Lisa Notes

The right song at the right time (Nov Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I’ve had a weepy week so far.

The orange trees, the cooler temps, the crunch of leaves – these are forever tied in my mind to the loss of my second child on a cold November day. So I live with a touch of melancholy at this time of year.

As I was driving alone yesterday to pick up Jenna, another wave flooded over me about Kali’s 16th birthday around the corner.

Just then, an Aaron Shust song came on the radio, To God Alone.

Can You take me by the hand?
Can You use me as I am?
Break me into who You want me to be
When the time is finally right
Will You open up my eyes and show me everything You want me to see?
This life is not my own

“This life is not my own.” I have to be reminded of that quite often. I don’t control who lives or dies, or who God brings into or out of my life.

But what I can control is this: Will I give him the glory anyway? No matter what?

To God alone be the glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for You
The glory is Yours alone
Yours alone

The song was just what I needed. The right song at the right time.

It reminded me of Job’s words. May none of us ever have to endure what Job did! But may we all have his attitude in whatever trials do come our way.

   Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
   And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
   In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job 1:20-22

So I join with Job, saying: “Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
And I join with Aaron, saying: “To God alone be the glory.”

Dish – Corner View

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

I’ve never eaten off this dish, nor will I. The collectible plate, “An Angel’s Kindness,” was given to Jeff and me from my parents as a Christmas gift a couple years after our baby Kali died.

I have pictures of Kali after she was born. She had chubby cheeks and a head full of black hair. I don’t know how she would have looked as she aged, but I can imagine her in this angel painted on the plate.

It sits atop a bookcase in our living room, along with a small white Bible with Kali’s name engraved on it, and a photo of Kali with a small white Bible beside her.

Had she lived, this Friday would have been her Sweet 16th Birthday. So this plate, one in the series of Heaven’s Little Sweethearts, is definitely fitting for my corner view this week, in sweet memory of my own little sweetheart happy and safe in Heaven.

For more views around the world, visit the links at Jane’s place.

Other people’s kids (Nov 10 – Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:48:00 +0000

My 6¾-yr-old neighbor (she’ll remind you of the “¾” if you forget) often pops in for a visit. We had a great conversation Sunday about her future plans. She said she wants to be a vegetarian when she grows up. We were surprised.

“A vegetarian? No meat?”

No, no, no. “I mean veterinarian.” A little different. :-)

I’m thankful for her visits. But 6¾-yr-olds have lots of energy, and lots of needs, and I’m thankful that I don’t have to keep up with one full-time anymore.

I’ve fallen in love with a precious 1-yr-old at church. I love when she comes to me and lets me hold her. I remember my own single-mom days with a 1-yr-old at church. I was very thankful when someone offered to hold Morgan occasionally so I could listen and participate.

But with other people’s babies, as soon as they get fussy, I can hand them back to mom.

Same with the 6-month-old cutie in my extended family.
Happy? Stay with me.
Not happy? Let’s find mommy.

I have several friends who wanted to have children, but for one reason or another, have not seen that dream come true. No one else’s children can ever take the place of the ones they longed for.

But I’m thankful that everyone can at least have neighbors and church friends and cousins and co-workers who can share their children with the rest of us.

We need to love other people’s kids.
And other people’s kids need our love.
I’m thankful that’s how it goes.

A mutual purpose (Ch 7 “Spiritual Mothering)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Chapter 7 is one of my favorites so far.
Join Joanne’s group at The Simple Wife for discussion.

Purpose
What makes spiritual mentoring work? The mutual desire to live for God’s glory.

In the beginning, we all start out self-centered. As babies, we want our own way. But we soon discover it’s not all about me. It’s also about Mommy, Daddy, others.

But we should also discover it’s not all about others either. There’s Someone Else.

Growing from self-centered to God-centered means I stop using you to serve me, and start serving you to honor God.

When Mary was told she would have a baby, she did NOT say:

“I need time to process this. I’ll get back with you.”
“But Joseph and I are planning a big wedding—I’ve dreamed of that day all my life. A pregnancy now would ruin it”
“I’m not ready to be a mother. I need my space. I need more financial security. I’ll work a few years, then let’s talk.”

No, Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be as you say.” (Luke 1:38)

Elizabeth also submitted to the Lord’s plan, giving birth at a very old age. Both she and Mary understand their life purpose extended beyond themselves—not in honoring self, but in honoring God.

Humility

Humility is not a passive, syrupy sweetness. Humility is rugged obedience.

Neither Mary nor Elizabeth let pride rise up when it could have (after all, they were carrying the Lord’s boys!), but they both were humble to the Lord’s call. Easy? I don’t think so.

