Lisa notes

Would You Want to Be the Next President?
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes October 23, 2020 Grace & Truth Link-Up 8 Comments

The Position for You

If you are keeping tabs on the U.S. Presidential election, you see the extreme pressure put on the candidates.

Every move is watched; every word is analyzed; every decision is judged.

That’s not the life for me.

Yesterday an old photo from my high school days surfaced on Facebook. It was the group photo of the yearbook staff.

It reminded me of other clubs I was involved with in high school.

And it also reminded me of this truth about myself: While I loved being involved in the clubs, I never wanted to lead them.

Not for Everyone

When pressed into running for various offices by my sophomore year, my preferred position was treasurer. Or maybe secretary. Or if the president seemed strong, I’d gladly run as the vice president.

But not the president.

In my junior year I somehow got wrangled into being the editor of the yearbook, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

For my senior year I convinced someone else to be the editor so I could slip back into a more comfortable position as assistant editor.

This year must be especially hard for top leaders. They have to be in control (or appear to be) of uncontrollable events.

Our society sometimes assumes that we all would want to be the top dog if given the chance.

But not everyone is called to that.

And that’s okay.

“Follow Me”

I’m glad. [Pam Ecrement’s post here explains this truth well.]

When Jesus called his apostles, he didn’t choose people already in high leadership positions. He didn’t call them to be the CEOs and CFOs of “Jesus Christ Ministry, Inc.”

His call wasn’t: Go lead!

Instead, Jesus said: Follow me.

I’m not saying he didn’t want them to be leaders. They did lead. But they led as they followed Jesus.

And where did Jesus’s path lead them? To self-sacrifice. To more humility. To love others as they loved themselves.

In this year of uncertainty, we don’t have to forge our own new paths. We just need to continue doing what he’s called us to do already: Follow where Jesus leads.

He leads us to do the next right thing.
To love the very person in front of us.
To speak the most fitting kind word.

Not everyone is called to lead. But Jesus invites all of us to follow.

We can stay a step behind. He’ll always be out front. He can handle the spotlight; we just point to him in it.

As our election date barrels closer, let’s pray that whoever wins the presidency will follow God’s path, God’s ways, and God’s heart.

Maybe you aspire to be President one day yourself. I’m glad someone is willing to do it. We need someone to do it.

But honestly? I thank God it doesn’t have to be me.

Featured Post

Read Pam’s beautiful post on God’s view of “following the leader.”

“WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING?”

Pam’s words took some pressure off me. I hope they will encourage you, too.

Share your own blog posts at the linkup below.

Thanks for sharing, Pam! 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!

Are you more of a leader or a follower? There’s no shame or no pride in either choice. Share your thoughts in the comments.

What Do You Think About God? It’s Critical

By LisaNotes October 21, 2020 Book quotes 7 Comments

I put this quote on a sticky note. I posted it on my bedroom mirror to remind me to keep first things first.

The primary thing God wants from us is not improved moral behavior (which will come), but to love God because he first loves us.
– James Bryan Smith

It’s important to keep things in proper order.

The first thing is to know that God loves us. Then our love for him will follow, as will our behavior.

Enjoy this excerpt below from an excellent book by James Bryan Smith.

: : :

Excerpt from The Good and Beautiful God

Our thoughts about God will determine not only who we are but how we live. We can predict the “spiritual future” of a person just by knowing what they think about God.

What we think about God—what we think God is like—will determine the relationship we have with God.

If we think of God as harsh and demanding, we will probably cower in fear and keep our distance from God. If we think of God as a vague and impersonal force in the universe, we will probably have a vague and impersonal relationship with this god.

That’s why it’s crucial that we have the right thoughts about God. It will determine everything we do. If we have low or false views of God, we are actually committing a form of idolatry, worshiping a false god.

What I have discovered is this: when I came to know the God that Jesus revealed, I absolutely fell in love with God.

The more I grasp about the nature and work of the triune God, the more I am enthralled with the truth, goodness and beauty of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I want to turn your attention to the God Jesus reveals.

His God is good and beautiful, loving and trustworthy, self-sacrificial and forgiving, powerful and caring, and out for our good.

– James Bryan Smith

: : :

updated from the archives

How to Prevent Compassion Fade During a Pandemic
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes October 16, 2020 Compassion, Grace & Truth Link-Up 14 Comments

Compassion Fade

The number is huge: 1 million.

But it’s more than a number. It’s people. 1 million people. That’s how many have died around the world from the coronavirus.

It’s easy to get lost in big numbers. We can’t fathom it.

And oddly enough, the larger the number, the less the compassion.

It’s called compassion fade. It’s different than compassion fatigue.

Compassion FATIGUE results from helping people we know. It is a burnout or exhaustion from helping often (like health care workers, educators, caretakers, etc.).
Compassion FADE relates to caring about people we don’t know. It is a decrease in empathy as the number of people in need increase.

With our current pandemic, while many are experiencing compassion fatigue due to their job or circumstances, many more (including those) are also experiencing compassion fade due to caring about people worldwide.

It’s overwhelming.

Have You Had It?

Have you had COVID-19? Has someone you love had it? Have you lost anyone to it?

Within the past two months, it’s circled in closer and closer to my friends and family.

My older sister and brother-in-law have had it. Several nieces and their spouses. One of my best friends and all her family. My neighbors. So far, all have recovered without requiring hospitalization, thank God.

But even dealing with the cases in my small corner of the world is distressing.

Take One at a Time

How can we prevent compassion fade during a pandemic?

We have to narrow it back down. To one person at a time. One day at a time. One situation at a time.

When we see one face in front of us, we’re more compassionate than when we see a chart of statistics worldwide.

