Lisa Bergren

Lisa Bergren is a wife, mother, grandmother-to-be and author of a best-selling book series. She has experienced many successes in life, but, like most of us, she’s also felt the pain of loss. In this interview, Lisa shares wisdom she’s gained from enduring the losses and how they continue to fuel her forward. Continue reading to hear her thoughts on the dangers of comparison, the joy of doing less and the spirituality of venturing out.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There's much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

My husband, Tim, and I tend to be regulars at a couple of different restaurants, where we eat the same thing every time. But some of our most memorable meals have been at a funky fine-dining place called The Margarita at Pine Creek, with its 10-foot-tall ceramic carrots outside and an interior that feels like an old Mexican restaurant that has been added on to several times. Given that we live in the second biggest city in Colorado, it feels like an insiders’ secret. The food is excellent, the menu is varied, making us try new things, and each of the four courses are paired with a wine the chef favors. Last time, there was an Irish folk band playing downstairs, sending music echoing upstairs to the dining room and lending an even more eclectic and global feel. Once we’re settled into a booth, Tim and I can talk about our lives, our marriage, our work, where we’re going. For us, it’s a place we detox and recap but also dream and imagine and hope. Lately, we’ve been talking a lot about what it will mean to be first-time grandparents — what we want to be like for our coming grandchild now, but also what we want to be like when she’s graduating from high school.

Caricature of Lisa Bergren — Karthik Sreenivas; Unsplash

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So, what are yours? What so-called "nonspiritual" activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

One of the things we do that makes me feel most alive is family travel. I grew up spending every summer in Montana on a lake. Along those shores, I witnessed cold, windy mornings when waves could rise as high as three feet, utterly still twilight hours when the water was like glass (a fabulous time to water ski!), and late nights when loons called and the stars reflected in the water while a fat moon rose over the trees. We could see the Milky Way and shooting stars and satellites slowly cruising by while we sat around bonfires with sparks dancing upward. I understood then that I was a very small part of a mighty, expansive, beautiful creation, but I was an integral part. And now, as an adult, I love to explore the world and remember that again and again — and give our kids the chance to discover it, too. Together we’ve returned to Montana many summers, spent time with extended family in California, and toured Italy, Mexico, England, France, Scotland, Ireland, Israel, Turkey and a tiny island amidst the West Indies. Every year, we rent a house for a long weekend in a lovely spot in Colorado where we can hike and admire the aspens in their autumnal-gold glory, and we bundle up and go outside to stare up at the night skies ... and I am transported to my childhood. I hope that those nights resonate for my kids (and now their spouses) as much as it did for me. And as a grandma-to-be, for my future grandchild as well!

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So, what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

I’m 56, and comparison is my kryptonite. Or maybe it’s greed. Or appetite. I’m hungry for everything that life has to offer — or everything I think it has to offer. It’s getting easier to battle as I age, but is that because I’m more successful? I’ve built a beautiful house? Made it onto some bestseller lists? Bought the nice car? Lost my extra weight? Been on some trips? Have I just propped myself up and painted a nice set for my “play?” I have to ask myself, If you lost everything — your house, your family, your job — where would you be? I mean, what if I was in Job’s shoes? Or WWIII happened? Or I got a cancer diagnosis and only had a few months to live? I wish I could say I would be fine. But the truth is, I would not have to dig deep; I’d have to excavate to my foundations. Thankfully, I know what I need is down there. That I am loved by a good man and good kids and a good family and a good God. But, honestly, comparing myself to others in terms of looks, health, experience, success, relationships, community, trips, even level of education or depth of faith or way with words — that’s my kryptonite that I have to name and put in its proper place over and over again. I’ve lost loved ones. I’ve lost a business and am still paying on that debt years later. I’ve lost my health and regained it. I’ve poured my soul into books that had all the hallmarks of going places and fell flat. Loss reminds me that all I have in life is tenuous, so I had better remember what counts, down deep. That I am enough. I am somehow enough just as I am, sinful and a failure and a cheat and a fake in so many ways. Thankfully Jesus patches me up and makes me look decent. He covers me. And all I’m to do is the next thing, and then the next, and not worry what comes of it or how it looks. Because comparison, or having an appetite for something someone else has, is nothing but a never-ending whirlpool suck of emotions and wasted energy.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

Sometimes a girl just needs a break. A take-me-away, immerse-me-in-someone-else's-life experience. A moment when a work makes us feel something fresh and new, or makes us remember what it is to feel something fresh and new. Eighteen years ago, I traveled to Italy for the first time and fell in love — with the land, the people, the food, the history, the experience of being elsewhere and yet feeling totally at home. Since then, I’ve set seven novels there and portions of other novels because it’s magical. And everyone needs a dose of magic. Many teens’ mothers and grandmothers read my young adult series, “River of Time” (beginning with “Waterfall”). Why? Because I believe we are constantly facing young adult questions. Why are we here? What's our purpose? Is this all there is? Is there something more? What's my calling? Now I’m writing an adult spin-off series called “Oceans of Time” (beginning with “Estuary”), exploring the themes of a longing for family and connection and peace. All these questions and desires are universal, I believe, and timeless (if you’ll pardon the pun), which makes me passionate about exploring them as an author and letting readers do so vicariously as well.

On the children’s book front, my latest book series centers on my fun, quirky “Nana The Great.” She’s the grandma everybody wants. She’s an encourager, a challenger, a cheerleader, a corrector, a leader, a partner in crime. I want to be like her and encourage my grandchildren to explore their world and giftings while packing in a hefty load of joy and life! Basically just encouraging the family and calling themes I do in my young adult and adult fiction.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?

My favorite writing moments are when God gives me scenes just before I wake up. I think it’s in that thin place right between coming out of deep sleep and waking that we might be most attuned to the imagination. It’s in those hours that we most often wake from a vivid dream and remember every bit of it, right? As a novelist, I might be working and working to figure out a way for a character to move from point A to B (or Y to Z), and I cannot seem to puzzle it through when I’m sitting at my desk, staring at my beloved mountains. But in the wee hours, when I’m relaxed and my brain can free-associate, I believe God can hand me solutions. And when he’s gracious enough to do so, nine times out of ten, it fits perfectly. I’m most grateful when it happens at 6 a.m., rather than 3 a.m., but if it happens at 3 a.m., I make sure to rise and at least jot down notes. Because if I fall back asleep, I’ll likely forget it — or at least some important nuances.

I once was thinking about a children’s book I wanted to write for my girls when they were little. I had the idea of polar bears and an “I love you” theme, but I wanted to incorporate God. At the time, there was nothing like it. One night at 2 a.m., God tapped me on the shoulder. I turned over and realized I had the whole key theme: “God gave us you.” But it was 2 a.m., so I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. The best way I can describe it is that he just kept tapping my shoulder, so I grumpily threw off the covers, marched to my office, typed out the brief manuscript and went back to bed. Long story short, that book has outsold all my other books combined. And I could have slept through the blessing.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So, spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

I’m an introvert, so I love all the quiet, solitary practices — Scripture reading, devotions, prayer. But after leaving our beloved church of twenty-five years when things fell apart (and our efforts weren’t helping to put them back together again), we elected to dive into a new congregation. When you dive into a new community, the only way to make friends and make that place a “home” is to really put some effort into that community and try to connect! So we’re doing all the things. I’m serving in the nursery and going to women’s group gatherings. Tim is trying out with the worship team. We joined a biweekly table group. We’re trying to say yes to every invitation, or, in other words, to dive into the deep end of the pool. Because if you dive into the deep end, you are forced to swim! You have to meet a lot of people to quickly sort out your people of peace.

In addition, we built a house in a new neighborhood, so we’re reaching out to all our new neighbors. We’re really wanting to help make this little rural group of homes a community of its own, where we look after one another and gather together and know one another and by name.

All of that takes effort (supreme effort for an introvert), but it’s also a beautifully stretching place. At 56, I think I needed some stretching. I was too comfortable, too settled. Now I’m hearing from new voices and gaining fresh inspiration. God has been so sweet in answering my call for connection. New friends. New hope. So venturing out is my favorite new spiritual practice.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you?

1. The Bible Recap. Ever read through the entire Bible? Yeah, I hadn’t either. The thought of it was always daunting to me. But a friend mentioned this plan by Tara Lee Cobble and said it would only take 15-20 minutes a day, so I jumped in. Twice. Tara Lee (TLC, as we call her) recaps the Scripture each day, gives her take-aways, and makes you think about yours. I’ll never be the same after committing to it. But community was key for me. If I hadn’t been sharing it with others, I know my lazy butt would have given up. So find a friend (or five) who are in for 2024 and do it. It’s so worth it.

2. BibleProject. In tandem with the above, I adore how these guys summarize a whole book in the Bible (in stunning brevity yet with good theology and depth) and use doodling to help my brain remember the key concepts. Wondering why Hosea should matter to you? Or Philemon? Or any other book in the Bible?

3. “The Lord of the Rings.” Our family re-watches the extended version of these movies every five years. (My visual memory is long, so I hold it to that. My family would lobby to make it an annual event.) Every five years, watching this as a clan reminds me why we must fight for good (even when it hurts), why we must sacrifice for the greater good, and that we are not alone. We are with friends who can be like family (even if they don’t seem like they fit), and together we can fight against the dark and for the light.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.

This year, I’m reading a daily devotional from Paul David Tripp called “New Morning Mercies” because my fellow novelists were raving about it last year. Tripp frequently comes at things from a slightly different perspective than I’ve encountered before, which I find fresh and challenging. It’s like a mini Sunday sermon (with depth) every day. From yesterday’s devotional entry (April 10), I underlined these quotes: “It is vital to know that faith is not just an action of your brain; it’s an investment of your life. Faith is not something you think; it’s something you live … Faith is a deep-seated belief in the existence of God that radically alters the way you live your life.” That makes me ask myself, Has faith radically altered the way I live? Nope. It’s altered it for sure. Changed the trajectory. But radically? I referenced Catherine of Siena’s quote earlier — am I all as I should be? Am I setting the world afire? Nah. I’m pretty much setting little smoldering fires, for the most part. How do I light a bonfire? I like devotionals that both encourage and challenge, and this is one of them.

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So, give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

This might sound weird, but God is currently calling me to less. I have always been a highly productive, goal-oriented person. But for years, He’s been calling me to rest more, to leave some of my self-induced stress behind, to make the important things, the important things, and to trust him with provision. After years of near economic collapse and weathering a failed business (and the payments that came with it for a decade), we’ve almost paid off the edge-of-bankruptcy loan. Tim and I are pretty “working-person successful” at what we do (he as an artist in demand, me as an author), but we definitely have to keep working — and we will into our 70s. Thankfully, we love our work, and we want to continue loving our work and our lives. But that requires some margin, so we’re electing to trust in God’s provision and grace by not pursuing extra accounts for Tim’s business and only following where God leads for new publishing projects for me.

Just writing those words makes my mouth dry. I want control. Power. But that control and power have landed me in a hole, time and again. I want my 50s and 60s and 70s to be marked with peace and serenity and purpose over anything. God will see to the rest.

Lisa calls comparison “a never-ending whirlpool suck of emotions and wasted energy.” Her antidote to this negative spiral is in remembering she’s enough — just as she is. The freedom of knowing we’re loved and accepted for who we are, just as we are, is powerful enough to break the chains of comparison that keep us on the hamster wheel of striving to impress others. Are there any places where comparison has crept into your mind and heart? Can you sit with the Father today, just as you are, and allow him to remind you of your value to him?