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! Another is our series of summer in January days is here! Yesterday, I gave up and turned on the A/C. I had been out running errands and visiting my podiatrist, and it was hot! I chatted with the doctor about helicopters, restaurants and news while he worked on my toes and toe nails. He is a dyed in the wool New Yorker with accent to match! Apparently, a lot of people have trouble with their feet, because he is always busy!
As I was traveling here and there, I happened to see a large bird soaring up and realized it was a hawk! His wingspan was very large and I wished that I had not been driving, so I could just watch him glide! Majestic! Then I drove to the park and saw the full canal which is mostly cleaned of all the lilies and, while it was rippling a little, still the trees and egrets were reflected in the mirror-like waters. A dare-devil squirrel raced right across in front of me, as they usually do, and I saw a flock of ibis, ignoring the people walking and hiking. God is good!
From the devotional book Quiet Moments with God:
He put a new song in my mouth. A song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3 NRSV
Evangelist and singer N. B. Vandall sat quietly in his living room reading his paper when one of his sons rushed into the house crying, "Paul is hurt! A car hit him and dragged him down the street! He was bleeding all over,and somebody came and took him away!"
Vandall found his son at a nearby hospital with serious head injuries, a concussion, and multiple broken bones. The surgeon did not know if he would live. All the distraught father could do was pray as the doctor cleaned and stitched Paul's head wounds and set his broken bones. The rest was up to God.
After coming home to give his family the report, Vandall returned to the living room and fell on his knees with a heartfelt cry of, "Oh, God!" Almost immediately, Vandall could hear God's voice inside him, telling him that no matter what happened in the here and now, all tears will be dried and sorrows will cease in the hereafter. Vandall went to the piano and in minutes wrote a hymn titled "After."
After the toil and the heat of the day,
After my troubles are past,
After the sorrows are taken away,
I shall see Jesus at last.
He will be waiting for me----
Jesus so kind and true;
On his beautiful throne,
He will welcome me home--
After the day is through.
Paul had a near perfect recovery from his injuries, and his father's faith in God
remained strong and steady, his gratitude boundless.
God wants to be with you in the midst of your tribulations, too, putting a song of praise in your mouth. When you turn your focus from your struggles to Him, His awesome power can overcome whatever you are facing.
FAITH MAKES THE UPLOOK
GOOD, THE OUTLOOK BRIGHT,
THE INLOOK FAVORABLE AND
THE FUTURE GLORIOUS.
V.Raymond Edman
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
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, it is still morning, although I am very late this morning! I kinda mix chores with pleasure., stopping washing sheets and eating breakfast to read a chapter or two in the current book I am reading. Seems like when I get caught up in a good plot, I think "just one more chapter" and before I know it, several chapters later, I realize I have to get going!
I stripped the bed this morning, so I still have to put the clean sheets back on and leave the blanket off, since we are continuing our summer weather. My cleaning ladies came yesterday and they were really warm after all their work. I am the last house they do, so I don't know where they get the energy! They said they had to work around Christmas decorations and stuff in most of the houses, but. thank goodness, mine are all put away and I am slowly working on cleaning closets once again!
Also, Jason, the yard man, came, unexpectedly, (I never know when he will show up) and as we were standing on the porch talking he reached up, indicating the Christmas lights and asked if I wanted them down. I said ,"Sure", so he took about five minutes and took them all down. He is very tall, and did not even need a ladder! I really appreciated the effort. Now, if I could only get a volunteer to clean the filter....I am blessed to have such helpful people in my life!
I went to Sweetbay yesterday and came home with a load of groceries! I had not been shopping for a while and my list was long. I was able to get everything on it, except guava jelly, and shells. Guess I will have to go to Publix for those. Anyway, I cannot repeat enough, God is good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time,
thank God no matter what happens.
This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG
If you genuinely desire to know God, then you must pray a lot. Is prayer an integral part of
your daily life, or is it a hit-or-miss habit? Do you "pray without ceasing," or
is your prayer life an afterthought? Do you regularly pray in the quiet moments
of the early morning, or do you bow your head only when others
are watching? If your prayers have become more a matter of habit than
a matter of passion, you're robbing yourself of a deeper relationship with God.
And how can you rectify this situation? By praying more frequently
and more fervently. God is always near, and He 's always ready to
hear from you. So don't worry about things; pray about them. God is waiting
and listening!
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
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 was so warm yesterday, I had the windows open and today promises to be in the eighties once again. We will have this great weather the rest of the week, so we can be thankful to live in such a beautiful place. For those of you who like cold weather, guess you will have to take a trip north!
I stopped in at the park yesterday, while returning from the salon, and I was so impressed by the beauty of the canal! There was not a ripple, nothing disturbing the water, which was high, and it was just like a long ribbon of glass. The trees were clearly reflected, and even though they were bare and just gray with winter's lack of foliage, there was still beauty in the starkness. It was most unusual, as the canal is rarely that still.
Also, I saw the fat, black gator curled up on the bank of the lake. Since school was back in session, there were not so many people as on the weekends.
I was telling my friend yesterday about going to the Hangar for lunch the first day the guys were here for Christmas, and I treated them to a helicopter ride over the beaches. Daryl had never been up in one before, but Matthew had, in TN. They got to see lots of dolphins from the air and people waved at them from the beach. Then the last day they were here, David took Matthew for a bike ride on his new (old) sport bike, which Matthew enjoyed very much! I am so glad they had such a good time! God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Psalm 91:9-16
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you:
no plague will come near your dwelling.
For he orders his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you with their hands
to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.
You will crush fierce lion and serpents under your feet!
The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
I will satisfy them with a long life
and give them my salvation.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
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! What a beautiful, sunshiny day it is in the early part of January! Yesterday was overcast and gloomy, but I don't mind those days, because I can go without my sunglasses and it was not too cold, so a light sweater was sufficient. I had to be at the doctor's office for an early appointment and only had a short wait.
I had a very enjoyable Christmas holiday with my son and grandson here from TN, and Brian here when he did not have to work. Although I was not feeling well while they were here, still, they were able to get out and do things without me and I was content to stay home and rest. After the right medication, however, I am feeling much better and have enough ambition to get things inside back to normal and all Christmas decorations put away. The lights are still up outside, though, so I guess I will have to call my handy man to come take them down. He was the one to put them up!
One morning, Daryl noticed a dead possum lying in the road in front of the house, and later, the buzzards came and started gradually dragging the carcass,until it was in front of the neighbor's house. God created everything for a purpose, even though we cannot see the value of nuisance bugs in the house. Ugh! Did some really go two by two on the Ark??
I have seen lately, ospreys high on the light poles, lots of ibis flocks everywhere, some tiny, canary like birds from the north, in my yard, and the big gator in the bank in the park. God is good!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Psalm 91:1-8
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare of the Lord,
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God and I am trusting Him.
For He will rescue you from every trial
and protect you from the fatal plague.
He will shield you from his wings.
He will shelter you with his feathers.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night
nor fear the dangers of the day,
nor dread the plague that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand may fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
those evils will not touch you,
But you will see it with your eyes
you will see how the wicked are punished...
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
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 windy, breezy, day with a cold front headed our way later on. However, we are supposed to get up to near eighty this afternoon. Sounds good to me!
This will be the last email from me since I am taking a Christmas vacation , so I can enjoy Daryl and Matthew's company while they are here. I was busy getting a few gifts wrapped yesterday, while the ladies cleaned and chatted. It's always fun to hear what is going on in their lives, while they want to know what is going on in mine. I was also remembering that Brian's birthday is Christmas Eve, which almost gets lost in the busyness of Christmas. God is good to have given me two wonderful sons!
1 Thessalonians 3:12 NLB
And may the Lord make your love to grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love does toward you.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the Prayer Partners and Friends!
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
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 little chilly this morning, so I have to keep moving, but the sun is shining and the air is dryer, so our cool front came through. I washed the blankets on my bed yesterday and it took me half a day to get the bed made, while I waited for them to dry. They felt good last night!
I did some more shopping, and stood in line which was moving very quickly. Guess you have to expect that this time of year! I still need to go back out and get the rest of what I forgot! No matter how much I write notes, I still forget to add something I need! Sigh. Oh, well, some things never change.
My yard man was here this morning, so I am already running late with what I had planned to do and time is not waiting for me. My cleaning ladies are coming this afternoon, so I need to get some things done before they come. I will just keep plugging away until I catch up!
I drove through the park on my last lap of the day, and saw the anhinga wiring out his wings on the weir. There has been a truck parked across the canal for a couple days, and I can't read the insignia on the side, but I am curious about it. Maybe my friend, Dave, will know what it is and why it is there. Anyway, I enjoy the unhurried pace and peacefulness in the park. God is good!
From the little devotional book Knowing God:
Do not worship any other gods besides me.
Exodus 20:3 NLT
If you really want to know God, you should start by putting Him first in your life. So here's a question worth thinking about. Have you made God your top priority by offering Him your heart, your soul, your talents, and your time? Or are you in the habit of giving God little more than a few hours on Sunday morning? The answer to these questions will determine, to a surprising extent, the quality of your life and the content of your character.
As you contemplate your own relationship with God remember this: all of mankind is engaged in the practice of worship.Some folks choose to worship God and, as a result reap the joy that He offers to His children. Other folks, folks who are stubbornly determined to do it" their way", distance themselves from God by worshiping such things as earthly possessions or personal gratification...and when they do, they suffer.
Does God rule your heart? If you sincerely want to know Him, you must answer yes-you must put your Creator in first place. No exceptions.
-Today's Prayer_
Dear Lord, you are the rock upon which I will build my life.
You have given me so much, and I am thankful. Today I will
strive to put You first in all I do.
Amen
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
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! While it is nice and warm and sunny, the report is that a cold front will be moving through and Saturday will be much cooler! I even heart mention of 48 degrees Sat. morning. Well, maybe it will warm up again very fast!
I watched most of the Jets/ Titans game last night and while Tim Tebow was in for only one play while I was watching, I think if the coach would have put him in for more plays, maybe they would have won. He certainly could not have been worse than Sanchez! Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
Because of Tim's faith, even the announcer quoted his scripture for the survivors of the horrible event at Newtown. . That is one tiny bit of good that has come out of this. Even Obama quoted scripture in his speech!
I ran some errands yesterday, and patiently waited in line at the Christian bookstore for the only cashier??? Why only one at a busy time is beyond me! After I got most of my running around done, I headed for the park and saw a few people there, the school bus leaving and turtles on the bank of the weir. Before I left, I noticed a large white egret across the street with the long, neck undulating as it studied the shrubs for a tasty tidbit.
After that, he gracefully ambled across their driveway and disappeared from my view. God is good!
Psalm 145:13-21
The Lord is faithful in all he says;
he is gracious is all he does.
The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts up those bent beneath their loads.
When you open your hand,
you satisfy every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in everything he does.
He is filled with kindness.
The Lord is close to all who call on him.
Yes, to all who call on him sincerely.
He fulfills the desires of all those who fear him,
He hears their cries for help and rescues them.
The Lord protects all those who love him
but he destroys the wicked.
I will praise the Lord,
and everyone on earth will bless his holy name
forever and ever.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
