Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... July, August and September 2019

July 1, 2019 | Meg33; The Mayor, Trisham, JustAmy

[left that other site]

Oh yeah...a BIG DOWNPOUR.

But today it is hot again.

[The Mayor]

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

August 1

The Bulldog and the Sprinkler

Bible in a Year : Psalms 57–59; Romans 4

I pray that you . . . may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17, 19

Most summer mornings, a delightful drama plays out in the park behind our house. It involves a sprinkler. And a bulldog. About 6:30 or so, the sprinklers come on. Shortly thereafter, Fifi the bulldog (our family’s name for her) arrives.

Fifi’s owner lets her off her leash. The bulldog sprints with all her might to the nearest sprinkler, attacking the stream of water as it douses her face. If Fifi could eat the sprinkler, I think she would. It’s a portrait of utter exuberance, of Fifi’s seemingly infinite desire to be drenched by the liquid she can never get enough of.

There are no bulldogs in the Bible, or sprinklers. Yet, in a way, Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 reminds me of Fifi. There, Paul prays that the Ephesian believers might be filled with God’s love and “have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” He prayed that we might be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (vv. 18–19).

Still today, we’re invited to experience a God whose infinite love exceeds anything we can comprehend, that we too might be drenched, saturated, and utterly satisfied by His goodness. We’re free to plunge with abandon, relish, and delight into a relationship with the One who alone can fill our hearts and lives with love, meaning, and purpose.

By Adam Holz

Reflect & Pray

How does the experience of plunging into waves at a beach symbolize the immensity of God’s love for you? What barriers do you think potentially keep you from experiencing His love?

God, thank You for Your infinite and satisfying love. Please help us to know and experience the love You have for each one of us.

[trisham]

Not quite as hot today, I hope!

"You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in."

Dr. Seuss

Have a wonderful thankful Thursday, everyone!

[left that other site]

Still Hot & Fuzzy...

But Not Nearly As Bad As Yesterday. (For That, I Am Thankful!)

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[trisham]

It can be hard on our pets!

[left that other site]

Yes. Penny seems particularly vulnerable to the heat.

[trisham]

It can be brutal.

[luvie]

Thankful for Summer Color
That Survives the Heat
Happy Thankful Thursday!

[trisham]

Beautiful!

[Silentgypsy]

Thank you.

[luvie]

Thank you. They are very fragrant little roses, too.

[trisham]

Even better! :)

[beachn4fun]

Oh yeah...a BIG DOWNPOUR. But today it is hot again.

We got hardly any rain. Hot again too.

[TheConservativeParty]

Beautiful photo, reminds me I need to add more yellow flowers to my perennial garden.

Been nice here, 80s and not too humid.

Cheers

[luvie]

Thank you! I love yellow flowers. They are like blooming sun. So cheery.

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you, Dear FRiends, for the Daily Pings & Posts.
(((((Love, and God Bless)))))

[luvie]

Goodnight, Miss Kitty.
From Peaches and Myself....

[The Mayor]

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

August 2

From Trash to Treasure

Bible in a Year : Psalms 60–62; Romans 5

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

The trash man’s house sits atop a steep street in a poor Bogota neighborhood. Not one thing about it looks special. Yet the unassuming abode in Colombia’s capital is home to a free library of 25,000 books—discarded literature that Jose Alberto Gutierrez collected to share with poor children in his community.

Local kids crowd into the house during weekend “library hours.” Prowling through every room, each packed with books, the children recognize the humble home as more than Señor Jose’s house—it’s a priceless treasury.

The same is true for every follower of Christ. We’re made of humble clay—marred by cracks and easily broken. But we’re entrusted by God as a home for His empowering Spirit, who enables us to carry the good news of Christ into a hurting, broken world. It’s a big job for ordinary, fragile people.

“We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7), the apostle Paul told his congregation in the ancient city of Corinth. They were a cross section of people from across this region, so many might have been tempted to “go around preaching about [them]selves,” Paul said (v. 5 nlt).

Instead, Paul said, tell others about the priceless One living inside of us. It’s Him and His all-surpassing power that turns our ordinary lives into a priceless treasury.

By Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean to you that you have a treasure, the Holy Spirit, inside you? How is it comforting to know that He enables us to share the good news?

Jesus, fill up my ordinary life with the power of Your Spirit.

[Silentgypsy]

Thank you.

[luvie]

GREG KARUKAS~GIRL IN THE RED DRESS