Important Suggestion to my fellow Journalers

If these posts are too long for you to complete, I suggest that you print off the prompt that is of current interest to you and then tape it into your journal for future reference. The prompts are such that you can do it in one sitting or you can break each idea down and use them as separate prompts. There is no set rule on how to use these prompts. They can be used as lessons for your auxiliaries too. Hope you enjoy them and may they glorify the Lord in all the ways you use them. God bless your writing experiences.

Important Note:

Most of these prompts will come from my own thoughts, but there may some that I have found from other people and want to share with you. Some of the prompts may be repeats to some of you who are members of the same online groups I am in, but I will include them for the new journalers out there reading this blog. And sometimes prompts are so good they are worth repeating. You may use a prompt over and over again and reply to it differently each time. I will give credit to prompts I find when I know the person who submitted the prompt or gave it to me by other means. If I find a journaling site that has prompts I will include them too. Thank you for your understanding.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Let's Do Some "Light" Exercises Together

Word Study:  Light
Write verses with the word "light" in them.  Record what the Lord means by them.
Read books relating to "light" or with the word "light" in the title.  Example: Traveling Light by Max Lucado

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  Genesis 1:3
Research different time recorded in the OT when God spoke or in the NT when Jesus spoke and things happened.
Record John 8:12 in your journal.  Jesus is the Light of the World.  Describe how He is the Light of your world.  Record times when you walked in darkness and how the Lord brought you out of that dark time.

More writing exercises using words with the root word "light".

"Don't be so serious, lighten up."  Record times in your life when things weren't so serious. 
"On a more lighter note."  Record times when you felt things were serious, but later you found out it wasn't really that serious after all.
Record Matthew 11:30.  Are you burdened with too many problems?  What can you do to "lighten your load?"
"Light as a feather."  Write about things happening this moment in your life that make you feel as if a load had been removed from your shoulders.
"See the light of day."  Write your burdens and concerns down in a prayer journal and thank the Lord for helping you see there is a tomorrow.
"Don't take things so lightly." Record moments when you should have taken things more seriously, but didn't.
"Don't be such a lightweight."  Are there times when you should have been more courageous, but wasn't?  Record these times and write how things might have turned out if you showed more bravery.  Example: opportunity to witness and didn't.
"You are so lighthearted."  Do you take things for granted?  Do you under react to things?  Are you more optimistic than others?  Do you accept things easily?  Write what it means to be lighthearted.

Sing the song "This Lil Light of Mine."  Record how you can make this child's song become a reality in your adult life.  Sing the song "I Saw the Light" and record how it makes you feel when singing it.

Research "lighthouses".
Research how life was "before electricity".  How did people journal then?  Have you ever written in your journal as Abe Lincoln did - by candlelight or lanterns?

Do a word study on the words - enlighten and enlightenment.

The word "light" can be a noun, verb, and adjective.  Write 3 sentences using the word "light" in it as the 3 parts of speech.

Do an opposite word study:  light/heavy; light/dark.

Do a study of the word "lighter".   Relate the word to color, weight, and a flame.

Do a synonym word study:  star, beacon, lamp, lantern, torch, candle.

Do a study on what happened when the Lord created night and day.

Follow the light... Record times you were in darkness in your life and you followed the light to Jesus.

If a light bulb was powered by the energy you put off doing the work for the Lord, would that energy be enough to burn a 100 watt bulb?  Or only enough to burn a 40 or 60 watt bulb?  Or is it just enough to burn a refrigerator bulb?  Write about the work you do for the Lord and how you can make it be more powerful.

Write of someone who "lights up your life."

Memorize Psalm 119:105.  Write the different paths you have been on in your life.  Record the times you walked the path without the Lord and times you walked them with the Lord.  Praise the Lord for carrying you on the path of life during those times you were not walking with the Lord.

I hope you enjoyed this light exercise we have done together and have been enlightened by the different prompts relating to the word 'light'.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

My Help Comes From The Lord

Do you work in a service industry type job?  I do.  I work in retail.  All day long I ask, "May I help you?"  "Can I help you find something?"  I also work in fast food.  We are helping people order their food.  I am a teacher.  I help children learn.  Throughout the day I will hear myself ask someone if I can help them, including my family.  I also find myself asking my family or friends to help me.  Help me with prayers.  Help me get something off the top shelf.  Help me take care of a sick child.  Help, help, help.  Well, the other day I realized I do this so often and I started praying for the Lord to help me.  Help me with my job situation.  Help me with finances.  Help me with my house problem.  Help me with my health.  And so on.  Then instead of asking and asking I started praising the Lord for all of the things He has already helped me with and will in the future provide His help.  I became so overwhelmed.  All I could do was sing "my help comes from the Lord."  Over and over.  And I continue to do that a week later.  When I get discouraged or worried or upset, I sing to myself "my help comes from the Lord."  It is helping relieve some of the stress and pressure.  Then, as usual, my mind started thinking in prompts and this song and answer to prayer has turned into a prompt that I want to share with you.

Of course you can do a verse study and record all of the verses that include the word "help".  But read on for a more lengthy prompt about the word.  Help. Helping. Helped. Helper.

Research assignment:  find the many ways the Lord helped people in the Bible.  Record them and write your response to the different ways He helped people and how it could be of help to you.  Find people who blog about how the Lord helped them.  Listen to your family and friends discuss how the Lord helped them in different situations.  Record them for reading in your times of needing encouragement or reassurance.

Write ways you can help other people.  When you are able to do these different ways of helping, record them and praise the Lord you were able to help others.  Write ways that you need help.  When someone helps you, record the situation and how you were helped.  Praise the Lord for this person who helped you. 

Do you get upset when you help someone and that person doesn't say thank you?  Write how that makes you feel.  Ask the Lord to help you be able to deal with the situation and find peace.  Has someone helped you and you forgot to say thank you?  If you are able to go ahead and tell that person thank you now.  If that person is no longer approachable or living, tell Jesus about it. 

Are there things you should ask help for, but don't?  Are there areas in your life you ask help for, but really could do it without someone helping you?  Write of these things.

Do you ever do random acts of kindness?  Record them and praise the Lord you were able to help someone without requiring a thank you.

Jesus Christ asked for help throughout the Bible.  Do you realize at times He has asked you for help?  Record the times you know the Lord used you as an instrument for helping someone.  Record the times you did not pay attention the Lord's call for help. 

Do you believe in angels unaware.  Record times you realized you had just experienced such a time of meeting an angel unaware.  Did you help him/her?  Or was that a time you were helped?

Every day you have opportunities to help others.  You may not be able to physically help the person, or financially help a person, but you can pray.  Pray.  Pray. Pray.  That my friends is the one way you can help others.  When you think all is hopeless and you are in need of help, you can pray.  Pray. Pray. Pray.

Remember your help comes from the Lord.  Let's sing together.  My help comes from the Lord.

Extension Assignment:  create a handmade card and make it a thank you card.  This card is for Jesus.  Write Him a thank you card.  Place the thank you card in your Bible.

Find thank you cards and address them to people who have helped you this week.  Mail them a card.  Ecards are nice to receive in your email, but a handwritten card helps the receiver in ways you would not believe.  Try to commit to sending one thank you card a week to someone that has helped you. 

I hope this prompt was helpful.  Thank you for reading my blog.  God Bless You.