journaling – Westchester Men's Ministry

Journaling Challenge: Is it 40 days yet!

December 3, 2012 by nymensministry 1 Comment

cupandcross.com/

A friend of mine asked me that yesterday. I told him that we are more than half way there (today is day 22). But we also talked about falling into the trap of journaling out of obligation. We both shared that we have a sense of relief once we have something written down. I told him that when I persevered and continued in quiet time and journaling, not out of obligation (I had met my obligation) but on my own – God rewarded me with insights I wouldn’t have received otherwise. He quickly responded, ‘Don’t try to make me feel guilty now!’. We both smiled.

If you are going through this journey with us – fantastic! My hope is not that you will become a person that journals daily, necessarily, but that you will realize the value of spending time with God and listening for His word. I pray that you gain a greater hunger for more of Him.

Why did we choose 40 days anyway!?

The period of 40 days is significant in the Bible and used multiple times. This included the 40 days and nights that it rained on Noah and the ark, the time Moses spent on the mountain, the numbers of days Goliath came out against the Israelites before David killed him, and especially the time Jesus fasted in the wilderness. This time is always a period of testing and trial, and it ends with a period of restoration, revival, or renewal.

May these 40 days, through December 21st, end with a period of restoration that makes the true meaning of Christmas that much more pronounced this year.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” – James 4:8a

Journaling Challenge: Is it 40 days yet! by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://nymensministry.com.

Filed Under: Advent, Bible Study, Christianity, journaling, Prayer Tagged With: 40 days, bible study, biblestudy, desert, faith, God, Jesus, journal, journaling, prayer, quiet time, restoration, revival, wilderness

I Take It Back: Why I’m Journaling Again

November 21, 2012 by nymensministry 1 Comment

By Dan Bouchelle on his blog titled “Confessions of a Former Preacher: Reflections on life in the mission of God” (Re-posted with permission)

Some time back I blogged about my many failed attempts to practice spiritual journaling. It was entitled Why I Don’t Journal: The Danger of Words and it was basically about how easy it is to practice self-deception and posture even in our journals. I found I used language as a tool to manage my life and keep me from God rather than become vulnerable to God.

My sub-point was that not all spiritual disciplines work for everyone, which is why we need so many. For much of my life, I’ve needed to practice silence before God more than journaling. My job required that I prepare to preach and teach multiple lessons each week, write bulletin articles, lead multiple meetings, and generally use words in a way that put me in a controlling position. Creating more words, more writing, was not helpful to me. I needed to shut up and listen.

Then something changed. Or maybe it was me that changed. Maybe it is because I’m not a preacher per se anymore. While I still do some preaching, I’m not writing new material every week, and I’m not upfront talking nearly as much. Other than my occasional blog entry, which takes a fraction of the time a sermon takes, I don’t put words together like I once did. Or maybe I’m in another season of life. I don’t know, but I’ve taken up journaling again and, for the first time since I was an undergraduate, I’m finding it a refreshing and life-producing way to connect with God.

It started by reading Brene Brown’s books. She suggested that people who live the fullest lives practice gratitude in an intentional way and suggested creating a gratitude journal. Then I attended our MRN board and staff retreat where Rhonda Lowry and Earl Lavender both talked about how journaling enriches their faith walk. I thought about it more and found myself drawn to the practice again.

So I bought a blank journal and starting carrying it around with me. I note something that happens for which I’m thankful. I write down any reflections from my daily time in the Word that seems like a prompting of the Spirit, a fresh idea, or insight. I note things that happen throughout the day that I want to remember or think about later. I record quotes from others or ideas people share I find helpful. I use the journal like a written memory (which is important now that I’ve misplaced my other one). I don’t require myself to use my journal in a slavish way. I write when I have something to write and leave it blank when I don’t. Most nights I jot down some reflections on the day. Some nights I’m too tired to write and start my morning by recording what I wake up pondering from the day before.

