Breakfast with Jesus... (part two)

Reading yesterday in John's Gospel, the part where Jesus invites His disciples to, "Come and have breakfast with me," got me thinking about the many years, decades in fact, that I've had my morning coffee with Jesus. I don't actually eat any breakfast, but when I get out of bed, I go downstairs, make my cup of coffee, and then settle down with my Bible and my journal - to spend time talking to and listening to Jesus at the start of my day.

Somehow, that memory prompted the thought yesterday that I should tidy up the cupboard where all my old journals are stored. I discovered, to my amazement, that I've filled 36 notebooks since first coming to visit Spain in mid 2007. Every now and then, I read in one of those old journals and am blessed a second time to be reminded of things that God was showing me in His Word during those precious "breakfast" times of the day.

Why on earth am I filling so many notebooks, you may be wondering. Well, in the early days, when I was a teenager and in my twenties, I used to write directly in the margins of my Bible. (The Bible in the photo isn't mine.) I would underline verses that stood out to me, or write little notes in the margin about things that God was teaching me. The great thing about this was that I was constantly being reminded of truths and values that God was showing me for my own life as a follower of Jesus. Of course, it meant that my Bible margins quickly filled up and I had to buy a new Bible every four or five years. (That wasn't such a bad thing at the time, as it was a season when several new translations were being released - Good News Bible, New International Version, etc - and it was quite enriching to read familiar texts in new translations.)

After a while, though, I realised that there were other disad-vantages to having my Bible filled with underlinings and neatly printed notes in the margins. I occasionally found myself witnessing to Muslims (in France or in West Africa) and I knew that it was shocking for them to see such "defacing and disrespect" for the Holy Scriptures. I also noticed that each time I read a passage, I found myself falling into the same pattern of thinking as the previous time I'd read it; the notes in the margin reminded me of what God had said last time, but didn't help me keep my heart and my spirit open to something new that He might want to say to me this time.

I'd always kept a journal too, but there came a time when I decided to write only in the journal and no longer scribble in the margins of my Bible. And so that's the explanation of why I've stockpiled so many "quiet time notebooks" over the years. Some years I filled only one notebook, while other years I filled two or three. (The advent of pound shops and other discount stores was wonderful, as it meant I could pick up a nice notebook for only £1.)

So now you know why I'm filling so many journals, but perhaps you're wondering what I'm writing in them. (If you're a journaller yourself, you won't need to ask that question, of course.) 

Well, I write down the insights that God is showing me through my Bible reading and/or the things that He is speaking to me personally through that passage. Sometimes I write down my prayers of response to God or questions that I'm grappling with. Sometimes I use a different coloured pen to write out a whole verse that speaks to me (instead of underlining it in the Bible.)

I also use my journal to write down my goals at the beginning of each year: areas where I desire to see spiritual growth, further development of ministry projects or steps to living a healthy, God-honouring lifestyle.

It can also be useful to write down things that happen outside of my "breakfast with Jesus" times. Perhaps God speaks to me during a church service or during something that happens. It's good to write those things down so that the valuable lessons won't get lost. Part of the reason I have so many journals from the past decade here in Spain is because the early years were a big transition time for me. I also wrote a lot during the many months that my Dad was in hospital. These were "life lessons" that happened outside of the context of "quiet time" and reading the Bible. Sometimes I've combined my diary and my journal in the same notebook, just because I was in a season of many such life lessons and teachable moments.

Some people use their journals to take notes during church services, during their house group Bible study, or during a seminar or retreat that they attend. Other people combine their "prayer" journal with their "Bible" journal, noting things that they pray and answers to those prayers. 

If you've never kept a journal, let me encourage you to give it a try. It's probably true that journalling appeals more to some personality types than others, but I know journallers of many different personality types and they all share testimony of how helpful it has been to them in their relationship with God.

Buy yourself a notebook, choose your time of the day (you may not be a "breakfast with Jesus" kind of person; perhaps it works better for you before lunch or in the afternoon) and get started. When you come to your time alone with God, open your notebook, write down the date, and write down the Bible reference that you're reading. After you've read the passage a few times, thoughtfully and prayerfully, just write down whatever stands out to you, what you sense God wants you to know, or how you plan to apply that truth in your own life. 

Some days I fill two pages; other days I write only two lines. The amount doesn't matter. Like the disciples in the post above (who brought their own fish to the breakfast with Jesus), it's simply about coming prepared and expectant, with a heart that longs to grow closer to Jesus.