Assurance

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 ditto day for the weather...just like yesterday, except there is a breeze blowing this morning. Bright sun, and a few puffy clouds,,perfect!

I finally had to go shopping, so I went to Publix and was very tempted to use one of their electric wheelchairs. I have had a really sore right heel and ankle lately and was barely able to make it through the store without having to sit down. I have had this pain for some time now, and asked my podiatrist about it, but he was not too concerned..(should be his heel). Then I told my primary care doc about it, but he said since I am not diabetic, he did not know how to fix it. So now, I have an appointment with the Pierce Clinic, and maybe they can do something for it. It hurts!

Enough of my complaining, though. I was thankful for God's provision and met one of my friends from church while shopping. Her husband is being treated for cancer, so my complaints seem small compared to her situation. The store was not crowded and they only had three cashiers working, and no long lines, so I picked the right time to come.

I drove on over to the park and saw two pretty white egrets right away in the canal in front of the weir, and had to stop for a squirrel to cross the road. The canal had several ibis in it and people were looking over the bridge down into the water.. On the way out, I got behind two cars waiting for the light. It has an automatic trip, that has to be run over, but the first car was parked too far back, so we waited and waited for over five minutes. I thought about pulling up and telling him to drive forward, but he finally gave it the gun, and shot out on a red light. Just by him doing that, the light immediately changed, and the rest of us could go legally. But, God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

What does assurance do for me when I confront every day problems?

Hebrews 4:14-16
We have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven. Jesus  the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This great High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do , yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of  our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

Ephesians 2:12
Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can come fearlessly
into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome.
The assurance of God's love gives us courage to come to him with
any problem, struggle or concern. Our prayers are never interruptions
to the Lord. When we knock, the door is always open to us.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Obedience

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 beautiful day of sunshine and lower humidity! Since we have already exceeded the rainfall total for the whole month of May, we will be dry for the next week or two. At least, that is the prediction. I know the street gutters are still flowing with water in front of my house. The staghorn fern got watered well, and is looking perky from the rain.

I heard a sermon from Joel Osteen Sunday before I left for church. He was preaching/teaching on Redeeming your Time. That has kind of stuck with me, because of all the time I waste going through the social media pages on the computer. He gave examples of not spending time with negative people....in a job you hate,  etc. and pointed out that Jesus surrounded himself with 12 men who supported and encouraged him. It was a good lesson for me!

Yesterday was wash day for me. I had let my laundry accumulate until I had two large loads to do, so I got busy and washed and dried everything and now it is all put away!

I drove on to the Park later and saw the gopher tortoise meandering around, but very few people were out. It was such a pretty day, I expected the place to be full. But God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

What does God promise to those who obey?

Psalm 1:1-3
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice
of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join
in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything
the Lord wants; day and hight they think about his law.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing
 fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither,
and in all they do, they prosper.
Obedience paves the way for fruitfulness. When we obey, we have
a clear conscience and uninterrupted fellowship with the Lord.
We honor other people and stay out of conflict. We give our
energies to things that last and do not waste time in unprofitable ways.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Happy Cinco de Mayo Day!

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 brightly and the day is getting warmer, and would you believe it is predicted to hit 90 by the end of the week!  I guess that means the end of spring and summer is here for sure!

My yard guys have already come and gone after blowing all the trash off the porch and driveway and cleaning up the yard a bit. Jim also returns my garbage dumpster, which saves me having to do it. It's good to have reliable help! They don't usually mow every week, since the grass is not growing so fast, yet, and with all that rain over the weekend the street side is really soggy.

Speaking of the rain, I ordered a pizza delivered for the first time in my life, during that rainy Saturday. The young delivery guy came dashing through the rain to bring it to me nice and hot! I tipped him well for his trouble. I am learning to do certain things by myself, but I still avoid going into a restaurant alone. I have seen other women eating solo, but I am not bold enough to do it yet.

Yesterday evening, I went to a birthday party at my friends' house and had portabella burgers, (delicious) lots of salads, topped off with a yummy birthday cake. I was well taken care of by the host, my friend, David. Lots of talk, play and kids in the pool! A fun time! God is good!

This scripture is for all the seniors graduating this weekend, including my grandson, Matthew Louis Green, in Cleveland, TN;

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Jeremiah 30:11
 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans
for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days
when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will
find me when you seek me."

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalm 20

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! Rain, and more rain! We are having a "frog-strangler"! The wet has been falling for about thirty minutes. From the looks of radar, there will be no let up any time soon. Fortunately, any chores I had to do can wait.

I had a lazy day yesterday...just stuck around the house and watched the Rays win a double header over the Red Sox..Yay!, read and dozed in the afternoon, so whenever the rain moves on, I will have to go out today. But I did enjoy the butterflies flitting by the window. I think they were headed for my Beauty bush. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 20

In times of trouble, may the Lord respond to your cry.
May the God of Israel keep you safe from all harm.
May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.

May he grant your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans.
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory.
flying banners to honor our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
Some nations boast of their armies and weapons,
but we boast in the Lord our God.
Those nations will fall down and collapse;
but we will rise up and stand firm.
Give victory to our king, O Lord!
Respond to our cry for help.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Happy May Day!

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 thunderstorm predicted for this afternoon and already the clouds are moving in, so maybe we will get a storm. Nothing like the Panhandle, I hope!

My ladies were here to clean yesterday, and it is always good to have them around discussing what is going on in the neighborhood and the local news. Kim has had family here for the past week and they were all going to The Hangar for 5 dollar burgers last evening. It was their first time and they really enjoyed it because the grandboys got to look down at all the airplanes. They ate outside. That is still one of my favorite places to eat!

I drove to Chick-fil-A for my salad supper. Traffic was heavy and fast, but the construction had stopped for the day, so no delays because of that! I am really impressed by the attitudes of the workers at Chick-fil-a. It is not usually the case with fast food workers to be so polite and happy to serve you.
Good training is the key!

I saw wood storks and ibis and ducks hanging around Lynch Lake on my way out, and then ibis, squirrels and the small gopher tortoise at the park later on. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:
 Psalm 63:1-5

O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you:
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.'

I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better to me tha life itself;
How I praise you!
I will honor you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.
I will praise you with songs of joy.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

1 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! Well, the people in the Panhandle counties are not rejoicing,.

I was looking at the weather maps on TV on the news...20 inches in 24 hours has resulted in roads washed out, houses flooded, lots of cars lost due to washed out roads and a state of emergency has been declared by the governor, for Pensacola and surrounding counties. Tallahassee has also been getting heavy rain. Looks like it is heading east so, hopefully, we will escape.

I see another eating place has closed. I drove by Jack's English pub yesterday, and saw that the windows had brown paper covering them. That place in the converted Pizza Hut building did not last long! It is really tough for a restaurant to keep going, unless it is really good.

I made a trip to the library and noticed some more homeless men hanging around. They like to go there for the shade and to rest, and use the facilities. One was on the bench in front and the other was on the bench right beside where I parked. A security guard was posted inside at one point, but apparently these men mean no harm. I'm sure each one has an interesting life story. It would be good to hear from some of them...

I went on to the Park and watched the dog walkers and ibis and egrets walking in the water on a very warm day. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Paul's Final Instructions
1 Timothy 6:17-19

Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to
trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust
should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our
enjoyment . Tell them to use their money to do good. They should
be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need,
always being ready to share with others whatever God has given
them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a
good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

P.S.  I was mistaken about Jack's Pub being closed. They are very much open. It is the building next door that is closed with paper over the windows1 Sorry for the mistake!
Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Roamin' thru Romans 8

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! Sounds like a broken record, but once again, we have sun, wind and very warm weather. I received several text messages from Daryl last night about the tornado warnings they had received. The bad weather was headed for Chattanooga, which is just a few miles from Cleveland, TN. Thank God, they were spared. I prayed for God to change the direction of the storm. No damage to Daryl's house! Looks like more bad weather is forecast for the central states today. So strange...

My yard men came yesterday and blew off the porch, but already the wind has deposited dry leaves on it. Sigh. Can't win.  I got one thing accomplished yesterday that I had been putting off. One was doing my ironing, which only took about fifteen minutes, but since it is one of my least favorite things to do, I keep putting it off. I also returned six books to the library, and finished reading another, so I have to return it today and load up again. I never get tired of reading!

I also stopped in at the park and noticed very few people there. It was pretty warm, and even though there is a lot of shade, it is hot to walk. On my way out, I saw a very large, wet turtle that had just climbed out of the water on the bank by the weir. Guess he wanted to dry off! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Romans 8:35-38
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?
Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have
trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are
hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with
death?( Even the scriptures say,  "For your sake,
we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered
like sheep.") No, despite all these things , over
whelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us
from his love. Death can't and life can't. The angels
can't and the demons can't. Our fears for today , our
worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell
can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above
the sky or in the deepest ocean , nothing in all creation
will ever be able to separate us from the love of God,
that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis