Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... October, November and December, 2017

October 1, 2017 | Meg33, The Mayor, Trisham, JustAmy

[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. : )

---

~~~~~ Prior Threads ~~~~~ July, 2005, Closing Thread
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2014 Jan. & Feb. March April May June - Sept Oct - Dec	2015 Jan - Mar April - June July - Sept Oct - Dec	2016 Jan - Mar Apr - June July - Sep Oct - Dec	2017 Jan - Mar Apr - Jun Jul - Sept

[MEG33]

Happy Happy Birthday

*Dear Mary Lou*
Wishing You A Wonderful Day
*HUGS*

[MEG33]

A Happy GratiTuesday To Amy's Place

I Am So Grateful To God For A Beautiful Sunny 71 Degree Day
It finally feels like fall in Central Texas!

[luvie]

I, too, am grateful for Fall!
I love that my feet are cool! :)
...without sox!
Happy GratiTuesday!

[MEG33]

*HUGS*
~Happy Belated Birthday~
*TCP*

[TheConservativeParty]

Hi there! Thank you, and I don’t know how you remember about my birthday! I have to write birthdays on my calendar every year or I forget when to send cards.

I turned 55. Double nickels, as my cousin said in her card.

I was “up north” for a few days around my birthday, enjoying northern Wisconsin and saw a waterfall over the border in Michigan. It was magnificent.

[left that other site]

Thank you, Dear MEG! (((HUGS)))

[The Mayor]

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An Encounter with Stones

October 18, 2017

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. Isaiah 53:5

After centuries of war and destruction, the modern city of Jerusalem is literally built on its own rubble. During a family visit, we walked the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Sorrow), the route tradition says Jesus followed on His way to the cross. The day was hot, so we paused for a rest and descended to the cool basement of the Convent of the Sisters of Zion. There I was intrigued by the sight of ancient pavement stones unearthed during recent construction—stones etched with games played by Roman soldiers during their idle moments.

Those particular stones, even though likely from a period later than Jesus, caused me to ponder my spiritual life at the time. Like a bored soldier passing time in idle moments, I had become complacent and uncaring toward God and others. I was deeply moved by remembering that near the place I was standing, the Lord was beaten, mocked, insulted, and abused as He took all of my failure and rebellion on Himself.

Our sin is great—God’s grace is greater.

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).

My encounter with the stones still speaks to me of Jesus’s loving grace that is greater than all my sin.

Lord Jesus, through Your great sacrifice for us, we find forgiveness, healing, and hope. Thank You that we live today and forever in Your love.

Our sin is great—God’s grace is greater.

INSIGHT

In their context, few Old Testament prophecies of Jesus look like clear predictions. For the most part, it is only by reading backward that we can see how Jesus brought fullness of meaning to words that were mysterious in their own time. Yet when read in light of Jesus, these words can now be life-changing.

Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant is an example of this. Many in Israel believed it was their own persecuted nation that was bearing the sins of the world. Only by looking back can people like us realize that “we” were the ones who unwittingly demanded the death of our own God and Savior (Zech. 12:10–14).

As hard as it is to admit, this is the kind of grief that is for our good and comfort. This is how we can read words that were once so mysterious and see how much our God loves us. 

[MEG33]

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

Teddy says: My philosophy is "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie"
*I Wish You A Lovely Carefree Day*
(((HUGS)))

[MEG33]

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

[The Mayor]

Good morning Meg, Thank you

[luvie]

Happy Warm and Fuzzy
....and cuddlesome....
Wednesday!

[The Mayor]

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

We’ve Got the Power!

October 19, 2017

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

The loud crackling noise startled me. Recognizing the sound, I raced to the kitchen. I’d accidently tapped the start button on the empty coffee maker. Unplugging the appliance, I grabbed the handle of the carafe. Then I touched the bottom of the container to ensure it wasn’t too hot to place on the tile counter. The smooth surface burned my fingertips, blistering my tender skin.

As my husband nursed my wound, I shook my head. I knew the glass would be hot. “I honestly do not know why I touched it,” I said.

The Holy Spirit transforms us through His love and by His grace.

My response after making such a mistake reminded me of Paul’s reaction to a more serious issue in Scripture—the nature of sin.

The apostle admits to not knowing why he does things he knows he shouldn’t do and doesn’t want to do (Rom. 7:15). Affirming that Scripture determines right and wrong (v. 7), he acknowledges the real, complex war constantly waging between the flesh and the spirit in the struggle against sin (vv. 15–23). Confessing his own weaknesses, he offers hope for victory now and forever (vv. 24–25).

When we surrender our lives to Christ, He gives us His Holy Spirit who empowers us to choose to do right (8:8–10). As He enables us to obey God’s Word, we can avoid the searing sin that separates us from the abundant life God promises those who love Him.

Lord, thanks for breaking the chains that used to bind us to a life controlled by our sinful nature.

The Holy Spirit transforms us through His love and by His grace.

INSIGHT

In Romans 7 the apostle Paul laments that sinful tendencies within us sometimes win out over righteous impulses. In what ways can we yield to the Holy Spirit’s power to experience more righteous living?  

For further reading see ourdailyjourney.org/spirits-wind.

[The Mayor]

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When Beauty Never Ends

October 20, 2017

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. Psalm 63:3

I love looking at the Grand Canyon. Whenever I stand at the canyon rim I see new brushstrokes of God’s handiwork that take my breath away.

Even though it’s just a (very large) “hole” in the ground, the Grand Canyon causes me to reflect on heaven. A very honest twelve-year-old asked me once, “Won’t heaven be boring? Don’t you think we’ll get tired of praising God all the time?” But if a “hole in the ground” can be so overwhelmingly beautiful we can’t stop looking at it, we can only imagine the joy of one day seeing the very Source of beauty—our loving Creator—in all of the pristine wonder of the new creation.

We were created to enjoy God forever.

David expressed this longing when he wrote, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord” (Ps. 27:4). There’s nothing more beautiful than the presence of God, which draws near to us on this earth as we seek Him by faith, looking forward to seeing Him face to face.

On that day we’ll never tire of praising our amazing Lord, because we will never come to an end of fresh, new discoveries of His exquisite goodness and the wonders of the works of His hands. Every moment in His presence will bring a breathtaking revelation of His beauty and His love.

Beautiful Savior, please help me to seek You every day and to live even now in Your presence and Your love.

We were created to enjoy God forever.

INSIGHT

God is worthy of our faith, hope, and confidence; His power and presence are the foundation of many of the Old Testament stories. But sometimes life makes us question what we know. It's hard to see these truths about God when life is hard. That's when we need to view our experience through the lens of Scripture. 

David does just that in Psalm 27. Despite having been anointed king by Samuel, he is living as a vagrant and fugitive. Even though he is on the run and enemy armies are pursuing him (vv. 2–3), he is confident in the Lord (v. 3). It is just then—when David’s immediate experience suggests hopelessness—that he rests in the power and protection of the Lord. Turning his eyes away from his circumstances and toward the Lord bolstered David’s confidence. His one desire was not to be vindicated in front of his enemies, but to be in the presence of the Lord (v. 4). Turning to the Lord is what gave him confidence in the day of trouble (v. 5).

Where does your experience need to be understood through the lens of Scripture? What truth about God do you need to be reminded of today?

[The Mayor]

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Your Safe Place

October 21, 2017

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

My daughter and I were arranging to attend an extended family gathering. Because she was nervous about the trip, I offered to drive. “Okay. But I feel safer in my car. Can you drive it?” she asked. I assumed she preferred her more spacious vehicle to my compact one so I responded, “Is my car too cramped?” “No, it’s just that my car is my safe place. Somehow I feel protected there.”

Her comment challenged me to consider my own personal “safe place.” Immediately I thought of Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” In Old Testament times, the walls and watchtower of a city provided warning of danger from without and shielding for its citizens within. The writer’s point is that God’s name, which stands for His character, person, and everything that He is, provides true protection for His people.

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

Certain physical places promise longed-for safety in moments that seem dangerous. A sturdy roof overhead in the midst of a storm. A hospital offering medical care. The embrace of a loved one.

What is your “safe place”? Wherever we seek safety, it is God’s presence with us in that place that provides the strength and protection we really need.

Dear God, thank You that no matter what worries and concerns we have today, when we think about You, we find safety in Your presence.

Where is your safe place? Share at Facebook.com/ourdailybread.

God is a safe place in life’s storms.

INSIGHT

One of the greatest biblical descriptions of a truly “safe place” is found in the familiar words of Psalm 23. Some scholars envision David writing this Shepherd-psalm while still a young boy, perhaps lying under a star-filled night sky. Others see so much maturity and wisdom in the song that they imagine Psalm 23 as the reflections of an elderly person who has lived long and learned much. Either way, the song clearly describes David’s “safe place.” It was a place of provision (v. 1); a place of green pastures and quiet, relaxing waters (v. 2); and a place for spiritual restoration and spiritual guidance (v. 3). But, most of all, it was a place where David experienced the presence of God, who removed all his fear and provided deep comfort (v. 4).

[trisham]

Deep In Our Refrigerator

Deep in our refrigerator,
there's a special place
for food that's been around awhile...
we keep it, just in case.
'It's probably too old to eat,’
my mother likes to say.
'But I don't think it's old enough
for me to throw away.

It stays there for a month or more
to ripen in the cold,
and soon we notice fuzzy clumps
of multicolored mold.
The clumps are larger every day,
we notice this as well,
but mostly what we notice
is a certain special smell.

When finally it all becomes
a nasty mass of slime,
my mother takes it out, and says,
'Apparently, it's time.'
She dumps it in the garbage can,
though not without regret,
then fills the space with other food
that's not so ancient yet

Jack Prelutsky

Happy Caturday, Dogurday and Bunnyday, everyone!

[TheConservativeParty]

That’s a good reminder to clean out my fridge!

[trisham]

I hear you. :)

[left that other site]

Yet Another Autumn...

Trying to be as PRETTY as I am! Happy Caturday!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Happy Dogurday [and Caturday]

[left that other site]

Looks like he found a cool spot!