Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 119

Scripture for Thursday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013

25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”] ~ Mark 11:25-26 (NASB)

Lord God, no one was more wronged in the history of the world than Jesus, yet on the cross He cried for the forgiveness of His tormentors. Help me to forgive those who do me wrong so You will forgive me. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Scripture for Thursday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013 was first posted on March 21, 2013 at 12:15 am.
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Answered Prayers

[image error]My sister Nancy and I recently took a trip to South Carolina to visit our brother and his family. We had a good trip—it was especially good for me because Nancy did all the driving. Our visit with relatives was fabulous—the two girls we had last seen as small children are beautiful and smart young ladies, and we loved spending time with them and our brother.

Along the way, however, we did have occasion to call on Jehovah-Jireh (God Who Provides) twice on our trip to Matt’s. My van broke down the first afternoon, but we found a dealership four miles from where we were stranded. Fortunately we were in the parking lot of a convenience store—Nancy pulled off the freeway as soon as we heard a funny noise and just made it to a parking place. The dealership towed our car and worked on it first thing the next day—it was about 5 PM when the tow truck got the van there. There was a hotel right next door to the dealership, and the dealership, cab driver, and hotel staff all were very helpful. We got the car fixed and were on the road again by noon.

As a consequence of the delay, though, we were arriving at Matt’s about midnight. We had passed gas stations everywhere for the whole trip, so we didn’t expect to have any problems. However, we didn’t realize we had to leave the freeway and go on a state highway through a few scattered small towns. Every single station we passed was closed. We watched the “miles to empty” on the car drop below the “miles to destination” on the GPS. We prayed, “Jehovah-Jireh, please get us to Matt’s house. Get us to a station that is open or get us to Matt’s on the gas we have, however You want. Please just get us there.” The “miles to empty” gauge turned to 0 just as we approached the only gas station open. Even though the gauge said there was no gas left, we got to the station and to a pump. Praise God!

In the Lord’s prayer, we pray “Give us our daily bread today” (Matthew 6:11, GW). We like to have our daily bread stored up into the future, but Jesus told us

19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust don’t destroy and thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 Your heart will be where your treasure is. (Matthew 6:19-21, God’s Word)

Nancy and I would have liked to find that gas station twenty or thirty miles earlier, but God provided us what we needed at the exact time we needed it.

Jehovah-Jireh, God of Gods, and Lord of Lords, thank You that you answer our prayers and meet our needs at the right time, Your time, when we rely on You. When we put our faith and trust in Your goodness and Your provision, You shower blessings on us. You provide gas when the gas tank is empty, and You provide strength, comfort, mercy, and grace when our spiritual tanks are empty. You always meet our needs and answer our prayers on Your perfect timetable. Help me to rely completely on You. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Ghost, now and forever, world without end. Amen.

photo by:


^@^ina (Irina Patrascu)

Answered Prayers was first posted on March 20, 2013 at 10:04 pm.
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Scripture for Wednesday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013

42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” ~ Mark 10:42-45

Heavenly Father, make me a servant and a slave. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture for Wednesday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013 was first posted on March 20, 2013 at 12:14 am.
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Scripture for Tuesday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013

32 They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.” ~ Mark 10:32-34 (NASB)

Lord, Jesus was so different from what the disciples were expecting that they didn’t understand when He told them what would happen. Help me to know You and Jesus as You are, as the Bible says, rather than from my own perspective. In His name. Amen.

Scripture for Tuesday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013 was first posted on March 19, 2013 at 9:12 pm.
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Scripture for Monday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013

23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” ~ Mark 10:23-27 (NASB)

Lord God, it’s easy to be lured by money and wealth, yet Jesus told us that riches can keep us from Heaven because our possessions and not You become first in our lives. Thank You that with You all things are possible. Even though I am not rich, other attractions and temptations can become in the same position as wealth for a rich man. Help me to put You above money, position, people, or anything else. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Scripture for Monday after the Fifth Sunday in Lent 2013 was first posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:11 am.
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Scripture for Passion Sunday 2013

13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them. ~ Mark 10:13-16

Heavenly Father, make me a little child in Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture for Passion Sunday 2013 was first posted on March 17, 2013 at 12:10 am.
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Scripture for Saturday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent

6 But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 7 FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, 8 AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” ~ Mark 10:6-9 (NASB)

Lord, thank You for my marriage of more than 45 years. May our life together until death did us part be an example to other Christians and to help those with troubled marriages to remain joined together through You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture for Saturday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent was first posted on March 16, 2013 at 12:08 am.
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Guest Post from Debra Johnson: 5 Ways to Improve Your Dialogue

One of the hardest obstacles a writer comes up against is dialogue writing. Like animators trying to imitate human movement, getting the intonation and words exactly right is hard. We are so familiar with speech that any mistake can be jarring and take a reader right out of the story.

Here are five ways that you can improve your dialogue writing:

Listen – The first step to realistic dialogue is listening to real people speak. You may not have noticed exactly how you and your friends talk, but by listening in at the supermarket, on the bus, or in the office you can pick up some common threads. Using your listening skills to pay attention to how real people speak will make your dialogue that much better. Just eliminate the ah’s, uh’s, you know’s and other filler words that are realistic but unnecessary and annoying in dialogue.
Use slang and contractions – Many times a character’s language sounds stilted or fake due to a lack of slang. We use slang all the time. Idioms like an axe to grind, words like cool or neat or on the rocks, and even simple phrases like sure or okay are considered slang but are common in conversation, as are contractions. Don’t sounds more natural than do not. Real people don’t speak like a dictionary, so unless your character has some issue or difference, make sure you include slang and contractions.
Easy on the accents – This does not mean you have to go overboard with slang though. Many times a writer will include a character that is from a particular area or has an accent. The continual inclusion of slang and accent like ain’t, cuz, or bro can get annoying after a while and detract from the story. You can sprinkle slang and accents in to remind readers of the character’s origin, but don’t make it so often that readers get annoyed and stop reading.
Trail off – Real people do not speak in complete sentences. If you aren’t writing a cop giving a report or a medical doctor giving a diagnosis, then don’t expect everyone to speak in full, complete sentences that are clear and precise. Real people trail off, they leave out ideas, and they make you work for your info. Make the readers work to understand as long as you don’t take it too far.
Be clear – One of my pet peeves when it comes to dialogue writing is the fact that many writers don’t make it clear who is speaking. He said and she said are all well and good when there is only one he or she, but when there is a group, the dialogue becomes harder to follow. Don’t be afraid to use characters’ names and be repetitive when it comes to clarifying who is speaking. I would rather read a dozen John saids than try to figure out who is speaking on my own. A good way to identify the speaker without an attribution like he said is to include an action tag. John took a sip of coffee. “Dialogue.” eliminates the need for John said while still making it clear who is speaking.

These are just a few of the suggestions I have for writers looking to improve their dialogue. The point is to make it sound as real as possible. Avoid the information dump and characters that come off sounding rehearsed and boring. Try to add life to your characters with your dialogue and bring readers into your story.

Note from Lillie: For a longer and more detailed post on dialogue, see Creating Fictional Characters, Part 6: Putting the Right Words in Their Mouths.

About the Author :

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of www.liveinnanny.com. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

Guest Post from Debra Johnson: 5 Ways to Improve Your Dialogue was first posted on March 15, 2013 at 12:06 am.
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Scripture for Friday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent 2013

43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, 44 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 45 If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell, 46 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.] 47 If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell. ~ Mark 9:43-47 (NASB)

Father, Jesus told us to throw out our eye or cut off our hand or foot if they cause us to stumble. We should enter Your Kingdom whole spiritually—our physical body doesn’t matter. So often my thoughts lead my astray from Your way. Cleanse my mind and purify my soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Scripture for Friday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent 2013 was first posted on March 15, 2013 at 12:03 am.
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Scripture for Thursday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent 2013

34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.” ~ Mark 9:34-37 (NASB)

Lord, in the world, I want to be first, important, the one who is served. Yet Jesus taught for me to put myself last, to consider myself least important, to serve rather than to be served. Guide me in Your way as a servant who does Your will to the least of Your children. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Scripture for Thursday after the Fourth Sunday in Lent 2013 was first posted on March 14, 2013 at 12:05 am.
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