Tag: journaling

(re)set: to put back in the correct position for healing

Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

(Proverbs 16:24 NIV)

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Blame the long winter. Excuse myself because life is hard right now. Call it distraction. Or admit that I tell myself lies and I neglect and I drift. And that’s why I feel so broken-hearted.

So today, I asked God to reset my heart. Put it back where it belongs. Restore the joy.

Healing for me includes swinging gently on the front porch swing, coffee in hand and journals at the ready. Listening to the wind rush by, reading good, strong nourishing words. Writing out a dialogue between the Creator and myself on the lined page. Sketching, coloring, doodling and resting in His presence.

I bought the BINGO covered journal last fall at a local craft fair. It’s my gratitude journal. I list my gratitudes. During Lent, I wrote prayer responses to the prompts sent to me by Rachel Hackenberg at Faith and Water. And now I’m writing “BINGO” prayers.

Whenever my husband proves himself right, he exclaims, “Bingo!” It makes me smile. So I thought I would use that word as a prayer prompt during the season of Easter.

My other plan for these next several weeks is to (re) aquaint myself with (re) words. I love prefixes. I guess it comes from studying Latin. Today, I realized that prefixes suggest proximity or position: towards, away, in, back, out, close to, under, etc.

I leave you with one of my Bingo prayers. And a definition.

Being
In the
Now
Gives
Opportunity a chance!

re-

a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, used with the meaning “again” or “again and again” to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “back” or “backward” to indicate withdrawal or backward motion: regenerate; refurbish; retype; retrace; revert. (www.dictionary.com)
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un(tangle): to loose from entanglements; to separate

“. . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1)

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Where do you turn when you need to untangle confusing thoughts, uncontrollable emotions, untethered desires or unruly doubts?

I turn to my journal. So today, I am joining with Dawn and Susie as we dive into a random journal and share what was unfolding in our lives at that time. I like to do this because it reminds me of the importance of dialoguing with God about life and its tangled mess. Also when I reread an entry, I recall His faithfulness and the value of keeping a journal.

Today, I closed my eyes and picked a journal from the shelf.

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Then randomly opened the page to an entry from Tuesday, May 12, 2009:

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Here’s what I was musing about on that day, about five years ago:

Ten years ago I wrote out where we would be in ten years. And here we are [ten years later] B. graduating from high school- K. looking for his path- Will he be a preacher man or a salesman or a worker man? A godly man is my greatest desire. A man who loves and pursues You with all his heart. Who takes risks for You and lives by faith. And B, too.

[Then I made a chart with our ages then and ten years out and where we might be…]

Interestingly enough, I had myself pursuing a Masters degree…something to pray about! Not there yet 🙂

On the opposite page, my prayer for the boys transitions into praise and affirmation of God:

God- You are faithful and deserve my full trust. You are the director of our paths. You do direct me and continue to lead me on paths of righteousness for your name’s sake. I want to stay on the path of making you known-that your love and reputation would be renown the world over. [Then I made a list of God’s names]

Charter of the Course, Designer of the Dream, Renewer of Promises, Faithful One–Help me to be your faithful follower.

This random entry really encourages me today, and untangles some doubts I have been entertaining about God’s direction for my life currently and it assures me that I do want to be a faithful follower of God!

By the way, the ten year outlook exercise can be sobering, but also gives direction to the path. I am glad God prompted me to make the list in order to see that He alone directs our path. We are on His path, and I am glad to report that both of our sons are growing into faithful followers of God. Thanks be to God! ( I can’t believe we’ve come halfway from this journal entry…where will we be in five years? God only knows and for that I am grateful.)

Happy Journaling! Random Journal Day Link-Up

Posted on by kelrohlf 7

Happening New Year

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 118:29 ESV)

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During the greeting time at church, we asked each other what resolutions we made for the New Year. I told my neighbor that my resolution was to make some resolutions. Listing goals and writing down “I resolve” statements just hasn’t happened yet. 

Other activities have happened, and each new day things happen. This is my “Happening New Year!” I’m just going to let things happen. If happiness crosses my path, I’ll greet it and give it a giant hug. If sorrow rolls in like a thunderstorm, I’ll take refuge in the shadow of the Almighty.

I am thankful for what I HAVE. I have my pile of books, journals and collage supplies near my comfy chair. I am sticking to the plan of USING what I HAVE!

Yesterday at our monthly journaling group, our wise mentor, Mary Ann, challenged us to think about this question, which she heard on a radio show during the week:

What if all we have tomorrow, is that which we gave thanks for today?

What a challenge! She set the timer for 7.5 minutes and we furiously captured in words all the things we are grateful for and that we wanted to HAVE again the next day. Thankfully, God’s provision doesn’t depend on our habit of giving thanks. But it was an eye opening exercise, and kind of fun at the same time. Made me think, what am I REALLY thankful about?

I am thankful for journals, writing, blogging and sharing insights here at Nourishment for the Soul. I am grateful for creative pursuits and a calendar full of art journaling classes, which I will be teaching in the next coming weeks. But most of all I am thankful for Jesus who loves me more than I can imagine and who delights in every little thing about me. 

What are you thankful for today?

 

Linking with Soli Deo Gloria Party!

Posted on by kelrohlf 4

My Magic Wand {and Random Journal Day}

But the LORD still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them. (Isaiah 30:18 NLT)

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Often around this time of year, you may hear me say, “I wish I had a magic wand!” Recently, to my delight and relief, I discovered that I do have a magic wand. I found it one day when I was using my journal.

The joy of keeping a journal started many years ago, when as a young teenager I needed a place to privately vent my feelings without censure. As I grew in my relationship with God, my journals became the place where I recorded my thoughts, my feelings and dialogues with God.

A journal has so many purposes, I could never describe them all in one post. But the other day I realized that my journal is my magic wand!

Here’s a glimpse into my musings that day. I started out with this thought:

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I wish I had a magic wand to get ready for the holidays…

it would clean my house

decorate for Christmas

give me plenty of time to play, to create, to share, to love myself and others

Then I wrote this confession:

I feel pressure, stress, fear of not finishing, lack of energy, overwhelmed, cluttered, shut down

On the next page, this revelation poured from my pen:

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My magic wand is spending an hour journaling, playing with mixed-media, taking a walk with our new dog, Kokomo.

My magic wand is prayer, seeking God’s presence in every moment.

Permission to pause, to read my book club book, to let the dishes sit in the sink, to leave clothes unfolded, to trust, to wait, to invite GOD to reveal His character into my life, to invite GOD to lead, energize and direct me!

Finally, I drew a magic wand in my journal with some words of affirmation:

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I have a magic wand…it helps me to do my to-do list…it gives me permission to have fun, to be creative, to play before I work; it inspires me to use what I have…to look for grace and energy from the Holy One!

Maybe you’ve never wished for a magic wand. But I invite you to pick up your pen and  some paper,  and then let God know what you wish for. Give it a try! Finish this sentence:

I wish…

Linking up with Random Journal Day

 

Posted on by kelrohlf 9