off 

and still needs a bit of shaping.

When I see it locally, it is usually a bush.

Ours is definitely in the tree category.

We picked this up as a twig starter on a visit 

to Monticello probably about 30 years ago. 

They were doing a plant sale from the plants on the grounds

and this start came home with us.

This was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite trees.

On April 11, 1807 he planted 9 rows of the Old World Native, 

grown mostly in the Mediterranean.

Vitex agnus-castus is the proper name.

He loved the tree because it drew bees, 

butterflies and hummingbirds.

 It is always good to add pollinators to the land.

It does the same thing in our garden and on a sunny day 

the tree throbs with movement.

It is a fast growing, drought tolerant shrub or tree 

and the spikes are fragrant and showy. 

It is also called monk's pepper and can grow in full sun

 with well-drained soil.

It generally has a 15-20 year life span, 

so our beauty is definitely on its second life.

The shrub was used for religious rituals in ancient Greece 

and among the Philistines in Palestine.

It has long been believed to be an anaphrodisiac,

( quells or blunts libido)

but its effectiveness is unproven.

Today original era descendants or similar specimens 

can still be found growing on the Northeast side 

of the house at Monticello and on the West Lawn

 near the South Pavilion.

So for this Sesquicentennial celebration, 

we salute a very great descendant 

of one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite plants.

20 Things to Do When It's Time to Dust

 

Today was a bit of an unusual day. 

There were no appointments, no Dr. Visits, and no zooms.

Every month I try to hold a FREE DAY on the calendar.

It doesn't always work. I was very excited 

when it turned up today still blank.

The only thing I had down today

 was to do dusting in the house.

But, you also need to know that I have a genetic quirk

that makes this household task a challenge.

My mom didn't like to dust.

Her mom would dust when she came to visit.

My mom dusted for me when she came to visit.

My mom has been gone for 22 years.

I dust for my daughters when I visit them.

Yes, I have dusted our home in the last two decades,

 but today there were the distractions.

Here is what happened today:

1. my morning devotions

2. chatted or texted with all three daughters

3. folded and put away laundry

4. dealt with about 60 emails

5. returned damaged cheese to Costco (and bought groceries)

6. deadheaded the yarrow

7. changed the water in the little bottles that are rooting cuttings

8. fixed supper and cleaned up

9.     harvested some of the first lavender

10. filed some papers

12.  read 50 pages in Theo of Golden

13. emptied and refilled the dishwasher

14.  realized that feverfew matched the porcelain flowers 

       on the lamp by my bedside- so had to put a bouquet right there

15.  three phone calls and one video call

16.  sorted a couple paper piles

17.  noticed, stood and watched what we can see of a sunset                             

       at our house

18.  worked on a prayer card for Joey

19.  did some planning for vacation

20.  watched the latest on Castle Impossible

And no dusting.  

So... you see what happens.

On every day and a FREE DAY.  

But, I can still count gifts today.

There is tomorrow..... 

Worship into the Week- Don't Be Afraid

 

 Worship into the Week-

Matthew 10: 5a, 21-33

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

Jesus has some sobering words for his disciples

 as he gets ready to send them out.

He warns them that there will be family strife and 

betrayal. The world is fallen and hostile and they will be

the brunt of hatred because of the story of Jesus they share.

Faith in Jesus will cost them dearly. 

"Don't be afraid " is a phrase Jesus 

uses three times in this section.

Then Jesus moves to affirming the value of their work. 

 Most importantly, He highlights the value of each apostle

 to God. God knows the number of the hair on their heads.

 Their value is far beyond that of the birds of the air.

God has intimate knowledge of believers.

They are KNOWN to Him.

A final warning is that their public affirmation of Jesus

 will be known, 

and Jesus will affirm each of them to the Father.

They are encouraged that even with a future of persecution,

 they will be rewarded in heaven.

Worship Sermon notes- JRD 

 Supplies:

Visual Faith Printable

vcy-graphics-only-june-2026

Magazine Cutouts

Postage Stamps

Colored Pencils

Stamp and Ink

Worship into the Week- Treasured Possession

 

Worship into the Week-

 Exodus 19:2-8     The Lord Reveals  Himself at Sinai

Things were moving along for the people of Israel. 

They arrived at Mount Sinai after their exodus forn Egypt. 

God reminds them of His goodness and past grace. 

There is the reveal of a conditional covenant and God delcares

 that Israel is His treasured possession.

The people agree with the proposal,

 but really don't understand what it means for this acceptance

 to God's offer. He wants total obedience, nothing else works.

Israel commits to doing all that the Lord 

has asked of them and 

really don't see how this will be a probelm.

There is a big IF in this agreement.

God states that IF they obey...

they will be His treasured possession.

Well, know how this is going to go, 

and so the story continues only with God's 

continued grace story of those 

He carried on eagles's wings. 

Supplies:

Visual Faith Printable

vcy-graphics-only-june-2026

Magazine cutouts

Colored pencils

Markers 

Postage Stamps