Ready to Move Mountains?

From: Amaryllis Green
Date: Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 9:49 AM
Subject: Ready to Move Mountains?
To: Prayer Partners


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 morning we have a cool wind blowing and lots of sunshine. As I stood outside I saw two mockingbirds perched on the wire and a cardinal went flying by as an airplane flew up, made a right turn then another and headed north. Lots of activity early in the day. Speaking of activity, I think there is a new squirrel family in the oak trees in the back yard. Two small ones were chasing each other around and around the tree, and then a third joined in. I usually see them leap from the tree to the telephone wire in the back, so I think they must come from those trees.

I went for a walk Saturday in the park. Walked up the sidewalk to the second bridge and on to the third bridge. The only signs of life I saw, human or animal , were four moorhens splashing quietly in the shallow water at the third bridge. They didn't look small, so they must have been two couples, since they stay together for life. Humans could take a lesson from their devotion.

God's timing is perfect, since the weather last week was so great for my trip to Tenn. and NC. Today it has been stormy up there, and I would not look forward to flying in stormy weather! But God is good!

From the devotional, Knowing God;

For truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this moiuntain, "Move from here to there", and it shall move, and nothing shall be impossible to you.
Matthew 17:20 NASB

Because we live in a demanding world, all of us have mountains to climb and mountains to move. Moving those mountains requires faith.

Are you a mountain-moving Christian whose faith is evident for all to see? Or, are you a spiritual underachiever? As you think about the answer to that question, consider this: God needs more people who are willing to move mountains for His glory and for His kingdom.

Are you willing to let God help you move mountains, or are you still stumbling around over a few little molehills? The answer should be obvious. And so, with no more delays, let the mountain moving begin!

-- Great Thoughts
My faith does not rest on what I am or will be or will feel or will know, but in what Christ is, in what he has done, and in what he is now doing for me.
C. H. Spurgeon

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Empowering

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 are blessed with another clear, cool day today, in fact, I believe it is the coolest yet. In the sixties this morning, but warming up to about 80 this afternoon, so I guess this is the "cold front" that was predicted.

Last Friday at this time I was in the air, flying toward Chattanooga, to see Matthew's appearance at the last home game for Cleveland High, and watch him play the trombone and march. It was a very cold windy night in the bleachers, but I really enjoyed it. It is a great band and has always placed well in competitions.

Speaking of last weekend, as we were on the mountain roads, winding up and then down, we saw lots of other vehicles, including a Lotus. Now, I don't know my cars well, but Daryl spotted it behind us and he and Matthew were quite excited to see it. Out of respect for the Lotus, as soon as he could, Daryl pulled over to let him fly by, which resulted in a wave through the moon roof. Unfortunately, the Lotus wound up behind a slower camper van, but not for long. As soon as he could, the driver flashed by the camper and before long was lost to sight. He probably was a state or two away while we were still winding down the mountain!

We stopped at Robbinsville that day or the next to have lunch, at a small place with excellent barbeque. I had a cup of veggie soup which was homemade with lots of chunky veggies in it, along with my pulled pork sandwich, served with two kinds of sauce, vinegar and sweet. Yum. Then to top it off, I had fresh peach cobbler served with a big scoop of ice cream. I'm making myself hungry, since I haven't had breakfast yet! We still had time to admire the granite mountainsides, set off by the russets, oranges, reds and yellow colors of the leaves! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Ephesians 3:14-21;
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 soil 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 would 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,
Am

Energy

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 believe it is 3 PM in Rome) Another clear, cool start to the day, which I hope will be productive.

I was so pleased with myself that I did my ironing yesterday, as well as getting some other things done that needed doing. Life is good!

Another anecdote about my trip...we drove up in the NC mountains, almost to the 5,000 ft level and stopped at a pretty overlook, rest area, got out and stretched, and I took photos of Daryl and Matthew, which I hope will turn out well, and also of the scenery, which was just beautiful! We were very close to Deal's Gap, the twistiest highway in the U.S., with 138 turns in 11 miles of hiway. (I think that number is correct.) Anyway, that accounted for the many motorcycles we passed or were passed by. All kinds of bikers-some pulling trailers, and some three wheelers, all out enjoying the weather and beautiful leaves and colorful scenery. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

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 of 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

Worry Less

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 another clear, cool day but very dry. Hopefully, God will send rain when He desires. It was very dry in Tenn. and not much better in NC, but did not keep the colors from showing!

When I arrived in Chattanooga on Friday, Daryl and I had breakfast and then did some sight-seeing and looked forward to the football game that night. It reminded me of "Friday Night Lights". Small towns really turn out for their high school football games! It was so cold, with a cutting wind blowing in the stands, I had layers on and a long scarf wrapped around my neck and was still shivering. Daryl had offered me his warm gator coat before we left the house, but silly me, I didn't think I would need it! But, anyway, I was able to watch Matthew play and march and he saw us sitting in the stands. The band is really good, and they keep entering competitions and winning second or third place. They have an invitation to march in the Thanksgiving parade in Chicago, which will be exciting for them.

We left at half time after the marching, because it was so cold, and we met up with Matthew when the members were dismissed. It had been a long time since I had watched my own boys march in their bands at Northeast Hi.! Time flies!

We started on our trip to the mountains Sunday and had barbeque and saw lots of bikers on all kinds of bikes! More about that tomorrow! God is good!

From the little devotional, Knowing God;

Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. Phil. 4:6 NCV

In the game of life, you win some, and you lose some. Life is risky business; you live in an uncertain world, a world in which trouble may come calling at any moment. No wonder you may find yourself feeling a little panicky at times.

Do you sometimes spend more time worrying about a problem than you spend solving it? If so, here's a strategy for dealing with your worries. Take them to God. Take your troubles to Him; take your fears to Him; take your doubts to Him; take your weaknesses to Him, take your sorrows to Him; ...and leave them all there. God is the Rock that cannot be moved. When you build your life upon that Rock, you have absolutely no need to worry... not now, not ever.

Great thoughtsl
Anxiety is not only a pain which we must ask God to assuage, but also a weakness we must ask him to pardon-for he's told us to take no care for tomorrow.
C. S. Lewis

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

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! I know I am late this morning, because I just decided to be lazy after the busy long weekend. I saw a gorgeous sunrise yesterday morning in Tenn. and an equally beautiful sunset in Florida last evening. God certainly had his paintbrush out with pinks and the blue of the sky showing!

I didn't see any gators, but saw beautiful oranges, reds, yellows and browns on the trees. It looked to be the peak of the colors in NC and all through the mountains. I was so hoping to see the colors of the changing trees as they shed their leaves for the winter. And God granted my wish!

I also met my great-granddaughters for the first time and they are adorable. Tiny Emma is only a few weeks old, but she gave me a huge smile and I don't think it was gas, because she was wide awake! More later about the trip, But, as always, God is good!

James 1:2

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it ber 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 as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive any thing from the Lord. They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.

Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them. and those who are rich should be glad, for God has humbled them. They will fade away like a flower in the field. The hot sun rises and dries up the grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So, also, wealthy people will fade away with all their achievements.

God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him....

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Haggai

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 some of you saw the sunrise this morning. It was a beautiful pink with the blue sky streaked between the pink clouds, So Pretty! I love the different colors God gives us at sunset and sunrise!

On my way to the park yesterday, I was so pleased to see black, shiny, wet gator on the bank of the lake as you drive in. He has not been there for months, because the water was so high, there is really no place for him to catch some rays. The water was down yesterday, though, so that gave him a bank . Mama gator, by contrast, is gray and looks like she needs a lot of moisturizer. I walked a bit down the sidewalk, and stopped to enjoy the breeze and watch two fat turtles on different logs and a big anhinga perched in a tree drying out the wings. God is good!

From Haggai 1:11 MSG

Caught up with Taking care of Your Own Houses

On the first day of the sixth month of the second year in the reign of King Darius of Persia, God's Message was delivered by the prophet Haggai to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabek son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

A Message from God of the Angel Armies: The people procrastinate." They say this isn't the right time to rebuild my temple, the temple of God."
Shortly after that, God said more and Haggai spoke it: "How is it that it's the right time for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, God's Temple is in ruins?"

And then a little later, God of the Angel Armies spoke out again;
Take a good hard look at your life,
think it over.
You have spent a lot of money.
but you haven't much to show for it.
You keep filling your plates
but you never get filled up.
you keep drinking and drinking and drinking,
but you're always thirsty.
You put on layer after layer of clothes
but you don't get warm,
and the people who work for you,
what are they getting out of it?

Not much--
a leaky, rusted -out bucket, that's what.

That's why the God of the Angel said:

Take a good hard look at your life
Think it over.

Here's what I want you to do:
Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and build the temple.
Do it just for me, Honor me.
You've had great ambitions for yourselves.
but nothing has come of it.
The little you have brought to my temple
I've blown away--there was nothing to it.

To read the rest, go on to your Bibles, It is very interesting and relates to church, work or home.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

PS I will not be back until Tuesday, as I am leaving for a long weekend in Tenn.

Holiness before Happiness

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 went out last night to see what was supposed to be a spectacular sunset, but no unusual colors, still it was pretty and I enjoyed it for a few minutes. Each sunset is different and each sunrise is welcome, because I still have eyes to see. The days are getting shorter now, and darkness comes a lot earlier.

When I was in the Park yesterday, I saw a gopher tortoise at the front of the park, instead of the usual spot on the curve, but this was a smaller one. When Mike, the naturalist, was working there, he showed me a photo taken from the air, and it showed all the gopher nests. There were over ten white sandy, spots showing, which means lots of tunnels for the gophers. I also heard lots of birds, one very close, but I could not see it and did not recognize the sound. It was early morning, and that's why so many birds were out and about to get the worm or berries.

I was pondering this morning, on how blessed I am and still surprised when my friends do such unexpected acts of kindness for me. After so many years of taking care of my dear husband, I guess I am still not used to receiving, but I am so grateful for the caring and loving I receive from sons and friends. Just thought I would advise everyone to be thankful every day for those who love and care for us. God is good!

From the little devotional Knowing God:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV

Because you are an imperfect human being, you are not "perfectly" happy-and that's perfectly okay with God. He is far less concerned with your happiness than He is with your holiness.

God continuously reveals Himself in everyday life, but He does not do so in order to make you contented. He does so in order to lead you to His Son. Do don't be overly concerned with your current level of happiness, it will change. Be more concerned with the current state of your relationship with Christ. He does not change. And because your Savior transcends time and space, you can be comforted in the knowledge that in the end, His joy will become your joy...for all eternity.

-Great Thoughts-
You don't have to be like the world to have an impact on the world. You don't have to be like the crowd to change the crowd. You don't have to lower yourself down to their level to lift them up to your level. Holiness doesn't seek to be odd. Holiness seeks to be like God.
-Max Lucado-

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis