Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

 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!  This is one more in the string of perfect days we have been having! Blue skies, lots of sun, gentle breezes...who could ask for anything more?

I watched the Packers-Patriots game yesterday, played in below freezing weather, at Green Bay WS, with thousands of screaming fans sitting in the cold and not seeming to mind at all, since the Packers won! Yay! My mother was from Wisconsin and my sister was born there, so I have a connection. I also watched the Gators narrowly lose, but that's another story. Sigh.

I hope you all had as good a Thanksgiving as I did. Brian and I drove up to Dunnellon to be with my two nieces, my sister, my great nephew and a couple cousins of theirs, so there was good company, and great food. Much laughter, and memories!

The drive up was perfect and we made good time on the Suncoast Parkway. Not much traffic and blue skies! We were interested in a shiny, black new looking Corvette, that we picked up in Pasco Co. and followed and passed back and forth until we got to Crystal River. We sorta wondered where they were headed and missed them when we turned off to head for Dunnellon. We stopped by my mother's old house on Blue Run and saw that it looks much the same as when we sold it. Those were good times! Then we headed for home and once again, had really good weather and a great trip!

I have seen more wood storks around the various lakes and yesterday on my way to church had to suddenly stop to let one cross in front of me unexpectedly! they have taken to hanging out in people's yards around Lynch Lake and this one was crossing the street from a house. There were several more around the lake and ducks, ibis, and seagulls. A busy place! Over at the park I saw turtles of various sizes sunning on the banks of the weir, and ibis and egrets in the canal. Lots of people were at the park, which was closed Friday. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Matthew 11:25-30

Then Jesus prayed this prayer, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves
so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father,
it pleased you to do it this way!

My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really
knows the Son, except the Father, and no one really knows the
Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Then Jesus said, " Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the
burden I give you is light."

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Giving Thanks

Good Morning, Dear friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! The rain has almost stopped, although the sky is overcast and it has really cooled off, so we will have a chilly Thanksgiving.

This is just a short note today, to give thanks for Jesus saving me with all my faults, and for my family who love me, and for tomorrow, which would have been the 66th anniversary of the day I married my one true love, Louis.

It will be a happy day filled with love and lots of talk and catching up, but also a little sad.
I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and pray for safety for those on the road, including Brian and me.

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! It looks like we are in for a rainy, breezy day. Already the skies are cloudy, but they lighten up periodically, and then comes more rain. I am hoping it will let up some later on, so I can do some errands and then scoot home. I am having a ketchup crisis here. I am almost out and that is a staple!

So, it looks like Thanksgiving will be  a bit chilly this year, as we go over the river and through the woods to my niece's  house in Dunnellon. We have been there with family for the past couple years and it is always good to get together while we are still able to get around. (My sister and I, not the young'uns.)

I usually mute commercials, especially the ones selling cars that always have someone yelling, but each time the Publix commercial comes on, I have to admit I get a little teary eyed. "It may not be flawless, the soft spoken narrator says, "but it is always perfect." Happy Thanksgiving from Publix, where shopping is a pleasure.!  That one and the Budweiser commercial at Christmas, grab my attention.
God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 147:7-11

Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
provides 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.
Praise the Lord!

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! There has been no sun so far, but fog and humidity. It was so warm yesterday that I turned the A/C on when Brian came over. Then he mentioned that he was off the day after Thanksgiving and we could begin to decorate for Christmas! I had not given that a thought,even though I saw a house being strung with lights just a couple days ago! Time is flying!

I am so looking forward to February, because Brian secured tickets for us to see Harry Connick, Jr,'s concert at REH ! For those of you who don't know who he is, he is a judge for American Idol, an accomplished singer and piano player, and starred in the two Winter the Dolphin, series of films! He is one of my favorites!

We had an excellent sermon with some humor throughout yesterday. Pastor Dave has so many funny stories that have happened to him over all the years he has spent in the pulpit. I will miss him when he is gone.But I am also looking forward to seeing Pastor Kevin and Lori 's arrival, with great anticipation!

I saw an osprey perched high on a light pole as I was coming home yesterday and also saw wood storks, lots of ibis, mature and immature, and the usual ducks in Lynch Lake as I was on my way to church. God is good!

Psoaring thru Psalms

Psalm 119:1-8

Happy are the people of integrity.
who follow the Law of the Lord.
Happy are those who obey his decrees
and search for him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in his paths.
You have charged us to keep
your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your principles!
Then I will not be disgraced,
when I compare my life with your commands.
When I learn your righteous laws,
I will thank you by living as I should.!
I will obey your principles,
Please don't give up on me!

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

Love and hugs
 Amaryllis

All Christians

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 weather is slowly warming up, but this morning it was 59 which to me is chilly, especially when the wind is blowing. However, it is good to see the sun shining.