The humility they both expressed through obedience to the Lord also worked in their relationship with each other. Neither was possessive or needy or overly-attached. Their primary relationship was with God, which then opened up opportunities to enrich their relationship with each other.

Resent or Appreciate?
Susan Hunt explains a common dynamic among women’s relationships in the church.

An older woman may feel threatened by a younger woman’s energy and new ideas, and try to make herself feel better at the expense of the other, criticizing the younger woman’s choices. Or she may feel that today’s younger woman is too vain or self-centered or shallow, and take undue pride in her own spirituality and knowledge above the younger woman’s.

On the other hand, the younger woman may judge that the older woman has “retired” prematurely, and resents that she doesn’t help in ways that she would like her to. Or she feels that the older woman is so out of touch that there’s no way she could relate to the problems of today’s woman, and thus have no use for her.

The answer?

Learn to appreciate the value and meet the needs of each other. God has placed women in the church family in every stage and season of life, and they are to learn from and help each other, not resent each other. Living for God’s glory takes the emphasis off our individual agendas, and opens opportunities to serve each other instead.

Spiritual mentoring itself implies that one is farther along in development than the other. But even while the two are at different levels of growth, they are both heading the same direction.

And the goal of both is not only to live for God’s glory herself, but to help each other live for God’s glory.

He will. He will. He will. Jeremiah 32 – Memory Monday

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Learned last week:
(Well, sort of. I didn’t do very well. So I’m working on it again this week, along with an easier one below.)

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.
Jeremiah 32:40

I’m breaking it down like this:
God will MAKE
God will not TURN
God will PUT
so that we may not TURN

Looks like God is carrying the heavier workload.

He’s the one who cuts the covenant with us that will last forever.
He’s the one who continues to do good things for us.
He’s the one who gives us a reverence for him.
So that we won’t leave him.

Who would WANT to leave somebody with such devotion?

Um, me. You. Everybody else we know.

It’s hard to imagine why. But we get lured away by temptation all the time, to think bad thoughts, to act out improper behaviors, to love self more than loving him and others.

But thankfully, God is actively at work to prevent those things. He wants to keep us walking to him, not away from him. So he is passionately doing and pursuing.

Quite amazing, huh? I hope to remember it better this week!

* * *

Learning this week:
(Very glad to see these next verses on our list to memorize. A great complement to the above Jeremiah verse!)

For I am convinced that
neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

Are you memorizing a verse or two this week? Then join us at Joanne’s for Memory Monday.

6:00 – 7:00 a.m. (Nov 9 – Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:30:00 +0000

It’s my magic hour.

Because my current “job” requires no commute, no dressing up, no clock-punching, no baby-feeding, I’m blessed to not have to use this hour anymore to take a shower and dress up and hit the traffic, or prod kids to get up and start the routine themselves to get out the door.

It’s simply bonus time. A freebie.

I usually stay in bed and read. Plan the day. Pray. Think. Sometimes write.

If I’m too sleepy to read, I listen to John Piper or somebody equally encouraging on my mp3. Or if I think there’s a chance of it, I try to sleep.

When 7:00 hits, my mind has to shift. To workouts and cooking breakfast and schoolwork and getting on with the day.

But until then, I enjoy the sweetness of first light with Abba Father.

It’s a gift. This time for this season. We’re each given different ones. Ones that match our needs. I know I am blessed with this one.

And I know Who to thank for it. Yahweh — He is most generous with the presents of His presence. Thank you, Lord.

My church home (Nov 8 – Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +0000

I remember the in-between stage. We had left one caring church family, but hadn’t found a new one.

For awhile we wandered. We visited the churches of our parents, a sibling, the grandparents. Those were good, but they weren’t us.

And then we found Central.

We intended to visit it as one among many more, but once we got there, we never left. It felt right. The people loved the Lord. And they loved each other. Some were quirky; others were straight arrows. A beautiful mixture of rich and poor, black and white, young and old. We could blend right in.

For fifteen years now, it’s been a place of intimate friendships and spiritual growth and healing nourishment.

It’s not perfect; we can be a dysfunctional family in certain ways. But the Lord is present there. It is home.

And I am thankful.

This hurts me more than it hurts you (Wk 9 Ezekiel)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

A holy people
Ezekiel 24 is full of symbols of purification. God is clean; pure; holy.

And he wants his people to be holy, too. He’ll do whatever is necessary to get them that way, including painful things not just to them, but to him.

All parents are obliged to say at some point in their parenting careers: “This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you.” To which all kids, in their wonderful juvenile logic, reply, “Then don’t do it!”

But the parents are wiser and know that the refining process, while painful, yields beautiful results.

So when God set out to purge the impurities from among his people, it was painful to everybody. But the result would be worth it. At least for the survivors and those to follow (which is . . . us!). And definitely to God.

The fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonians in this third and final siege would be a cleansing like Jerusalem had never experienced before.

Here’s the story
On January 15, 588 BC, God gave this story to Ezekiel to pass along to his fellow exiles in Babylon:

Put on the cooking pot (Jerusalem). Pour in water, and fill it with the best chunks of meat and choice bones (corrupt Jewish leaders). Pile the wood (siege) high under the pot.

And bring it to a boil.

But the filthy scum (sin) on this pot can’t be cleaned just with water. So empty the pot (death or exile of the people), piece by piece. Put the empty pot on coals so hot that it melts.

I’m cleaning this mess up.

Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 24:24).

No mourning for the dead
As Jerusalem burned, Mrs. Ezekiel died. Another symbol. A costly one.

She was the delight of Ezekiel’s eyes. Jerusalem was the delight of the people’s eyes. God’s people were the delight of His eyes.

Ezekiel was to mourn his wife in quietness, demonstrating how the exiles were to mourn the loss of Jerusalem. And as God would mourn his people in kind. Forego normal rituals. The destruction of such filthiness surpassed all traditional expressions of grief.

The purification was tough. But the alternative would have been tougher. The unholy can never make themselves holy on their own. Only God can clean the pot.

And we should be thankful that he cares enough to do it. It really is for our own good.

. . . He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant,
but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:10-11

[Jesus Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us
from all lawlessness and to purify for himself
a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2:14

* * *

NEXT: Week 10, Restoration
Ezekiel 36-37

More Ezekiel notes
Class outline

“Take Me as I Am” – Then Sings My Soul Saturdays

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

“I just wanna be with You”

What a miracle that we can be!
Don’t take it lightly.

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

…You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:8-9,11

Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:8

For more songs, join Amy for Then Sings My Soul Saturdays.

Take Me as I Am
LYRICS

This time I finally see the reason why
I can't do this alone
It took some time and concentration
To believe it, this I know

I need to build my faith sometimes
But I am so comfortable in line
I'm up, there's no more time,
To try to mess with this design

Tonight’s complete,
Everyone's asleep
And I wanna say these words to You
I'll be Your hands,
Take me as I am
I just wanna be with You

CHORUS
Take me as I am
‘Cause I'm going
I was too scared to start
Now I'm too scared to let go

Take me as I am,
‘Cause I'm growing
But it’s so hard to tell
When I'm not used to this so

REPEAT

I lift my voice to sing now
Let the sound of my heart ring out
These hands aren't holding me down
Never again will I be without

I need to build my faith sometimes
But I am so comfortable in line
I'm up, there's no more time
To try to mess with this design

Tonight’s complete,
Everyone's asleep
And I wanna say these words to You
I'll be Your hands,
Take me as I am
I just wanna be with You

CHORUS

Book Swapping (Nov 7 – Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:19:00 +0000

When my daughters were small, we read many books together. Dr. Seuss, A. A. Milne, Beatrix Potter.

As they aged, we moved up to The Secret Garden, Jane Eyre, The Watsons Go to Birmingham.

But now we’ve entered a new phase. We don’t read together as much, but we still read some of the same books.

And it’s no longer just me reading their books, but they now want to read some of my books. The lines have blurred.

It’s a neat place to be in.

I’m currently reading Just Do Something. I think Morgan will love it so I’ll pass it along to her when I’m finished. Jenna is reading Sacred Pathways and I claim it next.

When Morgan left for college, I bought two copies of John Maxwell’s 25 Ways to Win with People. We kept one copy here for us to read, and sent one copy to Auburn for Morgan to read, including our weekly reading schedule so we’d all stay on the same page.

Another sign of growing up—this book swapping. It’s good for them. It’s good for me. I am thankful.

It could be worse – Friday’s Fave Five

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:03:00 +0000

The car wreck that could have killed, but instead just left a bruise.

The lump that could have been cancer, but turned out benign.

The job cuts that reached the next cubicle, but stopped at your desk.

Things that are bad. But could have been worse.

Last Saturday, we watched on TV as Auburn’s Zac Etheridge took a hit during the football game. He collapsed on the ground. He tried to move, but couldn’t.

Players took a knee in prayer. Rodney Scott, an Ole Miss player trapped underneath Zac, didn’t even move, but lay perfectly still, for fear of what else might happen if he shifted position and jostled Zac’s body.

Zac couldn’t get up. “I was in shock just not being able to move,” he said. “The only thing I could say was, ‘Jesus, Jesus’ . . . just calling out his name.”

They moved Zac to a stretcher. And when he gave a little thumbs-up, the crowd roared.

What could have happened, didn’t.

He “only” has a cracked fifth vertebrae and torn ligaments. He may or may not play football ever again. But he says he’s blessed that he’s able to walk, and he expects a full recovery. [Read Zac’s story or watch it.]

Zac and his family praise God for that. Me, too.

But rewind. If Zac had immediately popped up after the hit, like he usually did, would we have praised God? Maybe at the end of the game we would have said, “Thanks for no injuries.” But not like we’re praising him now.

When things are going great, we can easily forget God.
And when things are going horribly, we can easily resent God.

But when there’s a little trouble that could get worse, but doesn’t, we’re grateful and give him honor. I can’t explain it, but I observe it and often live it. For example, . . .

1. Rest
I’m a horrible sleeper and had some very restless nights this week . . .

. . . but at least I slept a full seven hours straight last night! Thank you, God, for sweet rest.

2. Working in town
Jeff worked a lot of overtime this week and we didn’t see each other as much as we like to . . .

. . . but at least he has a job and gets to come home to us at the end of the day instead of sleeping in a hotel room in Denver. Thank you, God, for providing for us.

3. Healing
My sweet 15-yr-old neighbor was hospitalized this week for respiratory distress and they still have no diagnosis . . .

. . . but at least the doctors could give her breathing treatments, oxygen, and steroids, and she is greatly improved and back at home. Thank you, God, for hospitals and medicines and wonderful neighbors.

4. Visits
My college daughter may miss every Thanksgiving meal we have this year . . .

. . . but at least we’ll get to see her before and after, and she’ll be loved wherever she is. Thank you, God, for time spent together.

5. Glasses
I think my vision has taken another small detour in the wrong direction lately . . .

. . . but at least I have reading glasses when I need them, and an eye doctor available when I choose to go. Thank you, God, for the ability to see.

* * *

Yes, things could be worse. MUCH worse . . .

. . . but instead, they’re good. VERY good! Thank you, God.

Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

(Join Susanne and the gang
for more Friday’s Fave Five.)

Giggling with Grandma (Nov 6 – Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:48:00 +0000

I heard the phone ring this morning. Caller-ID said it was Mama Jo. So Jenna answered it to have an early-morning giggle with her grandmother.

Jenna is the baby on both sides of the family, and receives all the privileges that come with the title—one of which is having a special bond with the grandmothers. She really loves them; they really love her.

On the phone with Mama Jo, she swapped stories and plans and laughs. A teen girl and a older woman. They couldn’t have more fun together.

I am thankful for that.

* * *

What are you thankful for this month? Share one thing each day of November by leaving a comment on Rebecca’s blog, or e-mailing her, or writing your own post. She then compiles and shares them daily. Count your blessings!

“Kabul24” – Book review

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:52:00 +0000

This story captured my heart.

KABUL24, by Henry O. Arnold and Ben Pearson, tells the factual story of eight Western aid workers in Afghanistan in 2001. And of their harrowing arrest and subsequent captivity as hostages in a country about to enter war with their own.

For 108 days, these eight Christians, along with 16 native Afghans also working for Shelter Now International, were imprisoned against their will by the Taliban, on trumped-up charges of attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Their story is one of faith and determination and the desire for release with no bloodshed of their own or of their captors.

Their story also includes their daily rituals, when possible, that kept them encouraged; what motivated them to maintain positive attitudes; and of the goodness that they saw among others who helped them in big and small ways.

The facts and emotions of their trauma have been encapsulated both in book form and now in film. The DVD is presently only available through the web, but should be released this month in retail stores and shown in churches.

Read the book. Watch the movie. You’ll be inspired too.

Passionate Bible Teachers (Nov 5 - Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:49:00 +0000

We probably have more than our fair share of these types in my church—teachers full of knowledge, full of integrity, full of Christ.

I’m thankful for all of those qualities (especially “full of Christ”!).

But there’s another ingredient in the mix that I’m also thankful for: full of passion.

When I sit under a teacher, I not only want to learn their information; I want to catch their fire. I want it to matter. Because it’s exciting to them, it becomes exciting to me.

I’m in class at church on the book of Ezekiel. I wasn’t sure what to expect about the subject matter. But I knew the teacher. I knew he would teach not only with truth, but also with intensity and curiosity and heart. So I signed up.

And I was right. He, along with his two helpers, have a burning desire in their hearts (Jeremiah 20:9) to share what they’ve learned with enthusiasm and joy because God is so amazing to them.

That’s the kind of teacher I want. That’s the kind of teacher I want to be.

Not just knowledgeable. Knowledge by itself leads to arrogance (1 Corinthians 8:1). But knowledge with love. Knowledge with purpose. And with a craving to share it because it is important and God-glorifying.

God’s message is a passionate one.
May his teachers bring it on that way!

Twitter Prayers (Nov 4 – Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:12:00 +0000

Yesterday when my neighbor was in the hospital, I sent a tweet asking for prayers for her recovery.

