Paul's Prayer

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 the start of another beautiful day, with sunshine and breezes and cooler temps. Still very few clouds in the sky!

Well, my house is almost completely lizard free! When Cheryl and Kim,. my cleaning ladies came, I discovered that Kim is the intrepid lizard hunter, while Cheryl screeches, because she does not want them to jump on her! So, Kim cleared out three in the bedrooms and I still think there is one in the kitchen, but I can deal with that, just so he stays there and not in my room! I think they must come in when I open the front door, because they always hang out around the mailbox.

The ladies did not come until almost 2:30 which is late for them, so after they left, I went to the library, and exchanged books. I thought libraries were supposed to be quiet...not so, with this one yesterday! A small child was screaming for his daddy, and other children were making noise as if they were home. Since the children's section is right in front of check out, I think the workers get their ears full. Just wait until this summer when school is out!
But it is good to get the children acquainted with books and good stories. I know my guys always were interested in reading and we made regular trips to the library to get lots of books.

After I left the library, I made a trip to the park. An anhinga was fluffing his feathers on the weir and ibis were busy pecking along the grass. I noticed that the mowers were there a couple days ago and instead of leaving the tall weeds in between the trees, everything was mowed down for a change. It looked good! When I came back by Lynch Lake, a very big pelican was sitting over a drainage pipe. That is unusual, because they rarely show up there! But 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  this 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,
 Amaryllis

Priorities

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 a little cooler weather today, but still lots of sunshine and few clouds. No rain in sight for the rest of the week, I guess.

Yesterday, my yard man came and mowed. He said he would be coming every week from now on through the summer. I don't think the grass is growing that much, but the edging and trimming helps keep it looking neat.even though I don't have much grass. Whenever he gets the pipe laid and the well going, and the sod laid, then maybe I will have a nice lawn again. Lot of "whens" there!

I did not see the gator on the bank yesterday, but noticed lots of turtles lined up along the banks of the canal. Since they are black, they are easily overlooked. Also, an anhinga was perched on the weir just looking around.

I have almost as many anoles inside my house, as outside, I have noticed lately. There is one almost dead on the bedroom floor, and one on the north window of the same bedroom.Then when I went to the kitchen last night, there was one on the cabinet door. The last I saw of him, he was on the counter hiding behind a jar, Anyway, God is good!

From the little devotional book Knowing God:
 
 Keep your priorities in line with God's priorities;
Come near to God and God will come near to you.
You sinners, clean sin out of your lives . You who are
trying to follow God and the world at the same time,
make your thinking pure. James 4:8 NCV

Have you fervently asked God to prioritize your life?
Have you asked him for guidance and for the courage to
do the things that you know need to be done? If so, then
you're continually inviting your Creator to reveal himself
in a variety of ways. As a follower of Christ, you must do
no less.

When you make God's priorities your priorities, you will
receive God's abundance and His peace. When you make
God a full partner in every aspect of your life, He will lead
you along the proper path : His path. When you allow God
to reign over your heart, He will honor you with spiritual
blessings that are simply too numerous to count. So, as you
plan for the day ahead, make God's will your ultimate
priority. When you do, every other priority will have a tendency
to fall neatly into place.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Phlipping thru Philippians

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 another sunshiny day with temps expected to get up to the high eighties this afternoon, so we are back to summer!

I kept my dentist appointment yesterday afternoon, and there was a big black cloud hanging overhead around the Mall area, but no rain. However, because of the overcast, the air was very nice. It turns out, that even though it feels to my tongue that I have a broken tooth, even after an x-ray, there is no sign of one, so I was out of there in thirty minutes, with no charge. I am due for a cleaning next month, so if the tooth is still bothering me, I am sure the hygienist will find out what is wrong.

When I drove over to the Mall afterwards, I had thought I would go in Macy's, but it seemed like such a big crowd was out, I decided to give up, so I headed on home and on the way, turned into the Park, and was happy to see the large gator up against the bank of the canal, waiting to climb up on the top, I think. I saw lots of squirrels running back and forth across the road, and a pretty white egret fishing in the canal. BTW, as far as wildlife goes, I have two large anoles residing in my bedroom now. I do not appreciate their boldness! I need my grandson to come down and capture them! But God is good and maybe he will keep them off the bed!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Philippians 4:5-9
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
everything. 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 . 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

Psoaring thru Psalm 19

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! From the water dripping off the roof, I would think we either had a heavy dew or rain last night. I didn't see any signs of rain on the porch floor, and just a couple big drips from the roof, so it could not have been much wetness, but we will take all we can get!

It is still overcast , though, so maybe we will get  some more sprinkles. I have a dentist appointment this afternoon, out near the Mall, so maybe it will rain then.

Yesterday, after church, and a meeting, I drove out to Boston Market and ordered their barbeque chicken, rib combo once more. I had it last week and the ribs were so good, I wanted to try it again. They also, have squash casserole, one of my favorites, so I ordered that again. Their servings are so generous, I have a plate all ready for tonight!

A little later, I drove over to the Park, (after watching the Rays sweep Oakland), and saw the plump gator curled up on the bank of the canal near the weir. An anhinga was sunning on the weir, not paying any attention to the gator. Then, as I was coming around the circle, a hawk swooped very low in front of the windshield, and I stopped and looked to see where he was going, but could not see for the trees. That was exciting! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 19:9-14
Reverence for the Lord is pure lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.
They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.
They are a warning to those who hear them;
there is great reward for those who obey them.

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
Keep me from deliberate sins!
Don't let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalm 100

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 another sunshiny, warm and very windy day ahead, so I expect more leaves to land on the porch today..

I have been very interested in the Boston lock down as police and others search for the second suspect in the Marathon bombing. One of the brothers is dead and the other is believed to be armed with a body bomb strapped to him. I heard an interview with a former classmate of his who could not believe he was capable of doing what he apparently did.  We never know what is in the hearts of some people.

But God is great and He is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

A psalm of thanksgiving

Shout with joy to the Lord, O earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
 Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!@
He made us and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
 and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

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

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Nuggets from Nahum

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 another beautiful, sunshiny day with more record setting temps expected. All across the states, just about any kind of weather anyone could want can be found...snow in Co., rain in the Midwest and even stormy weather. But here, it is just about perfect, although already there are complaints about the heat. Just a couple weeks ago, I heard complaints about the cold! Some people are never satisfied.

When I was in Publix yesterday, I found that they carry the new candies from Hershey..called Brookside, they are dark chocolates the size of blueberries, surrounding tart fruit flavored centers. I bought two bags...one blueberry and one pomegranate. I already had the Acai flavored ones. Delicious!

When I drove to the park yesterday, I saw a few people standing close to a very large, snapper turtle, who was way out of his element, which is the water. He was posing for pictures with his head raised , until he got tired of the crowd and headed on into the bushes. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Nahum 1:2-8
The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath.
He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies!
The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great,
and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays
his power in the whirlwind and the storm. the billowing
clouds are the dust beneath his feet. At his command the
oceans and rivers dry up. The lush pastures of Bashan and
Carmel fade, and the green forests of Lebanon wilt. In his
presence the mountains quake and the hills melt away; the
earth trembles and its people are destroyed. Who can stand
before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury?
His rage bursts forth like fire, and the mountains crumble like dust  in his presence.

The Lord is good. When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge,
and he knows everyone who trusts in him. But he sweeps away
his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He pursues his foes
in the darkness of night.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalm 145

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 set a record for high temps in Tampa for this time of year, and today looks like another record setter. I am not complaining, because we had a very long, cool winter, so as long as the A/C works, I am comfy.

I went to Publix to get a "few" things, which always turns out to be a lot more than what is on my list, saw two friends from church, and chatted with them for a few minutes, and then came out to scorching heat. Well, at least, it seemed that way. There was no wind blowing, so it seemed a lot warmer than it was!

I had planned to go to the park, but my way was blocked by emergency vehicles in front of St. Pete Christian school, ..don't know what the problem was, but, hopefully, all is well. But God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 145:13 
The Lord is faithful in all he says.
he is gracious is all he does.
The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts up those bent beneath their loads.
All eyes look to you for help.
You give them their food as they need it.

When you open your hand, you satisfy
the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in everything he does;
he is filled with kindness.
The Lord is close to all who call on him,
yes, to all who call on him sincerely.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him.
He hears their cries for help and rescues them.
The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.

I will praise the Lord
and everyone on earth will bless his holy name
forever and forever.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis