HGB Go Getter

19 Aug 2013

Motivation Monday: Keeping a Prayer Journal Pt. 2

Last week I mentioned that I was going to start a prayer journal (click here to read the full post) and I am proud to say that I have written consistently in my journal at least once a day for seven days straight *pats self on the back* I used to journal, I but I’ve never written consistently for seven straight days. I would go three days here, two days there, and on the weekends you can forget about it. I can also say that this week I have been feeling extremely light. My spirit, heart, and mind were really heavy and I’ve written down almost everything that I was feeling. If I didn’t write it down I had a deep conversation with God about it all. This journal allowed me to focus my thoughts, devotionals, and prayers. I have created my own little system of how I organize and track my thoughts.

My Method

Section 1: Devotionals-I write based on my morning’s scripture reading

Section 2: Prayers-I write down my prayers for everyone and everything

Section 3: Thank You (Gratitude) I make a list of everything that I am thankful for (the good, the bad, and the ugly)

Section 4: Declarations- I write down things that I declare I will do or will not do

Section 5: I Ain’t Got No Worries- yes that is a line from a rap song, but it fits so I went with it. I write down everything that I need to stop worrying about and pray for. So this section is written in the form of a prayer as well

I don’t have a specific order in which I write things down. I find myself flipping through my book at any given time to write something down so I won’t forget. I always start with my devotional, but end where ever the spirit leads me. I write for at least 30-minutes. I average about 45-minutes to an hour on most days because I have a lot to say. I wake up pretty early before I want to actually start my day because that is when I’m most focused. I only wrote at night once.

I haven’t felt this good spiritually in a very long time because I know that my prayer life was suffering. I have seven days down and 14 days to go as my goal is to write consistently for 21 to build a positive habit. In church this past Sunday my pastor once again challenged us to be the priests that God has called us to be . He gave us a list of five sacrifices of the priest

Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice Romans 12:1-2 living holy lives

Sacrifice of Praise- Hebrews 13:15 praising God despite what you are going through

Sacrifice of Substance-Romans 12:13 Hebrews 13:2 Being hospitable

Sacrifice of Service- Sorry no focus scripture Appreciating God’s calling upon your life

Being an Intercessor- Colossians 4:12 praying on the behalf of others

I am definitely a work in progress, but I just thank God that I have an opportunity to change.

Have any of you started your prayer journal? If yes have you noticed any changes in your life?

Categories: HGB Go Getter, The GOOD Life Tags: Lessons, Life, Motivation, prayer journal

12 Aug 2013

Motivation Monday: Keeping a Spiritual Journal

By Jai 2 Comments

Happy Monday My Loves!

I hope you all had a great weekend. It is yet another Monday that we should all be thankful for because God has given us another day to live out our purpose.

Yesterday was my pastor’s 60th birthday celebration and I have to say that I am truly thankful for him. He has really helped shape my way of thinking as an adult and yesterday part of his message was about all believers in Christ being priests. The purpose of a priest is to serve and minister to God. He then said that many people go to church and it is always about them and their problems and their issues. We forget that as believers are to exalt and glorify God, but we have so much baggage that our praise tends to be a bit selfish. He also said that as priests we are bring sacrifices to God that minister to Him. In the Old Testament the form was to sacrifice an animal, but because of Jesus we must sacrifice ourselves. You can’t be selfish and walk with God. The first commandment says (Exodus 20:1-3)

1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3“You shall have no other gods before me.

As believers we have to serve, give, and minister to God. We have to remember that God is always in the blessing business. Having a right relationship with God means that it is not always about us and our wants and needs.

Ok so how does all of this connect with a spiritual journal? I’m glad you asked!

A spiritual journey is a way for you to keep up with your spiritual journey. If you record your thoughts, feelings, ideas, conversations, behaviors, prayers, etc. you may notice a pattern or something that God is trying to reveal to you in order to improve your spiritual life and walk with Christ.

I found this awesome How To on keeping a spiritual journal by Michael Haywood (Click here to read it). I created my journal framework based on some of the suggestions listed here. You can keep a handwritten journal or a digital journal, but you need something that you can record your thoughts.

