Independence Day is our nation's celebration of a great victory won to start a nation under God and not be under the rule of a king. But there is a greater victory that was won recorded in the Bible. This month let's journal about how the Bible is filled with many victories over satan's rule. Our king is Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. We were victorious when we accepted Christ. When was the last time you shared your salvation testimony with someone? Journal about how the person responded to your testimony. Was the person interested? Did the person listen attentively? Or was the person just pacifying you? Now record why did you share your testimony? So that the Lord will be glorified? Did you share that time in order to plant seeds of faith? Praise the Lord for the victory over sin. Praise the Lord for saving your soul. Write these praises down. Record your salvation experience so others may find Jesus too.
Research the different times that the Bible has recorded victories over satan's evil hold. Record how the people handled each incident and how the Lord was the Victor. During these times take note what happened to the people who did not listen to God and do as He directed them.
Now, think of the times in your life when you were battling satan. Record the times you followed the Lord's direction during your trial and tribulation. Write about how the Lord brought you through these times and the battle was won victoriously. Were there times though you went into battle and did not rely on the Lord to be your commanding officer? Did you enter into the battle and not consult the Lord's direction? What victories were won during these times? In the end, did you call on Jesus for help? Record these different times and compare the outcomes. Memorize the following verse and carry it as you go into life's battles:
Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Write the lessons you learned from the times you did not let the Lord direct your path and you went into the battle on your own. Write how you learned to understand the importance to trust in the Lord first with your life battle you are experiencing.
Praise the Lord for the times He forgave you for not taking Him with you as you marched head on into a particular battle. Those times you went "alone" you were not really alone. Write how you came to that understanding.
There are many battles we all must fight in this world. Depression, financial struggles, relationships, jobs, strangers, mistakes in general, all are different kinds of battles. Are you experiencing a war of your own right now? Are you currently battling one of satan's deceptive lies? Record this war you are in and pray for the Lord's guidance to overcome it and then record how the Lord helped you come out victoriously.
Journal the different times you know the Lord won the victory over one of your friends' battles. Record how the Lord was victorious in your family's life. Write these victories down so that others may learn from them one day. You will have them recorded and will be able to use them to help others. This is how our generals of our armed services go into battles today. They read and study up on battles/wars from the past and take note how they were won. We have something to rely on in battles and can learn from history. It is the Bible. Let the recordings of the Lord's many victories be your example to win your personal battles.
Record the lyrics to "Victory in Jesus". Now journal how that song can be your own personal story.
Make a list of the different battles you have been through. Record how the Lord helped you win them.
Now make a list of the battles you are currently experiencing. Record your prayer on how you will seek the Lord's direction in each of these battles.
Record prayers of how you will rely on the Lord for battles you may encounter in the future.
Do a word study on victory, victorious, victoriously, and victor.
Record verses that have "victory" in them.
Extend your word study on synonyms of victory: triumph, conquer, success, win. A couple antonyms of victory are defeated, beaten. Write how these words relate to incidents in your life. Record how the Lord helped you overcome them.
July 4th may be a day to celebrate "independence", but we must go through each and every day "dependent" on the Lord. Depend on the Lord as your commander-in-chief.
An extension activity: Do a word study on depend. Record the different people who depend on you. Remember the one thing you must take into battle for these people - prayer. Can people depend on you to pray for them? Start a prayer journal for your family and friends. May you become their prayer warrior.
This Independence Day make a commitment to depend on Jesus. May you be victorious knowing the Lord is on your side. Fight the enemy, satan, the devil with God's Word. Use Scripture as your weapon. The Bible is your sword in this war called life. You will always win when you have Jesus to guide you through whatever struggle you are experiencing.
Have a safe holiday and remember to celebrate your dependence on the Lord everyday.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Words to Inspire from IDEALS
Words of Joy
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Psalm 100:1
The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. John Greenleaf Whittier
Enthusiasm makes ordinary people extraordinary. Norman Vincent Peale
Man cannot find true essential joyo anywhere but in his relationship to God. Oswald Chambers
God is the organist; we are His instruments. His Spirit sounds each pipe and gives the tone its strength. Angelus Slesius
This is the secret of you. We shall no longer strive for our own way but commit ourselves, easily and simply, to God's way, acquiesce in His will , and in so doing find our peace. Evelyn Underhill
Joy is that deep settled confidence that God is in control in every area of my life. Paul Sailhamer
We are all strings in the concert of God's Joy. Jakob Boheme
Music exalts each joy, allays each grief...softens every pain. John ArmstrongWords of Faith
Words of Faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, ad be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:22-23
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
Joy is peace dancing, and peace is joy at rest. F.B. Meyer
And Jesus said unto them,... If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20
A song will outlive all sermons in the memory. Henry Giles
In God's family there is to be one great body of people: servants. In fact, that's the way to the top in His kingdom. Charles R. Swindoll
Words of Kindness
Do all the good you can by all the means you can. John Wesley
I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love. Henry Ward Beecher
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:17
The heart is the happiest when it beats for others. Author unknown
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Colossians 3:14
Charity chapter in the Bible - I Corinthians 13:1-13
Evening Prayer by Bess Kine Baker
If I have done an unkind act today,
If I have caused a falt'ring step to stray,
If I have walked far from Thy chosen way,
Dear Lord, forgive, forgive.
If I have spoken cruel words of wrong,
Or made a discord in some grand, sweet song,
If I have wandered aimlessly along,
Dear Lord, forgive, forgive.
And when my life has hastened to its end,
O Thou, my soul's true, tried and faithful friend,
Be with me, and Thy peace aWords of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving...invites God to bestow a second benefit. Robert Herrick
We mistake the gratuitous blessings of heaven for the fruits of our industry. Roger L'Estrange
Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons. Ann Ruth Schabacker
One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclination. St. John of Avila
May silent thanks, at least to God, be given with a full heart; our thoughts are heard in heaven.
William Wordsworth
The Lord is Good - Psalm 100
Without Thankfulness by John Henry Jowett
Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion.
Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.
Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.
Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.nd mercy send,
And, Lord, forgive, forgive.
Words of Peace
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9
Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.
Samuel Smiles
Sad soul, take comfort nor forget, the sunrise never failed us yet. Celia Thaxter
Peace by Mildred Spires Jacobs
Peace is looking at a child
With eyelids closed in sleep
And knowing that the love of God
Is constant, true, and deep.
Peace is gazing into depths
Of water, cool and clear,
And knowing fast within your heart
That God is ever near.
Peace is hearing birds that sing
In harmony of voice
And knowing that you too can live
With God's own way your choice.
Peace is living day by day
With His own company,
So you will have within your soul
Divine tranquility.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Psalm 100:1
The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you. John Greenleaf Whittier
Enthusiasm makes ordinary people extraordinary. Norman Vincent Peale
Man cannot find true essential joyo anywhere but in his relationship to God. Oswald Chambers
God is the organist; we are His instruments. His Spirit sounds each pipe and gives the tone its strength. Angelus Slesius
This is the secret of you. We shall no longer strive for our own way but commit ourselves, easily and simply, to God's way, acquiesce in His will , and in so doing find our peace. Evelyn Underhill
Joy is that deep settled confidence that God is in control in every area of my life. Paul Sailhamer
We are all strings in the concert of God's Joy. Jakob Boheme
Music exalts each joy, allays each grief...softens every pain. John ArmstrongWords of Faith
Words of Faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, ad be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:22-23
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
Joy is peace dancing, and peace is joy at rest. F.B. Meyer
And Jesus said unto them,... If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20
A song will outlive all sermons in the memory. Henry Giles
In God's family there is to be one great body of people: servants. In fact, that's the way to the top in His kingdom. Charles R. Swindoll
Words of Kindness
Do all the good you can by all the means you can. John Wesley
I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love. Henry Ward Beecher
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:17
The heart is the happiest when it beats for others. Author unknown
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. Colossians 3:14
Charity chapter in the Bible - I Corinthians 13:1-13
Evening Prayer by Bess Kine Baker
If I have done an unkind act today,
If I have caused a falt'ring step to stray,
If I have walked far from Thy chosen way,
Dear Lord, forgive, forgive.
If I have spoken cruel words of wrong,
Or made a discord in some grand, sweet song,
If I have wandered aimlessly along,
Dear Lord, forgive, forgive.
And when my life has hastened to its end,
O Thou, my soul's true, tried and faithful friend,
Be with me, and Thy peace aWords of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving...invites God to bestow a second benefit. Robert Herrick
We mistake the gratuitous blessings of heaven for the fruits of our industry. Roger L'Estrange
Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons. Ann Ruth Schabacker
One act of thanksgiving when things go wrong with us is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclination. St. John of Avila
May silent thanks, at least to God, be given with a full heart; our thoughts are heard in heaven.
William Wordsworth
The Lord is Good - Psalm 100
Without Thankfulness by John Henry Jowett
Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion.
Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception.
Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude.
Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.nd mercy send,
And, Lord, forgive, forgive.
Words of Peace
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9
Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.
Samuel Smiles
Sad soul, take comfort nor forget, the sunrise never failed us yet. Celia Thaxter
Peace by Mildred Spires Jacobs
Peace is looking at a child
With eyelids closed in sleep
And knowing that the love of God
Is constant, true, and deep.
Peace is gazing into depths
Of water, cool and clear,
And knowing fast within your heart
That God is ever near.
Peace is hearing birds that sing
In harmony of voice
And knowing that you too can live
With God's own way your choice.
Peace is living day by day
With His own company,
So you will have within your soul
Divine tranquility.
My granddaughter the Prompter
My daughter said her daughter is a mini grandma. She has several journal books she uses and she has several different colors of bags and totes for her books and journals. Just like her grandma. Hey, at least I am not guilty of setting a bad example. Anyway...
My granddaughter is only eight years old, but she is well on her way to becoming a lifetime journaler. She expects to learn a new word each day. Besides the new words they discuss in her preschool class, she wants her grandma to give her a new word of the day too. Now they are not just your ordinary words most preschoolers want to know. They have to be big and interesting sounding words. They must catch her attention. Words we have been discussing are "extraordinary", "outstanding", "possibilities", and so on. We did "blizzard" since we had a blizzard with a snowfall of almost 6 feet overnite. Occasionally I will give her a word that her teacher used in class. She will say "I already know that word grandma." She will use the word of the day somehow in a sentence with everyone she talks to that day. Oh, Reader's Digest Word Power is going to become my favorite tool with her. We will be learning how to spell soon and then I will work on definitions and dictionary drills with her too. For now she learns the meaning and how to write it. Afterall she is only four you know. Well, there are times I forget that. She tends to include herself in our adult conversations. She gets bored playing with children her own age. Okay, I know. Grandma is bragging, but she really is pretty smart and as a preschool teacher myself, I adore her and her love for learning. Everything we do is a learning experience with her. She questions everything. And she has some pretty intelligent opinions about things, especially things she has just learned and wants others to know that "she is smart" as she will tell us. Our times together are constantly new and "exceptional" as she learned the meaning of and loves to use all the time.
During one of the days I got to spend time with her (my husband and I babysit the grandchildren after school on the weeks they are at home with their mother - our daughter.) we were watching one of the programs she enjoys (I Carly is her favorite right now) and I told her I wanted to color instead. She asked why because she enjoys coloring too but she was interested in her show and was deciding which to do. So, I told her because I did not want to watch the show and that I love coloring. She put her hands on her hips and told me you should love people not things grandma. So, that led to some very lengthy conversations about things you can love and things we can love or people we love etc. And then we talked about things we don't like. In our household we don't use the word hate very often so we discussed things we "strongly dislike". Then our conversations led to Jesus loves us and hates sin. We are to love everyone but not like the sin they do. We never got to the coloring until much later in the day. And I learned a lot from a four year old that day.
When I got home I started listing all of the things we had discussed for my journal and low and behold I realized she was not only a journaler like her grandma, she is also a prompter. She made me think of so many new things I could journal about. She is "amazing" (one of her favorite words). So, I will share the different prompts I was able to get from my day with a little person...
Things I love...
People I love...
Things I love to do...
Things I would love to do...
Things I love about my husband, other family members...
Things I love about my friends and other relatives...
Books I love to read...
Creative art projects I love to do; would love to do...
Crafts I love to do; would love to learn...
Ways I love to journal...
Things I love to eat...
TV shows I love to watch...
What I love about my job...
What I love about my town...
My favorite places I love to go to...
The time of day I love the most...
The season I love the most...
Writing utensils I love to use...
Moments in my life I love to recall...
Things I love about myself
And then you can use the same ideas and substitute the words "don't love", "don't like", or "dislike".
For a more extensive activity you can do a word study in the Bible using the words "love" and "hate".
You can write the verses that relate to those words. You can find poems/sayings that involve those words too.
You can do a study on how Jesus loves us and you can journal the different ways that Jesus has shown His love for you. You can journal the different ways you show Jesus you love Him. Or the ways you would like to show Him you love Him.
You can write in journals assigned to your different family members and write them love letters.
And for the scrapbooker/journaler you can include pictures of people and things you love.
Hope this long post was helpful. I love sharing prompts with you and I truly love talking about my granddaughter. I will share more of her prompts with us again.
My granddaughter is only eight years old, but she is well on her way to becoming a lifetime journaler. She expects to learn a new word each day. Besides the new words they discuss in her preschool class, she wants her grandma to give her a new word of the day too. Now they are not just your ordinary words most preschoolers want to know. They have to be big and interesting sounding words. They must catch her attention. Words we have been discussing are "extraordinary", "outstanding", "possibilities", and so on. We did "blizzard" since we had a blizzard with a snowfall of almost 6 feet overnite. Occasionally I will give her a word that her teacher used in class. She will say "I already know that word grandma." She will use the word of the day somehow in a sentence with everyone she talks to that day. Oh, Reader's Digest Word Power is going to become my favorite tool with her. We will be learning how to spell soon and then I will work on definitions and dictionary drills with her too. For now she learns the meaning and how to write it. Afterall she is only four you know. Well, there are times I forget that. She tends to include herself in our adult conversations. She gets bored playing with children her own age. Okay, I know. Grandma is bragging, but she really is pretty smart and as a preschool teacher myself, I adore her and her love for learning. Everything we do is a learning experience with her. She questions everything. And she has some pretty intelligent opinions about things, especially things she has just learned and wants others to know that "she is smart" as she will tell us. Our times together are constantly new and "exceptional" as she learned the meaning of and loves to use all the time.
During one of the days I got to spend time with her (my husband and I babysit the grandchildren after school on the weeks they are at home with their mother - our daughter.) we were watching one of the programs she enjoys (I Carly is her favorite right now) and I told her I wanted to color instead. She asked why because she enjoys coloring too but she was interested in her show and was deciding which to do. So, I told her because I did not want to watch the show and that I love coloring. She put her hands on her hips and told me you should love people not things grandma. So, that led to some very lengthy conversations about things you can love and things we can love or people we love etc. And then we talked about things we don't like. In our household we don't use the word hate very often so we discussed things we "strongly dislike". Then our conversations led to Jesus loves us and hates sin. We are to love everyone but not like the sin they do. We never got to the coloring until much later in the day. And I learned a lot from a four year old that day.
When I got home I started listing all of the things we had discussed for my journal and low and behold I realized she was not only a journaler like her grandma, she is also a prompter. She made me think of so many new things I could journal about. She is "amazing" (one of her favorite words). So, I will share the different prompts I was able to get from my day with a little person...
Things I love...
People I love...
Things I love to do...
Things I would love to do...
Things I love about my husband, other family members...
Things I love about my friends and other relatives...
Books I love to read...
Creative art projects I love to do; would love to do...
Crafts I love to do; would love to learn...
Ways I love to journal...
Things I love to eat...
TV shows I love to watch...
What I love about my job...
What I love about my town...
My favorite places I love to go to...
The time of day I love the most...
The season I love the most...
Writing utensils I love to use...
Moments in my life I love to recall...
Things I love about myself
And then you can use the same ideas and substitute the words "don't love", "don't like", or "dislike".
For a more extensive activity you can do a word study in the Bible using the words "love" and "hate".
You can write the verses that relate to those words. You can find poems/sayings that involve those words too.
You can do a study on how Jesus loves us and you can journal the different ways that Jesus has shown His love for you. You can journal the different ways you show Jesus you love Him. Or the ways you would like to show Him you love Him.
You can write in journals assigned to your different family members and write them love letters.
And for the scrapbooker/journaler you can include pictures of people and things you love.
Hope this long post was helpful. I love sharing prompts with you and I truly love talking about my granddaughter. I will share more of her prompts with us again.
A Colorful Event prompt...
As part of my preschool lessons I introduce "colors" to the children. I do not do a color of the day or discuss more than one color at a time. I teach "color of the week". I start with the primary colors, then go on to the secondary and so on. Each color is discussed in detail in all of the academic areas. We also wear the color of the week on Friday. And each day the children are encouraged to bring something with that color from home. Well, I thought the subject of colors would make some great prompts. I hope these prompts will add some "color" to your journaling experience!
Some traditional prompts (relating to color ) that have been used by many are:
What is your favorite color?
If you were a color, which one would you be and why?
What is your favorite NEW Crayola brand crayon color?
Describe the colors in your house, such as your living room decor, bedroom, etc.
What is the color of your hair and eyes?
But let's take this color prompt a little deeper. Let's begin with the primary colors...
What "emotion(s)" do you feel when you see the color RED? BLUE? YELLOW?
How does the colors mentioned cause you to react? For instance, ADhD children are overstimulated by the color red.
Red is a hot color, Blue is a cold color, and Yellow is a bright color. When you see these colors how do you respond to them? (Sometimes I write with the color red when I am angry; the color blue when I am sad, and the color pink when I am "tickled pink" about something.)
Now substitute the other colors and answer the prompts with them.
When I discuss the secondary colors I also show the children what primary colors are needed to make them. As a creative art activity we draw with the color(s) we have been discussing. I also encourage them to use the color in their journals somehow, such as writing letters in those colors etc. Here is some creative art activities for you to enjoy as you journal:
Decide to do use one color of ink in your journal that day. (You can even change the font color if you journal on the computer.)
Design a border with that color.
Create a bookmarker with the color you have chosen.
Draw pictures inspired by that color.
Use the color as a background to your page.
Color/write lightly when you are in a playful mood or color/write pressing down hard with a crayon to show anger.
Use the color of the day and draw shapes to represent your mood on your page (black circles could represent being in the black hole of depression; red hearts could represent being in love, etc.)
This will be a good way to celebrate colors beyond your journaling...
Wear the color of the day. Record how you felt at the day's end wearing that color. (Yellow colors would make me feel happy.)
Observe your surroundings, your environment, your world and take note of all the things you noticed that had the color of the day.
List the many items that is in your house that has the color of the day.
Think about that color and how it effects you during the morning, during midday, and at the evening? Does it effect you the same no matter what your attitude/mood is?
Discuss hue, tint, shade, and color scheme in your writing and how it can relate to what you are recording that day. Use them as descriptive words to your posts. Such as, there was a tint of pink in the horizon as I sat on my deck drinking hot tea...
Now to further your imagination...
Think about the color of the day and imagine that color in the different areas of your house. How does it change your perspective of things? Such as, if your kitchen is now a shade of green and you imagined it to be yellow, how would it change things for you? Do this activity each day and see how it effects your feelings, your moods, your attitudes, etc.
Most of us have one special area that is set aside for our journaling moments. Imagine that your table is painted the color of the day. Would it effect how or what you write? Would it inspire you differently if your table was a new color each day or would it restrict your writing?
My students learn songs that relate to the color of the week. One special song we sing each week is Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, Red and yellow, black and white, Jesus loves the little children of the world. We discuss how people are the same and different. We all have eyes, hair, etc. but our eye and hair color is different than a friend's, etc. The different ways we are unique. And how we all do not have the same skin tone. We discuss nationality, ethnic groups, and prejudism.
As a prompt, you could research different songs that mention colors. You could read books about different colors and write what you learned from the story. (An example for my lesson plan would be Little Red Hen and then we discuss sharing and teamwork and selfishness, etc.)
The order I introduce the colors is red, blue, yellow, purple, green, orange, black, brown, gray, white, and pink. Can you believe that my students get upset when I quit adding color to our lessons of the week? So, then we discuss the rainbow. This adds many more weeks to our learning experiences. You could do so many more prompts just discussing things relating to the rainbow. Examples: God uses the rainbow as a symbol of promise. What are some of God's promises you can claim today? If you could find the end of the rainbow, what would you expect to be there? And so on...
This is some of the ways that you, too, can use "color" to prompt your writing. May you never find "dullness" to your writing. May color add life to your journaling experience.
Some traditional prompts (relating to color ) that have been used by many are:
What is your favorite color?
If you were a color, which one would you be and why?
What is your favorite NEW Crayola brand crayon color?
Describe the colors in your house, such as your living room decor, bedroom, etc.
What is the color of your hair and eyes?
But let's take this color prompt a little deeper. Let's begin with the primary colors...
What "emotion(s)" do you feel when you see the color RED? BLUE? YELLOW?
How does the colors mentioned cause you to react? For instance, ADhD children are overstimulated by the color red.
Red is a hot color, Blue is a cold color, and Yellow is a bright color. When you see these colors how do you respond to them? (Sometimes I write with the color red when I am angry; the color blue when I am sad, and the color pink when I am "tickled pink" about something.)
Now substitute the other colors and answer the prompts with them.
When I discuss the secondary colors I also show the children what primary colors are needed to make them. As a creative art activity we draw with the color(s) we have been discussing. I also encourage them to use the color in their journals somehow, such as writing letters in those colors etc. Here is some creative art activities for you to enjoy as you journal:
Decide to do use one color of ink in your journal that day. (You can even change the font color if you journal on the computer.)
Design a border with that color.
Create a bookmarker with the color you have chosen.
Draw pictures inspired by that color.
Use the color as a background to your page.
Color/write lightly when you are in a playful mood or color/write pressing down hard with a crayon to show anger.
Use the color of the day and draw shapes to represent your mood on your page (black circles could represent being in the black hole of depression; red hearts could represent being in love, etc.)
This will be a good way to celebrate colors beyond your journaling...
Wear the color of the day. Record how you felt at the day's end wearing that color. (Yellow colors would make me feel happy.)
Observe your surroundings, your environment, your world and take note of all the things you noticed that had the color of the day.
List the many items that is in your house that has the color of the day.
Think about that color and how it effects you during the morning, during midday, and at the evening? Does it effect you the same no matter what your attitude/mood is?
Discuss hue, tint, shade, and color scheme in your writing and how it can relate to what you are recording that day. Use them as descriptive words to your posts. Such as, there was a tint of pink in the horizon as I sat on my deck drinking hot tea...
Now to further your imagination...
Think about the color of the day and imagine that color in the different areas of your house. How does it change your perspective of things? Such as, if your kitchen is now a shade of green and you imagined it to be yellow, how would it change things for you? Do this activity each day and see how it effects your feelings, your moods, your attitudes, etc.
Most of us have one special area that is set aside for our journaling moments. Imagine that your table is painted the color of the day. Would it effect how or what you write? Would it inspire you differently if your table was a new color each day or would it restrict your writing?
My students learn songs that relate to the color of the week. One special song we sing each week is Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, Red and yellow, black and white, Jesus loves the little children of the world. We discuss how people are the same and different. We all have eyes, hair, etc. but our eye and hair color is different than a friend's, etc. The different ways we are unique. And how we all do not have the same skin tone. We discuss nationality, ethnic groups, and prejudism.
As a prompt, you could research different songs that mention colors. You could read books about different colors and write what you learned from the story. (An example for my lesson plan would be Little Red Hen and then we discuss sharing and teamwork and selfishness, etc.)
The order I introduce the colors is red, blue, yellow, purple, green, orange, black, brown, gray, white, and pink. Can you believe that my students get upset when I quit adding color to our lessons of the week? So, then we discuss the rainbow. This adds many more weeks to our learning experiences. You could do so many more prompts just discussing things relating to the rainbow. Examples: God uses the rainbow as a symbol of promise. What are some of God's promises you can claim today? If you could find the end of the rainbow, what would you expect to be there? And so on...
This is some of the ways that you, too, can use "color" to prompt your writing. May you never find "dullness" to your writing. May color add life to your journaling experience.
Are You In A Rut In Your Prayer Life?
This can be applied to writing out your prayers also. Adapt it to fit your style of praying and journaling.
10 CREATIVE WAYS
TO ENERGIZE YOUR PRAYER LIFE http://www.beliefnet.com/
1) Change Your Environment - If you pray in the light of morning, try praying in the dark of night. If you pray in your living room, try praying in your kitchen. If you pray indoors, try praying under the open sky or the graceful boughs of a tree. Changing your prayer environment can give you a new perspective on your life and spirit.
2) Change Your Routine - If your prayer time is sandwiched between dinner and bedtime or homework and hobbies, rearrange your schedule so that prayer is the priority. The more important prayer is to us, the more attention we give it, and the deeper we can go into our relationship with God.
3) Sing - Instead of whispering, praying silently, or intoning your prayerful words, try singing loudly and joyfully or softly and plaintively. Music can be freeing for the spirit--and your prayers will take on a whole new sound.
4) Exercise - Walk, run, stretch, or cycle while you pray, feeling the rhythm of your spirit with the movement of your body. Use exercise with prayer as a way to reflect upon the gift of your life and self, inside and out.
5) Refocus - If you have a long list of prayer requests, you might be too tired by the end of the list to devote much attention to your own inner spirit. Try to refocus your prayer time so that it is balanced between the needs of others and yourself. Taking time for you will build your own strength so you can be of help to others.
6) Listen - Sometimes we are too busy praying to hear what God has to say. If prayer becomes one-sided, boredom can easily follow. Set aside time each day to clear your mind of all distractions, sit in God's presence, and listen. God's voice is anything but dull!
7) Study - Faith is not just in the moment. There is a rich faith and prayer tradition that has gone before us. Reading and studying the great believers and writings of years, even centuries, gone by can have a profound effect upon prayer today and tomorrow
8) Team up - Are you bored going off by yourself to pray? Team up with a prayer partner. Whether in person, on the telephone, or online, the power of prayer can be multiplied when people come together.
9) Be A Child - Remember when you were a child? What questions did you ask of God, then? They were probably very different from the ones you ask now. Whether you came to believe as an adult or were brought up in faith, if your prayer life feels stuck now, approach it as a child - with wonder, simple questions, trust, and humor (yes, at times, God has a wonderful sense of humor!). Enjoy.
10) Visualize - Imagine that everything around you is infused with the presence of God - including yourself. God all around, up and down, inside and out. God is listening to you, every word you utter and every need you have. More than any other, God loves you. Unconditionally. Visualize that love and renew your energy with it.
10 CREATIVE WAYS
TO ENERGIZE YOUR PRAYER LIFE http://www.beliefnet.com/
1) Change Your Environment - If you pray in the light of morning, try praying in the dark of night. If you pray in your living room, try praying in your kitchen. If you pray indoors, try praying under the open sky or the graceful boughs of a tree. Changing your prayer environment can give you a new perspective on your life and spirit.
2) Change Your Routine - If your prayer time is sandwiched between dinner and bedtime or homework and hobbies, rearrange your schedule so that prayer is the priority. The more important prayer is to us, the more attention we give it, and the deeper we can go into our relationship with God.
3) Sing - Instead of whispering, praying silently, or intoning your prayerful words, try singing loudly and joyfully or softly and plaintively. Music can be freeing for the spirit--and your prayers will take on a whole new sound.
4) Exercise - Walk, run, stretch, or cycle while you pray, feeling the rhythm of your spirit with the movement of your body. Use exercise with prayer as a way to reflect upon the gift of your life and self, inside and out.
5) Refocus - If you have a long list of prayer requests, you might be too tired by the end of the list to devote much attention to your own inner spirit. Try to refocus your prayer time so that it is balanced between the needs of others and yourself. Taking time for you will build your own strength so you can be of help to others.
6) Listen - Sometimes we are too busy praying to hear what God has to say. If prayer becomes one-sided, boredom can easily follow. Set aside time each day to clear your mind of all distractions, sit in God's presence, and listen. God's voice is anything but dull!
7) Study - Faith is not just in the moment. There is a rich faith and prayer tradition that has gone before us. Reading and studying the great believers and writings of years, even centuries, gone by can have a profound effect upon prayer today and tomorrow
8) Team up - Are you bored going off by yourself to pray? Team up with a prayer partner. Whether in person, on the telephone, or online, the power of prayer can be multiplied when people come together.
9) Be A Child - Remember when you were a child? What questions did you ask of God, then? They were probably very different from the ones you ask now. Whether you came to believe as an adult or were brought up in faith, if your prayer life feels stuck now, approach it as a child - with wonder, simple questions, trust, and humor (yes, at times, God has a wonderful sense of humor!). Enjoy.
10) Visualize - Imagine that everything around you is infused with the presence of God - including yourself. God all around, up and down, inside and out. God is listening to you, every word you utter and every need you have. More than any other, God loves you. Unconditionally. Visualize that love and renew your energy with it.
A prompt from years ago...
When I was in sixth grade my teacher had a writing assignment for us. She wanted us to write a descriptive paragraph. She gave us the beginning of the paragraph and we were to finish it. She gave us "I was walking through the woods". Well, I got an F on my paragraph. Yes, an F. Now why would I fail such an easy assignment? Because this is what I turned in...I was walking through the woods when I fell in a hole and died.
Oh, how the teacher did not appreciate my creativity. I am not sure why I did that. I loved to write. I was writing in diaries (that is what we called journals back in the day) and I was already writing poetry good enough to be entered in contests. I guess I just thought that was cute to respond that way. (My father did not think it was cute one bit).
But that assignment has remained in my memory all these years (I am 51, so it was 40 years ago). She was using prompts before we called them prompts. As a teacher they are called suggestions or motivators. Well, I have been thinking of ways that teacher could have gotten me more involved in the assignment. I mean I must have lacked motivation. Back in those days teachers taught in what we now call "teacher-directed". The students were not involved in any hands on learning. We were given the material and expected to "get it" without much encouragement from the teachers. Well, that is not how I teach. I believe in "teachable moments",hands-on activities, and student-directed activities. I believe the students should be involved in their learning experiences. Make the assignment more real to them and they remember and learn better.
So, what would I do if I were to give my students that same writing assignment?
First, I would take the children on a field trip. If it were possible that is. We would actually go to the woods. We would explore our surroundings and our classroom that day would be in the woods. Then we would go home that day and consider what we would write in our descriptive paragraph.
If we lived in a school district that would not allow us to take a field trip to the woods or if there was no woods to be found, we could go to the library and research "the woods" via through actual books. (No online research for this assignment allowed.) And then after learning what we could and observing pictures in the books, we would go home and finish our descriptive paragraph.
I would also extend this assignment and have the students get into groups. One group would be assigned researching "animals that live in the woods." Another group would research "the environment in the woods, such as trees, moss, etc.)
Another group would research the different states that have "woods". And so on. We would probably discuss these topics over the course of a month. Take as long as we needed to. They could even bring in twigs and insects and leaves and such that is found in the woods and put in our science center. Oh, the many ways I could present "I was walking through the woods" assignment.
Why I just wrote that I fell in a hole and died I really do not know. But if I had a student today who did that same thing I would not give him/her an F. I would allow the student to explain the reason for the response. Then I would give that person a second chance to write a full paragraph. Students do need to respect the assignment and complete it even if they do not agree with it. So, if the student had a legitimate reason for responding that way, I would consider the grade appropriately.
I am thinking how my teacher, back in 1971, would have presented that assignment in the first place. She would have said, here is your assignment. We would have probably been told to write a descriptive paragraph, but no more direction than that. So, I bet I was just not encouraged or motivated enough. I was ADhD back then before the disorder/syndrome was ever identified. Now we would recognize the characteristics of a child with ADhD and accommodate that child with assignments that would allow her/him to do the best job possible. We teach to the different learning styles nowadays also. I know that I learn as an adult with a hand-on approach (kinesthetic learning style)as well as visual learning. If that is how I learn now it stands to reason I would have learned that way in grade school. All I got in sixth grade was written assignments on the chalk board. The teacher said here is your assignment and now do it. Not much else in ways of teaching to the child's learning style. So, I probably was bored and that was my way of finishing such a silly assignment (silly in a sixth grader's opinion silly).
But the more I think about it I believe I just had no idea what I would see in a woods and had no idea how to finish the paragraph. I lived in a navy town in California. Right outside of my house was a four lane highway and right passed the highway was the naval shipyard. I saw hundreds of battle ships, hospital ships, submarines and navy personnel. But I had never been to a woods. I went to a school where we never had long time friends because every one moved so often. No one stayed the night with anyone that lived in the woods. This made no sense to me then. We moved to Oklahoma the summer between sixth and seventh grade. Then I learned what the woods was. But when the assignment was given this student had no idea what to write about so I just fell in a hole and died.
What would I write now? Oh, I could write so much. If I were in sixth grade and lived in Oklahoma I could write the colors of the leaves in the woods. I could write about the animals I saw while playing in the woods. My first experiences in the woods was with my new friends and we would explore for hours. No two days are the same in the woods. Walk to the same area you were in the day before and there would be so many changes. It was also those days of discovery in the woods that we realized I had environmental allergies and my days of asthma began. (Never had any breathing problems until we moved to Oklahoma.) So my experiences in the woods are definitely more successful since I actually moved to an area that had "a woods" to relate to.
Has the ways we teach and the philosophies of teaching changed that much over the years? I am glad I am a teacher now. Technology allows for so many ways to teach a child. But I also am a firm believer that students still need to experience what they can hands-on. And children need to be exposed to books more now than ever. Today they just put the information in a search engine and click there is the answer. Children still need to know how to open a book and find the wonders of the written word and pictures first hand. I am a lover of technology, but if you want your child to be a successful student introduce them to the library, to books, and teach them how to use a dictionary and research books. Need help with your child using their imaginations? Get them away from the computer, from the television, and from entertainment games. That is a wonderful way to help encourage imagination. And the children will learn how to use descriptive words if they experience it for themselves and not rely on wikipedia, google, yahoo, dogpile, bing, and other search engines for the answers. Get them involved and when something is worth learning and they did it themselves it will be the best learning experience. Taking pride in work they do themselves, ownership, is the what deserves an A. Don' let your child fall into the black hole of internet and die academically. Get involved in their learning experience and you will find each day you are learning too.
That particular writing assignment has caused me to think of many more prompts. See the posts of all the prompts I got just from my sixth grades teacher's prompt from years ago. Don't know why I even thought of that today, but it was worth sharing. Tell me what happened when you walked through the woods or on a beach or in a mall, depending on the area you live....
Oh, how the teacher did not appreciate my creativity. I am not sure why I did that. I loved to write. I was writing in diaries (that is what we called journals back in the day) and I was already writing poetry good enough to be entered in contests. I guess I just thought that was cute to respond that way. (My father did not think it was cute one bit).
But that assignment has remained in my memory all these years (I am 51, so it was 40 years ago). She was using prompts before we called them prompts. As a teacher they are called suggestions or motivators. Well, I have been thinking of ways that teacher could have gotten me more involved in the assignment. I mean I must have lacked motivation. Back in those days teachers taught in what we now call "teacher-directed". The students were not involved in any hands on learning. We were given the material and expected to "get it" without much encouragement from the teachers. Well, that is not how I teach. I believe in "teachable moments",hands-on activities, and student-directed activities. I believe the students should be involved in their learning experiences. Make the assignment more real to them and they remember and learn better.
So, what would I do if I were to give my students that same writing assignment?
First, I would take the children on a field trip. If it were possible that is. We would actually go to the woods. We would explore our surroundings and our classroom that day would be in the woods. Then we would go home that day and consider what we would write in our descriptive paragraph.
If we lived in a school district that would not allow us to take a field trip to the woods or if there was no woods to be found, we could go to the library and research "the woods" via through actual books. (No online research for this assignment allowed.) And then after learning what we could and observing pictures in the books, we would go home and finish our descriptive paragraph.
I would also extend this assignment and have the students get into groups. One group would be assigned researching "animals that live in the woods." Another group would research "the environment in the woods, such as trees, moss, etc.)
Another group would research the different states that have "woods". And so on. We would probably discuss these topics over the course of a month. Take as long as we needed to. They could even bring in twigs and insects and leaves and such that is found in the woods and put in our science center. Oh, the many ways I could present "I was walking through the woods" assignment.
Why I just wrote that I fell in a hole and died I really do not know. But if I had a student today who did that same thing I would not give him/her an F. I would allow the student to explain the reason for the response. Then I would give that person a second chance to write a full paragraph. Students do need to respect the assignment and complete it even if they do not agree with it. So, if the student had a legitimate reason for responding that way, I would consider the grade appropriately.
I am thinking how my teacher, back in 1971, would have presented that assignment in the first place. She would have said, here is your assignment. We would have probably been told to write a descriptive paragraph, but no more direction than that. So, I bet I was just not encouraged or motivated enough. I was ADhD back then before the disorder/syndrome was ever identified. Now we would recognize the characteristics of a child with ADhD and accommodate that child with assignments that would allow her/him to do the best job possible. We teach to the different learning styles nowadays also. I know that I learn as an adult with a hand-on approach (kinesthetic learning style)as well as visual learning. If that is how I learn now it stands to reason I would have learned that way in grade school. All I got in sixth grade was written assignments on the chalk board. The teacher said here is your assignment and now do it. Not much else in ways of teaching to the child's learning style. So, I probably was bored and that was my way of finishing such a silly assignment (silly in a sixth grader's opinion silly).
But the more I think about it I believe I just had no idea what I would see in a woods and had no idea how to finish the paragraph. I lived in a navy town in California. Right outside of my house was a four lane highway and right passed the highway was the naval shipyard. I saw hundreds of battle ships, hospital ships, submarines and navy personnel. But I had never been to a woods. I went to a school where we never had long time friends because every one moved so often. No one stayed the night with anyone that lived in the woods. This made no sense to me then. We moved to Oklahoma the summer between sixth and seventh grade. Then I learned what the woods was. But when the assignment was given this student had no idea what to write about so I just fell in a hole and died.
What would I write now? Oh, I could write so much. If I were in sixth grade and lived in Oklahoma I could write the colors of the leaves in the woods. I could write about the animals I saw while playing in the woods. My first experiences in the woods was with my new friends and we would explore for hours. No two days are the same in the woods. Walk to the same area you were in the day before and there would be so many changes. It was also those days of discovery in the woods that we realized I had environmental allergies and my days of asthma began. (Never had any breathing problems until we moved to Oklahoma.) So my experiences in the woods are definitely more successful since I actually moved to an area that had "a woods" to relate to.
Has the ways we teach and the philosophies of teaching changed that much over the years? I am glad I am a teacher now. Technology allows for so many ways to teach a child. But I also am a firm believer that students still need to experience what they can hands-on. And children need to be exposed to books more now than ever. Today they just put the information in a search engine and click there is the answer. Children still need to know how to open a book and find the wonders of the written word and pictures first hand. I am a lover of technology, but if you want your child to be a successful student introduce them to the library, to books, and teach them how to use a dictionary and research books. Need help with your child using their imaginations? Get them away from the computer, from the television, and from entertainment games. That is a wonderful way to help encourage imagination. And the children will learn how to use descriptive words if they experience it for themselves and not rely on wikipedia, google, yahoo, dogpile, bing, and other search engines for the answers. Get them involved and when something is worth learning and they did it themselves it will be the best learning experience. Taking pride in work they do themselves, ownership, is the what deserves an A. Don' let your child fall into the black hole of internet and die academically. Get involved in their learning experience and you will find each day you are learning too.
That particular writing assignment has caused me to think of many more prompts. See the posts of all the prompts I got just from my sixth grades teacher's prompt from years ago. Don't know why I even thought of that today, but it was worth sharing. Tell me what happened when you walked through the woods or on a beach or in a mall, depending on the area you live....
Walking through the woods prompt and more...
Walking through the woods, I...
Walking on the beach, I...
Walking in the countryside, I...
Walking in the desert, I...
Walking in the park, I...
Walking on the farm, I...
Walking on the concrete jungle, I...
Choose one or more of the prompts that you can relate to and share with me your descriptive paragraph. Describe your walking experience from a recent adventure or from past memory. Or, if you want you can even describe what you would expect if you walked in any of those areas. Never been to the woods, or the beach, or the desert? Never walked on a farm? Don't live in the country? Do some researching and see what you can come up with. Share your findings.
Now let's go on a different kind of walk. Here is a different twist for the walking prompts.
While I was walking with my -
husband, child, grandchild, parent, friend, coworker, I...
Walking into the local retail store, I noticed...
Walking into my favorite restaurant, I noticed...
Walking through the aisles of the library, I noticed...
Walking with my dog, I noticed...
Walking up the stairs, I noticed...
While walking into the convenient store, I was aware of...
While walking through the doors of my favorite coffee shop or my favorite book store, I was prompted to write about...
And now has any of those prompts I listed encouraged you to write? Have they got you thinking of other prompts using the word WALK or any form of it? Also do a Bible verse study on the word "walk". How does the Bible tell us we should walk?
Has anyone walked in a marathon? Walked in a walk-a-thon? Walked for a cause, such as breast cancer, down syndrome, or autism? If so, describe your experience and your drive for doing it. You can also prepare to run a marathon through the Bible. Enjoy your walk through these prompts and share them on the journey with your friends.
Walking on the beach, I...
Walking in the countryside, I...
Walking in the desert, I...
Walking in the park, I...
Walking on the farm, I...
Walking on the concrete jungle, I...
Choose one or more of the prompts that you can relate to and share with me your descriptive paragraph. Describe your walking experience from a recent adventure or from past memory. Or, if you want you can even describe what you would expect if you walked in any of those areas. Never been to the woods, or the beach, or the desert? Never walked on a farm? Don't live in the country? Do some researching and see what you can come up with. Share your findings.
Now let's go on a different kind of walk. Here is a different twist for the walking prompts.
While I was walking with my -
husband, child, grandchild, parent, friend, coworker, I...
Walking into the local retail store, I noticed...
Walking into my favorite restaurant, I noticed...
Walking through the aisles of the library, I noticed...
Walking with my dog, I noticed...
Walking up the stairs, I noticed...
While walking into the convenient store, I was aware of...
While walking through the doors of my favorite coffee shop or my favorite book store, I was prompted to write about...
And now has any of those prompts I listed encouraged you to write? Have they got you thinking of other prompts using the word WALK or any form of it? Also do a Bible verse study on the word "walk". How does the Bible tell us we should walk?
Has anyone walked in a marathon? Walked in a walk-a-thon? Walked for a cause, such as breast cancer, down syndrome, or autism? If so, describe your experience and your drive for doing it. You can also prepare to run a marathon through the Bible. Enjoy your walk through these prompts and share them on the journey with your friends.
28 Heart-filled Quips
Here is 28 one sentence sayings that you can use to jump start your day. They refer one way or another to the heart. Use one or as many as you want for your day's recordings. How does it make you feel? What does it "say" to your heart? Record what the saying means when you read it...
1. What the church needs today is more calloused hands and fewer calloused hearts.
2. Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.
3. A man can have no better epitaph than that which is inscribed in the hearts of his friends.
4. A small gift will do if your heart is big enough.
5. A lasting gift to a child is the gift of a parent's listening ear and heart.
6. When God measures a man, He puts the tape around his heart instead of his head.
7. Happiness is a healthy mental attitude, a grateful spirit, a clear conscience, and a heart full of love.
8. The heart is happiest when it beats for others.
9. Happiness is not something you have in your hands, it is something you carry in your heart.
10. You will be happier if you will give people a bit of your heart rather than a piece of your mind.
11. If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
12. In judging others it's always wise to see with the heart as well as with the eyes.
13. Kindness is the insigna of a loving heart.
14. Our trouble today is that we have our heads filled with knowledge, but our hearts are empty.
15. The most lonely place in the world is the human heart when love is absent.
16. We do not need more money in our pockets as much as we need more grace in our hearts.
17. A man cannot touch his neighbor's heart with anything less than his own.
18. Peace is not made in documents, but in the hearts of men.
19. It's not the body's posture, but the hearts attitude, that counts when we pray.
20. A smile is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.
21. What is in the well of your heart will show up in the bucket of your speech.
22. Sympathy is two hearts tugging at the same load.
23. Sympathy is the golden key that unlocks the hearts of others.
24. There are many tears in the heart that never reach the eye.
25. Tolerance is seeing things with your heart instead of your eyes.
26. Truth is something which must be known with the mind, accepted with the heart, and enacted in life.
27. Hardening of the heart ages people more quickly than hardening of the arteries.
28. Give not from the top of your purse, but from the bottom of your heart.
1. What the church needs today is more calloused hands and fewer calloused hearts.
2. Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.
3. A man can have no better epitaph than that which is inscribed in the hearts of his friends.
4. A small gift will do if your heart is big enough.
5. A lasting gift to a child is the gift of a parent's listening ear and heart.
6. When God measures a man, He puts the tape around his heart instead of his head.
7. Happiness is a healthy mental attitude, a grateful spirit, a clear conscience, and a heart full of love.
8. The heart is happiest when it beats for others.
9. Happiness is not something you have in your hands, it is something you carry in your heart.
10. You will be happier if you will give people a bit of your heart rather than a piece of your mind.
11. If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
12. In judging others it's always wise to see with the heart as well as with the eyes.
13. Kindness is the insigna of a loving heart.
14. Our trouble today is that we have our heads filled with knowledge, but our hearts are empty.
15. The most lonely place in the world is the human heart when love is absent.
16. We do not need more money in our pockets as much as we need more grace in our hearts.
17. A man cannot touch his neighbor's heart with anything less than his own.
18. Peace is not made in documents, but in the hearts of men.
19. It's not the body's posture, but the hearts attitude, that counts when we pray.
20. A smile is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.
21. What is in the well of your heart will show up in the bucket of your speech.
22. Sympathy is two hearts tugging at the same load.
23. Sympathy is the golden key that unlocks the hearts of others.
24. There are many tears in the heart that never reach the eye.
25. Tolerance is seeing things with your heart instead of your eyes.
26. Truth is something which must be known with the mind, accepted with the heart, and enacted in life.
27. Hardening of the heart ages people more quickly than hardening of the arteries.
28. Give not from the top of your purse, but from the bottom of your heart.
Playing on the prompt See/Saw
As I approach my house, I see...
As I approach my parent's house, I see...
As I approach my child's house, I see...
Looking out of my bedroom/kitchen/living room window, I see...
Standing at my front door, I looked inside and saw...
Standing at my front door, I looked outside and saw...
Driving on the road to my house in the winter/spring/summer/fall, I can see...
Look at your neighbor's house in front of you. List five things that catch your eye. Now look at your neighbor's house behind you, on the left of you, the right of you and list five things that catches your eye.
Look at your favorite photograph or portrait or picture - list five things you have observed in it that you had not noticed before.
What unusual things have you seen lately?
I would not have believed it if I had not see it with my own eyes. Let me tell you about it...
I looked outside to see what I could see and all that I saw was...
Seeing it as if I were a child for the first time, let me describe it to you...
As I walked into my friend's house, I noticed...
As I walked into my church, I noticed...
Now can you think of other ways you can use the see/saw prompt?
As I approach my child's house, I see...
Looking out of my bedroom/kitchen/living room window, I see...
Standing at my front door, I looked inside and saw...
Standing at my front door, I looked outside and saw...
Driving on the road to my house in the winter/spring/summer/fall, I can see...
Look at your neighbor's house in front of you. List five things that catch your eye. Now look at your neighbor's house behind you, on the left of you, the right of you and list five things that catches your eye.
Look at your favorite photograph or portrait or picture - list five things you have observed in it that you had not noticed before.
What unusual things have you seen lately?
I would not have believed it if I had not see it with my own eyes. Let me tell you about it...
I looked outside to see what I could see and all that I saw was...
Seeing it as if I were a child for the first time, let me describe it to you...
As I walked into my friend's house, I noticed...
As I walked into my church, I noticed...
Now can you think of other ways you can use the see/saw prompt?
Just One a Day
This particular prompt came to me when I was taking my vitamins. I was singing a little jingle to remind me to take my pills. So I started singing take one pill a day and you will keep the visits to the doctor away and well out of that came this journaling idea.
For the following prompts I dedicated one journal for it.
You can do just one of them a day or as I plan on doing one answer to each one of them each day.
Just One A Day...
* One story that touched my day.
* One word that came from the Lord.
* One thing that I am grateful for.
* One person I felt God's love through.
* One thought I had about God.
* One way I knew Jesus was with me.
* One prayer I prayed today.
