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, I was greeted with the noisy singing of many birds and the steady cooing of mourning doves. It was a happy sound to start the day. They were greeting the sunshine as they no doubt were seeking bugs and other things that they eat.
I had a fairly quiet day yesterday..running a few errands in the heat, and thank you, God, for an air conditioned car! Parking in the shade is always good! As I was driving around Lynch Lake, I noticed a large, dark feathered pelican preening as he perched on a bench. Then, in the park, I saw a squirrel perched on a pole by the trash can looking very cute while munching on something good.
Also, the overgrowth in the canal has been sprayed and is turning brown. While the hydrilla and other growth is choking out the canal, I always kind of hate to see the moor hens homes destroyed. They are such busy, cute little ducks, always talking to each other as they busily build their nests. But God is good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Give God Your Complete Attention
Worship the Lord you God and...serve Him only.
Matthew 4:10 HCSB
Who rules your heart? Is it God, or is it something else? Do you give God your firstfruits or your last? Have you given Christ your heart, your soul, your talents, your time, and your testimony, or have you given Him little more than a few hours each Sunday morning?
In the book of Exodus, God warns that we should place no other gods before Him. Yet all too often, we place our Lord in second, third, or fourth place as we worship the gods of pride, greed, power, or lust. When we unwittingly place possessions or relationships above our love for the Creator, we must seek His forgiveness and repent from our sins.
Does God rule your heart? Make certain that the honest answer to this question is a resounding yes. In the life of every righteous believer, God comes first. And that's precisely the place that He deserves in your heart.
-Great Thoughts-
I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours of the day in prayer.
Martin Luther
-Today's Prayer-
Dear Lord, Your love is eternal and Your laws are everlasting. When I obey Your commandments and put You first in my life, I am blessed. Today , I invite you to reign over every corner of my heart. I will have faith in You. Father, I will sense Your presence. I will accept Your love. I will trust Your will, and I will praise You for the Savior of my life; Your Son Jesus.
Amen
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! So again we have a sunshiny day with a slight breeze blowing. Summer is definitely here, and "the livin' is easy.".. reminds me of a song:).
For some reason, yesterday, since I woke up about 3 AM and could not get back to sleep, I stayed up from 5 AM and felt pretty good until afternoon, when the slump came on. So I decided to take a nap, and fortunately, was not interrupted by a phone call. Felt pretty good after that. I was able to sleep well last night to make up for the lack the previous night. But, yesterday, I emptied the dryer of towels, and took a walk around the house to see just how much work my new lawn guy will have to do to get things cleaned up. I had mentioned to him that I needed to call the tree trimmers that I use, and he said that they also trim trees, so maybe I won't have to call anyone else..
I also vacuumed yesterday, because of all the people that have been in and out, working on the P.C. Always something going on. I drove to the park in the afternoon and saw two anhingas with wings spread drying out at the weir, saw a van stop at the gates to the weir and a father with two little ones got out and went around the fence that says in big letters, "No Trespassing" and walked across the weir. Good example, Dad!
I drove on down to the circle and saw a few people out enjoying the beautiful, but hot day. I had to wait for three squirrels to get through chasing each other in the middle of the street, and looked at the canal still full of growth. All was quiet and peaceful...God is good!
The following is a prayer I have printed before. I read it every day as a reminder to myself:
"Oh, God, for another day, for another morning,
for another hour for another minute, for another
chance to live and serve Thee, I am truly grateful."
Do Thou this day free me
From all fear of the future
from all bitterness toward anyone.
From all cowardice in face of danger
from all laziness in face of work,
from all failure before opportunity
from all weakness when Thy power is
at hand.
But fill me
with Love that knows no barrier
with Sympathy that reaches all
with Courage that cannot be shaken
with Faith strong enough for darkness.
with Strength sufficient for my tasks
with Loyalty to Thy Kingdom Goal,
with Power to lift me to Thee.
Be Thou with me for another day and use
me as Thou wilt for Christ's sake, I pray.
Amen
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! More sunshine today with temps climbing into the nineties, so another very hot day is in store. I must say that I enjoyed the rainy days, which brought cooler temps, but I am thankful we had all the rain! Now I have large toad stools growing in the front yard.
I have a new lawn man who is to start this weekend, and I am hoping that he can get grass to grow under the shady oak trees. He said that palmetto St. Augustine will grow in the shade, but it can only be sodded in the fall, so I will have to wait until then. He will also do all the trimming, including the trees. So, lots of work needs to be done, but I will just have to be patient.
I did not attend church yesterday, because I think I over indulged Sat. evening. I went to a bake-off competition, which included a cook out and then samples of several outstanding desserts, so as a result, I paid for it Sunday morning. But I sure enjoyed the company, talk, laughter and all the food. Ah, well, all things in moderation...still learning that lesson!
I was able to go out later on, and saw quite a few people in the park, enjoying the beautiful weather. The canal is almost covered with green growth, so there is little water to be seen over the bridge.But it is still a good place to see all kinds of birds and water fowl. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Energy
Why do I sometimes find myself weary and tired?
Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator over 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 the 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.
2 Corinthians 4:7 This precious treasure--this light and power that now shine within us--is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.As human beings we have limitations. We get hungry, tired and hurt. We are not self-sufficient. Instead of relying on ourselves, we need to rely on the Lord. Like the eagle that soars on the currents of wind, we can trust the Lord to carry us onward.
