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! I enjoy this much cooler weather with the lower humidity. Already I have noticed that the A/C is not cycling so much, so a  lower electric bill is always welcome.

My yard crew came yesterday and did a good job of cleaning acorns off the porch and driveway. Of course, more are falling today, but this is the time of year for them. The squirrels should have fat tummys from all the food!

I did not go out yesterday, because of my leg, but it is much better today, so I think it was just a strained muscle. Brian came over yesterday late afternoon and brought me some orange juice and also took the recycle bin down to the curb. I saw blue bins lining the street this morning. Mine only needs to be picked up once a month, because I don't have that much.

Well, I was disappointed about the news of Will Grier's suspension as Gator's quarterback and not surprised at Steve Spurrier's retirement.  Things are always changing in college football, but God is always good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Ephesians 3:14-22
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall on 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 his 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

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 was surprised when I felt the coolness of the air as I opened the door to get the Times. I thought the cool air was to come through yesterday, but it held off for a day.

But the banks and post office are closed today, so some people will be able to enjoy this great weather and get out in it! Unfortunately, I won't be one of them. I was sitting down on my kitchen stool at the snack counter when something popped or twisted in my right leg and I was in great pain for a few minutes. I was able to walk, change and get into bed after resting awhile and taking Tylenol, so I slept pretty well. I will try to get help for it today.

We are getting so many people at first service at church that there are no more parking spaces left. Last week and yesterday, I had to wait about ten minutes for people to come out so I could pull in. I was not the only one waiting, either. There were about four other cars waiting. I had intended to go to first service yesterday, but ran out of time getting ready.

I had the nicest surprise Sat. morning! I had just finished breakfast when the doorbell rang, and it was my dear thoughtful friend, Christa, with a package of pumpkin waffles from Trader Joe's! She read my complaints about not finding any, and brought me some! What a kind thing to do! Guess what I had for breakfast Sunday morning! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 28:6,7
Praise the Lord!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength, my shield from
every danger.
I trust in him with all my heart.
He helps me and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

More Joy

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! Did I say fall has come? Not today! It is very humid and warm, but a "cold" front is coming and by Sunday we will see temps in the sixties! Bring on the sweaters! I can just hear those who live north of Florida laughing at me, but this old gal gets cool when the temp gets below seventy! I even get chilly in church from the A/C!

I am expecting Rick to come today to work on sealing the flat roof where it joins with the peaked roof to see if that will take care of any leakage that may be coming through the joint. He is so busy, it takes a while to get on his list. But I am glad he is available for me!

Well, this is pumpkin time and I still have not found pumpkin Eggo waffles in the Publix freezer or Winn Dixie. I have not checked any of the other stores. It won't be a tragedy if I don't find them..I just like them for a change. But I did have a Krispy Kreme pumpkin cruller and it was yummy!

I got over to the Park later in the afternoon, and saw the gopher tortoise, and an egret stretching his graceful neck to see what was in the water. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

2 Corinthians 4:14-18
We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus
will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along
with you. All of these things are for your benefit . And as God's
grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be
great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying,
our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles
are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us
an immeasurably  great glory that will last forever!  So we look
forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will
soon be over , but the joys to come will last forever.
The promise of our future resurrection helps us look beyond the problems of daily life.
It is not escapism or wishful thinking. It is a reality that fuels our joy by keeping
things in perspective.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Joy

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 see lots of blue sky , but at the same time it is overcast and no sun is shining on my house right now. But the air is still cooler and feels so good! These cooler temps are nice!

My handy man, Rick has come and gone after checking out the stain on the ceiling right by the A/C vent. He said he can't see anything that would cause a leak on the roof, but will come by tomorrow and do some corrective measures. I am blessed to have him take care of things that go wrong or need repair.

My cleaning ladies came yesterday, stuffed from their lunch. Cheryl wanted to take a nap, but Kim said she was going to go walking with her after they finished up with me. They eat at different places depending on where they have been working and yesterday it was the Sangwich Block, one of their favorites.

After they left, I returned some books to the library, and then drove on to the park. As I was leaving the library, once again, the ER vehicle came out with lights blinking and siren and horn blaring, stopping traffic. That is really startling if you're right beside it when the siren comes on!

I saw quite a few people at the park and the small gopher tortoise ambling about. There were lots of ibis at Lynch Lake when I came home. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Where does Joy come from?

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.

Our joy springs from God's love, which is not dependent on circumstances nor on our
performance. When we trust in his love for us, we are far less vulnerable to the
depression and despair that could come from our problems and disappointments.

Philippians 4:4,12
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say et again--rejoice! I know how to live on
almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every
situation , whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

Joy is a choice. We may not realize it, but we choose our moods and our attitudes.
God's promises in Christ are the basis for choosing joy no matter what we face.

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! We were down in the seventies earlier and yet as the day goes on, we will climb back up to the high eighties. But, the A/C is working less and there is a definite change in the air. Ah, fall!

I read recently, a quote from someone that you should always have something to do in the day when you get out of bed. So, since I had nothing in particular that needed doing yesterday, I decided to take a ride downtown and see what is going on in my hometown. I saw the progress on the parking garage/grocery store that is coming on first ave. south; lots of cars parked along Central Ave. people walking about, and then drove along the waterfront which was gorgeous...both weather and view! My goal was to see the pier before it is totally destroyed, so I pulled over next to the curb in front of the Vinoy Hotel and took a picture with my iphone to send to Daryl. To me it was sad to see it coming down, but a new one is due to come up maybe in my lifetime, maybe not. Oh, well, I have many fond memories over the years of visiting the million dollar pier, and this one.

I drove home over the brick streets of Coffee Pot drive, where the speed limit is 25, which is too fast on that bone jarring bumpy road. I think the shock absorbers on the van heaved a sigh of relief when I got off that street!

I saw a huge flock of ibis around Lynch Lake coming home and lots of ducks and seagulls. It was a good ride and I enjoyed it! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 139:1-6
O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my every thought when far away.

You chart the path ahead of me
and tell me when to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You both precede and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
but great for me to know!

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! It is a beautiful  morning with cooler temps and lots of sunshine and a few puffy white clouds around. If we have any rain today, it won't be until late afternoon.

Yesterday, the yard crew came about 11, so, even though the grass was wet, and there was water standing on the porch, they got the job done. It did not rain while they were here, but right afterwards it started to sprinkle after they had moved on down the street.

I did laundry yesterday, including ironing which I had let accumulate. I should not do that, because it is tiring to stand and iron and then hang everything up. However, it was good to get it done. Then I noticed a large truck out front and checked and saw it was the BH guys again...this time they were in the back yard climbing the pole and removing the old cable. I was amazed at how long it was. One man pulled it through the backyard,  and way down the street until the end showed up. They had a large spool in the street to wrap it around. I spoke to them and they seemed happy in their work.

Later, I took off for the park and wouldn't you know, it started to rain as I left the house. I drove over anyway, just to see what I could find. A wet, shiny, gopher tortoise was wandering around not worried about the wetness. He carries his shelter where ever he goes.There were quite a few people there who did not care about the rain. Of course there are shelters on the boardwalk. I remember many years ago, I got caught in the rain, stood under a tree for awhile, and then dashed for a shelter, but got pretty soaked.. Ah, those were the days! God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Psalm 121
I look up to the mountains...
does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made the heavens and the earth!

He will not let you stumble and fall;
the one who watches over you will not sleep.

Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never tires and never sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shield.
The sun will not hurt you by day,
nor the moon at night.
The Lord keeps you from all evil as you come and go,
both now and forever.

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis

Teaching about money and possessions

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 overcast skies right now, but the blue is showing around the clouds, so this day may be like yesterday...rain one minute and sunshine the next. Very peculiar. But the heat is gone, at least, most of it. It has only gotten into the middle eighties, instead of nineties, so we are feeling the first taste of fall!

I had a time getting into church yesterday. When I left home it was just starting to sprinkle but by the time I got to church it was pouring, so I circled the lot three or four times, until a space opened up. Ray pulled into a space nearby, and spoke as he passed by, then the next thing I knew, he had grabbed an umbrella from the umbrella stand inside and came out to give me shelter so I could get in dry! My hero!

I watched the Rays win their last game of the season, while watching the Packers win their game. Also, I watched the Gators win, so as far as I was concerned, the world of sports was good for me. Not so good for Bucs fans!

I drove through the park on Saturday and was surprised to find it full! Lots of people were out and walking  the boardwalk even though the sky looked very threatening. the squirrels were out and an egret and anhinga were enjoying themselves doing whatever they do. God is good!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Matthew 6:24-30
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one
and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise
the other. You cannot serve both God and money..

So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life--whether
you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't
life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at
the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put
food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them.
And you are far more valuable to him than they are.
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Of course not.

And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and
how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing,
yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully
as they are. And if God care so wonderfully for flowers
that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he  more
surely care for you? You have so little faith!

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

Love and hugs,
 Amaryllis