Amy Layne Litzelman's Blog, page 13
April 11, 2013
Greater Than Our Frailty
make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
He supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.”
Psalm 147:7-8
I’ve heard a number of my Christian friends say recently,
“Life is so fragile.”
And though I agree that life is neither predictable nor easy,
something deep within me wants to say,
“But our God is so much greater than our frailty!”
Not a hair falls from your head that He doesn’t see; not a word from your mouth that He did...
April 4, 2013
Communion in the Flames
He looked like gleaming amber,
flickering like a fire.
And from His waist down,
He looked like a burning flame,
shining with splendor.
All around Him was a glowing halo,
like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day.
This is what the glory of the LORD looked like to me.
When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground…”
Ezekiel 1:27-28
It really is a most amazing relationship,
this communion in the flames.
While warming myself in front of the open wood stove thi...
March 29, 2013
To Know the Mysteries
unless a kernel of wheat
is planted in the soil and dies,
it remains alone.
But its death will produce many new kernels—
a plentiful harvest of new lives.”
John 12:24
I’ve found myself pondering a lot this week.
Just barely a week before He hung bloody and beaten on the cross, Jesus told His disciples “unless a kernel of wheat…dies, it remains alone.”
But they didn’t understand. They didn’t see.
Mary, overcome by love and destiny, came to Jesus during dinner a few nights later –...
March 26, 2013
Two Sides of Betrayal
and purpose and [humble] mind
be in you which was in Christ Jesus:
[Let Him be your example in humility]”
Philippians 2:5 (AMP)
An empty religion will betray itself in relationships.
Just eight words, yet startling in their accuracy.
We can say all kinds of things. We can make believe like we believe, but when we rub elbows with the people in our lives, what we really believe often becomes more apparent than we’d like to admit.
Still other times, purity of heart is revealed...
March 17, 2013
In the Light of the King’s Countenance
and his favor is as a cloud bringing spring rain.”
Proverbs 16:15
There’s nothing quite like sunshine.
After a week of coughing, sore throat, and overflowing sinuses, I’m so excited to be feeling better. Along with a few home remedies and a pot of really good homemade chicken-coconut soup, one of the most healing elements was sitting out in the sunshine.
Warm rays brought color back to my checks and lifted my spirit like the iris bulbs popping up in...
March 5, 2013
This Place of Our Affliction
the jackals and the ostriches,
because I give waters in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert,
to give drink to My people, My chosen,
the people I formed for Myself,
that they may set forth My praise
[and they shall do it].
Isaiah 43:20-21 (AMP)
by Cody Redmon
For as long as I can remember, Christians have considered being in a dry place a negative thing; a place where we aren’t supposed to be and would only admit to with close friends. This is not the impression I g...
February 4, 2013
Humble People, Mighty Purpose
and yet despises no one
nor regards anything as trivial;
He is mighty in power of understanding and heart.”
Job 36:5
We were among the few who didn’t watch the Super Bowl last night, and yet a small piece of it connected with me in a profound way.
After an evening of good food and a good movie, I did a quick Facebook and email check before bed. One of the first things that came across my path was the Dodge RAM commercial “So God Made a Farmer.” I was struck by the beautiful...
January 22, 2013
Time to Go Deeper
to these words of mine.
Tie them to your hands and wear them
on your forehead as reminders.
Teach them to your children.
Talk about them when you are at home
and when you are on the road,
when you are going to bed
and when you are getting up….
so that as long as the sky remains above the earth,
you and your children may flourish
in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.”
Deuteronomy 11:18-19, 21
(Journal entry: 12 January 2013; 4:38 a.m.)
“I’ve been up for a co...
January 16, 2013
Beyond What We Now See
but hope that is seen is not hope;
for who hopes for what he already sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see,
with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
Romans 8:24-25
Like a lot of the surrounding states, Wyoming has had more than a few cold days in the last month. Fifteen, twenty below zero almost feels normal. Wearing a hat to bed, a welcome addition.
But as I shoveled the sidewalk a few minutes ago I thought of the plants hidden beneath the white blanket, jus...
January 11, 2013
Just Angry or Inspired?
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret–it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.”
Psalm 37:7-9
I told a friend a few months ago that more and more I find myself experiencing such polar emotions. My soul is increasingly aware of and overcome by grief, even anger, at the degree of pain an...
