Amy's Place ... Poetry and Potpourri ... January - December, 2023

The Mayor; Luvie; JustAmy

[luvie]

Yay!! Flowers!

[TheConservativeParty]

Felt like it was 50 here today, and sunny!
😄

[TheConservativeParty]

Can’t wait for all the tulips and daffodils to bloom.
Planted a lot of them last fall and the year before.
🙂

[luvie]

I know this will cheer you up. I have lots of lilies and bulbs with leaves...or whatever they’re called...but no blooms yet.

[The Mayor]

March 22

Permission to Rest

Bible in a Year:

• Joshua 10–12
• Luke 1:39–56

God had finished the work . . . so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

Genesis 2:2

We sat atop some beach boulders, my friend Soozi and I, watching the foam send up sea spray in arched curls. Looking at the incoming waves crashing one after another against the rocks, Soozi announced, “I love the ocean. It keeps moving so I don’t have to!”

Isn’t it interesting how some of us feel we need “permission” to pause from our work to rest? Well, that’s just what our good God offers us! For six days, God spun the earth into existence, creating light, land, vegetation, animals, and humans. Then on the seventh day, He rested (Genesis 1:31–2:2). In the Ten Commandments, God listed His rules for healthy living to honor Him (Exodus 20:3–17), including the command to remember the Sabbath as a day of rest (vv. 8–11). In the New Testament, we see Jesus healing all the sick of the town (Mark 1:29–34) and then early the next morning retreating to a solitary place to pray (v. 35). Purposefully, our God both worked and rested.

The rhythm of God’s provision in work and His invitation to rest reverberates around us. Spring’s planting yields growth in summer, harvest in autumn, and rest in winter. Morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night. God orders our lives for both work and rest, offering us permission to do both.

Reflect & Pray

How would you assess the balance in your life between work and rest? When and how might you pause each day to reflect on God’s example of rhythm and rest?

Dear God, thank You that You made me to follow after Your heart, to both work and rest for Your glory and my good.

[luvie]

Happy VERY Warm & Fuzzy
Wednesday!

[TheConservativeParty]

Happy Warm Fuzzy Wednesday!

Nice here today. No wind at all. I like that.

Cheers
🌷🌷🌷

[The Mayor]

March 23

Why Do This?

Bible in a Year:

• Joshua 13–15
• Luke 1:57–80

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

Psalm 19:7 As I was helping my sixth-grade grandson, Logan, with some tough algebra-type homework, he told me of his dream of becoming an engineer. After we returned to figuring out what to do with the x’s and y’s in his assignment, he said, “When am I ever going to use this stuff?”

I couldn’t help but smile, saying, “Well, Logan, this is exactly the stuff you’ll use if you become an engineer!” He hadn’t realized the connection between algebra and his hoped-for future.

Sometimes we view Scripture that way. When we listen to sermons and read certain parts of the Bible, we may think, “When am I ever going to use this?” The psalmist David had some answers. He said God’s truths found in Scripture are effective for “refreshing the soul,” “making wise the simple,” and “giving joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:7–8). The wisdom of Scripture, found in the first five books of the Bible as referred to in Psalm 19 (as well as all of Scripture), helps us as we daily rely on the Spirit’s leading (Proverbs 2:6).

And without the Scriptures, we’d lack the vital way God has provided for us to experience Him and better know His love and ways. Why study the Bible? Because “the commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:8).

Reflect & Pray

Why is the wisdom found in Scripture relevant for you today? How can you grow in your understanding of it?

Loving God, please make Your Word a light to my path. Help me to use the wisdom of Scripture to direct my steps and grow to love You more.

[luvie]

No wind is always a good thing!

[luvie]

Spring Has Sprung! Thankfully!
Happy Thankful Thursday!

[left that other site]

Spring Has Sprung!

Meh. I "Spring" Several Times A Day! (Tippy The Cattle Dog)

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[luvie]

I’ll bet she does...especially when you ask her if she wants to go for a ride or to go for a walk. *sproing-sproing*

[left that other site]

However, she was not too thrilled to go to the Vet today. He does unspeakable indignities to her.

[luvie]

Ohhhhh, the inhumanity! Is she pouting?

[left that other site]

No, she’s fine. She’s made of sterner stuff.

I held her and sang to her:

“She’s a Good Girl,
Loves her mama...”

[luvie]

Awwww....what a good doggie momma!

[Kitty Mittens]

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

[luvie]

Nighty-night, Kitty!

[beachn4fun]

OMG! LOL. What a great shot.

Good morning and Happy Spring ML ((HUGS))

[left that other site]

That’s an Internet picture.

However, Tippy The Cattle Dog is from Texas, so I imagine she has done stuff like that. :-)