Tag Archive for: journals

Study Time

On Friday evening, we started our online winter devotionals.
Our first guest this year, was Brad Wilcox, counsellor in the Young Men General Presidency.
His theme: “๐‘บ๐’•๐’–๐’…๐’š ๐‘ป๐’Š๐’Ž๐’†”
One of his opening remarks was โ€œWhy do you keep a journal?โ€
Quickly he retorted โ€œIts cheaper than a counsellor!โ€
I laughed.
Since the age of 12, Iโ€™ve been an ardent advocate of writing journals daily and have used that remark several times myself!
It is a truism!
โ€œUse your journal as a tool to help make your lifeโ€ Brad said.
Oftentimes journals can read like โ€œthe diary of a fishโ€ going round and round again, as you repetitively record daily events, meals, travel, incidents etc.
He encouraged us all to go deeper, to record personal stories, share your testimony, insert uplifting quotes, pictures and take your journal everywhere as if it was your personal scripture.

Inspiring

Journals are a source of inspiration.
Quoting from memory Mosiah 3:19 in the Book of Mormon (the most oft referenced verse in General Conference), in an interactive way he encouraged us to โ€œwrite about the lines, write between the lines and write beyond the lines.โ€
He passionately inspired us to write about this verse in our own words, our personal understanding, that will โ€œwake you up during study time.โ€
โ€œWriting is thinking made visibleโ€ he said.
Randomly, many on the call were invited to share parts of the verse in their own words.
The result?
We understood what the verse really meant, in a much more powerful and personal way.
His words: โ€œFor the prideful and unrepentant man makes himself an enemy to God, but God is not his enemy, God is his best friend.โ€
We slowed down and learned together.
A feeling of love permeated our virtual room, sinking deeply into our souls.
The whole evening was like manna from heaven.
This was real joy and real love in action, manifesting itself before our privileged eyes.
Please, consider your journals, your study time and Mosiah 3:19.
In your own words, what does that verse mean to you?

Biographies

At our Mission Conference in Brussels on Friday, I shared some of my favourite church leader biographies and a scripture too.
Biographies โ€“ โ€œthe story of a real personโ€™s life.โ€
Our theme was โ€œLooking for Christโ€.
The Lord says in D&C 88:83, that โ€œHe that seeketh me ๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’š, shall find me and not be forsaken.โ€
What does it mean to seek Him, ๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’š?
It could mean to seek Him early in life.
Or another possibility could be to seek Him, every day, early in the morning.
Even another possibility could be to look for Jesus Christ before it is too late.
However we understand this verse, the message is the same… now is the time to look for Jesus Christ.
Not tomorrow, but today.
I love reading biographies, as they can give you a close-up view of a personโ€™s life.
When you read a biography, you are not just reading any book; theyโ€™re like time capsules, understanding decades of thinking, life’s lessons, including struggles and successes.
My experience of reading so many, is that each one shares a personal story, as they look for and discover Jesus Christ, early, then choose to follow Him.
In every generation, every individual needs to discover and obtain their own knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ.
Looking for and finding Jesus Christ is a very personal matter.
The scriptures are our primary source of biographical stories.
Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, David, Solomon, Ruth, Isaiah, Mary & Joseph, Peter, Paul, Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Alma, Helaman, Mormon, Moroni and Jesus Christ.
On Christmas Day 1977, I received a now treasured gift, my first journal.
It was early in my life. I was 12.
Early in the morning on January 1st, 1978, I began my journal, my own biography and havenโ€™t stopped since.
I began writing before it was too late.
This Christmas, why not begin to write, discover Jesus Christ – the Light of the World and your eternal identity.
How can you find Him, โ€œ๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’šโ€ today?

Things of My Soul

Ever since I received my first blank diary on Christmas day, 1977, I have enjoyed journaling.
Recording activities, thoughts and feelings has become a daily habit.
Over the years, my journals have become a constant companion in my life. Like Nephi in the Book of Mormon, he records, โ€œAnd upon these things I write the things of my soulโ€. (2 Nephi 4:15)
Recently, I have been very mindful about not only nourishing my soul, but also helping each of the missionaries to nourish their souls.
What is your soul?
The scriptures teach that โ€œthe spirit and the body are the soul of manโ€ (D&C 88:15)
Yesterday, whilst attending a funeral service my soul was stirred, comforted, and cheered on through beautiful words, uplifting music, a gentle tearful embrace and by tenderly holding hands.
I felt Godโ€™s love, in the depths of my soul.
It was peaceful, elegant, and divine.
I felt safe and secure.
Godโ€™s love entered my heart and filled me with hope.
He is anxious for all of us to feel His love, wherever we are.
In a like manner, working so closely with young missionaries from all over the world, teaching moments occur daily for each of them as they discover the things of their souls.
My heart is filled with a great love for each of them, as they come to understand the things of their own souls.

Nourishment

They are eager to learn and hungry for soul stirring nourishment.
They have many questions.
Teaching moments come frequently, as I sit and discuss with them the things of their souls.
Just as we need food and water to nourish our bodies to survive physically, we also need the gospel of Jesus Christ to feed us to survive spiritually.
Where do you record the things of your soul?
Is your soul inquiring after some spiritual nourishment?
Then, why not speak with one of the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Each one of them know a bit about the things of their souls.
They can help feed, nourish and illuminate yours.

