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

July 1, 2018 | Meg33, The Mayor, Trisham, JustAmy

[The Mayor]

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Be Still, My Soul!

July 9, 2018

I have calmed and quieted myself. Psalm 131:2

Picture a parent poised lovingly over a child, finger gently placed in front of nose and lips softly speaking the words—“hush,” “shhhh.” The demeanor and simple words are meant to comfort and quiet anxious little ones in the midst of disappointment, discomfort, or pain. Scenes like this are universal and timeless and most of us have been on the giving or receiving end of such loving expressions. When I ponder Psalm 131:2, this is the picture that comes to mind.

The language and flow of this psalm suggest that the writer, David, had experienced something that provoked serious reflection. Have you experienced a disappointment, defeat, or failure that prompted thoughtful, reflective prayer? What do you do when you are humbled by life’s circumstances? When you fail a test or lose a job or experience the end of a relationship? David poured out his heart to the Lord and in the process did a bit of honest soul-searching and inventory (Psalm 131:1). In making peace with his circumstances, he found contentment like that of a young child who was satisfied with simply being with his or her mother (v. 2).

Life’s circumstances change and sometimes we are humbled. Yet we can be hopeful and content knowing that there is One who has promised to never leave or forsake us. We can trust Him fully.

Father, when things change in my life, help me not to be anxious but to trust You and find contentment in You alone.

Read more: Cultivating a Heart of Contentment at discoveryseries.org/hp052.

Contentment is found in Christ alone.

INSIGHT

The theme of Psalm 131 is rest or spiritual contentment. Verse 2 says, “I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.” This idea of rest connects to the preceding song (Psalm 130) whose theme is forgiveness. Psalm 130:4 affirms, “But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.” It is forgiveness that gives us true, lasting rest because it brings us into relationship with the God who made us.

This was voiced beautifully by the church father Augustine who said, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

[luvie]

Remember The Troops!
...on Memories Monday.

[The Mayor]

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God of the Depths

July 10, 2018

There is the sea, vast and spacious, . . . and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. Psalm 104:25–26

“When you go to the deep sea, every time you take a sample, you’ll find a new species,” says marine biologist Ward Appeltans. In one recent year, scientists identified 1,451 new types of undersea life. We simply don’t know the half of what’s down there.

In Job 38–40, God reviewed His creation for Job’s benefit. In three poetic chapters, God highlighted the wonders of weather, the vastness of the cosmos, and the variety of creatures in their habitats. These are things we can observe. Then God spoke of the mysterious Leviathan—for an entire chapter. Leviathan is a creature like no other, with harpoon-deflecting armor (Job 41:7, 13), graceful power (v. 12), and “fearsome teeth” (v. 14). “Flames stream from its mouth . . . smoke pours from its nostrils” (vv. 19–20). “Nothing on earth is its equal” (v. 33).

Okay, so God talks about a huge creature we haven’t seen. Is that the point of Job 41?

No! Job 41 broadens our understanding of God’s surprising character. The psalmist expanded on this when he wrote, “There is the sea, vast and spacious, . . . and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there” (Psalm 104:25–26). After the terrifying description in Job, we learn that God created a playpen for this most fearsome of all creatures. Leviathan frolics.

We have the present to explore the ocean. We’ll have eternity to explore the wonders of our magnificent, mysterious, playful God.

Our exploration of creation teaches us about the Creator.

INSIGHT

To learn more about the Creator, check out christianuniversity.org/CA203.

[luvie]

Grateful for my corner of the world.
Happy GratiTuesday!

[The Mayor]

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Strangers Welcome Strangers

July 11, 2018

When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. . . . Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. Leviticus 19:33–34

When my husband and I moved to Seattle to be near his sister, we didn’t know where we would live or work. A local church helped us find a place: a rental house with many bedrooms. We could live in one bedroom, and rent the others to international students. For the next three years, we were strangers welcoming strangers: sharing our home and meals with people from all over the world. We and our housemates also welcomed dozens of international students into our home every Friday night for Bible study.

God’s people know what it means to be far from home. For several hundred years, the Israelites were literal foreigners—and slaves—in Egypt. In Leviticus 19, alongside familiar instructions like “Respect your mother and father” and “Do not steal” (vv. 3, 11), God reminded His people to empathetically care for foreigners, because they knew what it was like to be foreigners and afraid (vv. 33–34).

While not all of us as followers of God today have experienced literal exile, we all know how it feels to be “foreigners” on earth (1 Peter 2:11)—people who feel like outsiders because our ultimate allegiance is to a heavenly kingdom. We are called to create a community of hospitality—strangers welcoming strangers into God’s family. The hospitable welcome my husband and I experienced in Seattle taught us to extend welcome to others—and this is at the heart of being the family of God (Romans 12:13).

To whom can I show hospitality?

