Roamin' thru Romans

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! Yesterday was perfect weather for celebrating Independence Day and today is another very hot, humid day! I watched the Capitol Fourth celebration on TV and it was raining in Washington, but no sign of that here!

Some very loud booms were sounding off for a few hours around here..some sounded like they were in my driveway! I thought of my friend's little dog who is frightened by loud noises. He must have been terrified!  I finally headed for bed about 10:30, thinking they would not sound so loud back in the bedroom, but I could hear more from the back of the house,. Fortunately, all the noise ended a little after eleven.

I saw the Clearwater beach cleanup  this morning. What a mess!   All kinds of fireworks, tons of bottles -- they even found a cooler loaded with food! Over a hundred volunteers cleaned about 2 tons of trash off the beaches! Seems like people just can't clean up after themselves!'

I had a very quiet fourth. Brian came over and did some chores for me, including taking the van to gas it up, and taking the recyclables out. After he left, I did my ironing. I was glad to get that done! Then, just about supper time, my nephew cop, Russ, called to catch up with all the news and I caught up with his news.. Family is so important!

Brian took me to a new Tampa restaurant Saturday night called 4R Smokehouse. It is run by Christians and is closed on Sundays The food was excellent and the service is quite unusual. If you order the plate meal, it is slapped on butcher paper on a tray. You get your own cutlery, and drinks and the meal is served cafeteria style. It is family style dining with very long tables with stools and chairs. Very different but very good.!

I looked out my front window Saturday and saw a most unusual sight. A little squirrel was perched on the end of the half wall on the front porch and then he laid down flat on his tummy. Then he got up looked around and flopped down again. Since I rare;y see squirrels when they are not in motion, it was unusual for this one to be quiet for that length of time. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Romans 12:6-13
God has given us the ability to do certain
things well. So if God has given you the ability
to prophecy,speak out when you have faith that
God is speaking through you. If your gift is that
of serving others, serve them well. If you are a
teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is
to encourage others, do it!  If you have money,
share it generously. If God has given you leadership
ability , take the responsibility seriously, and if you
have a gift of showing kindness to others, do it
gladly!
Don't just pretend that you love others!  Really love them!
Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight
in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but
serve the Lord enthusiastically!

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Joshua's leadership

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 hope everyone is ready for a very warm, sunny, and perhaps rainy holiday celebrating Independence Day!

We already had a nice shower here, just a few minutes after I rolled out of bed at 6:30. I had padded out to the front door to rescue my paper off the chair, only to discover it was not there. Then I saw it down at the end of the driveway. So I left it and took my shower, deciding I would try to get my walker down there to pick it up after I got dressed. Well, when I looked out again, it wasn't there and I had almost decided to call the Times delivery, when I looked on the porch, and some kind soul had tossed it up right next to the chair! I have two possibilities for the good Samaritan, so I will have to check and see who I can thank. I am blessed!

Yesterday I saw a tiny frog hopping away from the chair, which is under the porch light, but according to what is left behind, the tiny frog is not responsible for the large deposits left on the floor. Either the lizards or geckos are guilty. The bugs must be plentiful!

I watched Homeplace with Tim Tebow hosting last night and kept flipping over to the Rays. I was so happy that they had a comfortable lead over Detroit, and then the ninth inning happened and disaster struck! I was so disappointed! I will be glad when Kevin Kiermaier gets his hand all healed up and comes back!

Well, Happy Fourth of July everyone and be safe! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Deuteronomy 31:7-9
Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched
he said to him, "Be strong and courageous!" For you will
lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to give
their ancestors.. You are the one who will deliver it to them
as their inheritance. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the
Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he
will neither fail nor forsake you."'

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Paul's charge to Timothy

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, more heat and more humidity; the same as yesterday. We did not get rain, but the water is still running in the gutters, so we don't need any rain for a couple days.

I had to wait until afternoon for my cleaning ladies to come. Cheryl has a cold, which does not slow down her energy. She is always helpful. They picked up a new client with a big house...4/4 which they had just finished cleaning. That is why they were late.

After they left, I ran a few errands and wound up driving through the park and saw a anhinga drying out the wings on the weir. They used to have a butterfly garden, but  pulled all the plants out, the year of the budget cuts.Too bad.. But they have other plants which attract other butterflies. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

2 Timothy 2:14-17
But you must remain faithful to the things you
have been taught for you know they are true for
 you know you can trust those who taught you.
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood,
and they have given you the wisdom to receive the
salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach
us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong
in our lives. It strengthens us out and teaches us to
do what is right. It is God's way of preparing  us in
every way; fully equipped for every good thing God
wants us to do.

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! More sun, more heat, more rain, but there is a slight breeze blowing today, so that cools the sweat. Icky but true!

Well, once again I put off going to get groceries early, but I really need to get out and get some fresh fruit. I see mangos hanging off all the trees around here, but they don't look ripe yet. My neighbors on the north side have several mango trees; one of which is growing right outside my window. Unfortunately, the hedge is keeping the fruit from falling in my yard.

