Doubt and Encouragement

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

When I stepped outside this morning, the sky was almost black with myriads of stars twinkling brightly and a piece of the moon still shining among them. God is Awesome!

Well, everyone around here is very excited over the World Series, which starts right here tonight. Who would have thought the Rays would be the best team in the American League? Anyway, I hope they win! Go Rays!

Something interesting from our backyard... last evening I looked out the window and watched three kittens and the Mama, not much more than a kitten herself, playing out by our shed. Two are black and white, and one is black like Mama. I had only seen two kittens before, but now I see three. Since the bluejays ate the Meow Mix I put out for them before, this morning, I took an open can of sardines and placed it behind the shed. Just as I did, one of the kittens shot out after a lizard. I don't think it even noticed me. Well, hopefully, they will eat the sardines. They are feral, and no one can get near them, but they seem to exist well, but always in fear. Not a good way to live.

From the Promise Bible NLT:

How can I trust God when I can't see a way out of my problem?

Genesis 18:13-14 The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, "Can an old woman like me have a baby?" Is anything too hard for the Lord? About a year from now, just as I told you, I will return, and Sarah will have a son."

Luke 1:37 Nothing is impossible with God.

Doubt often arises because we look at the problem instead of looking up to God. God is not limited by our circumstances or by our lack of resources or abilities. Sarah and Abraham, Mary and Joseph, and many other of God's people across the centuries have learned that God can do anything.

More tomorrow:

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

Love and hugs,
amaryllis

Thinking things through

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 cool morning, with the almost quarter moon and bright stars lighting up the sky and casting shadows as I stepped outside this early morning,
Reminds me of the poem of long ago, "October's Bright Blue weather." We really do need rain, though, so we trust in God to provide.

As I walked yesterday, I enjoyed the chirping of a cardinal which perched briefly on the top rail of the boardwalk, I stopped to try to find another chirper in the bushes, but could not spot it. Soon all the birds will be returning from the North as the weather turns cooler. God is Good!

I stopped to look for the baby gators, and only saw one, which appeared to be lifeless under the bridge. They disappear so fast from their hangouts. I have no idea what happens to them.

I talked with Mike and Francia about the Rays. Mike was at the Trop to watch the Rays win the AL title. He is such a fan that he has a "Rayshawk" and has dyed his nice gray, wavy hair black. He comes to Sawgrass several times a week now, from Ft. DeSoto so he can take care of the snakes and fish... very interesting to talk with because he has traveled just about every place in the world.

From Quiet Moments with God:

Psalms 65:9 You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.

One of America's most popular contemporary painters. Andrew Wyeth, portrays life in rural Pennsylvania and Maine so meticulously and naturally that it sometimes appears surreal. A story told by his brother Nat, gives a great deal of insight into the source of Wyeth's intensity.

Andy did a Picture of Lafayette's quarters near Chadds Ford, Pa., with a sycamore tree behind the building. When I first saw the painting, he wasn't finished with it. He showed me a lot of drawings of the trunk and the sycamore's gnarled roots, and I said, "Where's all that in the picture?"

"It's not in the picture, Nat," he said. "For me to get what I want in the part of the tree that's showing, I've got to know thoroughly how it is anchored in back of the house."

The act of thinking things through is important to every task in our lives. For example; we cannot overlook the importance of good preparation when we are planning our garden, or we risk damaging the plants with poor soil or by setting them too close together to grow freely.

Bernard Baruch emphasized this need, stating, "Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in private and public life have been the consequence of action without thought."

It is a joy to commune with God and ask His advice as we plan our daily activities. When you have an important task to think through, take time to ask, "Lord, what is Your will?" He will be glad to help.

Four steps to achievement:
Plan purposefully,
prepare prayerfully,
proceed positively,
Pursue persistently.
William Arthur Ward

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis.

Go Rays!!

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! The waning moon was still visible through the clouds scudding across the sky when I stepped outside this morning, very early. The very cool breeze was blowing still as it has been the past few days. In fact, I had the A/C off and some windows open yesterday.

We had a wonderful weekend at church celebrating the 30th Anniversary and meeting and greeting old friends and former pastors. Lots of activities and good preaching!

Daryl and Matthew came down from Tennessee for the celebrating and it was really good to have them for a few days! God is good!

And then, last night, the Amazing Rays won the AL and will play in the World Series. It doesn't get much better than this!

Oh, yes, I did walk in the park and saw the baby gators under the bridge and Mama hidden in the shrubs. Beautiful weather for walking!

Excerpts from scripture from the Promise Bible NLT:

Deuteronomy 33:26,27 There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you; across the skies in majestic splendor. The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.

Ephesians 3:14-23
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the well of God's marvelous love, and may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages.

Amen

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Guidance Part 2

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the beautiful, cool day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Once again, the moon was shining almost as bright as day, when I stepped outside about 5:30am, and stars were visible in the night sky. God is Awesome!

Because of having to take hubby to the new Oncology Center early, for setting up treatment for his ear, I was unable to take time to walk, but did drive through the park later and enjoyed the peace of the squirrels scrambling, the ibis forever pecking, and the anhingas drying their wings. Some things in our lives are constant. God is good!

In one of my devotions this morning, the writer said after attending a memorial service, that she would start saying nice things and her appreciation for certain people in her life before they passed away, I think it's a wonderful idea, and so I am thankful for friends who call just to check on us, and for those who email encouragement. You all are a blessing!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

How can I experience God's guidance?

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths..

The first step in guidance is knowing where to put your trust. Travelers rely on maps when visiting new places. In the same way, we must trust God to lead us and realize our own limitations. We do not understand all the complexities of life, but the Lord does.

Matthew 7:7-11 Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. You parents--if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

God invites us to pray so that we will know him more fully as our loving Father and understand ourselves more clearly as well. Even as a parent gives more and more responsibility to a child as he or she grows, so the Lord expects us to take responsibility for seeking and following his direction.

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

Love and hugs,

Amaryllis

(due to Daryl and Matthew arriving early tomorrow morning, or late tonight, there will be no "gator bytes" tomorrow.)

Guidance

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

Wow! Did you see the full moon once again casting shadows and lighting up the world like sun! What a sight! God is Awesome!

Due to having to stay at home while the carpet was cleaned, I didn't get to walk yesterday before it got too hot, but did ride through and saw lots of people enjoying the beauty. I probably won't get to walk today, either, since Louis has a doctor appointment at 9:30am. But I enjoy looking at the wildlife everywhere, anyway. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

How can I be sure God will guide me?

Psalm 32:8 The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."

Psalm 37:23-24 What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.

Jesus gives this promise to all his followers: If God values the littlest things of his creation, how much more must he value us for whom he gave his own precious Son. When we are anxious or concerned, we need to remind ourselves that God does indeed care about us and is watching over us.

Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

God is always seeking the best future for us. there are times that we delay it through our disobedience, but when we come back to God, he is always ready to give us his best.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

The Bulldog Way

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! Did you early risers see the magnificent full moon this morning? I was so startled when I stepped outside and almost blinded by the huge brightness of the moon over the house! I saw many stars, also, for the first time in many days. God is the Creator of all things beautiful!

I was pleased to see the baby gators were still at the first shelter, but not so pleased on my walk, to see a man feeding Mama gator cracker crumbs. There was a sign right in front of him, warning against feeding or molesting them, but I restrained myself from saying anything. After I walked out to the tower, where he was with his two little boys in a stroller, I walked on back to the building and told Francia about the incident. We were both in a quandary about what to do, or who to call, since there is no one there permanently any more to take care of things like that.

I described him to her and she went out to meet him coming off the bridge and was talking to him when I left. Hopefully, he received an education about why it is so dangerous to feed the animals. I think and she does to, that more and more of this will be happening, as people realize that no one is there to stop them. Sigh.

Anyway, I enjoyed the walk, but the wind blowing and a little cooler. God is Good!

From Quiet Moments with God for Teachers:

Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season, we shall reap , if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9 KJV

Are you in the midst of a frustrating struggle? Before you throw in the towel, remember this story about the bulldog.

A man once owned two very fine bird dogs, and he had spent many hours training them. One day he looked out his window just in time to see an ugly little bulldog digging his way under the fence into his bird dogs' yard. As the dog wriggled under the fence, the man realized it was too late to stop him.

He thought to himself how uneven the fight would be. The poor little bulldog was surely no match for his animals. Snipping, barking, growling--tails and ears flying--the battle raged. When the little dog had had enough, he trotted back to the hole under the fence and shimmied out.

Amazed that none of the dogs looked any the worse from the fight, he didn't give the incident another thought until the next day, when he saw the little bulldog coming down the sidewalk toward the hole in the fence. To his amazement, a repeat performance of the previous day's battle began. And once again, the little bulldog picked his moment to end the fight, left the bird dogs barking and snarling, and casually slid back under the fence.

Day after day for over a week, the unwelcome visitor returned to harass his bigger canine counterparts. then the man was obliged to leave for a week on business. When he returned, he asked his wife about the ongoing battle.

"Battle?" she replied, "Why there hasn't been a battle in four days."
"He finally gave up?" asked the bird dog owner.

"Not exactly," she said. "That ugly little dog still comes around every day. He even shimmied under the fence until a day or so ago. But now all he has to do is walk past the hole and those bird dogs tuck their tails and head for their doghouse whining all the way."

Sometimes persistence is the key to success. If well thou hast begun, go on foreright; it is the end that crowns us, not the fight.
Robert Herrick

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Psoaring through 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! When I stepped outside this morning, the cool wind was blowing and clouds were obscuring the stars and the moon which will be full in a day or two. But the sun is trying to shine now, and it will be a beautiful day!

We had a quiet day yesterday, and Saturday we watched the Gators win and the kept switching over to the Rays who also won! Go Rays and Go Gators!

We drove through the Park and I saw some beautiful roseate spoonbills beside the road. Their pinks are so colorful... it makes them stand out. God is good!

Psalm 112

Praise the Lord!

Happy are those who fear the Lord. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands. Their children will be successful everywhere: an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. They themselves will be wealthy, and their good deeds will never be forgotten. When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in, they are generous, compassionate, and righteous. All goes will for those who are generous, who lend freely and conduct their business fairly. Such people will not be overcome by evil circumstances. Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news. They confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will never be forgotten. they will have influence and honor. The wicked will be infuriated when they see this. They will grind their teeth in anger; they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis