Lisa notes

Stop the Name Calling

By LisaNotes August 17, 2020 Community, Encouragement 49 Comments

Pardon me. I have a public service announcement.

If you lean Republican

Please don’t classify all Democrats as baby killers, as socialist lovers, as unlawful looters, as election disrupters, as police haters, as freedom destroyers, as … (fill in your own blanks; you know what you say).

Maybe some of them are.

But most of them are just regular people who are trying to live good lives, to be kind to their neighbors, to love their children and partners and parents.

Just like you.

If you lean Democrat

Please don’t classify all Republicans as Trump lovers, as conspiracy believers, as money grabbers, as covid deniers, as white supremacists, as climate destroyers, as … (fill in your own blanks; you know what you say).

Maybe some of them are.

But most of them are just regular people who are trying to live good lives, to be kind to their neighbors, to love their children and partners and parents.

Just like you.

This is who you’re talking about

Because when you say ugly things about the other side, you’re saying them about your neighbors. About your family members. About your church friends.

And about me.

I’m trying to live a good life, to be kind to my neighbors, to love my children and partner and parents.

Just like you.

Give me the benefit of the doubt. I’ll do the same for you.

I don’t like being called names. You don’t either.

We can stop this.

Do you see this around you, too? Share your thoughts in the comments.

When It Hurts
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes August 14, 2020 Grace & Truth Link-Up, Pain 3 Comments

Everybody knows pain. We’ve all experienced suffering. And probably of every type: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.

In the midst of our pain, we likely want to pray it all away and be done with it.

God doesn’t always whisk away our pain though. And even though he does stay in it with us, it still hurts. What then?

It helps if we’re able to find purpose in our pain.

In this week’s featured post, Donna shares 3 ways that pain has a purpose at her blog, Serenity In Suffering. I encourage you to read what she shares, then link up your own post below.

3 WAYS PAIN HAS A PURPOSE

Thanks for sharing, Donna! 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
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Don’t Lose Hope. God Is Still Good.

By LisaNotes August 13, 2020 Guest posts, Hope 3 Comments

In the middle of this crazy year, we can wonder: Where is God?

We once knew the right answer to this call-and-response:

“God is good all the time. And all the time __________.”

But what about now?

Is God still good? Even in 2020?

Read the rest here:

3 Ways to Hope in God’s Goodness

I’m writing today at Do Not Depart. We’re looking at 3 places to find God’s goodness. Will you join me there?

Growing Little Miracles
—Book Review of "Gracie's Garden"

By LisaNotes August 12, 2020 Book reviews 4 Comments

“People can make pizza. Only God can make seeds,” she said. “He grows a little miracle inside each one for us to see!”

My granddaughter loved her pumpkin seed packets. She’d shake them, listen to them rattle, and talk about growing a blue pumpkin.

The soil has now been tilled and the packets emptied out. The seeds are planted, and the waiting has begun.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying reading her this new children’s book by Lara Casey, Gracie’s Garden. It is a beautiful story about three children who plant tomato seeds.

“You can’t see it yet, but little by little, it’s happening,” said Gracie. “Just wait. We have to be patient. It means to wait and see.”

Just as my granddaughter is having to wait to see the pumpkin crop in her garden, we each too have to wait to see the little miracles inside each day, each situation, each person, to grow into fruit.

The waiting is often the hardest part. But waiting time doesn’t have to be down time. The story goes on to explain all the fun things the children can do as they wait.

I look forward to fall when the pumpkins mature and show their true colors.

And I look forward to seeing my granddaughter grow too, little by little, into all the good things God has for her.

May we each learn to wait and watch and marvel as we also see things grow little by little by little into all they’re meant to be.

My thanks to B&H/LifeWay Bloggers
for the review copy of this book

Say It or Not? 3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Tell It All

By LisaNotes August 10, 2020 Encouragement 18 Comments

Saying Too Much?

Maybe you do this too.

You write something to share with others. Maybe for an email or Facebook post or your blog.

But then something nags at you. You wonder if you’re saying too much. Or too little. You question yourself.

Is this too personal to post?
Not personal enough?
Does is sound like I’m bragging?
Is my message too harsh?
Too long?
Too trite?
Too boring?

It’s often hard to put into words exactly what we’re thinking. And not everything we think needs to be said out loud.

So how are we to decide what to share with others and what to keep to ourselves?

3 Questions to Ask Before You Share

Here are three questions we can ask ourselves to decide how much to share.

1. WILL IT HELP SOMEONE ELSE?

If your experience or information would help another person learn something, be comforted, avoid a mistake, grow closer to God, or just be pleasantly entertained for a few minutes, share it.

2. WILL IT HELP YOU TO SHARE IT?

Sometimes you need to confess or testify or say something personal for your own healing. If telling others will mend your soul (and won’t hurt others in the process), let it out.

3. WILL IT HONOR GOD?

Pray about your motives. And if you’re unsure how your words will come across, ask a trusted friend to read it first. Make it your goal to bring grace and reflect God’s goodness through your words.

Benefits of Sharing

Sharing our words with others can bring unexpected blessings.

When we give away our words, we can . . .

Deepen relationships
Invite conversations
Clarify thoughts
Validate feelings
Witness to God’s faithfulness
Promote community
Strengthen love
Extend grace
Promp action

As Andrew Le Peau says in Write Better,

“Set your sights higher than finding your voice. Set them on making the world a better, truer, more beautiful place.

If we have something of value, we should be willing to share it.”

We never have to share all our thoughts with the world. That’s not helpful to others or to ourselves. But let’s do share something.

Share your something in words when you can. Brightening your corner of the world lightens it up for all of us.

Do you often second-guess what you write? How do you determine when to hit “send”? Please share your words in the comments.

Updated from the archives

When You Can’t Do It Perfectly, Just Do It Anyway
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes August 7, 2020 Encouragement, Grace & Truth Link-Up 5 Comments

I want to do it right. Whatever it is.

I want my kitchen sink to stay emptied. I want my car to be full of gas. I want my blog deadlines met on time.

And I want my quiet time with God to be rich.

But none of these happen all the time.

And when I know I can’t do something perfectly? Sometimes I’d rather not even start it.

But that’s flawed thinking. Doing something imperfectly is often better than not doing it at all.

I’ve been relearning that again specifically with my Bible reading. My preferred plan for Bible study is to read my daily chapters each morning, review my previous notes on those chapters each afternoon, then journal new thoughts about them in my Bible notebook.

But I kept getting backed up. I might do the morning reading, but then miss the afternoon notetaking for several days in a row. So I stop the reading altogether for awhile, in hopes of catching up on the journaling. Which sometimes happens. But often does not.

I’m tempted to stop it all because I’m hopelessly behind.

Do you know this cycle, too? It usually ends in a deadstop.

So instead, I’ve been trying a new approach. And it’s working.

I’m cutting out a few steps. I’m just doing the bare bones for now. I still try to read the chapters each morning and listen to how God is speaking through them fresh that day.

Then that’s it.

The next day, I move on to the next chapters. They’re not being documented in my notebook, or journaled about for future years’ reading.

But that’s okay. And even when I skip a few days or weeks altogether? That’s okay, too. God is still with me. Still present. Still actively engaging me in daily conversations in multiple ways.

I still prefer my original pattern of doing the whole thing: reading, reviewing, journaling. And there are days I still make it.

But in the meantime? I can’t wait for perfection. I can at least do my readings. I’d rather stumble forward awkwardly than lose progress altogether.

In this week’s featured post, Amanda shares some Bible study tips for us on our busiest days on her blog, Inspiring Passion for Jesus Christ.

Busy Day? Keep Your Quiet Time Simple (Bible Study Tips)

May she encourage you as she did me to let go of the guilt but still hold on to God in the busy days.

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