Need to catch your breath? Try His

June 11, 2015 by Lisa Burgess 16 Comments

A BREATHLESS SUMMER?

It’s summer, traditionally a season for less stress and more relaxation, more time off. But are you already out of breath? Is your schedule running you instead of you running your schedule?

When we leave too little breathing room in our lives, we feel drained. Near the end of my father’s death with lung cancer, it hurt to watch him breathe. The in-and-out of air was slow and tiring. Instead of invigorating his body with fresh oxygen, breathing seemed like dreary work.

Our lives can become that way as well when we don’t guard our spiritual breathing.

BREATH IS SPIRIT

Our breath is a gift from God, one of our very first.

Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Genesis 2:7

In the New Testament, Paul taught the Athenians about our marvelous Creator who gives us life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25). In the Greek, “breath” here is from pnoe (G4157). It also means a breeze, wind.

In John 3:8 the root word pneo (G4154—to breathe hard, breeze, blow) and its more common derivative pneuma (G4151—a current of air, breath, breeze, spirit) are both used.

The wind [G4151] blows [G4154] where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit [4151].
John 3:8

A literal translation could be:
The breath breathes hard. . . . We are brought forth from the Breath.

We are born of that Breath. That Wind. That Spirit. Just as we live physically by breathing in oxygen 10-20 times per minute, so we breathe in God continually for sustained spiritual life.

LET THE WIND REMIND US

So when you’re outside this week, pay attention to the wind. Look for signs of it around you.

Are tree limbs dancing in praise to its rhythm?
Are birds resting their wings in its current?
Do you feel it blowing away your sweat, cooling down your body?

Let the wind remind you to breathe in God’s grace. And breathe out His praise.

Awaken to God’s Spirit breathing through your world. Look for signs of His movement.

Do you see evidence of His grace in people you live or work with?
Are you breathing in His gifts with each lungful of air?
Can you breathe out honor to Him through your mouth for His provisions?

Just as we can’t see the wind, neither can we physically see God. But we know both are here through other ways.

God is very real, leaving His fingerprints all over our world and hearts to remind us of His presence. Pause periodically to notice and praise.

Each day we take around 26,000 breaths. Can we use a few this week to give God thanks for them?

Praise Him for His splendor
Honor Him for His goodness
Bless Him for His love

BIBLE STUDY SUGGESTIONS

Take your Bible (outside, if possible!) and slowly read Psalm 145.
Look up wind/spirit/breath in a concordance.
Close your eyes. Do you feel any wind on your face? Tune in to your breathing.
Pray. Thank God for how He is breathing through your life, in ways you feel and in ways you don’t.
More verses to read: Job 33:4; Psalm 34:1-7; Psalm 51:15; Psalm 67:3-5; Psalm 71:5-8; Psalm 150; Ezekiel 37:5; Amos 4:13; Mark 4:36-41; John 2:21-22.
Pick up a physical object to bring inside. Perhaps a leaf blowing across the lawn. Or a rock that stayed put through a storm. Or a wildflower that sways when you blow it. Let this object remind you this week to stay aware of the invisible Spirit breathing through you.

Need to catch your breath? Let the wind remind you: Pause and praise. #MarvelousCreator

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QUESTION
When is the last time you’ve been really out of breath, physically or spiritually? Please leave a comment below of how God breathes through your life. We’d love to hear.

More:
5 things I learned from my “Year of Deep Breathing”

Listen – 5 Ways to Shine at It

March 12, 2015 by Lisa Burgess 20 Comments

I hate long lines at Walmart. So when I saw Lane 5 had only one customer, I whipped over to unload my Pop Tarts, brown sugar, cheese slices.

I didn’t know a dreary day was about to sparkle because of it!

Because in Lane 5, the cashier was a star. Before I could unload the heavy things (dog food, Diet Cokes, Gatorades), there was Sandra at my side, scanning straight from my cart.

I complimented her on treating me like a princess. Sandra smiled and said we’re all sons and daughters of the King. She said, “I can’t control what will happen when you leave the store, but as long as you’re here in my line, you’ll get the royal treatment.”

What a bright light! Can we shine like that, too?

We’ve learned so far in our Philippians 2 study that to shine like a star, we stay united with other believers (Philippians 2:1-2), and we point outward to Christ, not to us (Philippians 2:3-5).

Today’s verses (Philippians 2:5-11) take it further. They tell us to give up.

That’s what Christ did. He emptied out. He humbled himself. He died to royalty to become one of us. So we could become one of His.

There are unlimited ways to practice this mind of Christ, but let’s take just one—it’s very simple, available daily, and totally accessible to each of us.

Talk less; listen more.

What a way to shine!

It’s a skill we’re losing in this age of fast communications. Tell me what you need to say in the least amount of characters possible. Send me a text. FB it. Tweet it. Just don’t call me or come over and make me listen for an hour when all I want to hear is a simple yes or no.

I confess this is hard, hard for me. I can quickly decline a phone call with only a minimally-guilty conscious. There are people I don’t want to listen to. It kills me when they call.

And maybe it should. When we die to self, we shine the brightest. Our relationships are resurrected. Christ is honored.

Listening to others is a practical form of dying to ourselves. Who needs your listening ear today?

Someone who isn’t being heard
Someone who is sick
Someone who is different than you
Someone who is needy
Someone who is angry
Someone who just loves to talk

Any faces come to mind? Are you groaning inside? I am.

Now that doesn’t mean you listen to your office mate complain for 30 minutes about her husband instead of doing your work. And if you only have 5 minutes to FaceTime before driving to get your child, you should only give 5 minutes. But give them full presence during it.

Listening also doesn’t equal approval of what is said or imply action will be taken. But until we listen, how will we know?

5 WAYS TO LISTEN BETTER

Show up
It takes action to put yourself in the presence of somebody else, whether in person or online. Listening is no passive exercise. Actively engage another human being.
Stay open
Don’t get defensive. Stay focused on hearing what the other person is saying, even when you want to tune out or argue back.
Be all there
Put down the phone. Turn away from the TV. Lay down the book. Listen with your eyes as well as your ears.
Ask questions
Being a good listener means inviting even more talking. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t understand. Will you tell me more?”
Let go
Maybe it is your turn to talk. You have a right to be heard, too, to be understood, to express your opinion. But don’t cling to your rights; sacrifice them when you can. Jesus did.

God always listens to us. Whenever, wherever, we decide to talk to Him, He’s all ears.

Wouldn’t it make Him happy if we’d extend the same grace to others? God loves it when we love each other. Such love brings honor to Him.

Give your total attention to that next person who wants to talk to you. To that call. To that message. Like Sandra my Walmart cashier said: We can’t control what happens to people outside our presence, but as long as they’re in our sight, let’s treat them special.

It’s a shiny way to love.

Talk less; listen more. What a way to love! 5 ways to shine at listening #ShineLikeStars

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How will you listen to the next person headed your way? 5 ways to listen better

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YOUR TURN
What type person do you struggle to listen to? Who needs you to hear them today? Who has listened well to you? We want to listen to YOUR stories in the comments.

How to be brave

February 12, 2015 by Lisa Burgess 17 Comments

If you could substitute your fear today with love, how differently would you live?

I’ve seen it; you have too. The shy, in-the-background woman suddenly can keep quiet no longer. Someone she loves is threatened, and she has to speak up.

That’s what love can do to us.
It makes us brave.

The world can be a hard place. It often requires things of us and ways from us that we don’t feel equipped to give—time, energy, money.

And courage.

The world needs our courage.

It needs us to speak up for the powerless.
It needs us to create peace in chaotic places.
It needs us to love those who don’t love back.

I received a short supply of courage by nature. I’ve always wanted more. And now that I’m an adult, I’ve seen the need for more.

But there’s only one way my human tendencies toward worry and timidity can be overcome: By love.

Specifically, the love of God.

We need a safe home base because it can go bad for us out there. We can be betrayed, knocked down, and even have our physical life ended by other people or circumstances. It’s the risk we take when we choose to step out in love.

It’s the risk Jesus took when He loved. Look where it got Him: He was betrayed, knocked down, and even allowed His life to be snuffed out.

But because Love is always stronger, He arose. And because His love now lives in us, we, too, can rise up to be brave.

God’s love is the only unshakable foundation that can’t be moved. No one can take away our safe place in God. Only through Him can we be truly brave. To go. To do. To love. Even to die.

Because we are loved, we can look reality eye-to-eye and keep moving forward.
Because we are loved, we can take chances to love others who are hard to love.
Because we are loved, we can give ourselves away trusting God will replenish us.

To err on the side of love is the brave thing to do. In God’s love, we are safe.

Stay in His love today and do the next thing He’s calling you to do. Even if you have knocking knees, a fast-beating heart, and a mind that says, “I’m scared!”.

Fear says, “What if . . . ?”
Love says, “What can be . . . ?”

His love is bigger than our fear. May He make us brave.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! . . . The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
Psalm 118:1,6

What do you need courage for today? Let’s talk in the comments.

Click here if you can’t see the song video “You Make Me Brave”

Click here for the backstory of “You Make Me Brave”

The world needs your courage. God’s love is bigger than your fear. “How to be brave”

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No voice like yours: An uncommon gift

December 11, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 25 Comments

The gift of “Voice” is not trending on this year’s Hottest Holiday Gifts list (well, unless you count My Friend Cayla, who uses speech-to-text software).

But consider this: Isn’t your voice one of the most sacred gifts you can offer?

Just ask Zechariah. When the angel Gabriel materialized in the temple, announcing that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a child (at last!), Zechariah answered back with discouraging words. Luke 1:5-20

So for the next nine months, he was unable to speak at all. And how much he had to tell!

Not until the baby was born and Zechariah scribbled to his community, “His name is John,” was his tongue untied. Now his words were of praise to God and confidence in all God had done and was going to do. Luke 1:63-64

You can use your voice the same way this Christmas.

