Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... July, August and September, 2017

July 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. : )

[trisham]

Red Friday, at Amy's Place
to support our troops!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

*=*=*=*=*=**=*=*=*=*=*

[The Mayor]

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

You’re an Original

August 18, 2017

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his. Psalm 100:3

Each of us is an original from God’s hand. There are no self-made men or women. No one ever became talented, buffed, or bright all by himself or herself. God made each of us all by Himself. He thought of us and formed us out of His unspeakable love.

God made your body, mind, and soul. And He isn’t done with you; He is still making you. His single-minded purpose is our maturity: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). God is making you braver, stronger, purer, more peaceful, more loving, less selfish—the kind of person you’ve perhaps always wanted to be.

Spiritual growth occurs when faith is cultivated.

“[God’s] unfailing love continues forever and his faithfulness continues to each generation” (Ps. 100:5 nlt). God has always loved you (“forever” goes both ways), and He will be faithful to you to the end.

You’ve been given a love that lasts forever and a God who will never give up on you. That’s a good reason to have joy and to “come before him with joyful songs”! (v. 2).

If you can't carry a tune, just give Him a shout-out: “Shout for joy to the Lord” (v. 1).

I’m grateful, Father, that You are at work in me. I find it difficult to change and I wonder sometimes how or if I ever will. Yet I know that You are continuing Your work in me and as I look back I will see the growth You are producing. Thank You!

Spiritual growth occurs when faith is cultivated.

INSIGHT:

The book of Psalms is commonly known as the hymnbook of ancient Israel. But the opening line of Psalm 100 takes this beautiful hymn out of the sanctuary of Israel and places it in the mouths of everyone: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” Since this is written to “all the earth,” what follows applies to all of us.

Because God is the Creator of all, He is also the Father of all. We all belong to Him; we are the “sheep of his pasture” (v. 3). We are all called to give Him thanks and praise, even though believers may be the only ones who answer this call. We are commissioned to help those who do not recognize God and His faithfulness to “enter his gates” (v. 4).

Who can you invite into His “gates”? How can you show and tell them about God’s goodness and enduring love? How can you thank Him for His faithfulness to you?

For more on the book of Psalms read, Together With God at dhp.org/TogetherWithGod. J.R. Hudberg

[left that other site]

Greetings from Boston!

Have a Beautiful Friday!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[TheConservativeParty]

Have a great Friday. Supporting our wonderful brave troops!

[luvie]

What a cutie! :)

[luvie]

Wear your red
for our brave troops!


RAY WYLIE HUBBARD~RED DRESS

[left that other site]

Not Penny, but a cutie nonetheless.

[luvie]

Kinda looks like her! :)

[left that other site]

Yes...it does! But Penny is prettier. LOL!

[luvie]

She is!

[left that other site]

You Talkin' Bout ME?

The REAL Penny says, "Hi!"

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[The Mayor]

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

From Grief to Joy

August 19, 2017

You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. John 16:20

Kelly’s pregnancy brought complications, and doctors were concerned. During her long labor, they decided to whisk her away for a Cesarean section. But despite the ordeal, Kelly quickly forgot her pain when she held her newborn son. Joy had replaced anguish.

Scripture affirms this truth: “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world” (John 16:21). Jesus used this illustration with His disciples to emphasize that though they would grieve because He would be leaving soon, that grief would turn to joy when they saw Him again (vv. 20–22).

Dear Lord, we long to be in Your presence, especially when we face pain and sorrow.

Jesus was referring to His death and resurrection—and what followed. After His resurrection, to the disciples’ joy, Jesus spent another forty days walking with and teaching them before ascending and leaving them once again (Acts 1:3). Yet Jesus did not leave them grief-stricken. The Holy Spirit would fill them with joy (John 16:7–15; Acts 13:52).

Though we have never seen Jesus face to face, as believers we have the assurance that one day we will. In that day, the anguish we face in this earth will be forgotten. But until then, the Lord has not left us without joy—He has given us His Spirit (Rom. 15:13; 1 Peter 1:8–9).

Dear Lord, we long to be in Your presence, especially when we face pain and sorrow. Yet You have not left us on our own. The Holy Spirit lives within us—and gives us joy.

One day our sorrow will be turned to joy!