* One verse I was inspired by today.
* One analogy I thought about from my day's happening, etc.
I am sure you could come up with more things you could record just one thing a day about it. I just decided on those because it is areas I want to work on in my life.
Enjoy...
For the following prompts I dedicated one journal for it.
You can do just one of them a day or as I plan on doing one answer to each one of them each day.
Just One A Day...
* One story that touched my day.
* One word that came from the Lord.
* One thing that I am grateful for.
* One person I felt God's love through.
* One thought I had about God.
* One way I knew Jesus was with me.
* One prayer I prayed today.
* One verse I was inspired by today.
* One analogy I thought about from my day's happening, etc.
I am sure you could come up with more things you could record just one thing a day about it. I just decided on those because it is areas I want to work on in my life.
Enjoy...
50 Prompts Relating to the Five Senses
Sight/Seeing/Eyes
1. When I close my eyes, I can envision...
2. The color of my eyes are _____, but my mother's are _______ and my father's are _______.
3. I saw _______ while...
4. I wear corrective lenses or contact lenses. My eyesight...
5. Seeing things from a whole new perspective, I...
6. If I were to go blind...
7. I see things differently than...
8. I look...
9. When I watch...
10. The sight of _______ was...
Sound/Hearing/Listening/Ears
1. I like/don't like my ears because...
2. I hear/don't hear as well as when I was...
3. Listening to ______, I...
4. I was listening, but...
5. What I heard _______ say, it meant to me _______.
6. I heard a _________.
7. If I lost my hearing, I ________.
8. The sound of _________ was like ________.
9. I met someone without ears or using hearing aids and _________.
10. The sound of _______ hurt my ears because ________.
Touch/Feeling/Texture/Hands
1. Using my hands, I ______.
2. I know ________ like the back of my hand.
3. Her/His skin felt like _______.
4. Touching ________, I...
5. The texture of ________ felt like...
6. If I lost the ability to use my hands...
7. While holding _______'s hands, I...
8. When I touched ______, it made me...
9. When _______ touched me...
10. I don't like to touch _______ because...
Smell/Nose
1. My nose is sensitive to ______.
2. If I smell ________, it causes me to _________.
3. The smell of ______ reminds me of...
4. I like/don't like my nose because...
5. I have my mother's/my father's nose.
6. My favorite fragrance is ________, because...
7. The worst smell I have ever smelled was...
8. My favorite scent of candle is...
9. Smelling her perfume/his cologne...
10. Sniffing the _______, I...
Taste/Mouth
1. _____ causes me to lick my lips.
2. I like the taste of _______ because...
3. I tried _____ and I like/don't like the taste of it.
4. I watched her/his mouth/lips move and _____.
5. I wear the shade of lipstick called ______. I don't wear lipstick because...
6. I have never tasted...
7. I will not eat...
8. I can't believe I ate ____.
9. If I closed my eyes, I could still tell you the ingredients of anything I eat. or I could not tell you the ingredients.
10. The words I speak...
1. When I close my eyes, I can envision...
2. The color of my eyes are _____, but my mother's are _______ and my father's are _______.
3. I saw _______ while...
4. I wear corrective lenses or contact lenses. My eyesight...
5. Seeing things from a whole new perspective, I...
6. If I were to go blind...
7. I see things differently than...
8. I look...
9. When I watch...
10. The sight of _______ was...
Sound/Hearing/Listening/Ears
1. I like/don't like my ears because...
2. I hear/don't hear as well as when I was...
3. Listening to ______, I...
4. I was listening, but...
5. What I heard _______ say, it meant to me _______.
6. I heard a _________.
7. If I lost my hearing, I ________.
8. The sound of _________ was like ________.
9. I met someone without ears or using hearing aids and _________.
10. The sound of _______ hurt my ears because ________.
Touch/Feeling/Texture/Hands
1. Using my hands, I ______.
2. I know ________ like the back of my hand.
3. Her/His skin felt like _______.
4. Touching ________, I...
5. The texture of ________ felt like...
6. If I lost the ability to use my hands...
7. While holding _______'s hands, I...
8. When I touched ______, it made me...
9. When _______ touched me...
10. I don't like to touch _______ because...
Smell/Nose
1. My nose is sensitive to ______.
2. If I smell ________, it causes me to _________.
3. The smell of ______ reminds me of...
4. I like/don't like my nose because...
5. I have my mother's/my father's nose.
6. My favorite fragrance is ________, because...
7. The worst smell I have ever smelled was...
8. My favorite scent of candle is...
9. Smelling her perfume/his cologne...
10. Sniffing the _______, I...
Taste/Mouth
1. _____ causes me to lick my lips.
2. I like the taste of _______ because...
3. I tried _____ and I like/don't like the taste of it.
4. I watched her/his mouth/lips move and _____.
5. I wear the shade of lipstick called ______. I don't wear lipstick because...
6. I have never tasted...
7. I will not eat...
8. I can't believe I ate ____.
9. If I closed my eyes, I could still tell you the ingredients of anything I eat. or I could not tell you the ingredients.
10. The words I speak...
Drip, Drip, Drop
It is spring now. In many regions there are gardens already planted and some even being harvested. In others they are waiting for the last freeze before planting the precious seeds that will produce such wonderful fruits and vegetables. But, what this prompt is springing up to be will be about the other part of the season that characterizes that is it truly spring. Rain. Rain. And more rain. For days it can rain. You hear the constant drip of water coming off of the buildings. The drops of rain being swished about on your windshields. And the need for rainboots and raincoats and umbrellas. How can rain become a prompt?
Well, in some regions a little rain is all they get. Those places suffer from drought. The ground dries up and cracks open. Use this as an analogy for your life. Write about the times in your life that you suffered from a drought. A drought of happy, positive feelings. A drought of successful relationships. A drought of finances. A drought of good health. The list can go on and on. In your writing about the droughts write about how these things were drying up and then write how you were able to come out of the desert and into the nourishing green you are in today (if you are in that today that is). If you are still suffering from the cracks in your life write how you can begin to overcome that drought. And then do it. Always remember the Lord is the Living Water and all you have to do is come to Him and He will provide the nourishment you need to heal the dry, cracked life you have found yourself in. Look up verses about Jesus, the Living Water. Find verses how life was like a desert but water provided it to be a living oasis. Write these verses in your journal and use for encouragement.
Some regions get just enough rain to provide the ground with life giving water. Those regions flourish in flora and gardens are sure to grow into healthy, wholesome food sources. Are you at a time in your life when you are doing just fine? Are you happy and not suffering from lack of water? The water one needs to survive a non depressing life? Isn't it depressing to see a garden that is unattended? Isn't it depressing to see a flower garden where the flowers are wilting and dying? Is your life like the flower garden that is full of color and flowers standing tall? Is your life like the fruit and vegetable garden that has received the right amount of rain and watering to make it thrive? Sometimes people tend to write in their journals when things are going wrong and they pray to the Lord to help through those undernourished times. But when things are going good and right and there is a constant flow of life-giving water, they forget to praise the Lord about it and so why not do that in your post? Make an entry of praises and thanksgiving.
Sometimes the weather in spring provides more than enough rain. It will rain for days. If it is just a sprinkle of rain each day, that is not so bad. If it is drizzling all day long it makes for a drizzle day. If it doesn't quit raining people are stuck indoors. Is your life like a sprinkle or drizzle? Are you stuck indoors? Is your life stuck in a rut? Can you not go outside without being rained on? Are you being rained upon with too much stress? Too many problems? Too many burdens? Write about these things that are making life drizzle misery on you. Find books that will take those moments away for the length of your reading. Write about the books on how they helped you. And find the many in the Bible who overcame the constant drip, drip, drip of life and found the love of Jesus. Let the Word of God be your constant drip of love, help, sanity, and salvation.
There are many days in spring that you know when you wake up it will be raining. When you get ready for bed it will be raining still. Days of rain makes some very blue and depressed. Are you a person who loves the outdoors and gets sad when it rains so much you cannot go out and do the things you love? Write about the things you love to do outdoors. Write what you do when you can't go outside. Write what you can do to overcome the blues until the sky dries up and you can once again visit the beautiful outdoors. Write about how blue skies and fluffy white clouds make you feel.
On those days when it rains and rains and rains, use the time to read books you have not finished. Start a book you have been wanting to read but never had the time. Watch a tv program you enjoy. Rent a movie you would not have expected to watch if it hadn't been raining. Now, write about the books you got to read and the shows and movies you got to watch. And just think it would not have happened if you were not stuck indoors.
Now let's talk about those days when regions get too much rain. You see it on the news. Flooding. Areas get flooded and lives get devastated. Houses get ruined or completely destroyed. Towns get completely flooded. Roads become impassable. Families are detached from one another. Lives are separated from what was once the norm. And then almost as quick as the floods came up, the water recedes and all that is left is the cleaning and rebuilding. Is your life like the rising floods? Do you feel as if you are treading water and cannot touch the ground without going under? Are you fearing you may drown in the water that is overflowing the sand bags you have placed around the boundaries you have built? Are you trying to bale out the water that is entering faster than you expected? Write about these things and how you are feeling.
Has your life been effected by an actual flood? Do you know people who have been in a flood? Write how these actual floods made an impact in your life today. Write how you were able to clean up, rebuild and move on. Read about the famous flood written about in the Bible. We have seen the effects of the tsunamis in Japan and other places. Noah was involved in the ultimate tsunami flood. Rewrite the story in the Bible using you and your family as the lucky ones to be on the Ark. God has provided you with an ark of your own. It is called salvation and can be read about all through the Bible.
Now, are you involved in a relationship that is like a tsunami? Do you wake up each day and feel as if you are in a flood caused by a hurricane named LIFE? Have you found yourself on a road that has a flash flood and your life is being swept away with no help in sight? Are the waters rapidly rising in your life that are causing you to float out of reach from family and friends? Are you drowning in the flood waters with no lifesaving device available? Are you on the roof of your house waiting for rescuers to come and you are afraid time is running out? Find time to describe these moments in your journal and how you expect to overcome them.
The Lord used a flood to destroy sin and begin anew. When the rain stopped and the water scattered and receded, Noah and his family and the animals were able to walk on dry land. Are you feeling condemnation over some sin in your life? Allow the floods to wash away that sin and you will be able to come out clean and alive and new. New due to forgiveness. Use the flood of this proportion to prompt you to write about it and its effects. Write how the Lord has provided you with a ray of hope and forgiveness. Also a part of the story besides the flood was the rainbow. It is the symbol of God's promise. What has brought a rainbow of promises and hope to your life? Write about them in your journal.
Spring also brings more than rain and floods to many regions. It brings the threat of tornadoes. A tornado cannot be stopped. It can be predicted to happen. There are tornado warnings and watches. They can predict when it can arrive in a certain town within minutes. But what the meteorologists can't do is stop it from happening. Everyday in the states involved in tornado alley prepare for the chance of a tornado. Have you ever experienced a tornado in your hometown? Have you been in one yourself? Write how these moments were spent and how you felt. Write what you did to survive. Tornadoes are not prejudice. They will form over the rich as well as the poor side of town. They will destroy one house and skip three only to destroy the next six. They will destroy an entire mobile home park. They will destroy the mighty oak and leave a toilet stool intact. Tornadoes will take a child out of a mother's arms. Tornadoes will shred a house to look like toothpicks. I have seen shreds of insulation embedded in a tree trunk. The devastation a tornado leaves behind is indescribable. But what happens after a tornado leaves its destructive path behind is amazing. People bind together. When there seems to be nothing left behind to salvage relationship and friendships get stronger. Families hug more. And intangible "things" are no longer as important. What is important is your relationship with the Lord. He saves so many lives and those are the things you can write about in your journal. If you have been in such a situation as these mentioned write about it.
Is your life spinning out of control like a twister in the spring that suddenly appears in the once clear sky? Are you finding yourself out in the open in the direct path of the tornado? Is your life so dark due to the harshness of the weather conditions that you don't see the tornado heading your way? Have you not heeded the warnings? Did you decide it wasn't important to watch for the signs of doom coming? What has made your life this way? Write about these conditions and what you can do about it. God's Word is better than any warning the meteorologists' radars can provide. When you find yourself in a tornadic situation run for safety. Find a storm shelter through reading verses and discover other people in the Bible who have lived destructive lives. Write about how they overcame the negative results of the tornado in their life and how you can relate it to your survival. Write the aftereffects and what life dealt you in ways you were not aware of. Out of the rubble left behind the tornado in your life what have you found to be salvageable? Are you relationships, friendships, and family ties stronger because of the storm you had to endure? Are you prepared for life's tornadoes that could unexpectedly appear at any time? Remember God is your shelter in the storm. His Word says so.
