Communicating With God
Through Prayer Journaling

Lynn Morrissey

2/23/05

Welcome!
[HOST_Carolann] I think we will get started now. Welcome everyone! Our guest for today is Lynn Morrissey.
[HOST_Carolann] She is an author and professional speaker, and has been an avid prayer journal keeper for over 25 years, which has transformed her life and walk with God.
[HOST_Carolann] Lynn will first give a presentation to tell us all about prayer journaling and how it can help us in our prayer times with God.
[HOST_Carolann] Please save your comments and questions for after she has finished. There will be discussion later.
[HOST_Carolann] Lynn has a handout prepared and you can get your copy at www.restministries.org/CHAT/handout_Morrissey.PDF
[HOST_Carolann] Welcome Lynn and thank you for being here. I will turn our time over to you.
Guest_Lynn> Hello everyone, so glad you could come! I'll get started
Guest_Lynn> Pain and I are no strangers. Thankfully, God and I are no strangers either! I don't know what would do without Him-especially during difficult trials.
Guest_Lynn> Through seasons of debilitating pain, the Lord has drawn me closer than ever through prayer-journaling. This vehicle has given me a much-needed outlet to cry out to God in my despair.
Guest_Lynn> By venting my fears and frustrations, getting them out of me and onto the page, it has helped me to look upward to Him for his help and healing.
Guest_Lynn> He diffuses my fearful emotions by listening and giving me hope. Sometimes He answers my pleas with physical healing and sometimes not,
Guest_Lynn> but always with the assurance of His comfort and peace. And by having a written record of my actual prayers, I can re-read them anytime and discover afresh God's faithfulness in my life!
Guest_Lynn> I used to struggle incredibly with verbal prayer. Barely able to string two sentences together and unable to concentrate, I prayed for only minutes at a time.
Guest_Lynn> Eventually, I just stopped praying altogether. Not only did God seem remote and inaccessible, but I felt guilty, which only compounded my perceived distance from Him.
Guest_Lynn> I felt desperate to communicate with Him, but didn't know how. Then one day, in a very difficult situation at work, in an effort to cope, I began to "pour out my heart" on paper.
Guest_Lynn> The more I wrote, the better I felt. Yet something more remarkable happened. Without purposely trying, I began crying out to God, asking for His help in this desperate situation.
Guest_Lynn> Without even realizing it, I was praying! No longer intimidated by what I considered "pious prayer language," I wrote in my own words about my real-life crisis.
Guest_Lynn> No longer groping for words to express how I felt, I focused my thoughts in writing with surprising ease. I wrote my prayers in letter form-what I called "love letters to God."
Guest_Lynn> This made God seem more real to me, and when I wrote, it was almost as if He had pulled up a chair by my side. His presence was palpable!
Guest_Lynn> I have also found that there is something extraordinary about writing that frees me to express my emotions and thoughts like no other form of prayer can.
Guest_Lynn> Writing an actual letter to God releases me from formality by encouraging my honest conversation with Someone I love, with Someone who loves me.
Guest_Lynn> I think of how King David expressed His love for God in a collection of "love letters" called the Psalms. Yet David also wrote about other heart issues-sometimes his anguish or despair.
Guest_Lynn> David's model for prayer demonstrates that it is appropriate to be truly open with God. He desires the gift of your whole heart-a heart without pretence or posturing;
Guest_Lynn> a heart in all its honesty, beauty, passion, and brokenness; a heart pulsing with love, joy, sadness, delight, doubt, pain, anguish, even anger.
Guest_Lynn> True love expresses all emotions, and true love-God's true love for you-accepts them. So if you are hurting, it's okay to tell God.
Guest_Lynn> And if you do not understand what is occurring in your life, tell Him and ask Him to help you. The Lord cares about everything that concerns you,
Guest_Lynn> and the Lord Jesus understands your pain because He suffered and died for you on the torturous Cross.
Guest_Lynn> During a time when I'd suffered excruciating pain from a foot injury that specialists predicted would never be healed, I began to consider Jesus' suffering on my behalf.
Guest_Lynn> Writing in a journal, allowed me to consider his pain in much greater depth than I would have if I had just thought about it casually. I realized that my foot had been "pierced" like His.
Guest_Lynn> "But, my Lord," I wrote, completely humbled, "it was a scratch, a paper-cut, a surface wound compared to the torture You endured."
Guest_Lynn> Even a slight sip from His cup of suffering had made me profoundly aware and deeply grateful for what He had done for me.
Guest_Lynn> My prayers became a litany of praise for the many blessings I could now experience because Jesus had died for me. Had I not written them,
Guest_Lynn> I doubt I would have gleaned these precious insights. The gift of prayer-journaling has transformed my life. My ups, my downs, my victories, my defeats, my adoration, my apathy,
Guest_Lynn> my faith, my doubts, my questions-and God's answers-are recorded in my journals. It is my hope that prayer-journaling-writing your own love letters to God-
Guest_Lynn> will transform your life as it has mine, draw you closer to God than you ever imagined possible,
Guest_Lynn> and give you the comfort of His presence and the assurance of His faithfulness when you are in pain. I am happy to dialogue with you about prayer-journaling and to answer your questions.
Guest_Lynn> Let me begin by distinguishing between journaling and prayer-journaling. Journaling is basically writing your thoughts-anything that comes to mind about any topic.
Guest_Lynn> Have you tried prayer-journaling? What has been your experience? Do you enjoy it or find it difficult to do?
Guest_Lynn> And I am also open to your questions.....just thought I'd get things rolling.
Ron> I whole heartedly concur Lynn, I have been keeping a Spiritual / Prayer journal for around 20 years.
Tammy> I have tried prayer journaling, journaling and keep track of when I pray and when and how they're answered.
Guest_Lynn> Thanks Ron. Do you distinguish between a spiritual journal and a prayer journal?
Sueraec> I've tried prayer journaling and agree with you that it can bring you so much closer to God. the hardest thing I have found is continuing when it "appears" you don't get an answer.
BevinFL> No I have not ever done this can you explain how you set it up and write it out by dates ???
Guest_Lynn> Yes, if you write your prayers word for word like in prayer it does draw you closer to God.
Tammy> My hardest thing is to do it often, if I don't do it when everyone else is asleep first thing in the morning other things are done first
Guest_Lynn> First of all, I think it helps to say that a spiritual journal is just writing about your walk w/ God whereas a prayer journal is invoking His power and presence. Now I'll tell you about kinds of journals.
Sueraec> Yes, Tammy. "other" things such as work, phones, etc.
Ron> no I just write down my concerns and thoughts as I go.
Guest_Lynn> You can write daily or as you are experiencing a certain difficulty.
Myra> when i do a prayer journal - it seems I'm mostly crying out.. When i look back at it I feel guilty - like i'm always struggling/complaining. this has discouraged me
Guest_Lynn> Yes, and you could "journal" aloud so to speak, on a phone, etc. Or you can use a computer.
Ron> It allows you to pour out your heart
[HOST_Carolann] I have the same question as Bev, how do you set it up?
Guest_Lynn> Oh no, don't feel guilty about crying out Myra That is exactly what God wants us to do!
Guest_Lynn> First of all find something you are comfortable writing in......I use a blank artist's sketchbook
Guest_Lynn> Some people use a blank notebook
Guest_Lynn> I think you have to find what you like and are comfortable with.
Guest_Lynn> And if you are arthritic, use the computer or talk on a tape.
Myra> but all the time Lynn? Living with chronic pain has taken the ability to 'cope' away from me ... more than not it seems.
Guest_Lynn> Also it's important to use a fast-writing pen. I like Pilot Fine V rolling ball. Won't leak, etc.
Guest_Lynn> No, I'm not saying you must journal daily.
Guest_Lynn> I appreciate your concern Myra. We don't want to feel legalistic or guilty if we don't do it daily.
Myra> no, i meant always crying out ...
Guest_Lynn> I say think of Lays Potato Chips--believe it or not. You can't eat just one.
Myra> daily ...
Guest_Lynn> Just write a sentence and let God lead you. And re: your other question, no, I am not always crying out.
Guest_Lynn> Often it helps just to write out one thing for which I'm grateful.
Myra> i am the one ...
Ron> I find a notebook easier for it allows me to just jot down thoughts as I go. Sometimes I just write not knowing what I am writing then read it back later
Guest_Lynn> When I can find even one blessing and write it down, then I know I am experiencing God's love even in the pain.
Guest_Lynn> Yes, Ron, it is wonderful to re-read your thoughts, and this is what makes it different from oral praying!
BevinFL> so instead of talking to God out loud or in addition to that write your feelings thoughts in the journal and his responses ??
Sueraec> I recently read a book that used the term "Every Day is a Gift from God. Look for the Gift!"
Guest_Lynn> Yes, I do write what I am feeling......and what I feel God is saying to me.
Ron> it allows you to see the Holy Spirit's movement in your life
Guest_Lynn> Like Ron said, when it's written down, I have a RECORD of what God is doing. If I didn't write it down, i'd lose our interaction
Tammy> I use school notebook paper and then as I find the pages different places I put these in chronological order in a permanent three ring binder
Guest_Lynn> Yes Sue everyday is a gift. Even in the pain, if we notice our blessings and write them down, we have proof of God's faithfulness.
BevinFL> so then we are creating our own Story about our life with God and others
Guest_Lynn> Tammy yes some use blank paper. That is great if it works for you. Find whatever works.
Sueraec> I also use a 3-ring binder that I have covered with material, lace, etc. Not only do I store my "journal" but also a special saying or devotional that meant something to me.
Guest_Lynn> The reason I like a bound book is because I don't like storing loose leaf paper and perhaps categorizing it into subject matter.
Guest_Lynn> If I write everything down in one book, it's like my life and I can easily see my ups and downs
Guest_Lynn> Yes Sue you can decorate your journal.
Tammy> After I get finished with the letter I give time to listen to what God has to tell me, quiet time, and then write after it what he tells me. When I reflect later I can see where he has spoken to me and it isn't just my imagination.
Guest_Lynn> I like to use picture postcards or art cards that symbolize a special time in my life.
Guest_Lynn> Yes, ask God to speak through you. This is not automatic writing, but it is His Holy Spirit impressing upon you His response.
Ron> I like your analogy to the Psalms Lynn, we are actually writing our own book of Psalms
Christine> Lynn -- is there an approach that would help Myra feel she can cry out and not feel discouraged and guilty about it ??
Guest_Lynn> Ron thx! Yes, the psalms are a perfect example of a prayer journal
Guest_Lynn> Note how David talked to God about EVERYTHING.
Guest_Lynn> His fear, his anguish, his praise, his joy!
Guest_Lynn> I don't feel Myra should feel guilty.......precisely because David is our Scriptural example.
Guest_Lynn> David was in despair and fear. He told God EVERYTHING.
Tammy> This helps me too but I have more trouble with expressing the negatives than the thanks, I guess I still am fearful of God rejecting me.
Guest_Lynn> God loves you and wants to know it all........especially our sins. We need to get it out of us and out in the open where He can heal us of guilt.
Sueraec> Tammy, why would God reject you? He gave HIS life for you....
BevinFL> we should put our happiness and joy in there along with our pain and struggles?
Ron> God already knows, its just that we don't, writing it down helps us understand God's ways
Guest_Lynn> That's right Sue. God will never reject anyone who loves Him and knows His Son Jesus.
TEXASGRAMMY> God knows our hearts
[HOST_Carolann] He hurts along with us
Guest_Lynn> Yes, Bev........we're not always in despair. As I said we have much for which to be grateful. So thank the Lord for these blessings.
Tammy> I'm not speaking of sins, I'm speaking more of questioning why I am going thru this pain and recently why my mother had a stroke.
Guest_Lynn> God does feel our pain. Jesus knows pain......They care!
Myra> yes, I do have much to be thankful for!
BevinFL> it is another way of Him teaching us by journaling also?
Guest_Lynn> I think it's ok to question God.......we want to know why things happen to us and those we love.
Guest_Lynn> Read Habakkuk.....read Job
Guest_Lynn> They asked God why.
BevinFL> oh yes the blessings far outweigh the struggles with me
Guest_Lynn> He doesn't always tell use why, but he doesn't chastise us for asking, if we are honestly seeking Him.
Guest_Lynn> There's a difference between crying out to understand
Tammy> Sometimes when I question God I feel I'm being disrespectful although I have no basis for this, I am a people pleaser.
Guest_Lynn> and grumbling and complaining....always griping.
Guest_Lynn> Again Tammy it depends upon how you cry out.
Guest_Lynn> I'm not saying I never grumble. I have. God would prefer I get that out of me.
Sueraec> Tammy, turn your "people pleasing" traits as a "praise" to God...
Guest_Lynn> I do feel grumbling like the Israelites is sin.,
Guest_Lynn> But once I get it out and if I've blown it, If I confess God is ready to forgive me.