But you can’t wrap it inside a Christmas box and tie it with a bow.
So how can you give your voice?

Through your in-person conversations
Through your emails
Through your Christmas cards
Through your social media updates
Through your songs
Through your blog posts
Through your Facebook comments
Through your phone calls

Like Zechariah, use your voice to give hope to those needing deliverance, to assure others of God’s faithfulness, to relay how God has worked in your circumstances, to promise that God gives mercy, and to remind that He transforms the unrighteous into His righteousness. Luke 1:67-79

Your spiritual voiceprint is as unique as your physical fingerprint. You have an exclusive perspective, a different angle, another tongue to add to the celestial choir singing of God’s love.

No other voice can substitute for yours, nor yours for another.

God used His voice to call the universe into existence. He sent Christ into our world as the Word. Now He continues to send His love into the world through your voice and words.

So designate your voice to be a divine gift this Christmas.
Entrust it as a beloved present from God through you to others.

Consider the following questions for these last two weeks before Christmas.

[print here]

What’s the most unusual gift you are giving this Christmas? Please share in the comments.

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Free printable as you prepare for Christmas: My voice is a divine gift. #UncommonGifts

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6 Love Notes from Scripture to Print and Share

September 11, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 12 Comments

Where were you thirteen years ago on 9/11?

I was at Domino’s Pizza on a field trip with my daughters. As the children were making their own pizzas, we moms noticed the workers flocking to the kitchen, gathering around a small TV. They were in shock. Shortly we were, too.

And we all wanted to be with those we loved.

Remember the great displays of love and faith that followed, passing through families, our nation, and around the world?

Let’s not wait on a huge tragedy to prompt us to love. All of us need a little extra love on a daily basis to get through even the small bumps of life.

We’ve created 6 Love Notes from scripture for you to print and share with someone this week. Cut them out, sign your name, then pack one in a lunch bag, tuck in a sock drawer, mail in a card, click a pic to Instagram, or Facebook one to a friend.

Here are some suggestions on who to send them to and why.

Someone who has forgiven you or who longs for your forgiveness
1 Peter 4:8
Someone who needs your support or who is supporting you through a hard season
Proverbs 17:17
Someone you need to thank for how they’ve loved you
1 John 3:18
Someone whose service to others needs a pat on the back
Hebrews 10:24
Someone you’re trying to love better and honor more
Romans 12:10
Someone who is working hard to love their enemies
Matthew 5:44

Remember that YOU count as that “someone” as well. If you need to be reminded of that word from the Lord, put the love note in a place you can see often.

We learn about love in the scriptures so we can experience love in real life.

The more we believe and receive God’s love for ourselves, the more we can spread it to others. Ready . . . set . . . love!

Download and print:

Where were you on 9/11?
Who did you need to talk to first?
Is there someone you can spread love to this week with a love note?
We’d love to hear in the comments.

Free printable! 6 Love Notes from scripture to spread God’s love. #EncouragingWord

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We learn about love in the scriptures so we can experience love in real life. Printable Love Notes

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You are God’s good china

August 14, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 22 Comments

You’re encouraged often to be pure. To abstain from this. To avoid that. You know what not to do. And rightly so.

But why? What’s the point of maintaining purity? Is it only about what you don’t do? What about what you should do? And what happens when you’re already impure?

PURITY’S PURPOSE: TO LOVE

Purity’s purpose, like all else Jesus taught, is so you can love others more and reflect the glory of God (1 Timothy 1:5).

We’ve been reading over and over in John 15 (and memorizing) where Jesus clearly states His intentions for all: Love one another (John 15:12).

He’s declared you clean for that reason (John 15:3).
He abides in you for that reason (John 15:5).
He laid down His very life for that reason (John 15:13).

So you can love. Out of a pure heart can come pure love. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Once you’ve seen Him, you can show Him to others.

He wants to use you around His table to love another.

You are God’s good china.

BUT IF YOU’RE DIRTY

If you, like each of us, have dirt on your plate (Proverbs 20:9), know this: You’re still a valuable dish!

No one is pure by his own doing; you are only pure because God says so.

Don’t stay hidden on a shelf behind cabinet doors because you think you’re too stained. Maybe you think you lack energy or beauty or skills to love others the way God wants you to. You’ve got a damaged past that brings consequences. And hidden temptations even now that are hard to beat. Welcome to humanity. Everybody lacks. Too tired tonight, too mad tomorrow, too insecure right now to send out a party invitation.

Does that mean you give up altogether on purity? Certainly not. Don’t sin more so grace can abound more (Romans 6:1). Keep doing the dishes and wiping off the table.

But rest in knowing that even though God sees the inside of your cup as well as the outside, He still chooses you anyway (John 15:16). He loves you anyway. He will love through you anyway.

SERVE UP GRACE

Jesus—grace personified—did maintain a completely pure life so that through His purity, you are clean. Abide in His love to more purely love others (1 Peter 1:22).

You keep throwing the party; trust God to multiply the fish and loaves. As He loves you as you are, learn to love others as they are.

So set the table and invite another to gather around. Let go of any shame over your broken pieces and let God use you to nourish another. A nicked plate can still serve great food. Something greater, higher, bigger.

It’s not about the dishes anyway. It’s about the fellowship around the table. Jesus is the host, the bread, and the wine.

It’s a serving of grace; is there anything sweeter or purer?
Grace, dished out even on chipped china, is an irresistible meal.

You are God’s good china. Set the table and throw a party.

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Grace, dished out even on chipped china, is an irresistible meal.

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Do you allow your past to prevent you from loving in the present?
Who needs you today to serve a meal of grace?
Please share in the comments.

Follow the crowd – Good or bad advice?

July 17, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 13 Comments

LOST AND ALONE

We were giving away free cotton candy at KidVenture. The children rushed to our booth with expectant smiles.

Except for a 4-year-old blonde-haired boy. His eyes showed fear: he’d lost his mama.

Even though he was surrounded by people, he couldn’t find his people, his mother and his brother. His bravery to climb the jungle gym and even his excitement to eat free candy had disappeared because he felt alone.

But ironically, aren’t we coached to be rugged individualists? Grow up to think for ourselves. Stand apart from the crowd. Go against the tide.

So why do we feel scared when we find ourselves alone?

Maybe because the advice is flawed. Maybe instead of bucking the crowd altogether, we just need to find the right crowd.

BY FAITH, THE PEOPLE . . .

As we walk through Hebrews 11 this month, we’re learning about faith-filled individuals. But were any of them following God totally alone? Or did they have a crowd of others going with them in the same direction? (Gideon had his 300; Barak had Deborah; Jephthah had the Gileadites; Samuel had Eli;…Hebrews 11:32)

Look whose faith is commended in these two verses.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
Hebrews 11:29-30 (NIV)

It’s the people. By faith, the people obeyed God together and saw the miracle. The people made it into this Hall of Faith.

All by myself, I assure you I would not have stepped into the Red Sea, with or without the waters parting around me (not even to take a selfie). (Exodus 14:21-22)

Would you have approached the walls of Jericho alone, blowing a trumpet along the way? Probably not! (Joshua 6:3-5)

Well, God didn’t ask them to do it alone either.

But with my people ahead and behind me, my faith might have been strong enough to walk forward on dry ground away from Egypt. And with your people marching with you, you might have spent six days circling the walls of Jericho and on the seventh given the victory cry.

FIND YOUR PEOPLE

“Follow the crowd” is still not blanket advice we give without caveats. But when the crowd is going the same direction you want to go, draft along with them, like a biker in the Tour de France this month. Sing with the choir. Contribute to the small group. Play on the neighborhood ball team.

Draw strength from the faith of others, and pray for theirs in return. Let their bravery awaken your courage, and your compassion stir them to greater service. Find grace through the group and kindness in community.

By belonging to a safe crowd, you can more easily develop into the individual God created you to be, living out your purpose to bring Him glory.

After all, the Father, Son, and Spirit themselves are a community, and we’re made in their image. We’re not made to do life alone.

Back at KidVenture, I asked the lost boy his mother’s name. He didn’t know it. Brother’s name? He wouldn’t say. I began leading him to the front desk but along the way, he suddenly ran to a woman’s leg and held on. He’d found his people and the light returned to his eyes, along with his faith to be brave and strong again.

And so it is with us. Surrounded by the people following Jesus, we can walk together by faith into miracles not experienced alone.

Find your people.

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Philippians 3:17

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Walk with others into miracles not experienced alone. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-31i @DoNotDepart #ByFaith
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When have you been braver or done more good with others than if you’d been alone?
Who do you include as “your people”?
Let’s talk in the comments.

How to make your “to-do” list holy

June 12, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 25 Comments

WHAT’S YOUR PLAN?

What’s on your to-do list today?

Maybe you have an intricately scheduled plan. Or scribbles on a napkin scrap. Maybe your plans are just floating loose in your head. Regardless of how you keep up with them, most of us have some sort of list of actions to accomplish each day.

But here’s the problem: Other people get in the way. Life gets in the way. Interruptions, distractions, conflicts.

How are we to work efficiently with the clock when the world seems to be working against us?

Or in other words, as believers, how are we to be in the world, but not of the world?

When Jesus was talking to His Father on the night before His death, He said, “I don’t ask that you take them [the disciples] out of the world.”

Instead, Jesus sent them—and now us!—straight into the world (John 17:15-18).

For our sakes, He made Himself holy that we also might be holy (John 17:19).

DO YOU LOOK HOLY?

But does a Christian’s to-do list look any holier than anybody else’s list? Sure, we may add a few extras: Read Bible, Pray, Attend church. But otherwise, it’s similar: Take a shower. Pack lunches. Go to work. Put gas in the car. Wash clothes.

How are we set apart?

Because God’s Spirit lives inside us, we are different. We work from a higher power and with a different motive. Our goal is to love others in such a way that the world will know Jesus is real (John 17:21).

So perhaps we need to highlight something different on our lists. . . .

TRY THIS

Pull out your to-do list. Under each item, can you add someone’s name? Who are you loving through what you’re doing?

Pay the bills
(my family)
Answer emails
(my coworkers)
Practice memory verse
(my friends, me)
Weed the garden
(my family, me, neighbors)

Each task now represents a person. A relationship. A soul to share God’s love with. Including ourselves.

It’s not the what on our to-do list that matters. It’s the who.
And it’s not the how. It’s the why.

It won’t come without a cost. You might not cross as many things off your list. But the dividends are rich. With greater purpose, you’ll have greater peace, more compassion, and reflect more glory back to God.

So when you make your next to-do list, ask better questions beyond, “What do I have to do today?” Also ask:

Why am I doing this?
Who can benefit from it?
Will I honor God through it?

It might just set apart your to-do list—and your day—as holy.

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“Make your to-do list more than what you will do: Add who you will love. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Ym @DoNotDepart #Holiness”
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“It’s not the what that matters, but the who. Not the how, but the why. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Ym @DoNotDepart #Holiness”
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Are you a list maker? How do you prioritize your to-do list? Please share your tips and comments here.

I want my kids to serve!

May 21, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 12 Comments

Nobody wants a lazy, selfish kid. So we pray, we teach, we assign, we lead. (And sometimes beg, cry, quit—and pray a lot more.)

Teaching kids to be servants is not for the idle. Here are four questions to consider and ideas to try for training your child to better love and serve others.

1. WHAT DOES MY CHILD ENJOY?

Draw on your child’s natural interests and gifts. Is she creative? Let her draw pictures to pass out to the elderly at church, send to grandparents out of town, or take room-to-room at a nursing home. Does your teenager love being outside? Let him mow the lawn for new parents in your neighborhood or be a student chaperone at the middle-schoolers’ campout. A budding musician? My young friend Jamie recorded and sent her song to a young man bedridden with a fatal illness. It was so valuable to his family that Jamie was asked to sing the song at his funeral.

While we all have to serve in ways we don’t like (who longs to clean a toilet?), we usually get hooked on serving by doing what we do like. Discover what your child enjoys and watch them become devoted to serving that way.

2. WHAT ARE MY GIFTS?

Share how you enjoy serving. If you teach Sunday school, let your child assist you for a semester. If photography is your gift, arrange for you and your child to take pictures for families with foster kids. One of my passions is to serve the homeless so I brought my daughter to the simple wedding of some homeless friends. She brought her camera (her passion) and ended up creating a wedding album for them for free, a blending of both our passions.

If you enjoy what you’re doing as a gift, not a duty, your joy is contagious. It might slow you down with a child along, but service isn’t about efficiency; it’s about people.

3. WHERE ARE WE ALREADY SERVING?

Look closer where God is already working in your family. Maybe you don’t need a new venture, but can expand an existing one. If your daughter’s Girl Scout troop plants flowers at a neighborhood park, maybe you and she can follow up with weeding once a month. My kids had an annual service project with their classmates at a soup kitchen. But when we learned they appreciated volunteers any time, we went back as a family more frequently. When my sister-in-law brought her grandson to visit my mother in assisted living, she took him around to brighten the day of other residents as well. Even babies (especially babies!) can serve in that way.

Once you start imagining, many opportunities may unravel out of an existing one.

4. WHO NEEDS HELP?

Watch for needs in your own home, your neighborhood, and your world. Then find age-appropriate ways to help. Maybe you can’t travel overseas with your little ones, but your kids can pray for missionary families and write letters to encourage them. My area had an EF3 tornado rip through last month. While it wasn’t the place for young children to help, I saw many teenagers who were great servants in cleaning up the debris.

God prepares good works for us to do; we just have to see them and respond. (Ephesians 2:10).

WHO BENEFITS WHEN KIDS SERVE?

Obviously others will benefit as your child serves them. But don’t judge the value of the service by how many it reaches or how much appreciation is expressed (or not). Given with the proper attitude, all service is worship to God if it touches another soul with His love. When good works point toward God, He is honored by getting the glory He deserves (Matthew 5:16).

Your child will also be blessed (it is more blessed to give than to receive! Acts 20:35). Maybe they can’t see it immediately, but they will as they grow in compassion, in skills, and in Christ-likeness. When they invest in others, it grows their love for others (Matthew 6:21).

But you, the parent, will also profit! When my youngest wanted to go to Central America on a mission trip, I decided to go just to keep an eye on her. But I ended up being changed by the experience myself. While our serving prompts our children’s serving, their serving also enhances ours, allowing the Lord to work on our hearts and increase our own willingness to initiate service.

Serving together, after all, is how Jesus taught His own disciples to serve. He apprenticed His twelve apostles by living together for three years. They watched, learned, and participated in what He was doing, then learned to do it on their own once He left.

Isn’t that what you want for your children? Let them watch, learn, and participate with you now. Then when they’re on their own, by God’s grace, they’ll keep it up themselves.

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“Nobody wants a lazy kid. 4 guidelines for training your child to serve: http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2WG @DoNotDepart” tweet here

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Give us your advice on helping kids serve.
What has worked for you? Not worked? Let’s share with each other.