Not only did people I know pray, but people I didn’t know also prayed. My tweet was retweeted to someone else, who retweeted it to someone else, etc. It’s a wonderful use of technology.

Writing my thoughts in 140 characters or less for Twitter is sometimes easy, sometimes hard.

The same with praying. Sometimes it takes lots of words to spit out all I want to say to the Lord.

But other times, it takes very few words to send him my message.

Some of my favorite “twitter prayers” to God:

Help me, please!
You are so awesome.
Please forgive me. Again.
I praise you, Lord.
I need your love.
You are enough.
Why are you so good to me?
I can’t do this on my own.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I believe; help my unbelief.
I love you!

Short, easy prayers, but God still lets me go over the limit of characters anytime I need to.

His service is never down. His connection is full bars. His updates are always relevant. He retweets my requests to the right people. He lets just anybody be his follower, and he always follows you back. He never spams and needs no blocking.

He reads and answers every single tweet he receives. Every single one.

The perfect Twitter Friend. He’s the King of social networking…and mental transformation…and lifestyle modification…and replacing bad hearts with pure ones.

He does it all. I am thankful.

The Word is my answer

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
John 1:1

Ann asks this week, “What one spiritual practice has most deeply affected your relationship with Jesus?”

One? That’s hard to answer.

I’ll say:
Worship. Or, maybe meditation. Or journaling? No, study. Definitely study. But what about fellowship? Ooh, don’t forget memorization. Or should it be prayer? Yes, prayer.

Or, maybe I just don’t know.

But I see a common thread running through all those ways of connecting with Jesus. It’s the Word.

The Word is the foundation for song lyrics and purposed thoughts and focused studies and interactions with believers and memorizing truths and conversations with God.

Yes, the Word is my answer.

The Bible is home base. It grounds me. It's a sure spot to see Him, to learn about Him, to believe in Him, to worship Him. To know Him.

I am ushered into His presence through the knowledge of His truths (John 8:31-32).

There I uncover His grace. His holiness. His glory. His love.

I come to the Word to be changed by it. To be changed by Him. Yes, He is my answer.

* * *

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

The Word Is Alive
LYRICS

Looking out from His throne, the Father of light and of men
Chose to make Himself known and show us the way back to Him
Speaking wisdom and truth into the hearts of peasants and kings
He began to unveil the Word that would change the course of all things

With eyes wide open, all would see

CHORUS
The Word is alive
And it cuts like a sword through the darkness
With a message of life to the hopeless and afraid
Breathing life into all who believe
The Word is alive
And the world and its glories will fade
But His truth, it will not pass away
It remains yesterday and forever the same
The Word is alive

Simple strokes on a page
Eternity's secrets revealed, carried on from age to age
It speaks Truth to us even still
And as the rain falls from Heaven, feeds the earth before it returns
Let Your Word fall on us and bring forth the fruit You deserve

With eyes wide open, let us see

CHORUS

* * *

How would you answer? What spiritual practice has most deeply affected your relationship with Jesus? Share with others at Walk with Him Wednesday.

My Walks with Him

Wondrous Words Wednesday

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:15:00 +0000

What new words have you learned this week? Join Kathy at Bermuda Onion to discover more.

1. numinous
(adj) [NOO-muh-nuhs]

Definition—surpassing comprehension or understanding; arousing spiritual or religious emotions; mysterious or awe-inspiring

Use—“Does it [Christian public worship] offer what people are seeking—the element of mystery, the sense of the numinous, in biblical language the “fear of God,” in modern language “transcendence,” so that we “bow down before the Infinitely Great” in the mixture of awe, wonder, and joy called worship?”
~ Recalling the Hope of Glory

2. trisagion
(n)

Definition—(Eccl.) An ancient anthem, usually known by its Latin name tersanctus

Use—“In the church this is often called the trisagion, “thrice holy” (hagios in Greek is “holy”).
~ Recalling the Hope of Glory

Contrasts – Corner View

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Today’s Corner View is contrasts.

Lone bloom
Yesterday I was throwing away dead limbs and stems, when I noticed this lone bloom, faithfully holding on to its bright spot of color amidst the browns and grays surrounding it.

Trash or treasure?
My husband collects and trades old Cushman scooters. His most recent purchase stayed outside a few days. One afternoon our doorbell rang. An older gentleman had noticed the “stuff” and wondered if we had any scrap metal he could haul away. Um, no thank you. ~~One wife’s trash is her sweet husband’s treasure~~. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

* * *

I don’t always understand how these work, but I love the contrasts that Jesus teaches us.

