A Benediction

Good rainy morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Although the thunder, lightning, and rain have stopped it is still overcast. Kinda good to have a gloomy day for a change. But then a cold front will move through later this afternoon, so we enjoy while we can.

I had a quiet morning yesterday, and then ran a few errands, went to Publix, snacked on the sample fish dish the Apron lady cooked up, which was simple and very good, so I think I will try it. I went to the park, and saw the anhinga and assorted turtles on the bank of the weir, but no gator on the other side. There was a very large, almost invisible great gray heron standing in the canal, and several ibis and no woodstork, for a change. But God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Jude; A Prayer of Praise

All glory to God who is able to keep you from
stumbling, and who will bring you
into His glorious presence innocent
of sin and with great joy.
All glory to Him. who alone is God our Savior,
Though Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yes, glory, majesty, power, and authority
belong to him in the beginning, now,
and forevermore.
Amen

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Praise Him!

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 !Well, the temp is still in the sixties this morning, although the prediction is for colder weather to come. I have had the heat on for a short time only once or twice in the last week or so. Great weather!

Yesterday, I did something different for me. I went to Mari's salon to be a cheerleader while she worked putting the place back together, after she nearly wore herself out doing spring cleaning in the winter! She and a handy-man scrubbed walls, took all the decor down and now she is rearranging everything except the permanent fixtures. I had a great time just looking at all her glass crystals which usually hang from the ceiling, and which she washed. She must have climbed up and down her step ladder a hundred times while I was there. Such energy!! But watching someone else work didn't make me any more ambitious. Unfortunately, energy is not catching!

I also went to the park and saw some beautiful egrets standing in the shallow water in the canal. Their white feathers are beautiful and especially contrast with the mud and drab colors now that all the leaves are gone and the bleak (to me) winter look is there. I call it stark, but a friend of mine really likes the winter look. He lives up north, where shrubs and trees do get bare in the winter.But I have heard some people say that they are really surprised when they come to Florida and see all the green. This is true, because I can look out my window and see green shrubs all around me. God is good!

From the little devotional book, Knowing God:

I will praise you with my whole heart. Psalm 138:1 NKJV

If you're like most folks on the planet, you're busy. Your life is probably hectic, demanding , and complicated. And when the demands of life leave you rushing from place to place with scarcely a moment to spare, you may not take time to praise your Creator. Big mistake.

The Bible makes it clear: it pays to praise God.

Worship and praise should be a part of everything you do. Otherwise, you quickly lose perspective as you fall prey to the demands of everyday life.

Do you sincerely desire to know God in a more meaningful way? Then praise Him for who He is and for what He has done for you. And please don't wait until Sunday morning-praise Him all day long, every day, for as long as you live ...and then for all eternity.

- GREAT THOUGHTS-
Praise opens the windows of our hearts, preparing us to walk more closely with God. Prayer raises the window of our spirit, enabling us to listen more clearly to the Father.
Max Lucado

Most of the verses written about praise in God's Word were voiced by people faced with crushing heartaches, injustice, treachery, slander and scores of other difficult situations.
-Joni Eareckson Tada-

Today's Prayer

Heavenly Father, I come to You today with hope in my heart and praise on my lips. I place my trust in You. Dear Lord, knowing that with You as my protector, I have nothing to fear. I thank you,Lord, for your grace, for Your love, and for Your Son. Let me follow in Christ's footsteps today and every day that I live. And then, when my work here is done, let me live with You forever.
Amen

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

Psalm 32

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 sun is shining, the leaves are falling, and falling, and falling. Yes, it seems more like spring , but the leaves will fall then, too. I was sweeping the porch yesterday, and decided to keep them in a pile and add to it. Then I will get a bag and put them in it, because if I sweep them in the yard, they just have to be raked up from there. So, since they have only just started to shed, I will add more daily.

Yesterday, I did more putting away of Christmas, so I feel things are almost back to normal. I took time to run a couple errands and then went to the park, and saw again the big and little turtles clinging to the side of the weir and on the other side, the gator was curled up enjoying the sun. I've noticed he only does that when the water in the lake is low enough that there is mud for him to lie on. When the water is high, he doesn't come. The canal bank was lined with ibis busily pecking away, and the lone woodstork.

As I was sweeping yesterday, I noticed and heard lots of birds flying around and through the oaks. A red-headed woodpecker was circling one tree and what looked like a larger bird came swooping in. I decided it was only a dove, but a large one. I also saw a tiny wren on the ground flitting about. Looks like lots of birds have come down from the north. No delays in their flight schedules! God is good!

From Psalm 32 NLT:

Oh, what joy for those
whose rebellion is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord
has cleared of sin.
whose lives are lived in complete
honesty!

5 Therefore, let all the godly confess their
rebellion to you while there is time.
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory.

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the
best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it
under control.

Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who
trust the Lord.
So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you
who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Prepare to Dare

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 had a shower yesterday morning in this neighborhood and rain in the church neighborhood, and it is overcast today, so maybe we will really get much needed rain today. But it will come for sure when God decides to let it.

I hope you all had a good New Year's Eve celebration and New Year's Day. After Brian came over and helped put away Christmas decorations, and then took down the outside lights, things are beginning to look a lot better. I still have tablecloth and buffet cover to put away, but it is looking more normal. Brian had an invitation to attend and so did I, so a lot of activity both days, plus football games to watch. I am grateful for God's loving care in sending new friends for me to love and receive love from.

I was in the park yesterday and although the sun was not shining, several large turtles were on the bank of the weir, and the large fat gator was attracting a lot of attention on the other side of the road. Cars were parked and people were taking photos of him. Kind of a mini-jam, but lots of people were out enjoying the afternoon.

I had made Hoppin'John to take to my dinner invitation, and finished it off at home in a way I was not happy with. I was going to enjoy it with cornbread , but when I took it out of the fridge in its corning ware dish, the dish slipped off the counter and smashed on the floor. Of course, tiny pieces of the casserole went everywhere! I finally got it all cleaned up and then had cornbread and stew. (I even found a tiny piece of the dish on the carpet this morning). But God is good, and I can always make more of the black-eyed pea dish!

From the Quiet Moments with God devotional book:

Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly. Proverbs 13:16

Trying something new can be frightening and may even be dangerous. That's why it's much smarter to take a calculated risk than a reckless plunge.

A calculated risk is what Charles Lindbergh took when he decided to fly across the Atlantic, alone, in a single-engine plane. Was Lindbergh fearful? He certainly had known nothing about planes. If he hadn't trusted the builder of his plane or his mechanics, he also would have had a good reason to be anxious. And if he had decided to make the trip on a whim, without advance planning he certainly would have been labeled foolish.

But none of those factors were true in Lindberfgh's case. He was an experienced pilot and mechanic who personally spent months overseeing the construction of his plane. He participated in in the planning of every detail of his historic flight. The end result was a safe trip, finished ahead of schedule with fuel to spare.

To a great extent "Lucky Lindy" made his own luck.

Likewise, heroic spiritual moments nearly always are grounded in advance preparation.....

David was part of Saul's royal court and married to Saul's daughter. This was part of his preparation for assuming the throne one day. The years he spent in the wilderness prepared him spiritually to trust God, and God alone, to preserve him, protect him, and help him rule an empire. Esther prepared herself for a year before she won the "contest" to be queen.

You may not see clearly what God's purpose is for your life, but you can trust in the fact that He is preparing you for it. He will not waste a moment of your life.

So make every relationship and experience count today, knowing He is grooming you for future greatness!

Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.
-Corrie Ten Boom-

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Reflections

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! Happy New Year and Happy Birthday, David! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! It is much warmer today than yesterday, and will be a beautiful day when the sun comes up or even if overcast like yesterday!

I took a walk from the sidewalk to the third bridge yesterday at Sawgrass, about noon and saw a lonely woodstork perched high in a tree overlooking the canal.His whiteness was in stark contrast to the leafless trees behind him, and the dead looking shrubbery, I was shocked at how low the water is in the canal, and wanted to see if Swiftmud had the gates open, which they did. Water goes out, but none comes in.

On my way to the third bridge, I saw a large bird fly in the trees and thought at first it was an eagle, but the wingspan was not big enough, so I decided it was a hawk. I had not seen one for a long time.
Then when I got to the bridge, I looked across the water, and there was a large (about 6 ft.) gator stretched out full length on the bank. The sun was not shining, but it was warm, so he must have been warming up a bit.

When I walked back, the woodstork was still in the tree, moving its head now and then. I only met two people on the boardwalk, both men, so it was a nice, quiet walk, except for the noise of the interstate. God is good!

I have been doing some reflecting since I woke up an hour or so ago, and thinking about all the events that happened this past year. I have never written Christmas letters for certain reasons and like to read them most of the time, but if an honest letter is written, it would contain sad news as well as good.

For me, this past year has had sorrow at the beginning, the friendship of two godly men, the closeness of my sons, and a hospital stay and surgery, and then more sorrow at the loss of a sister-in-law and dear uncle.

But there have been adventures, also, with two motorcycle rides and a Sea-doo ride; all three firsts for me, which just proves that one is never too old to try something new! I, also, have made new friends, and am blessed with a long time friend who, after a day on her feet, came to sit with me while I was hospitalized, cut Louis' hair several times while he was confined to a nursing home and many years ago, while he was in the hospital after hip surgery.

I can see God's hand in all the events of the past year, with kindness and love from the dear people at church. I have been well cared for and I know for sure that God is good!!

I will close this last day of 2010 with my favorite verse from Romans.

Romans 15:13 " May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

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

Love and hugs,
(and again, Happy Birthday, David!)
Amaryllis

Haggai 1:5-11

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! Instead of sunshine and cold, this morning, we have overcast skies and a little warmer. Supposed to get up to 70 this afternoon. What a nice change that will be. My gas bill will probably be as high as the electric bill next month, because of the furnace running all the time. But I am thankful for a warm house!

In the interests of conserving gas, I did not go out anywhere yesterday, but concentrated on the inside of the house . Still trying to put Christmas away, but not making much progress, and had to wait for the Bright House tech to come and fix the new TV Daryl gave me for Christmas. Took him only five minutes to put a new cable on it. (The technie, not Daryl). He certainly was not "Mr. Personality", but he knew his job. I did get outside to pick up the twigs and stuff from the trees. Spoke to my down the street neighbor, Mr Soon, who I think is from Cambodia. He is walking twice a day as he recovers from a serious heart attack early this year. He is very nice, but difficult for me to understand. He always goes to meet his grandchildren after school, and is really concerned that I live alone. He told me to call him anytime, but I don't know his number and am not really sure of his name. It was really thoughtful of him to offer, though.
God is good!

I have sent this only once before, but since this was sent me by a friend, as his end of the year message to his co-workers in 2003, It seems very appropriate at this time;

Haggai 1:5-11 NIV
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored." says the Lord. "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty, "because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle and on the labor of your hands."

Quote from the friend who sent this..."God's Word is full of promises for his children, but there can be conditional clauses. We can make the mistake to read a portion of His Word that we want to lay claim to, only to miss out on His blessings because of our self-centeredness.

The words of Haggai are a warning as well as a blessing. We need to focus on the author of our faith and less on our own selfish ways. When we are able to focus our worship on HIM and on HIS plan for our lives, then the "details" of our lives get sorted out according to HIS will.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Make God the Cornerstone

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 looked out the window about 7, all up and down the street was nothing but white from frost. My outside temp. read 41, so I know it was much colder other places. I used to walk in the park on mornings like this, with earmuffs, gloves and several layers of clothes on. I had fun scraping off the frost from the top rail of the boardwalk. But no more! These bones won't take kindly to the cold any more. I look forward to the thaw coming this week!

Taking down the Christmas decorations is going very slowly. I get just a little done, then have to give something else my attention. Hopefully, more will get done this weekend. But no one cares but me, so that is a good thing.

I went to the park yesterday and saw a lot of cars. It was a cold but beautiful sunshiny day, and I saw a few ibises pecking on the ground, some happy looking moorhens swimming in the canal, and once again, the sad looking woodstork brooding over the state of the nation. :o) Just kidding, but that's what they look like. But God is still on the throne and He is good!

From the little devotional book Knowing God:

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer,but the Lord is against those who do evil. 1 Peter 3:12 NIV

Have you made God the cornerstone of your life, or is He relegated to a few hours on Sunday morning? Have you genuinely allowed God to reign over every corner of your heart, or have you attempted to place Him in a spiritual compartment? The answer to these questions will determine the direction of your day and your life. God loves you. In times of trouble, He will comfort you; in times of sorrow He will dry your tears. When you are weak or sorrowful, God is as near as your next breath. He stands at the door of your heart and waits. Welcome Him in and allow Him to rule. And then, accept the peace and the strength and the protection and the abundance that only God can give.

- Great thoughts-
Men give advice; God gives guidance.
-Leonard Ravenhill-

Today's Prayer-

Dear Lord, Your power, like Your love, is infinite. I thank you, Father, for the gift of eternal life through the sacrifice of Your Son Jesus. I will keep the promise of heaven fresh in my heart. And, while I am in this world, I will pass through it with Praise on my lips and love in my heart for You. Amen

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis