Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... July, August and September 2016

July 1, 2016 | JustAmy; Meg33, The Mayor; Trisham;

[JustAmy]

Welcome To....


'Amy's Place' welcomes all poets
and those who enjoy poetry.
'Amy's Place' is more than just about poetry.
Come in, relax, and share with fellow FReepers
your thoughts about any of the things on the *Menu*.

Enjoy! :)









Never Forget!





Bad Penny



Amy's personal guardian ~
the ever charming, lovable, huggable,
LouieWolf




Many thanks for stopping by. : )

[The Mayor]

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Your Father Knows

August 14, 2016

Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:8

I was only four years old as I lay by my father on a floor mat on a hot summer night. (My mother, with a baby, had her own room at the time.) This was in northern Ghana where the climate is mostly dry. Sweat covered my body, and the heat parched my throat. I felt so thirsty I shook my father awake. In the middle of that dry night, he rose up and poured water from a jar for me to quench my thirst. Throughout my life, as he did that night, he exemplified the image of a caring father. He provided what I needed.

Some people may not have a good father figure in their lives. But we all have a Father who is strong and ever-present and who does not disappoint us. Jesus taught us to pray to “our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). He told us that when our daily needs confront us—food, clothing, shelter, protection (v. 31)—“your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (v. 8).

Your loving heavenly Father never takes His eyes off you.

We have a Father who is always there. Night or day, whenever the going gets tough, we can trust that He will never abandon us. He has promised to care for us, and He knows better than we do what we need.

Thank You, Lord, for the privilege of coming to You as my Father. You know my needs before I even ask. Thank You that You will never turn me away.

Your loving heavenly Father never takes His eyes off you.

INSIGHT:

Among the topics Christ so eloquently addresses is the subject of worry. It appears that He was attuned to the fretting the human heart experiences in daily life. He encourages us to seek God’s kingdom as the top priority and then we are assured our Father God will provide for us (Matt. 6:33). He suggests we manage stress by faith: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (v. 34).

[left that other site]

A Blessed Sunday To You!

May You Have a Beautiful Day!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[MEG33]

Beautiful devotional, Rus.
I Am So Grateful To You For Our Daily Bread

[lonestar]

LOL!

[The Mayor]

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A Legacy Life

August 15, 2016

A good name is more desirable than great riches. Proverbs 22:1

While staying in a hotel in a small town I noticed that the church across the street was having a service. People were jammed into the church with a standing-room-only crowd of both young and old flowing out onto the sidewalk. When I noticed a hearse by the curb, I realized it was a funeral. And given the crowd, I assumed that it was the celebration of the life of some local hero—perhaps a wealthy businessperson or a famous personality. Curious, I said to the desk clerk, “That’s an amazing turnout for a funeral; it must be for a famous person in town.”

“No,” he replied. “He wasn’t rich or famous but he was a good man.”

Lord, help me to pursue a life that is pleasing to You and honors Your name.

This reminded me of the wisdom of the proverb that says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches” (Prov. 22:1). It’s a good idea to think about what kind of legacy we are leaving for our family, friends, and neighbors. From God’s perspective it’s not our resumé or the amount of money we’ve accumulated that matters but rather the kind of life we have lived.

When a friend of mine passed away, his daughter wrote, “This world has lost a righteous man and in this world that is no small thing!” It’s that kind of legacy that we should be seeking for the glory of God.

Lord, help me to pursue a life that is pleasing to You and honors Your name.

Live to leave a legacy for God’s glory.

INSIGHT:

The Proverbs hold wisdom to help us live for the Lord and leave a legacy. Just the first 8 verses of Proverbs 22 are loaded with wonderful insights about many different aspects of life. Verse 1 tells us of the value of a good name. The Hebrew word for “good name” carries with it the idea of “good repute” (see Eccl. 7:1).

[Kitty Mittens]

(((((I Love your Wonderful Sunday Post, Dear Meg!)))))
Beautiful Psalm and Graphic.

Thank you to Everyone for the Daily Pics & Pings.
(((((Love, and God Bless)))))

[The Mayor]

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Bringing Light into Darkness

August 16, 2016

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

In 1989, Vaclav Havel was elevated from his position as a political prisoner to become the first elected president of Czechoslovakia. Years later at his funeral in Prague in 2011, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who herself was born in Prague, described him as one who had “brought the light to places of deep darkness.”

What Havel’s introduction of light did in the political arena of Czechoslovakia (and later the Czech Republic), our Lord Jesus did for the whole world. He brought light into existence when He created light out of darkness at the dawn of time (John 1:2–3; cf. Gen 1:2–3). Then, with His birth, He brought light to the spiritual arena. Jesus is the life and light that darkness cannot overcome (John 1:5).

“Let your light shine before others.” Matthew 5:16

John the Baptist came from the wilderness to bear witness to Jesus, the light of the world. We can do the same today. In fact that is what Jesus told us to do: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

In our world today—when good is often considered bad and bad is seen as good, when truth and error are switched around—people are looking for direction in life. May we be the ones who shine the light of Christ into our world.

Father in heaven, thank You for the light of Jesus that came into the world and for the light He has brought into my life. Help me to remain grateful and to be Your light in the dark world around me.

Shine the Light!

INSIGHT:

Bible scholars call the gospel of John the Autopic Gospel because John looked at the life of Christ in his own unique way. For example, the “I ams” of Christ—such as “I am the way” (14:6) and “I am the vine” (15:5)—are found only in John’s record of the life of Jesus Christ on earth. The other Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—are called the Synoptic Gospels because they offer similar viewpoints. Although Matthew, Mark, and Luke each give their own account of the life of Christ, they share many of the same observations and stories about our Lord’s life, death, burial, and resurrection.

[The Mayor]

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The Swagger

August 17, 2016

Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

In the summer of 2015, Hunter (aged 15) carried his brother Braden (8) for a fifty-seven-mile walk to raise awareness of the needs of people with cerebral palsy. Braden weighs sixty pounds, so Hunter needed frequent rest stops where others helped him stretch his muscles, and he wore special harnesses to disperse Braden’s weight. Hunter says that while the harnesses helped with the physical discomfort, what helped him most were the people along the way. “If it weren’t for everyone cheering and walking with us, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. . . . My legs were sore, but my friends picked me up and I made it through . . . .” His mom named the arduous trek “The Cerebral Palsy Swagger.”

The apostle Paul, who we think of as strong and courageous, also needed to be “picked up.” In Romans 16 he lists a number of people who did just that for him. They served alongside him, encouraged him, met his needs, and prayed for him. He mentions Phoebe; Priscilla and Aquila, who were co-workers; Rufus’s mother, who had been like a mother to him as well; Gaius, who showed him hospitality; and many more.

Encouragers pick others up when troubles weigh them down.

We all need friends who pick us up, and we all know of others who need our encouragement. As Jesus helps and carries us, let us help one another.

Lord, in Your wisdom You established Your church as a place for us to love and care for each other. Help me to extend the grace I've received to others.

Encouragers pick others up when troubles weigh them down.

INSIGHT:

The letter to the Romans is arguably Paul’s most intensely theological letter. Yet in Romans 16, he issues more personal greetings than in any other letter—twenty-seven! These personal greetings, included at the close of a theological letter about the nature of the gospel, serve as a significant reminder. The message of the death and resurrection of Jesus is not merely a piece of intellectual information. The doctrines that form the foundation for our rescue in Christ are not an academic exercise. These truths describe the love of God for human beings who have names and faces and struggles and victories. The gospel is the story of God’s unfailing love for people—people like those listed here. People like you and me.

[MEG33]

Happy Warm Fuzzy Wednesday To Amy's Place

Pondering Summer

I love the sounds of laughter glad
And kids playing under the sun
The way a kite reaches for God
And how he makes it dance upon His breath so light

How clouds play charades a tad
And then move on when they are done
Teasing the watchers who smile and nod
And take this summer day from dawn to gentle night

WayzataJOHNN_August 20, 2007

I Wish You A Lovely Day
We'll be 20 degrees cooler here today than last Wednesday!

[MEG33]

Thank you for starting our day off right every day, Rus.
I Appreciate You

[The Mayor]

Hi Meg. My pleasuer

[left that other site]

Happy Warm &Fuzzy Wednesday!

May You Have a Beautiful Day filled with Blessings!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Happy Warm and Fuzzy
...and sharing with a friend...
Wednesday!!

[The Mayor]

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That Thing You Do

August 18, 2016

The people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 13:18

As the convoy waited to roll out, a young marine rapped urgently on the window of his team leader’s vehicle. Irritated, the sergeant rolled down his window. “What?”

“You gotta do that thing,” the marine said. “What thing?” asked the sergeant. “You know, that thing you do,” replied the marine.

God will never turn away whoever turns to Him in faith.

Then it dawned on the sergeant. He always prayed for the convoy’s safety, but this time he hadn’t. So he dutifully climbed out of the Humvee and prayed for his marines. The marine understood the value of his praying leader.

In ancient Judah, Abijah doesn’t stand out as a great king. First Kings 15:3 tells us, “His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God.” But as Judah prepared for war against Israel, outnumbered two to one, Abijah knew this much: Faithful people in his kingdom of Judah had continued worshiping God (2 Chron. 13:10–12), while the ten tribes of Israel had driven out the priests of God and worshiped pagan gods instead (vv. 8–9). So Abijah turned confidently to the one true God.

Surely Abijah’s checkered history had caused grave damage. But he knew where to turn in the crisis, and his army won soundly “because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors” (v. 18). Our God welcomes whoever comes to Him and relies on Him. 

I know that prayer isn’t a good-luck charm. But I come to You now, Lord, because there’s no one better to talk to. I trust You with all of my circumstances today.

God will never turn away whoever turns to Him in faith.

INSIGHT:

In the battle between the northern and southern kingdoms recounted in today’s reading, Abijah warned Israel that the Lord was on Judah’s side because the priests were “observing the requirements of the Lord our God” (2 Chron. 13:10–11). By keeping these requirements, the kingdom of Judah was following the instructions set out by Moses in the book of Leviticus. Judah’s victory over Israel, who greatly outnumbered them, demonstrates that God is a God who is faithful to His word.

[MEG33]

~ Good Morning FRiends~

Thanking God for rain, cooler weather and all my many
blessings.
Wishing You A Beautiful Thankful Thursday

[left that other site]

Good Morning, MEG!

(((Off to work I go!))))

[TheConservativeParty]

Hi Meg! It’s been hot here too. Nicer weather is expected starting on Saturday.

Cheers!

[MEG33]

Happy Birthday
*Dear Kitty Mittens*
Have A Wonderful Day

[Kitty Mittens]

(((((Thank you for the Beautiful Birthday Wishes, Dear Meg!)))))

Thank you to Everyone for the Daily Pings.
(((((Hugs, and God Bless)))))

[The Mayor]

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