ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Go Ahead... Journal! (Taking Time To Record My Souls Journey With God)
Imagine sitting down in a relaxed setting -- a setting you love -- opening a publication, and discovering that you are totally relating to the heart and soul of the author. You relate to the style, "flow," struggles, concerns, joys and dreams of the one whose creation now lies in front of you. Suppose I informed you that the book in question was on back order, but... It would be available for a guaranteed delivery within the next ninety days. Would you order a copy? The masterpiece I'm referring to *will* be available to you: if you begin now. That is, if you you begin your journal today. Should you decide to take action immediately, the book you only imagined a few moments ago will become a reality for you much sooner than you thought possible. A personal journal inherently contains a measure of beauty. It's the beauty of you. Please stop long enough to hear yourself *say* what is quoted below: "A journal is 'me' recorded... In my own unique way, And since a journal is "you" recorded, the reflections you enter on a regular basis quite naturally trace your personal journey with Jesus. Your journal becomes a written tapestry of your life as each specifically chosen strand is engraved on its pages. Every prayer, idea, struggle, victory, joy, insight on life, heartache, quote, or observation of any kind contributes to *your book.* The book you could be reading the next ninety days. Or... The next chapter of the book you continue to create should you already be involved in art of journaling. A FEW IDEAS ABOUT WHAT TO WRITE Keep this phrase in mind and you will rarely struggle for what to write: "Pay attention to your heart and record what you hear." Sitting in the front row of our church I remained, literally, at the foot of the cross. The cross stood in center of our sancturary surrounded by rows for the worshippers. I could barely speak, and no words from the choruses were heard from my lips. The words recorded in my journal captured a part of what I heard my heart say that special evening. My Good Friday prayer went something like this: "Oh, Lord, help me to retain the image of the cross here in church this evening. The cross. The wine. There's something about being at the foot of the cross, Lord. It is totally humbling -- mixed with a deep sense of gratitude. Let me 'see,' Lord. Not too much, but enough to inspire. Yes, even demand, a recommitment of my total person to You -- no matter what. In Jesus' name: *only,* in His name. Amen." Don't look for good grammar in that prayer. You won't find it. I wrote not for publication. I simply recorded my heart's attempt to take in the "majesty" and agony of the cross. My First Idea, Then, Would Be To... Record the cries of your heart to the Lord. My students routinely humble and inspire me. They touch my heart. I encourage the men to spend a fair amount of time considering their purpose in life and design a personal mission statement that reflects that purpose. Not long ago several of the statements I received became a part of my journal. Consider how I felt as my reading pace slowed down while I read... "My life purpose is to love Christ, grow in Christ, share Christ, serve Christ through His church, and to lead my family and others to do the same." "My life aim is to lead people to know God intimately and to serve him passionately." "To train and equip passionate students and adults to be servant leaders who will mobilize the global church for the mission of God." My Second Suggestion Is To... Record the inspiring thoughts of others. Just like you, I enjoy a variety of things: Times with my family. And creating my own quotes -- like the ones below: Personal Devotions Personal Devotions My reason for sharing these examples? They were on the spot expressions of "me." They reflect something I enjoy. Therefore, My Third Suggestion Is To... Record sponteous expressions of "you." LET'S GET STARTED...TODAY If you were to make two significant entries in your journal today, what would they be? 1. ____________________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________________ Suppose someone asked you this: "What are the three most important lessons you have learned about walking with God?", what would you share? 1. ____________________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________________ 3. ____________________________________________________ If you were to write out a prayer today, what would you say? Jot down how you might begin below: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Before you are three possible entries for a journal. And remember, a journal is "you" recorded... "A journal is 'me' recorded... In my own unique way, Yours for many hope-filled days in Jesus, Lee (John 15:16) __________________________________ For your Hope For Daily Living no cost ezine go here -->
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Abundance Is A Life Style Abundance is a life style, a way of living your life. Itisn't something you buy now and then or pull down from thecupboard, dust off and use once or twice, and then return tothe cupboard. Courage That Changes Your Life "The scars you acquire while exercising courage will never make you feel inferior." D.A. Battista The Power Of A Dream - Success Always Start Off With A Dream Back in the good old days of school, the teachers would often catch us for daydreaming in class and not paying attention. "Stop dreaming! Dreaming will get you nowhere," yelled the teacher. Is it really so? Does 'dreaming' really get you nowhere in life? The answer is 'Yes'...and 'No'. If you dream and you took massive action to achieve your dream, your dream could very well come true for you. However, if you dream and take no action, it remains just a powerless dream. Forgiveness "If unresolved anger is a toxin to the spirit, forgiveness is the antidote." - Brian L. Seaward Healing The Abandonment Wounds I have counseled individuals, couples, families and business partners for the past 35 years and authored eight published books. Every individual I've worked with has had some abandonment wound to heal, and most relationship problems stem from abandonment wounds. No More Frustration: The Thorns of Opportunity - Part II The quest for the ultimate victory. Walking The Walk Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 14, 2003 Adages for the New Age The old familiar adages just don't do it for me any more. For instance, consider "the early bird gets the worm." In this age of freelancing, premature ejaculation and peaking too early in one's career (by age 24) a more appropriate adage might be "The early bird dies earlier." Oldies Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 5, 2004 Create Your Own Self Esteem - Part 1 Self-esteem is something that we all wish we had more of. Some of us go through our entire life feeling "self-esteem deficient". The constraints placed on us by low self esteem can feel so impenetrable that we find ourselves shrinking back from our dreams and accepting something less than desirable. This often results in feelings of emptiness, sadness, deprivation and a life not fully lived. Circles On The Water ? The Impact You Make On People?s Lives When you were a child, or maybe even when you were older, did you ever toss a pebble into the water and watch the ripples that emanated from the point where it broke the surface? Or watched the effect of raindrops falling on a body of water? I have done these things and have since found myself pondering on this process, and just how much it can be compared to our lives. How to Scare Fear Out of Your Life A reader asks: "Many times in my life I have let fear rule me and stop me from doing something I wanted to do. Do you have any suggestions for how to handle fear?" A Pickup Line Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 11, 2002 Why Not Reinvent The Wheel? "Why go and reinvent the wheel?" It's a question that's been around for centuries; right? Here's a better question: Why not reinvent the wheel? As a Peak Performance Coach, I do a lot of personal development trainings for adults and children, alike. I love kids! They don't think like us adults. Kids are just so incredibly and infectiously optimistic. And, they are absolute Masters of embracing, "what could be." Aim High Change is difficult for many people. Often times our whole identity is wrapped up in what we've learned as children will work for us when dealing with people, allowing us to survive, thrive and fit in. While some people have had to learn to thrive in the midst of change and learned to be adaptable by being open to new ideas and embracing change, many others have had to fight for survival and every table-scrap that came their way. Behavior is learned and it takes work to unlearn and dismantle these old beliefs. Thoughts Are Like Seeds - Are You Planting Flowers or Weeds? "You can't harvest what you don't sow. So plant your desires, gently nurture them and they will be rewarded with abundance. " Vivian Elisabeth Glyck -12 Lessons on Life I Learned From My Garden. The Nature of Anger Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and Improve Every Relationship in Your Life by Kevin B. Burk Synchronicity Synchronicity: the coincidence of events that seem related but are not obviously caused one by the other (Encarta Concise English Dictionary) Choicemaking: Self-Help Secrets Revealed We all assume that making choices is a simple process. We see what's in front of us and we choose the best option. That's the way it goes in this choicemaking process. Life Goes On Boy, do I feel old. Or at least older.
|
|
|
|
|
