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!

When I stepped outside this morning the air felt a little cool, but it is heating up now!

Yesterday, Matthew and I took an unplanned walk out to the shelter to see the babies. The water is much higher since our heavy rains, and only the largest baby gator was visible - not even Mama. We met up with a friend from church who was also in a hurry as she is also a caregiver and has to watch her time, but we had a nice chat. God is good!

Thoughts from Steve Brown's book Jumping Hurdles, Hitting Glitches, Overcoming Setbacks.

Meditations on Daily Challenges-Those Typical Glitches

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all -surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not abandoned:
struck down, but not destroyed...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving. for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.
Paul the Apostle
2 Corinthians 4:7-9,16-18

Meditation
What would your life be like if God had ignored you, if He had decided to let you go your own way without ever intervening? Pretty frightening thought, isn't it?

Now consider someone who may be under your care who needs you to intervene. Are you willing to step in? Do you love them enough to rebuke, to discipline, to do the hard thing?

God wouldn't give up on you. Perhaps it's time for you to do the same for someone else.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Worry Wednesday

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 early this morning, I could still see some stars shining dimly, and now, the clouds are already gathering with lots of blue sky showing.

Yesterday we had an early rain and the ground seems to be soaked, which makes the grass grow very fast, but I am thankful I don't have to water, now.

We still have not been out much, since Matthew won't put a shirt on because of the sunburn, but I think today he will find that it is much better and he can venture out. He went on the porch and caught a baby lizard yesterday and brought it in the house, but he knew not to let it get away. Life is interesting with a 12 year old! God is good!

From Quiet Moments with God:

Matthew 6:34 NKJV
Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own thing. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Many people lose sleep by worrying They lie awake in bed, wondering if they made a right decision the day before-if they did the wrong thing-and what they should do tomorrow.

One woman handles worry creatively.

With so many things to worry about, she decided to set aside one day each week to worry. As worrying situations occurred, she wrote them down and put them in her worry box. Then on Worry Wednesday, she read through each worry. To her amazement, most of the things she had been disturbed about had already been taken care of in some way. Thus, she learned there was seldom a justifiable reason to worry. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 127:2, it is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

God's perfect rest is described this way by American poet Ellen M. Huntington Gates:

And let no mournful yesterdays
Disturb thy peaceful heart.
Nor let tomorrow mar thy rest
with dreams of coming ills.
Thy Maker is thy changeless friend,
His love surrounds thee still.
Forget thyself and all the world,
Put out each garish light:
The stars are shining overhead
Sleep sweet! Good night! Good night!

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.
George Muller

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

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 all the trees and grass were still dripping from the thunderstorm that rolled through last evening. Looks like our regular afternoon thunder boomers are here for awhile!

Matthew was hoping to see hail, but, while the rains came in huge torrential downpours, no hail came. We drove through the park again yesterday, but since Matthew was not wearing a shirt, because of his sunburn, we did not try to walk, He saw his gopher tortoise again, though, right beside the road and eating grass. He had never seen one eating before, so he was excited. God is good!

Psalm 18 excerpts NLT:

I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold.
I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
for he saves me from my enemies.

To the faithful you show yourself faithful'
to those with integrity you show integrity.
To the Pure you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
You rescue those who are humble,
but you humiliate the proud.
Lord, you have brought light to my life,
m y God you light up my darkness.
In your strength, I can crush an army.
with my God I can scale any wall.

As for God, his way is perfect
All the Lord's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Good planning and insight

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the beautiful day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Well, we had another good thunderstorm last evening that brought some much needed rain and now everything looks green and you can just about watch the grass grow!

My out of season amaryllis blooms are still surprising me. Already three have blossomed and now, this morning, I noticed two more bloom stalks! God is good!

We did not walk in the park this weekend because of the heat and it will probably be in the nineties again today, so maybe if a certain grandson, gets up early enough, we will be able to walk in the early morning coolness. Matthew has been suffering very vocally about his sunburn he got while fishing Saturday, but is better today.

From the Promise Bible:

Wisdom

What are the benefits of wisdom?

Proverbs 9:10 Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.

Psalm 111:10 Reverence for the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him Praise his name forever!

Wisdom is not simply knowing facts and figures; it is understanding that an all-powerful, all knowing God has designed a moral universe with consequences for our good and evil choices. Wisdom begins with understanding our accountability to and our full dependence on our Creator. It's not what we know, but who we know.

Proverbs 3:21-26 My child, don't lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them, for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect. They keep you safe on your way and keep your feet from stumbling, You can lie down without fear and enjoy pleasant dreams. You need not be afraid of disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

Wisdom produces honor in our lives and protects us from trouble. Wise people know the difference between right and wrong and choose to do what's right. More than that, wisdom is choosing to apply God's truth and principles to our daily relationships and situations.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

A story of Friendship

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 early this morning , the air was already warm and heavy and was not fresh. The odor of the neighbor's cigar that he smokes outside in the evening was still in the air! :o(

But I am sure we will get some breezes which will blow in some fresher air and it will be a wonderful day! God is Faithful!

We did not walk yesterday because of the heat... even the weatherman said to stay indoors , so that is what we tried to do, except for errands. We did drive through the Park, though, and saw Terry on the mower. The usual anhinga was drying its wings and we saw the gopher tortoise once again, only this time behind the fence and right by his hole. God is good!

This is from an old edition of Today in the Word which I saved because it is such a beautiful story of friendship.

1 Samuel The Lord is witness between you and me forever.

The story is told of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, film critics for the two Chicago newspapers. They were asked to do a television show reviewing movies, but said they would rather do it with someone else, since they were competitors.

But something changed along the way. Siskel and Ebert did the show for 24 years, giving their famous "thumbs up" or thumbs down" to thousands of films and becoming household names in the process.

Over the years respect grew between them, and it deepened into friendship and love.

Such partnerships and friendships are valuable beyond words and that was certainly the case with David and Jonathan. This friendship kept even in the volatile atmosphere of Saul's court. Jonathan blessed David and loved him as he loved himself.

What was the standard in their relationship? " Unfailing kindness like that of the Lord" (vs 14)

What a beautiful picture of biblical friendship we see in David and Jonathan! They were friends against the odds, through tough times, wholeheartedly. My hope is that God has blessed you with at least one such friend-someone who knows you well, who sticks with you through thick and thin, and who loves you unconditionally.

Today write a "thank you" note to a friend. Tell him or her how thankful you are for the friendship, and mention a specific trouble or difficulty that person helped you through. Affirm the qualities you value in your friend, and encourage him or her to continued spiritual growth.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis.

Psoaring through Psalm 121

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the breezy day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it!

I heard a big thunderclap about midnight and listened for the rain to follow, but didn't hear any. However, this morning everything is very wet and fresh looking, so we did get a shower! God is good!

Yesterday, Matthew and I took a quick walk to the shelter, (it was late morning) and saw three gator babies in fairly clear water. The rain had cleared up the usually murky canal. Mama was under the shelter keeping a watchful eye on the brood.

Later in the afternoon, we drove in to try to see Terry, who had called, and we saw a lovely bride in her white gown and the groom in his tux, having photos taken on the berm by the canal. It was hot and humid but they took a lot of pictures, on the bench ,and moved on elsewhere, just the couple and the photographer and assistant.

Meanwhile, Matthew had spied a gopher tortoise near the couple, and wanted me to stop so he could pick it up. I did stop, but he got cold feet and didn't want to interfere with the photo-taking, I told him people were walking dogs and walking right by the couple, and finally, after I agreed to walk to the edge of the road with him, he quickly pick up the gopher, just so he could tell his Dad. Life is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 121
I look up to the mountains-
does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made the heavens and the earth!

He will not let you stumble and fall,
the one who watches over you will not sleep.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never tires and never sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not hurt you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord keeps you from all evil and preserves your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go.
both now and forever.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

A Garden in the Mountains

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! A little late this morning, but the household is finally up and ready to go!

Yesterday we had a wonderful thunderstorm, which poured rain for about thirty minutes. That added to the watering that I did yesterday morning, so all the plants slurped it up!

Since we went to Walmart in the morning, that was my daily walk, which is very different from the Park. We did ride down into the Park, and saw the peacock on the way in, but everything was quiet, and hot in the simmering heat. Not many people there, We saw an anhinga drying its wings on the banks and this morning, I listened to a mockingbird singing his songs high on a pole. God is good!

From the book Quiet Moments with God:

Matthew 6:28 NASB
Why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.

After the mountains of Alaska begin shedding their heavy white coats, the tundra bursts forth in bloom. No one plants flowers on the mountainside, but the bloom of wildflowers is still as predictable as spring itself. Blue lupine, bright pink fireweed, and many other colorful varieties announce that winter has departed. Dark, gloomy days are gradually replaced with more and more light. By midsummer, the days extend almost until dawn. In the twilight's glow this mountain garden flourished along endless miles of pristine wilderness.

Every time the sun rises, the seasons change, and the flowers bloom, all of nature seems to be announcing, "God is faithful." In a world of human made chaos, God is dependable, not only in matters of creation, but in our personal lives as well. Remembering God's dependability is helpful, especially when circumstances are not going our way.

When divorce rips the marriage vows or the doctor diagnoses cancer or the telephone call delivers shocking news, we often wonder if God has forgotten us. Yet when we reflect upon the past events of our lives, we can trace His faithful provision. Just as He adorns the lilies of the field, He will take care of our concerns. So, we need not be anxious . When difficulties arise, we can pray, knowing the Master Gardener is always there, year in and year out.

Just as spring follows winter and renews a harsh landscape, our Jehovah Jireh---the Lord who provides--brings peace to still the turmoil in our hearts and newfound joy with the blessing of each day.

Finding God, you have no need to seek peace, for He himself is your peace.
Francis J. Roberts

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis