Last year, January 2012, I wrote a blog post about journaling. Well, I can safely say, one year later, if it wasn’t for my journal and this app, I don’t know how I would have processed the many things that happened in 2012. It was a year of transitions full of mountains and valleys. But through it all, God was faithful and He had me in the palm of His hands. That’s not something that I just say, but as I read through all my journal entries from 2012, it’s something that I can see.
Here’s the blog post:
So, in 2012, I started journaling (again).
I’ve always heard people who journal and say there’s nothing better to map your spiritual journey. I’ve always been inspired by my wife’s journaling, for her times with God and prayers. But for me, I’ve tried it, and never been able to make it a discipline in my life. So, I justified (not that it needed justification) by saying that Jesus didn’t journal … it’s not necessary. But still, I inwardly desired to have that a part of my life.
Well, enter 2012, a year of new beginnings and I’ve started again, but this time, with a plan. I’ve tried moleskines, journal books, even Evernote on my computer, but nothing really stuck. But this year, I got an app (yes another app) called Day One. It’s on my Mac, my iPhone and my iPad and everything is sync’ed and everything is password protected. What I really like about it is – 1) it’s always in my menubar and all I have to do is click it and start typing a journal entry anytime 2) you can set reminders at certain times during the day and it will remind you to write in it. It’s been great (so far). And because it’s now part of my day, I’m writing in there prayers, thoughts, ideas, things I did, etc.
Anyway, I read a blog post this morning from Mark Batterson about journaling and thought it was perfect confirmation for me on why I started journaling, and maybe an inspiration for you:
I just got a new prayer journal for 2012. First order of business? Creating a prayer listfor my children. I think of journaling as a spiritual discipline. It’s the way we write down the vision ala Habakkuk 2. It’s the way we take thoughts captives ala II Corinthians 10:5. It’s the way you ink your faith.
Ideas are like vapor. They have a very short lifespan. If you don’t write them down they vaporize! Call it a dream journal or prayer journal or idea journal. I don’t care whether it’s a digital APP or leather-bound book.
Just journal.
After all, the shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory!
Love that last quote … why did I start journaling? Because, the shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory!
So, as I start 2013, I’m committed to journaling through again … with the help of this incredible app called Day One, that gets better and better with every update!
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