Good Morning, Dear friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! No rain yet this morning, but lots of clouds in the sky. When I stood outside this morning, watching the neighborhood waking up, I enjoyed the coolish breeze on my face...maybe fall is on the way!
Yesterday I took an unexpected walk on the boardwalk..unexpected because I had not planned it. I just wanted to walk to check on the young gator, but two men were standing right where you can look down to see it, and since they would not move...just talking about fishing, biking, and stuff, I sort of squeezed in to look down, and sure enough, young gator is about two feet long and thriving. Well, it was overcast and a nice wind was blowing, so I decided to walk out to the first shelter. I made a few stops along the way, to catch my breath, but had my walking shoes on, so plodded on,.watching several skinks scurrying along just underneath the rails. There weren't any lizards, just skinks! Just before I got to the rail over the canal, I heard a tremendous splash, and rushed to look, but just saw ripples. I think a gator must have snapped at something, but I could not see her, although I waited for a few minutes. The splash was so loud that it startled an egret across the canal who had been peacefully fishing. Guess that will remain a mystery,
I made it back to the car and sat there cooling off and sneezing. Something really stirred up my allergies, so while I was sneezing, I looked in my rear view mirror, and saw the very large, old gopher tortoise emerging from the weeds. I drove around the circle and when I came back I pulled in where he was, but he turned around and was scurrying as fast as he could to get away. So funny to see those fat short legs moving fast!
Brian and I enjoyed a good dinner at the Olive Garden last night, arriving a little after five, which was a good time, because when we left, a small crowd was waiting. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
1st John 4:7
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God--for God is love.
God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us....
Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us. We love each other as a result of his loving us first. .
If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen? And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
