Sunrise

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! Well, the cold front came through just as predicted and today is overcast and chilly,in the sixties, anyway. The wind is still blowing and a sweater would feel good outside. It has been a loong summer!

Yesterday, I visited beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, and saw lots of people enjoying lunch at the sidewalk tables outside the cafes and restaurants. Looked like a lot of people were out and about, shopping and sightseeing. Then I went to the Park, and saw the shiny black gator lying on the bank of the borrow pit again and across the road, a turtle resting on the bank of the weir, close to an anhinga, also drying out. God is good!

From the book, Quiet Moments With God devotional:

Luke 1:78-79 The sunrise from on high will visit us...to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Sunrise, shining its beams through the window on a cold winter's morning, is a welcome sight. Even if the air outside is icy cold, sunrise gives the illusion of warmth With the rising sun .the city opens its shutters and makes preparations for the day; in the country, the farm animals are let out to pasture. Kids are off to school, adults are on their way to work, and each has a different perspective of the sunrise.

Sunrise happens whether we see it or not. Clouds may cover the sky so totally that we can't experience the beauty of the sunbeams making their way to the earth. No matter what the climate, the sun still rises in the eastern horizon and sets over the west. Sunrise is set by God's clock, and it is ours to enjoy in the early mornings when we can see it clearly. It is just as much there for us to enjoy when the clouds cover it. We can trust it to be there-even though it may be hidden for a while.

We can also trust God to be there every morning because He is the one, irrefutable reality in this life, and He remains constant and true!

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain;
laughter and teardrops,
pleasure and pain- Low tides
and high tides, mountains and
plains, triumphs, defeats and
losses and gains, but there
never was a cloud that the
Son didn't shine through and
there's nothing that's impossible
for Jesus Christ to do!
Helen Steiner Rice

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Daniel's gloves

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!

I read this email and recognized the story as one I had read long ago, but thought it would be a good morning devotional for us all, as a reminder to continue to pray. Also, we may meet a stranger who is an angel unaware. God is good!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Wed, Nov 11, 2009 at 6:53 AM
Subject: Daniel's gloves]
To:

I think this is a Wonderful story!
(Author Unknown or is it? Please. Read on.)

Daniel's Gloves:
I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the
town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town,
was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was
carrying, a well-worn sign that read, 'I will work for food.' My heart sank.
I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped
eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.
We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and
went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them.
I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat half heartedly for the strange visitor.
I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response.
I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store
and got back in my car. Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me:
'Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square.'
Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town.. As I turned the square's third corner,
I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on.
The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park.
I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor. 'Looking for the pastor?'
I asked. 'Not really,' he replied, 'just resting.' 'Have you eaten today?' 'Oh, I ate something
early this morning.' 'Would you like to have lunch with me?'
'Do you have some work I could do for you?'
'No work,' I replied 'I commute here to work from the city,but I would like to take you to lunch.'
'Sure,' he replied with a smile. As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions.
Where you headed?' St. Louis ' 'Where you from?' 'Oh, all over; mostly Florida..'
'How long you been walking?' 'Fourteen years,' came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant
I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet
clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling He removed his jacket
to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, 'Jesus is The Never Ending Story.'
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life.
He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences..
Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the
beach in Daytona.. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent
and some equipment. A concert, he thought. He was hired, but the tent would not house
a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave
his life over to God 'Nothing's been the same since,' he said, 'I felt the Lord telling me to
keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now..' 'Ever think of stopping?' I asked.
'Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling.
I give out Bibles That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I
give them out when His Spirit leads.' I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless.
He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a
moment and then I asked: 'What's it like?' 'What?' ;'To walk into a town carrying all your
things on your back and to show your sign?' 'Oh, it was humiliating at first.
People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten
bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became
humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of
other folks like me.' My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and
gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused He turned to me and said,
'Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you.
For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger
and you took me in.' I felt as if we were on holy ground. 'Could you use another Bible?'
I asked. He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy.
It was also his personal favorite.. 'I've read through it 14 times,' he said.
'I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see'
I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
'Where are you headed from here?' I asked. 'Well, I found this little map on the back of this
amusement park coupon.' 'Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?' 'No, I just figure I
should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where
I'm going next..' He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission.
I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove,
it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
'Would you sign my autograph book?' he asked.. 'I like to keep messages from folks I meet.'
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged
him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, 'I know the plans
I have for you, declared the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you;
Plans to give you a future and a hope.' 'Thanks, man,' he said. 'I know we just met and we're
really just strangers, but I love you.' 'I know,' I said, 'I love you, too.' 'The Lord is good!'
'Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?' I asked. A long time,' he
replied' and so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced,
and I felt deep inside that I had been changed.. He put his things on his back, smiled his
winning smile and said, 'See you in the New Jerusalem.' 'I'll be there!' was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack
of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, 'When you see something that makes you think of me,
will you pray for me?' 'You bet,' I shouted back, 'God bless.' 'God bless.' And that was the
last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon
the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency
brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the
handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm
that night without them.
Then I remembered his words: 'If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray
for me?' Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office... They help me to see the world and its
people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and
to pray for his ministry. 'See you in the New Jerusalem,' he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...
'I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show,
let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.'
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached. Please do not break this pattern. Prayer is
one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to pray for
one another. God bless and have a nice day!

'Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and e-mail buddies reading this right now.
Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister
to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy.
Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace,
In Jesus' precious Name Amen.'
GOD BLESS YOU, MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!

Psoaring thru Psalm 19:7-14

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! Well, the weather forecast calls for rain today, but already blue is showing in the sky and the wind is not blowing, as much as yesterday, so perhaps we won't be getting the much needed rain.

On my way to Walmart yesterday, I stopped at the Park, and saw the black, shiny gator sunning himself once again, although there was no sun at the time. A flock of ibis took off as I came home and they perched on the overhead wires. That was funny, because they are always on the ground and looked very uncomfortable trying to balance on the wires. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are clear,
giving insight to life.
Reverence for the Lord is pure,
lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
each one is fair.
They are more desirable than gold,
even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even honey dripping from the comb.
They are a warning to those who hear them;
There is great reward for those who obey them.

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
Cleanse me from all these hidden faults.
Keep me from deliberate sins!
Don't let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth and the
thoughts of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

2 Corinthians

Good Monday Morning, dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! We have an overcast day today because of hurricane Ida, I think, with a windy day in store. Already the driveway and porch do not look like I blew all the acorns off Saturday! Sigh. Oh, well I knew it wouldn't last!

I actually saw a sleek, black gator sunning at the Park on the bank of the borrow pit lake, Friday. First time in a while that one has been at that spot near where the lady was attacked. On the other side, in the canal, a turtle was sunning himself and further on the great blue heron was looking for dinner, as usual. Lots of people were at the Park Saturday, picnicking and enjoying the beautiful weather. God is good!

2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 15-18

We are hardpressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment , is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

God keeps a man secure when...

Good morning Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the cool day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Well, we wished for cooler weather and we have it! A nice 64 degrees this morning, no A/C and , in fact, just right for long pants and sleeves. Great! When I stepped outside earlier I saw wispy, pink clouds as the sun started to rise. With the time change, I have to get out really early to see stars any more.

Lots of people were at the Park yesterday because of the cooler weather, I think. Although the tourists are beginning to come down, according to the license tags. There was a large party under the picnic shelter and more people sitting at the tables under the trees. I saw a turtle sunning on the bank of the weir, and butterflies flitting about enjoying the butterfly gardens. God is good!

He makes a major job change. (From God's Promises)

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?"
or" What shall we wear?" For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:25-34

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalm 138

Good morning, dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the cool day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! I saw the slightly less than full moon beaming brightly in the dawning sky, (I still do not like the time change) and acorns all over the porch and driveway as I stepped outside this morning. Guess I will have to get the blower out again and clear off the crunchies.

Yesterday I walked along the canal for a ways at the Park, and watched the still waters with hardly a ripple. A great white heron came walking majestically toward me, totally unafraid, but i slowly backed away, not wanting to disturb it. I also saw a hawk high in a dead tree. Funny thing;, they used to be everywhere over there, but I haven't seen any lately. Maybe I am not there when they put in an appearance. But God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 138
I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;
I will sing your praises before the gods.
I bow before your Holy Temple as I worship.
I will give thanks to your name
for your unfailing love and faithfulness,
because your promises are backed
by the honor of your name.
Before I pray you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me the
strength that I need.

Every king in all the earth will give you thanks,
O Lord,
for all of them will hear your words.
Yes, they will sing about the Lord's ways,
for the glory of the Lord is very great.

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble,
but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Though I am surrounded by troubles,
you will preserve me against the anger
of my enemies.
You will clench your fist against my angry enemies!
Your power will save me.
The Lord will work out his plans for my life---
for your faithful love, O Lord endures forever.
Don't abandon me, for you made me.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Unspoken Prayer

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! When I stepped outside this morning, (in the daylight), I was able to see the moon..."like a ghostly galleon, riding on cloudy seas.." from the poem, The Highwayman" but most of the clouds were gone, so I guess no rain. Sigh. In God's timing.

We had a quiet day yesterday and did not go out. I swept off the porch and admired the beauty berry bush which has the purple berries on it that the birds love so much, and noticed that the hibiscus in a pot, shed its one flower. Our staghorn needed a drink, so I lugged an ancient watering can to it and tried to water it without getting too much on myself! God is good!
I was outside when the mailman came, and he was really enjoying the cool air. Our mail was not wet for a change. We are the last on his route in our block and we always get sweaty mail. Ewww!

From Quiet Moments with God devotional book:

Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:8

The kitchen phone jarred Jody's thoughts. "I'll be there as soon as I can," she said, turning off the bubbling stew. Hurriedly, she hung up. "Come on, Tim," she called, "Let's go pick up your sister." Her daughter would be waiting outside in thirty-degree weather following the school' choir rehearsal.

Both mother and son shivered as they pulled the car out of the driveway. the heater had finally begun to blow warm air as they rounded a corner and headed up a back street toward the school. Just ahead, under a streetlight, they spotted a small brown-and-white dog, lying motionless. The headlights lit up the dog as Jody slowly drove around the animal. Starting up the hill, she glanced in the rearview mirror..

"It moved," she said. "Son, that dog's alive!" She pulled the car over and jumped out, running back. Tears filled her eyes as she allowed the injured animal to smell her hand. "Go get help!" she shouted. "There-at that house!"

Tim raced up to the nearest home and banged on the door. The man who answered, fearful of being bitten by the dog, refused to help and closed the door. When her son explained to her what had happened, she prayed about what to do next. Although her daughter was waiting in front of the school and was probably cold, she was torn by the idea of leaving the dog alone. It was so helpless.

Of the few cars that traveled that back street, none would stop. then as if God had heard her unspoken prayer, a black sport utility vehicle drove up, and out climbed a man wearing a green medical smock. After checking the injured dog, he said he'd be glad to take it in for treatment. It turned out that he worked for a local veterinarian in town!

On reflection, Jody knew she had felt the real presence of God on that back street late on a cold winter night when the exact person she and the dog needed appeared. How comforting to know the Lord hears our prayers and answers them even before we speak the words! God cares deeply for all His creatures-even injured dogs.

Beware in your prayer, above
everything, of limiting God,
not only by unbelief, but by
fancying that you know what
He can do.
Andrew Murray

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,

Amaryllis