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

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

[JustAmy]

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1/01/2021 | The Mayor; Luvie; JustAmy

Posted on 01/01/2021 6:43:29 AM PST by 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!



Never Forget!





Bad Penny



Amy's personal guardian ~
the ever charming, lovable, huggable,
LouieWolf




Many thanks for stopping by. : )

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous; Poetry; The Poetry Branch; Click to Add Topic
KEYWORDS: amysplace; friendship; january2022; poetry; Click to Add Keyword

1 posted on 01/01/2021 6:43:29 AM PST by JustAmy

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Saturday,
December 10, 2022

Running to Our Shelter

Read: 2 Samuel 22:1–7

The Lord is my rock, . . . He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior. 2 Samuel 22:2–3

The sixth-grade basketball game was well underway. Parents and grandparents were cheering on their players, while younger brothers and sisters of the boys on the teams entertained themselves out in the school hallway. Suddenly, sirens blared and lights flashed in the gym. A fire alarm had been tripped. Soon the siblings came streaming back into the gym in panic, looking for their parents.

There was no fire; the alarm had accidentally been activated. But as I watched, I was struck by the way the children—sensing a crisis—unashamedly ran to embrace their parents. What a picture of confidence in those who could provide a sense of safety and reassurance in a time of fear!

Scripture presents a time when David experienced great fear. Saul and numerous other enemies (2 Samuel 22:1) pursued him. After God delivered David to safety, the grateful man sang an eloquent song of praise about His help. He called God “my rock, my fortress and my deliverer” (v. 2). When the “cords of the grave” and “the snares of death” (v. 6) hounded him, David “called out” to God and his “cry came to [God’s] ears” (v. 7). In the end, David proclaimed He “rescued me” (vv. 18, 20, 49).

In times of fear and uncertainty, we can run to the “Rock” (v. 32). As we call on God’s name, He alone provides the refuge and shelter we need (vv. 2–3). — Dave Branon

What fear are you dealing with these days? How can God help you face it and deal with it?

Dear God, when I’m afraid, remind me to trust You—to depend on You—and praise Your name.

For further study, read Hope: Choosing Faith Instead of Fear.

Bible in a year: Hosea 1–4; Revelation 1

[TheConservativeParty]

Happy Caturday!
Fog and light rain here, no sun today.
Glad the snow is melting.

Hope you had a good day!
🙂

[left that other site]

Happy Saturday!

We Had Our First Snow Today. It Didn't Stick Though. (Thank Goodness!) Sorry To Disappoint You Guys!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[TheConservativeParty]

Moose loves the snow. Me, not so much loving snow. Plenty of 40 degree days in the forecast though.

🐶❄️

[left that other site]

40 will meltathin coating ofsnow...deeper stuff not somuch.

[luvie]

CELEBRATE THE REAL REASON
FOR THE SEASON!

Clay Aiken~Mary Did You Know

Ambrosian Men's Choir~The Birth of Jesus

Bing Crosby~Silent Night

Chris Botti~Ave Maria

Folk Angel~Come O Come Emmanuel

Jim Brickman~O Holy Night

Mannheim Steamroller~Joy To The World

Trans-Siberian Orchestra~An Angel Came Down

BLESSED CHRISTMAS ALL!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Sunday,
December 11, 2022

Clinging to What’s Good

Read: Romans 12:9–13

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Romans 12:9

When we park our car near an open field and walk across it to get to our house, we almost always get some sticky cockleburs on our clothes—especially in the fall. These tiny “hitchhikers” attach to clothing, shoes, or whatever is passing by and ride to their next destination. It’s nature’s way of spreading cocklebur seeds in my local field and around the world.

As I try to carefully remove clinging cockleburs, I’ve often thought about the message that admonishes believers in Jesus to “cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). When we’re trying to love others, it can be challenging. However, as the Holy Spirit helps us hold on to what’s good with all we have, we can repel evil and be “sincere” in our love as He guides us (v. 9).

Cocklebur seeds don’t fall off with a mere brush of the hand, they hang on to you. And when we focus on what’s good, keeping our mind on God’s mercy, compassion, and commands, we too—in His strength—can hang on tightly to those we love. He helps us stay “devoted to one another in love,” remembering to place other’s needs before our own (v. 10).

Yes, those cockleburs can be challenging, but they also remind me to cling to others in love and by God’s power to grip tightly “what is good” (v. 9; see also Philippians 4:8–9). — Katara Patton

How can clinging to what’s good help you love a challenging friend or family member? How is sincere love also a tenacious love?

Remind me to cling with all my might to what’s good, Jesus. I desire to reflect Your love to others.

For further study, read What Do You Do with a Broken Relationship?

Bible in a year: Hosea 5–8; Revelation 2

[TheConservativeParty]

Have a good Sunday
😇

[luvie]

Hope you had a good Sunday and that you have a great week...and no more snow for a while!

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Monday,
December 12, 2022

I Heard the Bells

Read: Psalm 43

Why, my soul, are you downcast? . . . Put your hope in God. Psalm 43:5

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” based on an 1863 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is a truly unusual Christmas song. Instead of the expected Christmas joy and mirth, the lyric forms a lament, crying out, “And in despair I bowed my head / There is no peace on earth I said / For hate is strong and mocks the song / Of peace on earth, good will to men.” This lament, however, moves forward into hope, reassuring us that “God is not dead, nor does he sleep / The wrong shall fail, the right prevail / With peace on earth goodwill toward men.”

The pattern of hope rising out of lament is also found in the lament psalms of the Bible. As such, Psalm 43 begins with the psalmist crying out about his enemies who attack him (v. 1) and his God who seems to have forgotten him (v. 2). But the singer doesn’t stay in lament—he looks up to the God he doesn’t fully understand but still trusts, singing, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5).

Life is filled with reasons for lament, and we all experience them on a regular basis. But, if we allow that lament to point us to the God of hope, we can sing joyfully—even if we sing through our tears. — Bill Crowder

What concerns are you experiencing in this moment? From the testimony of Scripture, how can God offer you hope in this season of life?

I cry to You, Father, as I struggle under the burdens of life. Remind me that my help comes from above, from the Maker of heaven and earth.

Bible in a year: Hosea 9–11; Revelation 3

[luvie]

Happy REALLY Monday Madness!

[left that other site]

Happy Monday Madness!

Hey Mom...Why Don't You Like Snow? It's AWESOME!!!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

....sez the one who doesn’t have to shovel it. LOL!

[luvie]

Grateful for Best FRiends!
Happy GratiTuesday

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Tuesday,
December 13, 2022

The Meaning of Life

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50–58

Death has been swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:54

A short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges tells of a Roman soldier, Marcus Rufus, who drinks from a “secret river that purifies men of death.” In time, though, Marcus realizes immortality wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: life without limits was life without significance. In fact, it is death itself that gives meaning to life. Marcus finds an antidote—a spring of clear water. After drinking from it, he scratches his hand on a thorn, and a drop of blood forms, signifying his restored mortality.

Like Marcus, we too sometimes despair over the decline of life and the prospect of death (Psalm 88:3). We agree that death gives significance to life. But this is where the stories diverge. Unlike Marcus, we know it’s in Christ’s death that we find the true meaning of our lives. With the shedding of His blood on the cross, Christ conquered death, swallowing it up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54). For us, the antidote is in the “living water” of Jesus Christ (John 4:10). Because we drink that, all the rules of life, death, and life immortal have changed (1 Corinthians 15:52).

It’s true, we won’t escape physical death, but that isn’t the point. Jesus upends all our despair about life and death (Hebrews 2:11–15). In Christ, we’re reassured with the hope of heaven and of meaningful joy in eternal life with Him. — Kenneth Petersen

What are you worried about? What are your thoughts about the prospect of death? How does 1 Corinthians 15 encourage you?

God, help me to embrace Your promises about deliverance into eternal life with You.

Bible in a year: Hosea 12–14; Revelation 4

[left that other site]

Happy Gratituesday!

I Am Grateful For My Dear FRiends!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

[Silentgypsy]

Thank you.

[luvie]

Love poodles!

[The Mayor]

Our Daily Bread

Wednesday,
December 14, 2022

In His Hands

Read: Job 38:4–21

What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Job 38:19

William Shatner played Captain Kirk on the television series Star Trek, but he was unprepared for a real trip into space. He called his eleven-minute sub-orbital flight “the most profound experience I can imagine.” He stepped out of his rocket and marveled, “To see the blue color go right by you and now you’re staring into blackness, that’s the thing.” You “look down and there’s the blue down there and the black up there.” He added, “The beauty of that color and it’s so thin and you’re through it in an instant.”

Our planet is a blue dot surrounded by utter darkness. It’s unsettling. Shatner said that flying from blue sky into blackness was like flying into death. “In an instant, you go, ‘Whoa, that’s death!’ That’s what I saw. It was so moving to me. This experience, it’s something unbelievable.”

Shatner’s shattering flight puts life in perspective. We’re small objects in the universe, yet we’re loved by the One who created light and separated it from the darkness (Genesis 1:3–4). Our Father knows where the darkness resides and the path to its dwelling (Job 38:19–20). He “laid the earth’s foundation . . . while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (vv. 4–7).

Let’s trust our small lives to the God who holds the whole universe in His hands. — Mike Wittmer

What comes to mind as you consider the vastness of space? What does the night sky reveal about God? 

Father, You rule this world and all that lies beyond. I trust Your powerful love.

For further study, read Get Outside: Knowing God Through His Creation.

Bible in a year: Joel 1–3; Revelation 5

[luvie]

Midnight sez Hi...
...and Happy Warm & Fuzzy
Wednesday!