Wisdom from Matthew

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, we are in transition today. There is a front coming through and so the sky is partly overcast and we may get a shower or two today. Then it will turn colder over the weekend. It will be a nice change, but it won't last long.

Well, I got some disturbing news yesterday. My dermatologist called to say the biopsy on my nose showed that I have basal cell carcinoma on my nose which will have to be excised by a plastic surgeon. I don't have the name of a surgeon yet, and don't know any details as to how much will have to be removed, but I do know that I am not looking forward to it, since the doctor said I will have to have stitches. That sounds major to me! I would appreciate prayers starting now for all the details to be finalized according to God's will..that is, surgeon, healing and not too much off the nose, etc.!

My cleaning ladies came yesterday and  they are always cheerful to be around, so I appreciated them and their work. After they left I went to the park , which was very quiet, with only ibis and dogs moving around. The dogs, of course, were with their humans. Then I drove on to Audibel to get one of my hearing aids fixed, So, God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Matthew 6:5-13

Teaching about Prayer and Fasting

And now about prayer. When you pray, don't be like
the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street
corners and in the synagogues where everyone can
see them. I assure you. that is all the reward they will
ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut
the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly.
Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.

When you pray, don't babble on and on as people  of other
religions do. They think their prayers are answered only
by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them
because your Father knows exactly what you need even
before you ask him. Pray like this:

 Our Father is heaven,
may your name be honored.
May your Kingdom come soon.'May your will be done here on earth,
just as in heaven.
Give us our food for today,
and forgive us our sins
just as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation
but deliver us from the evil one.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Psoaring thru Psalms

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 keep hearing that more clouds and humidity are on the way, but today is another bright, sunshiny, cool one, so maybe tomorrow the change will come. I have mixed emotions about that. I really like the weather we have now, but know that is not possible to have it all year long. Sigh.

Last night I stepped outside and saw the ISS fly over for six whole minutes. It was so bright and looked bigger than the last time I watched it, Also, it seemed to flutter a bit when I first saw it, but maybe that was due to my eyes! And the crescent moon was making a beautiful display with Mars beneath it! "The heavens declare the glory of God!"

After some shopping yesterday, I went on to the park and saw several birds, including an ibis, anhinga, and egret, all moseying about the water and doing their thing. A few people were walking about enjoying the beautiful day. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 147:7-11

Sing out your thanks to the Lord;
sing praises to our God, accompanied by harps.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
provides rain for the earth,
and makes the green grass grow in mountain pastures.
He feeds the wild animals,
and the young ravens cry to him for food.

The strength of a horse does not impress him.
How puny in his sight is the strength of a man.
Rather,m the Lord's delight is in those who honor him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Cruisin' thru Chronicles

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 in the string of cooler, clear sky days that are so beautiful! Here it is almost the end of October and the only rain predicted is on Halloween. Maybe. Which does not bother me, since the ground is still very wet and water is still in the gutters.

Hooray for me! I purposed to go through my purses piled up in the closet yesterday, (something I had been putting off) and filled a garbage bag with them. I carefully went through each one, and found my long lost valet key in one of them. I could not imagine what had happened to it, but it had been missing for over a year or more. So, yay!

I returned some books to the library yesterday, and checked out more. But I noticed that two favorite authors of mine, only had a couple books on the shelf, which I had already read. I think it must have been due to the Festival of Reading presented by the Times on Saturday. Those particular authors were present for the book signing. But I can always wait until the books get back on the shelves.

After I left the library, I drove to the park and saw quite a few people for early afternoon. I also noticed a very large egret near the weir and one down in the canal near the first bridge. He was very near an ibis which was walking on the muddy bank. Also, the large brown gopher and the baby gopher were munching their ways around the areas where the tunnel is. Also in the area of people watching, I saw a young woman (girl) get out of a car with her boyfriend (?) and she had spike heels with sparkles with straps wrapped around her ankles and was wearing shorts. For walking in the park? To each his own! But God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

1 Chronicles 16:31-36

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice!
Tell all the nations that the Lord is king.
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!
Let the fields and their crops burst forth with joy!
Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the Lord!
For he is coming to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
 Cry out, "Save us. O God of our salvation!
Gather and rescue us from among the nations.
so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you."

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.
from everlasting to everlasting!

And all the people shouted "Amen!" and
praised the Lord.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

My Morning 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! I almost missed the yard men because once again, they just blew and went. The grass has definitely slowed down its growing, because of our cooler air and no rain. It is another beautiful morning with clear skies and lots of sunshine!

Well, Friday, I finally did it! I shopped at the new 4th St. Station Publix, where shopping is a pleasure.That store is huge! I remember the first time I walked into the new Albertson's that was there and I got so tired just walking the whole store. Well, this time I did not get tired, but I sure got a nice, long walk in! I discovered they had one item that the Gateway store no longer carries, but did not have an item that I always buy at the Gateway store. So, I still will go to my usual Gateway store. It is small but convenient. Another plus for the new store..a cashier opened up her aisle just for me and asked a stock man to bag for me. He also took my groceries out to the van and unloaded them. Wish I could have brought him home to unload at home!

