Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 166

December 16, 2010

Scripture for the Third Friday in Advent 2010

Matthew 1:18-25

18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23″The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Lord, we aren't always as quick to believe and obey as Joseph was. Give us hearts to listen to Your voice, believe when we hear it, and obey Your Word without delay or equivocation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Published on December 16, 2010 22:04

December 15, 2010

Scripture for the Third Thursday in Advent 2010

Luke 1:57-66

57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."

61They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."

62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.

Lord God, as Elizabeth followed Your commands, so we desire to do Your will. We don't always listen to Your voice, though, and go our own way rather than hearing and obeying Your Word. Guide us by Your Holy Spirit to listen to Your voice and follow Your path, not ours. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Published on December 15, 2010 22:02

Overcoming Writer's Block

Web Design Schools Guide recently posted "20 Creative Ways to Overcome Writer's Block."

I seldom struggle with writer's block, especially now that my fiction-writing has been set aside for the time being. When I experience writer's block in fiction, it's usually because I'm stuck on where the story should go. Asking "what if" questions usually helps. What if the hero did this? What if the villain did that? What if x happened?

Have you experienced writer's block? If so, did any of the 20 techniques described in the blog help you or have you come up with something else that works for you?

photo credit: iantmcfarland

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Published on December 15, 2010 20:20

December 14, 2010

Scripture for the Third Wednesday in Advent 2010

Luke 1:5-25

5In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

8Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

18Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

19The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25″The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

Lord, we can identify with Zechariah's doubts. Even though You have done wondrous miracles throughout history, we too easily give in to our earthly doubts. Open our hearts and minds to Your miracles and wonders and turn our unbelief into belief, our doubt into faith. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Published on December 14, 2010 22:59

December 13, 2010

Scripture for the Third Tuesday in Advent 2010

Luke 1:26-38

26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34″How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."

38″I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Lord, it's hard for us to believe that You would use us the way He used Mary. But You call each of us to be Your disciple and messenger. Empower us by the Holy Spirit to answer Your call, no matter how simple or complex, no matter how frightening and risky and hard to understand, with the words, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be as You say." In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Published on December 13, 2010 22:57

Interview with Nancy Nicholson, LBSW

[image error]Today, we are talking to Nancy Nicholson, LBSW, about Help! What Do I Do Now? Caring for Your Loved One With Alzheimer's. I've talked about the book before.

First, let me say that I make no pretense of objectivity about this author and this book. Nancy is my baby sister, and I believe she's just about perfect, so please pardon my big sister's pride. I think you'll agree that it's justified after you read the interview. And, of course, Nancy had a great editor (she said modestly). I am even the publisher of Help! What Do I Do Now?, so naturally I think it's great. More than any of that, though, in my experience as a caregiver I have been in the position of asking Help! What do I do now?, and I find the information in this guide extremely helpful.

Lillie: Thank you for visiting A Writer's Words, An Editor's Eye today, Nancy. Please tell my readers a little about your background. What qualifies you to write a guide for Alzheimer's caregivers?

Nancy: The first thing that qualifies me is that I've been a caregiver myself. When my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1988, I—and no one in our family—had ever even heard of the disease. We had to learn a lot very quickly, and mostly we learned by trial and error. My caregiving experience motivated me to go back to college to earn my social work degree and work with Alzheimer's patients as a career. I've worked in nursing homes, and now I'm a social service consultant to nursing homes. Serving as a facilitator for an Alzheimer's support group taught me a lot through the discussions with other caregivers. So while I have a degree in social work and professional work with Alzheimer's patients, perhaps my personal experiences and the experiences shared by other caregivers are my most valuable qualifications.

Lillie: This book has been a long time in development. Tell us how it got started and how it eventually ended up being published.

Nancy: It actually got started as an assignment for my technical writing class in college. We had to pick a subject that interested us and write an educational pamphlet on it. Tips for caregivers seemed like a logical choice for me because I was so interested in helping patients and those who care for them. My big sister kept bugging me and bugging me and bugging me to publish it. As my professional work evolved to include more teaching, I began to understand how little most people know, even people who work with Alzheimer's patients. Interviewing caregivers who could no longer cope and who brought their loved one to the nursing home showed me the struggles and frustration they went through. In many cases, they didn't know how to deal with the behaviors and challenges, so they resorted to methods that only made the situation worse. They had the best intentions and the desire to provide excellent care for their loved one, but they didn't have the knowledge of how to do that. The recognition of the huge need caregivers have for simple, basic information coupled with Lillie's nagging finally convinced me to expand the pamphlet and make it available for others to use.

Lillie: I plead guilty to the bugging and nagging, and I'm so glad you finally listened. Now, who is the target audience for this book?

Nancy: The target audience is primary caregivers for people with Alzheimer's. The secondary audience is other family members and friends who may help with caregiving occassionally or who may simply not know to deal with the patient in normal everyday contacts. Our neighbors, who had been very close friends with my parents for years, came to visit when Dad was in the early stages of AD. He could still communicate, but not quite as easily as before. This couple sat in the living room talking to Mom and me—totally ignoring Dad, who was sitting beside them. That was the last time these friends ever visited, and I realize now it was because they had no idea how to communicate with Dad or how to act around him. My goal is to help other people continue to maintain a loving relationship with the person as the disease progresses. In fact, we're offering a discount on orders of 10 books or more to encourage families to give a copy to every member. Support groups can also join together to get the discount.

Lillie: Help! What Do I Do Now might be better described as a booklet rather than a book as it's only 86 pages long. Why did you make it so short?

Nancy: Caregivers for Alzheimer's don't have time to sit and read a long book. I felt they needed something they could pick up and read in a short amount of time. And it's organized in such a way that they can easily refer to a particular topic when they encounter a specific situation. They don't have to read the entire book—just the sections that apply to them as they have the need.

Lillie: What do you want readers to come away with after reading the book?

Nancy: I want them to come away with some techniques and resources to help them to deal with the difficult situation. Even more than that, I want them to realize there a lot of other people who are facing the same challenges they are—they aren't all alone. Hopefully, they will realize that though it is a difficult journey, there are many positive and uplifting moments.

Lillie: The book includes a lot of scenarios of specific situations caregivers may encounter. Are those based on real people and real experiences? Why did you put them in the book?

Nancy: They are composites of real situations and real people from my own experience and from stories I heard in the support group. The scenarios are all common situations that I've heard repeatedly. I think most people can relate to specific examples better than abstract theories. Even if the caregiver doesn't face the exact situation, a scenario can spark an idea that will work for a real challenge the caregiver encounters.

Lillie: What do you think is the biggest challenge for caregivers and even other people who come in contact with patients with Alzheimer's?

Nancy: That's a tough question—there are so many challenges. I often say that the patient is like a two-year-old in an adult body. You face many of the same behaviors as the terrible twos, but you can't pick the person up and put them in a secure place. Emotionally, it is very difficult to watch someone you love change from the person they were to someone else. Frequently it seems that the person is simply being difficult, because there doesn't seem to be any reason for the way he acts. The erratic nature of the disease is hard to deal with—from day to day, you don't know what you're going to get. Especially in the earlier stages, he may seem perfectly fine one day and totally confused the next. There's often a guilt feeling on the part of the caregiver, who feels responsible and wants to care for their loved one, but can't always provide everything the patient needs. Physically, just keeping up with the person and watching him and providing physical care is very challenging. So it's difficult both emotionally and physically.

Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your book?

Nancy: They can visit my Web site. It has information about me and the book, and I plan to start blogging soon. They can also find the book, both paperback and Kindle, at Amazon.com and ebooks at Smashwords.

And, as mentioned earlier, families and support groups can order 10 copies or more at a discount.

Lillie: I know you love to work directly with caregivers and others affected by Alzheimer's disease. Are you available to speak to AD support groups or other organizations? If so, how can people contact you?

Nancy: Sure, I'm always glad to talk with caregivers. There's a contact form on my website they can complete and I'll get in touch with them to make arrangements.

Lillie: Is there anything else you'd like to share that I haven't asked?

Nancy: If you know an Alzheimer's caregiver, this book will be a perfect Christmas stocking stuffer.

Lillie: They'll use it and appreciate it, possibly for years. Thank you for stopping by and telling my readers about your book. I'm sure I didn't ask everything my readers want to know. Will you check in later to answer questions?

Nancy: Absolutely! I'll come back periodically and respond to your readers' comments. Thank you so much for interviewing me.

===================================

[image error]Nancy Nicholson traveled a circuitous route to her present position as a licensed social worker. She dropped out of college to go to work and spent years in a variety of careers, including nurse's aide, career counselor, and operations manager of an interior landscape company. When her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, she became one of several family caregivers. She watched her father deteriorate from a highly intelligent, strong, and independent man to a body lying in a nursing home bed, not recognizing anyone and unable to control his bodily functions. She also saw the toll the disease took on her mother, the primary caregiver, and the other family caregivers. What she saw made such an impact on her that she decided to return to college and devote her life to caring for the elderly, particularly patients with dementia. She graduated from Texas A&M International University with the degree Bachelor of Social Work and earned her license as a Licensed Bachelor Social Worker. For the past seven years, she has worked for a chain of nursing homes, first as a social worker in a facility and currently as a social services consultant, where one of her primary duties is training nursing home staff.

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Published on December 13, 2010 19:30

December 12, 2010

Scripture for the Third Monday in Advent 2010

John 1:6-12

6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Lord, remind us that You call each of us to teach Your Gospel throughout the world. Give us strength and wisdom and the right words to share Jesus, the Light of the World. In His name. Amen.

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Published on December 12, 2010 22:53

December 11, 2010

Scripture for the Third Sunday in Advent 2010

Luke 1:76-80

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." 80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Lord, often we think the great prophets and evangelists and preachers are the ones called to spread Your Word. Remind us always by the Holy Spirit that just as You called John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord, You call us to tell others of Your salvation through the forgiveness of our sins. Guide our feet in the pathway of peace. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Published on December 11, 2010 22:46

Where's the Line to See Jesus?

This music video really reminds us of the meaning of Christmas.

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Published on December 11, 2010 19:00

December 10, 2010

Scripture for the Second Saturday in Advent 2010

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

1Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Lord God, we know You have commanded us to encourage one another and build each other up. We tend to get bogged down in our selfish interests and need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to encourage and build up our brothers and sisters. We humbly ask for the help we need to follow Your will and to walk in the day to be ready for the day of Christ's return. In His name. Amen.

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Published on December 10, 2010 22:46

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