Lisa notes

On the Blog – August 2019

By LisaNotes August 31, 2019 Archives No Comments

On the Blog 2019-08

Here are brief summaries and links to blog posts from August 2019.

Just the Right Fit for You

By LisaNotes August 29, 2019 Trust 9 Comments

Just the right fit for me_pin

I had a moment last week.

I’d strained a nerve (literally); the internet was down; our credit card messed up. And I’d gotten a discouraging phone call.

What did I do?

I lay down on the floor and cried.

Is This My Size?

Do you ever question God’s measurements?

Do you wonder if he really knows your perfect fit?

  • The perfect fit of blessings
  • The perfect fit of trials
  • The perfect fit of timings


3 bears

Sometimes it feels God gives us more than we can bear—either in bad things OR good things (because good things can bring their own bag of temptations, right?).

But no. He promises not to push us past our limits (1 Corinthians 10:13).

He never gives too little to deprive us,
nor too much to lead us astray.

He walks with us through enough—enough to honor his name and to depend on his strength, not our own.

“. . . Don’t make me too rich or too poor—give me only enough food for each day.

“If I have too much, I might deny that I need you, Lord. But if I am too poor, I might steal and bring shame to the name of my God.”
Proverbs 30:8-9 (ERV)

Just Right for Me

I cried for 5 minutes. I knew God heard my my cries. My first-world problems, while painful in their own ways, weren’t lasting issues.

These were tiny problems this time. I was thankful they weren’t big ones. This time it was easier to make the attitude adjustment because the problems were little.

God knew that all along. I’m just slow to catch up.

“It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
Lamentations 3:26

God never asks us to walk alone.

  • I was walking with a doctor,
  • with a friend,
  • with my ever-so-patient husband.

And I was walking with the Lord himself, the perfect fit for me. 

Lord,
I want to be content with your perfect measurements. Don’t make me too rich or too poor in anything, if either would lead me away from you. May I be grateful for your perfect fit for me.

And oh yeah, thanks for turning the internet back on. You know my limits.

* * *

For those facing MUCH bigger things today, I ask God to match you with even BIGGER doses of grace.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

updated from the archives

7 Books I Recommend – August 2019

By LisaNotes August 26, 2019 Books I Recommend, Video Book Reviews 45 Comments
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
– Joseph Brodsky

Every month I share the best of the books I just finished. Here are books I recommend from August’s readings.

7 Books I Recommend_August 2019

Books I Recommend

NONFICTION

1. Insight
Reflections on the Gifts of Being an Introvert
by Beth Buelow

Insight-reflections on the gifts of being an introvert

I sometimes struggle being an introvert in an extroverted culture.

But Beth’s book helps uncover the strengths of introversion.

[click here if you can’t see 1-Minute Book Review]

See more from Beth’s book here: 7.5 Reasons to Celebrate Introverts

2. The Moment of Lift
How Empowering Women Changes the World
by Melinda Gates

The Moment of Lift

Melinda Gates (Bill’s wife) has a large platform of wealth and power. How wonderful that she’s using it to strengthen those without wealth and power. Inspiring book and good info about the work going on around the world to empower women.

When women are lifted up to an equal status with men, everyone rises.

I listened to this one on audio, read by Melinda Gates herself (which was surprisingly delightful; I typically don’t prefer the authors for audio).

3. Stop Being Reasonable
How We Really Change Our Minds
by Eleanor Gordon-Smith

Stop Being Reasonable

We each think we are the reasonable ones. It’s other people who don’t think logically. If only they’d listen to us, we could change their minds. But probably not, says Eleanor Gordon-Smith. She doesn’t provide quick solutions in this book, but she does help us see the difficulties in thinking we can reason our way out of disagreements.

“Why can’t they hear what I keep saying? It makes you feel choked and frustrated and like language won’t work, and it’s no wonder that so many people terminate arguments like this by simply storming away: the one communicative gesture that can never be misunderstood.”

