spiritual growth

It’s November! What’s Next?

November 3, 2015 By Lisa Lewis

Since November is often identified with things we’re thankful for, I’ve decided to spend some of my blog focus this month on books I’m thankful for.

I have a long list of fiction and non-fiction books that have been a delight to me over many years and recent titles as well; some overtly spiritual and those whose authors are spiritual people but have written in an under wraps manner. I hope you’ll find this series one that encourages you to read (or re-read) at least one of these recommendations.

Today I want to express my love and appreciation for the book My Utmost for His Highest.

I first heard of this book in 1996. I had recently joined a Bible study at our new church. The woman who spoke at the Bible study simply quoted from the devotional, but the quote really resonated with me. At the time our sons were ages 7 and 1. I was a busy woman to say the least.

“My determined purpose is to be my utmost for His highest—my best for His glory.”

It hit me like a sock in the stomach. How was I determined? What was my purpose? Mostly to get through the day, not focusing on being the best person I could be; more like not killing my sons or yelling at my husband. That quote both convicted me and sent me to our local Christian bookstore, the Parable. I found a hardbound “modern” version that was on sale and scooped it up.

I have used the daily devotional as a journal of sorts. I didn’t think much about it at first but as I have read and re-read I write the year next to my underlining and I am reminded of what I was going and growing through at the time.

Oswald Chambers spoke these words, he didn’t actually write these entries. His wife was a stenographer before they married and kept herself focused during Oswald’s lectures at the Bible Training College of London by taking down her husband’s words as he spoke them. It wasn’t until after Oswald’s untimely death at the early age of 43 that she was encouraged to compile his lectures into the format we know now.

I have read this devotional for 18 years. It is the greatest tool in God’s hands in my spiritual growth; second only to the Bible itself. Oswald is not an encourager. There is no fluff. He often calls me out in a very direct manner pointing out an area of my life that hasn’t been brought to God in the process of being made like Christ. Oswald used vocabulary that was common to his day which was late 1800s to 1917 when he died from complications of an emergency appendectomy. No antibiotics in those days.

From today’s entry:

“Will I surrender to Jesus Christ, placing no conditions whatsoever as to how the brokenness will come?”

No fluff. Just straightforward questions and pointing us to our need for staying close and reliant upon the Holy Spirit to live ‘worthy of the calling with which we have been called.’

If you are looking for a daily devotional that will challenge you to grow in your faith and trust of God you need look no further.

My Utmost for His Highest–my best for God’s glory. I am truly thankful for the teachings of Oswald Chambers. God has used them in my life for His glory.

A Very Special Day

October 4, 2015 By Lisa Lewis

Day 4

It’s officially fall. My favorite season. School’s in session. Baseball and football overlap for a few weeks. The temperatures start to drop and the leaves begin to change color.

And oh the colors! Even some California trees get in the color act, showing us change happens, even in California.

I first heard the quote on my photo spoken by Christine Caine on her weekly podcast in 2014. I was struck by it’s simple truth. Change is healthy. Change is good. Change is inevitable.

Then why is change so hard?

I literally had to convince myself that change is good. I made it my computer password for a long while just to repeat it like a mantra. Changeisgood Changeisgood

Today I have completed my 58^th trip around the sun. And in those 58 annual trips I have grown and changed.

And to think I was done growing up and considered an adult at this point! There’s been more growth since this last picture than the 18 years in pictures. But not physical growth. I’m still vertically challenged as my sons tell me!

I don’t remember at what point in my spiritual learning I first came across Isaiah 61, but I remember thinking I want to be called an ‘oak of righteousness’ someday.

It’s in Isaiah 61:1-3 we see the purpose of Christ prophesied…and it is the portion of Scripture Jesus chose to read aloud in the synagogue when He began His public ministry ( found in Luke 4:18-19)

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor

Living things grow. To have been planted by the Lord… to be for the display of His splendor… to be called an oak of righteousness…

Growing things change. I am not done changing; I have many areas left to be shaped and refined while I’m still here. But thanks be to God I am not the same person I was when I first met Him! He has given me the oil of gladness and a garland of praise!

Change is good. Happy Birthday to me! Thank You Jesus for helping me change and grow and learn along the Way!

3 Subtle Changes as You Rest

June 5, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

Change in our souls can be subtle. So subtle that we may not even take notice for some time.

Come to think of it, change is often subtle with things like our weight loss or strength training or distance we can run/walk or gardening.

Hmmm…

We don’t see the changes even from one day to the next. Change can be so slow we forget to stay in the process. Or we give up because we don’t see any progress.

It’s counter intuitive to think that change happens when we rest.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that activity, action, production, achievement, progress are all gained by constant motion.

That’s a lie from the pit of Hell.

There. I said it.

So what is the opposite of constant motion and production?

Rest.

I’ve been reading a new book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace, by Bonnie Gray of FaithBarista. That I am reading a new book is not surprising; I’m known for reading. And doing. And producing.

Not known for resting.

But I have gleaned 3 subtle changes (so far!) that happen when we rest.

1) Your trust level is challenged

Trust that whatever you are saying ‘No’ to will not cause the end of the world as you know it. I know that may sound ridiculous but what are the reasons you don’t say No more? For me it’s Fear. Fear of missing out. Fear of not being thought well of by others. Fear of being called lazy. Fear of letting someone down. All because of saying ‘No’ and taking care of my soul.

My trust level is challenged every time I choose soul rest over a task. It helps me to plan gaps of discretionary time in the day but schedules don’t always allow that luxury. Trusting that pushing the pause button won’t cause the end of the world is BIG. But so worth it. It’s getting easier over time, but the change is subtle.

2) Your ability to let go is called into question

We’ve all seen the bumper stickers ahead of us, “Let Go and Let God”. They may be so familiar that we respond with ‘yeah right’ because we believe “if it’s to be, it’s up to me.” This is the place where prioritizing rest, spiritual whitespace, really started poking me. Who else will go to the store for groceries? Who else will get _________ done if I don’t?

What if getting __________ done isn’t as important in the big scheme of things? (where God’s priorities are) What if I take the risk of letting that task go…for now…to allow my soul to listen to the still small voice for even a few moments? What if?

3) Your willingness to listen to Jesus’ invitation to rest is also brought out of the dusty recesses of your mind & heart

You may know this verse by heart, “Come to Me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Knowing a verse by heart and living out the Truth are two very different things. I have been dusting off this memory verse and putting it into action.

All the doing in the world doesn’t give your soul much needed whitespace to breathe.

Whitespace comes when we push the pause button on activity and give our souls a chance to SLOW DOWN.

Change happens subtly…

one pause at a time to give your soul a chance to breathe…

Who knows? You might be grown into a beautiful picture of Jesus at work in you and through you, to His creation, His children who need to know Him through you.

This book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace, is challenging, encouraging, hopeful and personal. Bonnie has shared her story courageously; that we may step forward in our stories as well. She invites us to pull up a chair and share…won’t you join the conversation?

Linking up today with FaithBarista over here:

Learning to Be

February 10, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

When you move, are you the person who empties out all the boxes and hangs things on the walls within the first week? I love and admire you.

That’s not me.

I have to live in a space arrange and rearrange furniture; slowly figuring out what gets hung where.

That being said we have framed art leaning against the walls in different rooms, waiting for me to make the final decision. I love my hubster. He has his own opinions but not so much about things like decor.

Recently while I was away for the weekend with girlfriends he finished a project we had been working on together.
So happy with how this turned out!

I have been sorting through and organizing the ‘stuff’ we (think I) thought we (think I) needed to keep when we moved. I have been coming face to face with the realization that I have some mindset issues that need realigning. Somewhere along the line I developed the mindset that “things equate memories”. Giving up ‘things’ has been a challenge to my core. And yet we shed a lot prior to our move. I keep reminding myself of that while I see boxes of books we haven’t unpacked and all the boxes of scrapbook materials I haven’t even opened yet.

I am trying a new, gentle approach with myself. I am going through one box a day and shedding some more. It’s good to do this so that no one else needs to figure out what was important in the midst of all the knick-knacks and paddy whacks that I have stored!

The joy of going through this process is the freedom that it brings and the treasures that I find.

Here is one such treasure from a file of notes:

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

Joy is love’s strength

Peace is love’s security

Patience is love’s endurance

Kindness is love’s conduct

Goodness is love’s character

Faithfulness is love’s confidence

Gentleness is love’s humility

Self-control is love’s victory
Against such things there is no law.

You may recognize that someone has taken the passage of Galatians 5:22-23 and written it a little differently. If this offends your Biblical sensibilities I am sorry. But I see it as a beautiful way to go deeper into Who lives within us as Christ-followers.

God is Love. He is so much more but for the sake of conversation (and the length of this blog post) I want to focus on only one of His many perfect attributes.

This step by step, word by word look slows us down, giving us time to think about each attribute of the collective Fruit (evidence) of the Spirit in us.

All these character traits are a part of us. All the time they are present within us.
I used to look at these characteristics as individual to do lists of self-improvement and a measuring stick of how well I am doing as a Christian. If I was having a bad attitude day I was coming up short of a lot of fruit. Which gave me fuel for self-condemnation. But that perspective is neither accurate nor helpful. God’s Word also tells us there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If He is not condemning me then why am I so hard on myself?

We live this life one moment at a time. Not one day at a time. One moment. In this moment we can choose to speak kindly. We can choose to be gentle with our own heart. We can choose to show patience in the face of a repeated mistake because this moment will pass and a new moment with new possibilities follows. We choose our responses one moment at a time. Be present to God’s Presence within you. His fruit will be more and more evident, one moment at a time.

One of my favorite things about this sorting process is coming across treasures like this 3 x 5 card that remind me how far God has brought me and all the grace He has shown me in the process. How have you seen God at work in your life lately?

Learning to Wait

January 15, 2014 By Lisa Lewis

I’m not sure if anyone has ever asked this question in a poll of popular opinion: “What are your thoughts about having to wait?”, but I’d like to imagine that universally people don’t like it.

We are born learning to wait. Crying for food or clean diapers, as an infant we have to wait. Birthdays, summer vacation, Christmas: frustrate a child who must learn to wait. Babies take 9 months to develop prior to birth. Farmers plant crops and wait for them to spout and grow.

Of course if you live in a heavily populated area you might have this view daily:

Learning to wait is a skill that is imposed in the order of the universe. Some things are easier to wait for or through; others seem to demand far more skill at the game of waiting.

Young moms can’t wait until a child sleeps through the night; is potty trained; starts Kindergarten so the moms can have time to themselves again. I heard these words when I was in those early physically demanding years of parenting: “treasure these times. They go by so fast.” I smiled and said thank you while thinking “easy for you to say; you’re not the one getting up at 2:00 AM or changing diapers…”

But now I’m the one saying the same thing to young moms. And since my memory is still mostly intact, I remember what I thought so I imagine they smile at me through similar, barely tolerant, thoughts.

How can we learn to wait well in the season we’re living?

By slowing down. Learning to see. To hear. To appreciate what is.

I mentioned I am reading a great book by Jeff Goins, “The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing.” I find I am highlighting a lot of quotable statements and phrases of Jeff’s. Good authors are noteworthy. They make you think, reflect and hopefully germinate seeds of growth and change. One of the many great things is this:

“we were made to wait, to long for things unseen. This is the place from which dreams and desires come. It’s a place of trust–and we find it not in the resolution, but in the incompletion.”

I ponder and ponder his statement: we were made to wait. I think if we were made to wait it would be easier to do, like breathing. But waiting is a discipline; a learned skill. Anything we learn we must go through the cycle of learning: practice, make mistakes, adjust, try again, repeat.

Is it possible to be free of the challenge that waiting brings? Do we have to simply muddle through? Is there a source of help to get better at waiting? Yes I think it’s possible. Have I arrived there yet? No way!

Like so many things in life, waiting well is skill learned through process of trial/practice/error. The critical piece is what we do with the error. Grace or guilt? Gain wisdom or grow bitter?

Wait isn’t on the list of spiritual disciplines directly but it’s implied. Learning to wait is part of our spiritual development. Patience is in the list of fruit of the Spirit of God. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.”

Learning to wait is God’s idea. What we do in response to His idea can be our personal measure of our own spiritual maturity; not to judge others but to see where we are still growing.

I am learning to wait well. I don’t wait well yet. Process. How about you?

30 Days of Giving #20: Rhythm

November 20, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

As a little girl it took me a long time to spell this word correctly. In the logic side of my brain there are no vowels in the word rhythm. Unless you learned the “and sometimes y” rule of spelling.

It’s a great word really: rhythm; not a new word to our language at all. If you know your ancient languages, Greek precedes Latin in history and both languages have definitions that English has absorbed. The Greek language gave us the word rhythm from their word rhythmos which means measured flow or movement; Latin said rhythmus meant “movement in time”.

Think music. As I write this my percussionist hubster is packing his drumstick bag into our suitcase in the next room. We fly to Florida tomorrow where he is attending his alma mater’s marching band reunion for the first time since he graduated from UF (in the previous century).

He is all about rhythm. Tapping foot, thumping fingers, trilling tongue; rhythm is always happening. I think his mother must have the patience of Job because both Colin and his next younger brother are percussionists so drumming and banging went on in their home all the time. Thankfully for her, they are both gifted musically, so they actually made music not just noise.

The Greek word rhythmos doesn’t stop at music. Listen to these further definitions: arrangement, order, form, shape.

Think seasons. There is an arrangement, an order to the seasons; spring: full of anticipation of new growth; summer: showing off signs full fruit & flower; fall: arms full of abundance and colors change while temperatures cool; winter: blanketed with gray or white to rest from growing.

We expect seasons. We need the order of seasons. We look for and live by the rhythm of the seasons. How many times have you heard someone comment on the out of sync display of Christmas merchandise in mid-October? This jars the rhythm that we have come to expect and need.

But the Greeks didn’t stop with music or seasons in their definition of rhythmos: they also used the word to identify “soul disposition”. Now here is a definition of rhythm that can use some exploring!

What is the disposition of a soul? How does a soul demonstrate rhythm? How does one practice soul rhythms?

I, by no means, have this thought through all the way or clearly understood or even developed within me, but there are lots of people who have gone before us who’ve pondered and shared what they learned as they practiced soul rhythms. I have gone through seasons of reading books by authors who lived hundreds of years ago, gleaning what I could from their experiences.

My #1 all time favorite read of this nature is Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. In the thin book, a collection of letters compiled by a friend, Brother Lawrence told of his deepening journey of faith through the rhythms of his daily life.

What are your current rhythms of daily life? Do they bring you through awareness of your need for rest, re-creation, growth, giving out, work, renewal? Is your soul full or starved? Do you feel abundance or stretched thin over too many responsibilities?

These two are on my shortlist to read. They each have wisdom to offer to help with my soul rhythm. I want to get in sync with what God is doing and not miss a beat.

How about you?

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?

Waiting… Actively

April 8, 2013 By Lisa Lewis

Have you ever had the sense that your life could be so much more? Yearning to be working, serving, doing, creating, but you’re not sure What?

Or maybe you have a vision of what can be… but aren’t sure How?

This road sign is a reminder to me…I don’t have to figure it all out at once. There is One who knows and gives me pieces of the puzzle, the picture that will one day be complete.

I don’t have to work harder, or be smarter, or achieve more, or do be do be do! I need to give way. I need to yield.

The sign says it all.

Yield

To what? To whom?

That is part of the discovery of the Why You are Here question.

The rest of the sign tells the rest of the story.

ONE WAY

Jesus said, “Let anybody who is discontent, unhappy, who has unfulfilled potential — Let them come to Me.” John 7:37

Sometimes, no, most times, there are questions. How does this faith walk work? How do I get started? Get clarity? Start over? And so many more…

Having someone to ask the questions of, who will come alongside you, not telling you what you should do, but listening and drawing out the puzzle pieces already inside you, is SO HELPFUL!

That’s what my life coach did for me. And continues to. These times with her have been so helpful for me as I have stepped out of one season of life and into the next. Her wisdom and grace has helped me step into the role of a life coach for others myself. Now I have the privilege of spending time listening and asking questions that help another woman find the answers that are needed in her life.

As a follower of Christ, I go to Him first for my client, asking Him to help me listen well, to have His wisdom for this woman and to get me out of the Way so He can work in her life.

