Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... April, May and June, 2017

April 1, 2017 | JustAmy; Meg33, The Mayor; Trisham;

[The Mayor]

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Very Good!

June 26, 2017

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! Genesis 1:31 nlt

Some days seem to have a theme running through them. Recently I had one of those days. Our pastor began his sermon on Genesis 1 with two minutes of breathtaking, time-lapse photography of blossoming flowers. Then, at home, a scroll through social media revealed numerous posts of flowers. Later on a walk in the woods, the wildflowers of spring surrounded us—trilliums, marsh marigolds, and wild iris.

God created flowers and every other variety of vegetation (and dry ground to grow in), on the third day of creation. And twice on that day, God pronounced it “good” (Gen. 1:10, 12). On only one other day of creation—the sixth—did God make that double pronouncement of “good” (vv. 25, 31). In fact, on this day when He created humans and His masterpiece was complete, He looked over all He had made and “saw that it was very good!” (nlt).

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! Genesis 1:31 nlt

In the creation story, we see a Creator God who delighted in His creation—and seemed to take joy in the very act of creating. Why else design a world with such colorful and amazing variety? And He saved the best for last when He “created mankind in his own image” (v. 27). As His image-bearers we are blessed and inspired by His beautiful handiwork.

Dear Creator God, thank You for creating the world in all its beauty for our enjoyment—and Yours. Thank You too for making us in Your image so that we would be inspired to create.

All creation bears God’s autograph.

INSIGHT:

Do we sometimes get lost in thinking about all that is wrong with the world? When we do, remember how the God of creation asked a man named Job to consider what the wonder of all nature is saying to us about His goodness and wisdom (Job 38:1–42:6).

[givemWatts]

Please remove my name, givemWatts, from your ping list. It’s not that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed it but I don’t frequent FR much now, especially after pulling my support. I can’t justify the use of bandwidth for myself.

Graciously,
givemWatts

[The Mayor]

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Five-Finger Prayers

June 27, 2017

Pray for each other. James 5:16

Prayer is a conversation with God, not a formula. Yet sometimes we might need to use a “method” to freshen up our prayer time. We can pray the Psalms or other Scriptures (such as The Lord’s Prayer), or use the ACTS method (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication). I recently came across this “Five-Finger Prayer” to use as a guide when praying for others:

• When you fold your hands, the thumb is nearest you. So begin by praying for those closest to you—your loved ones (Phil. 1:3–5).

Father, give me the wisdom to know how to pray for others.

• The index finger is the pointer. Pray for those who teach—Bible teachers and preachers, and those who teach children (1 Thess. 5:25).

• The next finger is the tallest. It reminds you to pray for those in authority over you—national and local leaders, and your supervisor at work (1 Tim. 2:1–2).

• The fourth finger is usually the weakest. Pray for those who are in trouble or who are suffering (James 5:13–16).

• Then comes your little finger. It reminds you of your smallness in relation to God’s greatness. Ask Him to supply your needs (Phil. 4:6, 19).

Whatever method you use, just talk with your Father. He wants to hear what’s on your heart.

>Father, give me the wisdom to know how to pray for others.

 

It’s not the words we pray that matter; it’s the condition of our heart.

 

INSIGHT:

In today’s reading we see how believers can enrich their fellowship with God through intercession and praise. Prayer is a vital lifeline of conversation with the living God who made us and provided for our redemption. In James 5:13–18 we read how we are urged to use prayer in all the seasons of our lives. When we are blessed, we can offer an expression of thanksgiving and praise. When we or others are physically ill, we can offer intercession for healing. In times of temptation and struggle, prayers for victory are a priority. Elijah is an example of someone who had the same needs and weaknesses that we do; yet his prayers to God resulted in the rain stopping for three and a half years and then starting again.

What can you have a conversation with God about today?

[The Mayor]

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Unfinished Works

June 28, 2017

Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24–25

At his death, the great artist Michelangelo left many unfinished projects. But four of his sculptures were never meant to be completed. The Bearded Slave, the Atlas Slave, the Awakening Slave, and the Young Slave, though they appear unfinished, are just as Michelangelo intended them to be. The artist wanted to show what it might feel like to be forever enslaved.

Rather than sculpting figures in chains, Michelangelo made figures stuck in the very marble out of which they are carved. Bodies emerge from the stone, but not completely. Muscles flex, but the figures are never able to free themselves.

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:25

My empathy with the slave sculptures is immediate. Their plight is not unlike my struggle with sin. I am unable to free myself: like the sculptures I am stuck, “a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me” (Rom 7:23). No matter how hard I try, I cannot change myself. But thanks be to God, you and I will not remain unfinished works. We won’t be complete until heaven, but in the meantime as we welcome the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, He changes us. God promises to finish the good work He has begun in us (Phil. 1:6).

God, thank You that You make us new creatures through the work of Your Son Jesus Christ, freeing us from our slavery to sin. 

He is the potter; we are the clay.

INSIGHT:

The war between the good we want to do and the bad we end up doing is a struggle for all Christ-followers. Paul places this tension as being between his “inner man” (his renewed heart and Holy Spirit-guided conscience) and the “flesh” (the fallen nature that still is drawn to sin). The good news is that someday we will be renewed in mind and body—free from the temptation to sin and the impact of our sinful choices.

[MEG33]

*Welcome To Warm Fuzzy Wednesday*
At Amy's Place

*The Garden -- A New World To Explore*
Wishing you a beautiful day. .

[MEG33]

Amen
Thank you, Rus, for staring our day off right every day.
I appreciate you.

[luvie]

Happy
no-scary-dust-bunnies-under-the-bed
Warm and Fuzzy Wednesday!

[left that other site]

Happy Wednesday!

Have a beautiful, Warm, Fuzzy, Summer Day!

((((HUGS))))

ML/LTOS

[trisham]

The Weather Is Perfect for Running

The weather is perfect for running.
I think that I'll go for a jog.
Except I'm a little bit tired,
so maybe I'll just walk the dog.

But he seems too hyper for walking.
He looks kind of hard to control.
So maybe I'll leave him at home,
and go for a leisurely stroll.

But all of my socks are too dirty,
and all of my shoes are untied.
So maybe I'll sit on the front porch.
Or maybe I'll just stay inside.

I see that my kitten is purring,
and wants to curl up on my lap.
It wouldn't be right to prevent her
from getting her afternoon nap.

It's comfortable here on the sofa.
My pillows are cozy and deep.
The weather is perfect for running.
So that's why I'm going to sleep.

Kenn Nesbitt

Have a happy Wednesday, everyone!
I hope that at least some of you are having a wonderful nap today!

[The Mayor]

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Faith in Action

June 29, 2017

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. James 2:18

As a friend drove to the grocery store, she noticed a woman walking along the side of the road and felt she should turn the car around and offer her a ride. When she did, she was saddened to hear that the woman didn’t have money for the bus so was walking home many miles in the hot and humid weather. Not only was she making the long journey home, but she had also walked several hours that morning to arrive at work by 4 a.m.

By offering a ride, my friend put into practice in a modern setting James’s instruction for Christians to live out their faith with their deeds: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (v. 17). He was concerned that the church take care of the widows and the orphans (James 1:27), and he also wanted them to rely not on empty words but to act on their faith with deeds of love.

Lord, may I never forget the sacrifice that gives me life.

We are saved by faith, not works, but we live out our faith by loving others and caring for their needs. May we, like my friend who offered the ride, keep our eyes open for those who might need our help as we walk together in this journey of life.

Lord Jesus Christ, You did the ultimate deed by dying on the cross for me. May I never forget the sacrifice that gives me life.

We live out our faith through our good deeds.

INSIGHT:

Good works are the byproduct of our faith. James deals with the evidence essential to show the world that our faith is genuine. He wrote, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds” (2:18). Authentic trust in God will always manifest itself in loving and caring for others.

How can you demonstrate your faith in Christ to someone today?

[MEG33]

Thank You for your cute Wednesday posts..."The Back" is
angry and I had to turn off the computer yesterday.
*HUGS*

[trisham]

Hope you're feeling better soon, ((MEG)).

[MEG33]

Good Morning To Amy's Place

It's Not Happy People Who Are Thankful
It's Thankful People Who Are Happy
*******
I Wish You A Lovely Thankful Day

[MEG33]

I am better today and I am thankful!
I will stay off the computer most of the day and try to keep this from becoming a full blown tantrum.
;o)

[trisham]

"You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in."

Dr. Seuss

Have a wonderful thankful Thursday, everyone!

[trisham]

I hear you. July is almost here, with one of the best holidays.

I almost took a nap right after I got up and came downstairs. :)

Bongo is at work with Mr. trisham this morning. The last time Bongo visited work, he peed on someone’s shoes. Fortunately, she’s a dog person. Unfortunately, she was wearing them at the time.

[left that other site]

Always Thankful...

For the Little Things.

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[trisham]

Awwwww....:)

[luvie]

Thankful for America!
...and Eagles! 🦅
Have A Thankful Thursday!

[The Mayor]

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Time to Flourish

June 30, 2017

“Sir,” the man replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.” Luke 13:8

Last spring I decided to cut down the rose bush by our back door. In the three years we’d lived in our home, it hadn’t produced many flowers, and its ugly, fruitless branches were now creeping in all directions.

But life got busy, and my gardening plan got delayed. It was just as well—only a few weeks later that rose bush burst into bloom like I’d never seen before. Hundreds of big white flowers, rich in perfume, hung over the back door, flowed into our yard, and showered the ground with beautiful petals.

God's patience is good news for all of us.

My rose bush’s revival reminded me of Jesus’s parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6–9. In Israel, it was customary to give fig trees three years to produce fruit. If they didn’t, they were cut down so the soil could be better used. In Jesus’s story, a gardener asks his boss to give one particular tree a fourth year to produce. In context (vv. 1–5), the parable implies this: The Israelites hadn’t lived as they should, and God could justly judge them. But God is patient and had given extra time for them to turn to Him, be forgiven, and bloom.

God wants all people to flourish and has given extra time so that they can. Whether we are still journeying toward faith or are praying for unbelieving family and friends, His patience is good news for all of us.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5).

God has given the world extra time to respond to His offer of forgiveness.

 

INSIGHT:

Right before the words of today’s passage, Jesus described how His coming causes division between those who accept Jesus and the new reality He brings and those who reject Him (Luke 12:49–56). Words like these could have led some to interpret tragedies like lives lost in a collapsed tower (13:4) as God’s judgment. But Jesus rejected this way of thinking (v. 5), teaching that we should not condemn others, but instead look at ourselves. The parable of the barren fig tree (vv. 6–9) illustrates that although God is merciful and has given the world extra time to turn to Him (v. 9), a choice to live in Him must be made. That’s the only way to live fruitfully.

How can you, instead of condemning others, focus more deeply on your response to Christ?