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 a brief, blowing storm yesterday about 4 or 4:30, and then the sky stayed dark for the rest of the evening, so maybe today will be the same. Lots of sun and heat in the day and rain later on.

I am so glad the rains seemed to have stopped in Louisiana, but the floods are not abating very fast. My niece and her family will not be back in their home for months, but they are being helped by friends and she has a very positive attitude and says, "God has got this thing." the Amite river is very near them in Denham Springs and Walker, where they live. Many pictures and broadcasts have come from there on the weather channel and other media outlets, so we have a pretty good idea of the widespread damage. I keep praying for them.

Yesterday, I had a checkup at Pierce Clinic and had Dr. Chris since I guess Dr. Pierce is on vacation. We had a nice chat about his new baby son, born last week at over 10 pounds! Whew! I'm sure his wife is relieved! He says he is a family man and can hardly wait to get home to be with his little ones. He always has one or two in his arms in church! It is good to see a man who loves the Lord and is raising his children to know Jesus.

I wanted to order a pizza for my supper last night, but discovered Westshore does not deliver to this address, and I did not know where the closest Papa Johns is to me. Any suggestions?

So, I wound up going to good old reliable Boston Market  and while is isn't pizza, it was good. And I got treated to  the sight of the egret who hangs out there. He was looking in the window at the people seated at a table just inside. He looked so pitiful, I don't think I could have eaten with that sad face looking at me! I'm sure he wasn't starving, but he was doing his best to look like it! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

John 15:12-
And here is how to measure it---the greatest
love is shown when people lay down their lives
 for their friends .
You are my friends if you obey me. I no longer
call you servants, because a master doesn't
confide in his servants. Now you are my friends,
since i have told you everything the Father told
me. You didn't choose me, I chose you. I appointed
you to go and produce fruit that will last, so the
Father will give you whatever you ask for, using
my name. I command you to love each other.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

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! Sunshine, breezes and lots of humidity is another day of the same weather we have been having. We had no rain yesterday, although the sky was overcast and I could smell rain in the air.

It looks like my yard guys are catching up. They just finished up a few minutes ago and moved on down the street. They did not come until Thursday last week when they were delayed by rain, so I am sure they are happy to be back on schedule.

I had a quick check-up visit with my doctor yesterday. Quick, because there were no other patients waiting. It must be a slow time of year for them. All my vitals were normal, and I had no new complaints, so in ten minutes or so, I was good to go. Which I did , by going over to Wendy's and getting a chocolate Frosty.! A small reward...

I drove to the Park and sat for a few minutes enjoying the cold ice cream, and then went home. My bird of paradise bush has at least two beautiful blooms open now.The foliage is so thick, there may be more hidden amongst the leaves. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

John 15:9-12
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 have told you this, so that you will be
filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will
overflow! I command you to love each other
the same way that I have loved you...

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

The 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 a beautiful, very warm day yesterday and today promises to be the same. Of course, the usual thunderstorms are predicted for later, but that does not mean that they will occur in this neighborhood.

I was able to get to church because of no rain and heard an excellent sermon from Ecclesiastes, the sermon series that Pastor Kevin is preaching. I was greeted and hugged by several friends and got to sit in the new chairs for the first time. They are very comfy, but something is different about them. I seem to sit lower and don't have the field of vision. that I had with the old ones. They seem to be larger than the old ones, also.

The past two days, I have posted on Facebook, the news about my niece in La. Due to the unceasing rain, they have had massive flooding and Donna and her family had to evacuate their house which now has about 6 feet of water in it. I had asked for prayers for them and all the others in their town near Denham Springs. Donna had posted photos of the water rising and then coming into the house, but through it all, she has shown a remarkably positive attitude, due to her strong faith. She knows God is in control.

So...about my ongoing battle of wills with the Times carrier...I finally took a legal sized pad and made a sign saying, "Please place Times in chair. Thanks." Well it worked! The past couple mornings, the paper has been in the chair! Yay! This may seem picky, but because of my balance problems, I am cautious about bending over, or stepping outside to retrieve it, even though I wear an ADT companion wristband around the house. Speaking of that, it would not have done any good yesterday, because my network was down all afternoon, until I finally called Bright House and the very efficient and kind customer rep soon got it back working. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

John 15:1-4
I am the true vine, and my Father is the
gardener. He cuts off every branch that
doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the
branches that do bear fruit so they will pro-
duce even more. You have already been
pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message
I have given you. Remain in me, and I will
remain in you. For a branch cannot produce
fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you
cannot be fruitful apart from me."

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Paul's Final Thoughts

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 is so late I almost skipped sending this today, because I still have to put sheets on the bed and get that made up. However, it is a beautiful, very warm morning with lots of sun, so I need to get busy.

Last night it must have rained, because the porch was very wet when I opened the door. Speaking of that, the Times was in the chair yesterday! Yay! But, this morning it was on the floor. I was afraid the good news would not last.I will see where it is tomorrow and then call again if I need to.

I stayed up later last night to watch Michael Phelps win his 4th gold medal! The greatest athlete in the world! I could not help wondering how he earns a living.with all the training he does. I know he gets money from endorsements, but now he has a son...just curious. I also like to watch the gymnastics. They train from the time they are little. What dedication! They are fantastic!

Before the Olympics I watched Jeopardy, Tournament of Champions and my contestant won! Now, if he can only hold on tonight! Go, Alex Jacob!

Well, the van worked well enough for me to get over to the library yesterday and then take a ride to the park. There were a few more people than the day before and I saw an egret posed by a fallen tree looking down into the water. It looked like a painting with the green in the background showing up the whiteness of the bird. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Philippians : 4-7
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again---rejoice!
Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is
far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in
Christ Jesus...
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Prowling thru Proverbs

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 is good to see sunshine again, but, of course, that means our heat is back. Yesterday the temp reached 90 and today will be the same.

So, after my cleaning ladies finished with the house, I scooted over to the Pierce Clinic for an overdue neck adjustment, and since it was later in the afternoon, I drove on to Wendy's and got a cheeseburger and fries for my supper. That was not the healthiest meal I could have eaten, but since I seldom indulge like that, I just went for it.

My van is acting up again, and Ray came over unexpectedly and tested it with his computer. I have a gas leak somewhere and also the A/C has major problems. I see a lot of money going out in the near future. Probably more than the van is worth.I was hoping it would hold up until I have to give up driving, whenever that will be.

Well, I watched a guy climb the Trump Tower using suction cups, yesterday, until New York's finest grabbed him from a window and hauled him in. I have to hand it to him for ingenuity. Where he got the idea of using suction cups is beyond me! He even had ropes fixed to them so he could put his foot in them to climb. I believe he would have made it to the top if left alone, but he caused a lot of people to disrupt their lives to rescue him, plus the expense!

I drove through the park and saw very few people there. School was just out, so no little ones were present. There were only about 10 visitors cars in the whole area! But the butterflies and birds are back and showing off their beauty and chirps for my enjoyment! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Proverbs 19:19-
Short- tempered people must pay their own
penalty. If you rescue them once, you will
have to do it again.

Get all the instruction and advice you can and be
wise the rest of your life.

You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose
will prevail.

Loyalty makes a person attractive. And it is better
to be poor than dishonest.

Fear of the Lord gives life, security, and protection
from harm.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

A Psalm of David

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 sunshine today! It is a good morning for back to school people, crossing guards and all the bus drivers! Unfortunately, even with dry streets there are accidents already...even a road rage killing. So sad!

Since it rained lightly but steadily all day until late in the afternoon, I stayed in and got my ironing done! Yay for me! I could have done some more drawer cleaning, but instead I finished a book. Who wants to waste a perfectly good rainy day by working indoors?

I am still having an ongoing battle of wills with my Times carrier. As I said, I did not call for two days but this morning the paper was thrown out in the yard under a tree, so I had to take the walker and go out through the garage, then get off on the grass to retrieve it. Bending over is a problem, because i don't want to go over on my head.  So, I called again and the rep I talked to said she was sorry and would have the District Mgr. call me. I hope something good comes out of this, because I hate to keep complaining. Sigh.

Well, the birds are certainly enjoying the sunshine. I see several of them flitting about and very busy gathering berries and seeds and whatever else they eat. There should be lots of worms due to the rain, and also, I have seen the tiny frogs hopping around. They only come out when the earth is very wet. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 139: 1-6
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my every thought when far
away.
You chart the path ahead of me
and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord,
you both precede and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my
head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too great for me to know!

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! Once again, water is dripping down from the roof and a large bank of rain clouds is hanging off the coast, slowly moving toward us. But maybe tomorrow we will have less chance of rain and more chance of sun.

Yesterday at noon, the sun came out, so I took advantage of the lull in the rain and got out to do some shopping. After I finished getting orange juice and bread, I drove over to the Park to see how high the water was. It had flowed over the weir, but had come down some, and some people were taking advantage of the brief period of dry weather to get out and get some exercise.

My ongoing battle of wills with the Times carrier has not shown much victory on either side. He is determined not to put the paper in the chair, but instead, puts it right beside said chair on the floor, so I either have to use the "grab it" or step out and pick it up. I did not call yesterday, ( I tried but had such a long wait I gave up), and won't call today, because it doesn't seem to do any good.

I watched portions of the Olympics last night and especially the swimming and diving. What hard work goes into all the competition! I was amazed at the high divers, who fearlessly dive from 31 feet above the water! I could never do that! Then I switched channels and watched some guys trying to hit a ball with a stick of wood and lose, after being paid a pretty good salary. Hmm, not a good comparison.

I saw a anhinga with wings fully extended trying to dry out when I went into the park. I don't know where all the birds go when it is raining so hard, but the squirrels don't seem to mind. They are still zipping across the street and up the trees! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 18:21-25
For who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is a solid Rock?
God arms me with strength;
he has made my way safe.
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
leading me safely along the mountain
heights.
He prepares me for battle ;
he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze;
You have given me the shield of your
salvation.
Your right hand supports me .
your gentleness has made me great.
You have made a wide path for my feet
to keep them from slipping.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis