Lisa notes

“Thinking people welcome doubt. It serves them well as a valuable stepping stone to better knowledge.”
– Carl Jung

D—Doubt

We like to know.

But often we don’t. What will this day hold? Who will we hear from unexpectedly? What emotions, thoughts, behaviors will come from our own bodies today?

Your guess is as good as mine.

While we can often get the impression that God rewards certainty (those with strong faith, for example), we can also trust that God is near us when we doubt.

Especially if that doubt means we are being more honest.

Remember that God is truth. And when we are most truthful, perhaps we are most like God. Even when that truth for us is splotchy and messy.

Try This

What doubts are you pondering lately? A faith issue? A job predicament? A relationship struggle?

Ask God to show up in the doubt. Right in the middle of it. Sit with him in the uncertainty until you make peace with it. Not for answers. Just to be in his presence.

God can be found even in the doubts.

Learn More

• Is It Okay to Doubt My Faith?
  If our faith is rooted in truth and our ability to reason is a gift from God, shouldn’t he be able to handle any question we come up with?
• When You’re Not Sure
  We can’t always wait for 100% clarity. Including on matters of faith. Let’s stop being scared of being wrong.
• Suggested Books to Read
  Unfollowers: Unlikely Lessons on Faith from Those Who Doubted Jesus by Ed Cyzewski and Derek Cooper. My review here.
  Spiritual Misfit: A Memoir of Uneasy Faith by Michelle DeRusha. My review here.
  Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church by Rachel Held Evans. My review here.

* * *

What uncertainty is nagging you now about your faith? About life?  Please share in the comments.

Coming up next:

• E – Emptiness
  Are you holding open empty spaces for God to move?

See the whole series here.

 

“Ownership is the most intimate relationship one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who comes alive in them.”
– Walter Benjamin

C—Collections

Do you have any collections in your home?

Maybe you collect dolls or books or coffee mugs. Why? There’s a reason.

After my baby girl Kali died, I collected angels. Or rather, angels came to me. They were gifts, reminders from my friends and family that they remembered. Kali was not forgotten.

They were also reminders from my God. I was not forgotten.

Through the years I’ve also collected books. Most of them I’ve chosen myself. Many I bought because I’d already read the library version, yet needed to own a copy myself so I could re-read it over and over.

God is in those books. In the words of the authors. In the truths about human nature and the world that God created himself. My collection of books reminds me that there is an ultimate source of wisdom, of knowledge, of all truth.

And that I’m not it.

Try This

What do you collect? Look around your home.

Now go deeper. Look for God in your collection.

How has he led you to this collection? How can you encounter him in your collection? Is there anything about your collection that reminds you of God’s character?

Learn More

• Object Lessons: Why We Keep Things
  The New Museum has a four-floor exhibit of things people collect.
• Everyone Enjoys Collecting Something
  Read the kinds of things people collect, the difference between professional and amateur collectors, and the difference between collecting and hoarding. 
  
• Motivations Behind Our Collections
  Our motivations may vary: competition, aesthetic, social, glory, altruism, nostalgia, control, etc.
• Why Do We Collect? All about collections. See some unique connections. Why do humans add meaning to objects anyway?
  

* * *

What do you collect? When did you start? How do you see God in your collection? Please share in the comments.

Next:

• D – Doubt
  How can our doubts lead us closer to God?

“The finest gesture one can make is to save life by donating blood.”
– on a t-shirt

B—Blood

Have you seen any blood today? Likely you will. Or at least reminders of blood.

Blood is life.

Whether it’s a cut or a period, blood is a strong indicator of aliveness, past or present.

And where there is life, there is God.

In the Old Testament, blood played a huge part in many of the stories.

• God wanted blood accounted for if a life was taken.
• He prohibited eating animals with blood still in them.
• He had specific commands on handling the blood of sacrificed animals.
• Blood smeared on doorposts blocked death from entering.

In the New Testament, the shadowing came to actualization. Christ’s blood, the perfect blend of deity and humanity, became the perpetual gift of life to all who believe.

His blood drained gave us life gained.

Try This

Let blood lead you to encounters with God today.

Don’t cut yourself to find blood, but watch for it as a colorful red reminder that God is alive, he is moving, he is life-giving.

Learn More

• Your own blood can literally save the lives of others. How much do you know about blood donation? Take this quiz.
• Blood shortages often occur each summer, but donations were also down in September. Donations are needed to replenish the blood supply and be prepared for emergencies. See if you are eligible to donate blood.
• Looking for a place to donate blood? Search here for Red Cross blood drives or LifeSouth Community Blood Centers.

* * *

Are you squeamish about seeing blood? How has seeing blood led you to an encounter with God? Please share in the comments.

Coming up next

• C – Collections
  Do you have any collections in your home? There’s a reason. See how to encounter God in them.

Four ways to follow this series

1. Bookmark the index page. Or,
2. Sign up for emails. Or,
3. Subscribe in a news reader (Feedly is my favorite). Or,
4. Join me on Facebook.

On Sundays of our series this month {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}, we will look back at how we encountered God in the previous week.

And look ahead to how we’ll intentionally seek time with him in the coming week.

Yesterday we spent a few minutes totally alone with God—no books, no music, no agenda.

Did you feel a greater awareness of his presence during that time? Sometimes it can feel intimidating; sometimes it can feel incredibly comfortable.

Continue to be mindful of pockets of minutes that you can do nothing but sit with God, which is everything.

This coming week we will focus on a different exercise each day, using the letters B through G. Tomorrow we’ll begin with B, Your Blood.

But first, let’s live in this day.

It’s a Wedding!

Because today is my baby girl’s wedding day. Congratulations to Jenna and Trey!

We’d appreciate your prayers today that their marriage begin in a God-honoring way.

And that the mother-of-the-bride holds it together without too many tears. Thanks!

* * *

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Four ways to follow the series:

1. Bookmark the index page. Or,
2. Sign up for emails. Or,
3. Subscribe in a news reader (Feedly is my favorite). Or,
4. Join me on Facebook.

“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.”
– Wayne Dyer

A—Alone

God’s presence is one of his greatest gifts to us.

We often are aware of his presence in a crowd.

• At church, we worship him with others.
• Through other people loving us, we feel him loving us.
• As we serve other people, we participate with him in ministry.

But God asked Moses to come alone to the mountain to have their most intimate encounter yet (Exodus 24:1-2).

So we, too, must be willing to be sit with the Lord alone.

Try This

Practice today being alone with God for 5-10 minutes.

• No people.
• No pets.
• No books.
• No music.
• No phone.
• No laptop or paper.

And

• No expectations.
• No wish lists.
• No whines.

Just God and you.

And discover that you’re never really alone after all.

Learn More

• Bible Verses on Solitude and Silence by Bill Gaultiere
• 8 Steps to Meeting God in Silence and Solitude by Whitney Hopler
• Solitude and Being Alone at Mind & Soul
• Silence or Solitude?

* * *

Is it hard or easy for you to be alone with just God? Please share in the comments.