After church yesterday, I drove on to the Park, and saw two large great blue herons in separate places; one at the weir, and one standing in the canal..both looking for a tasty fish for lunch. Then, I spotted a shiny, slick black turtle out of his element, at the base of a tree. I don't know how mixed up he got when he should have been in the water, but he had a ways to go before he got wet again! I saw another smaller turtle sunning on the bank of the weirl. God is good!

I have sent this prayer before, but thought it would be good to send again:

My Morning Prayer

"Oh, God, for another day, for another morning,
for another hour, for another minute, for another
chance to live and serve Thee, I am truly grateful."
Do Thou this day free me
 from all fear of the future
 from all bitterness toward anyone.
 From all cowardice in face of danger
 from all laziness in face of work,
 from all failure before opportunity
 from all weakness when Thy power is  at hand.

But fill me
 with Love that knows no barrier
 with Sympathy that reaches all
 with Courage that cannot be shaken
 with Faith strong enough for darkness.
 With Strength sufficient for my tasks
 with Loyalty to Thy Kingdom Goal,
 with Power to lift me to Thee.

Be Thou with me for another day and use me as Thou
wilt for Christ's sake, I pray.
Amen

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Zipping thru Zephaniah

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 sunny, coolish morning, but heating up before long. I really like this time of year, when it is not too hot and there is less humidity.

Yesterday, after I had been shopping at Disston Plaza, I drove on out to the Touchfree Car Wash and got the van washed nice and clean. The air was dry enough that by the time I got home, there were only a few drops on the car. Now, if only the carpet inside was vacuumed...All the pay cleaners are out in the sun, and since I avoid the sun because of my nose, it is not practical for me to do it. I usually just sweep it out, but it is not something I obsess about! I noticed on the way that a couple gas stations were down to 2.87! Yay!!

I noticed at the park that the water has gone down quite a lot in just a couple days, but the ibis still like to peck around on the muddy banks. A few more people were enjoying the park, which was good on a perfect weather day! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God has arrived
to live among you. He is a mighty Savior:
He will rejoice over you with great gladness.

With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will exult over you by singing a happy song.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Paul's Thanksgiving and 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! Sunshine, cool breezes and the day is off to a good start. I overslept because of a restless night due to a backache. I could not get comfortable, so I was awake a lot, but the discomfort has eased now that I am up, so I will be all right the rest of the day!

I had to make an emergency run to CVS yesterday afternoon to get some batteries for my little caller ID box. The red light was going berserk, it was blinking so fast. So I got the batteries, inserted them and it works! Now, I have to put a 9 volt battery in my bedside phone/radio. It has a back-up battery that has not been changed for years and finally died. Seems like all this happens at once!

While I was out, I rode over to the park and saw a man walking his dog. He has been doing this for years, and finally, we started to wave. I have no idea who he is, but he lives near the entrance and always had his pipe in his mouth. So, once again, I got a wave from him. I saw a couple of ibis making their way down into the canal, but not many people were around. Then on my way back, I saw a flock of ibis at Lynch Lake, an osprey on the wire, and a couple of wood storks. Seems like there is more activity at the lake than at the park. But  God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Philippians 1:3-13

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.
I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a
heart full of joy because you have been my partners
in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time
you first heard it until now. And I am sure that God who
began the good work within you, will continue his work
until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus
comes back again.

It is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you
have a very special place in my heart. We have shared to-
gether the blessings of God, both when I was in prison and
when I was out, defending the truth and telling others the
Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for
you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that
your love for each other will overflow more and more, and
that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and under-
standing. For I want you to understand what really matters,
that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns.
May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--those
good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for
this will bring much glory and praise to God.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Psoarig thru Psalms

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! Our sunshine is back with just a few puffy clouds and cool air. I can tell it is cooler, because the van is not as hot when I park in the sun when I am out shopping.

Yesterday, I parked facing what would have been the sun, if the sky had not been overcast. I put up the sunshield, in case the sun decided to peek out, but when I came out of the podiatist's office The car was not unbearably hot. Speaking of the doc's office, I was people watching while in there. I was greeted by a former church member who I had not seen for a long time. I remembered his first name, but it took me awhile to think of his last name. which I did later on. Then, a lady was driven in by a medical transport car, and she was using a walker, so sat down immediately upon entering. Another patient then got up and gave her the sign in sheet and waited for her to sign in, and then returned it to the desk. Kindness in action! People are good.

I saw a lot of feathered friends around Lynch Lake yesterday. A flock of ibis, with two wood storks in their midst, and some muscovey ducks also in the crowd. That was a lot more than what was not visible at the park. All I saw there were a couple of moor hens walking on the bank of the weir. I also saw a beautiful, bright, cardinal on the fence next door! It brightened my day! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 20:4-7

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.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis