Ezekiel 36

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! Although we had some dark clouds yesterday, no rain fell on this part of town, and we have lots of sunshine today with only a light breeze, but it is already getting very warm!

Last Wednesday's storm blew off the large mango I had my eye on, but, unfortunately, it did not fall in my yard. However, there are still a half dozen or more that I can see from my window, so there is still hope. Since this is the neighbor's tree, I don't think she will share. Sigh.

I went for my app't. with the podiatrist to check up on my toenail, which is healing slowly, and after I finished with him, drove up to CVS, loading up on several items I was out of. Then I scooted next door to Steak and Shake and waited about ten minutes in the drive thru line for a half price strawberry shake.

I took the shake to the park and found a place in the shade to slurp on it, while enjoying the sounds of an angry squirrel scritching at something. Birds were chirping, yellow butterflies were flitting about in their erratic way, and an ibis was slowly pecking his way along the grass. It was a peaceful time and God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Ezekiel 36:22-27

Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from
the Sovereign Lord. I am bringing you back again but
not because you deserve it . I am doing it to protect my
holy name, which you dishonored while you were scattered
among the nations. I will show how holy my great name
is ---the name you dishonored among the nations.
And when I reveal my holiness through you before their
very eyes, says the sovereign Lord, then the nations will
know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all
the nations and bring you home again to your land.

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean.
Your filth will be washed away and you will no longer
worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new
and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you so you
will obey my laws and do whatever I command.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Isaiah 40

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! Lots of sunshine and puffy clouds this morning, but our summer rains have been coming later in the afternoon, so maybe, we will have another shower later on. Last evening, I was taking all the trash out and when I opened the garage door, I was surprised to see it was raining! Not a hard rain, but a gentle one, But then we had a hard rain the night before that, so right now we are wet!

It was a good weekend. We had a wonderful sermon, finishing out the John series, then a time of prayer. After that, everyone was invited to eat birthday cake that a five year old wanted to share with the "church". She was so cute!

I showed off my wounded arm with the blue stitches to all those who were interested in my misadventures. Although it still looks really bad with the huge bruises, it does not hurt unless I rest my arm on the stitched up places. Which I try not to do!

I rode into the park to see what the storm had done, and saw where the water and trash had flowed up and over the weir. Lots of trash was piled up along the banks and further down, the canal was very full with several smaller trees down in the water. My front yard still has lots of twigs and larger deadwood in it from the trees, but the large nest hanging right over the driveway, did not get touched. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Isaiah 40:27-31
 O Israel, how can you say the Lord does not
see your troubles? How can you say God
refuses to hear your case? Have you never heard
or understood? Don't you know that the Lord
is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth?
He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure
the depths of his understanding . He gives power to
those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength
to those who are weak. Even youths will become
exhausted and young men will give up. But those
who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They
will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and
not grow weary, They will walk and not faint.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Random acts of kindness

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord had made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! The storm is gone, the sun is shining, puffy clouds are floating by and the waters have receded.  Mostly, all is well.

Even though I have been confined to the house for the past two days,I have received much kindness from prayer partners and friends with offers of help. Then the TBT carrier yesterday morning pushed the chair he leaves the paper in, against the wall right by the front door, so I just had to put one foot out to pick it up.

After my friend and cleaning lady, Cheryl took the dumpster down front for me, when they finished cleaning,, I noticed the wind had blown it over after it was emptied yesterday, and it was lying in the street on its side. When the rain had stopped, I was thinking about going to pick it up, but heard the neighbor kid come home and next thing I knew, it was back in place outside my kitchen window! I called him to see if he had done it, and he confirmed it and seemed embarrassed by my thanks. We had a nice chat about his family who lives out near the intracoastal waterway. and caught up on news. He lives all alone in the big house by choice.

BTW, my arm is looking pretty horrible with a huge bruise from elbow to middle of the arm, but I have the stitches open to the air as per instructions, and it seems to be healing nicely. Thanks for all the prayers!

People are good and God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 63:1-5

O, God, you are my God,
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you,
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water. 

I have seen you in your sanctuary,
and gazed upon your power and glory
Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself.
How I praise you!
I will honor you as long as I live.
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.
I will praise you with songs of joy.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Live on Purpose

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! Even though it was cloudy nearly all day yesterday, we had no rain around here, and today looks the same. However, there is a large area of clouds in the gulf and it is slowly moving north, which means we will be getting wet maybe tomorrow. But that's okay because we can always use the rain!

I was thinking yesterday as I drove into a shopping place that we have taken over so much of the ospreys space, that they are building nests anywhere. I reflected on that when I saw straw, sticks and other stuff sticking haphazardly out of a couple of tall light covers on a pole. They seem to come back to the same nests year after year, so I guess it doesn't bother them.

Well, I was brave and went through the ingrown toenail operation with no pain even from the needle stick. The Doc said I must have a high pain threshold, because he has some patients who just about climb off the chair when he sticks them. But other than pressure, I really felt no discomfort. But I was awakened early by the toe throbbing, so I climbed out of bed  and started my day by soaking the toe as directed in vinegar water. So, I am doing okay and hopefully, it will heal with no problems. God is good!

From the little devotional book Knowing God:

God chose you to be his people, so I urge you now to live the life to which God called you. 
Ephesians 4:1 NCV

Life is best lived on purpose. And purpose, like everything
else in the universe, begins with God. Whether you
realize it or not, God has a plan for your life, a divine
calling, a direction in which He is leading you. When you
 welcome God into your heart  and establish a genuine
relationship with Him, He will begin, in time to make His
purposes known.

Sometimes, God's intentions will be clear to you; other times,
God's plans will seem uncertain at best. But even on those
difficult days when you are unsure which way to turn, you must
never lose sight of these overriding fact: God created you
for a reason; he has important work for you to do and he's
waiting patiently for you to do it.

And the next step is up to you.

"I beg you not to squander life. And don't live for this world only."
Billy Graham

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Thorn in the Flesh

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! Even though it is cloudy, even though we are predicted to have a rainy week, we will still rejoice and be glad in it!

I am not rejoicing over my podiatrist appointment this afternoon, though. He is going to carve on my big toe, to try to rid me of an ingrown toenail. Ouch! I do not like to have tender feet! But, if it means an end to that problem, I will try to grin and bear it.

I had a good weekend, over all. A fairly quiet Saturday, once I got through the heavy traffic at Walmart where I went to gas up the van for 2.94 a gallon! Once Wawa went down, a lot of other stations followed suit, then the next day prices went back up to what they had been. It looked like Christmas eve at Walmart, the traffic was so heavy. But everyone was polite and no horn blowing and for the most part, people were patient.

My friend, Cheryl, one half of my cleaning duo, came in the rain to bring me a container with some delicious Oreo truffles, which she had made. So yummy! She is such a sweet person!

I stopped in at the peaceful park yesterday, and saw a big, brown, gopher tortoise speeding along a grassy path. Lots of people were hanging over the bridge watching critters in the water, as the current ripped along , well, three mile per hour current is not exactly ripping, but it seems pretty fast. The canal is up considerably from all the rain as are the lakes, so God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
...But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was
given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan
to torment me and keep me from getting proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it
away. Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all
you need. My power works best in your weakness."
So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so
that the power of Christ may work through me. Since
I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content
with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak,
then I am strong.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Jude

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!  We had no rain yesterday and even though a thunderstorm is predicted for this afternoon, maybe it won't happen. But it sure is hot!

Yesterday, my route to the dentist took me by the new Wawa, which had it's grand opening Wednesday. There was still a crowd around; lots of cars, but maybe that was because of the gas price which was 2.99 for reg.! There will be another Wawa open soon right across from The Bay Pines hospital. People really seem to like their sandwiches and smoothies, etc.

I survived the dental cleaning and x-rays, which almost make me gag, because of the framework that goes in the mouth. It usually hurts, when I have to bite down to hold it, but Danielle, the hygienist is gentle and tries to hurry , so it's bearable for a few minutes.

After I left there, I came back by the park, and toured through. It was quiet and not many people there in the late afternoon. I saw a pretty white egret standing in the water of the canal, and a couple squirrels were sitting up in the middle of the street with their little white bellies showing.

Then I went onto Publix which was good timing, because at that time of day, there weren't as many people in the store. It was round 4:30, too early for going home people and too late for the shoppers who like morning.  God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Jude 1:20

But you, dear friend, must continue to build your lives
on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to
pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. Live in such
a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the
eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ  in his mercy is
going to give you. Show mercy to those who faith is
wavering. Rescue others from the flames of judgement.
There are still others to whom you need to show mercy,
but be careful that you are not contaminated by their sins.

A Prayer of Praise
And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from
stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious
presence innocent of sin and with great joy. All glory
to him, who alone is God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority belong
to him , in the beginning, now and forevermore. Amen.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

1 Corinthians

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. we had thunder yesterday and dark clouds, but no rain, and today is starting out with sun and very warm temps. It is supposed to reach close to 90 again, but with a strong wind blowing, it will feel good in the shade!

I told you about the mango tree in the neighbor's yard. So, now there are more tiny fruits on the high branches and one large one that looks just about ripe, right next to my yard. Of course, the high hedge will keep it from falling toward my property, but I wish I could direct it! They have several mango trees, so I don't think they would miss one mango! :o)

My cleaning ladies came yesterday and I had a passionate discussion with one of them about the demolition of the pier. She is all for it and for the Lens...me, not so much. She is very opinionated, but the other friend is calm, compassionate and always looks out for me. They are interesting ladies. They and the husband of one of them, spent the weekend painting the outside of Kim's house. Cheryl says her is next!

I have a dental appointment this afternoon, clear across town, and I am not looking forward to that, although my hygienist is very nice. But, God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:
 
1 Corinthians 10:
Because of God's special favor to me, I have laid the foundation like an
expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building
on that foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any other
foundation than the one we already have-Jesus Christ. Now anyone
who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, wood, hay or straw.
For there is going to come a time of testing at the judgement day  to
see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be
put through the fire to see if it keeps its value. If the work survives the
fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the
builder will suffer great loss. The builders will themselves be saved,
but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis