This will have to do for a devotional today, since my yard man came and it is late! Love and hugs, Amaryllis
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 9:28 AM
Subject: Story of three trees
To:
- Story of Three Trees Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'
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- Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'
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- Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'
- After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, 'and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.
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- At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.
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- When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.
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- When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.
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- The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.
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- The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.
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- The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.
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- Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.
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- Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.
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- Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
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- The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.
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- Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.
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- We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.
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- Please feel free to keep this moving... Pass it on, so God may inspire more people on The Way.
- May your day be blessed. And until we meet again, may God cradle you in the palm of His hand.
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! Clouds all day yesterday, and sunshine today. Who can predict accurately the weather?
I heard rain for the next five days, but it doesn't look like it today.It was sprinkling very lightly, more like a fog, when I drove to the doctor's yesterday, so the car did not get too messed up, except a bird bombed the windshield. Grrr!
I visited the park later in the day and saw an anhinga with wings spread wide, very close to the road by the weir. A car had pulled over and I think the driver was taking pics of the bird. Then, close to the weir, an ibis was almost hidden against the shrubbery on the bank. There were a lot more people in the parking area than I expected. Lots of folks enjoying the cloudy day!
Well, I had an unexpected phone call early this morning after I had my shower. My friend across the street saw that my outside light was still on, and was calling to see if I was okay. I just had not turned it off yet, but it is good to have a caregiver so close. She is always looking out for me, as well as cleaning my house with her business partner. God is good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Hard work means prosperity; only fools idle away their time.
Proverbs 12:11 NLT
Time is a non-renewable gift from God. But sometimes,
we treat our time here on earth as if it were not a gift at all.
We may be tempted to invest our lives in trivial pursuits
and mindless diversions. But our Father in heaven wants us to do more...
much more.
Are you one of those people who puts things off until the
last minute? Do you waste time doing things that don't matter
very much while putting off the important things until it's
too late to do the job right? If so, now's the time to start
making better choices.
It may seem like you've got all the time in the world to do the
things you need to do, but time is shorter than you think. Time
here on earth is limited...use it or lose it!
- Great Thoughts-
Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. If I peer anxiously into the fog
of the future, I will strain my spiritual eyes so that I will not see clearly
what is required of me now.
Elizabeth Elliot
Our time is short! The time we can invest for God, in creative
things, in receiving our fellowmen for Christ, is short!
Billy Graham
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!The wind is blowing and it is cloudy, so it looks like rain, but looks can be deceiving, so I think I will just wait and see what happens. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, so if it rains, I hope it will stop before then, because I got the car washed Saturday! That is usually a good way to make sure it rains!
I had a good weekend..Brian took me to Bella's in Tampa for dinner Sat. night, and afterwards, we cruised around Hyde Park for awhile, passing many bars, where crowds were already celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Seems like there was a bar on each street! Then, Sunday, we had a powerful sermon, and lots of new and old friends were at church at the later service. I really like to sing the worship songs and hear Andrew on the drums. We have a lot of talent in our midst!
I have a very sore heel, from being rammed by a shopping cart in Publix last Thursday. I had just entered the store, and a lady behind me, was not looking, and ran into me full force. I exclaimed, "Ouch!" and she was very apologetic, and kept asking me if I was okay, but I just stood and rubbed my heel, not realizing that it was bleeding where the skin was torn. It is still raw, but healing, but I have to really pad it in order to wear shoes. That was not a pleasure!
But, in between times, I visited the park, and saw the gator basking in the sun on the bank again. Also, lots of people and ibis and an egret or two. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
When I am confused, where do I turn for clarity, wisdom
understanding and direction?
James 1:5-6
If you need wisdom-if you want to know what God wants you to do-
ask him, 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 anything
from the Lord. They can't make up their minds. They waver back
and forth in everything they do.
Psalm 119:125
Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your
decrees.
Discernment is the ability to interpret events and to understand the true
nature of people and situations. Discernment is an aspect of wisdom. It
enables us to see behind the facades that mask the truth. Discernment
shows us the way through the maze of options that face us. Like the sun
that burns away the fog, discernment cuts through confusion and dis-
tractions. Whereas the devil is the "father of lies", God is the father of
the truth, and he gives discernment to those who seek it.
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! An other chilly start to the day, but like yesterday, it will be warming up to the seventies, so with lots of sunshine it is a pretty day! Yesterday afternoon turned out to be very warm out in the sun, and I had to shed my sweater to bring the groceries in.
Yes, I finally went to Publix, which I had been needing to do for a couple weeks. Shopping was a pleasure, but checking out not so much. I should say just the bagging was lacking. I admire Publix for hiring handicapped people and those who can barely speak English, but this man could have used a little common sense. He filled one of my bags, (I take my own) so full that the handle ripped the fabric as I took it out of the car. I always take my own insulated bag for cold stuff and he neglected to put ice cream in it and a couple more frozen things. Sigh. Fortunately, nothing was spoiled, but my muscles were sore from lifting the heavy bags. I should have been watching him more closely to make sure the bags were not too full. On the other hand, there is one stock man who has been there a long time and he is always so helpful. He takes my cart, even if I only have a small amount of groceries, and he takes them to the van and unloads them for me. So, it takes all kinds!
I kept an appointment with my podiatrist yesterday, to have him take a look at in ingrown toenail which was so tender, I could hardly walk Wednesday. He took hold of my foot and told me it was icy! I told him I always have cold feet! But, after he worked on the toenail, my foot feels much better today,so maybe I will not need to have a piece of the toenail removed. Ouch!
My yardman came yesterday, and now the driveway looks much better without all the twigs and stuff that fell from the oak trees during the rain we had earlier this week. He also cut the grass, which had not needed it for weeks. I has started to grow, so spring is just around the corner, hopefully! After all the shopping and appointment, I went to the park for relaxation, and stopped to look at the gator who, apparently has moved from across the road to the bank by the weir. Or maybe this is a different one. Anyway, with long shadows and bright sunshine mixed, it was a restful place to go. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Romans 12:3
As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: be
honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your
value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our
bodies have many parts and each part has a special
function , so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of
His own body and each of us has different work to do.
And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to
each other, and each of us needs all the others...
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
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 chilly day, even colder than yesterday, but I turned on the heat before I retired last night and so the house was nice and comfy when I got up. I will be happy when we get back to warmer temps! But I must say, the skies have really been beautiful the past couple days...just some high, small clouds and the contrails have been outstanding, so it must be really cold up in the atmosphere.
My cleaning ladies came yesterday and caught me up on all the neighborhood news, while I caught them up on the neighbor's news. My friend and neighbor to the south, is a young, single guy, who has been there since he was born. His parents built a new house and moved, but he did not want to go with them, so he lives in a house that is much too big for him, and is now going to school part time and working. He graduated several years ago, but is now studying mechanics and hoping to get with a dealership when he completes his course. There have been some incidents at his house while he was gone, so I talked to him about them and he will make sure to lock his doors from now on. It pays to be vigilant.
I drove to the park, while on my way back from Chick-fil-a and saw the large gator sprawled on the bank of the canal, enjoying the sun. There were few people at that time of late afternoon, so no road blocks this time. Further on, people were enjoying their picnics and walking , because it had warmed up in the afternoon and was quite pleasant. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
What do we learn from stress?
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 I think you ought to know,
dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went
through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and
completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would
never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as
a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God
who can raise the dead.
Stress exposes our human limitations so that we can better realize
God's limitless power and love.
Galatians6:9 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.
We keep going because God has promised a rich harvest in his perfect time.
Romans 5:3,4 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials,
for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. And
endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens
our confident expectation of salvation.
James 1:2,4 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, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will
be strong in character and ready for anything.
While stress exposes our true character, it also helps develop our true
character. Even when we fall short of the mark, God has promised to
work within us, shaping us into the image of Christ.
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! Brr! To me it is chilly, so we go from open windows to closed and I put the heat on this morning. The sun is shining and, unlike yesterday, not a cloud in the sky. Yesterday, I had to reach for the paper on the wet porch with my grabber, since the rain was coming down, but today I walked out in the very dry air, to just pick it up. Lately, the paper has been in the yard, the outside sidewalk and any place but the porch. I did not call, but now they are back to putting it on the porch. Good for them!
I had a wet drive down to the doctor's office yesterday, and now, I have a swollen eye, with an ugly red spot at the base of my left eyebrow. It is supposed for form a blister, which will not be too pretty, but that is the price I have to pay for a misspent youth with too many hours in the sun. Sigh. Because of the squeaky windshield wipers, I paid a visit to Advance Auto Parts, and bought some new wiper blades, which they installed for me, tried them out and no squeaks!
I bought a fish sandwich for my lunch at Checkers and enjoyed lunch after the doc's visit. Then I visited the park, where lots of people were out after the rain. I saw a heart warming sight at one of the picnic tables high on the berm. A very large daddy was holding his infant and swaying back and forth. The baby was tiny and all wrapped in a blanket, so whether it was a boy or girl, I don't know, but the love was evident.God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
What can I do to find relief from stress and anxiety?
Isaiah 41:10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
We can turn from fear and anxiety to faith and peace. God promises to supply the power to get us through the hard times.
Matthew 11:28-29 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. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle, and
you will find rest for your souls."
Resting in Christ breaks the hold of stress. When we are yoked together
in service to him, we are free from the unrealistic and destructive
expectations that can overwhelm us. Jesus humility and gentleness
overcome every conflict and stress in this life.
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 rain! It started in the early morning hours, I think, but it was gentle, so I did not hear it. Now the wind is blowing quite strongly, so that means the cold front is coming through. Well, we needed the rain desperately, and God always comes through!
Yesterday was so warm,. I had several windows open and left the garage door window open all night, so I had to close it this morning, because the wind was blowing the rain in.I guess I just didn't trust the weatherman.
I drove to the park yesterday. and saw lots of people and a slight traffic jam just beyond the entrance due to a large gator stretched out on the banks of the canal, just before the weir. Cars were parked on both sides of the street with people scrambling to take pictures of the gator. I can understand the excitement of the tourists, because it is something they only see in zoos, but even I always enjoy seeing a gator in the natural habitat..
Well, I have an appointment with my dermatologist this morning, and I am hoping the weather calms down by then. I always dread going to the doctor to get zapped, but this is the result of a biopsy on a spot by my left eyebrow, which showed to be pre-cancerous. I will sting and swell up and be hurting for a little while, but God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
O God, listen to my cry!
Hear my prayer!
From the ends of the earth
I will cry to you for help,
for my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety
for you are my safe refuge,
a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of your wings.
For you have heard my vows, O God.
You have given me an inheritance
reserved for those who fear your name.
Add many years to the life of the king!
May his years span the generations!
May he reign under God's protection forever.
Appoint your unfailing love and
faithfulness to watch over him.
Then I will always sing praises to your name
as I fulfill my vows day after day.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