Other characteristics of spring during rain is a good old fashioned thunderstorm. Thunder and lightning. Crackling sounds. Bright lights filtering through the sky. And the downpour of rain. Lightning has killed many people. Thunderstorms can cause fear for those who experience tornadoes. Thunderstorms can cause torrential down pouring of rain, which bring the fear of flooding. Is there something that has caused the loud sounds of thunder to drown out the voice of the Lord in your life? Write to the Lord how you need to come out of the rain so you can hear His voice. Has lightning struck your life and split your life in two? Has the lightning caused your life to go haywire with the tragedy of electrocution? Is there anything that is so electrifying in your life it has caused you heart to stop? God has included fore warnings of the effects of sin in the Bible. Do a search of these warnings and write how you will heed to them.
We have written about the storms that come to people's lives. We need to learn from the storms and not live in fear of them. Where they leave destruction, the Lord can give you hope. Hope to clean up, rebuild, and see the rainbow. Write about how the rain provides growth. Growth where there was nothing left. Growth when you don't expect nothing positive from the storm. See the green in your life where there was once a brown, withering hopeless life. Write how you have grown through the help of the Lord's provision.
Remember when you hear the drip, drip, drip of rain that the Lord is in each of those droplets. The Lord is in the storm. The Lord is providing you shelter in the storm and He will be there to help you rebuild. Look for the rainbows He provides. And go walking with the Lord in the rain. It will be refreshing and nourishing to your spiritual life. May you know when to come out of the rain. May you know when your life needs the sustaining of Jesus's Living Water. And always remember God has made a promise. Talk with Him today of that promise and see how the streams will flood your life with salvation and forgiveness.
Well, in some regions a little rain is all they get. Those places suffer from drought. The ground dries up and cracks open. Use this as an analogy for your life. Write about the times in your life that you suffered from a drought. A drought of happy, positive feelings. A drought of successful relationships. A drought of finances. A drought of good health. The list can go on and on. In your writing about the droughts write about how these things were drying up and then write how you were able to come out of the desert and into the nourishing green you are in today (if you are in that today that is). If you are still suffering from the cracks in your life write how you can begin to overcome that drought. And then do it. Always remember the Lord is the Living Water and all you have to do is come to Him and He will provide the nourishment you need to heal the dry, cracked life you have found yourself in. Look up verses about Jesus, the Living Water. Find verses how life was like a desert but water provided it to be a living oasis. Write these verses in your journal and use for encouragement.
Some regions get just enough rain to provide the ground with life giving water. Those regions flourish in flora and gardens are sure to grow into healthy, wholesome food sources. Are you at a time in your life when you are doing just fine? Are you happy and not suffering from lack of water? The water one needs to survive a non depressing life? Isn't it depressing to see a garden that is unattended? Isn't it depressing to see a flower garden where the flowers are wilting and dying? Is your life like the flower garden that is full of color and flowers standing tall? Is your life like the fruit and vegetable garden that has received the right amount of rain and watering to make it thrive? Sometimes people tend to write in their journals when things are going wrong and they pray to the Lord to help through those undernourished times. But when things are going good and right and there is a constant flow of life-giving water, they forget to praise the Lord about it and so why not do that in your post? Make an entry of praises and thanksgiving.
Sometimes the weather in spring provides more than enough rain. It will rain for days. If it is just a sprinkle of rain each day, that is not so bad. If it is drizzling all day long it makes for a drizzle day. If it doesn't quit raining people are stuck indoors. Is your life like a sprinkle or drizzle? Are you stuck indoors? Is your life stuck in a rut? Can you not go outside without being rained on? Are you being rained upon with too much stress? Too many problems? Too many burdens? Write about these things that are making life drizzle misery on you. Find books that will take those moments away for the length of your reading. Write about the books on how they helped you. And find the many in the Bible who overcame the constant drip, drip, drip of life and found the love of Jesus. Let the Word of God be your constant drip of love, help, sanity, and salvation.
There are many days in spring that you know when you wake up it will be raining. When you get ready for bed it will be raining still. Days of rain makes some very blue and depressed. Are you a person who loves the outdoors and gets sad when it rains so much you cannot go out and do the things you love? Write about the things you love to do outdoors. Write what you do when you can't go outside. Write what you can do to overcome the blues until the sky dries up and you can once again visit the beautiful outdoors. Write about how blue skies and fluffy white clouds make you feel.
On those days when it rains and rains and rains, use the time to read books you have not finished. Start a book you have been wanting to read but never had the time. Watch a tv program you enjoy. Rent a movie you would not have expected to watch if it hadn't been raining. Now, write about the books you got to read and the shows and movies you got to watch. And just think it would not have happened if you were not stuck indoors.
Now let's talk about those days when regions get too much rain. You see it on the news. Flooding. Areas get flooded and lives get devastated. Houses get ruined or completely destroyed. Towns get completely flooded. Roads become impassable. Families are detached from one another. Lives are separated from what was once the norm. And then almost as quick as the floods came up, the water recedes and all that is left is the cleaning and rebuilding. Is your life like the rising floods? Do you feel as if you are treading water and cannot touch the ground without going under? Are you fearing you may drown in the water that is overflowing the sand bags you have placed around the boundaries you have built? Are you trying to bale out the water that is entering faster than you expected? Write about these things and how you are feeling.
Has your life been effected by an actual flood? Do you know people who have been in a flood? Write how these actual floods made an impact in your life today. Write how you were able to clean up, rebuild and move on. Read about the famous flood written about in the Bible. We have seen the effects of the tsunamis in Japan and other places. Noah was involved in the ultimate tsunami flood. Rewrite the story in the Bible using you and your family as the lucky ones to be on the Ark. God has provided you with an ark of your own. It is called salvation and can be read about all through the Bible.
Now, are you involved in a relationship that is like a tsunami? Do you wake up each day and feel as if you are in a flood caused by a hurricane named LIFE? Have you found yourself on a road that has a flash flood and your life is being swept away with no help in sight? Are the waters rapidly rising in your life that are causing you to float out of reach from family and friends? Are you drowning in the flood waters with no lifesaving device available? Are you on the roof of your house waiting for rescuers to come and you are afraid time is running out? Find time to describe these moments in your journal and how you expect to overcome them.
The Lord used a flood to destroy sin and begin anew. When the rain stopped and the water scattered and receded, Noah and his family and the animals were able to walk on dry land. Are you feeling condemnation over some sin in your life? Allow the floods to wash away that sin and you will be able to come out clean and alive and new. New due to forgiveness. Use the flood of this proportion to prompt you to write about it and its effects. Write how the Lord has provided you with a ray of hope and forgiveness. Also a part of the story besides the flood was the rainbow. It is the symbol of God's promise. What has brought a rainbow of promises and hope to your life? Write about them in your journal.
Spring also brings more than rain and floods to many regions. It brings the threat of tornadoes. A tornado cannot be stopped. It can be predicted to happen. There are tornado warnings and watches. They can predict when it can arrive in a certain town within minutes. But what the meteorologists can't do is stop it from happening. Everyday in the states involved in tornado alley prepare for the chance of a tornado. Have you ever experienced a tornado in your hometown? Have you been in one yourself? Write how these moments were spent and how you felt. Write what you did to survive. Tornadoes are not prejudice. They will form over the rich as well as the poor side of town. They will destroy one house and skip three only to destroy the next six. They will destroy an entire mobile home park. They will destroy the mighty oak and leave a toilet stool intact. Tornadoes will take a child out of a mother's arms. Tornadoes will shred a house to look like toothpicks. I have seen shreds of insulation embedded in a tree trunk. The devastation a tornado leaves behind is indescribable. But what happens after a tornado leaves its destructive path behind is amazing. People bind together. When there seems to be nothing left behind to salvage relationship and friendships get stronger. Families hug more. And intangible "things" are no longer as important. What is important is your relationship with the Lord. He saves so many lives and those are the things you can write about in your journal. If you have been in such a situation as these mentioned write about it.
Is your life spinning out of control like a twister in the spring that suddenly appears in the once clear sky? Are you finding yourself out in the open in the direct path of the tornado? Is your life so dark due to the harshness of the weather conditions that you don't see the tornado heading your way? Have you not heeded the warnings? Did you decide it wasn't important to watch for the signs of doom coming? What has made your life this way? Write about these conditions and what you can do about it. God's Word is better than any warning the meteorologists' radars can provide. When you find yourself in a tornadic situation run for safety. Find a storm shelter through reading verses and discover other people in the Bible who have lived destructive lives. Write about how they overcame the negative results of the tornado in their life and how you can relate it to your survival. Write the aftereffects and what life dealt you in ways you were not aware of. Out of the rubble left behind the tornado in your life what have you found to be salvageable? Are you relationships, friendships, and family ties stronger because of the storm you had to endure? Are you prepared for life's tornadoes that could unexpectedly appear at any time? Remember God is your shelter in the storm. His Word says so.
Other characteristics of spring during rain is a good old fashioned thunderstorm. Thunder and lightning. Crackling sounds. Bright lights filtering through the sky. And the downpour of rain. Lightning has killed many people. Thunderstorms can cause fear for those who experience tornadoes. Thunderstorms can cause torrential down pouring of rain, which bring the fear of flooding. Is there something that has caused the loud sounds of thunder to drown out the voice of the Lord in your life? Write to the Lord how you need to come out of the rain so you can hear His voice. Has lightning struck your life and split your life in two? Has the lightning caused your life to go haywire with the tragedy of electrocution? Is there anything that is so electrifying in your life it has caused you heart to stop? God has included fore warnings of the effects of sin in the Bible. Do a search of these warnings and write how you will heed to them.
We have written about the storms that come to people's lives. We need to learn from the storms and not live in fear of them. Where they leave destruction, the Lord can give you hope. Hope to clean up, rebuild, and see the rainbow. Write about how the rain provides growth. Growth where there was nothing left. Growth when you don't expect nothing positive from the storm. See the green in your life where there was once a brown, withering hopeless life. Write how you have grown through the help of the Lord's provision.
Remember when you hear the drip, drip, drip of rain that the Lord is in each of those droplets. The Lord is in the storm. The Lord is providing you shelter in the storm and He will be there to help you rebuild. Look for the rainbows He provides. And go walking with the Lord in the rain. It will be refreshing and nourishing to your spiritual life. May you know when to come out of the rain. May you know when your life needs the sustaining of Jesus's Living Water. And always remember God has made a promise. Talk with Him today of that promise and see how the streams will flood your life with salvation and forgiveness.
You Name It!
Each day I am calling someone by name. At the daycare I call each child's name during roll call and for many other reasons their names are used throughout the day. I have some children whose names are said more than others :>) When I am at the store I try to greet each customer by their name if I know it. Once I learn a customer's name I use their name as often as I can. When a people hear their name during the transaction I watch his/her face relax some and a smile grows. We all love to hear our names used. So this prompt is dedicated to "names".
You name it and I will have a prompt about it I bet!!
First, let's write about our own names. Do you know the meaning of your name? Write it out on your journal page and put a border around it. Now, do you feel as if your name fits you? Do you live up to the meaning of your name? Were you named after someone in your family? Why did your mother give you that name? Is the person living still? Do you have a special relationship with that person? Are you named after an actor/actress? Is there someone else you are named after?
Write in discussion format how you feel about your name. Do you like your name? Have you ever wished you were given a different name? Did you ever use another name when you were in school? Have you ever used an alias? Do you go by your middle name instead of your first name? Why do you do this? Write how you feel about your name.
I have used more than one name in my lifetime. My birth name was Marchelle Marie Umipig. I never used that name because my mother kidnapped me from my father when I was only six months old and gave me another name. I went by Marshel Marie Chambers. Did not know my legal name until I was in high school. That is another story for another day. But my family called me Shelly and that is the name I used until high school. I did not like my middle name because it is after my maternal grandmother and I could not stand her. She was the meanest woman I knew. Her birthday was Halloween and I always said it was a holiday just for her. Another story at another time. I really like my first name. I know no other Marshel. Since the onset of internet I have seen some spellings of my name. But have yet to meet another Marshel with my exact spelling. When I ran away from home a couple of times I used the name Michelle Marie Mason. I pretended to be my best friend's sister. My family never knew I used that name and if I ever wanted to never be found that would be the name I used. My best friend Perry Mason even named his first born after me. Well, my namesake is Michelle Marie Mason so I guess she is actually named after my AKA. When I was in high school we went by nicknames in our circle of friends. My name was Sundown. That will be discussed later. But I truly do love my name now that I have met my real father. See, my name Marchelle is after my real father Marcello. My mom did not want him to find me so changed my spelling of my name to Marshel. I love it spelled that way.
Speaking of nicknames. That is one subject that you could write about in many different ways.
As I asked earlier, write about your nicknames in school. Does your family call you by another name besides your given name? Did you give yourself a nickname or did the family give it to you? Why is it your nickname? Did your nickname change over time? Have you been called by that name for so long your friends did not even know you had a different name? Write about these questions.
Another form of nickname is terms of endearment you give your family members. Some of those would be sweetheart, sweetie, sweetness, sweetcakes, babycakes, cupcake, honeybun, cookie, muffin, sugar, sugarpie, and pumpkin. Write why you call them these names. (I just realized that those terms of endearment are all desserts. Is there a relationship to that?) Does anyone call you those names? Who and why? My grandson's name is Mythias and I have called him my honeybun ever since he was born. My granddaughter has the prettiest red hair and I always call her pumpkin. I shared before how she was learning how people are related and I asked her how Mythias was kin to me and she said he is your grandson. Then I asked her how she was kin to me and she put her hands on her hips and said you know. I am your grandpumpkin. When my husband is just talking to me lovingly he calls me "girl". Why I don't know but it his term for me. My oldest daughter's name is Philesha but we call her Lesha. My middle child is Jessie not Jessica because we did not want her to have a nickname. My son is Dewayne and we called him Bud when he was younger and when he went to kindergarten we realized he did not know his name was Dewayne.
Are you a grandmother? What name have they given you? Grandma? Grandmother? Grandmama? Mimi? Mawmaw? Granny? Write what the children call you and how that came about. How does it make you feel to hear them call you by your special name? My oldest two call me Mimi. My youngest call me Grandma Marshel. They call their paternal grandmother MawMaw. How it came about who knows. They just started calling us that. My daughter asked me what I wanted to be called and I said I always wanted to be called granny. She laughed and said I was not a granny. She explained that grannies cook, bake, sew, clean, etc and I do none of those things. So, I just let the children call me what they want. When I am at the store and they are there too and they see me I love it when they come running at me and jump into my arms. Oh what pleasure! Write of different memories of your grandchildren and them calling you by name.
Is there certain names that are just used in different parts of the country? For example, here in Oklahoma we call every boy Bubba. My son is Bubba. My grandson is Bubba too. We even call our boy dogs Bubba. My children did not even know their Uncle Bubb's real name until they were already grown (it is Jerry). I call my daughters Sister. We call our neices Sister. I even call my four girl dogs Sisters. Some even go by Sissy. My boss goes by Sissy and I did not know her real name until I had to call her and find her name in the telephone book. Are you a Sissy or Sister? Do you have a Bubba? When I met my real brother for the first time I said "I finally have a Bubba." His name is Joelino.
Speaking of names only used in certain parts of the country here are names I know are in Oklahoma but may not be in maybe Florida or Canada or so... Gunner, Hunter, Tanner, Wyatt, Bo/Beau, Cinch, Rope, Duke, Chisholm, Quardale, and other cowboy names. Do you know anyone with a name that isn't really a usual name for a boy or girl? I have a friend who named her two girls "Noah, and Micah". Write of these people and how they came to have these names.
Google the popular names for the year you were born. Is your name one of them? Do a search on the most popular names in the 50s, 60s, 70, 80s, 90s, and nowadays. What are the most used names in your town today? In my teaching career I have had several names that were never going to be in the most popular names. And then there are the names that are NEW but everyone starts naming their child that. Right now in the daycare I work at these are the names of our students or their siblings -
Aiden, Braidon, Braden, Braidon, Bryden, Bryndon, Caden, Caydon, Camdyn, Drayden, Dradon, Dryden, Hayden, Hadyn, Jaydon, Jaden, Jordyn, Kayden, Layton, Payton, Tristan, Tristen, Triston, Trysten, Trystin, Zaden, and Zaydon. Yes, and many other versions.
Why did you name your children their names? Write why you chose that name. Describe what makes your children's names special. My oldest daughter is Philesha DeAnn. Her father is Philip. My best friend's middle name is Ann. Her father's middle name starts with D. My other daughter is Jessie Leighann. My husband's oldest son is Daniel Leigh. He had a sister who passed away named Jessie. And we put our two oldests' middle names together. My son's name is the same initials as his brother. Dewayne Louis. If I had one more daughter I would have named her Jaycee LouAnn.
What would you name more children if you were to have more? Is there patterns to their names? Do all your children's names start with the same letter? (It amazes me that 20 children and counting could come up with that many J names.) Have you ever wished you had named your children another name instead? Write your reasons. I wanted to name my middle daughter Sarah Marshel, but Gordon got his way. I wanted to name my son Joseph Michael, but again Gordon got his way. I was not with my oldest's father at the time of her birth so I got to name her what I wanted. One of the names I had considered calling my oldest was Chyvona Llyshel. No one liked it. If she had been a boy I considered Chevy Blue (Cher had named her son Elijah Blue) but no one liked it. What list of names had you thought about naming your children but didn't? Why did you finally decide on the name you did? Write about your children's names and let them know all of this.
Are you married? Write how you felt when the minister said, "And now I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs._______." Did it take you long to get used to your married name? Right after I got married I had to go to a doctor appointment and the receptionist called Marshel Morrison and I didn't go to her desk. She called me two more times before I realized it was me she was calling. Are you divorced? Did you keep your married name or go back to your maiden name? Write your reason.
Are there names that cause you to remember a special memory? If you hear a name being called does it make you think of someone in your life that had a positive/negative effect on you? Do certain names make you stop and look for that person? Write about particular names that are important to you or that conjour up certain memories. Write about those memories.
There are names that are not appropriate. Calling people bad names has been around for many years. Sticks and Stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Did you ever have to repeat that saying before? Write why. Have you ever been called inappropriate names? My stepfather called me pig so many times. That may be why I am a hoarder now. Are there names you were called that still hurt you to this day? When my husband was drinking he called me many nasty names. I pray I never hear them again.
Have you called someone names that you wish you hadn't? Did you call someone Porky or Skinnyminny? Or other inappropriate names? Does it make you sad that you did that? Write how you feel about how you used to call people. When someone is called bad names as a youngster it can still hurt them as a grown up. Are you one of those children that people made fun of and called names? Write how this made you feel then and how you feel about it now. My students, who are preschoolers, call each other names all the time. I teach them that they are to call each other by their real names. One of the names that will cause every child cry I have ever dealt with is "Stupid". Have you ever been called Stupid or called someone Stupid? Write why you would do that. And how it made you feel to be called Stupid. My stepfather called me Stupid all the time. And I wasn't. I had the highest IQ in the county's dependent schools. I never knew I was smart at all. I was surprised when I graduated with honors when I got my Associate's degree. I did not even know I was smart when I graduated Cum Laude when I got my Bachelor's degree. But now finally at age 52 I feel smart and will be getting my Master's finally. I did not have enough confidence in myself to think I could be smart enough to get a Masters. All because I really thought I was stupid.
Did you teach your children to call adults by Mr. and Mrs.? Did you teach your children to call their aunts and uncles with that before their names? I still call my aunts and uncles Aunt Debbie or Uncle Jack. But many children do not do that anymore. And very few children say ma'am or sir. Write about how names show respect or disrespect. Do you like to be called by Mrs. or Aunt? In regular schools we call our teachers Mrs. Morrison, etc. But in preschool we are usually called by our first names. Ms. Marshel. I love it when they call me that. But most of the time they call me Teacher. And that is all right with me too.
I know this has been a long prompt. Now we are going to have a more spiritual prompt dealing with names. I have a book named "The Wonderful Names of Jesus." There are hundreds. I did a study once on each one of them. If you don't have a book Google names of Jesus or names of God/Lord. Write them in a new journal. Do one a day or more. Write the meaning of them. Write where they are found in the Bible. Write the situations when you would use them.
What name or names do you use when you are praying? What names do you call Jesus? Write about these names in your journal. Try using different names for different types of prayers when you are talking with the Lord.
There are certain names in the Bible that mean different things. Do a study on names in the Bible. The Lord changed some people's names like Saul to Paul, Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. Do a study of these people who had their names changed in your journal. If the Lord were to change your name today, what do you think it would be?
There is a special book in the Bible that mentions our names. The Book of Life. It has your name written in it when you are saved. Write your salvation experience and how you felt when on the day your name was written in that special book.
When you hear your name being called do you know who it is by the voice? Does the Lord know it is you calling Him by name? Do you recognize the Lord's voice when He calls your name? Write your answers to these questions.
There may be many people with your name or names. There may just be a few with your name. Your name may be very unusual. Your name may never be remembered after you are gone other than family members. But one thing you can always count on is the fact that the Lord knows you by name. No matter who you are He will always know you when you are praying. And when others use your name during their prayer time. Remember to call out the names of those needing prayer.
Never use the Lord's name in vain. And when you hear other's use His name in vain remember to praise the Lord. Tell the person cussing that if he/she is going to knock the Lord down you are going to build Him up. When you hear the Lord's name being used in vain say "Praise the Lord". Write about times you have lifted the Lord up when others have put Him down.
I know that this has been a long prompt. Writing about names and their meanings have been around a long time. Children love to hear their names, see their names in writing, and know why they are named that. Take time to write about these different prompts about names. Someone is longing to know...
You name it and I will have a prompt about it I bet!!
First, let's write about our own names. Do you know the meaning of your name? Write it out on your journal page and put a border around it. Now, do you feel as if your name fits you? Do you live up to the meaning of your name? Were you named after someone in your family? Why did your mother give you that name? Is the person living still? Do you have a special relationship with that person? Are you named after an actor/actress? Is there someone else you are named after?
Write in discussion format how you feel about your name. Do you like your name? Have you ever wished you were given a different name? Did you ever use another name when you were in school? Have you ever used an alias? Do you go by your middle name instead of your first name? Why do you do this? Write how you feel about your name.
I have used more than one name in my lifetime. My birth name was Marchelle Marie Umipig. I never used that name because my mother kidnapped me from my father when I was only six months old and gave me another name. I went by Marshel Marie Chambers. Did not know my legal name until I was in high school. That is another story for another day. But my family called me Shelly and that is the name I used until high school. I did not like my middle name because it is after my maternal grandmother and I could not stand her. She was the meanest woman I knew. Her birthday was Halloween and I always said it was a holiday just for her. Another story at another time. I really like my first name. I know no other Marshel. Since the onset of internet I have seen some spellings of my name. But have yet to meet another Marshel with my exact spelling. When I ran away from home a couple of times I used the name Michelle Marie Mason. I pretended to be my best friend's sister. My family never knew I used that name and if I ever wanted to never be found that would be the name I used. My best friend Perry Mason even named his first born after me. Well, my namesake is Michelle Marie Mason so I guess she is actually named after my AKA. When I was in high school we went by nicknames in our circle of friends. My name was Sundown. That will be discussed later. But I truly do love my name now that I have met my real father. See, my name Marchelle is after my real father Marcello. My mom did not want him to find me so changed my spelling of my name to Marshel. I love it spelled that way.
Speaking of nicknames. That is one subject that you could write about in many different ways.
As I asked earlier, write about your nicknames in school. Does your family call you by another name besides your given name? Did you give yourself a nickname or did the family give it to you? Why is it your nickname? Did your nickname change over time? Have you been called by that name for so long your friends did not even know you had a different name? Write about these questions.