I drove to the library yesterday and returned some books in the book drop, and then thought a strawberry shake would be tasty, so went on to Steak and Shake. Fortunately, the line was short, so I did not have a long wait, got my shake and headed over to the park. Very few people were there in the middle of the afternoon, and it had rained a short time before, so everything was wet and steamy, but very green. A couple squirrels were hanging out in the middle of the road, but they scooted out of the way. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Philippians 4:4-8
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 every
thing. 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.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more
thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true
 and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure
and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are
excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice
all you learned from me, and heard from me and saw me doing,
and the God of peace will be with you.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Roamin" thru Romans

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 our usual sunshine this morning, but yesterday, all of a sudden, we had a thundershower in the middle of the afternoon. Probably the same thing will happen today, so this is really the rainy season.

My yard crew has already been here and gone, and since my neighbor next door mowed his yard yesterday, the contrast was great. My grass does not get mowed as short as next door so it always looks longer. Speaking of my neighbor, Cheryl, across the street called me last night to say Jeremy's car trunk had been open for over an hour. She thought maybe he had forgotten it. She did not have his phone number, so I said I would call him, but I could only get a busy signal the four times I tried. So Cheryl said she would walk over and tell him, which she did. Turns out he has a leak in the trunk of his Mustang, so he was just trying to dry it out. But she did get his cell number which she passed on to me. It is certainly a blessing to have a vigilant person like Cheryl to watch over the neighborhood!

Well, it has been on the news and on Facebook, about Tim Tebow praying for a man who apparently had a heart attack on a plane and lost consciousness. He stuck with the family and even saw to it that their luggage got off the plane and looked after them as they went to the hospital. He is my hero, and lives out his faith in a way that I have always been too shy to do!.

I have several things to do today, so I need to stop thinking about how nice it would be if someone else would do ironing, shopping, etc. for me and "get 'er done!"

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Romans 15: 5-9
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement,
help you live in complete harmony with each other---
each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward theother.
Then all of you can join together with one voice giving
praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So accept each other just as Christ  has accepted you;
then God  will be glorified. Remember that God came
as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the
promises  he made to their ancestors, And he came so
the Gentiles might also give glory to God for his mercies to them.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

A Call to Trust The Lord

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 not supposed to rain until this afternoon, but who knows? It can rain any time seems like, which makes for a lot of humidity when it stops.

Saturday, I headed out for a hair appointment, and it was raining. The further I got, the harder the rain came down, until I almost could not see where I was going. Traffic had slowed and there was not much of it. I almost drove out of the rain which was moving with me, and kept praying that the Lord would hold the rain off until I got in the salon. Well, the prayer was partially answered, because the drops were coming fast, but I got the walker out and moved as fast as I could into the overhang shelter, then locked the van with my remote. By then, it was pouring!  It was still coming down when I was finished, but my stylist walked me out to the car with a golf umbrella, which she has done before.

So, on my way back, some streets were flooded and a couple cars were stranded in front of a MacDonald's . I don't know how many times warnings are given about driving in flooded areas..."Turn around, Don't drown." but people still hit it too fast and then their cars drown out.

Since the rain had stopped, I drove on to the Park just to check up to see what damage had been done to the trees. Well, the water was flowing rapidly over the weir and the canal was full with several large trees hanging over into the water. I drove down there yesterday and marveled when a hawk flew right in front of the windshield! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Isaiah 8:11-13
The Lord has said to me in the strongest terms:
Do not think like everyone else does. Do not be
afraid that some plan conceived behind closed
doors will be the end of you. Do not fear anything
except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One.
If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. He will
keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a
stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that
makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he
will be a trap that entangles them. Many of them will
stumble and fall, never to rise again. Many will be captured.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

The Greatest of These

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's hard to believe that this is the last weekend in June,  but sadly, it's true. And another hot weekend! Not a breeze is stirring, but the sun is rising very hot and bright, so for all those people who like the beach, now is a good time to go!

As I was on my way back from the dry cleaners yesterday, I stopped at Chick-fil-a for lunch and to support the spirit of our VBS. Of course, there was the usual long line of cars for the drive thru, but I was able to get off the street and let two cars pull in front of me, so other cars could  get out to the street. The kid taking the orders on his tablet finally got to me, so I gave him my order and about ten minutes later, when I got to the window and picked it up, I did not realize that I was given lemonade instead of the Frosty Lemonade I had ordered! Drat! That's the second time they have messed up my drink order. The lemonade was good, but I really wanted the Frosty!

On the way home. I noticed a large black cloud in the north and hanging down from it was a waterspout! I had not seen one in years, so I was able to follow it swirl and then watch it disappear. I think it must have been over the water at the airport or part of Tampa Bay, but it never reached the ground. Very cool!

After I had lunch, I heard rain starting and it soon was coming down harder, so pretty soon, we had a really hard rain, which lasted for about ten minutes, while the sun was shining just a few miles away. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

! Corinthians 13:4-
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.

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 in 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 ever11ything 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