Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... July, August and September, 2018

July 1, 2018 | 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. : )

[The Mayor]

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

Unfrozen

August 26, 2018

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face. Galatians 2:11

At a roundtable discussion about reconciliation, one participant wisely said, “Don’t freeze people in time.” He observed how we tend to remember mistakes people make and never grant them the opportunity to change.

There are so many moments in Peter’s life when God could have “frozen” him in time. But He never did. Peter—the impulsive disciple—“corrected” Jesus, earning a sharp rebuke from the Lord (Matthew 16:21–23). He famously denied Christ (John 18:15–27), only to be restored later (21:15–19). And he once contributed to racial divisions within the church.

The issue arose when Peter (also called Cephas) had separated himself from the Gentiles (Galatians 2:11–12). Only recently he associated freely with them. But some Jews arrived who insisted that circumcision was required for believers in Christ, so Peter began avoiding the uncircumcised Gentiles. This marked a dangerous return to the law of Moses. Paul called Peter’s behavior “hypocrisy” (v. 13). Because of Paul’s bold confrontation, the issue was resolved. Peter went on to serve God in the beautiful spirit of unity He intends for us.

No one needs to remain frozen in their worst moments. In God’s grace we can embrace each other, learn from each other, confront each other when it’s necessary, and grow together in His love.

Lord, draw us close to You today, so that we may also be closer to each other. Protect Your church’s unity. Give us understanding where there is distrust. Heal us where we are divided.

If we confront someone, we should have one goal in mind: restoration, not embarrassment. Chuck Swindoll

INSIGHT

Galatians 2 offers a compelling example of necessary confrontation. First, Paul’s confrontation of Peter was rooted on the foundation of the truth of the gospel. Paul chose to confront not because of personal dislike but out of love for the gospel. Paul recognized that Peter’s behavior—refusing to fellowship with those who were not obeying Old Testament ceremonial law—denied the good news that Christ’s victory, not ceremonial law, is the foundation for the believer’s new life in the Spirit (v. 21). Peter’s behavior denied the good news that in Christ there is equality among all believers. So Paul confronted, not to shame Peter but to restore the integrity of the faith community.

When bad behavior threatens the integrity of the Christian community’s witness to the good news, we too must confront—but always with a spirit of love that hopes for full restoration of fellowship.

Is there someone you need to confront in the spirit of love?

[luvie]

Ray Walker~Master The Tempest Is Raging
Congregational Singing

Cynthia Clawson & Others~Church In The Wildwood

The Trevecca Madragalians~It Is Well With My Soul

Statler Brothers~How Great Thou Art

St. Olaf Choir~When Peace Like A River

Providence~Farther Along

Vocal Majority~Deep River

Have a blessed Sunday
God bless our troops!

[MEG33]

~Good Sunday Morning To Amy's Place~

Zion National Park

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Spafford

~I Wish You A Blessed Lord's Day~

[trisham]

Beautiful, MEG. It’s a lovely Sunday!

[left that other site]

Happy Sunday!

Have a Blessed Day in The LORD.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[MEG33]

Thank you, (((trish))).

[TheConservativeParty]

Hi Meg! Have a nice Sunday.

[Kitty Mittens]

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

[The Mayor]

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

Serve Continually

August 27, 2018

Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you? Daniel 6:20

When educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, researching how to develop talent in young people, examined the childhoods of 120 elite performers—athletes, artists, scholars—he found that all of them had one thing in common: they had practiced intensively for long periods of time.

Bloom’s research suggests that growing in any area of our lives requires discipline. In our walk with God, too, cultivating the spiritual discipline of regularly spending time with Him is one way we can grow in our trust in Him.

Daniel is a good example of someone who prioritized a disciplined walk with God. As a young person, Daniel started making careful and wise decisions (1:8). He also was committed to praying regularly, “giving thanks to God” (6:10). His frequent seeking of God resulted in a life in which his faith was easily recognized by those around him. In fact, King Darius described Daniel as a “servant of the living God” (v. 20) and twice described him as a person who served God “continually” (vv. 16, 20).

Like Daniel, we desperately need God. How good to know that God works in us so that we long to spend time with Him! (Philippians 2:13). So let us come every day before God, trusting that our time with Him will result in a love that will overflow more and more and in a growing knowledge and understanding of our Savior (1:9–11).

Father, I thank You for the privilege of serving You. Help me to spend regular time with You in order to grow in my knowledge of You.

Time with God transforms us.

[MEG33]

Good Monday Morning To Amy's Place

Breakfast/Brunch is served!
;o)
Wishing You A Beautiful Week

[TheConservativeParty]

Hi there! Breakfast looks great. I still have time to make bacon! Got lost in FR and didn’t have breakfast yet.

Cheers

[left that other site]

Happy Monday!

May your day be blessed!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

Happy Monday Madness!
...and, yep, SOMEbody's gonna be mad!

[luvie]

You set a beautiful table!

[The Mayor]

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Learning to Trust

August 28, 2018

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

When I was a teenager I sometimes challenged my mother when she tried to encourage me to have faith. “Trust God. He will take care of you,” she would tell me. “It’s not that simple, Mom!” I would bark back. “God helps those who help themselves!”

But those words, “God helps those who help themselves” are nowhere to be found in Scripture. Instead, God’s Word teaches us to depend on Him for our daily needs. Jesus tells us, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:26–27).

Everything we enjoy—even the strength to earn a living and “help ourselves”—are gifts from a heavenly Father who loves us and values us beyond our ability to fathom.

As Mom neared the end of her life, Alzheimer’s disease robbed her of her creative mind and memories, but her trust in God remained. She lived in our home for a season, where I was given a “front-row seat” to observe God’s provision for her needs in unexpected ways—ways that helped me see she had been right all along. Instead of worrying, she entrusted herself to the One who promised to take care of her. And He showed Himself faithful.

Loving Lord, please help me to trust You to take care of me today, tomorrow, and forever!

Don’t worry about tomorrow—God is already there.

INSIGHT

The teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:25–34 emphasizes the fatherly care of God for those who follow Jesus, making worry about the basic things of life unnecessary. The main idea in the word translated “worry” is “distracting or anxious care.” In Luke 10:41, Jesus said Martha was “worried and upset about many things.” Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything.” Six times the word worry appears in Matthew 6:25–34. For those who call God “Father,” worry is unreasonable (vv. 25–30), uncharacteristic (vv. 30–32), unproductive (v. 33), and unprofitable (v. 34).

What might you be doing or not doing that indicates a lack of trust in God as our faithful heavenly Father?

[luvie]

Happy GratiTuesday!

[left that other site]

Happy Gratituesday!

I am grateful for your FRiendship!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[The Mayor]

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

You Love Me?

August 29, 2018

How have you loved us? Malachi 1:2

As a teenager, I went through the typical season of rebellion against my mother’s authority. My father died before I entered adolescence, so my mom had to navigate these turbulent parenting waters without his help.

I recall thinking that Mom didn’t want me to ever have any fun—and maybe didn’t even love me—because she frequently said no. I see now that she said no to activities that weren’t good for me precisely because she loves me.

The Israelites questioned how much God loved them because of their time in captivity in Babylon. But that captivity was God’s correction for their continued rebellion against Him. So now, God sent the prophet Malachi to them. His opening words from the Lord were, “I have loved you” (Malachi 1:2). Israel replied skeptically, inquiring as to how God has loved them, as if to say, “Really?” But God, through Malachi, reminded them of the way He had demonstrated that love: He had chosen them over the Edomites.

We all go through difficult seasons in life. We may be tempted to question God’s love for us during those times. Let’s recall the many ways He’s shown us His unfailing love. When we stop to consider His goodness, we find that He is indeed a loving Father.

Lord, You have shown tender care for me over the course of my life. You’ve been present with me in difficult seasons. Help me to always remember Your love.

Our heavenly Father corrects us and comforts us.

INSIGHT

Malachi, though a short book, is a very important one. Malachi ministered as the last prophet sent to the remnant that had returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity. The prophet’s central theme is the coming of the Messiah. The prophet preaches about God’s righteous judgment as well as His love. It’s only in the overwhelming sacrifice of the Messiah, His victory over death, and coming back to earth to make all things right, that the love of God can be fully understood.

The unmerited offer of redeeming grace made known through Jesus Christ is the central theme of the Bible. Certainly our Lord’s life and ministry are a marvelous picture of God’s declaration “I have loved you” (1:2).

Why not take a few minutes to prayerfully reflect on Christ coming to redeem you and the future hope of His coming again. 

[MEG33]

~Welcome To Warm Fuzzy Wednesday~
At Amy's Place

"Let's Be Friends!"
Enjoy Your Day
*HUGS*

[MEG33]

Good Morning, Rus
Thank you for starting our day off right every day with Oour Daily Bread.
I Appreciate You