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! So, another cloudy, overcast day is upon us once again. Everything is wet and the roof is dripping, so it must have rained again during the night. Was I complaining about no rain a few short weeks ago? God, in His time has taken care of the lack of water.
Well, I have lost my lawn guy. He has health and physical issues that have caused him to drop his lawn work, but he is still able, with great effort, to report to his regular job as a Park Ranger. Meantime, I have contacted another landscaper to come by and give me an estimate today. I have a pitiful yard with almost no grass in the back yard and am losing it in the front due to the shade from the oak trees. But, a lot of trimming needs to be done at times, so I am hoping this new person will be suitable for the job. God always supplies my needs!
I was able to get to Publix yesterday during a lull in the showers, and got what I needed, plus a little extra. The shopping was pleasant, but the checking out was a little annoying, The bag girl was talking the whole time to the cashier and that always bothers me, because it is distracting to the person handling the products, and taking her attention away from the job she is doing. I was polite, though, and did not say anything, thinking she probably needs the job.
On the way home, I noticed the tide was in so high in Turner's Creek, that it was up above the drainage pipes. The ibis love that, so they can peck along the banks. I saw the baby osprey sticking its head up above the nest on the light pole at Sawgrass Elementary. It must be living in a very wet nest! But, God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
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
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 had rain ever since I awoke and it looks like it will continue for quite awhile.I was scheduled to get the yard mowed today, but rain once again has postponed it; that is, I think so, anyway. If the weather clears up, it may get cleaned up later this afternoon. But I won't worry about it if it doesn't get cut.
Yesterday was a different kind of day. I had an early appointment with Dr. Bob, my dentist, to get a filling...first cavity in years. caused by food packing between two molars. That took over an hour and a half in his chair, with rest periods for my jaws, and for me to take a break. When I finished that ordeal, I stopped at Taco Bell on the way home to get a salad with chicken , got home and gulped that down, so I would be finished in time for my P.C. tech, who was due at 1:30. He was a little late, but got started working on it right away. He was busy, disconnecting plugs, and reconnecting them, and doing all kinds of things with different connections on the screen. After four hours of work and a call to Bright House, he got the computer working again, but something is still wrong with the cable connection with Bright House, so they will be coming again tomorrow and Dave, the tech, will come back to clue them in, since I have no idea what to tell them. I still don't know what exactly went wrong, since the HP desk top, is only about six months old, but whatever it was, baffled four guys. The fifth one, Dave, fixed it! My deepest thanks to the ones who worked on it! As a side note; it was definitely freeing not to have to check the PC for new messages several times a day, and I actually had Phone conversations with a couple people instead of emailing! Personal communication still works!!
Something cute a couple days ago...a white dove had been hanging around the front lawn near the gutter for a few days, and one day I looked out and saw her resting on the wall of the porch near the water bowl. She stayed there for a long time, flat on her tummy. But I haven't seen her since. BTW, Dave, the techie, is a birder, and goes on birdwatching tours with the Audubon Society, so we had chats about birdwatching while he was working. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Psalm 91:14-16
The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer.
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue them and honor them.
I will satisfy them and honor them.
I will satisfy them with a long life
and give them my salvation."
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! Lots of sunshine and clouds this morning, and the heat and humidity moving in already, but this is the last day of May and soon hotter June will be upon us, then we can really complain about the heat! We have had enough rain since last week, that my lawn actually needs mowing again, so that will get done tomorrow.
I had a dental appointment yesterday and discovered a new entrance to his office, with a new door. I also discovered as the hygienist was working that I have a cavity...bummer. That means I have to go back next week and get it filled. I haven't had a cavity in years, but I have a space between molars that always captures food, no matter how I floss and poke with a brush and that's where the cavity is. Well, I'll do what I have to do.
After I left that office, I came home to let the cleaning ladies in, chatted with them while they worked, and then, after lunch, went to the library. I saw the homeless man in the parking lot...the one that usually hangs out at the park, and he once again was sorting all the junk packed in his car. Guess he knows all the places with rest room facilities. I drove on to the park where very few people were and did not see the gopher tortoise. His tunnel was so wet, I wonder if they ever get too much water in their homes, so they can't live in them any more. But, I heard a chorus of birds, as I do around here and also passed a tree with gorgeous yellow flowers on it. I think it might be a golden rain tree, but not sure. Anyway, God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Ephesians 6:4-10
Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Those who are taught the word of God should help their teachers by paying them.
Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.
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! Just a few clouds today, compared with yesterday when we had nearly all day cloud cover.
I went shopping yesterday around noon because all the forecasts said rain was coming and the radar showed it closer to me. Well, the rain finally came in the afternoon for about thirty minutes...a good, hard, rain. It was great!
As I was driving home along Turner Creek, I noticed a very large bird sitting on a light pole in front of me. It was an osprey looking over the water, probably contemplating a meal for the young ones still in the nest. I see their heads popping up when I drive toward home. The nest is on top of a light pole at Sawgrass Lake Elem. School. Seems like they should be about ready to leave soon. The nest in the Publix parking lot is a very messy pile of sticks and debris at the base of the light pole. They don't last long when they are deserted. The birds have learned to co-habit with society, since so little of their environment is left. But God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
John 15:1-7
"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 produce 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 fine,and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.
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 much glory to my Father....
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
