Lisa notes

Links, books, and other things I love – September 2015

By LisaNotes September 1, 2015 Life updates 18 Comments

AROUND THE WEB

How to know if you talk too much
Will you get Alzheimer’s? It’s one of my fears since my mom had it.
Are you neat but not organized, or vice versa? Neat and organized are two different things.
A teenager’s view about social media: Facebook (it’s dead to them but they can’t get off, like an awkward family dinner party they can’t leave). Instagram (the most used). Twitter (so-so to them; what’s the point?). Snapchat (becoming most used). And more.
Are we so committed to the Bible that we go beyond it?
Pictures of introversion. We get a lot of press these days. 17 more graphics to explain ourselves to others.

ON READING

How to read 1000 books (1. Read more than one book at a time. 2. Read every day. 3. Always keep a book with you.)
Books I recommend from August
How to read like a methodical madman
I’m enjoying reading and blogging about Knowing God with the group at Tim Challies, although I miss the blog comments there. (He’s turned it over to Facebook—way too many comments for me to wade through.)

In my daily Bible reading, I finally finished Jeremiah in the Old Testament (whew! it was tough at the end) and started the letter of Galatians in the New Testament.
My current Goodreads list is here.

THINGS I LOVE

I’m loving my “One Second a Day” app. Here’s August’s video. [click here if you can’t see the video]

My childhood home is now officially sold. No longer ours. The new family wanted a history of the house, so we compiled memories and made this little book for them (and for us).

But before we turned over the keys, we got in a few more visits.
My 4 Corners bestie, Kathy, wanted one last look.

And my sister Sandy and I needed one last sit on the front steps.

“Christianity has a branding problem.” Great 8-part podcast “Christian” series by Andy Stanley. The last lesson, “Working it out” sums it up well, if you only have time to listen to one message.

ON THE BLOG

If you don’t see God at work, maybe you’re not looking.
About my friend who woke up from her coma!
Are you impatient with your impatience?
About giving the same grace to ourselves that we give to others.
There is power in a place.
About claiming the power where you live (and my childhood house).

LOOKING FORWARD TO

Our newest Bible memory challenge—Isaiah 12:1-6—is about to begin! Get the details if you’re interested.
31 Days, a writing challenge every day in October, is about to begin.
I’ve plotted an outline but haven’t written anything yet. Previous years I’ve written 31 Quotes of Grace – 2014, 31 Days of Book Quotes – 2013, 31 Days of Grace – 2012. And if you’re interested, How to make a link-up button with PicMonkey.
AU Football is back! Jeff and I are going to the opener this weekend to celebrate our 23rd anniversary.

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What are you looking forward to this month? Please share in the comments.

Linking at Leigh Kramer’s
Previous Links

On the blog – August 2015

By LisaNotes August 31, 2015 Archives No Comments

More than words – Sign up to memorize Isaiah 12 (8/31) – The meaning goes deeper than the words
What does it mean to know God? (8/27) – Knowing God is personal
Books I recommend – August 2015 (8/25) – Reviews of books I read in August
8 reasons why I want to memorize Isaiah 12 (8/24) – Why I want to plant the words of Isaiah 12 in my brain
Why do you want to know God? (8/20) – Review of Chapters 1 and 2 of Knowing God
There is power in a place (8/17) – What memories are you making in your home?
Review of Tim Hawkins’ Diary of a Jackwagon (8/14) – Book review of Christian comedian Tim Hawkins’ memoir
Is Jesus in your house? (8/13) – Guest post at Do Not Depart about inviting Jesus into all areas of your life
Are you impatient with your impatience? (8/10) – Give yourself the same grace you give to others
If you don’t see God at work, maybe you’re not looking (8/6) – My friend woke up from her coma
Links, reading, and other things I love – August 2015 (8/5) – Links, happenings, and pictures from the month
Everybody can do something. What will you do this week? (8/3) – My homeless friend opens the library door

More than words – Sign up to memorize Isaiah 12:1-6

By LisaNotes August 31, 2015 Memorization 20 Comments

It’s time!

If you want to memorize 6 verses in 6 weeks from Isaiah 12, register now at Do Not Depart.

You’ll receive an email with answers to frequently asked questions as well as the 6-week schedule. Next week you’ll receive a list of printable resources, then the following week, September 14, we’ll start memorizing.

But as with any passage of the Bible, it’s not the words on the page that matter the most. It’s the truth underneath the words.

And that truth is The Word is Love and became flesh for our good and God’s glory.

In reading Isaiah 12, we’re reminded that the Lord is worthy of our thanks because of who he is and what he does. He deserves our songs, our shouts, and yes, our words, too.

Our words do matter. We’re to use them often.

But the message underneath our words matters more. Language is a tool to communicate what is deeper inside us.

What is deeper inside us?

God.

God is the deepest thing inside us. He has become our salvation (Isaiah 12:2) and makes his home in us (1 Corinthians 6:19, John 14:23). Can it get any better than that?

How can we adequately express that in mere words?

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If you’d like to memorize the words of Isaiah 12 for a deeper awareness of God in you, too, see 4 things to do this week for Isaiah 12.

What aspect of God leaves you most speechless? Please share in the comments.

Books I recommend – August 2015

By LisaNotes August 25, 2015 Books I Recommend 27 Comments

BOOKS I RECOMMEND

1. Faithiest
How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious
by Chris Stedman

Only read this one if you can hold an open mind. Author Chris Stedman is a former Evangelical Christian who is now an atheist. He works to make the world a better place by collaborating with people of all beliefs. His story is one of many that believers need to hear. Resources here for his suggestions on bridging the religious/non-religious divide.

2. David and Goliath
Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
by Malcolm Gladwell

Little guys don’t always lose to big guys. Beautiful stories here! Gladwell says, “The powerful and the strong are not always what they seem.” He tells stories of real-life underdog Davids and how they have conquered their versions of Goliaths. Most interesting and inspiring. Listen to an interview with Malcolm Gladwell about this book at Gospel Coalition.

3. The Question that Never Goes Away
by Philip Yancey

When God doesn’t intervene to stop situations like the tsunami in Japan or the school shootings in Columbine or Sandy Hook, we don’t know how to account for him. Yancey doesn’t give us pat answers on how to do it either, but he does help us wrestle with the questions. “Faith, I’ve concluded, means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” And “I avoid trying to answer the Why? question because any attempt will inevitably fall short and may even rub salt in an open wound. As Jesus’ followers, we can instead offer a loving and sympathetic presence that may help bind wounds and heal a broken heart.”

4. Diary of a Jackwagon
by Tim Hawkins

To lighten things up, laugh with Tim Hawkins, a funny and clean stand-up comedian. He includes old and new material in this book. Jeff and I both read it and actually laughed out loud at many parts. My full review is here.

5. Laddie
A True Blue Story
by Gene Stratton-Porter

This classic children’s book would make a wonderful read-aloud with children of any age. A sweet story (Little House on the Prairie-style) of a family with 12 children out in the country, and in particular about the strong relationship between the youngest girl (Little Sister) and one of her older brothers (Laddie). Thankfully it has a real plot running through it, not just a collection of short scenes in their lives. And it is the only book I’ve ever read that has mentioned a “shitepoke” (a little green heron that we often have in our backyard; I guess Jeff didn’t make up that word after all {smile}). The book is a semi-memoir of Gene Stratton-Porter’s own life. It’s the August pick for Carrie’s Reading to Know Classic Book Club and my pick for A Classic Children’s Book for Back to the Classics Challenge.

6. The Giver
by Lois Lowry

This 1994 Newbery award winning novel is a story that I don’t tire of. If you liked the movie that came out in 2014 (I did), read the book now to get the whole story. It’s a vision of what life would be like if we totally eliminated uniqueness and discomfort and hard memories. And how the young boy Jonas decides to run away from it. You can read it simply as a child’s story or take it as deep as you want to go.

I’M READING NOW

7. Knowing God
by J. I. Packer

This classic has influenced believers for years in distinguishing between knowing about God versus knowing God. Tim Challies is hosting a 2-chapters-a-week group at his blog. We just started last week, if you want to join in. I’ll be posting summaries here each Thursday.

8. The Word Exchange
by Alena Graedon

I’ve just begun this dystopian novel on the “death of print” and the written word. It may be too horrifying; we’ll see.

9. The Invisible Girls
A Memoir
by Sarah Thebarge

This true story is based on a 27-yr-old’s encounter with a Somali refugee on the subway in Portland, Oregon. It has already grabbed me in the first 10 pages.

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Once a month we share what’s on our nightstand at 5 Minutes for Books.

What are you reading this month? Please share here.

My books on Goodreads
Previous reading lists

8 reasons why . . .

By LisaNotes August 24, 2015 Bible, Memorization 34 Comments

It’s an easy one.
I won’t be alone.
It puts positive thoughts in my head.
It honors God.
It’s only 6 weeks but lasts a lifetime.
It’s good for my soul.
It makes me more aware of God’s presence.
It strengthens my faith.

Why do I want to memorize a chapter in the Bible? And why Isaiah 12 in particular?

These are only 8 reasons. There are more. But these are enough.

My brain is a messy place. I want to plant more truths in there, and dig out harmful lies.

The six verses in this song by Isaiah remind me of these facts . . .

God isn’t angry with me.
I can trust God.
Fear doesn’t control me.
God frees, not enslaves me.
I find happiness in God.
God is worth telling others about.
God is great right here, right now.

So this week I pray about re-memorizing Isaiah 12 more firmly (long ago I knew it) for six weeks this fall. I want it to be a time of intense dwelling on these thoughts of God and about God and with God.

If this stirs something in you, too (maybe yes, maybe no—no judging either way!), I invite you to pray also.

We can do it together with the group that will gather at Do Not Depart and Hide His Word on Facebook. Get the details here.

Registration opens August 31 at Do Not Depart, and memorizing officially begins September 14, one verse per week.

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For 8 more reasons to memorize Isaiah 12, read this at Do Not Depart.

Has a memorized scripture helped you in the past? Which one? Please share in the comments.

Why do you want to know God?

By LisaNotes August 20, 2015 Book reviews, Knowing God, Knowing God_J.I.Packer 12 Comments

What we don’t know, we often fear.

If I hadn’t known who lived behind this door, I never would have knocked (not that I fit into any of the categories, mind you).

But because I did know the man—and knew him to be kind to me—I knew it was safe.

How much do we know about God?

Are we afraid of him because of what we don’t know?
Or because of what we think we do know?
Has he been kind to us?
Is he safe?

This is week 1 in reading J.I. Packer’s classic book, Knowing God.

A group is gathering at Tim Challies’ blog for the next several Thursdays. Today we discuss chapter 1, “The Study of God,” and chapter 2, “The People Who Know Their God.”

Packer immediately confronts us—and rightly so—with why do we want to study God? In the Foreword he writes:

“Ignorance of God—ignorance both of his ways and of the practice of communion with him—lies at the root of much of the church’s weakness today.”

So, if ignorance promotes weakness, then knowledge can develop strength.

Strength to do what?

Packer says knowledge for its own sake “is bound to go bad on us. It will make us proud and conceited.”

Instead, more knowledge about God is meant to turn into more knowledge of God (i.e., knowing God).

For me, that translates to this:

Knowing God more, leads to loving God more.

And loving God more, leads to loving others more, too.

That’s the kind of strength I want. Strength of purpose to live a life of love.

In chapter 2, “The People who Know Their God,” Packer summarizes these four benefits of knowing God:

Those who know God have great energy for God.
Those who know God have great thoughts of God.
Those who know God show great boldness for God.
Those who know God have great contentment in God.

But how do we come to know God better?

One way is, of course, through the Bible. But the Bible alone isn’t enough.

We can read about a person all day long in a book, but unless we’ve interacted with them, how much do we really know them?

We all have friends (or ourselves) who are overflowing with Bible facts and lofty academic explanations of theological doctrines. “All very fine—yet interest in theology, and knowledge about God, and the capacity to think clearly and talk well on Christian themes, is not at all the same thing as knowing Him.”

How we treat our families at home, or how we talk about our friends when they’re not around, or how we talk to God (or not) in private is often more revealing about our relationship with God than how many Bible verses we can quote. (Preaching to self.)

Packer suggests thus we recognize our lack of knowledge of God and ask the Lord to show us more.

Seek the Savior’s company.

Then we can “turn each truth that we learn ABOUT God into matter for meditation BEFORE God, leading to prayer and praise TO God.”

* * *

How do you get to know a fellow human? Do any of those strategies work with getting to know God? Let’s talk in the comments.

It’s not too late to grab a copy of Knowing God and read along with us.

Next week:
Chapter 3, “Knowing and Being Known”
Chapter 4, “The Only True God”