Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... October, November and December, 2018

October 1, 2018 | 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. : )

[The Mayor]

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

Honoring God with Thanks

November 30, 2018

Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. Psalm 50:15

The doctor wasn’t frowning, despite talking to my husband about his recent cancer diagnosis. Smiling, she offered a suggestion: start each day by giving thanks. “For at least three things,” the doctor said.  Dan agreed, knowing that gratitude opens our hearts to find encouragement in God’s goodness. Thus, Dan starts each day with words of praise. Thank You, God, for a good night’s sleep. For my clean bed. For sunshine. For breakfast on the table. For a smile on my lips.

Each word is heartfelt. But could it sound trivial? Does our praise in life’s small details matter to Almighty God? In Psalm 50, David’s chief musician, Asaph, offers a clear answer. God has “no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens” (v. 9). Instead of these once-formal Israelite sacrifices of gratitude, God wants His people to give Him our hearts and lives in gratitude (vv. 14, 23).

As my husband experienced, whole-hearted gratitude helps our spirits flourish. Then when we call on the Lord “in the day of trouble,” He will “deliver” us (v. 15).  Does this mean Dan will be healed, spiritually and physically, during his two-year treatment? Or not until after this lifetime? We don’t know. But for now, Dan delights in showing God he’s grateful for His love, and for who God is: Redeemer. Healer. Friend. And friends delight to hear these beautiful words: Thank You.

What verses bring you comfort in trials? Share at Facebook.com/ourdailybread.

My gratitude to God is great to Him.

INSIGHT

The legal language and setting in Psalm 50 are hard to miss. A universal summons is issued by God (v. 1) and the purpose of the gathering is clear—the judgment of His people (v. 4). In a manner reminiscent of the giving of the Law (Exodus 19:16–19), the Lord makes His grand entry (Psalm 50:2–3) as the righteous and just judge (v. 6). However, “judge” is not His only role; He is also witness (v. 7) and plaintiff (v. 8). Two groups of defendants enter the Lord’s courtroom and the Judge has indictments that match the transgressions of each group. The Lord’s charges against the first group (vv. 7–15) concerned their worship. Though a formal worship system was in place, the kind of worship the Lord desired was missing. Spiritual worship that included “thanksgiving” mattered to the Lord more than the flesh and blood of animals. The charges against the second group (vv. 16–23) concerned their hypocrisy. Though they were able to recite words that came from God, their actions demonstrated their hearts were far from Him (vv. 17–21). As with the first group, the Lord’s corrective included the reminder that “thank offerings” really matter to Him (v. 23).

[MEG33]

Happy Friday To Amy's Place

*Wearing Red And Packing Care Packages For Our Troops*

Have A Great Weekend

[MEG33]

*HUGS*

[left that other site]

Happy Red Friday!

Stay Warm and Have A Wonderful Day!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Chris DeBurgh~Lady In Red

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!

[TheConservativeParty]

If I keep seeing so many adorable puppies, I’m gonna go to a rescue and get another puppy! LOL!!!

That one is even cuter than the snow pup from Thursday !

[The Mayor]

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

God Hears

December 1, 2018

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Diane listened as the others in the group asked for prayers for their family members and friends facing challenges or illness. She had a family member who had been struggling with an addiction for years. But Diane kept her request silent. She couldn’t bear to see the looks on people’s faces or hear the questions or advice that often followed whenever she spoke the words aloud. She felt that this request was usually better left unspoken. Others simply didn’t understand how her loved one could be a believer in Jesus and still struggle daily.

Although Diane didn’t share her request with that group, she did have a few trusted friends she asked to pray with her. Together they asked God to set her loved one free from the very real bondage of addiction that he might experience freedom in Christ—and that God would give Diane the peace and patience she needed. As she prayed, she found comfort and strength from her relationship with Him.

Many of us have earnest, persistent prayers that seem to go unanswered. But we can be assured that God does care and He does hear all our requests. He urges us to continue to walk closely with Him, being “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). We can lean on Him.

Lord, Your Word urges us to pray continually. Help us to be persistent in prayer, and enable us to be faithful partners in prayer with others.

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. Hebrews 10:22

INSIGHT

In Romans 12, Paul builds on his theological teaching from chapters 1–11 and now begins to provide practical application for a gospel-based life. Salvation produces internal results with external impact. In response to our salvation, we are to offer ourselves as “living sacrifices” (12:1–2). The internal results are a proper sense of self-awareness (v. 3) and spiritual enablement (vv. 4–8) producing the external impact of service in Christ’s kingdom (vv. 9–13, 15–16) and to the world in which we live (vv. 14, 17–21). Paul’s clear message to the followers of Christ in Rome is that what we believe should have a profound influence on how we live.

For more on Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, check out Knowing God Through Romans at discoveryseries.org/sb221.

[luvie]

Happy 1st Caturday
of December!

[left that other site]

Happy December First!

I've Already Picked Out My Tree! :-)

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

LOL! And a very fine one it is! :)

[left that other site]

I loved your kitty cartoon. I sent it on to my sister who, while not a FReeper, is “one of us”. LOL.

[luvie]

I’m glad you shared it! It’s too good to keep a secret. LOL!

[The Mayor]

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

A Safe Place

December 2, 2018

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 17:6

My brothers and I grew up on a wooded hillside in West Virginia that provided a fertile landscape for our imaginations. Whether swinging from vines like Tarzan or building tree houses like the Swiss Family Robinson, we played out the scenarios we found in the stories we read and movies we watched. One of our favorites was building forts and then pretending we were safe from attack. Years later, my kids built forts out of blankets, sheets, and pillows—constructing their own “safe place” against imaginary enemies. It seems almost instinctive to want a hiding place where you can feel safe and secure.

When David, the singer-poet of Israel, sought a safe place, he looked no further than God. Psalm 17:8 asserts, “[God,] keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” When you consider the Old Testament record of David’s life and the almost constant threats he faced, these words reveal an amazing level of confidence in God (v. 6). In spite of those threats, he was convinced his true safety was found in Him.

We can know that same confidence. The God who promises to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) is the One we trust with our lives every day. Although we live in a dangerous world, our God gives us peace and assurance—both now and forever. He is our safe place.

Father, the world around me can feel threatening, overwhelming, and dangerous. But You give me peace, strength, and help.

Give God thanks for being your hiding place today.

INSIGHT

In the Psalms, we find people speaking to God about the concerns of their heart and the practical issues of everyday life. As such, there are various categories of psalms. One category is imprecatory psalms (Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140). Imprecatory literally means “to pray evil against” or “to invoke a curse upon.” In these psalms, the author typically asks for vindication against an enemy for unjust treatment. These prayers can range in aggression from a request for justice and vindication to petition for the death and destruction of one’s enemies (see Psalm 17:2 and Psalms 35 and 137 for increasingly aggressive requests for God’s action). While some imprecatory psalms may make us uncomfortable, we must remember that these are human requests for God to act—requests made from the pit of despair, frustration, and hopelessness.

[luvie]

Josh Groban~You Raise Me Up

Aron Wright~Surrender

Providence~Amazing Grace

Casting Crowns~Thrive

Glen Campbell~The Savior I Sing Of Today

Passion~In Christ Alone

Newsboys~We Believe

God Bless You All....

[MEG33]

Good Sunday Morning To Amy's Place

***
Our Father, we long for the simple beauty of Christmas
~for all the old familiar melodies, words, and symbols that remind us of
that great miracle when He who had made all things came one night as
a babe, to lie in the crook of a woman's arm.
***
But in that longing, let us even more yearn for your renewed presence
among us even as we celebrate and expect the Coming of your Son.....
***
May the loving kindness of this Advent Season and the true Spirit of
Christmas not only creep into our hearts this season, but there abide,
so that not even the return to earthly cares and responsibilities, not all
the festivities of our own devising may cause it to creep away weeping.
***
May the joy and spirit of Christmas remain with us now and forever. In
the name of Jesus, who came to save His people from their sins, even
in that lovely name we pray. Amen.


I Wish You A Blessed Lord's Day

Adapted from a prayer by Peter Marshall

[left that other site]

Have a Blessed Sunday

May You Have a Peaceful, Beautiful Day.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[TheConservativeParty]

It is snowing here as much as in your picture. Very light.
We missed a big snowstorm again.

[MEG33]

I’m glad you missed the storm!

[TheConservativeParty]

Nice weather coming tomorrow.
Tuesday through Thursday I’m going to visit my aunt “up north” near Wausau,WI. Hubby is home recovering from surgery but is fine. So I’m bugging outta here to see Auntie. Traffic will be better than driving to see her on a weekend. It’s a 2 1/2 hour drive straight north to her retirement apartment. Mucho shopping will be done !

[TheConservativeParty]

Pretty picture!
There are woods and a river near our house. It’s a winding river and the highway has several bridges over it. It’s nice to live near a river. A new experience for us since we moved here in August.