Quiet Time Journals

Do you have a method for keeping track of what you're thinking and reading and studying and praying during your "God Time"?

Right now, I'm lousy at it. There have been times that I have been really good at journaling and recording my big ideas. But those seasons of life have seemed to be sporatic, not consistent. 

I'm on a roll of reading my Bible daily, but just not writing anything down. I haven't been able to find a method or tactic or system that seems to work. 

But here's what I know from an educator's perspective...

In lesson planning, there are several components to designing an "effective lesson". You have the "hook" - the thing that gets your students' attention - this could be a task, a demonstration, a reading passage, whatever. Then you have the acquiring previous knowledge, the direct instruction, the guided practice. All teacher stuff that if you're teacher, you know and if you're not a teacher, all you've been reading for the last couple of sentences is blah, blah, blah.

But the one final component that teachers include in a lesson before turning students loose to practice the skill on their own is Closure. As a teacher, I need to be able to assess what stuck in my students' thinking and what completely went in one ear and out the other. Closure can be in the form of Q&A or having students jot down what they got or what they didn't get or a myriad of other techniques. 

I think that same component of Closure is necessary in my my quiet God Time. Otherwise, I'm just reading Scripture and praying prayers that are littered with random thoughts, like what do I need to buy at the store later today and how can I get so and so to do such and such. 

Journaling can be considered a type of Closure. It's a way of recording, what stuck and what went through one eyeball and out the other as I read. In my past experiences, I have been more focused as I record my thinking. 

I have a ton of Closure templates that I've created to use in the classroom that I'm thinking that I will attempt to convert into more of a Bible Study/Quiet Time format that I hope to eventually make available to anyone who wants to use them. But for now, here's one. 

Here's a link that I think you'll be able to download a copy of this template if you're interested in using it. Quiet Time Journal #1. This is the first time that I'm attempting to link a PDF to my blog, so if it doesn't work, please let me know. Thanks.

If you're a Google user and you'd prefer to keep this digital - CLICK HERE to make your own copy of the template and save it to your Google Drive.

So let me know what methods, systems, strategies, techniques, you've used or are using to record your thinking as you study God's Word. If you have an idea for a template & you'd like help in creating it, let me know about that too. I'm not promising anything fancy, but it will be functional. 

Thanks and many blessings to you today!
Bethany

The abc's of #whyIwrite: adventure

Have you ever been on a ropes course? You know those obstacle courses made out of ropes and logs up, up in the air? I love them! I have had the opportunity to be a monkey on three different ones in three different countries. My third experience was in New Zealand. It was fun and nerve-wracking all at the same time. The picture below shows me finishing it off by repelling down the side of a drop off. 

@BethanyLigon (2006)

My second experience was in Austria. There were several challenging aspects to that one too, but the ending was my favorite part, ziplining across a small lake/big pond. With my shoes removed, my toes splashed across the water as I cruised through the air. 

My first ropes course, it by far, has been my most memorable experience. My heart raced the entire time as I maneuvered through the tree tops in Colorado. The way to get down was a more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge. Imagine this: standing on a platform about 50 feet up in the air. The goal is to jump off the platform and grab a hold of a swinging trapeze bar that is 5-6 feet out in front of you. If that wasn't freaky enough, you then had to let go and just fall, while trusting that the ropes course dude would use his skills in repelling to stop you before you hit the ground. It was certainly an adventurous thrill!

Here's why I like these adventurous high in the sky obstacle courses:

• It's communal - You can't do it alone. In fact, you are dependent on others to help you get from station to station and down safely. But more than that, the awesome experience of having others cheer you along the way and being able to do that for others makes these adventures a lot of fun.
• It's a safe risk - Yes, you could fall, but you're not going to hit the ground. You're harnessed in and connected to a series of ropes. But still, knowing that there is some small possibility that something unexpected could happen certainly gets my heart pumping and my legs shaking.
• It's out of the ordinary - Like I said, I've only done 3 in my whole entire life! And the last time, in New Zealand, was already 10 years ago! 

I think of writing a blog, especially one that focuses my attention on what God is teaching me, is a lot like the adventure of hanging on to dear life on a ropes course. 

• It's communal - It's my way of connecting to others. I know that those who know me well will be cheering me on. And for other writers, I can encourage and support them on their journeys too.
• It's a safe risk - These days it's a bit risky putting your ideas out there for others to judge. You never quite know how someone might respond. But it's a relatively low risk because in the case of this blog, people are very kind. And what's even more, is that I kinda think that God has my back.
• It's out of the ordinary - Blogging is a time where I can sit still and reflect on what message God is trying to teach me. It's not work, chores, or even leisure, which is how a majority of my time is spent. It's time set especially aside to get ideas out of my head and onto a screen.

So thanks for going on this adventure with me! 

Blessings to you!

Bethany