Here are a few benefits of keeping a spiritual journal according to Haywood

~ clarifies one’s understandings of the nature and will of God
~ organizes one’s thoughts
~ brings out thoughts that might never have occurred to one otherwise
~ records spiritual thoughts and realizations one has, so they’re not forgotten
~ forces one to take time out on a regular basis to sit with God and make some sense of life (sometimes we’re so busy living life that we don’t take time to get perspective)
~ makes a record of one’s spiritual growth, kind of like pencil marks on the kitchen doorway of one’s spiritual life
~ helps one to keep a balance between head and heart
~ can help one to know oneself better.

A few things you might record according to Michael Haywood

~ Insights, promises and revelations from your devotional life.
~ Specific prayers you have prayed.
~ God’s answers to your prayers.
~ Personal behavioral struggles (e.g. with family, work, finances, sexuality, leisure….)
~ Needs you have in personal, spiritual and practical areas.
~ Insights and helpful passages in the Bible.
~ Confession of sin, and recognition of God’s disappointment, forgiveness and mercy.
~ Personal identity struggles. (e.g. Just who am I? What am I supposed to be doing?)
~ Lessons you have learned in the school of life.
~ Daily events of personal or spiritual significance.
~ Experiences when one has been keenly aware of God or God’s will, or wondered where God was.
~ Disappointment, hurt, pain, suffering, victories, failures, joys and sorrows.
~ Praise and thanksgiving for God’s grace.
~ Observations
~ Special things that others have written or said.
~ Things you’ve discovered while looking back in the journal.

Types of Spiritual Journals via Michael Haywood

~ a journal of spiritual readings: Bible readings, spiritual/devotional books, spiritual concepts in secular books
~ a prayer journal
~ a book of lists (memories, joys, sorrows, blessings….)
~ a journal of problems and solutions, worry and obsession, hopes and fears, goals and ambitions
~ a periodic (once a day or once a week) perspective journal — taking one experience and working with it, looking for God in it
~ a series of letters-to…., letters to God
~ a general kind of spiritual journal, including anything and everything that relates to your spiritual journey: daily events, prayers, readings, whatever.

Your journaling schedule is crucial. You can record thoughts through out the day, but you need to set a specific time and location for where you are going to do most of your writing. You should choose a time and a place where you are fully alert and attentive to hear God’s word and to also be alert.

I started my journal today. Remember, it takes 21 days to build a habit and so I will write consistently for 21 to make this a part of my everyday life.

Categories: HGB Go Getter, The GOOD Life Tags: Lessons, Life, Motivation, spiritual journal, spiritual journey

05 Aug 2013

Motivation Monday: The Beauty of Self-Reflection

By Jai 1 Comment

So I have been on a hiatus from blogging for the past few months. There used to be at least seven new posts on the blog weekly, but then life happened and I was barely giving you four quality posts every few weeks. I’ll try not to make this post long…So I did something that was not in my immediate five year plan, that was apply for graduate school for my M.Ed (Master of Education). Long story short I was accepted into this program and orientation was in May but classes did not start until July. Between May and July I had tons of readings and assignments to complete as well blog and work at my full-time job. I tried hard to balance my professional life, personal life, blogging life, and school life, but it was challenging.

Once class started on July 1st I knew that I was in for a rude awakening. I hadn’t been in a formal education setting since the spring of 2010, so this was a familiar but strange feeling. For five weeks about 60+ hours a week (45 of those hours in class) I attended classes, completed projects, wrote papers, studied at the library and more. It was stressful physically, mentally, and emotionally, but the last five weeks were probably five of the best weeks of my adult life.

I met so many people that I know I would have never met or developed friendships with if it had not been for this program. I also had some amazing instructors that challenged yet supported me through this learning experience. Self-reflection played a huge role in this program, and I was able to recognize things about myself that I was afraid to acknowledge. I was always one to “reflect” but now that has an entirely different meaning. Reflecting goes beyond thinking, it involves deep analytical thought in which you find ways to improve yourself or better a situation. Self-reflection leads to change and my thought process and attitude did just that. When it comes to reflecting, we sometimes need others to help as well. Fo one of my assignments I had to ask a few people what is one thing I need to improve to be a better person. The answers I received put many things into perspective for me regarding life and my relationships with people. Reflecting helped me identify critical areas in my life that needed change and now it is up to me to make that change.

This process has truly been life changing for me because I was pushed and challenged to go above and beyond the limits that I set for myself. Many things that I have learned in church manifested in this program. Some of the books my pastor recommended and lessons that he taught were prevalent throughout many of my classes. I was like wait “God what are you doing?” When God wants to reach you He will use anything, anyone, and any situation so you can hear His word. All I can say is that I am listening loud and clear and following the path that God has set for me.

Categories: HGB Go Getter, The GOOD Life Tags: Lessons, Life, Motivation, self-reflection

15 Jul 2013

Motivation Monday: What’s Your Action Plan?

By Jai 1 Comment

Action Plan- a way to make sure your vision is made concrete. It describes the steps you will take to reach your goals and bring change.

Often times we set these audacious goals and New Year’s Resolutions, or we make bold statements about our vision and mission and we fail to have a plan of action. We put our faith in God, but faith without action is meaningless. There are a few sayings that I always repeat in my mind to stay on task:

Proper preparation prevents poor performance

If you fail to plan then you plan to fail

This weekend millions of people were outraged at the verdict of the George Zimmerman Trial. I must admit that I was one of them. I was hurt and angry. It seems that the “justice” system protects everyone, just not us African-Americans, especially African-American males. There were marches, rallies, and protests, but I began thinking what else can be done. Was the goal of those marches, rallies, and protests just to show how upset people were? Was the goal to show that people of all races and ethnicities can join together for the greater good? Was the goal to bring awareness to the injustices of the justice system? If those were the goals then I think they were accomplished, but what’s the next step? How can we protect our sons and brothers? How can we ensure that no other parents of children of color experiences what Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin has experienced?

How can we educate our own people to show that we need to value each other because they see that we don’t value our own lives, so why should they? I have been fortunate enough to have this platform, as well as others, to share my thoughts. My heart is still heavy and I continuously pray for peace but also for wisdom.

We need an action plan, not just to bring civil charges against George Zimmerman, he’s honestly just a small part of a larger problem. I think it first begins with education. We need to educate ourselves and our children on the laws that govern “The Land of the Free.” Once we learn the laws we need to know how to change them to make them fair for all. We need to educate ourselves to occupy the seats of those who hold the most power. My pastor once said “Those who control the language, control the conversation.” We need to change the language of this country so that the laws do not only protect a select few.

We need character development to know how to conduct ourselves in certain situations. We need options when it seems like everyone is agains us. It’s sad to say that the system was never created for us and so we need to learn how to navigate the system that has been designed for us to fail from day one.

Rallies, protests, marches, and petitions are extremely important, but what we need is to educate ourselves and our children.

Proverbs 16:16 says

How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver

“True wealth is portable. It is not what’s on the outside, but the inside (knowledge/wisdom) that holds the greatest value.” Your knowledge is the only thing that cannot be taken away from you. So we need to educate ourselves in everything that we do, not just with social injustice. We need action plans in all areas of life because an action plan keeps us focus.

Categories: HGB Go Getter, The GOOD Life Tags: Lessons, Life, Motivation, social justice, trayvon martin

08 Jul 2013

Motivation Monday: M.Y.O.B. Mind Your Own Business

By Jai 3 Comments

M.Y.O.B. Mind your own business. This is something that I struggle with. It’s not that I am always in someone’s business. I wouldn’t call myself nosey, but I will say that I am overly concerned with other people’s issues and I begin to worry. I don’t know why I do this, and it’s not because I’m compassionate, I just get caught up thinking about other people. This is something that I am really starting to struggle with at this point in my life. I worry about other people’s opinions and situations and it doesn’t even concern me. I don’t meddle in conflicts, but I just mainly ask the question why?

My family and friends always tell me to focus on my own situations and goals and forget about what doesn’t concern me. This is something that I am working on, but it is hard! I just can’t fathom why people make certain decisions, and I’m sure people feel the same about me, but I’m just like why?!?!?!?!? It’s not like I’m the most rational person at all times, but I get so caught up in the business of others that I lose focus.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 says “And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you”

Over the last week I have been constantly saying to myself, don’t worry about what people are doing. Don’t worry about what people are thinking. Don’t worry about what people are saying. Everything that I am “concerned” about is trivial and has nothing to do with me. So for those of you in my situation to heed to my advice as I will practice what I preach and MYOB.