Mother Teresa has been quoted as saying,

“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

That’s advice worth taking. We see Jesus worked that way. While he healed multitudes, he did it one at a time.

That’s all we need to do, too. Take one at a time, one day at a time. The person nearest us.

EXTRA: Here’s a 14-minute podcast about compassion fade. Listen to Dr. Sanjay Gupta explain “Uncomfortably Numb” on Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction.

Now Let’s Link Up!

Have you or someone you loved had COVID-19? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Do You Go Wide or Go Deep with Bible Study?

By LisaNotes October 15, 2020 Bible, Guest posts 2 Comments

Is your goal to become more familiar with God’s story as a whole? Go wide in your study.

Is your goal to personally connect with God through one passage? Go deep.

But either direction, go directly to the source.

I’m writing today at Do Not Depart. Will you join me there for:

“Choose Your Direction—Go Wide or Go Deep {Personal Bible Study Resources}”

Using the Enneagram as a Spiritual Tool
—Book Review of The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation

By LisaNotes October 13, 2020 Book reviews, Enneagram 16 Comments

It’s not THE answer. But it is AN answer.

The Enneagram is credited for more than it can accomplish and blamed for less than it can do.

In reality, it falls somewhere in between. The Enneagram is a tool for personal growth. And as such, it can also be used as a tool for spiritual formation.

Improving our spiritual practices is a goal of A.J. Sherrill’s book, The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation: How Knowing Ourselves Can Make Us More Like Jesus.

Sherrill shows in his book that we can use the Enneagram to root our identity in Christ, to work with our personality, and to create a life of wholeness and beauty.

After I read a few pages, it seemed vaguely familiar. I bought and read Sherrill’s Enneagram and the Way of Jesus a year ago. That book is no longer for sale and this book is its updated rewrite.

As Sherrill does in his Enneagram workshops, he also states in The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation these four agreements:

Remember that you are not a number.
Refuse to become branded as the Enneagram person, church, or organization.
Resist the urge to type another person.
Reclaim the Enneagram as a means, not an end.

For each of the nine Enneagram types (see all the numbers here), Sherrill lists the following (as an example, I’ll use Type 6):

Type 6
One Word: Questioner
Survival Strategy: “I must be secure and safe.”
Full Description
Lies they believe: “It is not okay to trust yourself.”
Truth they need: “You are safe.”

He later lists discipleship spiritual practices for each Enneatype: downstream practices (these come naturally) and upstream practices (harder to do).

For example, he suggests Type 2s practice hospitality as their downstream practice and to use centering prayer as their upstream practice. The day in the church calendar they should heed is Maundy Thursday (the day Jesus washed feet).

This book isn’t an exhaustive resource to fully explain the Enneagram. But if you already know your number, it can help you discover specific ways to practice it.

In the conclusion, Sherrill says,

“There are many things the Enneagram cannot do. Its power is limited. However, as a means toward self-reflection, spiritual practice, marriage, leadership, and evangelism, it is an incredibly valuable tool. . . .

The Enneagram isn’t Jesus, but it can help you learn how to be more like him.”

To learn more about the Enneagram (including 3 ways to find your number), see my Enneagram series, “The Enneagram for Spiritual Growth” here.

Do you know your Enneagram number? I’m a Type 5. Share in the comments.

My thanks to Net Galley
for the review copy of this book

5 Posts on How and Who to Love
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes October 9, 2020 Life updates, Links I like 9 Comments

I’m splitting up my five groups of five favorite things this month, sharing one per day.

5 interesting things online (Monday)
5 funny memes (Tuesday)
5 things on reading and writing (Wednesday)
5 pictures of things I love (Thursday)
5 posts on how and who to love (Friday)

1. How Can You Love Your Political “Enemy”? 

We can hardly even TALK to our political opposites lately. How can we do better? Here are tips from Beyond Your Bubble.

2. Love Yourself by Changing Your Mind

We cause ourselves unnecessary emotional pain when we think untrue thoughts. Show yourself more love by tweaking your thought patterns.

3. 3 Tips to Spread Love Online, Not Hate

 Here are 3 tips to make a more peaceful internet by taming our digital tongues in our online relationships.

4. You Are Called to Be a Minister of Love  

Every believer is called to be a special kind of minister: a Minister of Reconciliation. What does that mean? Healing relationships requires love of a special kind.

5. Keep Your Honesty; Add More Love

It feels good to always be right, but it’s always right to be more loving. Love matters the most.

Featured Post—The Loss of Love to Suicide

And with love also comes grief.

Heather tells us about losing a friend this summer to suicide.

If you’ve lost anyone to suicide—or walked with someone who is suicidal (even yourself?)—then you’ll relate to Heather.

She also tells the anxiety that gripped her at the fear of losing another person she loves dearly.

Read all of Heather’s post here at her and Valerie’s blog, CandidlyChristian.com.

“Losing Someone to Suicide“

Share your own blog posts at the linkup below.

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!

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Lisa notes

on Life and Love

Would You Want to Be the Next President?
—Grace & Truth Linkup

The Position for You

Not for Everyone

“Follow Me”

Featured Post

Now Let’s Link Up!

What Do You Think About God? It’s Critical

Excerpt from The Good and Beautiful God

How to Prevent Compassion Fade During a Pandemic
—Grace & Truth Linkup

Compassion Fade

Have You Had It?

Take One at a Time

Featured Post—Our One

“Positive in a Time of COVID”

Now Let’s Link Up!

Do You Go Wide or Go Deep with Bible Study?

Using the Enneagram as a Spiritual Tool
—Book Review of The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation

5 Posts on How and Who to Love
—Grace & Truth Linkup

Featured Post—The Loss of Love to Suicide

Now Let’s Link Up!