I retired from the Army last year having spent my entire career in Special Operations - building and training small unit, direct and indirect action teams. I’ve since moved to Idaho with the dream of starting a church in the Treasure Valley. The events of September 11, 2001 have called me back into service and I am now an Operations Officer within the new Department of Homeland Security. Our church is a Gathering of believers that meet frequently in our homes. Journaling is a skill that I learned while mentoring under Pastor Wayne Cordeiro at New Hope Christian Fellowship, Oahu. The methods I will present this week are the primary discipleship tool used at New Hope and an integral part of the development of their leaders. I’m not exactly certain why each of you have decided to participate in this journey this week. Perhaps some of you are interested in adding a new tool to your disciple’s toolkit. Or maybe you are seeking a way to sharpen your edge as a leader by renewing an old discipline. Perhaps you are at your wits end – questioning your faith and your calling, wondering if God has left you totally alone and you just want to find out if He’s still listening. Whatever your reason for attending this seminar – God is greater and He stands ready to meet with you and refresh, inspire, and renew you each day. In fact, I believe God created the day so that we could be refreshed and renewed on a regular basis. Consider this – as God created all that we see He could have very easily created it in such a way that there was just one long day. But instead He created cycles of light in which we can put to bed things of the past and arise to face a new day with hope and vigor. In fact if you look even closer you’ll find that the new day begins… with the evening. So I suggest we begin this journey together by putting to bed the reasons we are here. Take the pressing deadlines, the teams that are (or aren’t) forming, the nagging questions that are gnawing at your soul and lay them to rest. For the King has extended us an invitation to rise in the new day and receive the wisdom of the ages spoken directly from His breath into our heart. Let’s join Him and see what He has to say. Our daily meeting with the King will be an important one. Through it He will give us counsel and instructions for completing the assignment He has for us. As with all important meeting (and even more so!) it is important that we come to the table prepared in order to take action upon what insight we gain as it’s conducted. Here are 5 things to always bring to your journaling meeting:

A Bible

I’m often asked the questions – “What does it sound like when God speaks to you?” I answer quite plainly, God’s voice sounds like the Bible. When we speak we use the air that comes out of our lungs to vibrate our vocal chords and make sound which forms words. Well the only thing missing is lungs and a vocal chord, for the Bible comes from the breath of God to form His Word. So while we may not hear an audible tone – we can be assured that when God speaks to us it sounds just like the Bible. So, in essence, our daily reading of scripture is training our ear, like a musician, to hear the voice of God.

A Pen

Let’s say you were going to spend an hour with someone you really admired - a person whose opinion and insight mattered a great deal to you – a person of great influence on your life. Now, can you imagine not showing up to the meeting with a pen so you can write down what it is that they have to say? Of course not! You’d jot down every word - because you value the wisdom and know that it may be of great use later in your life. Your pen is an invaluable tool for highlighting the “whispers of God” as you read. Bibles should be used – marked up, highlighted, underlined, annotated, whatever is useful in drawing to your remembrance the insights God gives you as you enjoy your daily audience.

Your Day Planner

Frequently as you read scripture – the activities of your life will pop into your mind. Additionally – God will highlight activities in which you should engage in order to be faithful to the truth He entrusts you with during your audience For example – you may read a passage in which Paul mentions a letter and instantaneously you are reminded of a letter you need to write to Mrs. Johnson thanking her for her service. As you struggle to remember that task, the word “service” reminds you that you need to talk with Bob about the service project next weekend. Weekend makes you remember that you promised to plant the garden this weekend – and on and on goes the cycle until your mind is so full of “to-do’s” that you can’t hear the voice of God through all that clutter. The solution – write it down, where you will use it, and forget about it so you can focus on what gem God has in store for you that day.

A Bible Reading Plan

Consistent discipline requires effort, planning, and commitment. You can’t expect God to do graduate level work in your soul with junior high effort in your planning. Find a good plan and stick to it. What makes a plan good? It should require the reading of the entire bible in a year. The fullness of God is revealed in scripture and if we are to understand His nature – we must seek to understand him fully. Little “doughnut” devotionals that have half a verse of scripture with a paragraph or two of commentary are great if you want to observe what God said to someone else – but they are a far cry from dining on the Bread of Life so that He might {gasp, dare I say it} speak to me. Beyond that, there are a great deal of options available in choosing a good Bible Reading Plan. For this seminar we will follow Wayne’s plan as practiced at New Hope. Mark Driscoll has a good plan he developed and takes the people of Mar’s Hill through. The Navigator’s have 2 great plans that are available as a free download from their website. There are many very good plans available. But – when you choose a plan stick to it and take as many people with you (your small group, house church, affinity group, church, whatever) as you can. There is great value in the taking a journey together.

Your Journal

Your journal is a record of your times spent with the King. In it you write – word for word – the lessons He teaches you. It will become the reference book you most frequently reach for in developing your messages, discipling your friends, counseling those in need of care, or changing your own attitude toward the most annoying person in your life. When you record your entries into your journal – make sure you write word-for-word, the same way you speak. Don’t use bullet comments or an outline. A year from now you won’t remember what the bullet comment means – but if you write the entry out verbatim – it can be used as a lesson much later without any loss of effect. Here is an outline for your journal entries:

• S – Scripture: As you read when a particular passage strikes you write it down word for word as it will be the focal point of your journal.
• O – Observation. Context, what is going on? There are not multiple interpretations of Scripture – simply different contexts from which it understood. What is God doing in that specific situation (usually a paragraph or so)
• A – Application. How does the principle God is teaching you apply to your situation? Is it revealing your sin? Challenging you? You should always answer the question: How will I be different today because of the truth I have just learned? Normally a fairly lengthy portion.
• P – Prayer. A written prayer – scripted word for word. This is your communication to God in response to the lesson. Normally a brief paragraph.

I’ll see you later – after I see the King!

For a Downlodable Journal Sheet Click Here.