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

[The Mayor]

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

Love of Another Kind

October 22, 2017

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12

One of my favorite churches started several years ago as a ministry to ex-prisoners who were transitioning back into society. Now the church flourishes with people from all walks of life. I love that church because it reminds me of what I picture heaven will be like—filled with different kinds of people, all redeemed sinners, all bound together by the love of Jesus.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if church seems more like an exclusive club than a safe haven for forgiven sinners. As people naturally gravitate into groups of “a certain kind” and cluster around those they feel comfortable with, it leaves others feeling marginalized. But that’s not what Jesus had in mind when He told His disciples to “love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12). His church was to be an extension of His love mutually shared with all.

Share Christ’s love with another.

If hurting, rejected people can find loving refuge, comfort, and forgiveness in Jesus, they should expect no less from the church. So let’s exhibit the love of Jesus to everyone we encounter—especially those who are not like us. All around us are people Jesus wants to love through us. What a joy it is when people unite to worship together in love—a slice of heaven we can enjoy here on earth!

Lord, remind me today that while I was a sinner You embraced me with Your deep and unconditional love and brought me into the fellowship of Your grace. Lead me to someone I can love as You loved me.

Share Christ’s love with another.

INSIGHT

Have you ever wondered how Jesus could command His disciples to love anyone? How can you force people of varying backgrounds and interests to care for one another?

Such instruction probably won’t make sense until we understand what kind of a king Jesus was—and what kind of relationship He had with His Father. He wasn’t saying, “I’ll love you if you love me.” That’s not the way His relationship with His Father worked. He knew His Father loved Him. When He loved and obeyed His Father’s commands, it was because Jesus knew and listened to His Father’s heart. In the Spirit of our God, we love our King—and one another—because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). 

[MEG33]

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

[MEG33]

~Welcome To Sunday At Amy's Place~

There never is a night or day
When God can't hear us as we pray;
There is no time, there is no place
That we're beyond His love and grace.
—D. De Haan I Wish You A Blessed Lord's Day

Lake Tahoe, California

[left that other site]

Have A Blessed Sunday!

Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow!.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[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

[MEG33]

Thank you, Mary and LUV, for coming by today and sharing your lovely
music, graphics and blessings.
I Wish You All A Blessed Sunday Afternoon and Evening

[Kitty Mittens]

(((((Hugs and Blessings!)))))

[Kitty Mittens]

(((((Hugs and Blessings!)))))

[Kitty Mittens]

Your Lord's Day Post is Breathtaking, Dear Meg! So Beautiful.

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

[The Mayor]

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

Brother to Brother

October 23, 2017

A new command I give you: Love one another. John 13:34

My brother and I, less than a year apart in age, were quite “competitive” growing up (translation: we fought!). Dad understood. He had brothers. Mom? Not so much.

Our story could have fit in the book of Genesis, which might well be subtitled A Brief History of Sibling Rivalry. Cain and Abel (Gen. 4); Isaac and Ishmael (21:8–10); Joseph and everyone not named Benjamin (ch. 37). But for brother-to-brother animosity, it’s hard to beat Jacob and Esau.

A new command I give you: Love one another. John 13:34

Esau’s twin brother had cheated him twice, so he wanted to kill Jacob (27:41). Decades later Jacob and Esau would reconcile (ch. 33). But the rivalry continued on in their descendants, who became the nations of Edom and Israel. When the people of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Edom met them with threats and an army (Num. 20:14–21). Much later, as Jerusalem’s citizens fled invading forces, Edom slaughtered the refugees (Obad. 1:10–14).

Happily for us, the Bible contains not just the sad account of our brokenness but the story of God’s redemption as well. Jesus changed everything, telling His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34). Then He showed us what that means by dying for us.

As my brother and I got older, we became close. That’s the thing with God. When we respond to the forgiveness He offers, His grace can transform our sibling rivalries into brotherly love.

Lord, we invite You to transform our relationships with Your healing love.

Sibling rivalry is natural. God’s love is supernatural.

INSIGHT

Over twenty “one another” statements in the New Testament call us to focus on the needs of others. We are challenged to love, pray for, serve, comfort, and forgive one another.

This week, will you watch for ways to extend love and grace to others through His Spirit?

 

[left that other site]

Thanks, Dear FRiend!

(((HUGS)))

[TheConservativeParty]

Thanks Kitty! Was a good birthday, spent with my Mom, in northern WI at a cabin by a lake. Very nice indeed. We drove to see Bond Waterfall in northern Michigan, an hour north of the cabin.

Cheers

[The Mayor]

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

Divine Interruptions

October 24, 2017

Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied.  Luke 18:40–41

Experts agree that a staggering amount of time is consumed each day by interruptions. Whether at work or at home, a phone call or an unexpected visit can easily deflect us from what we feel is our main purpose.

Not many of us like disruptions in our daily lives, especially when they cause inconvenience or a change of plans. But Jesus treated what appeared to be interruptions in a far different way. Time after time in the Gospels, we see the Lord stop what He is doing to help a person in need.

Jesus, fill us with Your wisdom and compassion.

While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem where He would be crucified, a blind man begging by the side of the road called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:35–38). Some in the crowd told him to be quiet, but he kept calling out to Jesus. Jesus stopped and asked the man, “‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you’ ” (vv. 41–42).

When our plans are interrupted by someone who genuinely needs help, we can ask the Lord for wisdom in how to respond with compassion. What we call an interruption may be a divine appointment the Lord has scheduled for that day.

Lord Jesus, fill us with Your wisdom and compassion that we may respond as You did to people in need.

Interruptions can be opportunities to serve.

INSIGHT

In Acts 8 we read of another divine interruption. Philip had a fruitful ministry in Samaria (Acts 8:4–25), so he may have wondered why God would tell him to leave and take “the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (v. 26). In obedience, Philip took the road few used. But God had sovereignly arranged for Philip to meet with an Ethiopian—a Gentile who himself had embarked on a long journey as he earnestly sought after God (v. 27). Philip made contact with the Ethiopian just as he was reading a prophecy about Jesus (vv. 28–34). The man believed in Christ, and Philip baptized him on the spot (vv. 36–38). Imagine how Philip must have felt when he realized he had been sent out on a divine assignment of leading a person to faith in Christ! Philip being on the road less traveled was no accident; he was there by divine leading.

What might the Lord be prompting you to do today?

[The Mayor]

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

Surviving the Wilderness

October 25, 2017

The message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Hebrews 4:2

In the 1960s, the Kingston Trio released a song called “Desert Pete.” The ballad tells of a thirsty cowboy who is crossing the desert and finds a hand pump. Next to it, Desert Pete has left a note urging the reader not to drink the water in the jar left there but to use its contents to prime the pump.

The cowboy resists the temptation to drink and uses the water as the note instructs. In reward for his obedience, he receives an abundance of cold, satisfying water. Had he not acted in faith, he would have had only a jar of unsatisfying, warm water to drink.

Help us to place our trust in You, Lord. You are what our heart thirsts after.

This reminds me of Israel’s journey through the wilderness. When their thirst became overwhelming (Ex. 17:1–7), Moses sought the Lord. He was told to strike the rock of Horeb with his staff. Moses believed and obeyed, and water gushed from the stone.

Sadly, Israel would not consistently follow Moses’s example of faith. Ultimately, “the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed” (Heb. 4:2).

Sometimes life can seem like an arid desert. But God can quench our spiritual thirst in the most unlikely circumstances. When by faith we believe the promises of God’s Word, we can experience rivers of living water and grace for our daily needs.

Help us to place our trust in You, Lord. You are what our heart thirsts after.

Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy our thirst for God.

INSIGHT

Three days after the Israelites left Egypt, the water they brought along was depleted. Finding no drinkable water in the Desert of Shur, they grumbled against Moses, and God miraculously made bitter water into good water (Ex. 15:22–25). Soon their food supplies ran out, and they complained again. God miraculously fed them with manna and quail (16:1–36). As they approached Sinai, they complained yet again of no water (17:1–2). God had already shown them He could provide the water and food they needed. All they had to do was to trust Him! (Deut. 8:2; Ps. 81:7–8). 

Consider how God has been faithful to provide for your physical needs. How has He satisfied your spiritual thirst?

[MEG33]

Welcome To Warm Fuzzy Wednesday
At Amy's Place

Now What
"I'm Up And I Can't Get Down!"
~ Hope Your Day Is A Good One ~

[MEG33]

GOOD MORNING

Thank you, Rus, for starting our day off right every day.
You Are A Blessing

[left that other site]

Happy Warm & Fuzzy Wednesday!

No Autumn Hiking Today! It's POURING!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Happy Warm and Fuzzy
...and Longsuffering...
Wednesday!

[Red Badger]

It’s FREEZING HERE!

It’s 61°F outside!........................

[left that other site]

Same as here! And POURING!