Psoaring thru Psalms

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! It was overcast earlier this morning and everything was wet, so I think there must have been a sprinkle. But then the sun came out brilliantly and the humidity is already climbing. I look out my window and see colorful butterflies flitting by, and bluejays and mockingbirds still flying in and out of the hedge which has fewer berries on it since the birds discovered it!

My cleaning team came yesterday and I always ask where they had lunch. Yesterday, it was their favorite, Italia Mia, again. They always have hearty lunches, but I think they work so hard, the calories get burned up! We chatted about the Rays and what is going on in the neighborhood, so it's a good time catching up!

I finished the Nicholas Sparks' big novel, which is being made into a movie. "The Longest Ride". I was in tears through parts of it. Very moving love story. He is a wonderful story teller. Later, I drove to Subway and ordered their Philly cheesesteak sandwich with all the veggies except hot peppers! I had had it before and it was so good!  I also noticed two new restaurants going up across the street on Park Blvd. Mo's and IHOP. Then, across the street from them...a Thai restaurant, which is new. Looks like Pinellas Park is booming! Also, Brian says a new one is going up across from Cheddars. Lots to choose from!

I drove through the Park on the way to Subway, and saw three spoonbills in the canal just beyond the weir. It was late in the afternoon, so not a lot of people were there, but some were walking and others hanging over the rail at the bridge looking down into the water. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 147
Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
providing rain for the earth,
and makes the green grass grow in mountain pastures.
He feeds the wild animals
and the young ravens cry to him for food.

The strength of a horse does not impress him,
how puny in his sight is the strength of a man.
Rather, the Lord's delight is in those who honor him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Giving

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 heard thunder a short while ago, and saw on the radar that Tampa was having heavy rains. Also, the Gandy bridge eastbound traffic was stopped because of a school bus - Suv wreck blocking traffic. The bus was empty, because public school has not started yet. I am fortunate I don't have to make a commute each morning.

One of the good things about retirement!

We have had a gentle rain, and drips are still falling off the roof, but looks like white, puffy clouds and blue sky in between for the most part. I was noticing the puffy clouds in the sky  yesterday, while I was driving. I don't know about other parts of the country, but I think Florida has such pretty skies. I can see all kinds of faces and shapes in the clouds and I used to lie on the ground as a kid, just to sky watch in the summer. (Which is probably why I am periodically checked for skin cancer now).

While I was visiting the park yesterday, I saw a man with a big camera taking pictures of a roseate spoonbill posing nicely in the canal. As I was driving in, an egret was standing by the canal near the weir with half of a critter hanging out of its beak. A tasty treat! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

2 Corinthians 9:6-9

Remember this---a farmer who plants only a few seeds
still will get a small crop. But the one who plants
generously will get a generous crop. You must each
make up your own mind as to how much you should
give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure.
For God will generously provide all you need. Then you
will always have everything you need and plenty left over
to share with others. As the scriptures say, "Godly people
give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will never be forgotten."

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Roamin' thru Romans

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partitrs! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! We have lots of sunshine this morning, so the yard crew has come and gone. I guess they are catching up with what they were unable to do because of the rain yesterday.. It doesn't take them long to do my yard, because I don't have much grass, but it always looks nice when they finish.

I spent some time reading about Robin Williams' death and the comments on Facebook, and also, the tributes on TV. Such a tragedy for a wonderful actor. He will surely be missed.

I had an appointment with Dr. Pierce yesterday and had very little waiting time. I was in and out in about 25 minutes. I noticed a lot of backpacks lined up in the waiting room that they are collecting for students who can't afford them. The backpacks are fully stocked. This is something my church did, also. I believe 55 were collected and filled at FCC. This is such a need every school year, and I am happy our volunteers do this.

I drove to the Park after I left Pierce Clinic and saw a beautiful heron in the canal, plus a roseate spoonbill perched on a black branch sticking up in the mud. What a contrast! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Romans 5:1-5
 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's
sight by faith, we have peace with God because of
what Jesus Christ our Lord, has done for us. Because
 of our faith Christ has brought us into this place of
highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently
and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials,
for we know that they are good for us---they help us learn
to endure. And endurance develops strength of character
for us, and character strengthens our confident expectation
of salvation. And this salvation will not disappoint us. For we
know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the
Holy  Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalms

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 have already had a rain shower and the drips are still coming off the roof. I don't know if my yard guys are coming or not, because I'm sure they were delayed because of the rain. It is still overcast, and according to the weather map, more rain is expected. Oh, well, at least it is cooler!

Well, I attended two memorial services in the last few days, and missed a 50th anniversary celebration, so it was a busy weekend. Sadness and gladness...the ebb and flow of life!

