Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... January - December, 2024

JustAmy[creator], The Mayor, luvie, left that other site

[luvie]

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 ~
was the ever charming, lovable, huggable,
LouieWolf - R.I.P.




Many thanks for stopping by. : )

[left that other site]

Happy Passover!

"Proclaim Liberty Throughout The Land"...Moses.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

“Manic”...Yeah that would describe it. LOL.

[The Mayor]

April 23

Jesus—The True Peacemaker

Bible in a Year :

• 2 Samuel 16-18
• Luke 17:20-37

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

John 16:33

On December 30, 1862, the US Civil War raged. Union and Confederate troops camped seven hundred yards apart on opposing sides of Tennessee’s Stones River. As they warmed themselves around campfires, Union soldiers picked up their fiddles and harmonicas and began playing “Yankee Doodle.” In reply, the Confederate soldiers offered “Dixie.” Remarkably, both sides joined for a finale, playing “Home, Sweet Home” in unison. Sworn enemies shared music in the dark night, glimmers of an unimagined peace. The melodic truce was short-lived, however. The next morning, they put down their fiddles and picked up their rifles, and 24,645 soldiers died.

Our human efforts to create peace inevitably wear thin. Hostilities cease in one place, only to ignite somewhere else. One relational dispute finds harmony, only to be embroiled in distress again months later. The Scriptures tell us that God is our only trustworthy peacemaker. Jesus said it plainly, “In me you . . . have peace” (John 16:33). We have peace in Jesus. While we participate in His peacemaking mission, it’s God’s reconciliation and renewal that make real peace possible.

Christ tells us we can’t escape conflict. “In this world [we] will have trouble,” Jesus says. Strife abounds. “But take heart!” He adds, “I have overcome the world” (v. 33). While our efforts often prove futile, our loving God (v. 27) makes peace in this fractious world. .

Reflect & Pray

Where do you see humans working for peace? How is God’s peacemaking different?

Dear God, please show me the way of peace.

For further study, read Finding Peace in a Troubled World.

[luvie]

Grateful to view the magnificence
...of God's "Pink" Full Moon tonight!
Happy GratiTuesday!

[left that other site]

Happy Gratituesday!

I Am Grateful For Sunny Spring Mornings.

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Yes indeed. As long as they don’t become TOO warm! We’re sitting at 81 right now and that’s very close to my level of tolerance. 🥵🔥LOL!

[left that other site]

Hovering betweem 55 and 60 here.

[TheConservativeParty]

Oh my, 81 is pretty warm.
We are having gusty winds this afternoon.
34 degrees for tonight.
By Friday out temps will be warmer, even at night.

[The Mayor]

Wow, nice!

[The Mayor]

April 24

United Diversity in Christ

Bible in a Year :

• 2 Samuel 19-20
• Luke 18:1-23

God has placed the parts in the body . . . just as he wanted them to be.

1 Corinthians 12:18

In his essay “Service and the Spectrum,” Professor Daniel Bowman Jr. writes of the difficulty of navigating decisions about how to serve his church as an autistic person. He explains, “Autistic people have to forge a new path forward every single time, a unique path that takes into account . . . mental, emotional, and physical energy . . . alone/recharging time; sensory inputs and comfort level . . . time of day; whether or not we’re being valued for our strengths and accommodated for our needs rather than excluded for perceived deficits; and much more.” For many people, Bowman writes, such decisions, “while reorienting people’s time and energy, likely will not undo them. Those same decisions might well undo me.”

Bowman believes that the vision of mutuality Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12 could be a healing solution. There, in verses 4-6, Paul describes God uniquely gifting each of His people for “the common good” (v. 7). Each is an “indispensable” member of Christ’s body (v. 22). When churches come to understand each person’s unique, God-given wiring and gifting, instead of pressuring everyone to help in the same way, they can support their members to serve in ways that fit their giftings.

In this way, each person can find flourishing and wholeness and be secure in their valued place in Christ’s body (v. 26).

Reflect & Pray

How have you been blessed by others’ unique gifts? How can churches encourage diverse ways to serve?

Dear God, thank You for creating us all uniquely. Please help me to value every member of Christ’s body.

[luvie]

Happy Warm & Fuzzy Wednesday!

[left that other site]

Happy Warm & Fuzzy Wednesday!

May Your Day Be Blessed With Joy!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[The Mayor]

April 27

Watering The Weeds

Bible in a Year :

• 1 Kings 1–2
• Luke 19:28–48

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:16 This spring, weeds attacked our backyard like something out of Jurassic Park. One got so big that when I tried to pull it out, I feared I might injure myself. Before I could find a spade to whack it down, I noticed that my daughter was actually pouring water on it. “Why are you watering the weeds?!” I exclaimed. “I want to see how big it will get!” she replied with an impish grin.

Weeds aren’t something we intentionally nourish. But as I thought about it, I realized that sometimes we do water the “weeds” in our spiritual lives, feeding desires that strangle our growth.

Paul writes about this in Galatians 5:13–26, where he contrasts living by the flesh with living by the Spirit. He says trying to follow the rules alone won’t establish the kind of “weed-free” life we long for. Instead, to avoid watering the weeds, he instructs us to “walk by the Spirit.” He adds that being in regular step with God is what frees us from the impulse to “gratify the desires of the flesh” (v. 16).

It’s a lifelong process to fully understand Paul’s teaching. But I love the simplicity of his guidance: instead of growing something unwanted by nourishing our own self-focused desires, when we’re cultivating our relationship with God, we grow fruit and reap the harvest of a godly life (vv. 22–25).

Reflect & Pray

What areas of your spiritual life need some “weeding”? How can you surrender to God and walk with Him?

Father, sometimes I water the weeds in my life. Help me to instead experience being in step with You as You produce spiritual fruit in my life. 

[luvie]

Thankful For God's Beauty In Our Lives
Happy Thankful Thursday

[left that other site]

Happy Thankful Thursday!

I Am Thankful That You're My Friend!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Gregg Karukas~Girl In The Red Dress

God Bless Our Troops!
God Bless America!

[left that other site]

Happy Red Friday!

Happy Spring!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Very noble looking.

[TheConservativeParty]

Happy Friday!
Weird weather today.
Cool and cloudy, some rain, wind predicted for later.
Just heard about tornadoes in Nebraska.
I hope no one was injured.

[left that other site]

There was frost on the grass this morning!