Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... October, November and December, 2017

October 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. : )

---

~~~~~ Prior Threads ~~~~~ July, 2005, Closing Thread
2008 February, 2008 March, 2008 April, 2008 May, 2008 June, 2008 July, 2008 August, 2008 September, 2008 (Sept 26, 2008) October, 2008 November, 2008 December, 2008	2009 January, 2009 February, 2009 March, 2009 April, 2009 May, 2009 June, 2009 July, 2009 August, 2009 September, 2009 October, 2009 November, 2009 December, 2009	2010 January, 2010 February, 2010 March, 2010 April, 2010 May, 2010 June, 2010 July, 2010 August, 2010 September, 2010 October, 2010 November, 2010 December, 2010	2011 January, 2011 February, 2011 March, 2011 April, 2011 May, 2011 June, 2011 July, 2011 August, 2011 September, 2011 October, 2011 November, 2011 December, 2011	2012 January, 2012 February, 2012 March, 2012 April, 2012 May, 2012 June, 2012 July, 2012 August/September, 2012 October, 2012 November, 2012 December, 2012	2013 January, 2013 February, 2013 March, 2013 April, 2013 May, 2013 June & July, 2013 August & September, 2013 October, 2013 November, 2013 December, 2013
2014 Jan. & Feb. March April May June - Sept Oct - Dec	2015 Jan - Mar April - June July - Sept Oct - Dec	2016 Jan - Mar Apr - June July - Sep Oct - Dec	2017 Jan - Mar Apr - Jun Jul - Sept

[left that other site]

Awww...they are so Lovely! :-)

[left that other site]

Yeah...I am hoping it will brighten up a little tomorrow.

[mairdie]

They were great dogs. The black one bounced light weight balls on his nose. The one with the blue harness was the smartest escape artist we’ve had. Leaped over a gate from stairs knowing I’d catch him, even though my heart dropped to my shoes. The one with the black harness should have been called ‘Love’ because that’s what filled him. I’m so grateful we had them.

[luvie]

I love watching them play! :)

[left that other site]

I have had 5 dogs (one at a time) over the last 45 years. All of them have been totally different from each other, extremely distinct personalities, yet all proudly canine in their ways.

I have loved them all, but my present dog, Penny, is the sweetest of them all.

[Kitty Mittens]

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

Sweet Dreams

[mairdie]

I'm making my Kindle book "Thrice Happy Poetry" FREE FOR TODAY ONLY.



This is, essentially, a graphic novel, a comic book if you will, of 14 poems of love and beautiful women by Henry Livingston (1748-1828), the author of "Night Before Christmas," illustrated with 174 antique postcards. As an art history/physics major, may I immodestly say that the book is breathtaking for both the art and Henry's poetry.

[mylife]

Can we just get along?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTlXjShG4XQ

[The Mayor]

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

Creation Care

October 15, 2017

The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. Psalm 115:16

The “big browns” are spawning in the Owyhee River—brown trout beginning their fall nesting ritual. You can see them excavating their nests in the gravelly shallows.

Wise fishermen know that fish are spawning and try not to disturb them. They avoid walking on gravel bars where they might trample the eggs, or wading upstream from the nests where they might dislodge debris that can smother them. And they don’t fish for these trout, though it’s tempting to do so as they rest near their nests.

Care for creation honors the Creator.

These precautions are part of an ethic that governs responsible fishing. But there is a deeper and a better cause.

The Scriptures stress the fact that God has given us the earth (Gen. 1:28–30). It is ours to use, but we must use it as those who love it.

I muse on the work of God’s hands: a partridge calling across a canyon, a bull elk bugling up a fight, a herd of antelope far off in the distance, a brook trout and its kaleidoscopic rose moles, a mother otter playing in a stream with her pups—I love all these things, for they have been given to me for my delight, out of my Father’s great love.

And what I love, I protect.

Heavenly Father, You have put us here to enjoy and ponder Your marvelous creation. May everything You have made remind us of Your goodness, love, and care.

Share one of your favorite photos of God's creation on Facebook.com/ourdailybread.

Care for creation honors the Creator.

INSIGHT

God gave specific instructions on how the Israelites should treat the land He had given them (Ex. 23:10–11; Lev. 25:1–7). Just as His people were commanded to rest every seventh day, “[their] land [was] to have a year of rest” (Lev. 25:5). “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused” (Ex. 23:10–11). Modern scientists have supported the practice of periodically letting land lay fallow, allowing the land’s nutrients to be replenished and productivity rejuvenated.

Our wise Creator cares for those He created as well as the earth He has given us. How can we be better stewards of God’s creation?

[MEG33]

~Welcome To Sunday At Amy's Place~

. 4
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths
. 5
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5
~I Wish You A Blessed Lord's Day~

[MEG33]

Beautiful devotional, Rus.
I Am So Grateful To You For Our Daily Bread

[left that other site]

have a Blessed Sunday!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. Proverbs 3:4

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[MEG33]

Thank you for your wonderful scripture and graphic, ML.
Wishing You A Lovely Sunday Evening

[SandRat]

Humor the antidepressant A study of grime and germs

Ah! The scent of chlorine-permeated hair blowing in the wind, the pungent odor of sweaty bodies, and the cloying coconut scent of tanning lotion are part of summer. But now those joyous months are a blur in our rearview mirrors as we launch into fall and all the ways people, athletes, in particular, manage to get grubby.

It is October and baseball division playoffs are in full swing. We cheer for our favorite teams, hoping they reach the ultimate baseball pinnacle known as World Series Champions. But, have you noticed all the ways the boys of summer manage to get down and dirty, and wallow in germs?

Ask any mother of a Little Leaguer or a softball player “What do you dread the most?” and they will reply “Trying to get the grass stains and dirt out of the uniforms.” What? Don’t they worry about a hit with a bat or ball on little Herman or Harriet’s skull? Of course, they do. However, for harried and perfectionist mothers the process of getting out grass stains and ground in dirt ranks right up there on the sixth rung of Hell.

We watch the pitcher pick up the rosin bag from the mound and toss it in his hands. Then he messes with his hat (sometimes he removes his cap and runs his fingers through sweaty, long hair), adjusts his crotch essentials, licks his fingers and pitches. This viewer shrieks, “Ewe, Germs!”

Often players must dive to make catches. They skid in the dirt flopping on their bellies as if they were on a child’s Slip-n-Slide without the lubricating benefit of water flowing on the plastic slide.

Throughout the game, players spit on the ground, wipe sweat and other bodily fluids on their sleeves, then roll around on the spit covered ground with wild abandon. Pity the laundry engineer charged with cleaning all the stains and muck off their uniforms. We sure hope they get paid well for a thankless job.

Adding to the joys of clean up drudgery, if the home team wins, someone will get a sticky Gatorade shower. Pity the cleanup crew who must make the field presentable and cleans up the spit, snot, and other fluids from the ground.

Whether we watch baseball, hockey or basketball, there will always be a camera person who feels compelled to share the pore-enhancing closeups of flying snot or spittle or waterfalls of sweat streaming off the basketball players’ bodies.

Of course, we cannot speak for the majority of viewers, but if we happen to pop a bite of food in our mouths, there could be a problem. Camera operators think nothing of invading the personal space of players just to chronicle various fluid emissions. As a result, the viewers’ inclination to spew rather than swallow could make watching sports a messy business.

Baseball players have a large field at their disposal for all the spitting, etc. But the dugout is an enclosed area and the accumulation of unmentionable stuff tossed must leave a nasty mess. Hockey players also sit in a relatively small area, and their spitting and nasal emissions are jaw-dropping to behold. In both situations, most of the emissions are on tape and saved for posterity.

If you read this column with any regularity, you know this writer dislikes dirt and germs. From personal observation, males tend to tolerate the unwashed status better than females. It is not uncommon to hear the words “you’re such a boy” pass these lips. Unbunch your boxers and relax because this writer means no offense, just stating facts.

For example, our son is on a temporary assignment that requires living in a tent. He enjoys the outdoors, therefore what would be a hardship for some is fun for him. His mother remarked that living in a tent was yucky. To which the son replied “I love it! And, I can be filthy when I go to bed. Haha.”

[The Mayor]

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

Room 5020

October 16, 2017

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done. Genesis 50:20

Jay Bufton turned his hospital room into a lighthouse.

The fifty-two-year-old husband, father, high school teacher, and coach was dying of cancer, but his room—Room 5020—became a beacon of hope for friends, family, and hospital workers. Because of his joyful attitude and strong faith, nurses wanted to be assigned to Jay. Some even came to see him during off-hours.

We can have confidence in our good and trustworthy God!

Even as his once-athletic body was wasting away, he greeted anyone and everyone with a smile and encouragement. One friend said, “Every time I visited Jay he was upbeat, positive, and filled with hope. He was, even while looking cancer and death in the face, living out his faith.”