Instead of running away . . .

March 13, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 11 Comments

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (ESV)

UH-OH
You’ve messed up again. Criticized your husband. Yelled at your kids. Spent too much time on-line.

Now what?

The last thing you want to do is return to face the people you sinned against—your spouse, your child, even yourself.

Our first reaction, the human one, is usually to run away when we’re in trouble. But what if for our spiritual welfare, we did the opposite?

TURN AROUND
When we read Isaiah 55, we see this pattern: We need; God provides. That’s the gospel. God is honored when we recognize we need help, and we go to Him for it. It’s what He invites us to do over and over: come.

So instead of running away, what if we first run to (Isaiah 55:6-7)?

When we seek God, when we call on Him, we’ll discover extraordinary gifts.

Through His Spirit, He’ll convict us of where we went wrong (John 16:8)
Through His Word, He’ll reveal truth so we believe better (Psalm 119:160)
Through His Love, He’ll cover us with forgiveness and mercy (Psalm 103:3-4)

Will we still face consequences for our wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts? More than likely! But even then, God will be near us with His grace and His guidance.

Then, humbled and reaffirmed, we can easier return back to those we’ve hurt. With our apology in hand, we can go to that spouse we fussed with. To that child we exploded on. And to ourselves we were unkind to.

FIRST REACTION
Returning to the Lord is the path to healing—not only in our relationship with Him, but in our relationships with others and with ourselves. It’s where we’re on the receiving end of compassion and pardon—seeing what it looks like, learning what it feels like.

Turning to God as our first reaction (Matthew 6:33) is the best thing we can do for ourselves and for others. The more we seek His forgiveness, the more compassion we’ll find.

Who doesn’t want more grace? Come to the Source and get it.

QUESTION
Do you have a go-to place where you “seek the Lord”? When has God surprised you by His grace? Please share.

SHARE ON TWITTER

What happens when we run TO God instead of FROM Him http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Qx Isaiah 55:6-7 @DoNotDepart
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The more we seek God’s forgiveness, the more compassion we’ll find. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Qx @DoNotDepart
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Want to memorize these verses? Here are tips for Isaiah 55:6 and tips for Isaiah 55:7.

When You Wonder If Your Testimony Is “Good Enough”

February 27, 2014 by Lindsey 2 Comments

The question is not whether or not you have a testimony; the question is whether or not you will choose to share it.

In Mark 5, Jesus healed a man who had been possessed by demons. After Jesus healed him, the man begged to go with Jesus. I love Jesus’ response: “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19).

Go and tell.

It’s the exact same command Jesus gives to us today…to go and tell others what Jesus has done for us.

All too often, though, we wonder what we have to share.

Maybe you grew up in a Christian family, went to church since you were born, and don’t think your testimony is “good enough” to share. Maybe you read the story in Mark 5 and think, Sure, he has a story. He was healed of demon-possession. What can I possibly share that’s powerful like that?

The truth is, though, your story is powerful, because your story (just like this man’s story) is a story of freedom.

Here are a few possible things Jesus might have freed you from:

Perfectionism
Worry
A life of addiction (drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex, food, the approval of others, social media, etc.)
Fear
Self-doubt
Pride
Control
Anger
Discontentment
Unforgiveness

I don’t know from what God has freed you, but I do know this. Jesus doesn’t come into your life and leave your hands and feet bound by chains. He ever so carefully works to unbind whatever it is that constrains you.

As the chains fall to the ground, he asks of you the same thing he asked of the man in Mark 5: go and tell.

Tell your co-worker who is struggling with her finances how God helped you learn to handle your money. Tell your sister who just lost a baby how God healed your heart of its brokenness. Tell your friend who thinks no one could ever love her about the God who already does.

Your story might not be as explosive as another’s, but it is nonetheless powerful in the hands of the God who longs to use it.

What’s your story? When has someone else’s seemingly “small” story encouraged you? Share in the comments below!

Tweetables:

“The question is not whether or not you have a testimony; the question is whether or not you will choose to share it. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Pa” – Click to tweet this.

“Thoughts by @Lindseymbell on what to do when you wonder if your testimony isn’t “good enough” to share. http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Pa @DoNotDepart” – Click to tweet this.

The Most Important Place to Look for Parenting Advice

February 21, 2014 by Lindsey 10 Comments

Photo Courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/photosbyforeman

Admin note: Lindsey recently joined our writing team here at DoNotDepart, and we’re already so thankful to have her! Also, exciting: Lindsey’s first book just released! Read below for a little bit about the book.

I remember the ride home from the hospital well.

I sat in the front seat—still miserably sore from giving birth one day earlier—while my husband drove and my baby slept in the back.

I was happy, of course, but I was also overwhelmed. VERY overwhelmed. I had no idea what I was doing and didn’t know where to turn for help.

In the weeks that followed, as I adjusted to life with a baby, I scoured the Internet, desperately looking for some sort of guide that would make life easier for me.

What I found instead was a variety of parenting opinions that left me more confused than ever. It was then I noticed my Bible sitting on my nightstand.

Why I hadn’t searched it before is beyond me. After all, God was the One who invented parenthood. He—more than anyone else—knows what’s best for my children and for me.

So today, moms and dads, if you are feeling overwhelmed…if you’re wondering where to turn for parenting advice…don’t neglect the One who knows everything about you.

Turn to Him first. He might not give you a manual to parenthood, but (as I learned when my son was first born), He will help you through the often-overwhelming days of parenthood.

Let’s Talk: Besides the Bible, what are some other great places to look for parenting advice? Leave a comment to be entered to win a gift card from Lindsey for her blog tour contest!

This post is part of a Lindsey’s blog tour for Searching for Sanity, her new parenting devotional. You can read other posts in this tour by going to her blog: www.lindsey-bell.com or her website: www.lindseymbell.com.

You can also find Lindsey on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

About [amazon_link id=”1938499751″ target=”_blank” ]Searching for Sanity[/amazon_link]:

Have you ever looked at your beloved children and wondered, what in the world am I doing? Why did God trust me—of all people—to raise them?

Motherhood is the most difficult job many of us will ever take. Searching for Sanity offers moms an opportunity to take a breath, dig into the Word, and learn from parents of the past. In short devotions designed for busy moms, this book uses the parents of the Bible—both the good and the bad—to inspire today’s mothers.

When the mission field comes to you

February 13, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 18 Comments

We’re talking this month about the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). For some, that means traveling to the nations.

But what about when the nations come to you?

WHO ARE THE NATIONS?
Actually the word “nations” is translated from the Greek word ethnos, meaning: a race, a tribe, foreigners, Gentiles, heathens.

Was Jesus saying they were to tell others who were “not like them” about Him?

Doesn’t He also want us to tell others who are “not like us” about Him? Everyone needs to hear. Everyone needs to tell.

WHERE ARE THE NATIONS?
We don’t have to board a plane to find the nations. We’re with others not like us all the time. We work in the same offices; our kids go to the same schools; we show up at the same sporting events; we may even share the same pew on Sunday mornings.

Our skin color may or may not look different; we may or may not speak the same language; our socioeconomic status may or may not differ.

But if one of us knows Jesus and the other does not, that’s who we’re called to “go” to.

HOW DO I GO?
You’ll go differently in every relationship, but some similarities might include:

Go with food

Feed a family. How often do we eat only with our family or best friends? Can we occasionally invite someone different to the table? It’s a great place in every culture to hear others’ hearts and share our own.

Go with service

Step outside church walls and see the needs of your community. Volunteer at a non-profit; join a community book club; play on your company’s ball team. While our church families make great company, we’re called to be the light of the world, not just lights in the sanctuary (Matthew 5:14-16). God gets the glory when we reflect Him in the city.

Go with money

Give locally. When you can, help the poor among you. My city is blessed with a local ministry similar to World Vision. At Christmas we were able to give a hand-wrapped present face-to-face to the beautiful girl we sponsor when her family came to pick up the box of food that our sponsorship pays for each month.

Go with conversation

Talk to the regulars. Who do you see during your weekly routine that you still don’t know? Be intentional about learning names and interests. The grandmother beside you on the bleachers may be desperately lonely for the discussion you can bring. Relationships are built one conversation at a time. What begins with soccer schedules can end up with sharing Jesus.

Go with compassion

Educate yourself on cultures. Several Hispanic families speak no English at our local food pantry. With minimal effort, I learned the Spanish words for items they repeatedly ask for. Maybe you could reach neighborhood teens by learning what snacks they like or what movies they watch. Leaning into others’ interests is a great way to care and open avenues for deeper conversations.

BUT AM I QUALIFIED?
Whether God sends you to the nations or sends the nations to you, He’s equipped you to see them, talk to them, give to them. You don’t need an extroverted personality or a degree in Missions or one-way airfare to Africa.

You only need to give what Jesus has given to you:

company to the lonely
vision to the blind
hope to the hurting
bread to the hungry
grace to the guilty

Regardless of the nations around you— the depressed, the discriminated against, the broken, the confused—this is your mission field.

When the mission field comes to you, show up in it.
Shine the light of Christ on it.
Love like Jesus among it.

Who is in your mission field in this season?
How can you love them?

Please share in the comments.

Tweetables:

5 ways to “go” when the mission field comes to you http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Oi Ideas from @LisaNotes at @DoNotDepart Click here to tweet this.

“We’re called to be the light of the world, not just lights in the sanctuary.” http://wp.me/p1Su7F-2Oi @DoNotDepart Click here to tweet this.

When you’re tired of the old

January 9, 2014 by Lisa Burgess 10 Comments

or, HOW TO FIND FRESH GRACE

22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Holiday break is over. You’re back at work. Kids are back in school.

And your old problems are back as well.
Is 2014 looking suspiciously like a repeat of 2013?

Where are those new mercies God promised to bring every morning?