I kept my doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon and was in and out in less than an hour, which is great time. I like to have an appointment right after lunch so I am the first one in. Dr. H. was full of talk about all the snow in Buffalo and said he would have liked to fly up there on the weekend, just to see it and then come right back. I told him about my pilot friend who was just in Buffalo and did not see any snow where he was. However, I see where the Bills are holding their game  in Detroit on Sunday because the field is covered.  One more reason I am happy to be in Florida!

After I left the Doc's office, I zipped across 9th St. and drove on to Wendy's for a cheeseburger, and was pleased to discover that they have .99 cent burgers. I know Burger King has Junior Whoppers, but did not know Wendy's also has a small burger. So I bought that and headed home to have a late lunch. After that, I headed for Walmart to gas up the van, and stopped on the way at the Park, where I saw anhingas sunning and way down the canal, a beautiful splash of pink once again. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

1 Peter 3:8-12
Finally, all of you should be of one mind,
full of sympathy toward each other, loving
one another with tender hearts and humble minds.
Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people
 say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them
 back with a blessing  That is what God wants you
to do and he will bless you for it. For the Scriptures
say, "If you want a happy life and good days,
keep your tongue from speaking evil,
and keep your lips from telling lies.
Turn away from evil and do good.
Work hard at living in peace with others.
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.'But the Lord turns his face
against those who do evil."

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis12

Faith and Endurance

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 a couple degrees warmer today than yesterday, but 51 is still cold to me. The temp. inside was 68 and that still seems chilly to me, if I am not moving around much. It seems strange that we are supposed to be using the A/C by Sunday...I will have to wait and see about that!

My ladies came to clean yesterday and for once, Cheryl did not have flip-flops on. Instead, she was wearing sneakers. I kid her, because she is so warm natured, but she and Kim were both wearing coats and long sleeved shirts. That wind was icy when I was sweeping the trash off the porch. Kim has been getting estimates for roof replacement and I was totally surprised by how much it costs now days to get a new roof! I have a 25 year warranty on my roof, and it is in its 14th year, so I will probably not be around when it has to be replaced.

I shopped at CVS yesterday, and loaded up on tissues, which were on sale. I have such allergies, that I use tissues by the ton, it seems. Nearly every other day, I have a sneezing fit and sneeze for about a dozen times, then I'm done for a good long time. I think I am allergic to my house.

When I drove on to the Park, I saw some bundled up people on the bridge and further down toward the second bridge, some beautiful pink was showing as a couple of spoonbills were busy in the middle of the canal. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

James 1:2-8

Dear Brothers and Sisters, whenever trouble comes your
way. let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith
is tested your endurance has a chance to grow. So let
it grow for when your endurance is fully developed, you
will be strong in character and ready for anything.

If you need wisdom---if you want to know what God wants
you to do---, ask him and he will gladly tell you. He will
not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure
that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind
is an unsettled as a wave of the sea, that is driven and tossed
by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive
anything from the Lord. they can't make up their minds.
They waver back and forth in everything they do.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Love

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 have to keep rubbing my hands together to keep them warm, because the temp. was 45 when I arose ,(not inside) and 67 in the bedroom. Now the sun is shining sometimes, and we have climbed up to 49. That is still cold, especially with the wind blowing. Oh, well, at least we do not have to shovel white stuff off the sidewalks!

Seems like today would be a good day to do my ironing, since I definitely will not get too warm! After doing laundry, I went to the library, to check out more books and drop off the six I had finished. There was what looked like a homeless person bundled up on a bench out front. I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman, but I really hope they found shelter indoors someplace last night. That time of day was a busy one for the usually fairly calm library, but school was out and the parking lot was almost full. My particular branch is a very busy place!

Afterwards, I drove on to the Park, and, since it was late in the afternoon, not many people were there and none walking dogs, which is very unusual. there were a lot of ducks gathered on the weir, looking very cold, as they were all huddled up. That was the same situation around Lynch Lake, with a flock of seagulls and ducks and once again, the lone beauty of the roseate spoonbill outstanding amongst the white feathers of the other birds. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

1 Corinthians 13
Love is the Greatest
If I could speak in any language in heaven or in earth,
but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless
noise like a loud gong or a changing cymbal. If I had the gift
of prophecy, and I knew all the mysteries of the future and
knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what
good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak
to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good
to anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed
my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would
be of no value whatsoever.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no
record of when it has been wronged.
It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures
through every circumstance.
Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages
and special knowledge will all disappear.

It's like this: when I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child
does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things
imperfectly as is a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect
clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know
everything completely, just as God knows me now.
There are three things that will endure---faith, hope and love---and the greatest of these is love.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis