Lisa notes

Can I Have Yours, Please?

By LisaNotes May 17, 2018 Guest posts, My stories 2 Comments

She was born this January.

As expected, our new granddaughter was beautiful and sweet and the best thing ever.

But the problem was location.

I dreamed of the same proximity for us that my kids had with their grandparents.

But that’s not our reality.

It reminds me of this story from the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel (read the whole thing in 1 Samuel 4-6; it’s a crazy story!).

When I want what you have but God didn’t intend it for me, it will fall flat. Like Dagon.

Read it all here.

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We’re connecting our own stories with Old Testament stories this month at Do Not Depart.

Will you join me there for the rest of this story?

Stop Believing the Lies – Girl, Wash Your Face {Book Review}

By LisaNotes May 14, 2018 Book reviews 14 Comments

We all believe a few lies from time to time.

Something else will make me happy.
There’s only one right way to be.
I am defined by my weight.

Rachel Hollis has gathered 20 lies in one place. And debunks them one by one.

By using her own life experiences, her wit, and her faith in God, this founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com makes us feel normal again in her new book, Girl, Wash Your Face.

Each chapter in the book confronts a different lie. Here are a few examples.

The Lie: I will never get past this

The Truth:

“But what is the alternative? We live through something crappy, and that’s it? We’re done for?

You cannot ignore your pain. You cannot ever leave it behind completely. The only thing you can do is find a way to embrace the good that came out of it—even if it takes you years to discover what that is.”

The Lie: I’m not a good mom

The Truth:

“Remember that we’re raising our children into the adults they will become. Our valiant endeavor will take us a lifetime of effort. A single day, or even a handful of days, when you aren’t mom of the century won’t make or break your kids.”

The Lie: I should be further along by now

“[Believe] that your life will unfold as it was meant to, even when it unfolds into something painful and difficult to navigate. Do I believe he has a plan? Absolutely.

. . . [Set] goals, not time limits. . . . Big dreams shouldn’t have expiration dates. As long as you’re working toward the things you hope to accomplish, it shouldn’t matter if it takes you a month or a decade.”

Live Awake

While this book may not teach you things you don’t already know, it does a great job of reminding you to stay conscious. Wake up to what you think about yourself and about your circumstances. Don’t let little lies or big lies dampen your enthusiasm for the life you’ve been given.

“I constantly fight the desire to slip back into the role I’ve played for so long. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, and two years ago I did just that. I learned that I am a recovering workaholic, but through this process, I also learned that I am a child of God—and that trumps everything else.”

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

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Afraid

By LisaNotes May 9, 2018 One Word 2018: Mystery, Trust 35 Comments

Afraid of Fear

He knows it’s a dangerous task. Only his daughter can do it. She’s scared. And he can’t do it for her.

“Don’t be afraid to be afraid. We will try to have courage for you.”

The daughter is Meg Murry from the novel, A Wrinkle in Time. Speaking is her dad, Mr. Murray. Only Meg can return to the planet Camazotz and through love, bring back her brother Charles Wallace.

Don’t we want to avoid fear? Maybe we can embrace fun fear (roller coaster rides or mystery movies). But not real fear.

Security or Fear?

Given the choice between security or fear, I’ll naturally choose security.

But God doesn’t always give us the choice between security or fear. Nor is security always the choice he wants us to take anyway.

Sometimes we have to do scary things.

In the Afterword of A Wrinkle in Time, 50^thAnniversary Edition, author Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughter, Charlotte Jones Voiklis, comments on the book and her grandmother:

“But a planet can also become dark because of ‘too strong a desire for security…the greatest evil there is.’”

I don’t know that it’s the greatest evil, but an unhealthy desire for security is often our idol, a toxic poison that stunts our growth.

The granddaughter follows with this:

“Meg resists her father’s analysis. What’s wrong with wanting to be safe? Mr. Murry insists that ‘lust for security’ forces false choices and a panicked search for safety and conformity.

“This reminded me that my grandmother would get very annoyed when anyone would talk about ‘the power of love.’ Love, she insisted, is not power, which she considered always coercive. To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”

Do It Afraid

If you’ve read A Wrinkle in Time, you know that Meg does return to Camazotz. Even with fear. But armed with love.

God knows we have dangerous tasks, too. Some of which only his daughters can do. Even if we’re scared. And he can’t do them for us.

God doesn’t want us to live in fear. He sends us this message over and again, “Do not be afraid.”

But until we outgrow our fear, I also think God tells us the same words that Mr. Murry told Meg:

“Don’t be afraid to be afraid. We will have courage for you.”

God holds courage for us, when we don’t feel big enough to contain it ourselves. It’s a mystery we can’t explain. It comes from his love.

To love is to walk into the unknown.
To love is to defy daring.
To love is to not be afraid to be afraid.

Perhaps the courage to love is the greatest mystery—and miracle—of all.

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I’ve been re-reading A Wrinkle in Time before I see the (relatively) new movie. Have you read the book? Seen the movie? Please share in the comments.

Mystery is my One Word for 2018. Read more mysterious things here.

What Does Your Prince Charming Do?

By LisaNotes May 7, 2018 Encouragement 17 Comments

To be fair to the princes of Disney, there’s more to them than this picture depicts.

But they do invite dreams of little girls imagining splashy weddings and perfect babies and their own Prince Charming.

According to Disney, Prince Charming will be be rich, charming, famous, and good-looking.

But ah, reality says otherwise.

A real life Prince Charming has something much more significant to offer. And every grown woman should value it: a heart to serve.

When Jeff washed dishes last night at 9:30, I liked it. And before that, when he lifted a heavy box out of my car for me, I was impressed. And before that, when he put in a full day’s work on the job to put money in the bank, I admired him for that, too.

It works both ways, of course. If I’m a truly loving wife, I serve, too. Marriage creates multiple opportunities for both of us to practice serving.

And practice it.

In sickness and in health.
For richer or for poorer.
Regardless of fame or charm, practice serving.

God sent the model Prince Charming ready to serve (Mark 10:45). He overwhelmed us with his practice. Back then. Today. Tomorrow.

Disney may not have designed this character yet, and we may not even fully appreciate it, but true greatness lies in true serving (Matthew 20:26-27).

The sweetest love excels at extravagant serving.

Maybe one day Disney will catch on.

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Who has served you today? What did they do for you? Please share in the comments.

revised from the archives

Enjoy the Word through Scripture Memorization

By LisaNotes May 4, 2018 Memorization 5 Comments

What Words Do You Hear?

Choose what you pay attention to. One way to change our hearts is through our minds.

Memorizing scripture is a spiritual discipline we can use to make that journey from head to heart. Spending time with the Living Word through his written words can be transforming. It builds relationship. It honors the Lord.

Time invested with God will last forever.

Resources to Memorize Scripture

Do you want more resources to memorize scripture?

I’m sharing about memorizing scripture at the 2018 Enjoy the Word online Bible conference. with some resources I’ll be sharing there and want to share with you here.

More Tips

For more resources, see Tips and Resources for Memorizing Bible Verses.

Here you’ll find tips and resources for memorizing Bible verses and chapters, reviews on books about memory, lists of verses to learn, and more.

Memorize a Chapter in 31 Days

For resources on memorizing a whole chapter in 31 days, see Tools to Memorize a Bible Chapter.

At the end of 31 days, you’ll not only have memorized a chapter of the Bible, but you’ll have a working pattern to memorize any chapter or portion of scripture that you choose.

* * *

Here’s a sneak preview of my session at the conference.

Do you have a favorite memory verse? Do you have a favorite Bible chapter (memorized or not)? Please share in the comments.

5 Links, Books, and Things I Love – May 2018

By LisaNotes May 1, 2018 Life updates, Links I like 18 Comments

Did you do anything exciting in April? What are you looking forward to in May? We share once a month at Leigh’s.

1 Second Everyday

[If you can’t see the 1 Second Everyday video, click here]

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5 Things Around the Web

1. You Are Not Your Personality: Why the Enneagram Matters
by Jon Singletary

Enneagram figure showing nine personality types according to the Enneagram of Personality (Image by PixelsAway / Bigstock.com)

I appreciate this balanced approach on personality typing. Systems like the Enneagram (which really helps me) are not definitive, but are just another resource among many to help us discern how God is at work in our lives.

“[Even] Enneagram teachers claim that the assessment tests are faulty and your true identity is not in your number. However, knowing your number is a remarkable tool for helping you to be formed in the way of Christ that reflects not your personality type or your number but the unique creation God has made you to be.”

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2. New Memorial Ends the ‘Silence’ on a History of Lynching
by John Hammontree at al.com

Jacob Winkelman/EJI

Although it will be painful, I look forward to one day going to this new museum in my home state of Alabama, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It opened in Montgomery on Thursday. It is important to see their names, to read their stories.

“A stunning – and sobering – six-acre park overlooking the city, the project spearhead by the Equal Justice Initiative is the first memorial in the country dedicated to the stories of more than 4,400 documented lynching victims.

In a press preview on Monday, Bryan Stevenson, EJI founder and executive director, drew parallels to Holocaust memorials in Germany, Stevenson discussed the importance of engaging with a true history, and signaling to the world ‘never again.'”

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3. You Know Who’s Really Addicted to Their Phones? The Olds

Uh oh. Millennials have gotten a bad rap. Graying Gen Xers are the ones who can’t get their faces out of their screens.

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4. Doing Dishes Is the Worst
by Caroline Kitchener

“This is now an empirically proven fact. Dishwashing causes more relationship distress than any other household task.”

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5. Choosing Your Grandma Name

My family will agree I really struggled with this! The video is too funny.

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5 Things about Books and Blogging

1. The Best, Least Annoying Books to Read to Children
by Jennifer Romolini

“Life is too short for uninspiring picture books. And it’s too complicated to settle for “classics” you read as a kid and now realize are problematic or somehow creepier than you remembered. Here are a few children’s books that are clever, quietly educational, and fun — that you won’t mind reading to kids again and again (and again and again and…).”

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2. 10 Best Fiction Books of 2017
by Laura Tremaine

Factors that Laura considered when making her list: Pure entertainment, quality of the writing and story, and how long it sticks with you after you turn the last page.

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3. Here’s Some New Blogging Statistics
by BlogTyrant.com

An infographic here of statistics about why people start blogs, the goals they’re trying to achieve, the amount of income they make, the challenges they face, etc.

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4. 15 Literary Novels that Will Have You Compulsively Turning the Pages
by Anne Bogel

By “literary,” Anne means: the kind of “serious” novels that probe human nature (and especially human shortcomings), focus on the interior lives of their characters, and generally focus on meaning over entertainment.

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5. Five Books I Recommend – April 2018

It was all non-fiction in April. (I’ll balance it back out in May.)

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5 Things I Love

1. 4 Corners’ Slumber Party

How many years have we been doing this? Probably since 6th grade, which puts it at over 40 years. We don’t stay up at late as we used to. But we have even more to talk about. I love these lifetime friends.

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2. All the “Kids”

The timing of our latest family meal on my side worked out for almost everyone. While this still isn’t all the kids, it almost is: grandchildren and spouses and great-grandkids. We do well to get this many together at one time anymore.

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3. Grown Cousins and Baby Cousins

I love this picture of Morgan and her cousin Lindsey with their babies. They are both happy, happy to be mothers. I hope little Hayden and Riley can continue the family tradition of being close cousins.

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4. At Church Together

This isn’t the clearest picture, but I’m proud to get it! It was Morgan and Riley’s first visit “up north” to our house since she’d been born. And the first time we all got to go to church together.

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5. Home

I hope Riley will come visit Gramps and Granna again and again and again through the years, now that she knows the way. Do Jeff and I look like proud grandparents?

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5 Things on the Blog

12 Ways to Be Content
If you want to be more content in your circumstances, here are 12 ways, revised from The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs.
What Dates You? Let People Define the Times
We don’t have to forget the people in our past. They become embedded in who we are now.
Does Your Mourning Feel Blessed?
When we’re sad and in pain, we want it removed. What did Jesus mean, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”?
Your Enneagram Type and Mine – Book Review of The Path Between Us
Want to use the Enneagram personality system to improve your relationships? Suzanne Stabile’s new book, The Path Between Us, shows you how.
I Can Do It Myself—But Should I?
Just because you CAN do it by yourself, does that mean you SHOULD? Sometimes letting others help us—even if we don’t think we need it—is a gift to all.

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What was a highlight from your April? What are you looking forward to in May? Please share in the comments.

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