The Book of Life

I was asked recently, “๐ƒ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐š๐ฒ?”
Did you know that some of the most important historical records are the diaries and other personal writings of individuals from all different walks of life?
Living in the Netherlands, I am often reminded of one the most significant diaries of our time – that of Anne Frank, the 13-year-old Jewish girl living here, who, at the age of 16, died in a German concentration camp.
Her diary, written whilst she was confined in an Amsterdam apartment house, shares her story of how she and her family went into hiding for two years to avoid Nazi persecution. Since her death, the words from her diary have inspired millions. And because of her diary the world has known all about the terrors of growing up during the Holocaust.
My journaling journey began early when I was a young 12-year-old.
It has been the first thing Iโ€™ve done every morning for as long as I can remember.
๐๐ž๐ซ๐ก๐š๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ง?
You do not have to write every day, even though this would be good. It could be weekly. It could even be as and when there is something that is memorable or moving or meaningful.
Remembering is an important part of life and journals help us to do that. They also help me to slow down!

๐‘ณ๐’Š๐’‡๐’† ๐’Š๐’” ๐’‚ ๐‘ฉ๐’๐’๐’Œ – by Zelda Davis Howard

Life is a book made up of days
Each one of us writes one,
Itโ€™s opened when we come to earth
And closed when life is done.
No pen but ours ere touches it
In our own way we write,
Whether we fail or succeed
Turns with the page at night.
And there is no erasing it
To add or take away,
The yesterdayโ€™s account is closed,
Sealed within white or grey.
The morning gives another sheet
Thatโ€™s broad and very white,
And oh, how glorious to have
Another chance to write!
No bad is there too small to show
No good thatโ€™s ever lost,
All that we do goes into Lifeโ€™s book
In black and white embossed.
  • Every life is a tale worth telling.
  • Why not begin yours today?

Growth Rings

Every human being is also a human ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ.
A careful study of the growth rings of a tree, always tell an interesting story.
Look carefully, it requires some close inspection.
Discovering whether any particular year provided a favourable or unfavourable period of growth, is easy to identify.
Some years, there is quite a bit of new wood added.
In other years when growth was unfavourable, only a small fraction of that amount was added.
Similarly – stop for a moment, reflect back and consider how your own life, is like the history of a tree.
There may have been years of great spurts of new growth where favourable conditions allowed you to flourish and develop.
In other years, unfavourable conditions, and experiences, may have reduced the amount of development and growth.
Wouldnโ€™t it be fascinating if we could see our personal growth records as we are making them in our own lives, just like trees do?!
If we could see that record, perhaps weโ€™d be much more motivated in our daily choices and decision making to make our growing conditions more favourable year on year, thus producing a fair amount of new wood.
I may be prone to say, โ€œYep, 1983 I was at my bestโ€ or โ€œ1992 was a challenging year.โ€
How can we keep our lives under better control?
For me, keeping a regular journal, maintaining regular study habits & routines, plus setting stretching goals, really helps to maintain a growth trajectory.
As a human ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ, what do your yearly growth rings look like?

What will I write about today?

Picking up my new journal for 2022 this morning, โ€œWhat will I write about today?โ€ I thought….
How will be different because of what we have heard, seen and felt in 2021?
I have written about the importance of daily journaling, on many, many occasions.
Since Christmas Day 1977, journaling has been a huge part of my life. It has been a constant daily habit for 16,000 days +
There are 101 reasons to write a journal โ€“ here are my top 10 favourites:

Why Write a Journal?

โ€ข It improves memory function and helps you remember things.
โ€ข It helps you to set and achieve your goals.
โ€ข It strengthens self-discipline
โ€ข It helps boost your creativity
โ€ข It allows you to self-reflect and enhances your self-awareness
โ€ข It helps to improve your writing and discover your own voice
โ€ข It keeps your thoughts organised
โ€ข It helps me to remember who I really am – a child of God.
โ€ข It helps you to become aware of what really matters most
โ€ข It is always fun to relive the many entries recorded.
Finally, I loved President Russell M. Nelsonโ€™s encouragement yesterday to write down some resolutions for the year ahead. He shared three resolutionโ€™s, โ€œFirstly strengthen your spiritual foundationโ€ฆ.. Second, resolve to be kind to othersโ€ฆ.. Third, resolve to be resolute. The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves steadfastness. While we surely will come up short from time to time, our persistent efforts to hear Him and follow the inspiration He gives us will help us to โ€œwax strong in the Spiritโ€ (Mosiah 18:26).โ€
Why not record those resolutions in your own new journal today?
Why not resolve to start today?
I promise you, that you will never regret it.
My top tips, always write first thing in the morning, be radically honest with yourself and always write with a good pen!!
Are you keeping a journal?
What benefits do you get from journaling?

Reflective learning

“So, what have you been learning about yourself through this last year…? I’ve asked that question so many times recently in coaching sessions. So, how about you……?
Consciously I make time for self reflection daily. Although it’s been a practice for a while, it has become much more meaningful during the last 12 months of the pandemic. Reflection has been described as a process that helps turn experience into knowledge. So, what are you learning?
Paradoxically, looking inwards, helps me to look outwards.
As you look in the mirror of self reflection, consider these questions:
…Am I using my time wisely?
…Am I living true to myself?
…What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life? …What do I need to change about myself?
…Have I made someone smile today?
It is so easy to get caught up in the daily vicissitudes of life.
Self-reflection is the key to help you understand what you stand for, what your values are, and in essence what matters most.
It’s a time to consider your behaviour, your goals and whether you are on track. The more self-reflective you are, the easier it becomes to make choices in line with your values which will impact all of your decisions now and in the future.
Our learning in life comes from our daily experiences, so take time to self-reflect, daily!