Lisa notes

A Jewelry Box, a Button Jar, and a Writing Change

By LisaNotes June 7, 2021 Encouragement 13 Comments

A Jewelry Box

She plops down on the carpet, awaiting me to break out the promised treasures in my bedroom. I sit down on the floor beside her.

I open up the bottom drawer of my jewelry box I had placed beside us.

One by one, my 3-year-old granddaughter pulls a bracelet out of the jewelry box. She oohs and ahs. This one has a heart! That one is pink! This one is my favorite!

She can’t believe it.

A Button Jar

I remember back to when I was a young girl. It wasn’t a jewelry box that I looked through.

It was my mother’s jar of buttons.

I’m not sure how my mother had collected so many buttons. Some were huge; some were tiny. Every color was represented. The large, clear, mason jar even contained odd-shaped buttons different than the traditional circle.

I’m not sure why the buttons fascinated me so. I would play with them for hours.

But now that I’m grown, I don’t have my own button jar.

I don’t need one. While some of my clothes do still have buttons, others have snaps, velcro, elastic, or zippers.

Times have changed. Options have multiplied.

A Writing Change

For ten years I have been a contributing writer at Do Not Depart, a blog dedicated to equipping women (and men) in their walk with Christ. I’ve enjoyed the camaraderie with other writers and with our readers. We’ve had great dialogues in the comments and in emails.

But times have changed and my options have multiplied.

As of last month, I finished writing for Do Not Depart so I could turn my attention to other areas in this season of life.

Both my daughters now have children and I love being available to them. I’m also returning to pre-covid volunteer opportunities. And I want to be available for new options the Lord may offer.

Sometimes saying no to an old assignment means we’re available to say yes to a new one.

So I say thank you to my fellow contributors at Do Not Depart and to our readers who were so gracious to entertain my writings there for 10 years.

It was a blessing to lead the scripture memory groups there as well. It’s uncertain how the memory challenges will evolve in the coming months, but I look forward to seeing what comes next. (In the meantime, you can download multiple free memory resources here at Do Not Depart for 21 different chapters of the Bible.)

I Will Remember

My granddaughter continues playing with my bracelets for awhile longer, choosing which ones fit her and which ones she insists I wear. We jingle and jangle and enjoy the moment.

The morning together is priceless. I wonder, when she becomes an adult, if she’ll remember these mornings looking at treasures with Granna.

I know I will.

How has your life changed since the beginning of the pandemic until now? Have you had to release older things to grab on to newer things, too?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Is It Time to Read His Final Words?
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes June 4, 2021 Grace & Truth Link-Up 4 Comments

I suppose most little girls think their dad is the smartest in the world.

I thought that. My dad was a mechanical engineer who worked for NASA his whole career. But he was also a Bible teacher at our church.

And because of that, my dad was also a Bible student.

He spent many, many hours of his adult life studying the Bible, preparing to teach a Sunday school class or just exploring it for his own knowledge. As I was growing up, I’d often see Daddy sitting at the kitchen table with his Bible spread open, a pad of paper and pens nearby, poring over the scriptures, highlighting a verse and making notes as he read.

When he became abnormally tired and thin in late 2009, he had been working on a massive Bible project: writing his own commentary of sorts on the New Testament book of Romans.

Romans was his final big study.

Early in January 2010 my dad received a diagnosis that explained the changes in his body: lung cancer.

Time spent in Romans was exchanged for time spent in doctors’ offices.

But somehow, through it all, he brought his Romans’ project to completion, enough anyway to save as a digital file and to email to a few readers for input.

After my dad died on Valentine’s Day in 2010, we had to sort through all his papers. He had file cabinets full of sermon notes, Bible study notes, and all manner of words that he’d written through the years.

The Romans project? We got it off his computer and put it on a thumb drive.

I began reading it shortly after he died. But then I stopped. I wanted to save it.

I wanted to keep something out there yet unread from my dad.

I still haven’t finished reading it.

It’s comforting to me to know I still have some of his words ahead of me, something new I’ve never heard from him, something fresh to look forward to from my dad.

But how long will I wait?

I think I shouldn’t wait any longer. It’s been 11 years already. It feels ridiculous even saying that large number, that he’s been away from us for 11 years already when he is still such a strong presence in our lives.

Perhaps this summer I’ll dig up Daddy’s document on Romans. And start reading it again. Hear his voice again. Learn something new about him. About God.

And maybe learn something new about me, too.

Featured Post

Lois linked up a post at last week’s linkup that reminded me I still hadn’t finished reading my dad’s work on Romans. She shares insights in the post about her own dad’s death, about his collection of writings, and about life in general.

Read all of Lois’s post here at her blog, then link up your own blog posts below.

“Share Four Somethings—May 2021”

What things have you saved from a loved one who has passed?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

HEATHER HART & VALERIE RIESE – Candidly Christian
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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Do You Know Enough to Be a “Good” Christian?

By LisaNotes June 2, 2021 Encouragement, Uncertainty: My One Word 2021 8 Comments

Do I Need More Research?

I have a follow-up appointment this morning. I already know what my doctor wants to talk about: my cholesterol. It’s always been high. She wants me to start medicines to reduce it.

But I’m not sure.

There are so many things I’m unsure about.

I want more information. I want to weigh the pros against the cons. I want to hear the experiences my friends have had.

When can I ever know enough? About anything?

How much do I need to know to know enough?

A lot less than I think.

What We Don’t Know

Granted, not knowing enough in certain areas can truly hurt us.

Working in a toxic environment
Stepping into an unhealthy relationship
Even eating contaminated lettuce in a salad

Knowledge can be power. What we don’t know can be dangerous.

But do we know enough already to be a “good” Christian? Do we know enough to absorb God’s love? To share it with others?

Yes. We do know enough already.

Remember how little the original apostles knew. They misunderstood Jesus at every turn. Not just in the little things, but in the overall picture.

Yet even with their minimal knowledge, they were still empowered to spread the gospel all around the world.

And for those who thought they already knew many things? Their “knowledge” filled them with pride.

“But this knowledge only fills people with pride. It is love that helps the church grow stronger.”
1 Corinthians 8:1(ERV)

It’s Not Just What We Know

Our own knowledge is never complete. Total understanding is a myth.

It’s WHO we know that matters the most.

That’s what I’m counting on in my year of Uncertainty for 2021. This is my theme verse:

“Don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to GOD!”
Proverbs 3:5-7 (The Message)

As followers of Christ, we can rely on who we know to to lead us into good things.

We don’t have to understand every intricate working of the kingdom in order to be children of the King.

And to have access to his treasures.

We Know Enough

While learning more is helpful (let’s never stop learning!), we already know enough to love others through God.

We know enough:

To help our sister
To mentor our child
To love our enemy
To serve our neighbor
To receive daily grace
To praise our God

We know enough to run to Jesus, to learn from him, and rest in Him.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:29 (ESV)

We don’t have to know more before we love more.

Whether we can recite all 66 books of the Bible or if we can’t find Genesis without the index, we can rest from striving to know it all.

There is no such thing as a “good” Christian anyway.

Knowing Christ is good enough.

Do you struggle, too, with the quest to always want more information? Share your thoughts in the comments.

revised from the archives

On the Blog—May 2021

By LisaNotes May 31, 2021 Archives No Comments

Here are brief summaries and links to all the posts in May 2021.

6 Books I Recommend—May 2021 (5/31)
Here are 6 books I recommend from what I finished reading in May 2021.
Is It Easier to Love the Perfect or the Flawed? (5/28)
Why do we fool ourselves that if we’re perfect, more people will love us? It’s actually easier to love those more like us: flawed.
How Can I Change My Way of Thinking? (5/26)
How can I change my way of thinking when it isn’t working for me? Review here of John Stange’s new book, Dwell on These Things.
Share Four Somethings—May 2021 (5/24)
I’m sharing four somethings for May 2021. Here is something I love, something I read, something I treasure, and something ahead.
Are You Going Back to Church? (5/21)
We’re cleared to go back to church. But will we? And where is best now?
One Word 2021 Linkup for May—3 Challenges to Take with Your One Word (5/20)
Take these three challenges for more interaction with your One Word for 2021 this month. Add your links and comments on our One Word 2021 May Linkup.
I Need a Nudge (5/19)
I needed a nudge so I’d finish the job. I called in my closer. Do you have a closer in your life, too?
Has Your Life Returned to Normal Yet? Is This Now Normal? (5/17)
We all wonder: when will life return to normal again? Or is this now normal? Test runs and false starts.
Help Wanted—Can We Admit It? (5/14)
Do we want help? Can we admit when we actually need help? It means living with more vulnerability…and with less shame.
A New Resource to Help Men Better Understand Women (5/12)
How can men better understand women in the bedroom? Here’s a new resource to help by Sheila Wray Gregoire.
How Does It Feel to Be Alone? (5/10)
How does it feel to be alone? Will you discover an unexpected visitor behind the next door?
He’s Here! My Gift of Awe This Week (5/7)
It’s easy for me to feel awe this week as I look into the face of my new grandson. Which of God’s gifts has brought you awe this week?
6 Tips to Make Life Easier—Book Review of Effortless (5/5)
Try these 6 simple steps to make life easier from Greg McKeown’s new book, Effortless.
Can We Hug Again? How Do You Hug God? (5/2)
When can we hug again? Do you wish you could hug God too? Jesus used his touch often when he was here. And now?

See previous months’ archives here

6 Books I Recommend—May 2021

By LisaNotes May 31, 2021 Books I Recommend 22 Comments

“A recipe for getting more out of what you read:
Start more books. Quit most of them. Read the great ones twice.”
– James Clear

Below are 6 books I recommend from those I finished reading in May.

[See previously recommended books here]

Nonfiction

1. The Great Sex Rescue
The Lies You’ve Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended
by Sheila Wray Gregoire

This book is a fantastic resource on sexuality intimacy in marriages (even though it may cause you to question other popular Christian marriage books we’ve all read). Sheila Gregoire did extensive research and compiled the data here in 13 interesting chapters, plus a valuable appendix about other books, both helpful ones and not helpful.

[My book review here of The Great Sex Rescue]

2. Dwell on These Things
A Thirty-One-Day Challenge to Talk to Yourself Like God Talks to You
by John Stange

I enjoyed this book about taking 31 days to speak God’s truths to yourself. I will re-read it again later with more intention, actually taking the challenge instead of just reading through the book.

[My book review here of Dwell on These Things]

3. Trust
America’s Best Chance
by Pete Buttigieg

Forget politics. This book is about Americans, in general, losing trust in each other and in our institutions. Buttigieg doesn’t necessarily offer solutions, but he sounds an alarm that distrust can be lethal. Rebuilding trust is crucial.

4. Goodbye, Things
The New Japanese Minimalism
by Fumio Sasaki

Although I lean toward minimalism, this book was too extreme for me. However, the general advice seemed valid (even though there are always exceptions). Take it to whatever degree you’d like.

“When you discard something, you gain more than you lose.”

“Let go of someday. Things we don’t need now will probably never be needed.”

“Ask yourself, ‘If I were to somehow lose this, would I want to buy it again at full price?'”

Fiction

5. Home Fire
by Kamila Shamsie

This novel is about three sibling refugees who live in London, and the three very different paths they take as they enter adulthood. It is suspenseful as it takes you down roads you don’t expect to travel.

6. Twenty-one Truths About Love
by Matthew Dicks

I’ve never read a novel written entirely as lists. But it was fun! The plot was easy to follow along as you read the lists written by the main character, Dan, about his job as a failing bookstore owner and his wife who wants to have a baby.

Reading Now

Storyworthy
Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling
by Matthew Dicks
The Making of Biblical Womanhood
How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
by Beth Allison Barr
White Awake
An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White
by Daniel Hill
How to Tell Stories to Children
And Everyone Else Too
by Joseph Sarosy
The Influential Mind
What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others
by Tali Sharot

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

Is It Easier to Love the Perfect or the Flawed?
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes May 28, 2021 Grace & Truth Link-Up 6 Comments

I’ve never sung on national TV. Nor do I ever intend to.

But when I was watching American Idol a few weeks ago, I felt like I was on the stage myself.

The contestant Hunter Metts was singing along, doing a fine job, almost to the end of his song when…he forgot the words.

He was visibly distressed.

He stumbled through the song until it was over. And then he broke down.

He could hardly be comforted.

The three judges of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan were all extremely gracious to him. They admitted their own mistakes through the years. They reassured him that it was normal, it was human, it was okay.

Watching Hunter stand there, in front of the world, so vulnerable, so sensitive, I couldn’t have loved him any more.

I felt incredibly connected to him in that moment. His humanity was mine, was ours. He was one of us.

I’m not sure why we fool ourselves that if we’re perfect, people will love us more.

It’s actually easier to love those more like us: flawed.

The lesson I learned from Hunter that night is that vulnerability is a gift. A gift given and a gift to receive.

I received that gift as I watched TV that night.

And I’m reminded to give the gift of my own vulnerability more often myself. (But it won’t be by singing on live TV!)

Flaws don’t have to ruin us. They just make us more human. And more connected.

Now Let’s Link Up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Lisa notes

on Life and Love

A Jewelry Box, a Button Jar, and a Writing Change

A Jewelry Box

A Button Jar

A Writing Change

I Will Remember

Is It Time to Read His Final Words?
—Grace & Truth Linkup

Featured Post

“Share Four Somethings—May 2021”

Now Let’s Link Up!

Do You Know Enough to Be a “Good” Christian?

Do I Need More Research?

What We Don’t Know

It’s Not Just What We Know

We Know Enough

On the Blog—May 2021

6 Books I Recommend—May 2021

Nonfiction

Fiction

Reading Now

Is It Easier to Love the Perfect or the Flawed?
—Grace & Truth Linkup

Featured Post

“May Is Mental Health Awareness Month; Do You Have A Story To Tell? Here’s Mine.”

Now Let’s Link Up!