Why bother blogging about this? Well, I had a young preacher tell me my earlier blog entry was the reason he stopped journaling. That idea didn’t set well with me. My point wasn’t to discourage others from journaling, but merely to encourage people to embrace the spiritual practices that helped them and not assume we all need the same kinds of connection points with God. In addition, I wanted to reaffirm the understanding that different seasons of life require different habits and practices. Our ten year old daughter doesn’t need the same kind of work-out routine I do because she does gymnastics and is more active in general, not to mention younger. I can’t do the kind of work-out I did in my 30’s. My body can’t take it now. Our spiritual lives are similar. What we need changes as our life stage and circumstances change. If we are going to keep growing, we need to be learning, experimenting, observing others, imitating, modeling, and sharing life with others on the same journey. What did not help us at one stage of life may at another. The day you stop growing is the day you stop living.

So, I’m journaling again and loving it. It helps that I’m not trying to do it right. Nothing kills doing things well like trying to do them right. I also am not writing for posterity. I don’t need anyone else to find these journals and read them. My kids probably won’t ever pour over what I write to seek insights and inspiration. I’ve given up that silly pretension I once maintained with myself. I doubt anyone could read my journals even if they wanted to. My hand-writing is so bad it’s cryptic. This is for me and God. This helps me be more grateful, more mindful, and more faithful.

Now, what helps you?

Filed Under: Bible Study, communing with God, daily office, divine office, journaling Tagged With: bible study, church, Dan Bouchelle, Guest Blog, journal, journaling, legalism, prayer, quiet time, spirituality, writing

Journaling: Don’t give up!

November 15, 2012 by nymensministry 1 Comment

Don’t give up! You will face resistance in trying to spend time with God. The other day (day 2), I was attempting to spend time with God and the phone rang three different times, and our dog went crazy because someone came too close to our house. It was clear that satan didn’t want me to spend quiet time with the Lord. I persisted on this occasion but if you have missed a day, or haven’t started yet, why not start (or start again) tomorrow. Lamentations 3:21-23 says:

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

Journal Entry (Anonymous)

We will be posting entries that we have requested from people that are participating in this challenge throughout these 40 days. This is our first one from an anonymous person. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning: Grant me so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that I may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer)

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us go to the house of the Lord… For there are the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.” – Psalm 122:1,5

“Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises to our King” – Psalm 47:5

“Rejoice heart and soul… shout for joy … Look your King is approaching, he is vindicated and victorious” – Zechariah 9:9

“Tell it out among the nations: ‘The Lord is King! He has made the world so firm that it can not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.'” – Psalm 96:10

Your throne, O God, Endures for ever and ever – Psalm 45:1-10

Hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come. They will be done on each as it is in heaven – The Lord’s Prayer

“You must go through the trial before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one. (Conforming my will to His) – Oswald Chambers

And He will protect me through it –

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91:11

“If you had eyes to see, you would perceive a bodyguard of angels always attending every one of the blood bought family.” – C.H. Spurgeon

“I have been young and now I am old, but never have I seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread” – Psalm 37:26

Lord, I’m fearful, I’m anxious, I’m depressed. I’m worried about both getting a job and finding a job. I worry equally about the smallest things like my schedule and big things like a friend’s sister in ICU. I feel helpless at times when it comes to my marriage, my ministry, and life in general.

I know you are on the throne but as all of the readers of the Bible need to heat it, so do I (today and probably everyday). I know you are working your will into my life and it’s hard, it feels like dying. I feel like a failure although I’m probably just mourning the loss of my will.

I know you will protect me; I just don’t always see you working. I have absolutely no evidence of your unfaithfulness. You have always been faithful. You can’t not be faithful.

I don’t know how to pray – I ask for a closer walk with You during these 40 days and I ask that it be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ very precious name. Amen.

Journaling: Don’t Give Up by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at https://nymensministry.com/2012/11/15/journaling-dont-give-up/.

Filed Under: anxiety, Bible Study, communing with God, daily office, depression, Discernment, divine office, journaling Tagged With: anxiety, bible study, book of common prayer, Christianity, closer walk with God, communing with God, depression, fear, God's will, intimacy with God, journal, journaling, my will, praises to our king, quiet time, relationship with God, sadness, savior jesus christ, time with God, walk with God

40 Day Journey Begins!

November 10, 2012 by nymensministry 1 Comment

blog.sdrock.com

I’m really excited that many people have told me that they want to commit to journaling for 40 days with us! I know God will bless the time we commit to being with Him.

