Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 101

Lent Day 26: Thursday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent

12 Many bulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

13 They open wide their mouth at me,

As a ravening and a roaring lion. ~ Psalm 22:12-13 (NASB)

Heavenly Father, I’ve always heard that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But You know that isn’t true. People who are verbally abused can be emotionally devastated by the words they hear. Long before Jesus came to earth, Your Word foretold that He would be taunted, tormented, and mocked. Yet He took this abuse willingly for me and all who accept Him as Lord and Savior. He is my Lord and Savior, and He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, world without end. Amen.

photo by:


tamburix

April Is National Autism Awareness Month

April is National Autism Awareness Month. There are so many diseases and disorders that it’s impossible to highlight them all. Usually I choose to focus on diseases and issues that have directly affected people close to me, and often I like to bring attention to conditions that aren’t well-known, or if well-known, not well understood.

No one in my family has experienced autism. However, it is definitely poorly understood by most people, and I’ve seen friends deal with autism in their families. There are several lovely families in my church who have children who fall somewhere on the autism spectrum. In many ways, children with autism remind me of elderly persons with dementia.

Since I cared for both my father and my husband with Alzheimer’s, I am very familiar with dementia. I see many similarities between dementia and autism.

In most cases, the cause of the disorder is not known.
As one father I know describes his son, individuals with dementia and autism are “wired differently.”
Often, the children or adults can’t describe what they are feeling, so they act out in ways that others may think are simply bad behaviors, when, in fact, the behaviors are in response to real pain, needs, or fears.
Individuals with autism and dementia are often treated rudely or thoughtlessly by those who don’t understand that it is the disorder/disease, not the person, that is acting in a way deemed inappropriate.
Children with autism and adults with dementia are human beings, created by a loving God in His image, and deserve care, compassion, and respect.

If you don’t know much about autism, April is an excellent time to learn.

O HEAVENLY Father, we beseech thee to have mercy upon all thy children who are “wired differently.” Surround them with families and friends who are patient and understanding and give the children and their loved ones thy peace that passes understanding; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lent Day 25: Wednesday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent

1 Who has believed our message?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,

And like a root out of parched ground;

He has no stately form or majesty

That we should look upon Him,

Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

3 He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,

So He did not open His mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off out of the land of the living

For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

10 But the Lord was pleased

To crush Him, putting Him to grief;

If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,

He will see His offspring,

He will prolong His days,

And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

By His knowledge the Righteous One,

My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors. ~ Isaiah 53 (NASB)

Lord God, every time I read or hear or think of the great sacrifice Christ made to cleanse me from my sins and to give me eternal life, I am amazed and awed again. You did not coerce Him into giving up His life, and the Jews and Romans who orchestrated His death were simply the agents to accomplish what He did willingly as part of Your plan. The beatings and crown of thorns and taunting and death on the cross were more than I could bear, yet for Jesus, those things paled in significance compared to the separation from You that He experienced at the moment of His death. He had been so close to You forever, but He allowed Himself to be separated from You by the darkness and sin that I and others committed. Thank You, Lord Jesus. By the Holy Spirit, enable me to live my life to glorify You, and always keep me grateful for Your great love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lent Day 24: Tuesday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent

Behold, My servant will prosper,

He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.

14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people,

So His appearance was marred more than any man

And His form more than the sons of men.

15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations,

Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;

For what had not been told them they will see,

And what they had not heard they will understand.~ Isaiah 52:13-15 (NASB)

Heavenly Father, thank You that through Jesus, who was treated horribly and executed in the most cruel and inhumane way possible, Your plan of salvation is a success. I am forgiven and sins forgotten, and the same applies to everyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In His name we pray. Amen.

photo by:


jezobeljones

Lent Day 23: Monday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent

1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. 9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” ~ Genesis 22:1-14 (NASB)

Lord God, I read of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice His son to You just as many years later, You sacrificed Your only Son for the sins of the whole world, and I marvel at the great faith and the great love. Would I respond as Abraham did if I were put to the test? Search my heart and strengthen my faith so that I would sacrifice anything for You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

photo by:


jezobeljones

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

3 For I was envious of the arrogant

As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 For there are no pains in their death,

And their body is fat.

5 They are not in trouble as other men,

Nor are they plagued like mankind.

6 Therefore pride is their necklace;

The garment of violence covers them.

7 Their eye bulges from fatness;

The imaginations of their heart run riot.

8 They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;

They speak from on high. ~ Psalm 78:3-8 (NASB)

Heavenly Father, though Your Word commands us to teach future generations about what You have done for us, we are like the people of Israel—hard-headed and rebellious, with spirits unfaithful to You. I look at the world around me and realize this country, which began as a Christian nation, is no longer in Your will. Sometimes I get discouraged and want to give up, but You call me to discipleship. You will hold me and every other Christian accountable for what we do to spread Your Word. Going into all the world to spread the Gospel is not just the job of missionaries and preachers, it is the job of me and every other Christian layperson. I may not be able to go to other countries, but I can reach people around the world on the Internet. I can support missionaries with money and prayers. Show me what You would have to do and empower me to do it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

photo by:


tamburix

Lent Day 22: Saturday after the Third Sunday in Lent

12 Many bulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

13 They open wide their mouth at me,

As a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It is melted within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And You lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded me;

A band of evildoers has encompassed me;

They pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones.

They look, they stare at me;

18 They divide my garments among them,

And for my clothing they cast lots. ~ Psalm 22:12-18 (NASB)

Lord God Almighty, I am amazed that David predicted Jesus’ Crucifixion hundreds of years before it happened. These verses describe Jesus on the cross. Jesus knew what He would have to endure; He knew the pain and suffering that would be required of Him. Yet, He willingly endured torture that would have killed most of us and the ignoble death on the cross so my sins could be forgiven. You love me that much, that You would put Your Beloved Son through such agony for me. I can never express enough gratitude for that sacrifice. No matter what I do, I can never repay this great gift. All I can do is accept Jesus in my heart and in my life; love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind; and walk in Your ways, which I commit to do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lent Day 21: Friday after the Third Sunday in Lent

4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;

Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;

What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

5 O God, it is You who knows my folly,

And my wrongs are not hidden from You.

6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;

May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;

Dishonor has covered my face.

8 I have become estranged from my brothers

And an alien to my mother’s sons.

9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me,

And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I wept in my soul with fasting,

It became my reproach.

11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became a byword to them.

12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me,

And I am the song of the drunkards. ~ Psalm 69:4-12 (NASB)

Eternal Lord, the Psalmist was derided, gossiped about, and mocked for no good reason. I have not faced those difficulties to the degree the Psalmist was, but I have had people make fun of me for being “too honest,” “too prudish,” or “too religious.” Let me never change from following You because someone mocks me. Let the mockery motivate me to love You more and follow You more closely. Let me find encouragement rather than discouragement when people see my actions and recognize me as Your follower. Let me wear as a badge of honor the disdain of those who see me as a “goody two-shoes.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lent Day 20: Thursday after the Third Sunday in Lent

21 “Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,

For the hand of God has struck me.

22 “Why do you persecute me as God does,

And are not satisfied with my flesh?

23 “Oh that my words were written!

Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

24 “That with an iron stylus and lead

They were engraved in the rock forever!

25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

26 “Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

27 Whom I myself shall behold,

And whom my eyes will see and not another.

My heart faints within me!

28 “If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’

And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’

29 “Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,

For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,

So that you may know there is judgment.” ~ Job 19:21-29 (NASB

Lord, I know that my Redeemer lives, and I will stand before Him, face-to-face, and be judged. If I were judged by own actions, I would be condemned and sent to hell. Yet, You sent Jesus to take the punishment I deserved and wipe my sin away. I will stand before You on Judgment Day washed white as snow, but my sins have been paid for, forgiven, and forgotten. Thank You, Lord! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

photo by:


jezobeljones

A Unique and Personal Gift for a Loved One

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and graduations are coming up, and birthdays and anniversaries occur throughout the year. We have many occasions to give gifts to loved ones, and most of us sometimes find it hard to choose the perfect gift the recipient will love.

Lil Country Store, the convenience store/gift shop my sister and I own near Dilley, Texas, has the answer. And you don’t have to go to the store to make it happen.

I will craft a unique literary creation (story, poem, or essay) about the recipient. You can choose a story with your loved one and family and friends as the characters. Or I can write a poem or essay describing what that person means to you. I can make it humorous or passionate and can use special words and phrases that are significant to you and your loved one.

These personalized literary works are perfect for milestone birthdays or anniversaries, graduation, and special occasions like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Although I can usually create these special gifts within three weeks, six weeks’ advance notice is recommended to ensure I don’t have to rush. Creativity works better when it’s not in a hurry!

You need to schedule a one-hour phone conversation with me to discuss what you would like.  The best way to contact me is via the “email me” link on the right sidebar. Tell me you’d like to schedule a phone appointment for a literary gift and let me know the best day(s) and time(s) for you. Generally, afternoons (Central time) work best for me, but I can be flexible.

You may also email with questions. I look forward to hearing about someone you love and to writing a literary creation just for them!

 

 

photos by:


Ken's Oven &

Ken's Oven