Lisa notes

5 Links I Love—December 2020

By LisaNotes December 2, 2020 Life updates, Links I like 6 Comments

I’m sharing 5 things I love over 5 days this week. Every month I share my list of favorite 5’s.

5 Books I Recommend (Monday)
5 Things to Laugh About in 2020 (Tuesday)
5 Links I Love (Wednesday)
5 Favorite Comments on 5 Posts (Thursday)
5 Snapshots of Time and 1-Second Everyday Video (Friday)

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5 Links I Love

Nine Nonobvious Ways to Have Deeper Conversations

I’d answer YES to this question. You, too? “After all we’ve been through this year, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to talk about this whole experience with others, in a deep, satisfying way?”

Why Your Christian Friends and Family Members Are So Easily Fooled by Conspiracy Theories

“Rather than attempt to debunk the plethora of conspiracy theories, it’d be more helpful to understand why we’re so enamored with them in the first place.”

How to Socialize in the Cold Without Being Miserable

We had a relatively warm family Thanksgiving dinner outside last Thursday, but it may be a different temperature for an outside family Christmas dinner. I appreciate all the tips I can get.

10 Journalism Brands Where You Find Real Facts Rather Than Alternative Facts

I’m doing a serious look through this list of “top 10 large journalistic brands where I believe you can most often find real, reported facts.”

The 10 Happiest Songs, According to Science

Do you have a happy song? I have a few that I play when I need to immediately lift my spirits. Here are 10 songs through the years that might bring you joy. Does one resonate most with you? Of these, my favorite is #5.

5 Things to Laugh About in 2020

By LisaNotes December 1, 2020 Encouragement, Life updates 14 Comments

What an unusual year we’re living through! As we enter December 2020, let’s take a minute to laugh in spite of it all.

Being intentional about joy is an important exercise to keep us mentally healthy for the winter ahead.

May God give you many reasons to smile as we end this year and prepare for 2021.

At the first of each new month, I share 5 days of 5 things. Here’s the schedule.

5 Books I Recommend (Monday)
5 Things to Laugh About in 2020 (Tuesday)
5 Links I Love (Wednesday)
5 Favorite Comments on 5 Posts (Thursday)
5 Snapshots of Time and 1-Second Everyday Video (Friday)

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

5 Things to Laugh About in 2020

I didn’t create any of these. But they each made me laugh as I came across them on social media. I hope they will make you laugh, too.

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I knew I forgot to do something for Thanksgiving this year. I should have done this!

~ * ~

I realize life won’t drastically change when the calendar flips to 2021, but here’s to praying that 2021 won’t be just an extension of 2020.

previous Favorite 5’s

On the Blog—November 2020

By LisaNotes November 30, 2020 Archives No Comments

Here are brief summaries and links to blog posts from November 2020.

5 Books I Recommend—November 2020 (11/30)
Here are 5 books I recommend from what I finished reading in November 2020.
Ways to Keep Hope Alive (11/27)
Read as Bev shares ways to keep hope alive for others and for ourselves in hard times. Link up and read at #GraceandTruth today.
What Will You Read Next? How Do You Decide? (11/24)
How do you decide what to read next? Here’s how I do it, plus some books recommended to me from #nonficnov.
How Can We Stay Close If We Don’t Communicate? (11/23)
If we keep avoiding people who disagree with us, how will we ever come back together? Let’s learn again how to talk together.
How Will Your 2020 Thanksgiving Look? (11/20)
Where will you focus your heart? Link up with Grace and Truth.
Is Someone Avoiding Your Table? (11/18)
Who is avoiding your table? When we make others uncomfortable, they’ll sit elsewhere. Learn to be a safe place.
Recommended Reading on Racial Justice (11/16)
To learn more, read more. Here are 27 books I recommend on racial justice. Then do more.
In This Transition, Keep a Steady Focus on God (11/13)
We don’t know how our transition situations will be resolved. But as believers, we can keep our eyes steady on God.
Have You Outgrown Your Clothes? (11/12)
When we outgrow our clothes, we don’t have to keep wearing them. We have a new wardrobe awaiting us in Christ. Study Colossians 3.
Fiction and Nonfiction Books that Go Together (11/9)
Books can come in pairs, too. Here are some fiction and nonfiction book pairings from what I read in 2020.
5 Reasons to Love Being a Grandparent (+ Pictures) (11/6)
Here are 5 reasons why I love being a grandparent. Join our #GraceandTruth Linkup.
5 Posts and 5 Favorite Comments (11/5)
Here are five favorite posts from the blog last month, along with five of my favorite comments from you beautiful readers. Thank you for sharing your hearts and wisdom here.
5 Things to Make You Smile—November 2020 (11/4)
Here are 5 things to make you smile.
5 Links I Love + 1 Second Everyday Video—November 2020 (11/3)
Here are 5 favorite links I love this month.
5 Reasons to Read Nonfiction Books + 5 Favorite Books to Read in 2020 (11/2)
If you don’t already love nonfiction books, here are 5 reasons for you to read them. Plus 5 books to read. #nonficnov

5 Books I Recommend—November 2020

By LisaNotes November 30, 2020 Books I Recommend, Life updates 18 Comments

That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.
—Jhumpa Lahiri

Below are 5 books I recommend from those I finished reading in November. See all my recommended books here.

This week I’m sharing 5 days of 5 favorite things. Here’s the schedule.

5 Books I Recommend (Monday)
5 Things to Laugh About in 2020 (Tuesday)
5 Links I Love (Wednesday)
5 Favorite Comments on 5 Posts (Thursday)
5 Snapshots of Time and 1-Second Everyday Video (Friday)

Nonfiction

1. The Color of Compromise
The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism
by Jemar Tisby

Jemar Tisby gives us a history of racism through the lens of the Christian church in America. It’s not a pleasant journey. But it’s an essential one to see. He offers insights on better steps moving forward. An important book.

2. White Fragility
Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
by Robin DiAngelo

This one is written by a white lady to a white audience about how we as whites can learn to be less defensive when confronted about racial issues. DiAngelo helps us see things from a different perspective, a needed perspective, so we can step away from our blind biases.

3. The Paper Solution
What to Shred, What to Save, and How to Stop It From Taking Over Your Life
by Lisa Woodruff

If you want to get a handle on your paper clutter, this is an excellent place to start. This is a how-to book, broken down into manageable steps. I hope to put more of it into practice soon.

Fiction

4. Deacon King Kong
by James McBride

Set in the housing projects in New York in 1969, this novel begins with an old church deacon shooting a drug dealer. From there you see the ripple effects throughout the neighborhood of how people are affected by the shooting.

5. Transcendent Kingdom
by Yaa Gyasi

The author of this novel grew up in the largest city near me, Huntsville, Alabama. Her book is partially set in Huntsville as her family from Ghana acclimates (and doesn’t) to American culture. Both this book and Deacon King Kong have strong church themes running through them.

Reading Now

Always a Guest
Speaking of Faith Far from Home
by Barbara Brown Taylor
Searching for Certainty
Finding God in the Disruptions of Life
by Shelly Miller
Total Meditation
Practices in Living the Awakened Life
by Deepak Chopra
Attention!
The Power of Simple Decisions in a Distracted World
by Rob Hatch
The Lazy Genius Way
Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done
by Kendra Adachi
Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man
by Emmanuel Acho

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

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing with Modern Mrs. Darcy

Ways to Keep Hope Alive
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes November 27, 2020 Grace & Truth Link-Up 4 Comments

They were prisoners in a POW camp in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Isolated and tortured, they knew they needed hope to survive.

One by one, the inmates started tapping hopeful messages to the others by using their tin-metal drinking cup.

This is the story that Bev shares as our Featured Post this week. She reminds us that while we may feel like prisoners in our own homes this year, we too need to keep hope alive for others and for ourselves.

“Remember that God is not flummoxed or frustrated by what’s going on. Ask Him what He would have you learn in this wilderness season.”

Read all of Bev’s post here for practical ways to send and receive messages of hope. They include: calling friends more often; sending an uplifting text at random times; writing old-fashioned snail mail; put on praise music as you run errands; memorize one new scripture each week; plus more.

Keep Sending Out and Receiving Messages of Hope

Let’s also remember to receive messages of hope that are sent to us!

Add your blog links below to encourage others.

Thanks for sharing, Bev! Here’s a button for your blog.

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
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

How are you keeping hope alive in 2020? Has it been difficult for you, too? Share your thoughts in the comments.

What Will You Read Next? How Do You Decide?

By LisaNotes November 24, 2020 Books I Recommend, Reading 20 Comments

You’ve finished reading your book. How do you decide what to read next?

Here is how I decide what to read next:

I look to my blogging friends.
I watch what pops up on the “New Releases” shelf at the library.
I get book titles from podcast interviews (including Modern Mrs. Darcy, of course).
I take suggestions from in-person friends.
I write down recommended books listed within a book.
I notice nudges about specific topics I want to learn more about.

But in November? I add to my to-be-read list from #Nonficnov posts. It’s an overload of the best of the best nonfiction books from bloggers who read.

Below are the titles I’ve collected this November from the blogging challenge. I’ll first get samples sent to my Kindle from Amazon. If I like them, I’ll check my library and digital library for a free copy, or see if Net Galley has a free copy for review. If I can’t find a free copy and I really, really think it’ll be a great book, I’ll buy a copy.

Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend that I read them?

1. In Other Words
A Language Lover’s Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World
by Christopher J. Moore