Tammy> I always try to look for the ways I've grown thru my illness and life crisis. God has always in due time shown me the Big Picture. I guess I need to work on trust and faith.
Guest_Lynn> But if you are just really saying you are in pain, crying out in anguish
Guest_Lynn> and trying to understand what God is doing. Then it's ok.
Guest_Lynn> Perfect Tammy! That is a super benefit of a journal
Guest_Lynn> You would forget what you pray aloud.
BevinFL> Plus it will help us work harder on our weak areas with God helping us
Guest_Lynn> the journal is like a mosaic filled with the broken shards of pain in your life.
Guest_Lynn> When you go back you can see how God has taken those pieces and
Guest_Lynn> glued them together like an exquisite mosaic.
Guest_Lynn> You can see what good came from it.
Guest_Lynn> It makes sense
Guest_Lynn> But I promise you if you hadn't written it down
Tammy> This is why I have a separate prayer tablet where I fill in the date when the prayer was answered, sometimes he answers prayers for healing with death in a friend and I know this is the ultimate healing.
Guest_Lynn> You would never see it in the same depth and intricacy.
Guest_Lynn> You can write a prayer list and answers. and dates. That's great.
Guest_Lynn> I personally just write the Answers and dates in the margin of my journals right by the written prayers
Tammy> I like your mosaic analogy it will help me to remember.
Christine> I heard Corrie Ten Boom speak once and she talked about the jumble of threads on the back side of a weaving being what we see and the finished piece on the other side what God sees == thought that was a wonderful analogy
Guest_Lynn> I keep wide left margins and note answers, and other "codes" to find what I need when I re-read or "harvest my journal."
Ron> you can eventually see the heart of God shining through your pages
Alice> I was thinking of that, also, Christine
Guest_Lynn> Yes, Corries imagery is perfect too.
Guest_Lynn> You do see God's fingerprints everywhere in your journals!!
Guest_Lynn> I've done this over 25 years and I know!
Guest_Lynn> As I told you praying aloud was almost impossible for me
Tammy> That's a great idea I have two years of prayer lists but it would be difficult to connect this with my prayer journal. I'll give your margins idea a try.
Guest_Lynn> Yes, Tammy leave a wide left margin to note the answer.
Guest_Lynn> Have a time when you re-read your prayers regularly......I do on Sunday
Guest_Lynn> In just one week I see TONS of answers.
Guest_Lynn> Also amazingly I forget what I pray day to day.
Guest_Lynn> WHEN IT IS IN WRITING you see how seriously God takes your prayers.
Alice> Kind of like going back to the scriptures for reinforcement
Guest_Lynn> This is mostly about connecting w/ God, but there is something about writing which also allows for cathartic release of emotions like nothing else can!
Guest_Lynn> I can't explain it, but writing DRAWS out your emotions--positive or negative!
Christine> Alice -- like bringing the scriptures forward into the prayer journal
Guest_Lynn> Yes, God's Word is written partly for reinforcement Alice
Guest_Lynn> Why did not God just have us pass on his Word orally?
Guest_Lynn> He knew we would forget it or distort it. Writing brings permanency.
Sueraec> Because it is too easy to forget!
Guest_Lynn> Yes, I sometimes take Scripture and write it in to my journal
Guest_Lynn> Sometimes I take David's Psalms and rewrite them in my own words
BevinFL> because it would not stay the same wording if there were 10 people 1st one told a story by the time it reached the 10th person more would be added or left out
Guest_Lynn> If you have trouble journaling this is a great springboard for your own thoughts.
Guest_Lynn> Yes, Bev, like the telephone game!
BevinFL> correct
Guest_Lynn> Writing my prayers has changed my life and kept me from despair when I've been in agonizing pain.
Guest_Lynn> Do you all have a special time and place to journal?
Sueraec> Sometimes, when I'm pretty emotional in my prayer journaling I feel like a flood of water has "cleansed" me...leaving me weak, but at peace..
Guest_Lynn> Yes, you are at peace Sue because you need to get it out of you and onto the page.
Guest_Lynn> It is cleansing!
Guest_Lynn> It is freeing!
Sueraec> and it is filled with joy!
Guest_Lynn> I like to think of the journal's pristine, blank and white pages like Jesus' purity
Christine> Tammy that is the only way to figure them all out
Guest_Lynn> I am able to give him the darkness and despair and put it onto Him
Guest_Lynn> That's what He did on the cross.
Ron> I find that I need a quiet place where you can be alone with God without distractions
Guest_Lynn> Yes, Ron, where do you journal?
Guest_Lynn> I like to journal in my study or bedroom
Ron> I have a shed in the backyard
Guest_Lynn> But I also "spice up" my dates with God.
Ron> it's my hide away
Alice> I would get frustrated because my hand writing is so terrible anymore......i like typing -- Guess i could journal on the computer, huh?
Guest_Lynn> Yes, I write in the backyard
Guest_Lynn> in a restaurant.
Sueraec> I use the table in my dining room. I can view the birds feeding & see the beauty of the day
Guest_Lynn> It's fine to type. Don't worry though if your handwriting is bad....mine is arthritic.
Christine> I have a very special rocking chair that is one of the places I journal
Guest_Lynn> I like looking out the window too. Sometimes I praise God for nature.
Guest_Lynn> I too have a special chair.
Alice> Mine is, too.
Guest_Lynn> Do you ever journal in public?
Tammy> I use my kitchen table with scented candles burning it gives me a calm relaxed atmosphere free from distraction, the phone is turned off and answering machine is down
Ron> my handwriting is so small it's hard even for me to read it
Alice> Guess it's okay as long i can read it
Guest_Lynn> Oh yes, use candles. Play soft music. Make this time very intimate and special between. you and God
BevinFL> I would write wherever as the thoughts an feelings at each time with me would need to be written out right away so it stays like the thoughts were at the time and or feelings
Guest_Lynn> Yes it would help to read your own writing!
Sueraec> I have that problem too Ron....my handwriting is very small...
Guest_Lynn> If you don't have time to journal on the spot. Jot a little note to yourself....
Guest_Lynn> a key word to help you to remember what to write about later
[HOST_Carolann] you could carry around a little notebook
Mary_LouC> Do you ever get writer's block, Lynn? If so, how do you get over it?
Guest_Lynn> I love to go to the park
Guest_Lynn> to a restaurant or hotel lobby
BevinFL> could carry note cards and write stuff out and then put in journal later when able to
Guest_Lynn> Have journal will travel! It's a portable feast!
Guest_Lynn> Some people journal on 3 x 5 cards
Guest_Lynn> Whatever works!
Guest_Lynn> What changes have you noticed in your life as a result of journaling?
Guest_Lynn> For one thing, I can finally concentrate!
Guest_Lynn> When I see the flow of my thoughts in writing, one thought triggers
Sueraec> A new appreciation for all the daily blessings HE has surrounded me with!
Guest_Lynn> another and another
Ron> It helps to understand how God works in your life
Alice> How does it help you to concentrate? I don't understand
Guest_Lynn> and before you know it God perhaps has taken me to a whole new insight.
Ron> and understand a little of His ways
Guest_Lynn> You can concentrate because your mind is focused on what you are writing
Tammy> Increased faith in God as I look back over all the answers to prayer and trust that he knows best for me even though at the time I wished for a different outcome.
Alice> Oh - i should have waited to read the rest of what you said.
Guest_Lynn> because you can LITERALLY SEE the progression of your thoughts
Guest_Lynn> You don't lose track.
Guest_Lynn> Yes, because you can see how God has answered your prayers it increases your faith in Him
Sueraec> You put the rest of the world on "hold" while you journal..
Guest_Lynn> Or more amazingly you can see what he was doing years later when you didn't understand it then
Guest_Lynn> Yes Sue it feels like time is suspended
Guest_Lynn> it's just you and God and you can block everything else out
Ron> hindsight is always wonderful
Guest_Lynn> That is another benefit of writing
Guest_Lynn> I can even write in a busy noisy airport and concentrate in my journal
Guest_Lynn> No one knows it but I am having a private conversation w/ the Lover of my soul!
Guest_Lynn> Hindsight Ron? What do you mean?
Ron> reading back to see how God has been guiding and directing your path
Guest_Lynn> Oh yes, you can see in hindsight what God has done
Guest_Lynn> but I guarantee everyone if you had not WRITTEN it down, you
Guest_Lynn> would never remember it!
Guest_Lynn> Yes, of course, you will recall God's milestone answers to prayer
Myra> or ... why things worked out as they did
Ron> that's right
Guest_Lynn> but you would even forget those in the exact details.
