THE PLAN...Journaling

What's a journal? A place where you write your thoughts.

Why is it important? Several reasons.

--Because as humans, we so easily forget.

--In the Old Testament, the Lord told the Israelites to remember all the things He had done for them. They were to write them down and share what He did with the generations to come. Journals do that.

--Because others may need to know what I've learned on the journey. Ann Voskamp asked once why we journal. My reply was honest. I said something like, "I journal so when I am out of the trial and the wilderness I remember what the journey was like, how it hurt, and how the Lord brought me out. In my remembering, I can walk with others in the wilderness, have compassion for their pain, and hopefully offer them a road map through when they can't find their way."

What do I write? Anything. I write memory verses. Comments. Prayers and answers to prayer. Ponderings of the day. Ways the Lord came to my rescue. The book of Job--The Jerri Version. Sermon notes. Anything and everything.

How often do I write? Yes.

A journal is a way for you to remember your story, for you to go back and see promises God made, ways He kept thing, things He taught you. It holds revelations that you will inevitably need to remember again. Music lyrics that were exactly what you needed to hear at that moment. Questions. Answers. Laughter and tears. It is your story...because it is His story living out in you.

THE PLAN...Memorizing the Word

I have never been a big scripture memorizer. I have always admired folks who could throw out huge amount of scripture word for word with address, too, but it wasn't something I developed into a discipline. However, this year, the Lord has really impressed on me the importance of memorizing scripture.

I'll talk about this more later and the bigger picture of why it is important, but for now, if you are wondering why you should make the effort, Ann Voskamp says it far more beautifully than I can.

 

"What we know by heart is what the heart knows"...and we live.

Want to know why you need to memorize scripture? Ann has the answer.

I'm not following the same memorization list she is because the Lord has me on a specific path this year, but her ideas on how to memorize and the verses she offers are superb. You won't go wrong with her. This is her memorization goal for 2014.

Ann uses Scripture Typer for her memorization. I personally found Scripture Typer to be distracting. My competitive side was far more interested in the words per minute than the verse, so I simply work on memorizing the old fashioned way: write it down over and over or read it over and over until I have it. The important thing isn't how I get it in there. The important thing is simply that it IS there.

THE PLAN...My Personal Study

My personal study each day includes a few things.

Each morning, I spend time in prayer, memorizing verses, studying a specific part of the Word, and pondering in my journal. My typical study time is an hour or more on average. I know. You are thinking there is no way you can do that. How would you ever find the time? For what it is worth, I didn't start that way, and some days I don't do that now. I'm simply saying my really good, "deep" mornings include all of those things, but I'm realistic. I am a single mom of two teenagers. Some times stomach bugs hit. Sometimes we have out of town activities. Life is not always ideal. Some folks don't like writing and see no reason to journal. Sometimes I am just too blooming tired to try to memorize anything.

THIS IS NOT A LAW.

There is no guilt here. There are no requirements. We're on the path together, but you are not going to walk in my footsteps. I'm going to share what I'm doing. Nothing more.

Maybe you are up in the night with a baby. Not the time to journal, but you can pray. Great! Maybe you are sitting at someone's bedside and you've prayed until you don't know what to pray. Maybe it is time to read and take in. Maybe you are in a time that is challenging and you wonder how you will get through. You really need all of the above. Maybe not all on the same day, but you need all of them in your arsenal.

If you can only do two things, reading the Word every day and praying every day are the foundation for everything else. And if you feel like you can't even do that, than hold my hand. We'll walk through it together. I've had those times. I understand. Just stay with me because I'll stay with Him, and He'll get us both through.

We just have to stay with Him. That is The Plan.

THE PLAN...Prayer Time

It is pretty typical for folks to hear of a need and pray for it right then and forget it. Maybe they'll pray about it for a few days, but by the end of the week, it's dropped out of their mind and off their prayer list. I know this happens because when I confessed it happens to me, others confessed it is their pattern as well.

This year, I'm working out a new prayer plan.

This year I plan to have more directed prayer. I have always avoided this because I've been in prayers groups that did this, and for the hour or two they prayed, it sounded like people reading from a very boring Old English novel. After the first person prayed, everyone else basically repeated what that person said. By the time it got to me, I just wanted to say, "Ditto." I mean, do I really need to say it AGAIN? So I avoided "directed prayer plans".

This year, however, I am embracing this. There are simply too many things going on in our world that need consistent addressing in prayer, and I work well with patterns and schedules. So, I am trying a topic a day prayer plan.

This is the idea:

Monday--Military Monday. Prayers for our troops and their leaders, victory over our enemies, military families, those struggling to heal physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And more. You'll see.

Tuesday--My church. The leaders. Parents. Youth. Children. Marriages. Singles. Outreach.

Wednesday--We the people. My nation.

Thursday--The people next door. My community.

Friday--Family Friday. Extended family. Wisdom, health, salvation, relationship between them and me, marriages. What I would want someone else praying for me.

Saturday--The Sabbath celebrated by the Jews. Israel. The peace of Jerusalem.

Now, this is the list that came to mind after I prayed. Your list may be different. Pray your list. Maybe you have missionaries on your list, a different nation or continent each day. Maybe you have specific career groups such as doctors, lawyers, teachers, and such. Or maybe emergency responders such as firefighter Friday, police officer Monday, and so on.

I don't know what God has put specifically on your heart. I would love to hear. I'll share mine. You share yours. The power of God will be released, and lives will be changed. Including ours.

THE PLAN...Bible Reading

The Plan....Reading the Bible All the Way Through

My goal is to Read through the Bible in a year.

It only takes reading three chapters a day to read through the Bible in a year. Most folks can find time for three chapters a day. Doesn't feel too daunting.

Personally, I like reading five chapters a day. For some reason, counting by five seems easier, and if I miss a day here and there, I don't necessarily have to do a heavy makeup if I want to finish in a year since five chapters a day only takes about nine months.

I want to present a simple reading plan for what to read every day. I'll tell you what I've read, toss in some thoughts, let you know if anything caught my attention, and in the comments, you share your thoughts. The point isn't deep study or a debate. This isn't a theological study. It is simply a reading overview to read through and find out what is really in the Bible.

What if I miss a day? Well, you will miss a day. I can already tell you there will be a few days I miss because I just scheduled oral surgery for February, and my mind on pain meds is not conducive to reading and learning my Bible. I'm trying to figure out those days because I'm in this with you, and I want you to share the adventure everyday. I'll have an answer by then, so just keep dropping in. As for what if you miss a day? Read it the next day. If you comment, it comes to me, so I'll see it. I'll always try to reply. Just read where you are and comment as you feel led. I'm already figuring out ways to make sure all reading sections are easy to find and participate with.

What if I start in July, and you are already in Job? Either jump in with us in Job and let's start over when we are done, or start at the beginning and let me know where you are. As long as you read the Bible through, you'll get the bigger picture, and that is the goal. I don't think a perfect time frame or perfect road exists. As long as you read it through, you are doing great. Just stay on the path and don't quit. We will get through. Honest.

What version? I will be reading NIV. You read what you want.

The map? Starting at Genesis 1 and working our way to Revelation 22.

A year? Like January 1 to January 1? A year. As in a time span. The "new year" is a human idea. The Lord doesn't care. He doesn't care if you read the Bible in three months, as I've known some to do, or three years. He wants you to be in His Word. Period. A year is a simple time span that allows me to create a strategic plan for reading the Word consistently daily. Nothing more. If I shoot for a year, but it takes me 14 months, depending on what was in that 14 months, I might have accomplished something amazing. If I read the Bible in six months but don't remember it much, didn't really help, did it? The goal is to read each day and recall at least the general idea of what you read.

Comments I would love to hear what caught your attention and what you thought of as you read, but again, this is not a theological study, and we are not debating anything. I won't allow comments that are critical or invalidate someone else's revelation or insight, and I do monitor all comments. I will also do my best to reply to all comments. If you have a question about something you read or what my thoughts, you will have to ask. I am not the Holy Spirit. I am simply a fellow journeyer offering a tool to hear the Spirit yourself.

I think that covers this part of the plan. If I missed anything, please forgive me, and if you have questions, shoot them my way. I'll give you the best answer I can.

This is so exciting!!! Glad we are on the journey together!  

A Quick Comment on the Comments

I am reading your comments and posting them, even replying to them. I have NO idea why the text is not showing up. Prayers and grace would be greatly appreciated as I figure this out.

Thank you. :-)

THE PLAN

Oh my goodness, I am so excited and nervous all at the same time!!!

I am excited because I love the vision for this. I am nervous because...well, it is a pretty big vision, and I know what I want to do. I also know life. BUT, I did pray for the Lord to give me things that only He can do, and between you and me, I think this fits.

If you go read the introduction, you get just that, an introduction. I want to take a moment and share some specifics concerning what we are going to do here. You may not want to be part of it all. In fact, the whole package may seem really overwhelming to you. Well, the good news is YOU don't have to do the whole package. I'm inviting you on a path with me, and as you want to, you can wander down your own path and either keep it to yourself or share it with everyone else. There is no rule for the right way for you to do this. The only suggestion is drop by daily. It's amazing how consistent time with the Lord every day changes a life.

My hang out time with the Lord is in the mornings, but you can do it any time. I used to pray while I drove the 30 minutes to work. I know folks who listen to the Bible on podcast or CD while in the car. I couldn't concentrate well that way, but it works for them. You figure out the specifics for you.

Here are the things I want to include on our path:

--Reading the Bible everyday

--Prayer

--Memorizing scripture

--Journaling

--Specific verse or passage study

I'll be honest with you. I'm a single mom with two teenage kids. If my kids get a tummy bug, you probably won't see me that day. I'll be hanging with God, but it probably won't be coherent enough to make it to the computer. I have oral surgery scheduled for February. I am not counting on memorizing too much with pain meds coursing through my system.

However, I choose to make these things priority. If I have to choose between reading a person's update on Facebook and reading a worshipful Psalm, I'll choose the Psalm. I won't always feel like it, but that is what I have decided is my priority. It isn't following a rule. It is developing a relationship.

My goal in reading the Bible isn't to learn stories. It's to learn the Savior. The Bible is HIS story.

My goal in prayer is not to tell Him what I want but to lay things before Him and let Him do what He wants.

I learn His Word for the same reason I learn my friends' interests. It's because I want to learn HIM, just as I want to learn them.

I don't do any of this because I have to. If I make it a rule, it becomes a burden. However, if it is making a relationship, it becomes an adventure.

Learning about God is the greatest adventure I've ever known. Want to adventure with me? Yeah? Then let's do this thing. :-)