Tag: journal

Vision Quests & Random Journal Day

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. (Matthew 11:29-30 The Message)

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Where did this year go? Where have I been? On a detour, and I must admit, I’ve been sort of lost. But thankfully detours eventually return us to the main road that leads to our destination.

A few years ago, I wrote a mission statement with six simple words: “Follow Jesus, generate ideas and write words.” When I feel lost, I return to these statements.

I want everything I do to honor Jesus, to be wrought out of love for Him. He has gifted me with a very active mind and LOTS of ideas. Writing is the main way that I process life and all those ideas.

Recently, I tried substitute teaching. My idea of how to make some extra cash to pay off some debt. It was hard work. It was valuable work. But it was not the work for me.

So I “resigned” and came back home. I returned to generating ideas and taking time for my creative pursuits. (Many of these ideas are flowing out of the work, I call souldare. Stay tuned for new workshops, new events and an etsy shop with journals made from re-purposed book covers and colorful papers!)

I’ve spent the past few weeks in my own journal, processing the perennial question: What’s next?

Journaling helped me to return to the vision of making time and space to encourage others to discover their created selves. I remembered that I work best in a collaborative environment. I realized that I enjoy students who delight in learning new things and making personal discoveries that lead to joy-filled lives.

Recently, I enjoyed the opportunity to partner with my dear friend and journaling revolutionary, Lynn Morrissey, for a day retreat. Through writing exercises and collage work, the Lord Jesus rekindled our passion for Him.

One of the exercises was to write “alpha poems” using the words, “my turnaround.” Here’s my offering from that day:

Mysterious,
Yet not so mysterious, how

Time after time, I neglect to
Understand that Your
Right path for me
Never leads me
Away from You, but
Right back to Your
Open heart, full of
Unfailing love.
Now again this
Day I return to YOU!

Linking with the Random Journal Day-ers!

What’s next for you? How is your vision quest going?

 

 

Posted on by kelrohlf 2

Random+Journal+Day=Encounter

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Here is a last piece of advice. If you believe in goodness and if you value the approval of God, fix your minds on the things which are holy and right and pure and beautiful and good. (Philippians 4:8 J.B. Phillips)

It’s time for the monthly Random Journal Day Link-up with Dawn and other brave hearts. It’s a day where we randomly choose an old journal, and share what we wrote a year or maybe a decade or maybe just a month ago. It depends on which journal we randomly choose. It’s always fun, insightful and encouraging.

I randomly chose a journal from early last year. I turned to a random page, which revealed some murmurings, which I wasn’t sure were very inspiring. (I actually thumbed through the pages to find something more uplifting, but last winter and spring apparently were overshadowed by me enduring several colds, grieving the loss of Les’ father and taking care of Les when he broke his elbow.) So I decided to just share the page I opened to this afternoon.

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I like starting a journal entry with a prompt sometimes. One of my favorites is “I feel…” So here how I responded on February 12, 2014.

I feel . . .overwhelmed! I have a headache…is below zero temps and I am supposed to stand at bus stop with kids this am…I have a full schedule–but not unreasonable–still just want to stay home a lot–but I push through and go out…maybe next week will be better — NOT! Father God -I need help and rest and strength to say no sometimes.

The rest of the entry talks about things I have to do and how I feel about them. Then in the wavy lines, I wrote a list of blessings. I often write out a gratitude list, when I feel overwhelmed.

I wrote: one blessing after another…food, shelter, warm clothes, coffee maker, husband-lover man, warm affectionate pets, strong capable loving sons who love Jesus, mom and sister living around the corner, heat, no ice storm, simple joys, fresh thinking, journaling journeys, GRACE

Very random, and in the moment thoughts. I am glad to have captured them, and it’s amazing how much life has changed since last year. Our oldest son is engaged and getting married in a couple months. My mom and sister and the four kids moved across the neighborhood. Still close, but not around the corner. I have survived the last couple months of winter here in St. Louis. And God is faithfully empowering me to keep journaling, blogging and creating art.

I also marvel that last February, God inspired me to create 28 Days of Being YOU, an art journaling journey, which became 28 Weeks of Being YOU.

It’s not a surprise that I was overwhelmed! It’s amazing what God accomplishes through our lives. And so, I give Him thanks for this record and this encounter of His grace in the pages of a humble journal.

I’ll leave you with a simple collage that I made in this same journal. It was the beginning of using collage to “meet” with God, like I did in October 2014 with the GOD+ART series.

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What do you do when you feel overwhelmed?

Posted on by kelrohlf 2

un(fold): to happen as time passes

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 The Message)

I love how a journey unfolds. You open your map. You plan your destination, make your reservations and then look forward to the day of departure. The day arrives with much expectation and even a little uncertainty of how the trip will turn out.

Today, I planned to link up with Random Journal Day, so I was wondering how to weave my un(Lent) adventure with Dawn and Susie’s monthly journey into our journals.

One way I keep track of my life is with a planner. And I thought that I would feature my planner this month for the link-up. This little side trip fits right in with my word for today: unfold.

A calendar/planner is a great way to watch how the year unfolds. I have been on a hunt for a long time for a planner that also doubles as a journal. With my new found love for mixed-media art in my journals, I was really excited when I heard about The Documented Life Project.

I had some extra time yesterday to catch up with the project. I was impressed with their cool planner/journal/sketchbooks. But I had one unplanned problem, I didn’t have a Moleskine planner like theirs. I almost jumped in the car to go buy one, when my word for the year (use) whispered in my ear, “Use what you have!”

I have a planner* for July 2013-June 2014. I was a little disappointed that I’d only be able to use it through June. I really wanted to have one for the rest of 2014. One of the features of the one online was fold-out pages attached to the existing calendar pages. Aha! I could “add” pages to my planner with fun paper and washi tape.

So I added pages for July through December for my month at a glance, and had enough other pages for week at a glance in a two-page spread format. Here’s the results:

The month pages added in…

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Close-up of the month tabs.

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Two page spread for week at a glance…

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unfolds to give more space for journaling and art! (I cut a piece of watercolor paper to the dimensions of the planner, then taped it to the existing page with decorative washi tape.)

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The taped in pages create a colorful edge!

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Decided I had to decorate the cover, too!

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So as the year unfolds with unexpected joys and bends in the road, I have a really inviting place to document life!

*I bought the blank planner at Office Depot, it’s a Foray (6×8 bound version) Academic Planner. You can use any planner that you have 🙂

Posted on by kelrohlf 10