INSIGHT:

After Jesus told His disciples about His coming betrayal and death (John 13), they were discouraged (14:1, 27). Jesus comforted them with the promise of heaven and the coming Holy Spirit (14:1–21; 15:26–16:15). Like the pain a woman experiences in childbirth, their suffering was temporary (16:21). The baby that causes the pain also provides the occasion for celebration. Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe writes in The Bible Exposition Commentary: “God brings joy to our lives, not by substitution, but by transformation. In birth, God does not substitute something else to relieve the mother’s pain. Instead, He uses what is there already but transforms it.”

How has Jesus transformed your pain into peace, joy, and victory? Sim Kay Tee

[left that other site]

Wow...that very chapter (John 16) came up in my “Daily 8” Today!

(((Daily 8...Use 8 ribbons or bookmarks)))

OT:
1. Torah
2. History
3. Poetry
4. Prophets

NT:
5. Gospels
6. Acts
7. Epistles
8. Revelation

By using my little system, I have read:

The entire Bible in one year,
The Torah 2x.
History 1x
Poetry 1x
Prophets 1x
The Gospels 3x
Acts 12x
Epistles 2x
Revelation 12x

(((Not “under the law or anything like that, and sometimes I miss a day, but it goes great with my morning coffee!)))

[trisham]

A Dog Of Few Words

"A clerk said, 'Next in line - this way.'
A dog spoke up, 'I guess I am.'
'What can we do for you today? '
'I want to send a telegram.'
The clerk handed the dog a note.
'You'll have to write it out somehow.'
The dog took pen in teeth and wrote,
'Bow wow wow, bow wow wow, bow wow.'
The clerk read what the dog had penned.
'One to ten words have the same fees.'
'There's eight words now, so you can send'
'Another 'bow wow' if you please.'

'No, ' the dog said, 'Just between us, '
'One more would sound ridiculous.' ."

Ima Ryma

Happy Caturday, Dogurday and Bunnyday!

[left that other site]

Happy Summer Caturday!

Just CATchin' Up on My RAYS!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[The Mayor]

That’s excellent!

[left that other site]

Thanks...I started this little “program” of mine right after 9/11/01, which means I have been at it for 16 years. I have used different translations and editions over the years, but the Scriptures have become so familiar to me at this point that I can find things really fast when I need to.

[MEG33]

Good Morning To Amy's Place

Relax.... It's Caturday!
Hope yours is beautiful.

[MEG33]

WELCOME TO SUNDAY AT AMY'S PLACE

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.
_Cecil F. Alexander, pub.1848
BLESSINGS TO ALL WHO ENTER
Music

[The Mayor]

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

The Turn

August 20, 2017

For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. Esther 8:16

As the minister spoke at a funeral for an old military veteran, he mused about where the deceased might be. But then, instead of telling the people how they could know God, he speculated about things not found anywhere in Scripture. Where is the hope? I thought.

At last he asked us to turn to a closing hymn. And as we rose to sing “How Great Thou Art,” people began to praise God from the depths of their souls. Within moments, the spirit of the entire room had changed. Suddenly, surprisingly, in the middle of the third verse my emotions overwhelmed my voice.

God never leaves us.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Until we sang that great hymn, I had wondered if God was going to show up at that funeral. In reality, He never leaves. A look at the book of Esther reveals this truth. The Jews were in exile, and powerful people wanted to kill them. Yet at the darkest moment, a godless king granted the right to the enslaved Israelites to defend themselves against those who sought their demise (Est. 8:11–13). A successful defense and a celebration ensued (9:17–19).

It should be no surprise when God shows up in the words of a hymn at a funeral. After all, He turned an attempted genocide into a celebration and a crucifixion into resurrection and salvation!

Our surprising God often shows His presence when we least expect Him.

INSIGHT:

Esther is the only book in the Bible in which God’s name is never mentioned. Yet our surprising God often shows His presence when we least expect Him. Haman, who had tried to curry favor with the king to exterminate the Jews, found his plans overturned when God enabled Esther to expose Haman’s sinister plot. Even to this day Jewish people around the world celebrate the Feast of Purim to commemorate God’s intervention to preserve them as His chosen people.

Have you experienced a time when God surprised you by His divine intervention? Dennis Fisher