Might 2019 be the Year to Write in a Notebook?

I looked back this past week. These notebooks date from 2005-early 2010. They are filled with prayers and study notes, questions and declarations, heartache and celebration. They are sacred to me, a record of a journey. They represent people I love and dreams I have. If you have never written in a notebook, might this year be the year to try? I like the regular old, spiral notebook, kind. If you are more like me, you will not want a strict guide or formula. If you are not like me, you may want a guide.

Something you could try:

1. Answer the question- What do you want? Write it down, do not consider the right answer. Write what is in you, no matter what it is.
2. Answer the question- What do you need? Again, leave what you think you should write at the door.
3. Ask God if he has anything to say to you about these things. God, what do you have to say about this? Ask God to bring scripture to mind. If a certain word comes to mind, do a concordance search of that word. There are many Bible apps and resources to help. One I like is Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm Type in your word. Pick a Bible translation. Try NLT, New Living Translation, if you need a suggestion. Click the search button. Scan the verses until one strikes you. Open up your Bible and read the whole section around it. Ask God to give you insight and truth. Ask God to meet you right where you are.
4. Ask him all the questions that come.
5. Write down anything God shows you.

God is so full of grace and love. God is alive and speaks today. Expect it. Warning: do not try to wrap everything up with a bow. Leave it wherever it is when you are done for that day. Sometimes God answers a question I write down years later. Continue to expect God to speak and show you things when you are doing all your normal tasks and work in your days. Your relationship with God is an on-going, living, amazing thing. I pray 2019 leads you further into God’s love and presence. A notebook might be one of the tools God uses.

If you have a prompt or way you use a notebook, I would love to hear. It may be just the thing someone else needs to hear as well. Leave your ideas in the comments.