Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Paul's Thorn in the Flesh

Good Morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord had made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! I know, if is almost noon, but because it is a rainy, dark morning, I am taking my time doing everything. The weather prediction was spot on about the rain coming in early. But that's ok, because I have everything I need and don't have any appointments or errands that need to be run today.

The yard crew came yesterday and sliced up the fallen branches and stuffed them in the dumpster. The branches are so long that they are holding the lid up, so I guess there is rainwater accumulating in the bottom. It will get dumped out when the trash gets picked up Thursday. But, the yard looks much neater, now.

Here I am concerned with my own small world, and bad events are going on all over the world...riots in Baltimore, earthquake in Nepal and plane crashes. God is in control, but He gives people choices and sometimes they are not good. All I can do is pray for those in trouble and leave the rest to God.

On a lighter note; I watched Dancing With the Stars last night and my favorites, Noah and Sharna got a really good score for their fantastic jazz dance. Yay! He is a hunky, good looking guy with dimples, even with only one leg and one arm! He gets my vote!

I had to go to the post office yesterday, so on my way back, I stopped at the park to check it out, and saw one of the gopher tortoises receiving admiration from about three people, and noted that the water is still pretty high. This rain today will keep it high, so God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

1 Corinthians 12:6-10

...I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool
in doing it, because I would be telling the truth. But
I won't do it. I don't want anyone to think more highly
of me than what they can see in my life and my message,
even though I have received wonderful revelations from God.
But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn
in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me
 and keep me from getting proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each
time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power
works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast
about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work
through me, Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite
content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Monday, April 27, 2015

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! Even though it was cloudy and sunny yesterday, we had no rain,and today looks much the same, except there is a large mass of rain hanging off the coast in the Gulf. It looks like it will be heading for the upper Pinellas instead of here. I really want the weather to behave today because my yard badly needs cleaning up and mowing. Hopefully, that will be done today!

Things I observed the past couple weeks:  A homeowner on the street I drive down when I go to the park, completely cleared his front yard of all grass, shrubs, etc, and then trenched, by hand, and laid pipe for sprinklers. After that he landscaped with plant sections bricked off, had sod hauled in and now his yard is attractively planted with a couple young trees and shrubs in the planted places, along with a hedge up one side. Good hard work! I have seen him doing a lot of woodworking, which I think, must be his profession or hobby.

While I was in my salon Sat. getting a haircut, another stylist was working with a young woman who had beautiful hair that reached down to below her waist. He combed and blew and brushed and wrapped strands around a flatiron and the end result was a lovely, loosely curled mass of dark, lovely hair. Two different types of work, but beauty in the end!

The water in the park is still high from the downpour we had last week, but this is good. It just means the herons, egrets and ibis cannot wade and peck because the water is too deep, but they fly to wherever the food is. The squirrels have no problem. I had to swerve around one in the middle of the street yesterday. I don't know if he moved or not, but I did not run over him! I drove there after church where we had another powerful sermon and a lot of good singing! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 61:5-8

I wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

So my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge.


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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Friday, April 24, 2015

Roamin' thru Romans

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! Today we have sun, and clouds and high humidity. But yesterday, we had about 2 inches or more of rain, so we are caught up for a while. I like rainy days ever so often, because things seem to slow down and I like to watch the rain coming down.  That was a good soaking rain, with no wind around here.

I wrote about going through old pics and also came across an Evening Independent newspaper someone had saved, Dated April 12, 1945, with 4 inch headlines that read Roosevelt Dead!. Very historic! There were also front page articles about the war with Russia and Japan. I was in my teens back then and remember it well. I pray we never have to go through that again!

I like to read on rainy days and so I finished one book yesterday and had already read another one I had ordered from the library. I love the smell of new books, and the one I ordered was brand new by one of my favorite authors. I was happy for the rain for that reason. God is good to send rain when we need it!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Romans 15:13 (my favorite verse) Jude 24,25

So I pray that God, who gives you hope,
will keep you happy and full of peace
as you believe in Him. May you overflow
with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And, now, 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, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yes, glory, Majesty, power, and authority belong to him, in the beginning, now,
and forever more. Amen.


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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Thursday, April 23, 2015

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! Well, no sunshine this morning...as I sit here I can see rain dripping off the roof and it has gotten very dark, I have been hearing thunder for the last hour or so and we have had a severe weather alert, but there is no wind right now. My front yard is still a mess from the last storm. I guess when my yard man said he would come as soon as he could, he meant his regular Monday time. Sigh.

But we need the rain, so I am not complaining. After my cleaning ladies left yesterday, I went to Publix for my groceries, and it was a good time to go. It was not very crowded, so I had a good time shopping, but had to get help to reach a large bottle of Dawn. Apparently, I am not the only one who uses it, because it was at the very back of the top shelf.Shorties can't reach that high!