Life is such an adventure! There are challenges and joys all mixed in. A coach can help you keep your eyes on the Way and can help you see the Light for your next step.

I would LOVE to talk with you about what coaching can look like in your life; we are all unique so our journey and needs are different too. Click over here to contact me about your free, introductory coaching session.

Learning along the Way is what life is all about from my vantage point. Join me!

(photo credit: aaroads)

Sunflower Life Lesson #1 –Desperate

June 7, 2012 By Lisa Lewis

I showed you this picture yesterday. I was struck by how desperate this sunflower was to point toward the sun.

This plant absolutely twisted its stem into a crook shape to face its head upward. That took a lot of the plant’s energy. But because it’s in a growing season, the plant didn’t even stop growing!

Are my daily time investments keeping my head upward?

I wonder…how desperate am I to point myself, to reorient my life, no matter what, toward the Son?

Do I hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God or am I just saying ‘I’ll get to that later when my to do list is complete’?

Some questions are rhetorical; asked for the sake of discussion without having or needing an answer. Some questions are direct and in need of answering.

These questions need my attention. They need your attention for your life, too.

How desperate are you? Enough to change your whole life focus?

Learning to Listen

February 21, 2012 By Lisa Lewis

This lovely sunflower is a volunteer in my garden. That means I didn’t plant it. Sometimes volunteers come from the naturalizing of plants. Sometimes they come from birds. And sometimes a volunteer shows up from long dormant seeds that have finally received enough water to sprout the life hidden within.

How seeds come to life in unlikely places is such a mystery! All the conditions for growth have to be there for the seed to be successful. Sometimes the conditions look lush and it makes perfect sense a plant would sprout. Sometimes the conditions look harsh and it’s amazing a seed would even sprout not to mention take root and flourish! I do some preparation for my garden but really I am a neglectful gardener. When I see a volunteer thriving in my yard I’m thrilled! That new life in an unlikely place makes me think of a picture from my life.

My adult life looked pretty straightforward: finish college, earn a teaching credential, start teaching, get married, start a family. Pretty standard stuff. But the path wasn’t straight and easy. I came around a bend and a Big Boulder blocked my path. There was no where to go! I sat down, overwhelmed by this roadblock in my otherwise perfect life. I sank into despair. As an untrained listener, I thought whatever happened next was on me to figure out.

I spent a lot of time trying to see how to get over this Boulder right in front of me. I tried the climbing technique of “bouldering”: finding hand holds and foot holds to scale the side of it; I tried working my way around it; I even tried chipping away at it, all in hopes of breaking it down to continue on the path I thought my life should be on. I made some headway and climbed up almost to the top ready to jump over onto the other side when my foot slipped and I slid down a different side, crashing to the bottom, ending not on the path, but off in the weeds! I was a mess! Trying to make something happen on my own without seeking help landed me in a heap and back into despair!

It was after this second detour that I finally caught a clue; I can’t navigate the path of my life without guidance. I needed to seek wisdom, learn to listen and apply wisdom to my life. I submitted myself to the One who transplanted the seed of my life and began in me the process of sprouting, growing and bringing forth new life.

Learning to listen to the Voice is a process. I thought there was a to do list to work through that would equal great growth; “I’ve done my chores now bless me Father” kind of relationship. It was a starting place for sure. But God calls us forth to so much more from so much less. He wants each of us to simply be with Him. Learning to listen to His voice whisper in the wind, speak in the hush of snowfall, or call over the ocean waves crashing on the shore has taken lots of practice. Other than the Word, the most powerful little book that has been a tool of listening for me is Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. Learning to listen to and be with God was Brother Lawrence’s greatest aim. Whether peeling potatoes in the kitchen or doing daily chores or in times of prayer with the brethren, Brother Lawrence developed the habit of listening to the One Who is always present.

We can too. There are so many challenges to listening in our information saturated culture with the “entertain me now” mindset; the challenge to push back against the noise to find even a moment of silence and solitude can be more of a battle than a challenge! If you are in this process of learning to listen, I’d love to share in this challenge with you. We need to be in community with others who, like Brother Lawrence, desire to be “present to the Presence”.