At Jay’s funeral, one speaker noted that Room 5020 had a special meaning. He pointed to Genesis 50:20, in which Joseph says that although his brothers sold him into slavery, God turned the tables and accomplished something good: “the saving of many lives.” Cancer invaded Jay’s life, but by recognizing God’s hand at work Jay could say that “God intended it for good.” That’s why Jay could use even the ravages of cancer as an open door to tell others about Jesus.

What a legacy of unwavering trust in our Savior even as death was knocking at the door! What a testimony of confidence in our good and trustworthy God!

Lord, difficult things come into our lives so often. Please help us to trust You enough to see that nothing is beyond Your control. Help us to tell of Your love even in the tough times.

By God’s grace, we can have our best witness in the worst of times.

INSIGHT

While Joseph’s story had a spectacularly happy ending, it did not come overnight. When Joseph became the primary character in the Genesis narrative, he was only seventeen years old (Gen. 37:2). After about ten years as a slave in the household of Potiphar (captain of the bodyguard, a high official in Pharaoh’s court), he had risen to a position of great trust, managing Potiphar’s household properties and affairs. However, after Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him, Joseph was imprisoned for two years (41:1). When he was set free and assigned the post of vice-chancellor of Egypt, he was thirty years old (41:46). But there were seven years of plenty followed by two years of famine (45:6) before he came face-to-face with his brothers. That means that from the time he was sold into slavery to the time of family reconciliation, twenty-two years had transpired!

How does the story of Joseph help you to realize there is no circumstance beyond God’s control?

For further reading see Joseph: Overcoming Life’s Challenges.

[MEG33]

Happy Birthday Dear Trisham

I Wish You A Beautiful Day
*HUGS*

[RacerX1128]

Stunningly Alive

how does the sun
warm the cold
desert night

love at first sight
God’s delight…

too real
for true emotions
to reach the pinnacle
of
love’s kind thought

how does the moon
move through the
midnight sky
it just can’t
fake it

how do i pour
my love
upon your page tonight
so you can gently
take it

a heavenly shock
a truckload of love
delivered
postage
guaranteed

i will handle with
delicate care
a trusting
passionate
equation
for two

that would
make the
Divine
love song
come
stunningly
alive...

[Kitty Mittens]

(((((Hugs!)))))

[Kitty Mittens]

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

[The Mayor]

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

Invisible Influence

October 17, 2017

Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19

On a visit to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, I saw a masterpiece called The Wind. The painting showed a storm moving through a wooded area. Tall, thin trees leaned to the left. Bushes thrashed in the same direction.

In an even more powerful sense, the Holy Spirit is able to sway believers in the direction of God’s goodness and truth. If we go along with the Spirit, we can expect to become more courageous and more loving. We will also become more discerning about how to handle our desires (2 Tim. 1:7).

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24

In some situations, however, the Spirit nudges us toward spiritual growth and change, but we respond with a “no.” Continually stonewalling this conviction is what Scripture calls “quench[ing] the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). Over time, things we once considered wrong appear not to be quite as bad.

When our relationship with God seems distant and disconnected, this may be because the Spirit’s conviction has been repeatedly brushed aside. The longer this goes on, the harder it is to see the root of the problem. Thankfully, we can pray and ask God to show us our sin. If we turn away from sin and recommit ourselves to Him, God will forgive us and revive the power and influence of His Spirit within us.

God, show me how I have resisted Your Holy Spirit. Help me to listen when You speak. I want to be right with You again.

Yielding to the Holy Spirit leads to right living.

INSIGHT

In Paul’s day, Thessalonica was the largest city of Macedonia with as many as 200,000 people (mainly Greeks). The city had a thriving seaport and was located on the Egnatian Way, a famous trade route built by the Romans. Paul and Silas visited this city on Paul’s second missionary journey, and while there Paul preached in its synagogues for three Sabbaths (Acts 17:1–3). During their visit, some Jews plus “a large number of God-fearing Greeks” and many prominent women were persuaded to follow Jesus (v. 4). But Paul’s stay was cut short when some jealous Jews formed a mob and started a riot (vv. 5–9). As soon as he could, Paul sent Timothy to the young church to encourage and strengthen the new believers in their faith (1 Thess. 3:1–5). Timothy returned to Paul with good news: the people were standing firm despite persecution (vv. 6–8). In response, Paul wrote First Thessalonians from Corinth to further encourage the church. His warning to not “quench the Spirit” appears in a list of final instructions he gave the Thessalonians (5:19). 

Is there an area of your life where you’ve been resisting the “nudge” of the Holy Spirit?