Guest_Lynn> Have any of you shared your journals w/ others?
Guest_Lynn> In my book, I actually share some of my private prayers.
Guest_Lynn> You don't have to feel compelled to do that, but I do think
Tammy> Also he answers prayers more quickly than I thought he was, I've discovered this through reading back.
Guest_Lynn> that God can use what he teaches us to comfort others
BevinFL> plus we are on a journey with God so it makes sense to keep a journal of it can also use to help others
johanna> hi all I have been journaling my prayers for years, I run to my book often, It has placed God in the place of my the one I love to talk with and share with
Myra> amen
Guest_Lynn> Yes, God sometimes answers IMMEDIATELY. And your journal is proof as you record the answer.
Guest_Lynn> So glad you see the importance of journaling.
[HOST_Carolann] people's prayers that have been published in books - Christians from way back hundreds of years ago - still help and encourage today
Guest_Lynn> Are any of you worried about the privacy of your journal?
Sueraec> NO
Myra> yes
BevinFL> No
Guest_Lynn> Oh yes, Carolann.....think of Charles Wesley, David
[HOST_Carolann] yes, and so many more
Guest_Lynn> Bro. Lawrence, oh there is another one.......
Guest_Lynn> I can't think of him whose name begins w/ a C.
johanna> I have become more able to talk about anything that I would only share with my very trusted friend
Guest_Lynn> If you are worried about privacy, then don't share it or only share passages that you feel led to
Guest_Lynn> when you are in control.
[HOST_Carolann] for eg. everyone is familiar I'm sure with the prayer "Lord help me to change the things I can.." etc.
Guest_Lynn> My husband has agreed not to read my journals and I trust that
Tammy> yes, I was just about to tell you my very personal thoughts that I wouldn't want anyone else to read I go personally to God with because some things that went wrong in my marriage I wouldn't want my daughter to think poorly of her father
Guest_Lynn> But if you are worried someone will look in your journal, hide it, lock it up, take it with you. It's very private unless you decide to share it
Elizabeth> I too have been writing prayers in my journal for years. And I sometimes worry about my grown children seeing some of the things so I tear up those sometimes...I need to get it out on paper though...it is my way of opening up. I use to keep every thing inside and hurt.
Ron> sometimes you can write in a code
Guest_Lynn> Of course you would not want to share things about your husband that would hurt your children.
Guest_Lynn> In my case I have said some terrible things......because I do confess my sins.....
Guest_Lynn> but my daughter who is 12 knows that one day the journals will be hers.
Guest_Lynn> I want her to see me as the flawed human I am
Sueraec> It was suggested to me once not to put someone's name in your journal...but to put it in code that only you know...
Guest_Lynn> but one who is forgiven by God and
Guest_Lynn> one who has confessed her weaknesses.
Guest_Lynn> It's my hope that Sheridan will not repeat the same sins as mine.
Tammy> I would also like to make my journals available for my ancestors, it may help them through some of the tough times so I am reserved in a sense as to what I write.
Guest_Lynn> Yes Sue you could put an initial instead of a name....or a code name.
Sueraec> Don't you think that our children will be encouraged by our journals? To know that we, too, are human and make mistakes?
Guest_Lynn> Yes Tammy
Guest_Lynn> besides your faith in God a journal
Guest_Lynn> is one of the greatest gifts you will ever leave behind!
Guest_Lynn> Money, clothes, etc will mean nothing eternally.
Guest_Lynn> and If you do not leave a record of your faith and walk w/ God, who will?
Guest_Lynn> What if we have children who do not believe in God?
dcanthony21> Encouraged? Yes. My grandmother's journals only endeared her more to me and showed me she was "human" like me.
Guest_Lynn> Who will tell their children?
Alice> Yes -- I think there will come a time in all our lives that our children would be glad to know how we felt and the things we went through while on this earth - the good and the bad
Guest_Lynn> But if you leave it in a journal, they can read in your own words about your walk w/ Christ.
Alice> So, Elizabeth, i don't think i would worry about that
Guest_Lynn> Yes, children need us to be real and transparent
BevinFL> if others did not write things down we would not have the Bible today so it makes sense to keep a journal
Guest_Lynn> My daughter is learning because I am open enough to tell her my mistakes
Guest_Lynn> I'm an alcoholic, for example (who doesn't now drink).
