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Inspirations, Resources

Weekly Topic Ideas-Week of January 18, 2016

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I don’t know how it is where you are, but around here it’s COLD!  Thermometer was reading zero degrees this morning and is struggling to climb into the single digit range.  It’s a good morning to snuggle up under a warm blanket or afghan and write in your journal!

Starting a new journal this week?  Here are some theme ideas:

  • A weather extremes journal.  Reminisce or give live updates when the weather is doing unusual things.  These can be your own stories or your thoughts on unusual weather from other times and places.
  • A poetry journal.  Find and read a poem and then respond to it for your entry.
  • A descriptive writing journal.  Write down your best descriptions of everyday items that engage all five senses.  How vivid can you make your writing?

And if your creativity is frozen to the floor, here are some prompts that you can write about this week:

  • When was the last time you saw a face in some inanimate object?  Does that happen to you a lot?  Does it have any special meaning for you?
  • Choose a knickknack that you have in your home, and write the story of how you came into possession of it and why it’s special enough that you keep it around.
  • What type of weather do you find most soothing?  Most exciting? Most interesting? Most frightening?  How often do you experience it where you live now?
  • What was the last television show that you watched all the way through?  Why did it keep your interest? Will you watch the next in the series?
  • Look around your home and find a pile of clutter (c’mon, we all have them somewhere even if they are hidden in a little-used drawer).  What’s in the pile?  Why is it there?
  • Choose a memory from your school days and write it down.  Did this experience impact your life or was it a mundane sort of an event?  Why did the memory stick with you?
  • Describe your favorite physical sensation in the whole wide world.  How often do you get to experience it?

Enjoy!

Inspirations, Journaling Motivation

Weekly Topic Ideas- Jan. 11, 2016

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How are you coming with that resolution to write more in your journal?  We’re heading into the second full week of the New Year, so I hope you’re still writing.  And don’t panic if you’ve missed a day.  Just pick it up again next time that you can, and keep going from there.  Your “resolution” is really a “goal,” and those can’t be “broken,” just postponed a little bit.

Starting a new journal?  Here are some ideas for themes:

  • Things you learn each day
  • Things you wish you had learned earlier
  • Consumerism-what did you buy today?

And here are some prompts for the week if you need them:

  • What connection do you feel to the natural world?
  • Choose an appliance or machine that you use regularly. What would your life be like without it?
  • Where do you like to go for peace and quiet? How often do you get to do that?
  • What is your favorite plant? Why do you like it?
  • How have you changed in the past ten years? The past twenty?
  • Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
  • What is your favorite day of the week? Why do you choose that one?
Faithful Journaling, Inspirations

journaling the hymns

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For many people, music is very, very meaningful.  This especially holds true for sacred music.  Music holds such a special place in some people’s lives that they recall music long after dementia robs them of every other conscious memory.

The hymns or other Christian songs focus on distinct aspects of our faith, and you can derive a lot of comfort from them.  They also succinctly express many of the feelings that we associate with our Christian walk.  No wonder they are so important to us!

Now put the power of hymns and sacred music behind the power of journaling, and you have an energetic combination for self-discovery.  You also have a nearly endless source of writing inspiration.  Sacred music will speak to you in different ways at different points in your life.  There is an endless supply of different songs to consider, and they are as close as your church’s hymnal or your favorite Christian radio station.

Here are some prompts that will get you started journaling the hymns:

  • What is this song saying to you today?
  • How has the meaning of this song changed for you over the years?
  • Does this song tell a story? How does the story relate to your life today?
  • Can you find a Scripture reference to go with this song? What is it? How does it expand or clarify the meaning?
  • Put the message of this song into your own words.
  • How does this song bring you closer to God?
  • Which song would you choose to share with a nonChristian friend to help him or her understand your faith?
Inspirations, Journaling Motivation

Weekly Topic Ideas-Jan. 4, 2016

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Welcome to a brand new year!  Here are some ideas to keep you writing in the next few days:

If you’re starting a new journal or creating a new section, try:

  • Writing down places you go each day and how that impacted your life, sort of a “journey journal”
  • Make a doodle journal. Instead of writing, create a doodle that expresses your mood, your day or anything else you wish.

And here are some prompts if you want something to get you started on any particular day this week.

  • How is the weather affecting your mood today?
  • If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
  • What was the first thing you learned to cook? Do you still make it?
  • Tell about the last book you read, or the one you are reading right now.
  • What do candles make you think of?
  • Describe the taste of the water from the tap at your house.
  • What kind of animal is the best to pet? Why?

Keep writing!

