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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Table Rock

June 2, 2017

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”  Luke 6:46

A large, illuminated cross stands erect on Table Rock, a rocky plateau overlooking my hometown. Several homes were built on neighboring land, but recently the owners have been forced to move out due to safety concerns. Despite their close proximity to the firm bedrock of Table Rock, these homes aren’t secure. They have been shifting atop their foundations—nearly three inches every day—causing risk of major water pipes breaking, which would accelerate the sliding.

Jesus compares those who hear and obey His words to those who build their homes on rock (Luke 6:47–48). These homes survive the storms. By contrast, He says homes built without a firm foundation—like people who don’t heed His instruction—cannot weather the torrents.

Lord, thank you for being my firm foundation.

On many occasions, I’ve been tempted to ignore my conscience when I knew God asked more of me than I had given, thinking my response had been “close enough.” Yet the homes in the shifting foothills nearby have depicted for me that being “close” is nowhere near enough when it comes to obeying Him. To be like those who built their homes on a firm foundation and withstand the storms of life that so often assail us, we must heed the words of our Lord completely.

Help me, Lord, to obey You fully and with my whole heart. Thank You for being my firm foundation.

God’s Word is the only sure foundation for life. 

By Kirsten Holmberg | See Other Authors

INSIGHT:

To fully appreciate Jesus’s comments in Luke 6:46–49, it’s helpful to keep in mind the fuller content of His teachings in this chapter (see vv. 20–49). Luke 6 captures many of the same teachings found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7)—teachings that are revolutionary in cultures dominated by the powerful and where weakness is looked down on. Jesus invited His followers into God’s reality—where it is those who know their brokenness, the poor and persecuted, who God is especially near to (vv. 20–25), and where strength is demonstrated in forgiving even our enemies (vv. 27–36).

 A temptation when hearing Jesus’s words is to be moved and inspired without wrestling with the ways His words demand change in our lives. Jesus knew that would be our tendency, and so He emphasizes that an emotional confession (“Lord, Lord,” v. 46) is of no value if we do not obey, if we do not let His words challenge the way we live and what we believe. Building our lives on Him means a life of daily transformation, of daily following Him.

 What “norms” in your life do you think Jesus’s words might challenge?

For further study, see Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Oswald Chambers at dhp.org/studies.

[left that other site]

Happy Red Friday!

You BET I'm Wearing Red in Honor of Our Troops!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Wear your red
for our brave troops!


RAY WYLIE HUBBARD~RED DRESS

[trisham]

Beach Glass

How do you beach?
Sorry, don’t want to get
Too personal
Just asking, to get a perspective
To put us on the same page.

Do you lay in place
drink in the rays, melt the stress?
Or maybe play – ball, Frisbee, or V-ball?

Not me. I walk, the length of the beach
Too restless to sit
Lost in my own thing
Looking for shells, people,
and beach glass.

Taking in the scene;
Hoping I remember where I left her
on my return.

Raymond A. Foss

Happy Caturday, Dogurday and Bunnyday, everyone!

[MEG33]

*Happy Caturday Dogurday To Amy's Place*

Lovely, trish!
They love walking the beach looking for treasures***So do I
Happy Weekend To All

[trisham]

Awwww...adorable, MEG!

[The Mayor]

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Someone to Trust

June 3, 2017

Many proclaim themselves loyal, but who can find one worthy of trust? Proverbs 20:6 nrsv

“I just can’t trust anyone,” my friend said through tears. “Every time I do, they hurt me.”  Her story angered me—an ex-boyfriend, whom she really thought she could trust, had started spreading rumors about her as soon as they broke up.  Struggling to trust again after a pain-filled childhood, this betrayal seemed just one more confirmation that people could not be trusted.

I struggled to find words that would comfort. One thing I could not say was that she was wrong about how hard it is to find someone to fully trust, that most people are completely kind and trustworthy. Her story was painfully familiar, reminding me of moments of unexpected betrayal in my own life. In fact, Scripture is very candid about human nature. In Proverbs 20:6, the author voices the same lament as my friend, forever memorializing the pain of betrayal.

Jesus, help us to share Your love with the world.

What I could say is that the cruelty of others is only part of the story. Although wounds from others are real and painful, Jesus has made genuine love possible. In John 13:35, Jesus told His disciples that the world would know they were His followers because of their love. Although some people may still hurt us, because of Jesus there will also always be those who, freely sharing His love, will unconditionally support and care for us. Resting in His unfailing love, may we find healing, community, and  courage to love others as He did.

Welcome to Monica Brands! Meet all our authors at odb.org/all-authors.

Jesus has made true love possible.

 

By Monica Brands | See Other Authors

INSIGHT:

Love is one of the most prominent themes in the apostle John’s writing. In John’s gospel, Jesus spoke often about love: God’s love for the world (3:16), the love of the Father for the Son (3:35; 5:20; 10:17), Jesus’s love for His disciples (13:34–35), how the disciples were to show they love Jesus and each other (14:23–28), and even what love looks like (15:13). In his later letters (see 1, 2, and 3 John), John continues to focus on God’s love, mentioning God’s love for us or our love for Him and others more than thirty times.

Perhaps the most famous of all Jesus’s statements about love is found in John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus said this in the same context of asking His disciples to love one another as He had loved them (13:34) and mere hours before He demonstrated this great love by going to the cross to die for them. Sacrificing ourselves for another is the greatest expression of love. Who needs to see Jesus’s love through you today? 

[MEG33]

Thank you, (((trish))).

[luvie]

Peaches and his sleep buddy.
HAPPY CATURDAY/SHEEPERDAY!!

[left that other site]

Happy Saturday!

Enjoy Every Bit of It!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

So far...so good! Is it pretty there?

[left that other site]

Oh yes...the Rhododendrons are in bloom and they are BREATHTAKING.

[luvie]

That’s wonderful! Nice contrast to all that snow, huh! :)

[left that other site]

Indeed! ;-)

[MEG33]

~Welcome To Sunday At Amy's Place~

Psalm 100:1, 2
1. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2. Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ~Lord's Day Blessings To All Who Enter Here~

[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~There's A Goldmine In The Sky

Vocal Majority~Deep River

Have a blessed Sunday
God bless our troops!

[The Mayor]

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Perfect Peace

June 4, 2017

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. John 14:27

A friend shared with me that for years she searched for peace and contentment. She and her husband built up a successful business, so she was able to buy a big house, fancy clothes, and expensive jewelry. But these possessions didn’t satisfy her inner longings for peace, nor did her friendships with influential people. Then one day, when she was feeling low and desperate, a friend told her about the good news of Jesus. There she found the Prince of Peace, and her understanding of true peace and contentment was forever changed.

Jesus spoke words of such peace to His friends after their last supper together (John 14), when He prepared them for the events that would soon follow: His death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Describing a peace—unlike anything the world can give—He wanted them to learn how to find a sense of well-being even in the midst of hardship.

Jesus came to usher peace into our lives and our world.

Later, when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the frightened disciples after His death, He greeted them, saying, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). Now He could give them, and us, a new understanding of resting in what He has done for us. As we do, we can find the awareness of a confidence far deeper than our ever-changing feelings. 

Heavenly Father, You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on You. Help us to trust in You forever, for You are our Rock eternal.

Jesus came to usher peace into our lives and our world.

INSIGHT:

Jesus repeatedly talks about peace in John 14, yet He would soon be arrested and His disciples would be hiding in fear. In verse 1 Jesus offered peace by encouraging them not to be troubled by the events that were coming on them. Instead, they were to look forward to reunion with Him and a home in the Father’s house. Then in today’s reading Jesus rooted this peace in the coming of the Holy Spirit—reminding us that, in part, the fruit of the Spirit is peace (Gal. 5:22–23). Jesus concluded His words to them with the promise of peace for everyday living: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). For now and forever, His great gift of peace carries us through all the seasons of life.

How do you see Jesus’s peace present in your life today?

[MEG33]

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

[The Mayor]

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What Do We Want?

June 5, 2017

He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11

“I went from the horse-and-buggy to a man walking on the moon,” said the elderly man to his granddaughter, who shared this story with me recently. But then he mused, “I never thought it would be so short.”

Life is short, and many of us turn to Jesus because we want to live forever. That’s not bad, but we don’t comprehend what eternal life really is. We tend to crave the wrong things. We long for something better, and we think it’s just ahead. If only I were out of school. If only I had that job. If only I were married. If only I could retire. If only . . . And then one day we catch an echo of our grandfather’s voice as we wonder where the time has flown.

When we find our life in Jesus, we enjoy life with Him, both now and forever.

The truth is, we possess eternal life now. The apostle Paul wrote, “The law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). Then he said, “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (v. 5). In other words, our desires change when we come to Christ. This naturally gives us what we most desire. “The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (v. 6).

It’s one of life’s great lies that we need to be somewhere else, doing something else, with someone else before we start truly living. When we find our life in Jesus, we exchange regret over life’s brevity for the full enjoyment of life with Him, both now and forever.

Lord, You said You came to give us life to the fullest, but so often we have our own agenda and the wrong goals in mind. Please forgive us, and help us desire what You want.

To live forever we must let Jesus live in us now.

INSIGHT:

Read John 10:10 to see what Jesus said about eternal life. What hinders you from enjoying life on earth now? 

[MEG33]

Happy Monday To Amy's Place

Stay Cool And Have A Good Week
*HUGS*