To die to self now is to live forever in perfection.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25

The first will be last, and the last will be first.
But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Mark 10:31

Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:12

What man means for evil, God can turn into good.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…
Genesis 50:20

When I am weak, then I am strong.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:10

* * *

To view some beautiful contrasts around the world, visit the links at Jane’s place.

Use words to encourage (Ch 6 “Spiritual Mothering”)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Elizabeth’s words
Did young Mary wonder how older Elizabeth would react to her? Mary was pregnant, unmarried. And a virgin? Would she be judged? Or would she be believed?

Luke 1:42-45 shows Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, believing and rejoicing. How encouraging her words must have been to Mary!

So Mary, in turn, used her own mouth to rejoice over her situation and praise God (Luke 1:46-55). And now those very words have encouraged millions more (including me) for the past two thousand years.

Say it
Women need to hear words from other women. Don’t you blossom when you receive affirmation that you’re doing well? But not because you need flattery. You need words of assurance to equip and inspire you to continue in obedience, seeking the Father and living for his glory, not your own.

Be approachable
Author Susan Hunt points out that Elizabeth was approachable. Mary must have felt welcome going to her. Don’t you also seek out the approachable ones when you need a listening ear or sympathetic shoulder? How approachable are you to others? Are others comfortable coming to you?

One way to be approachable is to be a woman “saturated with God’s Word.” A working knowledge of Scripture leads you to offer grace and truth-filled advice, to encourage the pursuit of holiness that satisfies, not merely happiness that disappears.

Another characteristic of approachable is “brevity of expression.” Can you speak to the heart of the matter sooner rather than later? A few power-packed sentences can mean more, and be remembered better and longer, than hours of chatter.

A Spiritual Mothering challenge
The chapter closes with requesting you to pray, then. . .

Reflect on Proverbs 10:11
“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
Ask yourself
Are my words a fountain of life?
How often do I verbally affirm other women?
How often do I say, “I love you . . . I appreciate you . . . I am proud of you”?
Make a list
Write down names and traits you admire or appreciate about the women in your life. Say those words to them this week to encourage and equip them to live for God’s glory.
Write a young woman away at college
Let her know you’re praying for her. And send a “goodie box” if you’re able.

I have four nieces and a daughter away at college. A month ago we sent them each a goodie box. Not only did it make their day, but it made our day.

Encouraging others is not a dead-end street. Speaking strength into you is often the surest way for me to be re-energized myself.

Summary of previous chapters
Discussion on Chapter 6
Next week: Ch 7, “To Live for God’s Glory”

Memorizing with my daughter (Nov 3 – Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Each school day, my 14-yr-old daughter and I begin by reading poetry together, then rehearsing memory verses, then reading the Bible. It’s the middle activity that is hard.

In previous years, when both my daughters were at home, they recited to each other, and I was only the facilitator. But since Morgan left two years ago, I got on board to memorize the same scriptures that Jenna was memorizing.

It’s not been easy. At first we were testy with the way the other would make corrections when we stumbled over the words. I felt pretty low that I could get so easily irritated as we were quoting the Bible. (Yeah, that’s bad. I knew it.)

But yesterday morning, I started thinking: it’s been a long time since either of us have had a “bad moment” with the other while practicing our memory verses. And frankly, if I were Jenna, I’d have a hard time being patient with me. Her memory has always been very sharp and she learns and remembers the verses much easier than I do.

So as I stumble along, she gently feeds me the next word (or two or three) until I get the “Oh, yeah!” moment and finish the verse.

I’m grateful that I have a daughter willing to do that. And I’m thankful that the Lord has grown us both up in patience with each other. We both needed that training. And even though we still haven’t arrived, we’re closer than we used to be.

Memorizing with my daughter has taught me more than reciting words. It is training me to practice them.

Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense...
Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.
Proverbs 19:11, 20 – two of our memory verses

An Extra Push (Nov 2 - Thanks)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:34:00 +0000

She is in big trouble.

I used to know her. Now I don’t.

At one time we partnered together in a church ministry. Like-minded friends serving side by side. It was my privilege to work with her, a blessing.

But somehow, something changed. Now she’s in a dark place, struggling, basically alone.

Although we were never super-close friends before, does that exempt me from at least attempting to be her friend again now? To give God a chance to let me be a flickering light in her darkness, at least for a moment?

I was convicted yesterday morning to do two things:
# 1 This week, write her a note of friendship, of encouragement, of care.
# 2 Next week, call her to talk and set up a lunch date.

Chances of a response from # 1?
About 2%

Chances of a response from # 2?
About 1%

But, chances that God cares if I follow through with my intentions anyway?
About 100%

He cares if I care or not. Didn’t I already admit I need to love others more? Love him more? Is this conviction from him one more opportunity to practice that?

Yes, God cares.

He won’t hold me responsible for my friend’s reactions, but he will hold me responsible for exercising my faith or not. Will I trust him in a situation that *I* think will be virtually fruitless? In a situation that scares me (what if she actually answers the phone next week and says “yes” to lunch???)?

* * *

Last night, our small group leader left us with a challenge for the week: notice who has been missing from the church body, and send that person a note.

He didn’t know. He hadn’t heard my earlier conversation with God where I had committed to that very thing already.

But God knew. And I’m grateful for the confirmation. The extra push. I need it; he knows it; he provides it.

I thank God for extra pushes.

Giving away Jeremiah 29 – Memory Monday

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Are you memorizing a scripture verse this week? Then please join us at Joanne’s for Memory Monday.

Learned last week:
    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
    Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
    You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
I will be found by you,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 29:11-14a (NIV)

Four years ago this Friday, I gave these verses away. Can I read them now without thinking about Ona? What did she do with them? Did she seek the Lord and find him? Does she know the Lord’s hope and future?

What have I done with them since? Do I believe them more fully? Do I rest in their promise of hope?

I thank God for the experience of giving them away. And getting to keep them even closer because of the giving.

I don’t know the plans God has for me. But I know God, in my own limited way. And he knows the plans. May that always be enough for me.

* * *

Learning this week:
I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.
Jeremiah 32:40

“The Time Paradox” – Book review

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

You need to hire an employee. You’re interviewing two men at 10 a.m. One arrives at 9:55. The other at 10:15. All other factors being even, which one do you hire?

The vast majority of American businesspeople say they would not hire someone 15 minutes late to an interview. Yet being 15 minutes late is considered on time in many parts of the world.

Perception of time (my own included) intrigues me. I want my time to matter. I don’t give it away lightly, and I don’t accept it flippantly from others.

So The Time Paradox, by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd, is a book I gobbled up. It contains thoughts like these:

* Your emotional state, personal time perspective, and the pace of life of the community in which you live all influence the way in which you experience time.

* Einstein himself is reported to have said: “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.”

* Our preoccupation with time is so complete that the word “time” has become the most popular noun in the English language. In fact, time-related words occupy three of the top ten spots.

Paradox
The authors vie that your life is shaped by how you view time. In particular, several paradoxes affect you more than you know. For example:

Paradox 1
Time is one of the most powerful influences on our thoughts, feelings, and actions, yet we are usually totally unaware of the effect of time in our lives.
Paradox 2
Each specific attitude toward time—or time perspective—is associated with numerous benefits, yet in excess each is associated with even greater costs.
Paradox 3
Individual attitudes toward time are learned through personal experience, yet collectively attitudes toward time influence national destinies.

6 Perspectives
The book offers a Time Perspective Inventory test to find your personal time orientation. I identified my primary perspective without the quiz, but it did confirm I was on target.

Each perspective has its own set of pros and cons, but certain perspectives are more conducive to a fulfilling life. The authors go so far as to offer suggestions on how to reset your psychological clock from a negative perspective to a healthier one.

The six perspectives are:

Past Negative
Past Positive
Present Fatalism
Present Hedonism
Future
Transcendental Future

As with most categories, you won’t fit neatly into just one, nor should you. But ideally, seek for high marks in “Past-Positive,” moderately high in “Future” and “Present-Hedonistic,” and low in “Past-Negative” and “Present-Fatalistic.”

Why? Because . . .

A sense of a positive past gives you roots
A hedonistic present gives you energy and joy about being alive
A future perspective gives you wings. . . filled with hope, optimism, and power

(The authors paid too little attention to the “Transcendental Future” perspective. Draw your own spiritual implications.)

About “Pasts”

* It is not the events of the past that most strongly influence our lives. Your attitudes toward events in the past matter more than the events themselves. This distinction between the past and your current interpretation of it is critical, because it offers hope for change. You cannot change what happened in the past, but you can change your attitudes toward what happened.

* The key to relieving depression lies not in untangling the Gordian knot of the past but in accepting and planning for the uncertain future. Maintaining past-negative attitudes by thinking and talking about them repeatedly is not a good strategy. Put the past to rest and build on it the vision of a better future.

About “Presents”

* Students who are highly present-oriented have more failures, remedial class assignments, truancy, and dropouts.

* Our criminal justice system is ill equipped to deal with presents. Almost all traditional behavioral-change programs suffer from a similar “made by futures for futures” syndrome. We live in a world created by futures for futures.

* You need both a present-hedonistic and future time perspective to stay healthy. (This may be why grazing is an effective diet strategy—eat small meals five times a day. You never get too hungry or too full.)

About “Futures”

* Unlike their present-hedonistic peers who live in their bodies, the futures live in their minds, envisioning other selves, scenarios, rewards, and successes. The success of Western civilization in the past centuries can be traced to the prevalence of the future orientation of many populations.

* We are not very good at identifying what will make us happy in the future...The silver lining of this bad news is that if something happens that you worked years to avoid—say you lose a leg in a traffic accident—there is a good chance that it won’t decrease your happiness as much as you had expected. You will still be happy.

Understanding
To be a book about getting a grip on time, it was a little too long for me. But the nuggets uncovered were worth it. It helped me understand not only my own views of time, but also better understand various members of my family.

And maybe even be a little more patient with the differences. Understanding time zone clashes at least explains frustrations, if not also eliminates a few.

“Sometimes changing the frame can alter the way you see the picture.” This book definitely tweaked my frame.

* * *

Our time is brief, and it will pass no matter what we do.
So let us have purpose in spending it.
Let us spend it so that our time matters to each of us,
and matters to all those whose lives we touch…

God has left the building (Wk 8 Ezekiel)

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:55:00 +0000

[This week’s lesson by Robert was based on Ezekiel 8 - 11]

There are many places I don’t want to be right now:
•    in a tribal area of Afghanistan
•    caught in a snowstorm in the Rockies
•    in a boat with pirates off the coast of Somalia

But the # 1 place I don’t want to be: wherever God is NOT.

The other places would be difficult, frightening, even deadly. But even in those places, God would be with me (Psalm 139:7-10).

In Ezekiel 10, a very spooky thing happens: God packs up and departs the once-holy, now-desecrated temple. The idolatry had grown too detestable.

In chapter 8, Ezekiel tells how the Spirit lifted him up to show him the horrid scene. “Look, Son of man. You think this is bad? Wait until you see what’s next…” (Eze 8:6)

One sight after another. Idols in the temple; idolatry scribbled on the walls; elders of the house of Israel worshiping at the pagan shrines; women mourning over the Babylonian fertility god Tammuz; men turning opposite the temple in nature worship.

These were no trivial matters (Eze 8:17).

As sometimes happens, those people nearest the heart of religious activity (in this case the Jews in the temple at Jerusalem) can be the most repugnant to the Lord. Who are we more repelled by? The chronic alcoholic who drinks one more night? Or the pious televangelist having affairs as he preaches about faithfulness to one wife?

Sin is sin. It’s all bad. But spitting in the face of God seems particularly vile. And those in Ezekiel’s times were doing just that.

So God left the building. As Robert phrased it for us, the temple was about to be hell because God was no longer in it. You don’t want to be where God is not. There is no protection there. No goodness. No love.

Separated. From God. It’s the most dangerous place to be.

But thankfully, we don’t have to be. Ezekiel related God’s promised return of Israel (Ezekiel 11). God would gather the scattered exiles and put a new spirit in them, replacing hearts of stones with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). They would be his people, and he would be their God (v 20).

Man’s sin had separated, as it always does. Sin drives God away. Separation is painful. But God can clean it up.

Now, with Jesus as the cornerstone of God’s new spiritual house (1 Peter 2:4-6), he has chosen to live in believers as his temple. This temple is also holy because God’s Spirit dwells in it (1 Cor 3:16-17).

We serve as holy priests in his temple. There is no greater honor.

God may have left the building, but he returned in our hearts. That’s where I want him to stay. Because wherever he is, is the best place to be.

* * *

Or do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?
You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)

(The Message)
. . . God is building a home. He's using us all--irrespective of how
we got here--in what he is building.
He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation.
Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick,
stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone
that holds all the parts together.
We see it taking shape day after day--
a holy temple built by God,
all of us built into it,
a temple in which God is quite at home.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (The Message)

* * *

NEXT: Week 9, Purification
Ezekiel 24

More Ezekiel notes
Class outline

Using the lessons – Nov 1 Thanks

lisagburgess@gmail.com (Lisa notes...) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:55:00 +0000

November of Thanks
Each day in November, Rebecca is encouraging us to give thanks. Comment on her blog or your own about God’s gifts to you for the 30 days of November.

Lessons pay off
I’m thankful that lessons in the past can have great pay-offs. In this case, horse lessons. Both my daughters took horse lessons when they were younger. But Morgan particularly fell in love. Now she’s 20 and has her own horse.

Yesterday, Morgan invited Jenna to spend the day riding horses with her and friends. And Jenna knew how.

I was happy seeing both my girls enjoy a “grown up” activity together because of lessons they took when they were younger (especially in an activity I personally have no confidence or experience to do).

I know God doesn’t waste our spiritual lessons either. Sometimes I wonder why I have to learn something particularly challenging or painful. But it often pays off down the road in a delightful way I never could have imagined.

God is very efficient in what he teaches us. And I am very thankful.