Lisa Burgess, Author at Do Not Depart

Not gifted for that ministry? Help the helpers who are. #missions

Praying for all our precious readers here. Please pray for our team here at Do Not Depart.

“When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”
Psalm 91:15

How are you keeping your faith strong in spite of the coronavirus pandemic? Please share thoughts and scriptures in the comments.

Not Gifted for That Ministry? Help the Helpers Who Are

March 12, 2020 by Lisa Burgess 4 Comments

When You Don’t Feel Qualified

It was Missions Fair Sunday at our church. I wanted to sign up for something but I didn’t feel qualified for anything.

My husband was excited about a relatively new ministry called PAR (Prepare and Respond). It is a faith-based, all-volunteer disaster response group that formed in our north Alabama region after devastating tornadoes ripped through here in 2011. A small group of dedicated believers had worked together cleaning up communities after the tornadoes, and wanted to stay together for future storms. PAR was born.

But I couldn’t use a chainsaw.

How could I be of any help to this group?

Sometimes we feel led to join a ministry, even though we don’t feel qualified to help. We see the obvious skills needed, ones we don’t have. We are afraid to join in because we don’t know what we can do.

Despite misgivings that day, I signed my name anyway for the PAR group.

When another set of tornadoes hit close to home not long afterward, I received an email from PAR to help.

What had I gotten myself into?

Help the Helpers

But I showed up anyway. If there was work I could do, I’d do it. If not, I’d go home.

And, wow, was there work. At the first assigned neighborhood, debris was everywhere. Our chainsaw cutters immediately got to work, cutting limbs that were blocking driveways and threatening roofs. As they cut, they needed people to pull the limbs to the road. I could do that!

So for hours that day, I helped the helpers.

I went back several more days as the crowd of volunteers shrunk but the need remained strong. One of the women in charge of a neighboring response team was overwhelmed with a stack of papers one afternoon. She happened to mention that she needed help inputing the volunteers’ paperwork into her database.

I wondered, could I do that? It was a totally different way of helping than I’d imagined. But it was a need I could meet.

It changed everything for me. I found my niche.

I became a computer person for our disaster response group, keeping up with the volunteer list, updating our website after storms hit, sending out emails and creating sign-ups for deployments to go help.

Help Where You Are

Our PAR group has continued to grow. We have volunteers from all denominations plus from local businesses and the community at large. We are able to serve not only those in Alabama, but also those outside of it.

When Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, FL, we loaded up volunteers and traveled with our trailers of chainsaws and roof tarps and mudout equipment to give free help. Likewise to Whiteville, North Carolina; Houston, Texas; Olive Branch, Mississippi; Moffett, OK; and many more.

Last weekend, we sent teams to Nashville, TN, after their tornadoes.

We often make our own arrangements of sleeping, feeding, and finding uninsured neighborhoods to help when we deploy. But we also partner with larger Christian response groups, like Samaritan’s Purse, Eight Days of Hope, and Hope Force International. Together we accomplish much to help those who are devastated after a storm but who lack resources.

Sometimes I’m able to go on the trips. I do my thing of pulling limbs that the chainsaw guys cut.

I often get to talk with homeowners, too (my favorite thing). I listen to their stories of where they were when the tornado hit, or pray with them about their future, or direct them to their local ministries who can offer help.

But when I can’t go? I know I can help, even from home, by helping the helpers. Thanks to the internet, I give our volunteers the information they need, connect them with our team leaders, and keep up with their online data.

Same Goal

When we expand our idea of how we can work in a ministry, God may surprise us with opportunities we didn’t see coming.

And if one of those ways is being a support person, helping those who are serving on the front line, then let’s do it.

Whether in front or behind the scenes, the outcome is the same: the good news is spread and the love of God is felt.

Helping the helpers is being a helper, too. No chainsaw skills necessary.

When you don’t know what to say, say this. See these words of love, wisdom, and hope from Philippians 1. #Benedictions

What local or national ministry do you participate with? Is there a group you’d like to join but haven’t yet? Please share in the comments.

When You Don’t Know What to Say, Say This

February 13, 2020 by Lisa Burgess 12 Comments

When you don’t know what to say, say blessings from scripture. Philippians 1:9-11 is a prayer for love, wisdom, and hope.

When Words Don’t Come

I didn’t know what to say.

I have friends who live in a special apartment complex in my city. They are there for different reasons: some are physically disabled, some are mentally disabled, some are financially unstable.

Their needs are varied. And their needs are usually great. They face things daily that I haven’t faced at all.

So when we deliver meals to them on Wednesday nights, they’ll occasionally want prayer.

And when they do? I often don’t know what to pray for them.

Try a Benediction

One of my friends there was slow coming to her door last week. She heard us knock and asked us to wait. When she finally opened the door, we could tell she was distressed.

She shared briefly what was going on, but she was too exhausted to explain it all. I asked if we could pray for her, and she said of course.

But what could I say? There she sat in pain in her wheelchair with more needs than resources. And I was supposed to offer what?

I wasn’t sure of her circumstances. I didn’t have time to think it through. I didn’t want to sound trite or promise something I couldn’t guarantee.

When we don’t have words to pray—for whatever the reason—we can always pray a benediction.

Benedictions are short blessings often recited over a congregation at the end of a worship service. They remind us to stay expectant for God’s grace. (Read an encouraging article here about 5 Reasons to Recover Benedictions at Church.)

Offer Hope through Philippians 1:9-11

Every Sunday morning with my church, Pastor Pat closes out our service with these words written by the apostle Paul 2,000 years ago to the church at Philippi.

We open our hands and hearts to receive this:

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:9-11

These words are embedded now in my soul. Our memory group at Do Not Depart (Hide His Word) recently memorized all of Philippians 1. These words keep chasing me.

So when I don’t know what to pray, I know I can safely pray these things over anybody, in any circumstance:

I pray that they will:

Know love, more and more
Gain knowledge and use wisdom to make the next right decisions
Be a positive influence among their friends and family
Stay expectant for a brighter future
Experience the love of Jesus for the glory of God

When I prayed for my friend, I didn’t use those exact words. I didn’t go through a checklist in my mind.

But because I’ve heard these truths spoken over me so often and because I’ve used them so much over myself in memorization and meditation, the Spirit breathes them out when I need to share them with others.

I didn’t solve my friend’s problems that day. I didn’t change her circumstances. I had so little to contribute.

But at least in offering a blessing of hope, I hope she felt more loved and less alone.

Find Your Blessing to Give

Is there a passage of God’s love that you can give to others? Find a prayer to say, if you haven’t yet. Our series this month here at Do Not Depart is a great starting point to find a blessing you can pray over others.

It will free you to pray confidently with others regardless of circumstances.
It will bless others with words of truth and hope and love spoken to God on their behalf.
And it will please God that you are blessing others for Him.

It’s what He wants His kids to do for each other.

What can you give away? 4 things you can give to those you don’t even know. #SpiritualGrowth series

Do you have a favorite scripture you pray for others, with others? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

What Can You Give Away Today? 4 Things to Give Outside the Church Walls {Intentional Spiritual Growth}

January 16, 2020 by Lisa Burgess 24 Comments

What if you gave away more outside your church walls? Would you become poorer? Or richer than ever? Practice giving outside the lines.

What Can I Give

I saw Breann (not her real name) again at Thanksgiving lunch. She somehow made it to the annual community meal in our town. Her old van barely runs.

Breann lives at a homeless shelter these days. Her possessions are few. Her friends are numbered. Her demeanor is almost hopeless. The thing she misses the most from her previous apartment? Her babies (i.e., her cats).

I felt helpless.

What did I have to give Breann that could make a significant difference in her life? Turkey and stuffing—even with a beautiful cupcake for dessert—was totally inadequate.

Give More Than Money

When we think of giving, we often think of money and offerings at church. That’s good. It’s important.

But if that’s the only way we give, it can feel empty. And impersonal. Instead of replenishing our souls, it can feel draining.

As children of God, we have more to offer than cash. And more people to give it to than fellow believers.

How can we also bless others with God’s love outside our church walls? What do we have of worth to give away?

What if, as an intentional act of spiritual discipline, we practiced giving differently? To someone different than ourselves? In different ways than our normal habits?

4 Things You Can Give Away Every Day

For our month-long series on intentional spiritual growth, let’s look at four things we can intentionally give away, with forethought, purposed in prayer, to those outside our church buildings or our homes.

1. Show up in body—Give presence

It can feel risky to show up in places outside our comfort zones. But often that’s where the needs are. Where are the poor in your community? The weak? The underserved? Are those places you can go, too?

When we put our bodies where our hearts are, God shows up there, too.

Perhaps you can show up at a feeding center. Or volunteer at a ministry’s thrift store. Partner with other groups already serving successfully.

If you look for opportunities in your city to show up in body and spirit as God in the flesh, you will find people who need you. And find God, too.

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
Proverbs 11:25

2. Tell people who they are—Give dignity

Many of those with deepest hurts expect to be treated poorly. They’ve been told they’re worthless for years by parents or abusive partners.

Could you be the voice at the health clinic or community tutoring who tells them otherwise? Who reminds them that they, too, are created beautifully in the image of God? That they deserve respect just because they’re here among us?

Giving dignity is often an unexpected and valuable gift that costs us so little, but feels extravagant to those receiving it.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”
Proverbs 3:27

3. Hand them something—Give tokens of love

Let’s be real; we probably can’t give enough money or goods to pull someone out of poverty. The issues are complex and the needs are high.

But just because we can’t give everything doesn’t mean we can’t give something.

Whatever you can give—a book donation to an impoverished school library, a pack of new socks to the man at the street corner, a blanket to a warming center on frigid nights—is an act of love. It may seem small to you, but sometimes the smallest tokens of love go the deepest.

“Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty.”
Luke 21:3-4

4. Pray a blessing—Give Jesus

When appropriate, offer to pray a blessing over others. It is often a welcomed gift. Your prayer doesn’t have to be long and wordy (it’s best if it’s not!). It doesn’t have to promise a miraculous healing or guarantee affordable housing.

But a simple prayer asking Jesus to bring love and peace into the life of another can turn around someone’s day.

It lets them know not only that you care, but that even after you’re gone, God cares. He remains with them.

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
1 Chronicles 29:14

God Grows Your Gift

As Breann finished eating her Thanksgiving lunch, we chatted some more. She asked about my family. I showed her pictures of my new granddaughter.

I asked what was next for her. She was hoping to volunteer next week at the animal shelter, if her van could get her there and back. She was hoping to find a way to move out of the homeless shelter and back into an apartment soon.

We hugged goodbye. And I walked away. To my reliable SUV, my faithful spouse, my comfortable middle-class life.

I still felt helpless.

But I no longer felt hopeless.

I hadn’t given Breann anything I would consider useful. But I received a gift from her. And I hope she received the same from me. We both shared space together in the time we were given. We shared a meal, our attention, and our Jesus.

God can take the tiniest of gifts and expand them into Kingdom blessings. Just like He multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed 5,000, He can enlarge our small offerings as well.

I don’t know why God keeps winding my path with Breann’s. But I know it’s for my good.

I pray it’s for Breann’s good, too.

Not Perfect, But Possible

Giving to those unlike ourselves, those we don’t already know and love, can feel risky. But maybe that’s why it grows our dependence on God.

We won’t do it perfectly. We may make a mess at times. We may give half-heartedly, with fear, and even impure motives at times.

But let’s do it anyway. Give what we have. However we can.

Don’t make it complicated. But make it intentional.

Make it a practice to give:

Presence
Dignity
Tokens
Jesus

These are life-giving to others and life-giving to ourselves.

Giving these away won’t make us poorer. They make us—and the world around us—richer than ever.

“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
Acts 20:35

What message are you bringing this Christmas? Be an angel of joy. #SymbolsofChristmas

Is it easy or hard for you to give to people outside your circle? What have you given, or received, lately that showed God’s love? Please share in the comments.

Be an Angel – Spread Good News, Not Gloom, This Christmas

December 12, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 10 Comments

Hey you. Listen up. Pay attention.

The angels had an announcement to make. The night Jesus was born, the angels came with news. They had a message.

They shared it with joy.

Can we?

Bad Tidings?

Sigh. I’ve already been complaining this Christmas.

I can’t think of a good gift to buy my mother-in-law.
There are too many activities to go to.
I accidentally bought glitter Christmas cards (what was I thinking?).

It’s easy to be a bearer of bad tidings when people ask: “Are you ready for Christmas?”

Christmas turns into a time of being too busy, striving for too much perfection, and spending too much money.

Where is Jesus?

He is here. But maybe the better question is:

Where are His messengers?

Angels Shared Good News

Over the fields outlying Bethlehem the night Jesus was born, the shepherds were startled with brights lights and loud noises (Luke 2:8-15).

The angels didn’t show up with complaints of no sanitized delivery room for the Savior or rants about inhospitable hosts or whining about too much business surrounding the census.

No. The angels were focused on sharing:

GOOD news
Of GREAT joy
For ALL people

Can you be an angel this Christmas?

What’s Your Message?

Angel simply means “messenger.” As we talk amongst ourselves this Christmas, we are relaying messages, too.

What message will you deliver?

We can relay a message of disgust with what Christmas has turned into. Or we can spread a message of excitement of what Christmas truly means.

One way to put Jesus back into Christmas is to put joy back into Christmas. It starts with us.

Good news still needs to be proclaimed. And we’re the angels here to proclaim it.

When you see an angel this Christmas, whether atop Christmas trees, in nativity scenes, or on Christmas cards (especially the glittery ones), remind yourself that you are an angel, too.

You are a messenger of good news of great joy for all people.

We’ve been gifted a Savior, Christ the Lord. Join in with the heavenly host and praise God for this gift.

Bring the right message this Christmas.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. . . .

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!“
Luke 2:10-11; 13-14

Please share with us in the comments.

Do you complain about Christmas? What brings you the most joy about Christmas?

Is God Good to YOU? 3 Ways to Find the Good in God

November 14, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 19 Comments

We can’t share about God’s goodness if we don’t see it.

Do you know how God has been good to YOU?

Join us as we continue our study of Psalm 145 this month. Today we are on Psalm 145:8-12. [See all the posts here.]

Psalm 145:8  The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9  The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10  All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!
11  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
12  to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Can You See?

I couldn’t see closely without my glasses. And I couldn’t find my glasses.

I realize people often need reading glasses when they’re older. Yet I didn’t think it would happen to me.

But of course it happened to me.

How often have I misplaced my glasses when I need to read instructions? Or when I want to look at a picture someone is showing me on their phone? Or read a book to my granddaughter that contains fine print?

When I’m not intentional about keeping my glasses with me, I miss out on seeing good things.

Maybe that’s what David was trying to get across to us in Psalm 145. Not about reading glasses, per se. (How did they manage without glasses back in the day?)

But maybe David was saying this:

Be intentional. Look closer. Pay attention to the good things that God is doing in our lives.

On any given day, we can see bad things happen around us. We wonder why God isn’t rushing in to remove all obstacles or heal all sicknesses, even though He can. When we don’t understand what is happening, we can be quick to jump to wrong conclusions

But what if instead of jumping to blame, we jump instead to grace?

3 Ways to Find the Good in God

Here are three things we see David doing in Psalm 145:8-12 that we can do, too, to find the good in God.

1. ATTRIBUTE GOOD THINGS TO GOD

When David saw good things happen, he attributed the good things to his good God. He knew that God was full of mercy and grace and love. He knew to look for God’s goodness in His creation.

When we see good things happen, explainable or mysterious, we, too, can give thanks to God for them.

Be specific. Perhaps God worked through a person or science or nature to make the good thing happen. But all goodness still originates with God.

If He is good to all (Psalm 145:9), that includes you.

2. DOCUMENT TO REMEMBER

Another way to find the good, is to keep track of it. David wrote poetry and songs to document the good things he saw God do.

How can you set up reminders to remember God’s goodness in your own life?

Write it down. Make an altar. Take a photo. Practice remembering your own stories with God. God wasn’t only good to those in the Bible; He is good to each of us in this very day.

3. TELL OTHERS ABOUT IT

I’m glad David shared his words about God’s goodness with those around him, and consequently to us. We still praise God through many of these same words, thousands of years later.

Don’t keep God’s goodness to yourself. Let others know when you see Him at work in your life and in their lives.

Sometimes we can miss the hand of God in our busyness, but when we look closely, we see His fingerprints on all good things that happen around us.

Focus on His Goodness

I later found my missing reading glasses. They were on the kitchen counter where I’d last used them. I’ve since learned to stock up on reading glasses from the dollar store; I keep a pair tucked away in several spots around the house.

Likewise, we can keep our goodness glasses handy. When we’re having a bad day or need to encourage a friend or just simply want to praise God, put them on.

When we look closer for the good things that God is doing:

We’ll begin seeing more and more good things.
We’ll have more peace about the future.
And we’ll discover our faith is growing deeper and stronger.

By keeping good theology plainly in sight—that the Lord is good to all and His mercy is over all—we will find it easier to give thanks to the Lord and bless His name.

Focus today.

Open your eyes to God’s goodness all around you. It’s there. It’s personal. And it’s glorious.

Study Questions

1. Read Psalm 145:8-12 in a variety of translations. You can do it here.

2. All that God is and does is good. Read more scriptures about His everlasting goodness and how it impacts us.

Psalm 31:19
Psalm 34:8
Psalm 84:11
Psalm 107:1
Nahum 1:7
Romans 8:28
Ephesians 2:8
1 Timothy 4:4
James 1:17

3. Pray and ask God to reveal ways He’s been good to you this week that you may have overlooked.

4. Talk with a family member or friend about ways you’ve each seen God’s goodness this week. Spur one another on to tell of His mighty deeds and the splendor of His kingdom.

We can’t tell about God’s goodness if we don’t see it. How has God been good to you? #Psalm145 #GreatistheLord

How has God been good to YOU lately? Please share in the comments.

Do You Want God to Know You? {Psalm 1:6}

October 28, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 22 Comments

She’s new to us.

We know little about her. But we want to know everything about her because she lives here now.

She needs us to know.

Do we want God to know everything about us, too?

Join us in our final week of memorizing Psalm 1.

Do You Want to Be Known?

My daughter birthed her new baby daughter two weeks ago. I’m excited to be a grandmother now to two beautiful granddaughters!

But with a newborn in their house, everything is changing. They listen for her cries to know if she’s hungry. They feel her skin to know if she’s hot or cold. They watch her chest to know she’s breathing in and out.

And she knows none of it.

Do we like being watched?

Are we aware of how closely God watches us?
Do we wonder how much He knows about us?
Do we even WANT to be known that much?

Sometimes we prefer to remain unknown.

It feels safer to hide in the dark instead of to be seen in the light. Like Adam and Eve, we think we can hide from God.

We don’t want God to know our bad thoughts, our guilty secrets, our impure motives. If He knew, really knew us, would He still love us? Would He be disappointed? Would He turn away from us?

But He already knows us. Everything about us. And His love for us is as strong as ever.

Knowledge Is Power

“Know” in Psalm 1:6 is from the Hebrew word yada (Strong’s #3045) meaning more than our causal “to know,” but a deeper knowing, a very familiar understanding of someone or something.

When we reframe God’s knowledge of us as faithfulness instead of spying, we can accept the grace of being known. We can live openly; live protected; live loved.

We can rest more securely in God’s love precisely because He knows us, not in spite of it. Like a mother watches her child, so God watches over us.

With care.
With protection.
With love.

Because God knows us, He does what’s best for us. It’s a blessing, not a curse.

As our little granddaughter continues to grow, we will learn more and more about her. Our knowledge of her comes slowly, through time, and remains finite.

But God already knows all about her. He knows what she needs, who she needs, and when she needs it.

And because of His knowing, she is already blessed.

May we feel blessed likewise that He also knows us.

Memorize This Week

For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 1:6 (ESV)

Do you want God to know all about you? Is it a blessing or a curse? #Psalm1 #HideHisWord

Thanks to all who memorized and meditated through Psalm 1 with us this fall. Join us again in 2020 when we’ll learn another chapter of the Bible to hide in our hearts.

Is It Dangerous for God to Know You? Yada, Yada, Yada

Gather with a Common Goal {Psalm 1:5}

October 21, 2019 by Lisa Burgess Leave a Comment

What group do you like being associated with? As we memorize Psalm 1:5 this week, be grateful for your good standing in Christ.

This Is the Group

Even though all of us are sinners, those who trust in Christ are forgiven for missing the mark. That’s the group I want to be gathered with.

This congregation is in good standing with the Judge, not because of their own righteousness, but because of Jesus Christ’s righteousness.

In this group:

We won’t be sentenced guilty.
We won’t face judgment.
We won’t be condemned.

Gather with the ones who have a common goal of eternal life. It’s a blessed way to live now and for forever.

Memorize This Week

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
Psalm 1:5 (ESV)

In this group we won’t be sentenced guilty. Memorize #Psalm1 v5 with us. #HideHisWord

Keep learning. But you don’t have to know it all. More God, less Google. #LordoftheSabbath

Less Google, More God – Take an Informational Sabbath

October 16, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 21 Comments

Give yourself a break from having to know all the things, all the time. Take an informational Sabbath.

It’s more than just a digital detox.

The Information Age

We want to know.

Right now.

What will happen if we don’t get the work contract?
Will it wreck my phone to update to iOS 13?
Is it going to rain Saturday?
Does my granddaughter have RSV?
Is this relationship in God’s will?

This is the age of information. We want knowledge quickly, easily, and accurately.

The first temptation still haunts us today. We want to know everything we can know, just as Eve wanted fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6).

Uncertainty makes us anxious. So we don’t let up until we know more.
We are afraid of being in the dark. So we flick on as many lights as we can.
We don’t want to appear stupid. So we put in hours of research until we’re worn out.

Are we trying to be our own gods? Thank God for Google. Right?

Search Overload

We definitely need information, of course.

We have to know things to function well. God wants us to make wise choices based on rational decisions. We need Christian scientists, teachers, nurses, business owners, therapists, theologians, etc. Knowledge helps us survive. It makes our lives better.

But can our “need to know” become unhealthy?

Yes.

Any of us can become information junkies, addicted to the next hit of knowledge. We can be misled into a false sense of security when we think we know it all. We can make poor decisions when we think we’re in total control.

And most dangerous of all, we can think, “Who needs God?” when we have so many sources of knowledge.

We know we have a problem when we ask Siri more than we ask God.

Yes, we do thank God for the amazing tools He’s given us in this century. Google and other search engines are such time-savers, giving us information we need or at least pointing us in the right direction.

But it’s the quantity and dependence that can swamp us. In these times of fast news, trying to keep up with everything is like drinking from the proverbial firehose. More information is available than we can handle. It comes to us faster than we have the ability to take in.

What can God teach us when we’re already worn out from trying to learn more, more, more, all the time?

Take an Informational Sabbath

Just as God directed His people in the Old Testament to take a Sabbath rest, we can benefit from a regular Sabbath, too.

While the Jews took a weekly Sabbath from anything considered work, our Sabbath choices might look different today.

Many still choose to do no major work one day a week. Others may take a week’s fast from all social media. Or unplug periodically from all technology. (There are apps like Mute for your digital detox goals, offline vacation B&B’s, and even technology rehab facilities to help you break internet addictions.)

Because of our addiction to gathering more and more information, maybe we need an occasional informational sabbath. Not just from Google, but a break from our need-to-know in general.

When we hunger for knowledge more than we hunger for God, we need to take a step back. Being smart is good, but being sanctified is better.

Rest your brain so your heart can rejoice in Christ.
I grew up in a head-oriented faith tradition, but I learned in adulthood there is great delight and value in also releasing my heart to worship Christ. Love God with more than your mind: also include your heart and soul (Matthew 22:37).
Periodically set down the studying so you can just sit with Jesus.
Sometimes we need to set down even our Bibles so we can soak in Jesus more directly (John 5:39-40). Worship Him. Talk with Him. Listen to Him. Knowing about God and knowing God can be two different things. Make time for both.
Give knowledge some time to digest.
Knowledge isn’t the same thing as wisdom. Just as we need time in between meals for our food to digest, let God use time to turn what you already know into wisdom, before you haul in another pile of information (Lamentations 3:25).

We can grow our faith by trusting God in sabbatical breaks.

In an informational Sabbath, we can release our desire to constantly know more and always be right. We can let go of our quest for power and our need to stay in control. We can make peace with uncertainty and our fear of the unknown.

Because, in the stillness, we can remember that God already knows what was, what is, and what it to come.

Less Google, More God

So click off Google now and again. During your Sabbath break, trust God to let you know what you need to know, when you need to know it.

God created us to stop for breaths. He doesn’t expect us to keep learning 24 hours a day. He knows we’re happier (and smarter!) when we take a Sabbath rest in Him instead of trying to do everything on our own.

We can never know enough to be good enough on our own. Our brains are finite. His is infinite. We can’t think our way into heaven.

Who we know matters more than what we know.

Keep learning, but remember that learning is not a goal in itself. Changing into the image of Christ is.

Knowledge by itself does not save us. It leads us to the One who can: Christ the living Truth (John 8:32).

Thankfully we don’t have to figure everything out. God already has. He knows it all. And we know Him.

That’s what we most need to know.

Read More:

Series – Lord of the Sabbath
See all the posts in our Sabbath series
A Daily Dose to Overcome Anxiety
God gave them a daily dose of manna for their journey. He gives us a daily dose of grace for ours.
3 Things to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do
Learn 3 things you can do when you just don’t know what to do. Grow your faith even when you’re uncertain.

Are you an information hoarder? What do you wish God would tell you right now? How do you make peace with not knowing? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Restless or Rooted? {Psalm 1:4}

October 14, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 4 Comments

As we continue memorizing Psalm 1, the contrasts also continue between the blessed and the wicked.

