change

A Great Habit is Hard to Start

January 5, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

It’s that time of year! Lots of posts about resolutions and reforms. New habits to develop in place of habits that haven’t helped all that much last year. I have started and stopped my share of resolutions believe me! But I am here to tell you it is possible to make lasting changes! It all happens one choice at a time. One moment at a time.

You’ve heard this before so I’m not going to reiterate the process of change but I do want to share the most incredible great habit I have finally formed and have seen the long term benefits from: daily Bible reading for 365 consecutive days.

I am having the most amazing experience this year. But I need to back up a tad to give you some perspective. In 2011 I challenged myself to do something I had never accomplished. I had started and stopped countless times, but that time I was going to finish. I had called myself a Christian for 30 years and had never read the Bible all the way through front to back Genesis to Revelation. I know I know what kind of person hops around and cherry picks the books to read out of the whole Book? Apparently I’m not alone. Lots of people start a daily Bible reading plan and stop part way through. Three years ago I said, I’m doing this and with the help of a great app You Version I was able to read the Bible all the way through. I got jazzed about completing something as daunting as that was since I had started and stopped too many times to count. My enthusiasm carried me into the next year and I did it again! Two years in a row!

Well last year I hemmed and hawed during the first week of January; was I going to simply read the Bible through again? Wouldn’t that be boring to just do the same thing? Then I saw that You Version had a Bible reading plan called Reading God’s Story: the Chronological Bible. I decided I was going read that plan to change it up.

Well since I took the whole week to decide if and then what I was going to do, I am still finishing the chronological Bible. But, this year our former church is reading through the Bible in a year together, so I chose a different plan and started on Jan 1. So here is where the amazing experience comes in.

Right now I am reading the last book of the Bible in my last year’s plan while reading the first book of the Bible in this year’s plan. The beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega. Our pastor Tim encourages us to read the Bible looking for Jesus whether we’re in Genesis or Leviticus or Psalms or the minor prophets. Look for Jesus and His influence. He’s there throughout the book.

As I am reading the promise to Abraham I read of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. It’s an amazing trajectory from beginning to end but I have to say, the last book is as exciting now as reading C.S.Lewis’ The Last Battle in Chronicles of Narnia. I guess what I am trying to say is the Book is full of adventure, intrigue, Mystery, suspense and Love. You should read it!

Change it Up

January 3, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

This is lovely sketch was made by artist Rebekah Leigh Marshall. I am found her work online. I’m fond of tandem bicycling…

I’m four months into my 57th trip around the sun. That is a sobering statement. Oddly it is also an invigorating challenge.

What new things can I learn to do? What old things can I make better? What about my character needs refining? What about my character needs sharing? Where are my gifts, talents and skills needed?

Those are some of questions I have pondered prior to the beginning of the New Year, 2014. And like most people I have lists: lists for groceries, projects, tasks, reading, writing to people; you name it. I probably have written a list. But this year isn’t about lists.

I’ve learned some things about myself in these many annual trips: I like some things to stay the same and I like to change some things. Unfortunately the things I’d like to stay the same are completely out of my influence to remain the same. (think children growing up and moving away). The things that I’d like to change and are completely within the realm of my influence to accomplish I have often not accomplished. blegh.

As I have pondered my lists and recognized my one very-within-reason-to-change character flaw, I chose the word for my change-it-up efforts for the year: Resolve. I explained my choice more fully here.

My firm commitment is not just to complete my lists. Or change a character trait. Although those are both great things to commit to accomplishing. No my firm commitment is to live out the words of Paul to the church at Corinth. Near the end of his letter he wrote this: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Now a casual reading might give the impression this about being stodgy and stiff; that you’re supposed to never change and never rest. And like most times when we take a verse of Scripture out of its context we can run the risk of misinterpreting what is there for us. So a brief interlude for a valuable point of history:

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth because they had started to live their lives like everyone else around them rather than following the teachings of Jesus as they had been shared by Paul. The church had the same values as the culture. Paul spent a lot of specific writing reminding the Christ followers what it means to actually follow Christ. And near the end of his letter he encourages them to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Knowing the context helps me to try to make sense for my own life of following along the Way. I need to break things down into little pieces that I can somewhat wrap my head around. So here’s what I’ve learned in looking at this verse and why I’ve ended up with the one word Resolve for my focus this year.

Steadfast is not a word we use in daily conversations. Why not? Maybe our culture doesn’t support a word like this; listen to the definitions: fixed in direction; a steadfast gaze. firm in purpose, resolution, faith; a steadfast friend. unwavering. What is steadfast in our culture?

Abounding is also another word lost to our regular speech. Too bad. It’s a cool word. It originates from Latin and means overflow, or run over.

So stitching these word meanings into this verse helps me see that as a Christ follower what I do in my life with the Lord (which is everything because He lives in me, in you if you name His name) isn’t wasted. It’s not in vain. I can be fixing my gaze on Christ, getting to know Him more and more, and overflow with what He shows me in His Word. So, how I live my life, how I speak to others, how I spend my time, how I show grace to those who hurt me, how I forgive and forgive and forgive again, is not just me going through the motions. It is God at work. Changing it up in me, making me look more like Jesus every day. WOW!

I need to get on His two seater bike and be in tandem with Him. And what a ride it has been so far; He promises the adventure of a lifetime!

He has promised many good things but most of all His abiding Presence. Life here does not get any better than living daily with the awareness of His very real Presence.

I resolve to be on the bike in Tandem with Jesus.

What are you changing up this year?

Please also visit Rebekah

A New Year, A New Day, A New Attitude

January 1, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

New New New! There is enthusiasm. Relief. Anticipation. New Year. New Day. New Attitude. If you’re a bandwagon-er you are probably also one who makes resolutions. My soon to be sis-in-law posted on Instagram today that their resolutions to eat less junk food and exercise more were broken on Day 1 when the cake they planned to take to a football party broke on its way from pan to plate for frosting. Instead of repairing it, they ate the broken cake with frosting on each bite. Resolution dissolution on Day 1.

Been there? Of course. Most regular people have difficulty with resolutions because they focus on negative behavior. Ironically, what we focus on is what we reinforce. So if we are trying to change something we can’t focus on what needs to change but rather what the is goal. All kinds of research in human behavior shows that if you want to be able to do something, you picture yourself doing that something. Focus on the positive result not the negative to be changed. Psych 101.

For decades I have been that person who wants to improve. Learn new things. Change old habits. Yes, lose weight. Eat healthier. Exercise more. Yada Yada Yada.

Well this new year of 2014 is a perfect storm of learning and application for me. If you’ve visited my blog before you already know the major life changes 2013 brought my way. All good but all of them very hard to walk through. Lots of tears. Lots of goodbyes. Lots of losses.

2014 is about New. New place. New church. New life. New Attitude.

I have read many great books near the end of 2013. I have begun applying new learnings. I have been encouraged by colleagues in new communities online. There is much to do. I could be overwhelmed with all the new applications, but instead of feeling fragmented and working down a list of things to do, I am choosing to focus. On just One Word.

Instead of a list of resolutions I have chosen My One Word. Resolve. It is a word to encompass all the lists. It is a noun meaning a firm determination to do something.

I am a great starter. I love to gather the info, the materials, all that is needed to accomplish a new idea or project. When we moved last year I was confronted with just how many projects and needed materials I had gathered! I have lacked follow through (to quote one of my dear family members) and that is a character flaw that I want (and need) to change. So my one word for 2014 is Resolve.

Resolve is a strong word. A firm determination. Not a ‘I-want-to-get-around-to-doing-that’ kind of word. Resolve is a ‘kick-butt-and-take-names’ kind of word. I want to be a woman of my word. I want to be known as a woman of The Word. Someone people can rely on; to trust to be full of wisdom and follow through; to complete what I’ve committed to.

I chose the picture of the sand dunes at Oceano as the back drop for the word Resolve since sands shift but Resolve does not.

The beauty of this word Resolve is that it aligns with God’s desire for me as I walk this life with Him. “Be steadfast (resolute) immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”1Cor.15:58

If you are tired of making resolutions that fall apart the first day (like a cake I heard of) spend some time reflecting on a character trait you want to grow in your life.

Hop over to My One Word and join in the community. Take the step and commit yourself to just one word for 2014.

Resolve.

Reflections of 2013

December 31, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

2013 is coming to a close.

I am relieved. It has been a year of dramatic changes. There is always change taking place whether we see it or not; our children grow over night; the plants and seasons change without our notice. But some changes are very perceptible and measurable. Those are the ones that I’d like to slow down!

As I reflect on this year (which is what I have the habit of doing on Dec 31 every year) I am amazed at all that God has brought me through. I am grateful for His provision, protection and most of all Presence.

He has taught me much this year about relying on Him when all around me is changing. Psalm 46 begins and ends with the reminder that God is our refuge and stronghold. Just before the end of the Psalm is the often quoted, “be still and know that I am God”. How can we be still when there is so much doing that needs to be done?

This is a big part of what God has shown me this year: how to ‘be still’ while still moving. Now if that isn’t an oxymoron I don’t know what is! Yet it is a Truth that is worth reflecting upon as this year ends and a new one starts.

When you look at the surface of a large body of water ( I am most familiar with the Pacific Ocean but you insert the image that fits for you) there are waves that change in height and frequency depending on the wind. Storms stir up the activity on the surface and being on the water can be rough and dangerous.

Below the surface, into deep water, there is only a gentle motion, almost unnoticeable. The current is present but the motion can be described as nearly still. As I have pondered the mystery of how to be still and still doing, the Lord brought this image to mind: go below the surface of the busy-ness of life, into the depths with Me. He is a very present help, a refuge, our strength, a stronghold, a deliverer; His Word is full of the images that remind us of His Presence in spite of the outer turmoil.

Sometimes the turmoil was overwhelming and I didn’t handle it all very well. I could beat myself up over it. I could lament and stay stuck in ‘my woe is me’ attitude. Or, as I learned through the study of His Word, I could see myself rightly as He sees me. I practiced time alone with Him, with His Word, in His creation, walking and talking with Him alone. Learning from Him along the Way. These sacrifices of “my time” were gifts He gave back to me in volume.

We can say, ‘I’m too busy to be still’ or ‘I have too many demands on me to make time for myself like that’ and keep rushing ahead without peace. We wonder what the Bible means when it says things like ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is fixed on You because he trusts in You.’ How is that supposed to happen? That must be for someone else that has time to sit around and read and pray. “I don’t have that luxury in my life.”

We can repeat the same pattern of thought and behavior that gets us back to being stuck, or we can choose to go forward thinking differently about ourselves and our circumstances, thinking God’s thoughts.

Oswald Chambers reflected on Isaiah 52:12: “He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our ‘rear guard’. And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.”

As this year closes, I am grateful for this knowledge and for the opportunities He gave me to practice and apply these Truths in my life. And now He calls us forward to grow and change. Not to stay the same. We as Christ followers are to be about the business of becoming more Christ-like not about the business of shoring up “the way I am” or “the way I’ve always done things”. There is more to do, grow and change.

I am making plans for this new year. I reflect on what has passed this year and reach forward into the new. God is already there, reaching His hand back to me to lead me forward. He wants to do the same for you. Will you take His hand?

What is one area you are planning to make changes in this coming year?

30 Days of Giving #18: Write

November 18, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

The new and old are coming together in me. It’s not been easy letting go…

I ran the risk of losing something that held value. Like forgetting the person who gave me what I’ve held since childhood; a trinket that has no value other than the memory.

Leaving a place that is full of the memories of life; roads driven, paths walked, beaches strolled.

Leaving is hard. It’s important to acknowledge the pain of loss, the difficulty of change.

But don’t stop there. That’s called being stuck. Or if knowing change is hard keeps us from making changes, that is fear. Fear of the unknown can keep us from growing. From fully living the one life we’ve been given.

In facing the hard and chipping away at it a little at a time the process of change can be manageable. Loss is still painful. Change is still hard but little by little, bite-size even, changes can be handled.

In the big move there were 1000 decisions at least. I didn’t count them but I know there were hundreds for sure! What to keep. What to give. What to sell. What to donate. What to store.

Books were hardest for me. Some valuable for their age and condition. Some valuable for the laughter they brought. Some valuable for the markings made in the reading. We have 6 boxes of books left. I have unpacked one. My journals.

My life on paper from the ripe old age of 13 to present day. I don’t read through them on a regular basis. I don’t need to. I know what season of life each journal cover holds close. I glance at the cover and remember. Ah yes. High School. Another? Early motherhood. Yet another? A book of deep grief.

Collections of quotes, song lyrics, poems read and copied, poems written by hand and heart. Prayers cried through. Praise recorded. Deep wounds brought to Light for healing.

The old and new coming together in me.

I write. The following is from a class I am taking currently:

I write because I have this sense of responsibility.