Granted, “new mercies” is old news. “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” was written by the prophet Jeremiah around 575 B.C. to a people heavy with sorrow at the destruction of Jerusalem (Lamentations 3:22-23).

In your own lifetime, maybe you’ve read that verse dozens of times. Maybe you’ve heard it so often that you tune it out now.

The old can become stale.
Until the hunger becomes fresh . . .

How can we receive God’s grace in new ways for our old situations?

1. ASK FOR IT
Begin by asking for fresh grace (Matthew 7:7). Search your heart to distinguish your needs, then lay your requests before the Lord. God delights in giving good gifts to His children and will honor your dependence upon Him.

2. PAY ATTENTION
Once you’ve asked, watch to see how God will answer. His response might not come packaged as you’d expect, so keep eyes and ears open to new ways He may be revealing His mercies to you. Anticipate the unexpected (Ephesians 3:20).

3. GIVE MERCY YOURSELF
Could you be jamming up God’s mercy by refusing to pass it along (Matthew 5:7)? If you’ve become too self-consumed, find another who could use your help. Don’t be surprised at how quickly God’s grace can flow through you to them, healing your own hurts in the process.

4. REFRAME YOUR STORY
If you’ve grown deaf to God’s grace in your life, seek out a fellow believer who can remind you of His goodness you may be overlooking (Proverbs 19:20). Listening to another’s perspective on your story can be enlightening.

5. BELIEVE DIFFERENTLY
Could your expectations be out of whack? Take time to realign your expectations with what God actually promises (Isaiah 41:10). Sometimes we need reminders of the deeper gifts. Believe differently and see if new mercies become uncovered.

6. WAIT. WAIT. WAIT.
In the end, remember it’s not up to you to earn your grace; it’s a gift God gives because of who He is, not because of what you do. Trust that He will be faithful; find rest in His steadfast love for you (Deuteronomy 7:9).

Even though you may still feel stuck with the same old problems, you’re never the same old you. Every day you’re being transformed more into the image of Your Creator (2 Corinthians 3:18). Every day is different from the last, and you’ve never experienced God in this day in this exact way before.

Receive His mercies as new in this day, in this moment.
It’s grace at its freshest.

Have you brought old problems into the new year? How have you seen fresh grace for them? Who helps you reframe your story?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Word Travels Fast – Send Responsibly

December 12, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 14 Comments

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Ephesians 4:29

You’re often told to watch your words. To think before you talk. To be slow to speak (James 1:19). And it’s wise advice. Words spoken with no thought can do great harm.

But that doesn’t mean you have to keep quiet. Your words are gifts to be handed out to encourage and help others (Ephesians 4:29).

And you’ve never had greater opportunity to say more words to more people with greater speed than today.

Gone are the days of Joseph and Mary when word didn’t travel fast. Back then, even though the Roman roads were great for their time, communication was only as fast as the messenger could travel.

When Caesar Augustus sent out his decree for census registration (Luke 2:1), prompting Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, the message was probably delivered via a rider on horseback. There may have been a station every ten miles for trading in fresh horses, and every twenty-five miles for new riders or for lodging.

And with the exception of the angels shouting glad tidings from the sky itself, the news of Jesus’s birth couldn’t have traveled quickly either.

Shepherds on feet couldn’t compare with a Facebook status—including photos from your iPhone!—for speed of a birth announcement.

Today, with a single click on a keyboard, the whole world can have instant access to your words.

So should you be wary of using words because they can so easily go viral, with no retrieval once “send” is hit?

While there are always things you’ll need to ponder and pray over before saying, other things are safe to send anytime, anywhere. People still need a now word from the Lord as much as ever!

And if the Spirit gives words to you to share, don’t be stingy. Send them on.

Here are 4 things you can send out daily–and quickly–with no worries.

1. Thank you

Never hesitate to tell someone thanks for a job well done or for doing you a favor. You can’t go wrong with gratitude.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Ephesians 1:15-16

2. I’m sorry

Apologies are always welcome, too. As soon as you can mean it, say it. The quicker you admit you’re wrong, the quicker the healing can begin.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:16

3. God bless you
Most people won’t refuse a blessing. So be generous in praying God’s best for those you’re around. What a powerful way to show you care and that God does, too.

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
Numbers 6:24-25

4. I love you
Can anybody hear this too much? Your purpose on earth is to love God and love others. So do it, but also say it. Telling others you love them is a word you can send quickly and frequently.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
John 13:34

So if you have something good to say today, let those words travel fast.

May your words of faith, hope, and love go viral!

Here’s a fun video if Jesus had been born in our digital age:

Which social media are you quickest to reply to?
Have you ever sent an email you wish you could take back?
Who can you encourage today with your words?
Please leave a comment below.

More verses here for using your words well

A Recap on Wisdom for Life

September 30, 2013 by Julie Leave a Comment

We’ve been in pursuit of Wisdom for Life here this month. Our prayer is that we’ve given you some Bible study tools to know how to get the wisdom and insight you need for life as a woman, an employee, a mom, a friend, a wife, a sister, a child, a friend, a neighbor.