Guest_Lynn> Sheridan now knows how it almost ruined my life. I wanted her to know
Guest_Lynn> Yes, the Bible is very honest........God tells it all
Elizabeth> I was meaning things about them that I am so concerned about...I don't want them be hurt by what I say.
Guest_Lynn> the good, the bad, the ugly
Guest_Lynn> But He forgives our sins and our past
Guest_Lynn> If you are writing about your child you have to decide
Guest_Lynn> I do pray to God about Sheridan. I do write it all out
Alice> I don't want to hurt my children, either -- but someday it might help them to know how to deal with things their own children are going through.
Guest_Lynn> But I don't give her the journals to read. I keep them private
Sueraec> Elizabeth, my son recently told me "Mom, I thought you were so harsh with me while I was growing up; but now realize that you were hard because you love me...
Guest_Lynn> If she sees it when I am gone I feel she will know how much her mother loved her
Guest_Lynn> and how concerned I was.
Guest_Lynn> But this is your call
BevinFL> Yes Elizabeth but it may help your children help your great grandchildren and on and on through the generations.
Guest_Lynn> See that's it Sue. I think kids will understand later
Tammy> My children also have been told about the drinking etc. that I took part in pre-Christ. My sons are grown and are no longer living for Jesus. I hope my legacy and sharing with them (age appropriate of course) helps them to see the joy in serving Christ
Guest_Lynn> when they read your journal how much you cared.....
Guest_Lynn> even if you were talking to God about their waywardness
Guest_Lynn> A way to share, Tammy, can be in your journal
Alice> Amen - Lynn!
Guest_Lynn> I see our time is almost up, which I regret
[HOST_Carolann] Our hour has quickly gone by - what a great presentation and excellent discussion!
Guest_Lynn> Do you have anymore questions?
[HOST_Carolann] we can always have you back again Lynn if you were agreeable!
Guest_Lynn> Thanks Carolann!
Guest_Lynn> Thank you so much!
Mary_LouC> I have to exit now, but I wanted to thank you, Lynn, for sharing with us today. God bless you! Good-bye everyone!
[HOST_Carolann] it seems everyone is extremely interested in what you have had to share
Guest_Lynn> and God bless you Mary lou!
[HOST_Carolann] and we thank you Lynn for coming today
Guest_Lynn> And thank you.
[HOST_Carolann] and sharing with us and encouraging us
Guest_Lynn> This is not a commercial......
Guest_Lynn> but I do hope you'll read love letters to God
Guest_Lynn> It shares all I know about how journaling has changed my life!
Christine> Thank you Lynn
[HOST_Carolann] I hope we will all start prayer journals!
Myra> yes, thank you Lynn. Good info. Be blessed this day!
Sueraec> Lynn that you for sharing with us today. May our Lord always protect & guide you...have a "blessed" week....
Alice> Thanks Carolann and Lynn '' and everyone for what you shared.
[HOST_Carolann] and thanks everyone for being here
Guest_Lynn> Bless you all!
Ron> Thanks for sharing with us Lynn
BevinFL> thank you Lynn so much Bless you and please come back again
Guest_Lynn> Thanks!
Elizabeth> Thank you Lynn, I have been not been journaling like I use to but this encouraged me to get going again.
Sueraec> Lynn, what is the name of your book?
Tammy> Thanks Lynn you have given me some ways to make my prayer journaling more effective and beneficial.
Guest_Lynn> Love Letters to God: Deeper Intimacy through Written Prayer
Guest_Lynn> You can get it at amazon.com
Guest_Lynn> Or my publisher is Multnomah
Sueraec> Thank you Lynn for sharing "new" ways to add to our Prayer Journals..
BevinFL> God Bless Everyone and have a blessed rest of the day see ya soon and Lynn do you have a website?
Elizabeth> How do I get the handout for today?
Guest_Lynn> No sorry no web site.
[HOST_Carolann] just a second Elizabeth I'll get the link
Christine> Blessings to everyone -- thanks again
[HOST_Carolann] www.restministries.org/CHAT/handout_Morrissey.PDF
Tammy> I have really enjoyed this support group, I laughed several times today , mostly at myself, guess I'll have to find the transcript and see what I missed when I experimented with the "buttons"
BevinFL> that is ok Good Bye everyone God Bless you and prayers going up for each of you bye for now
Elizabeth> Thank you!
Sueraec> May God be with each & everyone of you this week. Blessings to each.....Bye for now.....Sue