Monday, February 4, 2013

Journal Keeping

A long time ago (before kids, etc.) I actually had time to journal and kept a daily journal.  The thought of doing so now overwhelms me.   So deep in my bookshelves I had a book called Journal Keeping: Writing for Spiritual Growth by Luann Budd. 


Here are some interesting thoughts I found in this book:
Private writing gives us the time we need to pause and consider our lives.

Some of us are unaware of or flaws and the reasons we do what we do.  J.P. Morgan said “there are two reasons why a man does anything.  There’s a good reason, and there’s the real reason.

There are three “lights” in our lives: the Holy Spirit, the study of Scripture, and our conversations with others.  Journaling can help us determine when those 3 lights converge.

Do not just write to record what you already know.  Your thinking should develop as you write – generate new thoughts and extend your knowledge in new ways.

A warning to school teachers: “Beware of the cute idea.”  Do not let clever teaching methods replace the substantive information actually taught.

Knowing the facts of a Bible story is not the same as experiencing the text of Scripture.  Journaling helps you go deeper.

Spend time on one verse, to see more.

Writing helps to sustain focused thought for a long time to figure out what you think.

Use writing to scrutinize all aspects of life and find God in the midst of the mess.



I do not expect to be able to have the time and discipline to journal regularly again for many years.  But, I still dream of being able to!

1 comment:

Amanda said...

I am not good at keeping a journal but I wish I did. Not only a spiritual journal but I wish I had time to record the cute things my kids did and say. I guess memories and photos will have to do.