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! Warming up today, but we have been blessed with unusually cool days and low humidity, so now we go back to our regular weather.
As I was starting my prayers this morning, I remembered that I had signed up for prayer for Kairos at 8 this morning for thirty minutes. This is such an important ministry, and I am honored to pray for the prisoners and people working to give them hope. May they be blessed as they bring blessings to prisoners.
Yesterday I had company in the form of Dave, who mowed and trimmed the hedge, (still more to do) and then the bug man came to spray, while an employee of TECO came to make the gas meter digital or something so it can be read from the street. The electric meter is already digital.
And, then, just as I finished supper, Terry called and was on his way to lift up the huge staghorn, which was almost touching the ground. So he worked for two hours using his truck as a winch to pull it up. He had said he would do the job months ago, but he is so busy since he retired from supervisor at Sawgrass, I didn't want to remind him. He does a lot of work for his church and remodels houses. One sure thing, he will not rust out during retirement!! I so appreciate all the people who are so kind to help me with upkeep on the house!
I went to the Park during the afternoon and watched a great, blue heron stretch his neck looking intently at something in the water, while standing on some object in the middle of the canal, I don't know what the thing is, but it shouldn't be there. BTW, the baby birds I wrote about were gone yesterday morning, Something must have carried them off in the night. But the mockingbirds have been just singing their little throats out all around. Each time I step out of the house, the air is filled with their songs as they fly about. God is good!
Excerpts from Ephesians 3 and 4 AMP.
Therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the (diving) calling to which you have been called--with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service.
Living as becomes you--with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.
Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of {produced by} the Spirit in the binding power of peace. (There is) one body and one Spirit, just as there is also one hope {that belongs} to the calling you received.
{There is} one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
One God and Fatheer of [us]all, Who is above all (Sovereign over all). pervading all and (living) in (us) all.
Yet grace (God's unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually-not indiscriminately, but in different ways--in proportion to the measure of Christ's [rich and bounteous] gift.
Now to Him who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His]power that is at work within us, is able to (carry out His purpose and) do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think--infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams--to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen-so be it.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
Friday, May 20, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Make the Most of the Time you've been given
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 had such unusually cool and dry air this past week, it has been a real blessing. But we will go right into summer beginning today. Seems hard to believe, though, since it was 65 when I arose. All good things must come to an end!
I mentioned yesterday that I had taken a walk early in the park, and it was good. I walked out to the first shelter, stopping along the way to enjoy the lush ferns and other undergrowth that have flourished since the rains. I took my walking stick and I usually get some remarks from people who admire it. It is one of the gnarly, ones that are long enough so that I can take several steps without moving it too much. I have two of them, given to me by Dave and Terry from the park. Anyway, the air was so cool that a couple women had sweaters and long sleeves, but I was comfortable and enjoyed looking at turtles in the water. Nearly everyone said "good morning" . That's why walking in the morning beats walking after supper!
I saw what I thought was a dead frog in front of the garage when I finished dragging the dumpster down to the curb last night, but looked closer and it was a baby bird, and a few inches away was another one. I looked up but could not see a nest they could have fallen from, so I'm thinking maybe a hawk got them. So sad.
Also, yesterday, as I was coming out of Gateway Mall shopping center onto 77th which is one way, a car came at me in my lane, so I had to almost stop and move to the other lane. I stopped to tell the driver she was going the wrong way, and found it was a young woman on her cell phone. She smiled at me and said "I know, I'm sorry!"!!! But she didn't hang up. Oh, well, God is still good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Hard work means prosperity, only fools idle away their time.
Proverbs 12:11 NLT
Time is a nonrenewable gift from God. But sometimes, we treat our time here on earth as if it were not a gift at all: We may be tempted to invest our lives in trivial pursuits and mindless diversions. But our Father in heaven wants us to do more...much more.
Are you one of those people who puts things off until the last minute? Do you waste time doing things that don't matter very much while putting off the important things until it's too late to do the job right? If so, it's now time to start making better choices.
It may seem like you've got all the time in the world to do the things you need to do, but time is shorter than you think. Time here on earth is limited...use it or lose it!
Our time is short! The time we can invest for God, in creative things, in receiving our fellowmen for Christ, is short!
This world is not our home, and we lament its sin-wrecked condition, riddled with disease and death and distress. But, for the growing of Christian character, it is a proper training ground.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
I mentioned yesterday that I had taken a walk early in the park, and it was good. I walked out to the first shelter, stopping along the way to enjoy the lush ferns and other undergrowth that have flourished since the rains. I took my walking stick and I usually get some remarks from people who admire it. It is one of the gnarly, ones that are long enough so that I can take several steps without moving it too much. I have two of them, given to me by Dave and Terry from the park. Anyway, the air was so cool that a couple women had sweaters and long sleeves, but I was comfortable and enjoyed looking at turtles in the water. Nearly everyone said "good morning" . That's why walking in the morning beats walking after supper!
I saw what I thought was a dead frog in front of the garage when I finished dragging the dumpster down to the curb last night, but looked closer and it was a baby bird, and a few inches away was another one. I looked up but could not see a nest they could have fallen from, so I'm thinking maybe a hawk got them. So sad.
Also, yesterday, as I was coming out of Gateway Mall shopping center onto 77th which is one way, a car came at me in my lane, so I had to almost stop and move to the other lane. I stopped to tell the driver she was going the wrong way, and found it was a young woman on her cell phone. She smiled at me and said "I know, I'm sorry!"!!! But she didn't hang up. Oh, well, God is still good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Hard work means prosperity, only fools idle away their time.
Proverbs 12:11 NLT
Time is a nonrenewable gift from God. But sometimes, we treat our time here on earth as if it were not a gift at all: We may be tempted to invest our lives in trivial pursuits and mindless diversions. But our Father in heaven wants us to do more...much more.
Are you one of those people who puts things off until the last minute? Do you waste time doing things that don't matter very much while putting off the important things until it's too late to do the job right? If so, it's now time to start making better choices.
It may seem like you've got all the time in the world to do the things you need to do, but time is shorter than you think. Time here on earth is limited...use it or lose it!
Our time is short! The time we can invest for God, in creative things, in receiving our fellowmen for Christ, is short!
This world is not our home, and we lament its sin-wrecked condition, riddled with disease and death and distress. But, for the growing of Christian character, it is a proper training ground.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Spiritual Gifts
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 took time to walk this morning, because I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather, so that made me a little later this morning.
Actually, I walked at the Park last night after supper, but walking in the morning is definitely better! As soon as I started,last night, a big horse fly landed on my glasses, then as I walked along the sidewalk, three kids, one on a skateboard, one on a tiny bike and the other on a big bike came zooming along, not stopping for anything, so I had to step off to avoid a collision. Then more people came with kids, so I just did a short walk, so I could get back home. I stopped, though, by Arrow Lake because a beautiful tri-colored heron was standing in the tall grass just looking at me, so I looked back and he finally decided to fly off to another location. I have never been that up close and personal with one before. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
1 Corinthians 12:1-
And now, dear brothers and sisters, I will write about the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to each of us, for I must correct your misunderstandings about them. You know that when you were still pagans you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know how to discern what is truly from God:
No one speaking by the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one is able to say "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. a spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.
To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another he gives the gift of special knowledge. The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else he gives the power to heal the sick. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and to another the ability to know whether it is really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, and another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
Actually, I walked at the Park last night after supper, but walking in the morning is definitely better! As soon as I started,last night, a big horse fly landed on my glasses, then as I walked along the sidewalk, three kids, one on a skateboard, one on a tiny bike and the other on a big bike came zooming along, not stopping for anything, so I had to step off to avoid a collision. Then more people came with kids, so I just did a short walk, so I could get back home. I stopped, though, by Arrow Lake because a beautiful tri-colored heron was standing in the tall grass just looking at me, so I looked back and he finally decided to fly off to another location. I have never been that up close and personal with one before. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
1 Corinthians 12:1-
And now, dear brothers and sisters, I will write about the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to each of us, for I must correct your misunderstandings about them. You know that when you were still pagans you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know how to discern what is truly from God:
No one speaking by the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one is able to say "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. a spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.
To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another he gives the gift of special knowledge. The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else he gives the power to heal the sick. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and to another the ability to know whether it is really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, and another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
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! The sun is shining and the sky is clear blue and if it had been this way yesterday, perhaps I could have seen the contrail of the Endeavor. Oh, well, there is an incredible photo in the Times today of the shuttle going up, taken by a lady flying from NY to West Palm Beach. The layer of clouds is below and the Endeavor just shot through them. There is a camera everywhere!
I ran some errands yesterday...over to Dowdy's to get my glasses adjusted..my niece works there, and then to Big Lots. I really do not like shopping there, but it was handy and I needed some things. Only one cashier was working, so I waited about fifteen minutes in line, but she was really working fast and doing her best with good humor, so no one complained.
Then I went to the park for a time of refreshing..admired the peace and quiet, and watched people leaning over the bridge rail looking down at something...turtles or a gator, not sure what. Then home for lunch and later mopped the kitchen floor. Not too much excitement in my day yesterday, but I had a good prayer time in the morning. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Romans 8:18-
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even as Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself and he promised them the glory.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
I ran some errands yesterday...over to Dowdy's to get my glasses adjusted..my niece works there, and then to Big Lots. I really do not like shopping there, but it was handy and I needed some things. Only one cashier was working, so I waited about fifteen minutes in line, but she was really working fast and doing her best with good humor, so no one complained.
Then I went to the park for a time of refreshing..admired the peace and quiet, and watched people leaning over the bridge rail looking down at something...turtles or a gator, not sure what. Then home for lunch and later mopped the kitchen floor. Not too much excitement in my day yesterday, but I had a good prayer time in the morning. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Romans 8:18-
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even as Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself and he promised them the glory.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
Monday, May 16, 2011
Luke 12
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 watched the Endeavor lift off on its last voyage , but due to clouds, I could not see the contrail from here. However the long range cameras showed the separation quite well, so off it goes to the space station. What a great day!
It was also cloudy at the Cape, but Endeavor lifted off anyway. Over 400,000 people were there to see the last voyage, so they expect over a million for the next flight, which I think will be in June...not sure, though.
We had a good service at church yesterday, where six of us were commissioned as Stephen Ministers and the Council presented a long range plan for making FCC a missional church. And I was able to greet former pastor and friend, Rock Doddridge, Suzanne and Ryan and his wife before I left. It was a blessed day with Brian coming to first service to see me commissioned.
I checked out the park to see how high the water was after the storm that woke me at 4 AM yesterday. The water was very high and had washed lots of trash up and over and on to the weir. Amazing all the stuff that comes down the canal from in back of the houses! But a large soft shell turtle was plastered against the bank of the weir and several ibis were pecking along the sides of the road, so to them all was normal. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Luke 12 22-34
Then turning to his disciples, Jesus said, "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. For life consists of far more than food and clothing. Look at the ravens. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! And if worry can't do little things like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?
"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 cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! And don't worry about food--what to eat and drink. Don't worry whether God will provide it for you. These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs. He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
So don't be afraid little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe--no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
It was also cloudy at the Cape, but Endeavor lifted off anyway. Over 400,000 people were there to see the last voyage, so they expect over a million for the next flight, which I think will be in June...not sure, though.
We had a good service at church yesterday, where six of us were commissioned as Stephen Ministers and the Council presented a long range plan for making FCC a missional church. And I was able to greet former pastor and friend, Rock Doddridge, Suzanne and Ryan and his wife before I left. It was a blessed day with Brian coming to first service to see me commissioned.
I checked out the park to see how high the water was after the storm that woke me at 4 AM yesterday. The water was very high and had washed lots of trash up and over and on to the weir. Amazing all the stuff that comes down the canal from in back of the houses! But a large soft shell turtle was plastered against the bank of the weir and several ibis were pecking along the sides of the road, so to them all was normal. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Luke 12 22-34
Then turning to his disciples, Jesus said, "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. For life consists of far more than food and clothing. Look at the ravens. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! And if worry can't do little things like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?
"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 cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith! And don't worry about food--what to eat and drink. Don't worry whether God will provide it for you. These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs. He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
So don't be afraid little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe--no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Miracle of a Kind Word
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! Nice and sunny this morning with a bit of coolness to the breeze earlier, but it is warming up fast!
My yard man and friend, Dave, came yesterday and after mowing and blowing, he trimmed the rest of the neighbor's hedge and next he will start on my hedge in the back and work his way around to the south side. He is a Park Ranger for his full time job and Sawgrass is part of his route, as they cover all the county parks now that so many workers have been laid off. He used to be full time at Sawgrass which is where I met him. Anyway, he does a lot more for me than just the yard, so it's good to have someone dependable.
What I thought had been a volunteer cleaning up the canal, he said was just the rush of water from the last rain washing the trash all over the weir and down into the other side. Oh, well, at least it looks better. I saw a great blue heron yesterday on a dead stump in the water. His head was bent and he was preening. BTW, we have a hawk close by here, because I have seen it twice now, and thought it was flying over from the park. It well may be, but seems to come from the same tree across the street. Bunny beware, if the hawk spies it!
I also saw a big osprey sitting in the nest at the parking lot in front of Publix. If that's the baby, it looks really ready to be on its own!
God is good!
From Quiet Moments with God devotional book:
Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. Psalm 30:1 KJV
Rev. Purnell Bailey tells of a convict from Darlington, England, who had just been released from prison. He had spent three long years in prison for embezzlement, and though he wanted to return to his hometown, he was concerned about the social ostracism and possible ridicule he might have to endure from some of the townsfolk. Still, he was lonesome for his home and decided to risk the worst.
He had barely set foot on the main street of town when he encountered the mayor himself.
"Hello!" greeted the mayor in a cheery voice. "I'm glad to see you! How are you?" The man appeared ill at ease, and so the mayor moved on.
Years later, the former mayor and the ex-convict accidentally met in another town. The latter said, "I want you to know what you did for me when I came out of prison." "What did I do?" asked the mayor. "You spoke a kind word to me and changed my life," replied the grateful man.
We cannot always know how important the seed of a kind word may be to the one who receives it. More often than we know, words of encouragement or recognition provide a turning point in a person's outlook on life.
Just as Jesus spoke with love and acceptance to the hated tax collector Zaccheus, the mayor set the tone for others' contacts with the ex-convict by openly and warmly addressing him as a neighbor. People watch those they respect for cues regarding their own relationships with certain people.
Genuine, kind words cost the giver nothing, but they can mean the world to the one receiving them. Today, don't be put off when someone to whom you offer a kind word seems uncomfortable or embarrassed. Recognize they may be unpracticed at receiving love and compassion, even though they need it greatly.
Kind words toward those you daily meet, kind words and actions right, will make this life of ours most sweet, turn darkness into light.
Isaac Watts
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
My yard man and friend, Dave, came yesterday and after mowing and blowing, he trimmed the rest of the neighbor's hedge and next he will start on my hedge in the back and work his way around to the south side. He is a Park Ranger for his full time job and Sawgrass is part of his route, as they cover all the county parks now that so many workers have been laid off. He used to be full time at Sawgrass which is where I met him. Anyway, he does a lot more for me than just the yard, so it's good to have someone dependable.
What I thought had been a volunteer cleaning up the canal, he said was just the rush of water from the last rain washing the trash all over the weir and down into the other side. Oh, well, at least it looks better. I saw a great blue heron yesterday on a dead stump in the water. His head was bent and he was preening. BTW, we have a hawk close by here, because I have seen it twice now, and thought it was flying over from the park. It well may be, but seems to come from the same tree across the street. Bunny beware, if the hawk spies it!
I also saw a big osprey sitting in the nest at the parking lot in front of Publix. If that's the baby, it looks really ready to be on its own!
God is good!
From Quiet Moments with God devotional book:
Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. Psalm 30:1 KJV
Rev. Purnell Bailey tells of a convict from Darlington, England, who had just been released from prison. He had spent three long years in prison for embezzlement, and though he wanted to return to his hometown, he was concerned about the social ostracism and possible ridicule he might have to endure from some of the townsfolk. Still, he was lonesome for his home and decided to risk the worst.
He had barely set foot on the main street of town when he encountered the mayor himself.
"Hello!" greeted the mayor in a cheery voice. "I'm glad to see you! How are you?" The man appeared ill at ease, and so the mayor moved on.
Years later, the former mayor and the ex-convict accidentally met in another town. The latter said, "I want you to know what you did for me when I came out of prison." "What did I do?" asked the mayor. "You spoke a kind word to me and changed my life," replied the grateful man.
We cannot always know how important the seed of a kind word may be to the one who receives it. More often than we know, words of encouragement or recognition provide a turning point in a person's outlook on life.
Just as Jesus spoke with love and acceptance to the hated tax collector Zaccheus, the mayor set the tone for others' contacts with the ex-convict by openly and warmly addressing him as a neighbor. People watch those they respect for cues regarding their own relationships with certain people.
Genuine, kind words cost the giver nothing, but they can mean the world to the one receiving them. Today, don't be put off when someone to whom you offer a kind word seems uncomfortable or embarrassed. Recognize they may be unpracticed at receiving love and compassion, even though they need it greatly.
Kind words toward those you daily meet, kind words and actions right, will make this life of ours most sweet, turn darkness into light.
Isaac Watts
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Blessings
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 sky looks like it is gradually clearing of the smoke from the Ga. wildfires, so the sun is very bright.
Well, I noticed yesterday while checking around the house, that two of my armaryllis have been eaten by some critter. While I think of the rabbit, it might have been the lubbers which I thought had been eradicated. Maybe not. I have not seen the rabbit since Monday, but he is probably in someone else's yard, hopefully next door where they have a garden! :op
I got through the taping of the video yesterday, which will be shown Sunday as the Stephen Ministers are commissioned. I am really not comfortable being taped as I talk, but Pastor Rick was easy to talk to and I had the support of David and Carl, who also spoke and were taped. So, I will see it Sunday, and hopefully, won't look like a dork.
I was hungry when we finished, so went to Publix and had a sandwich made, and bought more than I thought I would, and then journeyed home to enjoy lunch. Afterwards, I went to the park and saw things were being cleaned up. Not many people were there and I noticed the water has gone down quite a bit. That doesn't stop the anhingas as long as they can swim under water and catch the fish still swimming around. God is good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Be Aware of Your Blessings
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13 NLT
Because we have been so richly blessed, we should make thanksgiving a habit, a regular part of our daily routines. But sometimes, amid the demands and obligations of everyday life, we may allow the interruptions and distractions of everyday life to interfere with the time we spend with God.
Have you counted your blessings today? And have you thanked God for them? Hopefully so. After all, God's gifts include your family, your friends, your talents, your opportunities, your possessions, and the priceless gift of eternal life. How glorious are these gifts... and God is responsible for every one of them.
So today, as you go about the duties of everyday life, pause and give thanks to the Creator. He deserves your praise, and you deserve the experience of praising Him.
Jesus intended for us to be overwhelmed by the blessings of regular days. He said it was the reason he had come; "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
Lord, I have more blessings than I can possibly count; make me mindful of Your precious gifts. You have cared for me, Lord, and You have saved me. I will give thanks and praise You always. Today, let me share Your blessing with others, just as You first shared them with me. Amen
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
Well, I noticed yesterday while checking around the house, that two of my armaryllis have been eaten by some critter. While I think of the rabbit, it might have been the lubbers which I thought had been eradicated. Maybe not. I have not seen the rabbit since Monday, but he is probably in someone else's yard, hopefully next door where they have a garden! :op
I got through the taping of the video yesterday, which will be shown Sunday as the Stephen Ministers are commissioned. I am really not comfortable being taped as I talk, but Pastor Rick was easy to talk to and I had the support of David and Carl, who also spoke and were taped. So, I will see it Sunday, and hopefully, won't look like a dork.
I was hungry when we finished, so went to Publix and had a sandwich made, and bought more than I thought I would, and then journeyed home to enjoy lunch. Afterwards, I went to the park and saw things were being cleaned up. Not many people were there and I noticed the water has gone down quite a bit. That doesn't stop the anhingas as long as they can swim under water and catch the fish still swimming around. God is good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Be Aware of Your Blessings
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:13 NLT
Because we have been so richly blessed, we should make thanksgiving a habit, a regular part of our daily routines. But sometimes, amid the demands and obligations of everyday life, we may allow the interruptions and distractions of everyday life to interfere with the time we spend with God.
Have you counted your blessings today? And have you thanked God for them? Hopefully so. After all, God's gifts include your family, your friends, your talents, your opportunities, your possessions, and the priceless gift of eternal life. How glorious are these gifts... and God is responsible for every one of them.
So today, as you go about the duties of everyday life, pause and give thanks to the Creator. He deserves your praise, and you deserve the experience of praising Him.
Jesus intended for us to be overwhelmed by the blessings of regular days. He said it was the reason he had come; "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
Lord, I have more blessings than I can possibly count; make me mindful of Your precious gifts. You have cared for me, Lord, and You have saved me. I will give thanks and praise You always. Today, let me share Your blessing with others, just as You first shared them with me. Amen
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs, Amaryllis
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