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

April 1, 2017 | 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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Finding the Way Out

May 20, 2017

God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

There’s a street with an intriguing name in the city of Santa Barbara, California. It’s called “Salsipuedes,” which means “leave if you can.” When the street was first named, the area bordered on a marsh that sometimes flooded, and the Spanish-speaking city planners dubbed the location with a not-so-subtle warning to stay away.

God’s Word cautions us to stay away from the “wrong road” of sin and temptation: “Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way” (Prov. 4:15). But Scripture doesn’t just say “leave if you can.” It offers assurance and tells us where to turn: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

Lord, I praise You that You are willing to give me all the strength I need!

The promise that God will not allow us to be tempted above our ability to withstand is an encouraging reminder. When we turn to God in the moments when temptation comes, we know He is more than willing to help us stay away.

The Bible affirms that Jesus is able “to empathize with our weaknesses.” But He was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Heb. 4:15). Jesus knows the way out of every temptation. He will show us as we run to Him!

Thank You, Lord, for Your promise to be faithful to me and provide a way out whenever I face temptation. I praise You that You are willing to give me all the strength I need!

 

God promises to help us when we are tempted.

 

INSIGHT:

Paul tells us that some of the children of Israel gave in to idolatry, sexual immorality, and grumbling. In each case they were disciplined for their sin (Ex. 32:1–35; Num. 21:4–8). Yet the hope given us is that God has provided a way out of temptation for all who choose to take it (see Gen. 39:7–12).

Are you facing temptations today? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you resist temptation and to take the way out. 

 

[left that other site]

Happy Cat/Dogurday!

Have a Lovely Springtime Day!

((((HUGS))))

ML/LTOS

[MEG33]

Happy Caturday~~Bunnyday Everyone
Have A Great Day

[luvie]

Coffee Ready Yet?
Happy Caturday!

[MEG33]

~Welcome To Sunday At Amy's Place~

God of everlasting glory,
Filling earth and sky,
Everywhere Thy wonders open
To our searching eye.
—Peterson


~Blessings To All Who Enter Here~

[MEG33]

I am posting now because family is here celebrating my 84th birthday. My daughter amd I are still up!

I am having such a wonderful weekend.

I wish you a blessed Sunday.

[luvie]

Ray Walker~Master The Tempest Is Raging
Congregational Singing

Cynthia Clawson & Others~Church In The Wildwood

The Trevecca Madragalians~It Is Well With My Soul

Statler Brothers~How Great Thou Art

St. Olaf Choir~When Peace Like A River

Providence~Farther Along

Vocal Majority~Deep River

Have a blessed Sunday
God bless our troops!

[luvie]

Happy Birthday Megs!
Hope it's beautiful...like you!
((((hugs))))

[The Mayor]

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Seeing God

May 21, 2017

The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished. Numbers 14:18

Caricature artists set up their easels in public places and draw pictures of people who are willing to pay a modest price for a humorous image of themselves. Their drawings amuse us because they exaggerate one or more of our physical features in a way that is recognizable but funny.

Caricatures of God, on the other hand, are not funny. Exaggerating one of His attributes presents a distorted view that people easily dismiss. Like a caricature, a distorted view of God is not taken seriously. Those who see God portrayed only as an angry and demanding judge are easily lured away by someone who emphasizes mercy. Those who see God as a kindhearted grandfather will reject that image when they need justice. Those who see God as an intellectual idea rather than a living, loving being eventually find other ideas more appealing. Those who see God as a best friend often leave Him behind when they find human friends who are more to their liking.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I worship You. You are holy, just, kind, and loving. You are God alone.

God declares Himself to be merciful and gracious, but also just in punishing the guilty (Ex. 34:6–7).

As we put our faith into action, we need to avoid portraying God as having only our favorite attributes. We must worship all of God, not just what we like. 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I worship You. You are holy, just, kind, and loving. You are God alone.

God is God alone.

INSIGHT:

Have you been trying to see the form of God through the fog of your life? If so, you’re in good company. According to the apostle Paul, all of our present knowledge is seen “through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12 kjv). But since Jesus came, we don’t have to strain so much to believe in the goodness, justice, and compassion of the God Moses described. Now, in Jesus’s suffering and death, we can see far more clearly how God patiently loves us, allowing us to experience the consequences of sin while He Himself bears in our place the ultimate judgment that all sin deserves. 

[left that other site]

Have A Blessed Sunday!

Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[mylife]

♪Tip toe through the tulips♫

[mylife]

My Purple Irises are gone and the blue bonnets are gone but the field behind me is awash with yellow wildflowers

[left that other site]

Yes. My daffodils and tulips are gone, but replaced with a riot of color. :-)

[trisham]

O God, thou hast given so much to us,
give one thing more – a grateful heart.

Amen.

George Herbert

Happy Sunday at Amy's Place, all!

[Kitty Mittens]

(((((Hugs!)))))

[The Mayor]

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Blink and Think of God

May 22, 2017

He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye. Deuteronomy 32:10

“God is like an eyelid,” my friend Ryley said, and I blinked in surprise. What could she mean by that?

“Tell me more,” I replied. Together, we had been studying surprising pictures of God in the Bible, things like God as a laboring mother (Isa. 42:14) or as a beekeeper (7:18), but this one was new to me. Ryley pointed me to Deuteronomy 32, where Moses praises the way God takes care of His people. Verse 10 says that God shields and protects His people, guarding them “as the apple of his eye.”

God shields and protects His people.

But the word we translate apple, Ryley told me, literally means pupil. And what encircles and guards the pupil? The eyelid, of course! God is like the eyelid, which instinctively protects the tender eye. The eyelid guards the eye from danger, and by blinking helps remove dirt or dust. It keeps sweat out of the eye. It lubricates the eyeball, keeping it healthy. It closes, allowing rest.

As I considered the picture of God as an eyelid, I couldn’t help but thank God for the many metaphors He’s given us to help us understand His love for us. When we close our eyes at night and open them in the morning, we can think of God, and praise Him for His tender protection and care for us.

Thank You, God, for using surprising metaphors to help us understand You better. Thanks for guarding us just as the eyelid guards the eye.

When you blink, remember to thank God for His protection.

INSIGHT:

Jesus Himself verifies the truth of God’s protection when He tells us not to worry about our lives: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. . . . You are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29–31; Luke 12:1–6).

In what situation do you need to remember that God protects and provides? How can you remind yourself and others of our worth in God’s eyes? 

 

[MEG33]

Thank you, (((LUV))).
So beautiful!

[MEG33]

Thank you, dear Kitty.
(((HUGS)))

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

Defending God

May 23, 2017

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

The anti-God bumper stickers covering the car seized the attention of a university professor. As a former atheist himself, the professor thought perhaps the owner wanted to make believers angry. “The anger helps the atheist to justify his atheism,” he explained. Then he warned, “All too often, the atheist gets exactly what he is looking for.”

In recalling his own journey to faith, this professor noted the concern of a Christian friend who invited him to consider the truth of Christ. His friend’s “sense of urgency was conveyed without a trace of anger.” He never forgot the genuine respect and grace he received that day. 

A gentle answer turns away wrath. Proverbs 15:1

Believers in Jesus often take offense when others reject Him. But how does He feel about that rejection? Jesus constantly faced threats and hatred, yet He never took doubt about His deity personally. Once, when a village refused Him hospitality, James and John wanted instant retaliation. “Lord,” they asked, “do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54). Jesus didn’t want that, and He “turned and rebuked them” (v. 55). After all, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). 

It may surprise us to consider that God doesn’t need us to defend Him. He wants us to represent Him! That takes time, work, restraint, and love.

Lord, when we are confronted with hate, help us not to be haters but to respond as Your Son did: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

The best way to defend Jesus is to live like Him.

INSIGHT:

Luke 9:51 says, “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Christ was deliberately going to Jerusalem to face even more opposition because of His commitment to die on the cross for our redemption. When James and John rightly perceived opposition to their Master, they wrongly responded with an attitude of vindictive punishment. Most likely they were thinking of Elijah calling down fire from heaven (2 Kings 1:10–12) and the fire that fell in judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19). Yet they missed the point that Jesus’s truth claims are submitted for human consideration without coercion or duress.

As one theologian wisely said: “God is a Gentleman and will not violate our own free will.” The time of judgment that is most certainly coming has its own set time in God’s calendar. Before it arrives, each human being who hears the gospel has the freedom to believe it or reject it. God is “patient with [us],” the apostle Peter wrote, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

How might you show grace and faithfulness in letting your gospel light shine today regardless of the response?

[MEG33]

A Happy GratiTuesday To Amy's Place

I am grateful to God for another year to celebrate my birthday with my
family
NO cooking was allowed. We ate take out , talked. laughed, shared and
hugged for 2 days. We also had uplifting Trump support discussions
We Counted Our Blessings
Putting this birthday in my box of treasured memories


Good Hugs From Grandson No. 3