Lisa notes

J – Jobs with God {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}

By LisaNotes October 12, 2016 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, Welcome 16 Comments

“Man’s main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in his life.”
– Viktor Frankl

jobs-laptop

J—Jobs

“I don’t want to do this today.”

How often do we say this? The task in front of us isn’t always fun. Or easy.

And, we might wonder, is it even meaningful?

But if we look at our job—whether it’s one for a day, a season, or a lifetime—as a specific doorway to walk through for an encounter with God, we can embrace it instead of brushing it off.

We’re each called to individual responsibilities. But our assignments are more than they appear to be.

While our work (paid or not) may look like it is only organizing an office or paying a bill or cleaning a house, it is much more.

Each job is an outlet to love. To love God, to love other people, and to love ourselves.

Behind every duty is an opportunity to work alongside God. He wants us to partner with him in his larger ministry to love every human being, to show them that they matter, to impress on them his image.

Try This

What’s your job(s) today?

Why are you doing it?

Dig deeper into your motivation.

  • Does it help someone else do their job better?
  • Does it make a process work more smoothly?
  • Is it a steppingstone to meet other needs?

Can you do it in a way that makes God look good?

Whatever you do today, remember God is alongside you, doing it with you and in you.

God’s presence is your partner. It’s not just something to imagine; it’s a reality to know.

Learn More

  • Is Your To-Do List Holy?
    As believers, do our to-do lists look any different than anybody else’s? Maybe not on the surface, but here’s where they can be different.
  • Use Your Hands to Touch a Heart
    Without the human touch, the world would be an empty place.
  • The Power of Presence
    “Help me know how to rely on your presence more than I rely on my words.” – Scotty Smith
  • Your Job Matters
    I hesitate. Because the more you know, the more you’re responsible for. Do I want to know more?

* * *

In addition to this 31 days series, I’m also in the middle of a year of “Welcome.” This month I’m welcoming “meaningful work.” Here is the index for the Spiritual Practice of Welcoming.

What’s your job this week, whether at home or at work? How can you stay more aware of God’s presence alongside you? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

  • K – Kisses
    Who do you allow your lips to touch?

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I – Intuitively Hearing from God {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}

By LisaNotes October 11, 2016 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God 16 Comments

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
– Albert Einstein

pen-idea-bulb-paper

I—Intuition

Have you ever just known something in your gut without anyone telling you?

There are some things you know because someone explicitly taught you.

But there are other things you know because God slipped them inside you when you weren’t even aware.

If they’re truly from God, they won’t contradict what you already know about his overwhelming love and kindness.

Try This

Look for God today in your intuitive knowing, in those gut feelings that often guide your decisions unaware.

Ask for his Spirit to guide you from the inside out . . .

  • in who you talk to,
  • which words you use,
  • which questions you bring up in a conversation.

Let your actions be driven by love, as you listen and obey God’s word underneath the words.

Learn More

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Is there something you just know you’re supposed to do this week? How has God worked through your intuition in the past to connect you with him or someone else? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

  • J – Jobs
    How do you encounter God through meaningful work?

26-surprising-ways-encounter-god_index

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

H – Hearts Are Reminders {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}

By LisaNotes October 10, 2016 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God 12 Comments

“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”
– C.S. Lewis

love-heart-makeup-beauty

H—Hearts

Hearts are our culture’s icons of love. While the heart shape as we know it is not the shape of our physical hearts, it’s the one we recognize as the center of our souls.

Try This

Scan the room you’re in right now.

  • Is there a heart or something resembling a heart right where you are?
  • Trace a heart in the air.
  • Put your hand over your own heart and listen to the beats to a count of 50.

Thank God for surrounding you with images of love.

Let them remind you of his real love for you. Send hearts today on your own communications to keep spreading his love around the world.

The greatest commandment is love. Let it be so with us today!

Learn More

* * *

Is there an image of a heart where you are right now? Whose love do you think of first when you see a heart? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

  • I – Intuition
    Have you ever intuitively encountered God?

See the index of all the posts here.

26-surprising-ways-encounter-god_index

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

Review and What’s Next? {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God}

By LisaNotes October 9, 2016 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God 2 Comments

encountering-god-review-1

Where have you seen God lately?

In our series this past week, we encountered God through these six exercises.

  • Blood
    Blood is a sign of life. And where there’s life, there’s God.
  • Collections
    What do you collect? How do you see God in your collection?
  • Doubt
    We might think God only rewards strong faith, but he’s just as near us when we doubt.
  • Empty Spaces
    Keep some empty spaces around you as breathing room for you and God.
  • Food
    Trace your favorite food back to God, giving thanks along the way.
  • Grandparents
    Whether you come from good seed or bad apples, find a way to discover God through your family.

Reflect today on which encounter impacted you the most.

Pray about how you’d like to encounter God more in this coming week. I’ll have suggestions ranging from hearts to mirrors.

* * *

In what spaces or people did you discover God this past week? Please share in the comments.

Coming up:

  • Monday–Saturday, Encountering God from H to M

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G – Grandparents and God {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}

By LisaNotes October 8, 2016 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God 6 Comments

“Grandmas don’t just say ‘that’s nice’ — they reel back and roll their eyes and throw up their hands and smile. You get your money’s worth out of grandmas.”
– Author Unknown

grandma

G—Grandparents

What do (or did) you call your grandparents? Were you close to them? Do you look like them?

On my mom’s side, we called them Grandma and Granddaddy. On my dad’s side was Mamaw and Papaw. We used to spend a week every summer with them in Mississippi. We’d make mudpies, spend money when the peddler came, and go on the mail route with Granddaddy.

But we didn’t choose them. None of us get to choose our family heritage.

Sometimes we thank God for how he worked it out anyway. But sometimes we don’t.

Whether you come from good seed or bad apples, God has planned for you to discover him through your family.

Try This

Think for a few minutes about what your previous generations taught you about God.

  • What did they get right about God?
  • What did they get wrong?
  • Who taught you the most about God’s love?

Ask God for clarity in how you are to teach the generations coming behind you.

Learn More

* * *

Who is your oldest living relative? Who has passed on that you miss the most? Which relative taught you the most about God? Please share in the comments.

Coming up:

  • Sunday, Review
  • This week, Encountering God from B to G

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F – Food as God’s Love {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}

By LisaNotes October 7, 2016 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God 11 Comments

“God wants everyone to eat, drink, and enjoy their work. These are gifts from God.”
Ecclesiastes 3:13 (ERV)

potatoes-french-fry

F—Food

What is your favorite food?

Will you be eating it today? Have you thought about the lengths God has taken to bring this food to you?

Some foods are easier to trace back to God than others. Take an apple. Maybe you have an apple tree that someone planted years ago, and today you reap the fruit. Or maybe you go to Kroger and handpick your favorite variety of apple from a bin.

Other foods aren’t so easy to trace back. Candy corn is a luxurious fall treat for me. But Jenna assures me I’m only eating crayons. I still thank God for candy corn.

Try This

Trace  your favorite food back to God, giving thanks along the way.

Pizza Hut’s ham pizza is one of my favorites. I thank God for the teenage worker behind the counter who puts it in the oven, for the factory worker who assembles the raw ingredients into bags and boxes, for the farmer who tends the pigs for the ham and the wheat for the crust and the tomatoes for the sauce.

Granted, not everything we put in our mouths is good for us.

But in moderation, with wisdom, and knowledge of our bodies, the natural foods that God created are gifts from him to us. Gifts of love.

Let’s enjoy our encounters today with God through food. 

Learn More

* * *

What’s your favorite food? Can you trace it back to God? Please share in the comments.

Next:

  • G—Grandparents
    We don’t get to choose our families of origin. How does God fit in?

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