THE NOTEBOOK
I have a black leather notebook (folder) that houses legal pads. It’s a notebook that I always carry in my bag. I call it my “Idea Note book.” I do all my brainstorming in it. It carries my thoughts, concepts, lists, hypothesizes, goals and plans. Anything of any type of importance is either written or carried within it. I don’t like wasting the pages of the notebook for scrap paper. I use it as a tool and honor its purpose.
This morning I had to change out the legal pad in the notebook because I’ve used up all its blank pages. This only occurs once or twice a year and every time it occurs I personally have a burst of creative energy. For what it’s worth, it’s like “cleansing the “mental” palette.”
As I have stated in my last few blogs, we’ve been in a season of Divine Order and with it come restructuring, reshuffling, reorganizing and reforming. Needless to say, the notebook has been pretty busy here lately.
I encourage you begin to consider a reviewing season in your life. Use it to measure yourself and see where you have grown and where you are lacking. And when you measure, don’t just consider the height and width but also the depth of your life. Remember, it’s always the depth dimension that determines our true potential and true impact.
Anxious to read your thoughts,
Pastor Manny
At first i thought you were going to say you lost your wonderful notebook. But you just had to change the paper, it’s like everything we do has a moral. From breathing air to driving a car. Everything has a moral and purpose. Even the small things.
Ever since the first sermon on order last month I have been auditing all the areas of my life. My goals, accomplishments, plans, and other things are revisited daily. There is still a bunch of auditing that needs to be done for me.
It feels that here lately I’ve thrown out my legal pad and received a new one – it not by choice – God is causing me to dream in the middle of my pain, He is causing me to re-evaluate and change the way I see things, react to things and more.
Doing self evaluations is not something that should only happen at work, we need to evaluate our LIVES. Where are we going? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? What are our goals? Being honest with ourselves and auditing every aspect of our lives will bring about fresh ideas and help us grow.
I think it’s really easy to measure yourself and feel that you’ve come up “short” lacking something… And if you look back the only one to blame was you. You weren’t willing to pay the price. I always think of proverbs 3 that tells me that wisdom calls to me in the streets. And pleads with me not to make mistakes but learn from other peoples mistakes. It’s so selfish to say I want to learn it on my own and fall on my own and get back up on my own. Daddy is there, and He will let you do it but realize that your life is not just your own anymore…. Note to self. So when wisdom calls out, answer the right way.
Well Pastor I always didn’t carry a notebook because I thought that I can remember everything the teacher said but i was wrong. now I carry one everywhere just in case I need to right down a address or notes for a test. so it good to have a notebook on you always.
When I read this blog I thought how simple, but yet so profound. Like everything, its the little things done with consistency that work in the long run and progress is seen. Working on the little things….
This is definitely a season of making changes. I am one for writing alot and then going back to review. What I enjoy is when I am able to see that changes have been made. I am anxious to see was is yet to come.
Will do!!!!
We all need to take an evaluation of our lives, and in order to make those evaluations become effective we must be will to make changes. We also need to dream and I know i havent been too busy worrying about my circumstances. Like you said Pastor its time to start dreaming again.
At this particular junction in my life, there are times when I have been overcome by thoughts of inadequacy or failure as I have not yet accomplished certain goals that I have set for myself, or seem to be further away than ever from accomplishing them. I know however, that God is doing a deep work in my life, from the root, and the evidence of that is not visible to the physical eye as of yet, so pulling out those old journals and seeing the changes and growth that has taken place within me really helps in those times.
The evaluation process is a good thing and we always need to do this periodically to see exactly where we are succeeding or failing, and there is ALWAYS room for change. But here is what I am even more thankful for…..His unending grace and mercy that is available to me so even when I mess up, He is always there to restore me and allow me to start over!!
I will take the challenge. I think this is a season where God is dealing with me on listing the some of the same goals every year and not accomplishing them. This year I want to be able to cross some of the list. It only begins with divine order.
I have several journals and notebooks from over the years and notes in my Bible. It’s always encouraging to see the progress made or maybe situations I was going through at the time and how God worked in them all. I have to say though my writing has been pretty minimal lately. I really must get back on track and in order.
Beside asking the Holly Spirit to search our hearts and minds it is always a good idea to ask people around us (people that love us and can be honest with us) where they think we can improve. An unbiased opinion can be very refreshing…
All I can say is, there’s alot on my to do list. I am taking on this challenge.
Self evaluations are always great because it helps us to see where we really are in life. We all expect to see good progress. Sometimes we have”bad” progress or stay the same. But in any case, we always need to look forward and made changes when necessary.
I find that when we evaluate ourselves we see things that need work. Even though sometimes it is not that great to see it. But it is sometimes encouraging because you know that there is room for improvement and room to do and be better. Getting things in order is tough, but I will continue to evaluate and reevaluate.
Let the reviewing season begin!
It’s important to take a full measurement of your life. It helps on determine where you are going and also it helps on time managing. Our life is a path to destiny and it will take us to an amazing place. Is so important to think and meditate on our lives and re-energize to go to the next step.
So true. It’s like there’s this slate that needs to be filled up with things.
Great blog, for it is so important that we have a good way of keeping a record
of our thoughts, dreams and visions for our growth in our lives and our purpose
for the KINGDOM OF GOD. I am so grateful for these blogs: not only for time
and effort that you put in writing them but it is a great chance to get to read
other people’s blogs and get to know them and how they feel.
I like this blog because it talks about how are life is like a notebook how we write down are secrets and are way of living but sometimes we need to get a new notebook and write in it.
What is interesting is that my yellow legal pad is also all done. I guess it is time to start afresh. Time to evaluate old goals and create new ones. Time allow the Holy Spirit to continue speaking and bring order to my life. Oh boy, here we go.
Thank you for this insightful method that I will be applying pastor. I for one do something similar, but unfortunately, I have been using one book to do all my journaling, brainstorming, and even minor budgeting in. I know, this is not very organized. I have a way of purchasing things for multiple purposes.
However, as my mother reminds me from time, ‘Son, it is not really wise to be ‘ A penny wise and a Pound foolish’
Thanks for the suggestion which I will certainly adhere to.
I need to get me one of those. My life really needs to be measured like you said. It can surely use a few beneficial changes.