On Journaling 3-24-17 CBByrd
I have been asked to lead a workshop on journaling next month for a group of Christian women. I have years of journals…But in recent years FB and the weblog “DisciplerofSelf…Seeking Christ in the World” has become my journal. Those two formats are quick, easy, part of my day almost anywhere that I am. The weblog has 610 posts that go back to July 23, 2005. Sometimes I refer back to a post there as I am looking for content related to a particular lesson with discipleship students or the Sunday small group I lead.
I realized this morning that 2-5 posts on FB are sometimes continuations of the same thought and actually are sort of “stream of thought” journaling. From time to time I gather together those related posts into a document, post them on my weblog and have a more complete thought….what would be a journal entry, so to speak, about the topic I have been pondering.
I also keep a document file of things I write sorted by date…a digital journal, more or less, as well as some files by topic that I use in teaching. I have no illusions that any of it has any meaning for anyone else. It is all for me to use to ponder, to grow, to discover how the Lord is guiding me in my thoughts about life, the world, relationships, etc. I have instructed someone in my life to destroy all of it when I die….bound journals, weblog, digital files, etc. Some of it is for God’s eyes and heart only!
I was a big “Star Trek” fan. And I have always been somewhat enamored of the “Ship’s Log” concept observed there written by Captain Kirk. The practice of a captain’s log is an ancient mariner’s tradition….”A logbook (a ship’s logs or simply log) is a record of important events in the management, operation, and navigation of a ship. It is essential to traditional navigation, and must be filled in at least daily……The captain’s log was a form of log entry record-keeping that was used since the first captains sailed Earth’s seas in ancient history. The log was used to inform the captain’s superiors of what was happening on a trip.” These entries are my “log”….the daily view from where I stand. As I journey, sometimes I need to look back to observe how far I’ve traveled, be reminded of lessons learned, use historical information to change direction, etc. It is a joyful journey, no matter the storms that come along. I know that as long as the Captain of The Seas is with me, we’ll navigate safely through and come to the Harbour of Rest at just the right time. In the meantime various conditions on the seas and experiences in various ports of call are worth remembering.