Last week in Psalm 1:3 we saw that the blessed are weighted, like firmly-planted trees. The opposite is pictured this week in Psalm 1:4: the wicked are cut loose and free-floating.

Being unstable and untethered from God makes for a hectic life.

James said this person is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind (James 1:6).

Christ-followers aren’t immune from storms though. We all have times of chaos in our lives.

But the difference is we can rely on a firm foundation underneath the disorder. We are not blown away.

Again from James:

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

The blessed man in Psalm 1 is the one who can stand on solid ground instead of frantically seeking peace here and there in places that don’t satisfy.

Let’s be grateful this week for the grace to abide firmly in the vine (John 15:5).

Memorize This Week

The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Psalm 1:4 (ESV)

Being untethered from God makes us restless. Be rooted instead. #Psalm1 #HideHisWord

Do You Need a Transplant? {Psalm 1:3}

October 7, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 4 Comments

When your growth seems dormant and withering has become normal, maybe it’s time for a transplant.

Meditate on Psalm 1:3 with us this week.

A Bigger Pot

Leaves were dropping off my fiddle leaf fig tree. We’d had it in our kitchen in the same pot for 20 years.

But I was afraid to transplant it, for fear it would die altogether. It was once Jeff’s grandparents’ plant. They had given it to us years ago, and we wanted it to stay alive, especially since the grandparents are now gone.

I finally agreed to the transplant. We bought a bigger pot. We bought the dirt. And we dug in.

Now we had to see if it would survive the repotting.

Get Your Transplant

This week’s memory verse, Psalm 1:3, is also about transplants. As believers in Christ, each one of us has received a transplant already. We were growing in one place, then Christ entered our lives and transplanted us.

The Hebrew verb shatal in Psalm 1:3 is translated as “planted.” But scholars suggest the word has a more specific meaning: “transplanted,” to remove something from an undesirable location and place it in a desirable location.

Maybe a plant. And maybe a person.

To walk straight and strong in our journey with Christ, we need nourishment, water, Sonshine. While Christ provides much of that simply through His grace, we also can proactively seek these things alongside Him by positioning ourselves to better receive them.

Through time spent in the written words, with the Living Word, with fellow believers, in service to the needy, etc., we, too, can develop deeper roots. And as we grow downward, we also grow upward.

And as Psalm 1:3 suggests, we, too, as a healthy tree, will also bear fruit.

. . . In due season. Immediate growth isn’t promised. Nor is immediate prosperity in ways we typically measure prosperity.

But we will bloom. Through our separation from the wrong things (Psalm 1:1) and through our meditation on godly things (Psalm 1:2), we will mature into blessed things (Psalm 1:3).

My fiddle leaf fig is doing well. No more leaves have dropped since the transplant. The stems seem strong and the green seems greener.

Transplanting was the best move after all.

Memorize This Week

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Psalm 1:3 (ESV)

Don’t just be planted. Go for the transplant. #Psalm1 #HideHisWord

How Can You Delight in the Lord All Day and Night? {Psalm 1:2}

September 30, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 2 Comments

What tears you down?

Disagreements with your partner?
Financial struggles?
Pain in your body?

Life has a way of throwing boulders in our path. It can make us cynical and angry and discouraged.

Yet the obstacles don’t have to ruin us. They may temporarily hinder us. But hurdles can’t grow larger than God’s blessings if we’re delighting in Him.

But how can we delight in the Lord when we’re bombarded by temptations and troublemakers and our own transgressions?

The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 1:2.

Spend day and night meditating on the law of the Lord, delighting in it.

Does that mean sitting in quiet time with an open Bible 24/7?

No. Even Jesus didn’t live that way.

Instead, we can delight in God’s truths by valuing what He values, walking where He walks, and loving how He loves.

We can discern these things when we spend time with Him in His recorded words and when we wake up to His continual presence with us as the Living Word, Jesus Christ.

Yes, day and night. We are always in His presence; we’re just not always aware of it.

Meditating on God’s truths isn’t just sitting in silence. It’s also speaking; imagining; studying.

The older we are, the more we have to meditate on, to look back on, to speak about.
But the younger we are, also the more we have to meditate on, to look ahead to, to imagine about.

If you’re memorizing Psalm 1 with us this fall, use this week to remind yourself that the Lord is always with you. Find delight in that knowledge. Think about it, meditate on it, live in it.

Micah said it this way:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8

And Jesus Himself said,

“Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
Luke 11:27-28

May this be us . . . blessed.

Memorize This Week

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2 (ESV)

How do we meditate on the law of the Lord day and night? Look at #Psalm1 v2 with us. #HideHisWord

This Person Is Blessed – Is It You? {Psalm 1:1}

September 23, 2019 by Lisa Burgess Leave a Comment

Look closer at Psalm 1:1 this week. Consider the path you’re on. Are you blessed as you walk it?

This is week 1 of our memory journey through Psalm 1.

Psalm 1 begins like Jesus did with the Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed is the man… (Psalm 1:1)
Blessed are the…. (Matthew 5:3)

And as Jesus describes in the Beatitudes, so the Psalmist (likely David) describes a way of life in Psalm 1 that brings joy. God delights in blessing those who follow Him.

There are two Hebrew words translated as “blessed” in the Old Testament.

a verb, barak (#1288), which means “to kneel, to bless”
a noun, esher (#835), which means “happiness”

Esher is the word used in Psalm 1. Its root is ashar (#833), which means “to be straight.”

Verse 1 tells us who the happy man is NOT. The blessed man does not veer away from the godly path. He avoids the twists and truths that tire us, frustrate us, and use our resources to lead us nowhere good.

He walks straight.

The ERV translation puts it like this:

Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God.
Psalm 1:1 (ERV)

If we want to stay refreshed this week, let’s stay on the straighter path. Avoid distractions that pull us away from our purpose. Stay focused on things above that are more satisfying on a deep soul level.

The path will still have obstacles, and we’ll still feel pain along the way, but as Jesus concludes about the blessed ones in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, the person on this path can rejoice and be glad (Matthew 5:12).

Next week we’ll look at verse 2 to see what the blessed man does instead of walking the crooked path.

Memorize This Week

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
Psalm 1:1 (ESV)

This person is blessed. Is it you? Read #Psalm1 and see. #HideHisWord

Want to walk the blessed path? See what to watch for. Memorize and meditate on Psalm 1 with us, beginning Sept 23. #HideHisWord

Want to Walk the Blessed Path?

September 20, 2019 by Lisa Burgess Leave a Comment

We are often drawn to the Psalms because we relate to them. These Hebrew poems say a lot in a few words.

They console us when we’re sad;
they speak for us when we’re speechless;
they help us praise when we’re joyful.

The psalm we will begin learning September 23 is known as a wisdom poem. It is an apt introduction to the whole book of Psalms by giving us a clear picture of two ways of life: a blessed way and a wicked way.

We want the blessed path. But there are things to watch for, things to do, and things not to do to help us identify that path and stay on it. Psalm 1 will increase our awareness of those things.

If you’d like to join us in our memorization and meditation on Psalm 1, verse by verse, please sign up today. [UPDATE: Registration now closed.] We’ll send you one email per week for six weeks. Also join us here each Monday morning at the blog for a short devotional on the verse of the week.

We’re excited to delight in the Lord together through these words.

Get details and sign up here.

Here’s a Present for Your Future Self

September 16, 2019 by Lisa Burgess 2 Comments

“In the long run, people of every age and in every walk of life seem to regret not having done things much more than they regret things they did.”
– Daniel Gilbert

Time Is Ticking

Whether you watch the clock or not, time is ticking on.

Six weeks later, our Psalm 1 challenge will be over. Depending on your choice now, Psalm 1 will either be in your mind, or it won’t.

Six weeks will pass just the same. You’ll be six weeks older just the same.

When you think about your future self, would you be glad you spent six weeks memorizing Psalm 1 and other things you’d like to accomplish?

Fall Memory Challenge

There are lots of spiritual disciplines you can choose. Scripture memory is just one. But it’s one we’re offering to do together this fall.

If you’d like, we hope you’ll make an active choice to nurture both your present self and your future self by memorizing with us.

We think you’ll have no regrets at the end of six weeks if you choose to memorize Psalm 1. It contains encouragement you can retain for months and years to come. It’s an easy challenge that anyone can finish. See the full schedule here.

When you look back at what you’ve accomplished the past six weeks, what are you most proud of? Think ahead to the next six weeks. What present can you give in the present to your future self?

What you decide today makes the difference.

And when you’re done, let us know and we’ll send you a PDF of this certificate with your name on it.

What you do today makes a difference for tomorrow. Give the gift of scripture memory to your future self. #HideHisWord