The Journey Begins

“Written prayer is the key to my consistent conversation with the Lover of my soul. It is an intimacy that I can enjoy anytime, anyplace. I simply open my journal, lift my pen and pour out my heart.” ~ Lynn D.  Morrissey

Today is the day. Grab your backpack and water bottle. Eat your Wheaties. Focus. No extra baggage. It is not complicated to meet with Jesus. I promise it’s not. The hardest thing will be staying on the path. Keep it simple, and do not burden yourself with extraneous details or materials. Bible, Pen, Journal. OK, you can have a couple of pens…just nothing that will distract you from hearing Him. OH, and Coffee. But, mine usually gets cold. If you have not yet, consecrated your Journal, start today. Simply, take it to God in prayer. That is what we will be doing. Are you ready to jump in.

If you want to know more about what journey I am referring to, read this: Journal Your Journey [with Jesus].

To read the weekend post (which published just under the wire at 11:57 PM last night read this: Consecrating Your Journal for the Journey

To hit the ground running, read on…

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Wait, no…how about this one: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step ? Hold up…stay with me, try this on for size:  

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. ~Titus 2:11-14

The difference between an inspiring quote and the inspired Word of God is that one motivates you for a morning, maybe a day but the other satisfies AND more importantly, sanctifies for a lifetime:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Journaling your journey with Jesus is not a formal Bible Study, it is a lifetime committed to coming to your Living, Loving, Saviour daily for instruction, worship, connection and communication. It is not a legalistic practice. I cannot tell you exactly what God will say to you, but I can tell you if you set your heart, mind, soul and strength on desiring Him and connecting with Him, He will not let you down. He will show up. AND He will change you.

Think of sitting in a small group of the most powerful people in the world. Make that the Universe. Right where you are. They are willing…and able. You have at your access God the Father overseeing this private conference. How He manages all these details, I have no idea, but He is God. I am happy to leave it there. Sitting on one side is the Holy Spirit, ready to coordinate, guide and motivate this meeting of the minds. Then there is Jesus…who advocates, facilitate and intercedes all communication on your behalf. Wait, what? Yup…it’s true. There you sit, pen in hand, Bible open. Of course you would take notes, HELLO! This is your life and you have the greatest life coaching team EVER in your corner. True story. Every. Single. Day.

So to kick off this journey…we will be sitting in a very short book: Titus. Let’s consider it our Pre-Journey carb-loading. Because honestly, there is a LOT of theology to ponder in these three chapters.

We will sort of camp here for a few days. I will share a few thoughts, as God leads. BUT, you are to open the book and ask God what He wants to show you in it. If He leads you somewhere else, just feel free to override my instruction. He is God. Better you listen to Him, before me. Gah! But journal where He leads. Since I have ADHD, I surely would not want you to see how my quiet time actually looks…OY! Sort of like a parent, trying to rally up a 5 year old in a toy store. But, God is gracious and faithful…and able to discipline, instruct, and communicate clearly with this handful of me. I am confident He is able to do the same for you.

The journal writing is extremely helpful to me in focusing, clarifying and communicating my heart before God and for helping me hear Him through all the mess. I also enjoy writing scripture in my journal and on index cards. I believe  the act of physically writing out the verses help me in my meditating and memorizing the Word of God.

Go here or a quick overview of the:  Book of Titus. (Do not feel you need to do this prior to reading the book for yourself.)