Brian attended the 50th celebration in another city, and was happy to have seen old friends including the Logues, Plotts, Carters, and others. Good times with old friends!

I drove over to the park coming back from the church,  on Saturday, and saw the graceful flight of a flock of ibis, and the busy squirrels. God is so good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Sing a new song to the Lord!
Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
Sing to the Lord; bless his name.
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
Publish his glorious deeds among the
nations.Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be revered above all the gods.
The gods of other nations are merely idols,
but the Lord made the heavens!
Honor and majesty surround him.
Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary....

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Soaring thru Psalm 37

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! More sunshine and heat and humidity with maybe a shower later on, just like yesterday. In fact, we did get some rain. Quite a hard rain came down for about twenty minutes right around 3 PM. It cooled things down for awhile, but then the weather heated up again, since the sun goes down so late this time of year.

I was asked about Forest City, NC by my nephew, since we, as a family, spent so much time there in the boys growing up years. Those were wonderful vacations, visiting all Louis' relatives in the summer and one winter. The coincidence is; I had just been talking about FC with a friend at a memorial service gathering just a few days previously. This is a small town in NC, close to Chimney Rock and one day driving distance to all the mountain towns nearby. I can almost see the green trees and colorful leaves in the fall as I think about those times past! Ah, memories!

Yesterday I mostly stayed home, since I have a project I am working on, which is writing my autobiography for the church celebration in Oct. How to fit a long lifetime of events onto paper is work, since different memories keep popping up after I think I have finished with one decade, era, or whatever!  You older friends, out there, should try this for your offspring to read and keep as a record. But,if I keep plugging away, I guess I will finish eventually, because God is good. ...BTW, there was no lizard in the shower this morning. He scooted across the bedroom floor yesterday afternoon, so he is lurking around someplace!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 37:1-
Don't worry about the wicked.
Don't envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like springtime flowers, they soon wither.

Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord and he will give
you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him and he will help you.
He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun..

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Greetings from Paul

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! Another day of lots of sun and high humidity,,,the heat index is supposed to reach 100 today, just like yesterday! Good old summertime!

When I left home on an errand yesterday, I noticed black, ominous looking clouds in the southeast, and wondered if I would get rained on before coming home, but nothing happened. Humphf! They just sort of blew away, quietly.. On my way, I had to figure out how to get from behind a Hybrid car which was stalled in the left turn lane, I was in. I barely had wiggle room to back up a little and swing around her on the right, but noticed the cars behind me, chose to wait and go in the wrong lane to make their left turn. I am wondering if her battery needed to be charged or what the problem was, because her lights were burning okay. Anyway, hope she got some help to get out of the way.

I had unwanted company in the shower this morning. An anole has been living in my bedroom for several weeks now, ( really don't know what keeps him alive) and when I turned on the shower faucet,there he was. wiggling because he was trapped. I kept turning because I wanted hot water, instead of cold, but did not want the lizard on me!! He worked his way loose and took off on the wall, while I invented a new shower dance, swatting at him with my wet washcloth! Life is interesting, but God is always good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Colossians 1:9-14

So we have continued praying for you ever since
 we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a
 complete understanding of what he wants to do in
your lives, and we ask him  to make you wise with
spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always
honor and please the Lord, and you will continually
do good, kind things for others. All the while, you
will learn to know God better and better.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with his
glorious power so that you will have all the patience
and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy,
always thanking the Father who has enabled you to
share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people,
who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the
one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he
has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.
God has purchased our freedom with his blood and
 has forgiven all our  sins.

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

Love, Amaryllis

Jesus, the True Vine

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 today is bright and sunny, but I saw the most beautiful formation of clouds as I was driving home.  I remember lying on my back on the ground when I was a kid, and looking for faces in the clouds. This was long before TV and other electronic things to keep us indoors. We spent nearly all summer outdoors, building tree houses, making our own scooters, and skateboards, out of skate wheels and rubber bands! Such ingenuity!

After getting the laundry done, I took off shopping yesterday, stopping to visit a friend and chat for a few minutes. It looked like rain at that time, but it turned out not to be that promising. So I drove on to the park and watched two brown tortoises meandering over the grass, stopping to munch on the way. I had to stop for a silly squirrel, who was playing with another one right in the middle of the street. At least I think they were playing! This morning I saw mama duck and the seven babies, moving slowly across the grass at Cheryl's house. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

John 15:5-10

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.
Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce
much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a
useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered
into a pile to be burned. But if you stay joined to me
and my words remain in you, you may ask any request
you like and it will be granted!  My true disciples produce
much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.

I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain
in my love. When you obey me, you remain in my love,
just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis