Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... October, November and December, 2015

October 1, 2015 | JustAmy; Meg33, The Mayor; Trisham; St.Louie1, Friends, MamaBear

[The Mayor]

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

Crumbs of Time

November 11, 2015

Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Daniel 6:10

A friend was coming to town. He is a very busy man and his schedule was tight, but after a difficult day in important meetings, he managed to see my family for half an hour for a quick and late dinner. We enjoyed his visit, but I remember looking at my plate and thinking, “We only got the crumbs of his time.”

Then I remembered how many times God gets the crumbs of my time—sometimes just the last minutes before I fall asleep.

Daniel was a busy man. He held a high government position in the ancient kingdom of Babylon, and I’m sure he had a full schedule. However, he had developed the habit of spending time with God—praying three times a day, praising God, and thanking Him. This routine helped him develop a strong faith that did not waver when he faced persecution (Dan. 6).

God desires a relationship with us. In the morning we can invite Him into our day, and then we can praise Him and ask Him for His help throughout the day. At other times we can treasure some time alone with Him and reflect on His faithfulness. As we spend time with God in prayer and in His Word, we grow in our relationship with Him and learn to become more and more like Him. As time with God becomes a priority, we enjoy His company more and more. 

Dear Father, I want to have an intimate relationship with You. I invite You to be part of my entire day—from the time I awake until I go to sleep.

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31

Insight:

The name Daniel means “God is my judge,” and Daniel lived a life that expressed that truth. He lived in captivity to the Babylonians, but his heart was surrendered to God. Bill Crowder

[MEG33]

Happy Veterans Day
~We Honor All Who Served Our Country~

~America~
Land Of The Free Because Of The Brave

[MEG33]

Good Morning
Thank you for your service to our country, Rus
Thank you always for starting our day off
right You are a blessing.

[The Mayor]

Thank you Meg.

[luvie]

[TheOldLady]

That graphic always makes me tear up.

My oldest brother, Richard, was a DI in Korea during that war.

When he came home, he was a changed man, not for the best.

My oldest nephew, also named Richard, was a helicopter pilot
in Vietnam. He was also a changed man, also not for the best.

I do miss the both of them a lot.

[JustAmy]

The Viet Nam war changed my youngest brother.

Please pray for our veterans.

[JustAmy]

Graphic by Mama Bear

Veterans Day

Our country called, they answered,
They risked their lives, their all.
They fought on land, sea, and air,
They saw their buddies fall.
Yet on they fought and they prevailed,
We owe our gratitude.
So give thumbs up, to them, the Vets,
God grant them solitude.
We can't repay all that they gave,
So show them that you care.
They fought for us, to all be free,
Be thankful they were there.

Conspiracy Guy 11/11/03
aka DIF © 2003 - 2015

[TheOldLady]

Please pray for our veterans.

It goes without saying, and I pray for them every day.

And our active duty troops as well.

[luvie]

It does me, too. I love them all and hate when they can’t take care of themselves and the VA is not helpful! Makes me so angry! They deserve the best and aren’t getting it!

[Kitty Mittens]

[The Mayor]

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

Of Geese and Difficult People

November 12, 2015

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:18

When we first moved into our present home, I enjoyed the beauty of the geese that nest nearby. I admired the way they cared for each other and the way they moved in straight lines in the water and in majestic V-formations in the air. It was also a joy to watch them raise their young.

Then summer came, and I discovered some less beautiful truths about my feathered friends. You see, geese love to eat grass, and they don’t really care if it ruins the look of the lawn. Worse, what they leave behind makes a stroll across the yard a messy adventure.

God helps us see the beauty in even the most difficult people.

I think of these geese when I’m dealing with difficult people. Sometimes I wish I could simply shoo them out of my life. It’s then that God usually reminds me that there is beauty in even the most difficult person if we can get close enough to discover it, and the pain they’re giving out may be reflective of the pain they are feeling. The apostle Paul says in Romans, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (12:18). So I ask God to help me be patient with the “hard side” of others. This doesn’t always produce a happy outcome, but it is remarkable how often God redeems these relationships.

As we encounter difficult people, by God’s grace we can see and love them through His eyes.

By Your grace, Lord, help me to live peaceably with others. And help me to recognize when I’m the difficult person in other people’s lives and need Your intervention. Give me the will and desire to change.

Peace can come if we respond with a gentle answer.

Insight:

When the apostle Paul instructs the Roman Christians to bless rather than curse those who persecute them, he’s not talking just about words. The biblical concept of blessing and cursing nearly always meant both words and actions. In today’s passage Paul is calling for radical acts of love, for—as Jesus showed us—true love is not just conveyed by what we say but also by what we do (John 15:13; 1 John 3:18). Dennis Moles

[JustAmy]

[JustAmy]

Graphic by MamaBear

[JustAmy]

Oooops ... I think the above Pledge Graphic was made by Billie instead of MamaBear.

They both do wonderful work so sometimes I get confused. :)

[TheConservativeParty]

Beautiful front porch picture with the Pledge.
Have a great Thankful Thursday!

[luvie]

Hem your blessings with thankfulness
so they don't unravel.
~Author Unknown~

[trisham]

Gorgeous, LUV W!

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you for the Beautiful Pings, Dear FRiends.
(((((Goodnight, and God Bless)))))

[The Mayor]

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

The Big Stink

November 13, 2015

God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Genesis 3:5

In August 2013, large crowds gathered at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to witness the blooming of the tropical plant known as the corpse flower. Since the flower is native to Indonesia, and may flower only once every several years, its blooming is a spectacle. Once open, the huge spiky, beautiful, red bloom smells like rotten meat. Because of its putrid fragrance, the flower attracts flies and beetles that are looking for rotting meat. But there is no nectar.

Like the corpse flower, sin holds out promises but in the end offers no rewards. Adam and Eve found this out the hard way. Eden was beautiful until they ruined it by doing the one thing God urged them not to do. Tempted to doubt God’s goodness, they ignored their Creator’s loving warning and soon lost their innocence. The God-given beauty of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil became like a corpse flower to them. The reward for their disobedience was alienation, pain, emptiness, toil, and death.

God made us to share in His life & joy.

Sin looks inviting and may feel good, but it doesn’t compare with the wonder, beauty, and fragrance of trusting and obeying God, who has made us to share His life and joy.

What temptations are you facing today? Remember that God promises to help you fight against temptation. Ask Him to help you remember to rely on Him.

God’s commands can overpower Satan’s suggestions.

Insight:

Today’s passage records the entrance of sin into an innocent world. But it also records God’s grace in response to sin. Rather than let Adam and Eve eat from the tree of life and live forever in their sin, God graciously blocked the way to that tree (vv. 22-23). J.R. Hudberg