When I began journaling, almost a year ago now, it was for the purpose of recording God’s Word to me during a stormy period in my life, not to mention that Storm Sandy was also making havoc on the North East Coast. Out of nothing else to do at that time, I needed a diversion; I needed something creative to do, but I could do little with a broken right wrist in a sling while cooped up inside during one of the Northeast’s worst storms of the century. Electricity was out for nearly a week. With little diversion, no electricity, radio or TV, I was fortunate during the storm, however, to have a gas generator that I was able to use sparingly to power a few things, one of which was to keep my smart phone charged. I knew I could not type except with my left index finger, so I used a voice recognition application on my smart phone to record my journal entries. If you want to read more, read “Into the Storm” under the Be Encouraged category herein.
I began finding that writing in my journal was soul searching and healing. It sustained me during a difficult period in my life. It was a way for God to speak to my heart and keep me focused on Him. It brought clarity to spiritual matters. It was also a way for me to watch progress over the coming months; it was a way for me to look back at a time in my life, and then fast forward to a time and spiritual place where God had brought me since a time. Some of the articles I share herein in Inspiration and Hope are a compilation of those journal entries. Journaling continues to sustain me. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to hear God and know God more intimately.
I hope you find Inspiration and Hope as much of a blessing to read as I have found it to write.
Copyright 2013 by Bill Hutzel
Bill,
God is calling me to journal in this season where I can hear His voice & do the next thing. I am divorced & am a caregiver. Love my work but it’s not providing my needs Yes, like you I need intimacy with Jesus & need to dix my eyes on Him & follow His plan–hearing His still, small voice. I love to worship. My churxh has an awesome worship team. I sing & dance in the spirit in the back of the church. I have a room at home called my War Room” where I pray with people & have noticed God’s power & presence changing lives. I want to see more transformation in my life.
In His grip,
Cate B.
Dear Cate,
I started journaling about a year after my wife left me in 2011. It was a way for me to begin grappling with the sorrow and grief of abandonment and rejection, and a way for me to hear what God was saying to me through the pen. It was an incredibly low point in my life, spiritually and emotionally. On October 28th, 2012, the day before Storm Sandy, it was as the proverbial saying goes, “the straw that broke the camels back.” You can read the post “The Day Before Storm Sandy” if you like. From that point forward, I have not stopped writing or sharing. Storm Sandy was a turning point in my life, and for which I am thankful. God’s miraculous healing, and his prophetic words to me through the Bible set me on a path that I cannot retreat. One of the verses that God gave me during Storm Sandy was Isaiah 58:11, and which has become my life verse, His promise to me – “ You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” And to this day, it is true. My passion for Christ never fails. I love sharing God-incidences and stories of encouragement that God brings to me, even though they sometimes come via life’s hard-knock lessons.
I pray also, Cate, that God would be transforming you as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Bill