I was working on my Spiritual Journal the other night when one of my grandsons came over and asked me what I was doing.  I explained that I was recording the Blessings that I had received for that day, and would soon be working on my Faith Walk Chart.  That, of course, led to a rather lengthy discussion of what a Faith Walk Chart is, and what else I had in my spiral bound Spiritual Journal.  He was pretty intrigued, which made me think that others might find it interesting, too.  So, here is a cursory overview of my Spiritual Journal.

Blessings Chart

Each day I try to record all of the things that God Blessed me with that day.  These can run the gamut from getting to have lunch out with my wife, to signing a contract to Ghost Write a book for a client, to finding a shady place to park!  The key, of course, is to recognize how many things that happen in our daily lives that are Blessings!

I keep a Blessings Chart based on two Biblical Principles, if you would.  The first is found in I Sam. 7:12 – Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.   Every day, when I record my Blessings, I am, in essence, “raising my Ebenezer.”

The other reason I do this on a daily basis is so that I don’t become like the Hebrew Children who, for forty years ,while wandering in the wilderness,  murmured incessantly, seemingly forgetting all the Blessings, and even Miracles!, that God had wrought in their life!

Faith Walk Chart

	PURPOSE:  LONESOME		PURPOSE:  EDIFICATION
	Call Regularly		Encourage
	Meet for Lunch Occasionally		Exhort/Praise
	Send Cards/E-Mails
	PURPOSE:  GOOD SAMIRTAN		PURPOSE:  SHARE GOD’S WORD
	Water to the Homeless		Ask – “U Know What the Bible Says?”
	Pay for Lunches		As U Read, Pass Learning on to Others
	Give to Friends and Strangers		Send Out/Drop Off Seeds
	Tip 20% + $1
	PURPOSE:  MENTORING		PURPOSE:OFFER SPECIAL PRAYER
	Meet w/ Regularly		Be “Attuned” to what People Are Saying
	Have Formal & Informal Meetings		Be Bold and OFFER to Pray
	Do Life Seminars:  Teen Challenge et el
	PURPOSE:  FELLOWSHIP		PURPOSE:  PERSONAL MINISTRY
	Frequent Phone Calls		Through Spiritual Gifts & Prayers
	Frequent Lunch Together		Sunday School; Publishing et el
	MAKE THEIR DAY E-Mails		Work on Gazette & Wear Words & Hat
			–          Work on Books to Write
	PURPOSE:  LAUGHTER		PURPOSE: SPOUSE EXHORTATION
	By Having a “Light” Spirit		Compliment               Wait On/Serve
	By Wearing my Ties & Hats		Buy Gifts                    Yield TV Control
			Accompany                 Give Physical Attn.
	PURPOSE:  FAMILY		PURPOSE: PROFESSIONAL PROMO.
	Go to Grandkids Concerts et el		Forward E-Mails on Business
	Dinner @ Linke’s (Daughter)		Forward “Events to Attend”
	Out for Lunch/Dinner/Other		Give Away Bus. Articles
	Watching Grandkids at Times		Share AUSTIN BUSINESS SECTION
	Putting Granddaughter on Bus

A few years ago, after hearing a sermon at VERTICAL CHURCH in Buda, Texas, I decided that I needed to elevate my daily walk with God.   As a result, I developed what I have dubbed my “Faith Walk Chart,” whose intent is to help me live a more Intentional Life.  It consists of twelve “purposes” for my daily walk, and how I intend to emphasize those purposes.  I have included said chart for your perusal.

Faith Walk Chart:

Each day I record the “Purpose” I fulfilled, and what I did to whom to meet that fulfillment.  As you can see, being attuned to the Faith Walk Chart should, theoretically, help improve my Walk with God.

Miracles Chart

A few steps above a Blessing, Miracles are not a thing of days gone by, and, in my life, there have been a number of them.  When I sat up my Spiritual Journal, I recorded as many from my past as I could remember.  Then, I started making entries as they occur.  As you can imagine, after I started my “current” entries, other ones came to mind, so I had to set up an “Out of Sequence” page so they wouldn’t be left out.

In with my Miracles is another entry that I call “Super Blessings.”  These are greater than a Blessing, but not quite a Miracle.  I include these in my Miracle Chart, as they both are very important to me!

I feel that you might like to know about some of the Miracles I have experienced, so I will share the last two entries in my Chart:

 April, 2019 – One of the main reasons we use to get the Wednesday Newspaper was for the Grocery Sales Ads.  Right after we cancelled the paper, one of the weekly coupon mailers we receive began including the Grocery Sales Ads in what they delivered.

May, 2019 – We received a check from the Arizona Revenue Service as a refund, on a Tax Form that was filed in 2009 – TEN YEARS AGO!, because they had just discovered an error that they had made!

      While these may not be equivalent of the parting of the Red Sea, both of these meant an awful lot to us, and sometimes the individual Miracles are the very best ones of all!

Chats With God

This is exactly what it sounds like … Times that I have had a tete-a-tete with God.  These have been accomplished in a number of ways … From Dreams to “Gut Feelings” to actual out-loud speaking on my part!  Again, when I started my Spiritual Journal I did all the ones I could remember, and am now recording them as they occur, with an “Out of Sequence” section for those that come back to me from earlier in my life!  I will include a couple of them for you here, so you can see what they were/are like.

“Gut Feeling:” When I was in college I would frequently take a GREYHOUND Bus to and from home for the week-end.  As I neared Lake George, where family members would pick me up, a strange sensation would sweep over me, a “warmth,” if you would.  This happened every time, and was kind of reassuring.

In 1976 my wife and I made a trip to Phoenix, Arizona to check out the possibility of moving here.  It was a major undertaking, and decision, not one that could be taken lightly.  With all this on our minds, we discussed it – – a lot!  As we made our approach in to Sky Harbor Airport, preparing to land, that same sensation, that same warmth, swept over me and I knew I was coming home!

Still Small Voice:  It was during my early teens that Dad and I had “the” talk.  When we were finished, Dad summed it all up with this comment: “The best thing to do, Chief, is to treat girls the way you would want someone to treat your sister.”  I assured Dad I understood, waited a judicial amount of time, and then excused myself and went outside and made my way to the barn.

Once I was out of sight and out of earshot, I hooted and hollered and did a Victory Dance!  Once I got that out of my system, I said verbally, “No problem, Dad, ‘cause I don’t have any sisters!”  As I prepared to bask in this glorious situation, the following “Chat” took place:

God:  “No, but you will have daughters.”

Me: “Yes, Sir.”

And, at that point my Moral Fiber was solidified!

Sermon Outlines

Each Sunday I take a near-copious amount of notes as our pastor shares the message God has given him.  However, those notes are barely legible – – even to me!  As a result, I transfer those notes to my Spiritual Journal each week.

TURNING POINT Article Outlines

Each month I receive Dr. David Jeremiah’s Devotional Booklet.  In the front are several articles dedicated to the “Topic of the Month,” which I read and HiLite.  I then record an outline based on the HiLited parts in my Spiritual Journal.

Faith-Based Books Outlines

I try to remain to be a voracious reader, and one of the genres that I enjoy is what I refer to as “Faith-Based Books.”  As I read these, I HiLite the material and then record an outline based on the HiLited parts in my Spiritual Journal.

Prayer Chart

My Prayer Chart consists of two major parts:  The Prayer Request and the Results. This, I must confess, seems to be the hardest one for me to keep current!

Well, there you have it – – the various Elements of my Spiritual Journal.  The thing is, and this is a most salient point, the fact that I record all of this information is virtually useless.  The real value is the fact that I read this information over and over – – to serve as a reminder of God’s Goodness, both what I have experienced on my own and what others have shared either verbally or through the written word.  You see, the problem with the Hebrew Children was that they seemed to forget all God had done for them and shared with them.  By continually pouring over our Spiritual Journals, that should not happen to us!!!