Another form of nickname is terms of endearment you give your family members. Some of those would be sweetheart, sweetie, sweetness, sweetcakes, babycakes, cupcake, honeybun, cookie, muffin, sugar, sugarpie, and pumpkin. Write why you call them these names. (I just realized that those terms of endearment are all desserts. Is there a relationship to that?) Does anyone call you those names? Who and why? My grandson's name is Mythias and I have called him my honeybun ever since he was born. My granddaughter has the prettiest red hair and I always call her pumpkin. I shared before how she was learning how people are related and I asked her how Mythias was kin to me and she said he is your grandson. Then I asked her how she was kin to me and she put her hands on her hips and said you know. I am your grandpumpkin. When my husband is just talking to me lovingly he calls me "girl". Why I don't know but it his term for me. My oldest daughter's name is Philesha but we call her Lesha. My middle child is Jessie not Jessica because we did not want her to have a nickname. My son is Dewayne and we called him Bud when he was younger and when he went to kindergarten we realized he did not know his name was Dewayne.
Are you a grandmother? What name have they given you? Grandma? Grandmother? Grandmama? Mimi? Mawmaw? Granny? Write what the children call you and how that came about. How does it make you feel to hear them call you by your special name? My oldest two call me Mimi. My youngest call me Grandma Marshel. They call their paternal grandmother MawMaw. How it came about who knows. They just started calling us that. My daughter asked me what I wanted to be called and I said I always wanted to be called granny. She laughed and said I was not a granny. She explained that grannies cook, bake, sew, clean, etc and I do none of those things. So, I just let the children call me what they want. When I am at the store and they are there too and they see me I love it when they come running at me and jump into my arms. Oh what pleasure! Write of different memories of your grandchildren and them calling you by name.
Is there certain names that are just used in different parts of the country? For example, here in Oklahoma we call every boy Bubba. My son is Bubba. My grandson is Bubba too. We even call our boy dogs Bubba. My children did not even know their Uncle Bubb's real name until they were already grown (it is Jerry). I call my daughters Sister. We call our neices Sister. I even call my four girl dogs Sisters. Some even go by Sissy. My boss goes by Sissy and I did not know her real name until I had to call her and find her name in the telephone book. Are you a Sissy or Sister? Do you have a Bubba? When I met my real brother for the first time I said "I finally have a Bubba." His name is Joelino.
Speaking of names only used in certain parts of the country here are names I know are in Oklahoma but may not be in maybe Florida or Canada or so... Gunner, Hunter, Tanner, Wyatt, Bo/Beau, Cinch, Rope, Duke, Chisholm, Quardale, and other cowboy names. Do you know anyone with a name that isn't really a usual name for a boy or girl? I have a friend who named her two girls "Noah, and Micah". Write of these people and how they came to have these names.
Google the popular names for the year you were born. Is your name one of them? Do a search on the most popular names in the 50s, 60s, 70, 80s, 90s, and nowadays. What are the most used names in your town today? In my teaching career I have had several names that were never going to be in the most popular names. And then there are the names that are NEW but everyone starts naming their child that. Right now in the daycare I work at these are the names of our students or their siblings -
Aiden, Braidon, Braden, Braidon, Bryden, Bryndon, Caden, Caydon, Camdyn, Drayden, Dradon, Dryden, Hayden, Hadyn, Jaydon, Jaden, Jordyn, Kayden, Layton, Payton, Tristan, Tristen, Triston, Trysten, Trystin, Zaden, and Zaydon. Yes, and many other versions.
Why did you name your children their names? Write why you chose that name. Describe what makes your children's names special. My oldest daughter is Philesha DeAnn. Her father is Philip. My best friend's middle name is Ann. Her father's middle name starts with D. My other daughter is Jessie Leighann. My husband's oldest son is Daniel Leigh. He had a sister who passed away named Jessie. And we put our two oldests' middle names together. My son's name is the same initials as his brother. Dewayne Louis. If I had one more daughter I would have named her Jaycee LouAnn.
What would you name more children if you were to have more? Is there patterns to their names? Do all your children's names start with the same letter? (It amazes me that 20 children and counting could come up with that many J names.) Have you ever wished you had named your children another name instead? Write your reasons. I wanted to name my middle daughter Sarah Marshel, but Gordon got his way. I wanted to name my son Joseph Michael, but again Gordon got his way. I was not with my oldest's father at the time of her birth so I got to name her what I wanted. One of the names I had considered calling my oldest was Chyvona Llyshel. No one liked it. If she had been a boy I considered Chevy Blue (Cher had named her son Elijah Blue) but no one liked it. What list of names had you thought about naming your children but didn't? Why did you finally decide on the name you did? Write about your children's names and let them know all of this.
Are you married? Write how you felt when the minister said, "And now I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs._______." Did it take you long to get used to your married name? Right after I got married I had to go to a doctor appointment and the receptionist called Marshel Morrison and I didn't go to her desk. She called me two more times before I realized it was me she was calling. Are you divorced? Did you keep your married name or go back to your maiden name? Write your reason.
Are there names that cause you to remember a special memory? If you hear a name being called does it make you think of someone in your life that had a positive/negative effect on you? Do certain names make you stop and look for that person? Write about particular names that are important to you or that conjour up certain memories. Write about those memories.
There are names that are not appropriate. Calling people bad names has been around for many years. Sticks and Stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Did you ever have to repeat that saying before? Write why. Have you ever been called inappropriate names? My stepfather called me pig so many times. That may be why I am a hoarder now. Are there names you were called that still hurt you to this day? When my husband was drinking he called me many nasty names. I pray I never hear them again.
Have you called someone names that you wish you hadn't? Did you call someone Porky or Skinnyminny? Or other inappropriate names? Does it make you sad that you did that? Write how you feel about how you used to call people. When someone is called bad names as a youngster it can still hurt them as a grown up. Are you one of those children that people made fun of and called names? Write how this made you feel then and how you feel about it now. My students, who are preschoolers, call each other names all the time. I teach them that they are to call each other by their real names. One of the names that will cause every child cry I have ever dealt with is "Stupid". Have you ever been called Stupid or called someone Stupid? Write why you would do that. And how it made you feel to be called Stupid. My stepfather called me Stupid all the time. And I wasn't. I had the highest IQ in the county's dependent schools. I never knew I was smart at all. I was surprised when I graduated with honors when I got my Associate's degree. I did not even know I was smart when I graduated Cum Laude when I got my Bachelor's degree. But now finally at age 52 I feel smart and will be getting my Master's finally. I did not have enough confidence in myself to think I could be smart enough to get a Masters. All because I really thought I was stupid.
Did you teach your children to call adults by Mr. and Mrs.? Did you teach your children to call their aunts and uncles with that before their names? I still call my aunts and uncles Aunt Debbie or Uncle Jack. But many children do not do that anymore. And very few children say ma'am or sir. Write about how names show respect or disrespect. Do you like to be called by Mrs. or Aunt? In regular schools we call our teachers Mrs. Morrison, etc. But in preschool we are usually called by our first names. Ms. Marshel. I love it when they call me that. But most of the time they call me Teacher. And that is all right with me too.
I know this has been a long prompt. Now we are going to have a more spiritual prompt dealing with names. I have a book named "The Wonderful Names of Jesus." There are hundreds. I did a study once on each one of them. If you don't have a book Google names of Jesus or names of God/Lord. Write them in a new journal. Do one a day or more. Write the meaning of them. Write where they are found in the Bible. Write the situations when you would use them.
What name or names do you use when you are praying? What names do you call Jesus? Write about these names in your journal. Try using different names for different types of prayers when you are talking with the Lord.
There are certain names in the Bible that mean different things. Do a study on names in the Bible. The Lord changed some people's names like Saul to Paul, Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. Do a study of these people who had their names changed in your journal. If the Lord were to change your name today, what do you think it would be?
There is a special book in the Bible that mentions our names. The Book of Life. It has your name written in it when you are saved. Write your salvation experience and how you felt when on the day your name was written in that special book.
When you hear your name being called do you know who it is by the voice? Does the Lord know it is you calling Him by name? Do you recognize the Lord's voice when He calls your name? Write your answers to these questions.
There may be many people with your name or names. There may just be a few with your name. Your name may be very unusual. Your name may never be remembered after you are gone other than family members. But one thing you can always count on is the fact that the Lord knows you by name. No matter who you are He will always know you when you are praying. And when others use your name during their prayer time. Remember to call out the names of those needing prayer.
Never use the Lord's name in vain. And when you hear other's use His name in vain remember to praise the Lord. Tell the person cussing that if he/she is going to knock the Lord down you are going to build Him up. When you hear the Lord's name being used in vain say "Praise the Lord". Write about times you have lifted the Lord up when others have put Him down.
I know that this has been a long prompt. Writing about names and their meanings have been around a long time. Children love to hear their names, see their names in writing, and know why they are named that. Take time to write about these different prompts about names. Someone is longing to know...
How "Relative" Is It?
We just celebrated two holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) that are spent with relatives. To start the new year most people spend the night with relatives. Our church has a candlelight service and at midnight the members are at the altar welcoming the new year in with prayer. So, I began thinking of a prompt that could incorporate relatives. And this is what the Lord help guide me to do...
Let's write entries to our relatives. Do you ever write to your children but it is in a journal for them to read after you have passed away? What did you tell that person? Did you share your thoughts, your feelings, your ideas? Did you give advice? Did you ask forgiveness from that person? Did you share your expectations of that person? Did you talk about how you love that person? If you have not written a journal of this type, why not start one today?
I thought of how we are related to people. I came up with the following ways:
By birth
We have fathers, mothers, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, spouses.
We have extended families.
We have in-laws.
We can be related by friendship.
We also can be related by church home, acquaintances, and coworkers.
Use these relationships as prompts for journaling.
We can also be related by love.
We love our family. We love our friends. We love many things. We love in many ways. For instance, I truly love my animals. I have made scrapbook pages of them. They are more important to me than they should be. Afterall, dogs and cats are people too. I have written many entries about my animals. Use the things or people you love to journal.
Do a study on the begats found in the Bible. Have you ever made a family tree? Draw one in your journal. Is your tree full? Is there missing limbs? Does it lean or is it not complete yet? Write about your family tree in your journal.
Do a study on relatives in the Bible. Adam and Eve. Abraham and Lot. Those are a couple of people we know about their life stories and they are related. Write letters to them and ask them things you are curious about or have questions about.
Do a verse study on words that relate to the prompt, such as mother, father, brother.
There are estranged relationships. Do you want to reconcile? Are you not willing to forgive? Write about the reason you are separated from these individuals. Ask the Lord for healing of your relationship. Ask Him to provide what is needed to mend the broken relationship. This could provide many entries in your journal.
Are you a Christian? Then you are related to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Do a study on the genealogy of Jesus. Are you surprised at some of the people that is listed in there? You are related to Him through the shedding of His blood. You have been adopted in His family. You have an inheritance in the Kingdom of our Lord. Write about your salvation experience. Journal how you are related to Jesus.You are also related to other Christians through the mutual love of Jesus Christ. Write about these things.
Now, let's talk about this spending time with relatives. Some people see their family every day. Some live too far away to spend time with them on a daily basis or even weekly or monthly. Some people do not ever see their family members due to an estrangement. Write about your time you get to spend with your family.
Are you spending as much time with them as you would prefer? Do you wish to spend more time than just at holiday get-togethers and funerals? Do you live with your family? Are you feeling like you spend too much time with your relatives? Write about these different questions.
Are you spending as much time with your Heavenly Father that you should? Do you spend time with Jesus? Write about your experiences with the Lord that shows how you are truly related. Are you one of those relatives that doesn't join in any family gatherings? Do you neglect your relationship with the Lord? Write of these things...
Do you still attend family reunions? Do you avoid your family reunions? Would you like to have a family reunion? Write your feelings on these different questions.
I used to spend more time with my best friend during my junior high and high school career. I hardly spent my time with my family. So I attended some of my friend's family reunions. I was with my friend so much that I guess some distant family members thought I was one of them. They would tell me "I haven't seen you in so long. My, have you grown." And they weren't even my family, but my best friend's family treated me as if I was one of them. I could write in my journal of the many times I felt more loved by them instead of my own family.
Are you a part of an online family? Write about them in your journal. Describe them so that others would be able to know them just by your description.
Is there someone in your family out there that you haven't seen in a long time and you miss them? Write a letter, send a card, or even Facebook that person and let that relative know your feelings. Make a copy of your letter or card and save it in your journal.
Another way people are related is their mutual hobby or club or organization. Write about the different ways you are related to others that are not blood relation.
I hope this prompt relates to you in such a way that it inspires you to write.
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