Lively Lent-Telling the Story

It's right there in the Baptismal Covenant: "Share the Good News of God in Christ”. That really is our life’s work. We have to know our own story and how God has worked in our lives before we can share it with others. Some of us have powerful stories of transformation that lead to witnessing. Those of us with more ‘humble’ stories can also share how God works.

One way to help prepare to tell our story and share the Good News is to keep a journal. I know that word makes some of you cringe. Others think; how can journaling be a spiritual aid? Some of us get happy-writing! Oh boy! Others think of it more as a torture. Journaling is more than just writing random thoughts about the day or your spiritual life. It is a way to:

Delve deeper into a Bible passage by jotting down insights.
Store pictures, sayings, drawings, ideas, etc. that are important to you.
Capture thoughts about something that’s troubling you.
Record your prayers and the responses to them.
Remember inspirational sayings.
Consolidate thoughts about what you are reading.
Gather your ideas about sharing your journey

There is no right or wrong way to do a spiritual journal. You may already be keeping a ‘spiritual journal’ without knowing it. Today we’ll look at a few forms of journaling that you may not have thought of as spiritual journals or even journaling at all. They won’t all appeal to each of you. One caveat-to me a journal is not a diary. You know the ones we kept as teens. “Dear Diary, I saw the cutest boy today. I hope he asks me out…” Do girls today even keep such diaries?

The simplest Spiritual journal is a Prayer Diary. It can simply be a spiral notebook that you list your prayer requests in. Once a week or month (or whenever you decide) go back and look over the prayers. Write down what sort of answer God has given. You might, or might not, be moved to add some thoughts on ‘why God?’ or ‘thank you God’. Even if all you are doing is tracking prayer answers, you are journaling because you are looking at God in action and that will help you ‘share the Good news’.

Similar is the Prayer Diary is a Thanksgiving Journal where you write down several things each day you are thankful for. Again, it is a window into God’s actions in your life and an avenue to an easy way to ‘share the Good News’.

So, what if you want to take a step and journal more than just prayers and/or thanksgivings? The blank page can be rather intimidating. Some would say just start writing anything-random thoughts and eventually something will pop out to really focus on. And, some days that’s where I start. I’ll say, ‘it’s a gray day and looks like snow’ and go one for a while in that vein. Sometimes that’s all that gets put on the page, but other times, something sparks as I’m writing and I start thinking about the beauty of snow and the verse in Isaiah 1:18 that says ‘Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool…’ Where else can you get inspiration?

You’d be surprised. It can be a line from the morning or evening lectionary that strikes home. It might be something in an email or a devotional or a picture. The other day, it was when this hawk flew into the tree in my yard. I had to take his/her picture and journal about the magic of such a creature of God, present in my life.

I’ve discovered that many books and even videos/movies and music can have lessons of great importance to our Christian walk. We are used to thinking of Oswald Chambers, Beth Moore, Max Lucado, Rowan Williams, Barbara Taylor Brown, Madeline L’Engle, and others of their stature as authors to turn to for good solid devotional material that can enrich our Journey. These are, indeed, great authors, and there are many more modern and not so modern. A line from one of their books can inspire a journal entry about something in your life. So can non-theological books like Little Women or A Dog's Purpose and moviles like Star Wars.  

You might find a blog that is thought provoking-like say the VarietiesOfGifts or this one that I write, or the site of a favorite author or artist. Their thoughts might just give you something to think about on paper. One that often gives me something to think about is Dirty Sexy Ministry, written by 2 female Episcopal priests. Another is titled While We Wait, by another Episcopal priest.

Another non-traditional place to start both journaling and sharing the message of God’s love is in music, which as we have heard, ‘has the power to sooth the savage beast.” St. Augustine of Hippo is quoted as saying, “He who sings, prays twice.” And Martin Luther once said, “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”

In my journaling I’ll often include the words of some hymn or song that gets stuck in my head and then chat with myself and God about what those words really mean to me and my Walk. Most recently, the new song by Toby Mac-“Steal my Show” got stuck in my head. The final verse is a reminder that we need to let God Steal the Show and be in charge of what we do.

Come on and Steal my show
My life My plans My heart
It's all Yours, God
Take it away
My dreams My fears My family My career
Take it away Take it away
It's all Yours, God
So take it away Take it away
It's You I wanna live for

There are other aids to getting going in journals. Believe it or not-you can even find online Prayer Journals or downloadable ones-just do a 'Google' search for prayer journal or spiritual journal!

I’ve probably given you way more information than you will ever want or need about journaling. I hope you will give one of these options a try, even if just for a little while this Lent. In order to make your journal really a spiritual aid, you want to make it your own. Do it at a convenient time, in a way that is comfortable-write, draw, add pictures, clippings, sayings, etc. Martin Luther noted, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” There really is something cathartic about writing your thoughts in pen and ink that isn’t present when typing.

When you know more of your own story and how God is present in your life, you can more easily and readily share that Good News! Good luck.

Next time we will look at the “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself” part of the Baptismal Covenant.