Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 103

Lent Day 11: Monday after the Second Sunday in Lent

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to captives

And freedom to prisoners;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. ~ Isaiah 61:1-3 (NASB

Lord, You have called each of us for a special purpose. It’s easy to think that I can leave it to the ministers and church leaders to build Your Kingdom, but that’s not what You want me to do. You want each of us—You want ME to bring the good news to the poor, to spread Your Word and Your love, to share with those who do not know You that You turn their sorrow into gladness, to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise, so that they stand for Your Eternal glory. Give me the wisdom, the strength, and the courage to carry out Your purpose in my life for Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

photo by:


jezobeljones

The Second Sunday in Lent

15 Thus says the Lord,

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children;

She refuses to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more.”~ Jeremiah 31:15 (NASB)

Lord God Almighty, I know You are a just God who requires punishment for sins. The people of the Old Testament were punished by war and oppression and slavery. My punishment is death. Yet Jesus has already taken my punishment for me. He was tortured and crucified, buried in a tomb with a rock rolled in front for security, and He rose again on the third day. By his actions, He willingly took on the punishment for my sins. All that is asked of me is to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, take up my cross, and follow You. Search my heart, Lord, and cleanse me so that I can love You completely, follow You faithfully, and seek Your Kingdom whole-heartedly. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

photo by:


tamburix

Lent Day 10: Saturday after the First Sunday in Lent

11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,

In His arm He will gather the lambs

And carry them in His bosom;

He will gently lead the nursing ewes. ~ Isaiah 40:11 (NASB)

Holy Father, the Lord everlasting, I am one of Your weak lambs. Thank You that Jesus gathers me to Him and carries me in His arms. I cannot do anything on my own. I totally depend on You. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Lent Day 9: Friday after the First Sunday in Lent

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened

And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

For waters will break forth in the wilderness

And streams in the Arabah.

7 The scorched land will become a pool

And the thirsty ground springs of water;

In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,

Grass becomes reeds and rushes. ~ Isaiah 35:5-7 (NASB)

Lord, how I long for that great day when weeping will turn to joy, waters will pour through the desert, and dry, arid land will turn lush and green. Give me wisdom and discernment to live my life so that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and I will see streams flowing in godforsaken lands. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

photo by:


tamburix

Lent Day 8: Thursday after the First Sunday in Lent

15 I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment. ~ Ezekiel 34:15-16 (NASB)

Lord, I am a sheep of Your flock. You give me rest; You find me and bring me back when I am lost; You bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. Yet I don’t like to admit to weakness. I want to be strong on my own—I want to be the fat and powerful sheep, but that is who You destroy. Your will is for me to depend totally on You and not myself. Help me, O Father, to trust You implicitly and depend on You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

photo by:


tamburix

Why Should I Endorse You?

I appreciate referrals and testimonials from my clients, and I like to refer and recommend people and companies who have served me well.

If we have done business or even worked together in a volunteer capacity, feel free to ask me if I would recommend you. If I was satisfied (and you would know if I wasn’t), I’ll be glad to share my experience with others.

However, I don’t understand the requests I get on LinkedIn from connections that I’ve never worked with. “Can you take a minute and go to www.websiteiveneverheardof.com and endorse me for xyz?”

These requests are coming from people with whom I share some common interests, but I haven’t ever used their products or services. I’m sure they send the request to all their connections, whether those people have any real knowledge of the work done by the requester. However, I don’t endorse people if I don’t have experience with them.

In addition to asking me to endorse something I don’t know about, these people are asking me to visit a website I’ve never heard of. Although I’ve never clicked through, I suspect that I would have to register at the site in order to leave an endorsement. I wouldn’t join another site just to leave an endorsement for someone I don’t know.

The skill endorsements that LinkedIn solicits are different. LinkedIn shows connections with the question: “Does this person know about .” It doesn’t ask if the person is an expert–just whether they know about it. If someone has published a book (whether self-published or traditionally published), I trust they know about books and publishing, and I will endorse them accordingly. On the other hand, if I haven’t worked with them directly, I don’t endorse them for Microsoft Office or editing because they could publish a book without those specific skills.

In short, when I endorse someone it’s because I have experience or knowledge on which to base the endorsement. So the next time you’re tempted to spam all your LinkedIn connections with endorsement requests, think about it. Can the people you’re sending the request to really speak authoritatively about your work? If not, why would you waste your time and theirs asking them for an endorsement they can’t legitimately give?

 

Lent Day 7: Wednesday after the First Sunday in Lent

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah. ~ Psalm 49:15 (NASB)

Heavenly Father, I deserve to die forever for the sins I have committed. Yet You arranged for Jesus to bear my sins and take my punishment. Because He took my punishment, You give me eternal life with You. Give me a grateful heart, fill me with the Holy Spirit, and help me to live in Your will in love and gratitude. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lent Day 6: Tuesday after the First Sunday in Lent

11 And let all kings bow down before him,

All nations serve him.

12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help,

The afflicted also, and him who has no helper.

13 He will have compassion on the poor and needy,

And the lives of the needy he will save. ~ Psalm 72:11-13 (NASB)

Almighty, everlasting God, thank You that You offer compassion to the weak and the poor. You help and protect the lives of the needy. I am needy—in spite of all I have, I have nothing without You. My need is You; I have no help but You. If I depend on myself and my earthly possessions, I fail. Remove my arrogance and my independence and help me to depend only on You. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

photo by:


jezobeljones

Lent Day 5: Monday after the First Sunday in Lent

7 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.” ~ Jeremiah 23:7-8 (NASB)

Lord, as You gathered the Israelites from exile, You will gather all Your people to You at the end of time. I will live with You forever in a place so marvelous my earthly mind can’t comprehend it. I long for that day, Lord. Help me to live today to prepare myself for eternity with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

photo by:


tamburix

The First Sunday in Lent

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. 8 “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord. 9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.” ~ Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NASB)

Eternal Lord, I stand in awe that You knew me before I was even conceived. You had a plan for me from the beginning of time. And what You have planned You have prepared me for. I may think I’m too young or too old, too weak in body or too weak in mind, too rich or too poor. But You put me exactly where I am with exactly the attributes You know I need to do Your will. Open my heart and mind to hear Your voice and know what You would have me do, and fill me with a passion to fulfill the purpose You have created me for. In Jesus’ name. Amen.