We’ve decided to allow as much flexibility as possible. We encourage you to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed then:

Pray – Ask God to quiet your mind of any worries or tasks that have to be done. Ask Him to be with you and to speak with you. “Come into His presence”
Scripture – God often talks through His scripture and He never talks contrary to it! You may want to follow a Bible plan or read the scripture for the coming Sunday. We have some recommendations below but this is entirely up to you.
Meditate / Journal – You may find yourself stopping midway through your Bible reading because a phrase or image struck you. Write it down; why did it resonate with you? Is there something going on in your life or a desire of your heart that you want to share with God?

Resources:

Divine Hours – This is my favorite resource because almost every word is scripture with a few hymns mixed it. Compiled by Phyllis Tickle and it can be found on-line for free here: http://www.explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/hours.php
Daily Office Lectionary – From the ESV: http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/bcp/2012-11-11/

One final thing to remember, our goal isn’t to finish a book, or read a lot of scripture in these 40 days although we may do some of both. It is to hear God and to ‘chase after Him’. To become more in tune with His voice and respond to His prompting.

Another Example:

We hope to have a few people share a little of their journaling over these 40 days. As, I’ve been doing through Twitter and this blog, I thought I would share another good example. Pastor Ronnie in this blog shows that it doesn’t have to be complex. He simply writes a thought, a scripture, and a prayer. Take a look here: http://blog.sdrock.com/pastors/2012/06/11/listening-to-his-voice-a-journal-63-69/

Chasing After You

Someone shared this video with me recently and I think it is perfect for us, as we embark on ‘chasing after God’.

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Special Note for Community Bible Church members:

In Sunday’s Sermon, we saw from Psalm 55 some healthy ways of dealing with our negative emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, depression. If you missed the sermon, you can watch it here: http://cbcnw.sermon.tv/

You can find scripture readings for each day of the week in the bulletin. Here are some questions for you to consider as you journal this week:

What stood out to you? Have you experienced any negative emotions lately? How did you deal with them? Did you pay attention to them? Can you pay attention to them now? What might God be trying to teach you about yourself or Him through them?

God Bless!

40 Day Journey Begins by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at https://nymensministry.com/2012/11/09/40-day-journey-begins/.

Filed Under: Bible Study, journaling, Prayer Tagged With: bible study, Chasing after You, discipline, divine hours, faith, God, journal, journaling, prayer, quiet time

The 40 Day Journaling Challenge

November 6, 2012 by nymensministry Leave a Comment

In our men’s Bible study this past Saturday morning we talked about ‘fear and love’ in the Bible. I wondered out loud to the group,

‘Do we truly experience a daily tangible relationship with God?‘.

I said, I’m sure we have all had times where we felt close to Him (and multiple heads shook in agreement) but do we have an intimate connection with him daily? If we did, we probably would better understand what it means to ‘fear’ breaking that relationship with Him.

God, closer, intimacy, journal, walk, relationship

priestlybride.blogspot.com/

I suspect that, despite our efforts, there will always be some days when God feels distant. As He did to David, when he wrote Psalm 22, and to Jesus when he used it while on the cross:

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
²O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.

But these are likely times of trial in which God is teaching us something. The problem I have, is that I bring upon myself a dryness (as Gordon MacDonald described in our last post) and this is something I want to try to address.

You see, I’ve been going through a period of discouragement and I desire a closer walk with God. I want to know His presence more and have a more intimate relationship. I want it to be more tangible as it was with Moses, David and especially Jesus.

I know a closer walk means both more discipline and more actually walking (doing His will). Therefore today, I resolve to journal for 40 days starting this coming Sunday, November 11th, through to Friday, December 22nd. I can’t think of a better way to prepare for the coming of Christ on Christmas!

I have talked to multiple people about this already and some people have agreed to join me, without any prompting. Therefore I wanted to open this challenge up to all of you. To our blog readers, our followers on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. The members of the Westchester Men’s Ministry and the church congregations of Westchester, especially Community Bible Church of Yorktown, NY.

If you would like to join us, make a resolution to do so. You don’t have to make it public but we recommend you do. You can leave a comment on this blog post or you can share it on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/NYMensministry

Then keep an eye out for more details on resources to help you during your journaling/quiet time. In order to make it easier, any resource we use will be available free on-line. You can use a simple notebook but if you would like to buy a slightly nicer journal, this one is less than $10. http://www.dayspring.com/cross_leather_christian_journal/

God Bless!

The 40 Day Journaling Challenge by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at https://nymensministry.com/2012/11/06/journaling-challenge/.

Filed Under: communing with God, daily office, journaling, meditation, Prayer Tagged With: closer walk, God, gordon macdonald, intimacy, journal, journaling, meditation, prayer, psalm 22, quiet time, relationship, religion, walk

The Discipline of Journaling

November 4, 2012 by nymensministry Leave a Comment

Why Mapping your Private World can bring your soul into focus – Genesis 35:6-7

by Gordon MacDonald – Reprinted with permission of the Leadership Journal (LeadershipJournal.net)

When I started journaling it was because I needed a “friend,” and I wasn’t doing well with the human kind. I had passed through several weeks of high stress, the kind young pastors are never ready to face. I’d ignored the need for spiritual refreshment; I’d neglected the family; I’d allowed myself to become overwhelmed by the problems of people. There I was, one Saturday morning, crying uncontrollably in the arms of my wife.

It was a scary moment and gave me a taste of the ’empty soul’. This must not happen again, I thought. It came to me that writing each day in a journal would press me to deal more forthrightly with my emotions, with my spiritual state (or lack of same), and with the meaning of my life. I was not disappointed.

Journaling Defined

What was my journal’s purpose? A journal—at least in my book—is a dialogue with the soul. It includes a record of events, but it also attempts to expose the significance of the events. What is God saying through this? What am I learning? How do I feel? What are the principles that ooze from these events?

Beyond that, I wanted the journal to be a story of my own journey and the journey (as much as possible) of those closest to me. The high and low points of my marriage are in the journals. Our children and grandchildren will one day be able to go back and recapture the salient events of their lives as seen through a father’s eyes. They will know how much I have loved them and how proud I am of their life choices. Often I have used my journal to pray and worship. Here and there are the indications of spiritual breakthroughs. And the journal has preserved vivid memories of the most remarkable (good and bad) moments of life.

What Journaling Produces

When journaling is done regularly, several things become possible:

The invisible and the ephemeral are forced into reality. Once feelings, fears, and dreams are named, they can be dealt with, prayed for, and surrendered to God. They come under control, no longer existing in a way that pollutes the soul and the mind.

Learning experiences are preserved. If I record and reflect on the experiences of each day, I add to my base of wisdom. Things usually forgotten or lost in the unconscious now, like books on a library shelf, wait to be tapped when parallel moments arise in the future.

Memories of God’s great and gracious acts are preserved. “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it,” God said to Moses after a great victory. As Israel wandered through the wilderness and experienced God’s providential care, he had them build monuments so they could remember. One day, I realized that my journal writing was a memorial to God’s sufficiency.

I can chart areas where I need most to grow and mature. As I look at journals of 30 years ago, I realize I have struggled with the same knot of issues throughout the years. The good news: the steps I took in the early days as I wrote of these issues turned into disciplines. And today, while issues remain, my “overcoming” rate is substantially higher. I wouldn’t have spotted many of these issues if I’d not written about them day after day.

It brings dreams alive. As ideas have flooded my mind over the years, I have written about them. Putting them into words helped me to discern the foolish ideas and develop the good ones. Many things I’ve done in the last few years had origins I can find in earlier journals.

Discussion:

Have you ever kept a journal? Was it a positive or negative experience?
What appeals to you most about keeping a regular journal? What appeals to you least?
Which of the products of journaling above seem the most beneficial?

Challenge:

We would like to challenge all of our readers and followers to join us in resolving to journal for 40 days starting this coming Sunday, November 11th, through to December 22nd. More details to follow in our next blog on Tuesday, November 6th.

Pictures of journals we found on-line that have inspired us:

Journaling as Spiritual Discipline: How to Set up and Organize a Journal

http://www.aholyexperience.com

http://www.allisonkimball.com

http://www.theredheadedhostess.com

Filed Under: communing with God, daily office, divine office, journaling, meditation, Prayer Tagged With: bible study, closer walk with God, daily office, discipline, divine office, God, journal, journaling, meditation, peace, presence, quiet time, religion

Reducing Anxiety – Practically Depending on God

November 1, 2012 by nymensministry 5 Comments

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – Jesus to the apostles in John 16:33

http://www.humintell.com

Jesus warned the apostles and He warns us today that we will have trouble, but in the end God wins!! I called this blog entry ‘Reducing Anxiety’ because I have found that these tools help but they don’t eliminate anxiety. These tools should be available to all, especially Christians, as we deal with the trials of life.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

When we get anxious, we start to breath quickly and shallowly. Obviously you get less oxygen and it can be harder to think clearly. I’m not an expert on this but here are the steps I follow for this technique, along with some additional resources:

http://www.deepsloweasy.com

Although you can lie down, I typically do this exercise while sitting up tall in a chair. Back straight, head looking straight ahead, comfortable and relaxed. Place one hand on your stomach and one on your chest.
Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out against your hand. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible.
Optional: after your stomach is filled, then you can fill your upper chest (see diagram to right). If you do this optional step, then first exhale from the chest before…
Contract your stomach muscles bringing your belly button towards your spine. Exhale through pursed lips (like you are blowing up a balloon)
Repeat, inhale to a count of 8 (but don’t strain yourself) and exhale to a count of 4 (again, don’t strain)

Additional resources on Diaphragmatic Breathing:

Diaphragmatic Breath – The Cleveland Clinic: http://bit.ly/Rx0MxI
With Every Breath you Take (Part 3) by The Voice Lady: http://youtu.be/23ctmPTwgGY

Cognitive Restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is much like journaling but with a focused template and the goal of understanding and practically addressing anxiety.

Find a quiet place where you can think and write. Briefly describe (in your journal) the situation (provide context, date, etc.).
List all the thoughts you are having about this situation. Don’t filter yourself – this is important. These are your automatic thoughts.
How does this make you feel? (anxious/nervous, angry, frustrated, sad, irritated, embarrassed, ashamed, hateful, confused, etc.)
List the thinking errors in your automatic thoughts. Here is a list of possible errors: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_distortion
Challenge your thoughts. Here are some sample questions that could help:
1. Do I know for certain that___________?
2. What evidence do I have that ________?
3. What is the worst that could happen? How bad is that?
4. Do I have a crystal ball?
5. Is there another point of view?
Rational Response is a summary of the challenges into a rational statement to use to combat your automatic thoughts.
Achievable Behavioral Goal – what is one thing that is do-able that you can do right now to help reduce the anxiety?

Afterwards, you can further ask more questions like: Did you achieve your goal? Did the rational response help? What did you learn? This is from a book called Managing Social Anxiety: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach Client Workbook (Treatments That Work). You can find the complete two page worksheet to use as a guide below.

I find that after doing this exercise for a while, the anxiety creating thoughts immediately bring the rational response to mind which acts like a cure. Here’s a very short example:

Situation: Getting over a cold that has kept me from working for two full days
Automatic Thoughts:
1. I’ve got a lot to get done but I’m still fatigued from my cold. I’m falling behind!
2. I also would like to post a new blog entry but I want to do it well and not rush it. -> Honor God
3. Job search is stalling with no word from multiple opportunities while I was sick.
4. Worried about upcoming storm – the tree near our garage could fall on our house.
Feeling: Anxious, tired
Thinking Errors: Disqualifying the positive, Fortune telling
Challenge: I’ve been sick and despite that I spoke at a conference and have had somewhat productive days.
Rational Response: Give yourself a break; Trust God for the outcome; Make a list
Achievable Goal: Make a list of the follow-up items and actions I need to respond to first.

I sincerely hope this post gives you some tools that help you reduce your anxiety. Please let us know your thoughts. Do you have other techniques that have worked for you? Have you tried these before and had success? or not?

God Bless!

Reducing Anxiety – Practically Depending on God by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at https://nymensministry.com/2012/11/01/reducing-anxiety/.