Write It Down!

(Or The Case for Journaling) February 2013 Scribd Version When I was in banking, on two occasions at different banks, I used a Sales Consultant to teach and refresh the sales force on the art and science of selling. In each case, this seasoned sage brought new ideas to the sales force. Yet as you can imagine, many of his ideas were also not really new. We just needed to be reminded of proven practices. Practices like Focus: Obstacles are those things that get in the way when you take your eyes off the goal. Goal Attachment: staying mentally connected to a goal, so it will always be in your thoughts. And like determining the daily actions needed to achieve a goal by working backward from that goal and then sticking to those actions. But each time, he also said one thing that caught the sales force by surprise: My really BIG idea today is this: Take notes, use notes. He said this because taking notes was a key to paying attention, to having a resource to go back to when laying out the sales strategy for that prospect, to following-up on the critical action points and to achieving the overall focus. He said it also because there is power in putting our thoughts into words and recording those words. Another example of writing it down that caught my attention was a friends use of a paper notebook he carried around to record all of his conversations. When I asked one day why he did that, he said, Have you ever had someone say, I dont think we talked about that. And have you ever had anyone ask what you thought about your conversation with them last month? And have you ever failed to remember to followup on something? His answers kept flowing, with, Many people have told me to use my phone to record thoughts, and I have seen some people use some form of dictation software. But I have found it helps me most to just write it down in this old notebook. In short, what my friend was saying through his questions was he used his notebook to remember, to protect, to convey seriousness and to act. For those of us in Stephen Ministry, the best example of writing it down is our Check-In Statement we give at each meeting. By writing down our report in advance of the meeting, we are able to be certain we recall the salient points and present them in a concise manner.
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My wise sales trainer and friend were onto something that is not only practical, but which may also be Biblical. Listen to these Scripture verses and the many reasons God gives for writing it down: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it Numbers 33:2 journey. At the LORD's command Moses recorded the stages in their

Deuteronomy 6:9 Write them (Ten Commandments) on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 31:19 Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. Psalm 102:18 Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: Jeremiah 30:2 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. Jeremiah 31:33 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the LORD. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Jeremiah 36:32 Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. Habakkuk 2:2 Then the LORD replied: Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a heraldmay run with it. Luke 1:3 & 4 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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Revelation 1:11 .

Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches:

Revelation 1:19 Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. --------------------------------------------------------------------Points of fact: the word write is used in the NIV Bible 77 times, and the word written is used 250 times (even more in the KJV), with many of these being red words by Jesus. In reflecting on these verses, I found my main application to be journaling, although, like my friend, I also apply this principle at the office. [show my notepads] Do any of you now use or have you ever used a journal? Let me show you what I have done and share some thoughts on what I think is the importance of writing it down. Here are two of my journals. This brown one was my first journal, which I began using years ago, after a seminar gave the suggestion. This one began as a repository for thoughts on several fronts, including sermons, retreats, sayings, small group notes, prayer lists, Bible verses on salvation, benedictions, miracles. In short, this became a log of life. Once that journal was filled, I began using this black one, which took in many of the same types of notations, including inspirational quotes and Scripture to be memorized. Somewhere along the way, my journals became more of a collection of my and others thoughts to reference, remind and share than strictly a gathering of my own inner feelings. So as you see, and know, there are different approaches to journaling: one can write down every-day or weekly reflections (as the Purpose Driven Life says, a record of lifes lessons you dont want to forget); you might record specialized thoughts, like joys, or do journey journaling as you move through a trip or a personal experience such as illness (Hear again a few of the verses we just read, with the first one being Numbers 33:2 At the LORD's command, Moses recorded the stages in their journey.); or you might use the categories I cited for my journals. In the end, it seems to me that all journaling has in common most of the following points: It captures our thoughts or Gods messages while we still recall them and, thus, brings greater accuracy to the message (Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it) and (Luke 1:3 & 4 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.)
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 It helps us reflect on what is recordednow and later (John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.) It helps bring intentional time-out with God [which is something I often need!] It can be our opportunity to share our story with family and friends and future generations. (Psalm 102:18 Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD:; e.g., Gary Combs book titled Star Man and my Advice to the Boys something I plan to leave for them when I die.). Writing helps clarify what God is doing in your life (this comes from The Purpose Driven Life) It builds a reference for reflections and thoughts (as it became for me). By going back to our journaling over time, we might see trends or patterns unfolding, either as warnings or encouragement. We can cleanse our feelings from our hearts and minds and this can help bring healing as our experiences of grief are poured out onto the pages. While we know only God provides the healing, this writing just might be our part so God will do His part. (Research conducted at Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas and North Dakota State University shows that journal-writing lowers stress and diminishes its symptoms. Writing about what has happened to us and how we feel about it, for as little as two 20-minute periods, promotes emotional well being, boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure and decreases heart rate!) It encourages and arms us when we record Gods miracles in our lives; we can share these with others and be reminded of His sovereign power (e.g., the Purpose Driven Life says Its not about me!). It helps us refine the telling of Gods stories. Because I used to think my testimony was old hat, I wasnt proactive in sharing it. Then I realized I had a story of Gods power and love that needed to be shared if I were to be a good steward of His story (my history or His-story). And I found writing it down helped bring greater conciseness. (Deuteronomy 31:19 Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them.) Think of a journal entries as Letters to God, since they are often between you and Him. (Psalm 139:1 2 O Lord, You have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.) Journaling can be a form of worship. Someone said, In solitude, we can explore the blessing of writing our hearts to God. We don't have to be professional writers, or even good writers - it's all about the passion for God in our hearts. Journals are powerful tools for recording thoughts, prayers, fears and miracles in our lives. Writing our hearts to God can be a fantastic compliment to our daily devotionals with Him. (Because the main point of recording miracles is to glorify God!)
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I ran across a couple of other quotes that spoke about the power of writing or journaling: Writing is the miracle of making the invisible visible. David L. Russell The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates What Socrates intended may not be totally appropriate here, in that he meant he would rather die than giveup philosophy (and he was granted his wish). However, it would be appropriate if it were interpreted as saying, we can best have devotion to truth if we examine the issues of our own life. In assessing the pros & cons of journaling, I determined the only downside to be the time it requires, both in writing and in later using. In a previous devotion, I talked about our time being Gods time, so perhaps our question then is this: Is this how God wants me to use His time? When I go back to the Scripture above and other verses, I do see we are to use our time honoring (e.g., His will) and glorifying God. If I am to do that, it seems to me a good place to start is in His Word, writing it on my heart. And a good next step is to write down the messages, experiences (lifes lessons) and miracles He has shown me. In fact, Im suggesting we all can benefit from journaling. Now thats my BIG IDEA . and you can write that down!