INSIGHT

God promised the Israelites they would always have enough food to eat if they remained faithful to Him (Leviticus 26:3–5). Because God promised to provide for them, He commanded them to provide for the poor and the needy. God gave various harvest laws (Leviticus 19:9–10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 23:24–25; 24:19–22) to enable the poor to “work” for their food with dignity without having to resort to begging or stealing. We also see this compassionate law of gleaning in the story of Ruth (Ruth 2).

[MEG33]

*Happy Warm Fuzzy Wednesday To All*

Family Fun At The Park
*** Have A Great Day***

Please Click The Pic To Support Free Republic

[left that other site]

happy Warm & Fuzzy Wednesday!

Stay Cool and Have a Beautiful Day!

((((HUGS))))

ML/LTOS

[MEG33]

Amen to this wonderful message, Rus. Thank you
for starting our day off right every day.
You Are A Blessing

[MEG33]

Precious pup! Thank you, ML.

[trisham]

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!
***
Summer Sun

Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven with repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy’s inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.
***

from A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson (1885)

[luvie]

Happy Hot...
...drink lots of water...
and Fuzzy
Wednesday!!

[MEG33]

Love this!
I have not seen any wild animals drunking from the bitd bath saucers recently but I have seen an occasional kitty come to drink.

[luvie]

Same here. We have a small birdbath and I haven’t even seen any birds taking a bath there. I’m glad it’s there, though, in case the actual kitty water dish becomes empty before I notice it.

It’s just too hot for anything or anyone to go without water...or something else cold to drink.

[Kitty Mittens]

Thank you to Everyone for the Beautiful Daily Pings.
(((((Hugs, and God Bless)))))

[The Mayor]

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An Anchor When We’re Afraid

July 12, 2018

I, even I, am he who comforts you. Isaiah 51:12

Are you a worrier? I am. I wrestle with anxiety almost daily. I worry about big things. I worry about small things. Sometimes, it seems like I worry about everything. Once in my teens, I called the police when my parents were four hours late getting home.

Scripture repeatedly tells us not to be afraid. Because of God’s goodness and power, and because He sent Jesus to die for us and His Holy Spirit to guide us, our fears don’t have to rule our lives. We may well face hard things, but God has promised to be with us through it all.

One passage that has helped me profoundly in fearful moments is Isaiah 51:12–16. Here, God reminded His people, who had endured tremendous suffering, that He was still with them, and that His comforting presence is the ultimate reality. No matter how bad things may seem: “I, even I, am he who comforts you,” He told them through the prophet Isaiah (v. 12).

I love that promise. Those eight words have been an emotion-steadying anchor for my soul. I’ve clung to this promise repeatedly when life has felt overwhelming, when my own “constant terror” (v. 13) has felt oppressive. Through this passage, God reminds me to lift my eyes from my fears and in faith and dependence to look to the One who “stretches out the heavens” (v. 13)—the One who promises to comfort us.

Lord, sometimes the struggles we face in life seem so big. But You are bigger. Help us to cling to Your promise of comfort in fearful moments and to experience Your loving provision as we trust You. 

God’s comforting presence is more powerful than our fears.

 

INSIGHT

Isaiah is fond of using imagery to display distinct ideas that are sometimes complementary and sometimes contrasting. Today’s passage presents contrasting ideas. In offering comfort to the people of Israel, Isaiah paints a portrait that gives the reader a beautiful vision of who God is in comparison to those who were trying to harm them. Notice the contrasts in verses 12–15: Mortals are like grass, while God stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth; the oppressor who stirs up wrath is nothing compared to the God who stirs the sea. While these words are comforting—after all, God is the one who covers us with the shadow of His hand—it’s important to understand that they don’t simply bypass the struggles we face. Isaiah acknowledges there is in fact an oppressor, and that oppressor is full of wrath. But he encourages us to see our difficulties in light of who God is and what He can do.

What difficult situation do you need to view in comparison with God’s power?

[MEG33]

Red Tailed Hawk

A Happy Thankful Thursday To Amy's Place

I thank God for all the birds who come to drink and bathe but I saw a first
time ever sight this week...a Red Tailed Hawk bathing on my patio.
The bird saucer was smaller than depicted so his body filled it up.
LOL!
I Wish You A Beautiful Thankful Day

[trisham]

Beautiful birds!

[MEG33]

I have Titmice, Chicadees, Carolina Wrens, and a pair of Cardinals come regularly to bathe and drink and oddly most at the same time...

I have three bird bath contsiners...2 clay saucers and a cute birdbath that sit flat on the patio.
It’s the critters that are a no show..

We had our first shower that was enough to wet the patio this week...My yard has missed the rain that fell around my area. I was thankful for every drop...We are 9 inches below normal rain fall.

[trisham]

“Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember
how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.."

-Marcus Aurelius

Have a wonderful thankful Thursday, everyone!

My niece and her first child. :)

[MEG33]

Indeed! I was so glad I was glancing out the sliding door at just the right time.