Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... January - December, 2022

1-01-2022 | The Mayor; Luvie; JustAmy

[left that other site]

I once rode a retired race horse in Jamaica, in the Blue Mountains, and he started eating Coffee Beans right off the tree. As if he wasn’t lively enough! :-)

[TheConservativeParty]

Oh boy, no caffeine needed with horses. 🙃

[left that other site]

You are RIGHT about that! :-)

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Wednesday,
May 25, 2022

Run Away

Read: Matthew 26:47–56

How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way? Matthew 26:54

The introductory lesson on aikido, a traditional Japanese form of martial arts, was an eye-opener. The sensei, or teacher, told us that when faced with an attacker, our first response should be to “run away.” “Only if you can’t run away, then you fight,” he said seriously.

Run away? I was taken aback. Why was this highly skilled self-defense instructor telling us to run away from a fight? It seemed counterintuitive—until he explained that the best form of self-defense is to avoid fighting in the first place. Of course!

When several men came to arrest Jesus, Peter responded as some of us might have by drawing his sword to attack one of them (Matthew 26:51; see John 18:10). But Jesus told him to put it away, saying, “How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:54).

While a sense of justice is important, so is understanding God’s purpose and kingdom—an “upside-down” kingdom that calls us to love our enemies and return evil with kindness (5:44). It’s a stark contrast to how the world might react, yet it’s a response that God seeks to nurture in us.

Luke 22:51 even describes Jesus healing the ear of the man Peter had struck. May we learn to respond to difficult situations as He did, always seeking peace and restoration as God provides what we need. — Leslie Koh

How did you respond to a difficult situation recently? How does this compare with how you think Jesus might have responded?

Father God, give me a new understanding of Your greater purposes in Your kingdom, and a godly, loving, and peace-seeking heart to respond to situations as Your Son did.

Bible in a year: 1 Chronicles 25–27; John 9:1–23

[luvie]

That picture wasn’t taken this year. The daisies don’t look as thick or healthy as they did last year. Nothing does with our lack of rain.

[luvie]

Grey Chilling In The Sunshine
Happy Warm & Fuzzy Wednesday!

[left that other site]

Happy Warm & Fuzzy Wednesday!

Blessings On You All, From The Warm & Fuzzy Trio!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[TheConservativeParty]

Happy Warm Fuzzy Wednesday!
Rained all day today.
Stayed inside with Moose.
Got a lot of rest.
☺️☔️💦🐶

[luvie]

Good way to spend a rainy day and I’ll bet Moose enjoyed having you there.

[TheConservativeParty]

Yep, Moose likes his peeps to be home with him. 🐤🐶

[luvie]

Moose is smart!

[Kitty Mittens]

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

[luvie]

Nighty-night from Peaches, Ginger and me.

[Allegra]

Awwww…beautiful kittehs!

[luvie]

Thanks. They’re sweeties. To me...not so much to each other. One provokes [Ginger, female] and the other [Peaches, male] falls for it. Every time! LOL!

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Thursday,
May 26, 2022

Turn Up the Heat

Read: Revelation 3:14–22

Be earnest and repent. Revelation 3:19

Temperatures where we live in Colorado can change quickly—sometimes within a few minutes. So my husband, Dan, was curious about the temperature differences in and around our home. As a fan of gadgets, he was excited to unpack his latest “toy”—a thermometer showing temperature readings from four “zones” around our house. Joking that it was a “silly” gadget, I was surprised to find myself frequently checking the temperatures too. The differences inside and out fascinated me.

Jesus used temperature to describe the “lukewarm” church in Laodicea, one of the richest of the seven cities cited in the book of Revelation. A bustling banking, clothing, and medical hub, the city was hampered by a poor water supply, so it needed an aqueduct to carry water from a hot spring. By the time the water arrived in Laodicea, however, it was neither hot nor cold.

The church was tepid too. Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16). As Christ explained, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (v. 19).

Our Savior’s plea remains urgent for us too. Are you spiritually neither hot nor cold? Accept His correction and ask Him to help you live an earnest, fired-up faith. — Patricia Raybon

What’s the temperature of your faith? If your commitment to God is lukewarm, how will you pray to seek more loving heat and zeal?

If my commitment to You cools down, Father, send the loving heat of Your Holy Spirit to awaken and warm up my faith.

Bible in a year: 1 Chronicles 28–29; John 9:24–41

[luvie]

Happy
Thank-The-Troops
Thursday!

[left that other site]

Happy Thankful Thursday!

I Am Thankful For My Dear FRiends.

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Friday,
May 27, 2022

The Forecaster’s Mistake

Read: Jeremiah 23:16–22

Let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. Jeremiah 23:28

At noon on September 21, 1938, a young meteorologist warned the U.S. Weather Bureau of two fronts forcing a hurricane northward toward New England. But the chief of forecasting scoffed at Charles Pierce’s prediction. Surely a tropical storm wouldn’t strike so far north.

Two hours later, the 1938 New England Hurricane made landfall on Long Island. By 4:00 p.m. it had reached New England, tossing ships onto land as homes crumbled into the sea. More than six hundred people died. Had the victims received Pierce’s warning—based on solid data and his detailed maps—they likely would have survived.

The concept of knowing whose word to heed has precedent in Scripture. In Jeremiah’s day, God warned His people against false prophets. “Do not listen [to them],” He said. “They fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:16). God said of them, “If they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people” (v. 22).

“False prophets” are still with us. “Experts” dispense advice while ignoring God altogether or twisting His words to suit their purposes. But through His Word and Spirit, God has given us what we need to begin to discern the false from the true. As we gauge everything by the truth of His Word, our own words and lives will increasingly reflect that truth to others. — Tim Gustafson

What’s the standard you use when you decide whether something is true? What in your attitude needs to change toward those who disagree with you?

Loving God, so many claim to speak for You these days. Help me learn what You really have to say. Make me sensitive to Your Spirit, not the spirit of this world.

Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 1–3; John 10:1–23

[luvie]

The Great War 1914-1918

We Shall Keep the Faith
by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

Inspired by:“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae

FourHymn~In Flanders Fields.mp3

God Hold Close The Fallen Heroes
From All Ages, From All Wars
This Memorial Day