Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... January - December, 2024

JustAmy[creator], The Mayor, luvie, left that other site

[luvie]

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 ~
was the ever charming, lovable, huggable,
LouieWolf - R.I.P.




Many thanks for stopping by. : )

[luvie]

My Shy-Guy, Midnight Sez
Happy Caturday!

[left that other site]

Another Rainy Day!

It's OK. I'm Washable.

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Enjoy! Take a nap! :)

[left that other site]

I should!

[luvie]

Did you? :)

[left that other site]

Nope.

[luvie]

Jim Brickman~How Great Thou Art

Daniel O'Donnel~Church In The Wildwood

The Trevecca Madragalians~It Is Well With My Soul

Dallas Christian Sound~My God And I

St. Olaf Choir~Beautiful Savior

Providence~I'm Telling The World About His Love

Vocal Majority~Deep River

Have a blessed Sunday
God bless our troops!
Give Thanks Always

[The Mayor]

Making Wise Choices Your word is a lamp for my feet. Psalm 119:105 Psalm 119:101-106

Agents of Shalom

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Jeremiah 29:7

Today's Insights

The Hebrew word shalom is used three times in Jeremiah 29:7 and is translated “peace,” “prosperity,” “prosper[s].” It appears at least once in the majority of the thirty-nine Old Testament books. Its significance isn’t limited to the number of times it’s used, however. The concepts embodied in this rich word are noteworthy and far exceed the notion of “quiet from war.” The general idea is that of well-being encompassing health, prosperity, safety, wholeness, soundness, completeness—personally, communally, and cosmically. The King James Version reflects the literal repetition of the word peace: “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” In Isaiah 9, the source and scope of universal well-being come into focus. Jesus is our shalom, our “Prince of Peace” (v. 6), and His reign will result in universal wholeness (v. 7).

Today's Devotional

In 2015, local ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado, teamed up to serve the city, and COSILoveYou was born. Each fall, in an event called CityServe, the group sends believers in Jesus out to serve the community.

Several years ago, my children and I were assigned to a downtown elementary school during CityServe. We cleaned. We pulled weeds. And we worked on an art project, lacing colored plastic tape through a chain-link fence in a way that approximated mountains. Simple, but surprisingly beautiful.

Whenever I drive past the school, our humble art project reminds me of Jeremiah 29. There, God instructed His people to settle down and serve the city they were in. He commanded this even though they were in exile and didn’t want to be there.  

The prophet said, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (v. 7). The word peace here is the Hebrew word shalom. And it encompasses the idea of the wholeness and flourishing that only God’s goodness and redemption can bring.   

Amazingly, God invites each of us to be His agents of shalom—right where we are. We’re invited to create beauty and practice redemption in simple, concrete ways in the spaces He’s placed us.

Reflect & Pray

When have you seen shalom restored? How might you use your time, talents, and resources to help your community?

Father, thank You for inviting me to be an agent of Your blessing. Please help me to see how I can serve my community.  

[The Mayor]

November 25, 2024 Bible in a Year Ezekiel 24-26; 1 Peter 2

Today's Insights

Psalm 100 is the last of eight consecutive psalms (93-100) that emphasize God as King. Each psalm highlights a particular aspect of this King’s reign. Psalm 93 shows God ruling over the seas (vv. 3-4)—a characteristic especially meaningful to a people who’d passed safely through the Red Sea as their enemies drowned behind them (see Exodus 14). Psalm 94 shows God as the righteous judge who opposes the wicked. Psalms 95-97 praise the incomparability of the one true God, “the great King above all gods” (95:3), extolling His “righteousness and justice” as “the foundation of his throne” (97:2). This emphasis on God “above all gods” (v. 9) is vital for Israel as they were surrounded by nations that worshiped false gods. Psalm 100 recognizes this true King as Israel’s creator and shepherd (v. 3) and calls everyone to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (v. 4).

Today's Devotional

I’ve been following and praying for a fellow writer who’s been posting online about her cancer journey. She alternates between sharing updates about her physical pain and challenges and sharing prayer requests with Scripture and praises to God. It’s beautiful to see her courageous smile whether she’s in the hospital awaiting treatments or at home wearing a bandana because her hair is falling out. With each challenge, she never fails to encourage others to trust God during trials. When we’re going through difficulties, it may be challenging to find reasons to be grateful and to praise God. However, Psalm 100 gives us reasons to rejoice and give God praise despite our circumstances. The psalmist says: “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture” (v. 3). He adds, “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (v. 5).

Whatever our trial, we can take comfort knowing that God is near to our broken hearts (34:18). The more time we spend with God in prayer and reading the Bible, the more we’ll be able to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” and “give thanks to him and praise his name” (100:4). We can “shout for joy to the Lord” (v. 1) even and perhaps especially when we’re in a difficult season because our God is faithful.  

Reflect & Pray

What are you grateful for? What can you praise God for right now?

Dear God, please help me to praise You even in my trials.

[luvie]

Aaand...The Race Is On!
Happy Monday Madness!

[left that other site]

It Wasn't Me.

It Was The Cat.

Happy Monday Madness.

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Dang! Looks like an elephant foot to me! JS.......

[left that other site]

Or Tippy’s Nose at Cruising Speed.

[luvie]

Grateful For Friends & Family
Happy GratiTuesday!

[left that other site]

Happy Gratituesday!

Of COURSE He will!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[TheConservativeParty]

Happy GratiTuesday!
I am still grateful that President Trump won.
How awful it would have been, had he lost.
We are having colder than normal temperatures.
By Friday night we are going to have only 10 degrees.
Tonight, about 24 degrees.

[The Mayor]

November 27, 2024

Today's Scripture

1 John 1:5-7

Bible in a Year

• Ezekiel 30-32; 1 Peter 4

  Today's Insights

  Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe points out how God reveals Himself through His creation, but there’s additional—and vital—revelation. Wiersbe notes that we also have “the Word of life” (1 John 1:1), which is Christ Himself. And we have the eyewitness testimony of the apostles, including John, who tells us, “[That] which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (v. 1). John wanted us to know the truth of his message. He writes, “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (v. 2). This is the heart of the gospel message. Jesus appeared on earth as one of us, and eternal life is only through Him.

Today's Devotional

When the lights went out on the streets of Highland Park, Michigan, a passion for another light source—the sun—found a home there. The struggling town lacked funds to pay its utility company. The power company turned off the streetlights and removed the lightbulbs in 1,400 light poles. That left residents unsafe and in the dark. “Here comes a couple of children right now, on their way to school,” a resident told a news crew. “There are no lights. They just have to take a chance on walking down the street.”

That changed when a nonprofit group formed to install solar-powered streetlights in the town. Working together, the humanitarian organization saved the city money on energy bills while securing a light source that helped meet residents’ needs.  

In our life in Christ, our reliable light source is Jesus Himself, the Son of God. As John the apostle wrote, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). John noted, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (v. 7).

Jesus Himself declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). With God’s Holy Spirit guiding our every step, we’ll never walk in darkness. His light always shines bright.

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced the light of Jesus in your life? Today, who can you tell about Him?

Let Your light shine bright, dear God, in every corner of my life.

[luvie]

Brrrr! Sounds miserable. Stay warm....let the thoughts of winning keep you warm! ❤️🇺🇸💙 And have a VERY Happy Thanksgiving!

[luvie]

Happy Maxine Thanksgiving!🤣

[Silentgypsy]

Thank you and and a Happy Thanksgiving to y’all.