My book review here of Stop Being Reasonable

4. What If God Wrote Your Shopping List?
52 Ways to Find Freedom from “Stuff”
by Jay Payleitner

What If God Wrote Your Shopping List

What we buy says a lot about us. Jay Payleitner helps us rethink our purchases (literal ones and figurative ones) in light of spreading God’s love. Quick and easy read.

The list includes things such as comfort foods, items that evoke memories and sharing stories, and even character traits like ambition and frugality.

My book review here of What’s on Your Spiritual Shopping List?

5. The Art of Mindful Reading
Embracing the Wisdom of Words
by Ella Berthoud

The Art of Mindful Reading

Do we miss out on living if we read too much? This book answers no! So naturally I love it. It addresses all things about reading: how to read widely, the advantages to reading, help for auditory and visual readers, reading poetry mindfully, and much more.

“As a bibliotherapist, I believe that every novel you read shapes the person that you are, speaking to you on a deep, unconscious level, and altering your very nature with the ideas that it shows you.”

My book review here of The Art of Mindful Reading

6. While the World Watched
A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age During the Civil Rights Movement
by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

While the World Watched

This is a painful story. Carolyn Maull McKinstry was 14-years-old on September 15, 1963, in Birmingham, AL. That morning, the Klan exploded a bomb in her beloved 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four of her friends. Carolyn recalls the events leading up to that day, the day itself, and how it affected who she is now. She tells her story with integrity and grace, yet with conviction. Even though it hurt, I’m glad I read it.

FICTION

7. Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing

This novel lives up to its hype. It’s the story of Kya Clark, the “Marsh Girl,” who lives basically alone on the North Carolina coast. When a local boy is found dead in 1969, fingers point to the Marsh Girl. The story unfolds in a beautiful setting despite harsh realities at the time.

READING NOW

  • Range
    Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
    by David Epstein
  • The Death of Mrs. Westaway
    by Ruth Ware
  • The Complete Enneagram
    27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge
    by Beatrice Chestnut
  • Afraid of All the Things
    Tornadoes, Cancer, Adoption, and Other Stuff You Need the Gospel For
    by Scarlet Hiltibidal
  • Garden Spells
    by Sarah Addison Allen
  • The Death of Politics
    How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump
    by Peter Wehner
  • Gospel Allegiance
    What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ
    by Matthew W. Bates
  • Happy Money
    The Science of Smarter Spending
    by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton

* * *

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

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing at Modern Mrs. Darcy

Great & Small Prayers for Babies – Book Review

By LisaNotes August 22, 2019 Book reviews 8 Comments

Since I’m back in the market for baby books—and my favorites have peek-a-boo flaps like this one—I’m glad I found Great and Small Prayers for Babies. It is a sweet board book that’s small enough for little hands to hold, but large enough font for Granna to read without her glasses.

Never too young for thank you

The hand-drawn illustrations by Anna Abramskaya are my favorite kind: one major uncluttered element per page for focus (in this case, an animal) but a few small details sprinkled in for when you want to linger and chat about the extras.

But the words are still what matter the most to me, even in children’s books. They don’t have to be many (actually, they should NOT be many). So I was pleased that Pamela Kennedy kept it simple in this little board book, thanking God for friends, flowers, birds, and more.

No one is too young to learn “thank you.”

* * *

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

 

Who’s Needy? Practice Closer Encounters

By LisaNotes August 19, 2019 Community, Discrimination, My stories, Spiritual disciplines 76 Comments

Who is the needy one? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

Take a closer look.

Practice Closer Encounters - we're all needy

The main impediment to living a life of meaning is being self-absorbed.
– Barbara Brown Taylor

Can You Tell Us Apart?

I ask him if I can help. Does he need anything?

He says no, he is helping someone himself.

Oops.

When you volunteer at Manna House, you don’t dress up. I often can’t tell the “volunteers” from the “needy.”  I’m occasionally asked if I need food myself.

I think I know why. I can’t tell us apart because we’re all needy.

Ryan (not his real name) looks like a teenage hippie from the 1960s. Long stringy hair. Tie-dye shirt. Vacant look in his eyes.

Ryan rides in on a bicycle. He parks it in the back of the warehouse because we all know what you leave out front can leave with somebody different. He says little to anyone. He mainly wanders around and does whatever Ms. Fran asks him to do.

He has a hard life. I’m told his mom was in a bad car wreck so Ryan is now the sole caregiver for his disabled mom and whatever siblings are still in the house.

Ryan is needy.

In his case, it’s obvious. So Ms. Fran makes sure he leaves packed down with as much food as he can carry home to meet needs there.

The Less Obviously Needy

Other needy ones aren’t quite as obvious. The man with the clean-cut look and confident stride (clearly “volunteer”) also has needs. You have to talk to him to find that out.

And the lady with the smile on her face and new running shoes on her feet (another sign of “volunteer”) is also needy.

  • She needs to break free of self-centeredness,
  • needs to stop believing she’s self-sufficient, and
  • needs to help other needy.

I know. Because I am that lady.

I am the needy, too.

Get Over Yourself

A unique but valuable spiritual discipline I often need to experience is the practice of encountering others. As Barbara Brown Taylor so bluntly says in her fabulous book, An Altar in the World:

“The assignment is to get over your self.”

Everyone has needs. Some just recognize their neediness more than others do. Maybe they fight it less. Maybe they humble themselves quicker.

  • But we all are crippled.
  • We all have weaknesses.
  • We all have needs.

I’d love to learn more of Ryan’s story one day. He is still guarded; he doesn’t express his needs easily.

Maybe we could teach each other to be more direct about our needs and better accept grace given.

So I’ll be watching closer for him, for an encounter—as one needy person to another.

UPDATE:

I ran into Ryan again last Thursday night at Manna House. I asked him how things were going. “Actually, not too good,” he said.

I asked about his mom. She has since passed. And his brother? He’s trying to keep him cleaned up, but the brother isn’t cooperating.

I was proud of Ryan’s honesty and openness. Maybe we are changing. Being vulnerable with our needs is a sign of maturity for all of us.

Let’s keep practicing open encounters.

* * *

Who have you encountered lately that is needy? How aware are you of your own neediness? Please share your thoughts in the comments about the Practice of Encounters.

If you’d like other unique spiritual practices, here is a year’s worth, inspired by Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, An Altar in the World:

  1. The practice of waking up to God
    (Vision)
  2. The practice of paying attention
    (Reverence)
  3. The practice of wearing skin
    (Incarnation)
  4. The practice of walking on the earth
    (Groundedness)
  5. The practice of getting lost
    (Wilderness)
  6. The practice of encountering others
    (Community)
  7. The practice of living with purpose
    (Vocation)
  8. The practice of saying no
    (Sabbath)
  9. The practice of carrying water
    (Physical labor)
  10. The practice of feeling pain
    (Breakthrough)
  11. The practice of being present to God
    (Prayer)
  12. The practice of pronouncing blessings
    (Benediction)

revised from the archives

Free Printable for Hebrew/Greek Word Studies – It’s Easier Than You Think

By LisaNotes August 15, 2019 Bible, Guest posts 5 Comments

Original Word Study Sheet_pin

Deeper Meanings

Sometimes a word means more than we realize.

While it’s definitely NOT essential to know the original Biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek to understand God’s grace, it can be helpful to look up words in the original languages when we want to learn more.

It can take less than 5 minutes to enrich your study of God’s truths.

And it’s easier than you think.

We want to help make it as simple as possible. Download our printable worksheet to start your own study of Hebrew and Greek words.

Read it all and get the printable here:

Bible Notebook: Original Language Word Study Sheet

* * *

Do you like studying root words? I’m writing today at Do Not Depart. Will you join me there? We’re doing a series with printables, #BuildABibleNotebook.