New Sermon Notes and a New Series - PRAYER

We are super excited at St. John's to be starting a new series on PRAYER. What an amazing and important discipline in our faith lives, every part of our lives. Communication is key for any relationship, especially the one with our Lord. Prayer is our main form of communication with God.

Over the next several weeks, we will be looking over the Old Testament readings and the prayers of the faithful and their interactions with God. The sermon notes will feature word art that relates to their prayers. After the sermon series, there will be a Sunday morning bible study for a few weeks on various prayer practices. The sermons will be available online to listen to at www.stjohnsdover.com  We also hope to make available YouTube videos of the bible study on prayer along with any materials and resources used.

The Sermon Notes for this week are now available through the Faith Book & Sermon Notes tab under Prayer Series HEAR Sunday May 29th or through the St. John's Church site.  You will also find previous sermon notes and sermons to listen to on the church site.

What is a Faith Book???

You've probably seen another new trend in personal devotion time called a Faith Planner. And most likely you've seen the Praise Book by Illustrated Faith. And most definitely you've seen Bible Journaling. And you absolutely cannot miss all the awesome coloring books for adults out there, even faith based ones! Each one of these tools are a great creative way to enhance your prayer and devotion time. We love using each style to connect with God during our "Faith Time" at our house.

So, what is a Faith Book? It is all of the above in one place!

It is a small binder that allows you to put all kinds of faith tool materials together. I started out by getting a paper planner. I use my phone A LOT. My husband and I share each others calendars so we can always see what's going on. I have a ton of notes and task lists on my phone, too. But, this all became very overwhelming to me and I needed to slow down, breathe and not dread my days. Earlier you saw that I had a shift in thinking with my kids "To Do/Love" lists. Sounds corny, I know, but really I just wanted to be happier and less stressed when it came to ordering our days. I needed a new vantage point.

I found a planner system at Michaels called Sn@p, which unfortunately was clearanced and is no longer there. (kind of like Project Life with a calendar) But, it was a good start. I had some monthly calendar layouts and weekly sheets. This is how I started praying over my days and plans. I'd also go back and write in awesome things that had happened and lessons I had learned. In each month I noticed a lesson or devotion theme and I would write, stamp, washi tape, sticker that on the back of calendar page. In the weekly/daily planning sheets I noticed space to write some prayers or bible verses. Just like I had seen online.

Pause for a sec....I had discovered faith planners through various bible journaling posts on Instagram and was immediately intrigued. Search #faithplanner. This all happened around the same time as getting more into Bible Journaling, Praying In Color and needing to give my kids some resources for their daily routines.

My planner has now evolved into a Faith Book because I noticed the Sermon Note sheets I make for Sunday fit in it perfectly! I had been taking notes inside our church service folder (or on the cover) and wasn't sure where to store them. But then sermon notes came along and voila! I have also created scripture study sheets, that can be used for bible journaling prep. (which I happen to use to plan out my sermon note sheets) I also have prayer sheets. I noticed that I needed more room for prayer than my planner offered. It has all fallen together into a nice usable system, which I am certain will continue to evolve over time.

I still have my journaling bible. I still have my Praying in Color journal. I still have scripture coloring books. Of course, I still have my phone! I use them all. Find tools and adapt them to work for you. I have all kinds of positive and inspirational stickers I have found at craft stores that I use inside my Faith Book. Stamps, too. And I have TONS of washi tape. You could even print out photos and use scrapbook supplies. This faith tool is another amazing way to connect with God, create a visual reminder of that time, and an opportunity to leave a legacy of your faith story for future generations.

If you click on the Faith Book and Sermon Notes tab above you will find more ideas and resources.
To see more completed Faith Book sheets visit Examples of Faith Book Inserts.

I hope this helps you to feel more connected to our loving God, who orders our days and cares for our souls.

New Tabs!

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You may have noticed that I have new resource tabs up above. I have recently been working on several teaching resources for Visual Faith. Visual Faith involves practices that engage our hands, eyes and spirits in connecting with God. Many of you have probably heard of the exploding movement called Bible Journaling. It comes from writing notes in the margins of bibles that evolved into creatively expressing time with God through drawings, paint, stickers, stamps, etc. Another popular visual faith exercise is called Praying In Color. A prayer practice that involves doodles and coloring when expressing your thoughts to God or just being present with Him. In the Resource tab you will find a Bible Journaling explanation sheet and worksheet for practice. There are also two Word documents that can be customized. You'll also find a Praying In Color explanation and practice worksheet.

*New is a Faith Book & Sermon Notes tab. These are personal and church resources. I explained their function in the tab.

These resources are free to use. All I ask is that you give God the glory and credit where credit is due. ENJOY!

    




Additional Resources: Praying In Color by Sybil MacBeth , Vintage Grace by Connie Denninger (who made the beautiful prayer card in the first image) , Illuminated Journaling by Jann Gray , Writing in the Margins by Lisa Nichols Hickman , www.rachelwojo.com , www.illustratedfaith.com

"Unlearn to DO, Practice to BE"

I'm starting to appreciate how God speaks to me. By using these dense, heavy topics that give me meat to chew on for days. A lesson that I must reflect on for a time before I can move to the next. And it is only fitting that the current topic has been about BEING. To be fully present.

A couple weeks ago I was trying to decide what devotion I wanted to read. It was still Lent, I wasn't ready to start something long and new. I had a small break with Stephen Ministry prep and
homework. And was still digesting over commitment. So, I grabbed my Mercy and Melons, Praying the Alphabet by Lisa Nichols Hickman and opened it up to the second letter of the alphabet, B.

She talks about how difficult it is to BE in a doing society. How slowing down can cause a sense of panic. Another excuse to add tasks to the To Do list in order to avoid being still. Talk about seamless transition from a lesson just learned about over commitment and answers to prayers to learn simplicity.

I followed her suggestion, I paused and looked around me. I took a deep breath. I listened to the birds and the cars driving past. I felt the warm sun on my arms. I saw beautiful blue sky. It felt good and it felt right. Being present right then, even for just a few seconds, was amazing. Was this how God wanted us to live? Is this what it means to enjoy your life? To pause, take it all in, appreciate the good.

Will this practice help me slow down and notice all the life happening around me? Will a sense of being make me aware of others around me? I do believe so. We are not simply passing through this life. The pain and brokenness may be temporary but this journey is still a gift. This existence is still meant to be enjoyed. He created us to have experiences of joy right now.

Even now, as I reread the devotion, I have a stronger sense of peace as I am reminded to just be. This doesn't mean you stop performing tasks or accomplishing goals and fulfilling responsibilities. Instead it is taking the obligations of life and learning to live in them not just conquer them. It is about experiencing the process.

I have now changed my To Do list into a To Be list. Lisa quotes the poet Angela O'Donnell, " I stay here to please us, Lord, both You and me, where I unlearn to do, while I practice to be." Now, the overwhelming anxiety inducing TO DO list is not so bad. I'd much rather slow down and feel immersed in life as I go about my day.

I'm still not quite sure where all this is heading but I do know that as these lessons come I'm gaining a greater sense of who I am. My pace may be more of the tortoise than the hare but I think I can get used to that if it means enjoying this gift of life more.

Fits and Starts, Being Stuck and being true to who you are

I absolutely love Phil Ressler's "40 Things to Give up for Lent and Beyond." I'm super excited to be working through it this Lent. But something happened, I got stuck. Week 1 Saturday, Lesson number 10: Giving up Over-commitment. Whoa, that hit home big time.

Part of being steadfast, isn't just hanging on when things are hard, it is also being steady, consistent.

Ephesians 4: 3 The Message reads   And mark that you do this with humility and discipline - not in fits and starts, but steadily pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love.

At first I was angry at myself for getting stuck, for not finishing what I started, for getting days behind. But in the back of my mind I knew there was a reason for it and there was a big lesson coming. I was being tossed around in the sea of over commitment.

None of what I was trying to do were bad things within themselves. They are all good things on their own but it was too much for me all at once. I had started to experience fits and starts. The inability to take it all in and keep up. Ups and downs of energy levels. Not just incomplete tasks, but incomplete comprehension of all this awesome material I was learning. My brain was struggling to understand and remember what I was reading in 40 Things, Stephen Ministry and daily Lenten Gospel readings. I did not feel steady at all.

I actually tried to skip over Day 10 in order to catch up! But, I knew I couldn't move forward until I went back to it. While avoiding it I started to hyper focus on all the undone things in our home. I needed to complete this project or clean out this closet. It was like I was grasping at clarifying my environment in order to feel control in chaos.

In Day 10, Phil Ressler points out that if we don't have a portion of our lives that is NOT committed to something, we create an unsustainable situation. We aren't steady. We work in fits and starts. We become overwhelmed and stuck, with no freedom to move forward.

Learning to be true to who we are, to find joy in this amazing life God has given us, is learning to be present, slow down, absorb what He is showing you. Allow quiet unscheduled time in your life and mind to hear what He is saying. To discern what He wants you to pursue. To have peace in those pursuits. And allowing God to accomplish that peace and healing in you.

All this came about among prayers to learn simplicity. When I feel most myself is when I'm not bogged down by tasks and clutter. But trying to control those external things in order to feel peace doesn't produce peace. It's like it works backwards. You have to let go of those things and their control over you in order to have freedom. It is knowing peace and then modifying those things around me in order that they no longer act as an obstacle to helping make the world better.

1 Timothy 6:11 The Message reads  Pursue a righteous life - a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. 

Breathe that in for a minute and allow your heart to be in awe of every one of those words. That is what God desires for us. That is the life only He can give us. He doesn't ask us to produce it. He invites us to participate in it. He is telling us that He has already given it. If you aren't sure how, ask God to show you.

When Your Worlds Collide

To say there is a lot on my plate is an understatement, but I have been praying for guidance and practicing saying "NO." Tonight something really cool happened. With all the projects on my plate, I have been doing tons of reading. I have homework for Stephen Ministry Training (if you don't know what that is, Google it, it is amazing), Lesson plan prep for teaching the training, some Saint John's Bible visio divina on 1 Corinthians 13 (Google that, too) and my personal Lenten journey using Phil Ressler's "40 Things to Give up for Lent and Beyond." ALL these readings and I mean all, collided into one message tonight, that Love is patient. And it is Valentine's Day eve as I type this. Phew, that's a lot to bring all together. Only God could do that.

I spent almost all my day preparing my lesson on "The Art of Listening" to teach tomorrow at Stephen Ministry Training. Which is all about active listening in building a caring relationship that requires patience. Then there was sneaking in the time to do today's lesson in my Lent devotion, "40 Things to Give up for Lent and Beyond" by Phil Ressler. Today for the Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Giving Up Impatience. Which started with being still and quiet with God and then turned into having patience with yourself. Enjoying the journey. Also, being patient with others because we have forgiveness. Patience comes when we are not selfish. Both lessons reference James 1, to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Or as The Message puts it, "to lead with your ears."

Slowing down and taking time to be steady speaks volumes to me, hence the word steadfast. So, along with my Lent devotion, I drew an hour glass. Taking time to listen to God and others is what builds relationships. Patience gives us life. Time and life and people are precious, that is the story I tell people is the reason I have my great grandfather's pocket watch tattooed on the back of my neck, hence the word unconventional.

And finally, early this week I visited our local art museum, The Biggs. They are currently hosting The Saint John's Bible. An amazing, breath taking work of art. I was taking some photos and decided to use the illuminated text of the "Love Chapter" of 1 Corinthians as my social media post for Valentine's Day. Which of course, starts off with 'Love is patient.."

I may not know exactly where all this is leading right now, but I was thoroughly taken aback by how it all connected. Maybe my plate isn't too full. Instead it is a well thought out culinary work of art designed by my Creator.

To see the Saint John's Bible Valentine's Day post, click on my Instagram link to the right. There you will also find the drawings for my 40 things to give up for Lent devotion.

Turning a Task List into a Love List

We have an extraordinary ability in our house to take the simplest of activity and turn it into a burdensome task. Let's face it, 'To-Do' lists are not that fun. And it always seems that as soon as you sit down to make small one, it quickly turns into a GIANT one.

I know my kids have been feeling this stress lately. We have daily tasks and chores. Even down to the tiny detail of check off you remembered your belt with your uniform for school. This can become very heavy very fast. I know I hate huge lists hanging over my head but at the same time I like to rest knowing it's written down and I don't have to have it all memorized.

It is easy to take the graces of our God and turn them into a list of accomplishments, for ourselves. Heck, it feels good when we can say; I prayed check, I read the bible check. Not to mention the complete and utter satisfaction that comes with a conquered To-Do list! That one feels awesome. With my recent use of a faith planner and taking the time to enjoy my daily schedule and see God in it, I have learned a valuable lesson; make planning what you have to do pleasant. Not a pass or fail test.

Every morning after the kids had gone to school and I get my peace and quiet, I would start noticing all the things left undone. All the tasks forgotten. And it would irritate me to no end. Even more so as I resisted the urge to do it for them. Sooooo, on a whim of divine inspiration, I started to doodle out their daily to do lists. I added little encouraging sayings and sketches. I was completely taken aback at how uplifting and more positive this was, for all of us. It was a simple change that took something that was cumbersome and made it lighthearted. I love the process of putting love and care into teaching my kids how to care for themselves.

As for my faith planner, it is extremely meditative. I have stickers, stamps, pens, washi tape and they all find a way to connect me to Christ and what He is doing in my life. I pray. I ask for His help. I ask Him to guide my hand and inspire my heart. I feel His presence and am encouraged in my tasks.