I write because I was given stories by elders who are now gone; there are those behind me who see faces in scrapbooks but those lives are meaningless without the stories.

I write because I was given the oral traditions of our family and must pass them on to the next generations whether they stop to read them or not

I write because I hold my hand back into the past to hold its hand while reaching forward into the future to grasp its hand; as if I am the connecting conduit from past to future.

I write because I have a burning passion to allow the telling of the dark parts their freedom from hiding that they can be revealed and healed in the Light

I write because there is a holy nudge gently prodding the stories, the words, the phrases out of my head through my heart

I write because I need to

I write because it helps me to think aloud onto paper

I write to process

I write to be free

I write to record my personal Old Testament; to record the faithfulness of God at work in my life and my family’s lives.

My current journal’s cover. It will remind me of this year of The Big Move. No one may ever care to read what’s held close by this cover but I must write.

I’m a writer. It’s how I process life and am able to offer myself to others.

What are your thoughts about writing?

Embracing Change

October 15, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

I love the saying “Both-And, Not, Either-Or”. It really captures how I look at life. Especially now in the middle of some of the biggest changes in my recorded history.

SO it makes perfect sense that I am reading two books and joining the online community to process what I’m reading. I love to think about and then discuss good books. Anyone?

This week I started an online book study with Proverbs 31. It’s the second time I have done a study with them. I highly recommend how they provide options for interacting. Here’s the cover:

You can find them here

I will also be participating in a book group for this brand new book by the lovely Emily P Freeman.

I am half way through this book already. It is compelling. It speaks to my soul. It is life changing.
Those are some strong statements. I mean them to be. I think everyone should read this book. I can’t wait to participate in the book group with these women

I am embracing change by the both-and approach: I am both grieving the loss of place and stepping forward to make new connections.

How do you approach change? Do you like it? Avoid it at all cost? Look at it sideways from afar?
I’d LOVE to HEAR from you with your answer to any one of these questions!

Real Faith is Vulnerable

October 14, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

If you’ve dropped by before, you know that my family has been in transition mode for quite awhile: 113 days our belongings have been in storage; but who’s counting? We house sat, we were nomadic, we rented a cottage for two months. We are in finally in our garden condo now. We don’t have internet yet so I am sitting at a local coffee shop using their free internet to write this post.

My husband and I began praying about the next step for our lives way back in April. Throughout this six month upheaval I have heard two statements again and again; whether it’s someone I know well or someone I’ve just met.
“I could NEVER do that!” “I don’t know HOW you are doing this!”

These statements are common because they reflect all of our hearts. Change is hard. Change is scary. Change takes a.lot.of.work.
You see, I could never do this either. Leaving our home of 15 years. Selling or giving away most of our furniture and other possessions. Donating dishes, clothes, decorator items that I really enjoyed. Lots and lots of change. When I have tried to live through these circumstances in my own strength I have either fallen apart under the stress of the change or melted into a puddle of tears. Only those two choices. Really.
So the response to those two statements is the same: ” I can’t do this either. It’s Jesus in me is doing this move thing. Not me.”
I am tired.
I cry. A. Lot.
I miss my home, my kids, my friends, my church community and our pets.
And then I am reminded of why we made this big move. This guy has been the servant leader of our family and it was time for him to fly.

I unpack a box, look inside and can see where this statue used to sit on top of our piano. (Which was invited to stay in our former home, now a rental.) Seeing this gift from a dear friend just undid me.

But then…a beautiful, still, small voice reminds me of why the gift was given. And in that same box is a book written by another friend. Another offering of love meant to encourage growth and change.
So I put them together and took this picture.

I am challenged to trust again. Trusting God with this new place. With this new season. With my friends far away. With friends I haven’t yet met. With my husband’s new job. and health. and my fears begin to fade…in the Light of His Word
“Behold, I will do something new. Now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

Deep Breath

September 11, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

This is a view of San Luis Obispo this past Saturday as my husband and I walked across the Jennifer St. Bridge to meet a friend for dinner; our last dinner as residents of SLO.

*sigh*

The SLO life has been my life for 28 years. That exceeds many people’s lives (including my two sons).

Since then we have moved. I wrote about this process a couple of posts ago, but my focus now is not what is behind but what is ahead.

God promises and He comes through. The prophet Isaiah told of things to come:

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone.”

Some will tell you this prophecy is for the nation of Israel but when I read what Jesus promised and I look at what Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 4:6

I think God is telling us He will make things new in us and through us.

But I can get in the way; I can hinder the work of God in my life. I have done it many times over many years. *ouch*

This time I said Yes. Our gracious, merciful God has done big things!

My dear husband has been the humble servant of his family for 2 decades (and change). He has taken jobs that allowed us the stability of one home as the boys grew; but his career path really needed to lead out of SLO and far beyond. We tried the long distance commuting life for a time a couple of years ago but that wasn’t good; too tiring and draining rather than life giving. He was patient; not demanding his own way or that his needs be met. His leadership is gentle. He is truly a humble man. I am blessed.

Yesterday he started here in a dream job for an engineer.God saw my husband’s humble way and provided this opportunity out of the blue. He wasn’t looking for them; they found him. He was ready. He was thrilled.

And because God has been at work in me to let go and say yes to whatever He has for us we are now living in a new area. Which is big and crowded and different.

Guess what?

God is bigger. And right here with me. And He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God is trustworthy.

If you read this and think “I could never do that” you’re right. I didn’t do it either. All I did was say I am willing. And I begged God to do the rest.

The adventure with God continues. Want to come along? Let me know what God is doing in your part of the world!

No More Excuses

August 30, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

It’s Friday. Friday is usually a day to ease into a slower pace for the weekend.
Today I am putting a stake in the sand and declaring:
NO MORE EXCUSES!

For longer than I like to admit I have succumbed to the Resistance. Steven Pressfield writes about it in The War of Art, and Do The Work.Check his work out here

I have accepted the lies of ‘you have nothing to offer’, ‘why bother’, and ‘not good enough’ for too long.

I choose this day to place that stake in the ground, to take back the territory that has been given me and begin again. In earnest.

No More ‘I Can’t’

Trusting Who has made me and discovering what He’s made me for is my focus.

A New Ending.

What have you been believing that is keeping you from living a purposeful, intentional Christ-centered life? Leave a comment so I may join you in the battle through prayer.

Learning to Let Go

August 28, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

If you’ve been stopping by for any length of time you know I have the habit of facing hard things. I don’t do that because I am masochistic. I truly believe that God calls each of us to change. I also know how much easier it is to simply live life on auto pilot without really engaging in the process of change.

As a Christ follower you can call change by several names: becoming more Christ-like. Sanctification. Transformation. Dying to self. Learning to Let Go. John the Baptist said it this way: “I must decrease that He might increase.”

I started this post in May. I am finishing it in August. I have experienced the lessons of letting go quite a lot in these 3 months. Our youngest graduated from high school and then took a 3.5 week tour through Europe with a friend; we rented out our home of 15 years; we have moved 3 times so far since June; we deposited our son in his dorm 3000 miles from home; we will be leaving our church community of 18 years and moving again 2 times before the end of September. I mention all this so you know I have some ‘cred’ when I tell you what I’ve learned in the process.

You can take Jesus at His Word. When He said ” I am with you always” He means always.

He showed Himself trustworthy years ago when I didn’t know what trust was supposed to look like. He showed Himself faithful to me when I ignored Him. Jesus has lovingly restored me after my denials just as He did with Peter.

He walked with me through the heartache of letting go: of loved ones when they passed from this life; of the home where we raised our sons; of the sons as they moved on to their next season of life with us as cheerleaders from a long distance; of familiar places, sights, sounds and smells; of my daily routine, just to name a few. So thankful Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

The most amazing thing happens when I open my clenched fingers to let something or someone go: Jesus is there to take my hand in His. While my fingers have been squeezed tight around a relationship or a thing or my way I haven’t been fully able to cling to Him. The stuff has gotten in the way of a closer walk with Jesus.

Now I want you to know that just because He has asked me to let go in so many ways does not mean that is how He will work in your life. I do know God wants our whole hearted devotion and if there is something or someone that has a higher priority in your time and attention than God does, He may ask you to let go so you can receive a greater thing: a closer, deeper relationship with Him.

He is my constant. He asked me to let go of things that I held dear in little ways as I’ve walked with Him. Serving others instead of myself; giving away items that I treasure; keeping my mouth shut when I want to say ‘I know better’; I learned to let go first of little things before He called me to these big things this year. Because I have gotten to know Jesus well and because He has been Who He says He is, it is easier to let go. Jesus wants to be your constant too. He loves you so much. Will you let go and let Him in?