Category: journaling

Uncertain: Not Clearly Identified or Defined

 
Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see. It was this kind of faith that won their reputation for the saints of old. And it is after all only by faith that our minds accept as fact that the whole scheme of time and space was created by God’s command—that the world which we can see has come into being through principles which are invisible.
(Hebrews 11:1-3 J.B. Phillips)
 
 
Hello all! I am honored to be guest posting with Dawn  over at Beneath the Surface: Breath of Faith today. The past few weeks, we have been reading and responding to our journey through Writing to God.
 
Writing to God -40 Days of Praying With My Pen
 
My desire has been rekindled to express my love and passion for God through writing. I spend my days with pen and journal in hand, scribbling love notes, writing little poems, and just talking about life with Jesus. 
The prayers and writing prompts of Rachel G. Hackenberg in Writing to God: 40 Days of Praying with My Penhave opened new vistas as I meet with God on paper.
When Dawn asked me to share this week, I immediately offered the opportunity to God. When I read the prayer offering for Day 24: Uncertain, I decided to reflect on the prayer and the prompt for this week.
We all have questions and uncertainty in our lives. This prayer has edged itself into my heart, especially these lines:  “Is ‘Jesus’ the simple answer? Looking back, I see that you offered more puzzles than answers; that still seems to be true. So I will sit here, with palms open and unresolved prayers, O complex Jesus, if you will sit with me. This I ask, for lack of answers. Amen.” (Hackenberg)  
The angst that uncertainty produces in my heart desperately needed the comfort of this prayer.
 
Click here to read the entire post over at
Beneath the Surface: Breath of Faith
 
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Comfort: To Ease the Grief Of

 
Are the comforts of God too small for you,
or the word that deals gently with you?
(Job 15:11 ESV)
 

My reading list seems sparse this month. As I was looking at books for Lent, two titles caught my attention. One a familiar friend, the other a new acquaintance. Both books encourage writing as a way of prayer.



Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy Through Written Prayer (Lynn D. Morrissey)

This first book is beautiful like its author. I’ve read it once before, and consider Lynn a dear friend and person who has fueled my passion for journaling.

This book is more than a guide to writing your prayers to God, it is an invitation to rekindle your relationship with God as the Lover of our Souls. As I enter the pages and the stories of Lynn’s adventures with God, as well as her struggles, my heart finds rest and revival at the same time. My imagination is drawn to the garden of my soul, and I long to tarry in the presence of our Savior.

Today this line, prompted a prayer of examen: “Naming our grief is the first step toward healing.” That one sentence opened up a floodgate of griefs that I have been ignoring, afraid to name them for fear of being consumed by grief. The crazy thing is that the more I try not to name my griefs, the more they come out in anger and despair.

In my journal, I wrote: “My grief is . . . regret, dismay, denied, unrealistic, unnameable, transitional, disappointment based on sin, sorrow, sickness, separation and simple doubts about God’s goodness.” This simple act of confession brought to light what troubles me. I don’t have solutions, but expressing these on paper was the first step of reaching out to God for healing and comfort.

Writing to God: 40 Days of Praying With My Pen (Rachel G. Hackenberg)

I love the simplicity of this book. The prayers recorded in this book are poetic. They have inspired me to write poem prayers. Writing poetry takes my raging thoughts and distills them down into concise, raw expressions. When I read Rachel’s poem prayers and my own, I am drawn to some phrase that feeds my soul in the moment.

On the facing page of each prayer, she offers a prompt to read a Scripture and to contemplate a topic, which spurs me on to more written expressions of my heart.

In the poem, Nighttime Prayer, she explores her fear of the dark, which leads to her real fear–the fear of not being in control or able to stave off disaster that might come in the middle of the night. Early in the morning she laments, “Wide-eyed in case the uncontrollable, unthinkable happens/So I stay awake/Stay distracted/Determined not to be caught off guard by the night.”

Her prayer prompt for this entry explores fear: “Write a prayer about fear, and let the presence and encouragement of God surround you with holy comfort.”

Combining this reading with the quote from Love Letters about healing and grief, I noticed a connection between grief and fear.

I wrote: “My fear is . . . bound up in my grief. I fear failure, disappointing others, not keeping up, other people’s opinion of me, giving up on life, disappointing others’ expectations of me. I am afraid of depression, cancer, pain, failure, rejection, hope, renewal, new paths, success, criticism, praise, pride, the future, boredom, apathy, cynicism, nothingness, death, living, making mistakes. . .”

These confessions were random, yet real. Something about confessing these on paper enlarges my perspective.

My conclusion today was that I am powerless . . . and that’s a good thing to know and believe, because then I cry out, “I need you, Lord Jesus!”

And He comforts me.

Linking up with:

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Beloved: Dearly Loved; Dear to the Heart

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love: not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(1 John 4:9,10 NIV)
 
 

I started writing love letters again. I have been writing at God for quite a few years now in my journal, but for the next forty days, I sensed my Beloved invite me to write him letters.

A dear friend, Lynn D. Morrissey, wrote a book about this idea: Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy through Written Prayer.  I picked up the book to read in sips, a few pages a day as I journey toward the most heart wrenching love story ever.
 
 

The story of a man, who used to live in heaven, and then took on flesh to live among us. A divine man loved by the Father.  The same Father who loved you and me so much, who gave his one and only to become sin for us. And Jesus not only took on our sin, but also suffered the penalty of sin: death.

A death that demonstrates the best love ever offered. To be called His beloved is to be treasured beyond compare. So I am attempting these days to write daily love notes to this God-Man-Spirit. The funny thing is I’m not sure how to address Him. And I’ve told him so. I’ve tried “Dear Jesus” and “Father God” and “Dear Friend” or “Lord Jesus” and they all are familiar, but not quite clear enough, when speaking to a Triune God.

Then today, this word “beloved”, was offered. And it seems to encompass the Father-Son-Spirit love that I long to express to HIm.

Beloved- I have been thinking of you today and how much you love me. I am yours and amazingly, you call me your own. Intimacy is frightening, yet to be close to you is really my heart’s deepest desire. I love you. I look forward to rekindling our love through letters. Love you-Kel
 
 
Linking up with:
 
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Thrilling Thursday: Journaling


Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
(Proverbs 3:3)
 
 
 
On Monday, I mentioned that I see my journal as a sacred place to process my days and to notice patterns in my life. In my journal, I often experience the mercies of God, as He reveals fresh insights into areas of my heart that need correction or healing or both.
 
Lynn D. Morrissey, a dear friend and mentor in the art of journaling wrote a book chronicling her experience with journaling as a way to write love letters to God.
 
As we come to this time of year when the world is decorated with paper hearts, I wanted to give a heart felt recommendation of her book, Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy through Written Prayer.
 
In her book, she gives a glimpse into her heart as she pours it out to God in prayer. Writing our prayers can lead to discovery and healing.
 
For a sweet review of her book check out Finding Floyd’s blog post titled: A Box of Chocolates.
 
For some more inspiration on the art and practice of journaling check out these links:
 
 
 
At Writing Forward, Melissa’s website, you can explore more posts about journal writing  in her archives. Click here to check them out.
  
 
I hope you journal like
no one is reading over your shoulder!
Write God’s love on the tablet of your heart.
His mercies never fail.
His truth always prevails.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Thrilling Thursday: Inspired

 
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on
His faithfulness.
(Psalm 37:3 NKJV)



Last fall, I hosted a Thrilling Guest  for Thursdays, and I hope to have some old friends and new friends again this year.

I didn’t have time this week to invite anyone, so I thought I’d invite you to check out some inspiring blogs and an ezine that I’ve enjoyed recently.

1) I’d love you to come over to Three Way Light with Jody Collins on Wednesdays. She is hosting her first ever online Bible Study! Last year, she spent time dwelling in Psalm 37. And now she is sharing weekly insights on that Psalm, as well as challenging her readers to dig in the Word for themselves. She’s calling the study: ‘2TW squared’–Through the Word, Through the Week! Come join in as we discuss this rich Psalm at Jody’s blog.

Bible Study
 
 
2) Another writer/blogger, I’d like to introduce, is Kimberlee Conway Ireton. Her post today describes a glimpse into the process of writing as prayer. She also has a book that I recommend, which is titled, The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year.
 
It gives insight into the liturgy of the church year, as well as practical ways to participate in the various feasts and fasts of the year. I read her chapter on Epiphany about a week late, and I was pleasantly surprised with a new way (to me) of how to observe the feast. She shares a practice of blessing your home for the new year. (I will write more about that next week 🙂
 
 
3) I like to journal and I like to play around with art, so I often browse the art journaling and mixed media sites. I came across this monthly ezine edited and created by Amanda Fall at Persistent Green. The downloadable magazine is well worth the $6.00 cost. It is full of beautiful art, inspiring writing and prompts to jumpstart your own creativity. Check it out: Sprout! (Click on image to link over.)
 
 
 
4) Deep Calls Unto Deep is a journal prompt site created by Diane Ronzino from an encouraging word. She just recently started posting again. I was so excited when I saw a new post in my Google Reader Feed. She posts a Scripture and a thought to inspire your journal dialogue with God.
 
 
It’s always a joy to share. I hope you are inspired and encouraged!

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