Journaling the Journey
I'm leaving the first part of this uncut, as it should interest most everyone.
Quote from my book:
" Something in the physical act of writing releases creativity and self-understanding...journaling unlocks the imagination. ~ Ann Broyles, Journaling: A Spiritual Journey
The difference between keeping a diary and journaling:
* "A diary records events, facts, and occasons with little, if any, commentary," while a journal records subjective responses to events in thoughts, feelings and hopes.
Spiritual Journaling focuses on how thoughts and feelings relate to our faith experience. It moves to honest reflection on self and God, often flowing into spontaneous prayer.
In a spritual journal, we note where we start out and track the growth in our life's journey townard God.
Journaling occurs in several different forms:
- in response to life experience as we become more aware of God's presence and guidance in daily life
- through reflections on nature, the Bible, quotes, questions or other stimuli
- in response to dreams, listening for unconscious truths expressed in symbolic form by dreams
- by writing converstations we imagine having with God, others, or various parts of ourselves.
I pretty much answered tonight's question in my earlier post without even looking at it.
" What attracted you to this class? What are you looking for? What do you hope for?"
I answered the first two, so here's three. I hope to grow spiritually and discover more about myself. Structured Bible study is something that hasn't been available to me much, so I hope that I will be able to learn much.
and, since the question wasn't what I wanted to start the journal on, I chose a quote from the lesson to ponder.
THIS IS WHAT CHRISTIANITY IS ALL ABOUT -
BECOMING LOVERS. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
IS JUST LOVING PEOPLE. AND OUR CONFESSION?
WHAT IS OUR CONFESSION? IT IS THAT WE DO NOT
KNOW HOW TO LOVE. UNTIL WE HAVE MADE THAT
CONFESSION, THERE IS NOTHING TO BE LEARNED.
WE CANNOT BE A BEGINNER WITH THE BEGINNERS,
AND IN THE SCHOOL OF CHRISTIANITY THERE
IS NOTHING TO BE BUT A BEGINNER.
~ ELIZABETH O'CONNOR
Wow. What can I say about this? If true, it throws away much of what I learned. It backs up my favorite passage, 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Rethinking is something I have done a lot of in the past two days. I've been struggling lately, as my more liberal views are really coming into conflict with some more conservative church members. Learning how to sift through and figure out exactly what I believe and why is the major goal here. It's going to be an interesting ride.
1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
And I think I need to go find or make a spiritual journal icon.
Quote from my book:
" Something in the physical act of writing releases creativity and self-understanding...journaling unlocks the imagination. ~ Ann Broyles, Journaling: A Spiritual Journey
The difference between keeping a diary and journaling:
* "A diary records events, facts, and occasons with little, if any, commentary," while a journal records subjective responses to events in thoughts, feelings and hopes.
Spiritual Journaling focuses on how thoughts and feelings relate to our faith experience. It moves to honest reflection on self and God, often flowing into spontaneous prayer.
In a spritual journal, we note where we start out and track the growth in our life's journey townard God.
Journaling occurs in several different forms:
- in response to life experience as we become more aware of God's presence and guidance in daily life
- through reflections on nature, the Bible, quotes, questions or other stimuli
- in response to dreams, listening for unconscious truths expressed in symbolic form by dreams
- by writing converstations we imagine having with God, others, or various parts of ourselves.
I pretty much answered tonight's question in my earlier post without even looking at it.
" What attracted you to this class? What are you looking for? What do you hope for?"
I answered the first two, so here's three. I hope to grow spiritually and discover more about myself. Structured Bible study is something that hasn't been available to me much, so I hope that I will be able to learn much.
and, since the question wasn't what I wanted to start the journal on, I chose a quote from the lesson to ponder.
THIS IS WHAT CHRISTIANITY IS ALL ABOUT -
BECOMING LOVERS. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
IS JUST LOVING PEOPLE. AND OUR CONFESSION?
WHAT IS OUR CONFESSION? IT IS THAT WE DO NOT
KNOW HOW TO LOVE. UNTIL WE HAVE MADE THAT
CONFESSION, THERE IS NOTHING TO BE LEARNED.
WE CANNOT BE A BEGINNER WITH THE BEGINNERS,
AND IN THE SCHOOL OF CHRISTIANITY THERE
IS NOTHING TO BE BUT A BEGINNER.
~ ELIZABETH O'CONNOR
Wow. What can I say about this? If true, it throws away much of what I learned. It backs up my favorite passage, 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Rethinking is something I have done a lot of in the past two days. I've been struggling lately, as my more liberal views are really coming into conflict with some more conservative church members. Learning how to sift through and figure out exactly what I believe and why is the major goal here. It's going to be an interesting ride.
1 Corinthians 13
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
And I think I need to go find or make a spiritual journal icon.