Journaling Motivation

Weekly Topic Ideas-Dec. 28, 2015

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The very last week of 2015!  Many of us are still on vacation, but don’t let that stop you from writing in your journal.  Some of the most precious memories are made during this time of the year, and many people have some of their most profound thoughts and greatest creativity.  Keep your pen handy, your pencil sharpened, and your notebook or tablet by your side for moments when inspiration strikes and be sure to set aside some time for intentional writing each day, as well.

If you’re starting a new journal or a new section, here are a few themes you might want to consider:

Write about your daily progress on New Year’s Resolutions.

Make a journal of recipes or craft ideas you want to try and how they turned out.

Record your activities each day, like you did when you were younger in your diary.

And here are some daily prompts in case your muse is nowhere to be found in the hustle and bustle of the week:

  • Choose a current event from today’s news and write about your thoughts on the situation.
  • Write about how you believe a person should spend the time between Christmas and New Years in an ideal world.
  • What was the most useful present you found under the tree this year? Why?
  • Which was the most thoughtful present you found under the tree this year? Why?
  • Which present are you the proudest about giving to a loved one? Why?
  • What did you (or can you) do to help someone between Christmas and New Year’s?
  • What is your most treasured memory from the week between Christmas and New Year’s this year? Describe it in detail.
Faithful Journaling

Off on The Right Foot

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The new year is just around the corner, and many of us are setting goals.  Does your list include a goal for your walk with God?  I hope so!  Are you set up for success, though?

I’m sure you can recall making New Year’s resolutions, and then  realizing in about March that they have sort of gone by the wayside.  We’ve all done that.  Often, the problem lies in the way that we’ve worded our intentions.

This year, try writing goals instead of resolutions. There is a difference, you know. Resolutions are a bit vague for our purposes. Usually, they express a desire to improve some aspect of your world. In this case, your resolutions might say something like, “Read my Bible more” or “Get closer to God” or even “Pray every day.”  Do your resolutions sound like these?

Goals, on the other hand, are measureable and specific. It’s easy to tell if you’re on the right track (and it’s harder to fudge!).  A goal might be worded like this:  “Read my Bible for at least 10 minutes each weekday.”  Other examples include “Try 2 new types of prayer by June” or “Write in my prayer journal at least three times a week.”  You will find that writing goals in this way gives you a clear idea of whether or not you succeeded today, and exactly where you stand. They also leave a lot more room to improve. A resolution, once broken, feels like a lost cause. A goal, on the other hand, leaves room to try again.

So try setting a few goals for the coming new year.  Here are a few ideas related to journaling:

  • Record at least three thoughts about my relationship with God each day.
  • Write down my supplications, and note the answers when they come.
  • Read a chapter from Scripture each day and write down at least one way to apply it to my life.
  • read a daily devotional passage and write a response at least four times weekly.

Happy New Year!!

Inspirations, Journaling Motivation, Resources

Weekly Topic Ideas-Dec. 14, 2015

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Good morning and happy Monday! Here are some interesting ideasschool-93200_1920 to get you writing this coming week.

Thinking of starting a new journal or looking for a new theme to energize your writing? Try these suggestions:

  • Keep a foods diary. Write down everything you eat or drink each day.  It’s a great strategy for improving your health and managing weight.
  • Create a point of view journal. Choose a different object or item and write about life today from that perspective.  It doesn’t even have to be alive!
  • Develop a character journal.  Choose a stranger that you encountered today and make up a background and persona for that person.  It’s a great exercise in creativity, and could well be an entrance into writing a short story, poem, or novel.

And here are some daily journal prompts to get you writing:

  • What is your favorite Christmas decoration? Why?
  • What motto or saying would you choose to inspire your life this coming week?  How will that affect your actions?
  • Which household chore do you like the best? Which is the worst? Why so?
  • If you could visit anywhere in the world today, where would you choose to go and why?
  • What is most important to you about the Christmas season? What do you spend the most time on? Do the two match up?
  • Where do you like to go when you are feeling bad? How does this place help you recharge your batteries?
  • What was the best, most exciting Christmas present you’ve ever received? What was the worst?
Inspirations, Journaling Motivation

Weekly Topic Ideas-Nov. 30, 2015

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Keeping up with your journal during this hectic holiday season can be challenging, but it’s oh, so worth the effort!  Here are some prompts to get you started in the next few days….

What is your favorite part of the run-up between Thanksgiving and Christmas? What is your least favorite part?  Why?

Describe the decorating rituals at your house. How important are these to your family?

What is your favorite Christmas memory?

What activities or events “make” the season for you? How so?

If you could share the holiday with one special person, who would it be and why?

How do you help yourself when you feel overwhelmed during the rush between Thanksgiving and Christmas? What do you do to relax?

Keep writing!!