Lisa notes

First

There’s a first time for everything.

Sometimes the first time is the most exciting. (Sometimes it’s also the most frightening.)

I got to go with Victoria and Mason on their first field trip.

Neither had been to a pumpkin patch before.

This was an exciting first. For both of them.

There were many new things.

And because they were excited, I was, too.

When they smiled, I smiled, too.

While we can’t repeat a first ourselves, we can accompany somebody else experiencing a first.

After God created the first man and the first woman, I assume he didn’t get bored with every human thereafter. Because with each person, it was their first time coming into the world.

When we celebrate someone else coming to know Christ for the first time, we renew our excitement at knowing him, too.

If there’s a first you need to tackle—and you’re nervous about it—bring an old-timer with you. Not only will it be good for you, but it might be exciting for them as well.

There will be smiles all around.

Three Questions

Here are our three questions of the day:

(1) Is there a pumpkin at your house this October?

(2) Do you remember an exciting field trip that was a first from your own school years?

(3) What’s a first you have experienced with God in the recent past?

* * *

What are your answers? Please share in the comments.

My answers

(1) No, I gave Victoria my pumpkin to give to her youngest child.

(2) I remember my first helicopter ride with JROTC and also a fun math tournament in Montgomery with our high school Mu Alpha Theta team.

(3) God has been guiding me through the glorious wonder of being a grandmother for the first time this year!

Get the whole Handmade series here

Capture

I like to spread things out.

Don’t put too much emphasis on any one thing in case something falls apart.

But as I repeat my memory verses this fall, I’m reminded of this: There is one thing faithful enough for total dependence.

And I’m trying to recall it to mind often.

It’s the promise in these verses. This is part of our Fall Memory Challenge at Do Not Depart, Lamentations 3:21-26.

Lamentations 3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

If God’s love for me never stops, and his mercies never end, and he promises to give me grace every morning?

Then he’s a sturdy basket for all my eggs.

I want the Lord to capture all my heart, all my soul, all my mind. Everything.

He is reason enough to stay hopeful, even when other things may fail.

Three Questions

Here are our three questions of the day:

(1) Do you take screen captures?

(2) How do you best like to capture a special moment? Photo? Journal? Souvenir?

(3) What promise of God do you often rely on?

* * *

What are your answers? Please share in the comments.

My answers

(1) I take screenshots of so many things both on my phone and computer. (I just checked my phone and I have 107 screenshots! lol)

(2) I don’t always like taking pictures, but I love having them to remind me of special moments. (Shout out to my sister Sandy and my daughter Jenna for being the family photographers and thus memory-keepers.)

(3) That the Lord is good and will always be good; I rely on that truth as a basic foundation of my faith.

More here

• Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
  There is one basket that is safe for all your eggs. Put all your hope in the Lord. Your soul is safe there.
• How a Christian Concert Affirmed This Memory Challenge
  How did this Christian concert affirm my decision to memorize this scripture? It’s how God works.
• When You Get Your Grace
  When will you receive a fresh supply of grace? Always today.

Get the whole Handmade series here

Brief

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s baby is born next spring, it will automatically be royalty.

But it won’t know that. At least not at first.

Sometimes we think we have to know everything before we can do something.

But as believers, it’s more about who we belong to than how much we know.

So do you know enough already?

Read the whole thing here, “Do You Know Enough Already?”

Three Questions

Here are our three questions of the day:

(1) How often did you visit your grandparents when you were a child?

(2) How far back can you trace your family of origin?

(3) “But I don’t know enough yet!” Have you ever said that to God when he wanted you to do something? How did it work out?

* * *

What are your answers? Please share in the comments.

My answers

(1) We lived in Alabama and my grandparents lived in Mississippi. For awhile we drove there every 6 weeks to visit, but less as we got older.

(2) My siblings have a family tree somewhere. I only know names back to some of my great-grandparents.

(3) I say that to God probably every week about something. I never think I know enough. Then I tell him, “Okay, I’ll just show up—but you have to do the rest!” and it usually works out pretty good.

More here

• When “I Don’t Know” Is Good
  We’ll never have all the answers. Is this ever good? Should we make peace with uncertainty and “I don’t know”?
• Are You Good Enough to Witness?
  Wouldn’t I be a better advertisement for Jesus if I could get it all together? Then I remember: I am not the point. I am only the pointer. It’s about Jesus.
• When You’re Not Sure
  When you’re not sure, don’t be so scared of being wrong that you do nothing. Even if you make a poor decision, God’s grace can redeem it.

I’m writing at Do Not Depart today. Will you join me there? Do you already know enough?

Help

I need help.

When I’m working on my laptop, I prefer to use the keyboard instead of my mouse when possible.

And there’s a way to do that.

Use keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts are great for minimizing motion and for speeding up a process.

Shortcuts Steal Time

But shortcuts in real life aren’t always helpful. Sometimes shortcuts get us in trouble instead. They can bypass a legitimate process we need to work through.

Such as spiritual growth.

Genuine evolvement rarely happens through a shortcut.

Granted, we can have flash-like moments of transformation. God is capable of anything.

But more often than not, strengthening a relationship, whether human or divine, takes time.

• It takes time to have long conversations with God.
• It takes time for God’s words to sink in deeply.
• It takes time to build relationships with God’s other children.

I don’t want to be short-changed on time with God and the things from God.

Move Ahead

So I save my shortcuts for things like typing. I try to learn a new keyboard shortcut every few weeks.

My favorite keyboard shortcut this year has been this one:

Command + Shift + T – Opens up the most recently closed tab in your browser.

It has saved me many, many times when I want to reopen a browser window that I accidentally closed and want to reopen.

With the quick keyboard shortcut, I can return to where I was.

But with God, I don’t want to just return to where I was.

I want to keep moving forward.

And if it takes time to do that, I want to invest in that.

I need his help to do it.

And with his help, I can.

Three Questions

Here are our three questions of the day:

(1) When online, do you keep a lot of tabs open at once? Or do you X out of a window after each use?

(2) Do you have a favorite shortcut, whether digital or in everyday life?

(3) Has God provided shortcuts in your spiritual growth or do you usually take the long road together?

* * *

What are your answers? Please share in the comments.

My answers

(1) I’m a chronic closer of tabs. Sometimes too quickly.

(2) Another online shortcut with a Mac: To go back and forth between open applications (like from email to Word then back), click Command + Tab. I use this ALL the time.

(3) Spiritual growth typically happens slower for me than I’d like. But occasionally God will give me a quick burst of insight or change to keep me filled with awe at his power.

Here’s a list of 20 top keyboard shortcuts. You’ll know several already, but you might discover some new ones.

Start

Sometimes step 1 is the hardest.

We think about all the other steps that will follow. And it seems too much. We’re overwhelmed at the thought.

So we do nothing.

I have a preferred regimen for my daily Bible reading. It’s a 2-year plan. It alternates two weeks in the Old Testament with one week in the New Testament.

I like to read my assigned chapters on my Kindle in bed in the morning. I highlight possible verses to journal about later. Then mid-afternoon, I read through old notes on those chapters. And journal about one new verse.

Except I haven’t been doing it.

Not at all.

The past few months I got out of the habit. I was trying to get other things accomplished, so I kept pushing it aside. And nothing is wrong with that. We’re not obligated to read our Bibles every morning.

But I want to read the verses. I like to. And I’ve missed it.

So to start again, I made a decision.

Instead of waiting until I can go through the whole routine again, I’m only going to do the reading. And forget about the journaling. For now. When our current memory challenge is over and #write31days is over and traveling slows down, I hope to pick back up the habit of reading previous journal notes and writing new journal notes.

But just because I can’t do it all doesn’t mean I can’t do some.

So I’ll do some instead of none.

Starting . . . now.

Three Questions

Here are our three questions of the day:

(1) What time do you wake up and get up on a typical weekday?

(2) Is there a project you’ve started but have stalled on?

(3) What spiritual discipline has God led you to use most effectively?

* * *

What are your answers? Please share in the comments.

My answers

(1) I wake up to stay about 4:30am but I like to lie in bed and read or listen to podcasts for a couple of hours if I can before actually getting up. My goal is always to go back to sleep, but that rarely happens.

(2) Ugh, yes. Converting home video tapes to digital.

(3) Memorizing scripture is one favorite way I stay in close contact with God throughout my day (and night).

More here

• A 2-Year Bible Reading Plan
  Here is a plan to read the Bible through in 2 years instead of just 1. Be successful and finish slower instead of starting and giving up quickly.
• Start in Private
  We carefully cultivate our outward image. But what about our private life? If no one sees it, does it matter?
• Not Ready? Just Show Up
  Even when you’re not prepared, just show up anyway. God will show up, too.

Get the whole Handmade series here