I pulled out a treasure chest of old photographs from my mother's collection, that had not been looked at since her death. Oh, my! One of me at 19 months, with my sister, 4. My face cannot be seen, because I am standing in front of a white house, and since, I was a tow-head, I kinda blended with the background. I have only seen a couple baby pics of me because I was a second child, so they did not waste film on me. Nowadays, every day of a child's life is recorded on an iphone, it seems, which is great. There are only a couple pics of my brother as a baby, also, so my sister got all the glory! That's the perc of being a first child!

Well, the lights just flickered and another weather alert just came in, so I had better finish up while we have power. But God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 18:25-30
To the faithful, you show yourself faithful,
to those with integrity, you show integrity.
To the pure, you show yourself pure,
but to the wicked, you show yourself hostile.
You rescue those who are humble, but  you
humiliate the proud.
Lord, you have brought light to my life;
my God, you light up my darkness.
In your strength I can crush an army,
with my God I can scale any wall.

As for God, his way is perfect.
All the Lord's promises prove true.
He is a shield for all those who look to him for protection.


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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Wisdom from Paul

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! Lots of sunshine this morning and clouds, but we had no rain yesterday and although the prediction is for rain sometime, it may not fall here. My front yard is still full of trash, but I called Jim, my yard man, and he said he would come as soon as he could. That may not be until the end of the week. But there is nothing I can do about it, because I don't have the ability any more to do yard work. I am learning to be patient in my old age. Smile.

I find I am spending more time on the PC than I should, due to the newly discovered cousin in England and all the second and third and once removed cousins that are popping up all over. I never could figure out how the once and twice removed thingy works! But it is exciting to see info about all these people I never knew existed! Thanks to Adam for starting this!

I did not go out much yesterday, but drove around Lynch Lake and saw herons, ibis, seagulls and a lone crow on the wire. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

1 Thessalonians 5:12-

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those
who are lazy. (ouch) Encourage those who are timid.
Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient
with everyone.

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try
to do good to each other, and to everyone else.
Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what
happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for
you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies,
but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.
 Keep away from every kind of evil.


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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

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!  We have some sun and a lot of clouds again today, but still quite warm. Late yesterday we had a terrific storm with a tornado warning and high winds. My yard is a mess with broken off tree branches and dead limbs and twigs all over the grass and driveway!

My yard crew could not get in because of the tree truck that was parked in front for about two hours in the morning. I have no idea what they were doing, except sitting around. As far as I could tell they did nothing. But, anyway, I called my yard man, Jim, and he said he would be here as soon as he could.  I appreciate him. They don't usually do the kind of work that needs doing today, so this is special.

I drove by another accident in the afternoon, near the same spot where one happened last week. People just are not careful, because there is a light at the intersection, and no reason for an accident to happen. Sure caused a long traffic delay. I had driven down into the park after stopping at the Library. There were quite a few people there for a Monday. It was a good day to see all the greenery, the canal and the ibis, which always have dirty beaks from poking in the ground looking for grubs and worms. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 1

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 night 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.

But this is not true of the wicked.
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.
But the path of the wicked leads to destruction.


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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Monday, April 20, 2015

The Whole Armor

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! After all the wind, and thunder last night, we did not get a drop of rain! Somebody close by did, I'm sure, but we were not favored. Maybe today. However, I read a story yesterday about a farmer in CA who may lose his farm because of the drought. His well has to take care of irrigation and the family needs, and is about to run dry, so we are in a lot better shape that those folks.

There is a tree truck sitting in front of my house that has been there for a couple hours, and as far as I can tell, they have not done any work in that time. I know that my trees are hanging over the phone  and street light lines, but I thought they only worked on power lines. Hm. Maybe I will be bold and go out and ask what is going on...

I am staying up too late these nights because of the fascination with all the new cousins once or twice removed that have been discovered from a cousin in England who has been uncovering ancestors and relatives I did not know I have. I am so glad he started this project! It is unusual for someone so young to be interested in the past, but more power to Adam!

We had a good crowd at church yesterday. Seems like more and more people are drawn to Faith Covenant and this is good. Pastor Kevin preaches a powerful message each Sunday, which gives a lot to chew on throughout the week.

After church I took a ride through the park and saw lots of people out enjoying the beautiful weather. Squirrels were getting leftovers, but I only saw one anhinga and no other birds or water fowl. But, God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Ephesians 6:15-20
So be careful how you live, not as fools but
as those who are wise. Make the most of every
opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't
act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants
you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will
ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and
control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs among your selves, making
music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give
thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis