Meditations about My Mother

July 18, 2024 SonWorshiper Leave a comment

Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome and one of the only five “good emperors” praised by historians, used to keep a journal. In it, he reminds himself of what kind of leader and man he wants to be, what sorts of failures he wants to avoid or cease committing, what virtues and qualities he wants to develop or continue living out. (The Hays translation, linked above, is a punchy and poetic read, worth the purchase.)

We have a collection of his writings that comes from twelve notebooks. (The Annotated Edition by Waterfield is phenomenal at illuminating Marcus’s philosophy and perspective.)

He’s not writing to an audience; he probably never would have assumed anyone would read it. He’s writing to himself, for himself, to become a better version of himself.

And yet he spends a whole notebook thanking various people in his life for the qualities and lessons he learned from their example.

This was on my mind as I had some time for solitude and contemplation on Saturday, hours after hearing the news that my mother Leatha had passed away suddenly due to an unexpected illness.

Mom and Dad and Peter and me at their 40th Anniversary in 2014

“I owe my Mom and Dad such thanks,” I wrote in my own journal, “for the foundation of faith they laid in Peter and I –”

Broken as they each were in their own ways, weathered by the rough waves and winds of life, the trials and troubles they each suffered, and yet they tried to love us well, to raise us right, to set us on a solid path, to loose our ‘arrows’ into the world to make a positive impact.

I had hours with Mom giving attention, support, and prayer to the gift of music in me — she would sit in the living room while I practiced at the piano, enjoying the music or putting up with my learning process, praying and asking God that I would be a David, a man after God’s own heart, a worshiper and psalmist, a kingly man… and yet I can see how many of David’s flaws and failures I’ve duplicated.

Still, I had support, encouragement, and praise.

I had wisdom spoken into my life, and the worth of relationships reinforced. I learned from my mother the value of being a listener, the value of valuing others. So many friends of hers, names I cannot connect to a face or memory, have come alive for me with only the sound of her voice on the phone to relay anything about these people. I know how much they meant to her, how much they impacted her life in profound and positive ways, because they mattered to her.

From my mother I learned that even a bowl of Maruchan packet ramen can be a magical delight, when shared with a brother and a mother who takes time to read bedtime stories to her children, filling their stomachs with a little snack, their heads with fanciful tales, and their hearts with a fresh reminder of love.

I learned from my Mom the value of keeping peace and finding common ground even if she didn’t always do that with everyone. Family and strong connections between all of us mattered to her.

From my mother I learned the value of careful, clear, patient communication, and the power of language, and the thoughtful intentionality behind honoring people even if you didn’t really know them.

I learned from my Mom the value of a good laugh at all times, and perhaps most of all in the hardest times. She loved to hear the jokes, even the groaners and eye-rollers (which were my Dad’s forte), knowing laughter is good medicine for the soul. She delighted at the times she guessed the answer or punchline correctly, and she delighted us with some of her answers when she’d given up guessing.

Grandchild: Grandma, what do you call a cow with two legs? (The correct answer is ‘lean beef.’)

Grandma: I don’t know… Dead.

More than anything, I learned a strong, unyielding faith — which doesn’t mean that one never doubts,
never questions, never wonders why,
never looks up at the storm clouds with a sigh,
or at the silence of the stars with a shaking fist raised high…

…But it always, always comes back to trusting in the sometimes mysterious and incomprehensible but ever merciful and faithful ultimate goodness and provision of God in our lives. The Giver of all good things indeed, and the One whose hands hold onto us when we are flailing and scrambling in the chaos and darkness that sometimes fill the moments between our mountaintops.

Thank you, Mom, for always having a loving but firm, proud but praying hand and heart at my back. I will keep playing those songs and praising God, chasing after His heart like you taught me.

Scripture commentary

The Word Reworded

January 22, 2023 SonWorshiper Leave a comment

Have you ever struggled to watch your language?

For some of us, that might mean trying to swear less, or trying to hold back the mean or sarcastic comments and instead choosing to be gracious (or at least silent).

In his book, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, author Gregory Koukl lays out a few suggestions we should consider if we want to ensure conversations about spirituality and religion are as beneficial and meaningful as possible.

He calls one of these suggestions, “Watch Your Language.” He’s quick to point out this doesn’t mean “don’t swear at people” or “don’t use cutting insults and cruelty.” Hopefully anyone claiming to follow Christ is already paying attention to avoiding such behaviors!

His suggestion is that we should watch out for loading our conversations with “Christian-ese” terminology — words and phrases that sound like they belong in church, which our fellow believers might readily understand.

This book is an excellent primer for meaningful but cordial conversations about faith.

The Problem With Church Talk

The trouble is, people outside the church are unlikely to have the same understanding of what we’re talking about. They may not know what we mean by “sin” or “blessed” or “faith” or “being saved by grace.” They may take that a whole different way than we intend, or it might sound like meaningless church talk they don’t care to hear.

Similarly, if I lead off with “Well the Bible says in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” there’s a good chance that someone outside the church has already tuned out.

“I don’t care what the Bible says,” they might respond. And they probably don’t care about whatever it means to have sinned, and they probably don’t believe they’ve fallen short, whatever that means, so even though this verse is meant to point out a spiritual problem or highlight a crucial need, the words may fall flat.

But you can say the same thing in words people understand. “Every one of us messes up, don’t we? None of us do all the good stuff we know we could do, and we all do stuff we later regret, right? If there’s a perfect standard, none of us meet it.”

Koukl suggests practicing this kind of re-phrasing or re-wording of what we’d like to say… not because Scripture isn’t good or right, but because we want to be effective communicators able to provide a meaningful answer about what we believe and why.

I think it’s similar to how we shouldn’t really try to challenge someone’s point of view unless we understand their views well enough to restate their case accurately. We can also practice understanding what Scripture is saying to us by considering what the often-too-familiar words really mean, then rewording the verse for our own personal reflection.

An Exercise in Rewording

I’ve shared before how I practice the Topical Memory System from the Navigators. I’m trying to review a block of Scripture each day both as a personal discipline and a way to keep the verses fresh in mind.

When I heard this part of Koukl’s book, I thought it a wonderful opportunity to give the technique a shot.

Below are my paraphrased verses from Block E – Grow In Christlikeness, with the original verses in italics.

Love: Jesus of Nazareth told his followers that he gave them a new rule to follow, which was to love one another. But more than that, to love each other like He loved them. That’s how the rest of the world should be able to identify a follower of Jesus.

One of his closest followers passed on that wisdom, saying we shouldn’t love by talking the talk but walking the walk.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

1st John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

Humility: Don’t do anything to put yourself on a pedestal or get over on others. Think less about you and more about others. They matter so much. Don’t just do what matters to you, but look out for others around you.

Young folks, listen to those who’ve been around longer, and everybody should treat each other as someone important, someone special. God opposes pride, but He shows favor to the humble. So you can stop worrying about lifting yourself up; you can even stoop down in life because God’s got you. He’ll lift you up at the proper time.

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

1st Peter5:5-6 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time.

Purity: Don’t let what you know is wrong or disgusting or even self-centered cross your thoughts, let alone your tongue or your deeds. That stuff shouldn’t have any place in your life or anyone else who calls themselves a believer.

Guys, I’m begging you to live counter to the way everyone around you lives. Don’t give in to whatever feels good or satisfies only for the immediate moment. These things are going to hurt you deep down, long term. They’re opposed to who you’re meant to be.

Ephesians 5:3 But immorality or impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

1st Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

Honesty: Don’t steal, don’t do someone wrong, don’t lie to anyone.

Because of what God’s done in me, I do my best to make sure I’m not to blame for anything – so that nobody has any reason to call me out for anything I’ve done.

Leviticus 19:11 Do not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.

Acts 24:16 In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.

Faith: Without trusting God, you can’t do what He wants – can’t even really have a relationship with Him. How are you going to connect with God unless you believe that He exists and that He answers those who go looking for Him?

As far as God’s promise was concerned, Abraham didn’t back down in doubt, but grew strong in his trust in God. He got – and showed others – a bigger picture of God in the process – being totally secure in the idea that if God said it, He is able and trustworthy to make it happen.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Romans 4:20-21 Yet with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

Good Works: Let’s not get drained in the process of doing good works, so that we don’t get tired or give up. As often as we get the chance, we should do good for everybody, and especially our fellow believers.

You should shine so bright in what you do and how you live that people would thank God for you being there and doing good.

Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, as often as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Conclusion

I may have taken these farther afield from the original meaning than was necessary in a lot of cases. Some of the verses are pretty plain and straightforward in meaning – “don’t steal, don’t deal falsely, don’t lie to each other” for example.

I certainly don’t need to try writing a paraphrase of the whole Bible. (We have The Message by Eugene Peterson, which I like as a secondary or tertiary perspective on the better, more faithful, direct translations. That’s plenty enough.)

Romans 4:20-21 was full of terms I might not expect an outsider to understand with the same meaning I’d intend. Ephesians 5:3 is another one that might not resonate with a modern non-believing hearer in the way I’d want it to.

I don’t know that I would actually phrase things this way in conversation with someone. But it was a good exercise in thinking about the meaning of the verses, and how they could be rephrased without destroying their original message.

It might be something worth trying in your own devotional time – whether you’re hoping to have an answer for someone who would ask about your faith, or simply trying to ensure you have a clear understanding of what God is saying to you through Scripture.

What do you think? If you take a stab at this, share a version of a verse in the comments.

Writing

Rapid Logging Reflection

January 21, 2023 SonWorshiper Leave a comment

I’ve used the Bullet Journal system of rapid-logging for over six years (starting in December 2016). I mentioned in a recent post how I realized I’d gotten away from doing the reflection part of the system.

While I have sometimes taken the necessary time to incorporate artwork and other frills into my Bullet Journal practice, one of the big draws of the system for many is that it is rapid.

If you don’t want to, you don’t have to spend a bunch of hours and effort making a Pinterest-perfect page or Insta-worthy image on every page. The original point is to have a place to quickly ‘download’ stuff from your brain onto the page so you can take the time to review and respond later.

So I decided to add some symbols to my key – something that takes less than a second to add to the page, but gives me an easy way to get the most out of my journal when I come back to it at the end of the day.

Simple, quick, effective… as I believe the heart of the system intends such devices to be.

When I watched Ryder Carroll’s end of year livestream, the idea of using reflection to capture what you want more of and what you want less of really resonated with me. It was like I’d been putting a puzzle together for six years and I’d forgotten to look at the picture on the box to see what the end result should be.

I wanted a fast way to note these two aspects (“more of this,” “less of this”) and a way to see the results at a glance.

More of This

For the experiences I want to repeat or increase, I thought a plus sign in a circle like the positive end of a battery would be a great way to quickly capture those things which gave me a recharge or renewed sense of purpose. More of these please.

For example, yesterday I helped some coworkers find necessary resources or answers to their questions about how to do their job. Not surprisingly, it felt great to be useful and to help someone out. That’s a plus.

Recently I took a few minutes to sit at the piano and “vent” a little emotion through the keys. Better that than to lose my temper about something stupid, or to hold it all in and wallow in negative emotions. That was a good release, time well spent; that’s a plus.

When I take time to add a little color, I put a light green shade on these to make them stand out even more.

Less of This

For those moments when I know I’ve screwed up or repeated a personal failure or weakness I’m trying to eliminate, a simple “No” circle with a bar through it is a great rapid reminder for later. Like a street sign that says “No entry,” I want these indicators to help me redirect my emotions and actions so that I stop trying to go down the roads of life the wrong way.

For example, I had an outburst of anger the other morning as I was trying to get out the door. My bag caught on my chair and knocked down my “spill-proof” coffee cup. The cup’s lid popped off a bit, spraying hot coffee on me and all over the floor. (It literally sprayed from the floor to my face almost six feet in the air.) I had to drop everything and clean up when I was already running behind.

I didn’t handle it well, but I knew that my reaction was ridiculous, excessive, and unhelpful. When I get stressed out and angry about things, the rest of the family gets stressed out by my temper. That is NOT who I want to be.

A quick note with a “No” symbol left me room to come back in reflection to consider all the ways this was an avoidable failure.

Not only should I control my emotions and actions better, but I could have been a little more slow and deliberate with my stuff so the coffee cup didn’t get knocked down in the first place.

Why didn’t I do that? Because I was running late so I was rushing. Why was I running late? Because I took more time that morning for mindless YouTube-ing and doomscrolling on social media. Why did I do that? Because I didn’t start off the morning with my focused rituals that set the course for my day and get my head in the mindset I want to live out.

So in reflection, I was able to slap a “no” on all those sub-components that contributed to the coffee debacle. Less of all of that, please.

I sometimes color these red to make them pop off the page a little more when I look back over what I’ve been doing.

Can you spot me a 20-minutes?

I’ve been listening to Ryan Holiday and some other proponents of Stoicism lately. There’s a lot that I really like – the internal locus of control, for example. I’ve been challenged and inspired by a number of the values shared… especially by the concept of Memento Mori, a Latin phrase for “Remember your death.”

This image – stark white on deep black – makes me think of the value of our few precious moments.

The reminder is meant to call attention to the limited time we have before we die, and the unavoidable inevitability of that death. This is not meant to make everything seem meaningless or leave you wallowing in nihilism; it’s meant to help reveal just how precious each moment we have actually is.

The Stoic call in remembering your death is to stop wasting time on stuff that doesn’t matter, and to refocus your attention on what you mean to accomplish with the short, brief life we’re given. It should strip away useless, irrelevant activities.

Holiday mentioned once how often we might be guarded with our money, like “Sorry, no, I’m not giving you the ten bucks in my pocket just because you asked.” But then someone asks for or demands ten minutes of our time, for something that holds no value or interest for us, and it’s like, “Oh, well, it’s just ten minutes. No big deal.”

You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. The clock is winding down on your life and you can’t turn the hand back no matter how hard you try. Memento Mori.

I thought it might be really challenging to track my time similar to how I might note how much money I spend. To have a symbol that helps me mentally turn time into a sort of currency, treating minutes like dollars.

I wanted something like the $ symbol for dollars, or ¥ for yen, etc. I thought about a T with an extra crossbar, or something.

I went with M for minutes, and one atop the other as a reminder of Memento Mori.

In my outburst example above, I ended up making a note that I’d spent 60 minutes on useless YouTube or social-media browsing, which was a catalyst that contributed to everything else that happened that morning.

Rapid-Logging Reflection

Reflection is a process that takes SOME time, by design. That’s kind of the point.

However, these symbols are going to help me 1) do it, and 2) get more out of the time I spend doing so. This, without adding some crazy level of complexity to the symbols or techniques I use for my version of Bullet Journaling.

Do you think these would work for you? Or do you have another way you use to identify the stuff in your life that you want to increase or decrease? I’d love to hear your thoughts – let me know in a comment.

Side Note: Memento Mori? But aren’t you a Christian?

Yes, seeing as I’m a Christian who believes in Jesus as the resurrection and the life, and the giver of eternal life, it might seem inconsistent or contradictory to find meaning in “Memento Mori.”

After all, the Apostle Paul wrote about how dying didn’t bother him – in fact, it was gain, an improved state! Dying just meant he would be with Christ. (See Philippians 1:20-26)

I don’t think a number of the modern-day adherents of Stoicism would share Paul’s hope of eternity. I’ve also had atheist and materialist friends express the idea to me that recognizing we only get this one life instills a precious value into every moment.

That said, even as a Christian, I also recognize that I only get this one lifetime to do any good or make any difference in the world. I have a hope of eternity, but after I pass away, there’s no coming back to tie up loose ends, to finish the tasks or personal goals I left undone, to resolve the hurts in relationships, to redeem any of the time I spent pursuing lesser things.

Paul in the above passage recognizes that though he has no fear of death because being with Christ will be better for him, he also could still do a lot of good for the church in Philippi if he lives to be released from prison. He hopes to make the most of the time in order to make the biggest impact and best benefit for the other believers.

One of my add-on memory verses is Ephesians 5:15-17. “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Memento Mori. You may have eternity to look forward to, but you only have this life in which to impact eternity for those around you.

Writing

Winning at Writing

January 13, 2023 SonWorshiper 2 Comments

I’ve heard it said that a key factor in writing essays (and probably blog posts) is that you want to answer a question. Sometimes it’s the question the audience is asking, the search query that leads the reader to your work. Sometimes it’s a question or answer interesting enough that the reader says, “I didn’t realize I wanted to know this… but you’ve hooked me.”

It’s also often said that you should know – and write for – your intended audience. Picture the person who comes to your site. What brought them to this post? What need do they have which you might meet? What will hold their attention?

Today, I’m struggling to follow that advice. My question is simple to ask, but difficult to answer, and entirely personal, so it may not be useful to most. My audience isn’t the hapless reader who found their way to this dreary corner of the Internet, either. Rather, the intended audience is me.

The question: Why am I not writing?

By that I mean, why am I not regularly putting in effort on the books I claim I want to write, the stories I’ve promised myself and others that I will publish? Why am I not cranking out the words that pile up into paragraphs that construct chapters that build books?

It’s not because I don’t care about writing, is it? I like writing. I like finding the “just right” word for what I mean, even if it’s often a struggle. I love it when I come up with a clever turn of phrase, even if it’s less frequent than I’d like. I care about the characters inhabiting my head, and I know the way their stories are meant to turn out, more or less, if I can ever download all my thoughts and dangling plot threads onto the blank screen.

The easy answer is I’m lazy.

I might play video games instead. In a video game, you’ve got a story handed to you – possibly even well-written – plus the power to interact with the world, and sometimes to even chart the course of events that save or destroy that world. You’ve got mechanics designed to flash and chirp when you hit milestones. You unlock new powers and abilities, or watch the progress of your experience bar as you conquer your foes and complete your tasks. All the reward centers of the brain are duped into feeling much the same as when you accomplish things in real life, but without that frustrating “work” part that comes with any goal that truly matters.

The easy answer isn’t often the true or full answer, though, is it?

Why am I lazy about writing? I can be disciplined in other areas; I can see the benefits of making lasting change and force myself to do it. Why not writing? Why not a sentence a day, little by little, “bird by bird” as Anne Lamott famously suggests? Small steps add up to big results eventually. Am I too lazy to write a sentence?

Clearly not. I’ve written a bunch of them here.

So why are the sentences about my characters and settings so much harder to put down on paper than my self-pity about struggling to write? Am I just trading one form of procrastination for another? “Oh, I know, I’ll WRITE about writing, and thus, kind of satisfy the goal.”

That’s probably more of what’s behind this than I want to admit. Thankfully, I’ll never post this.

Procrastination is usually birthed from fear or boredom, or so I’ve heard. What am I bored by? Is it that I’ve kind of already told myself the story by outlining the major plot points and character arcs, so it feels like there’s nothing new to discover? Is it that the only thing remaining is the hard work of fleshing out those outline points, and that’s not exciting?

Maybe.

No, it’s fear. At least, it’s fear more than boredom. Fear that there’s no point. Fear that what I’ll write isn’t worth the effort, because I already fear that what I’ve written isn’t up to par. Fear that there are too many flaws or holes in the plot I’ve laid down in my self-published stuff – so many that it’s going to take a ton of work to fix that before I can really move on to the next thing.

Fear that what I’m writing isn’t relatable, or that it’s so banal that it’s got nothing to say. I’m talking “The sky is blue and life is hard sometimes” level of obvious truth… if embedding some kind of truth or moral is even part of the consideration.

No one’s asking for a sermon, and if they were, I’d find them a much better preacher.

Fear that the plot “twists” are more like gentle curves. Fear that the characters are more cardboard than care-worthy. Fear that the vision in my head is far removed from the end result – one of the most basic fears of every creative. “I thought I could make it turn out better than it did.”

Fear that I already know all the answers to those fears, and that none of them are sufficient to kick me into motion.

“Well, you’ll get better by doing it.” Yes, I know, thank you.
“You only improve by putting in reps. One word after the next until it’s done.” Exactly. Simple yet profound.
“Whose standard are you holding yourself up to? You just have to do YOUR best.” That’s a relief.
“You have to love the process, because that’s where the growth happens.” Of course.
“You have to focus entirely on what you can control, which is writing the best you can.” Indeed. I agree completely. That’s the way forward.

And yet, once again, I tune out the whispers of my imaginary tenants — those whose voices were once a vivid clamor, those whose exploits were once the movies playing out in my mind whenever I closed my eyes.

If I asked them, I wonder if they would understand, or feel betrayed. Would they sigh knowingly with me and commiserate, or fold their arms across their chests and glare at me from across the dark room I’ve locked them in? One or two would get in my face about it — not surprisingly, I have no doubt which ones.

But I’m non-confrontational to a fault, even if the person I need to confront is myself.

Maybe especially then.

So I don’t ask them. And I usually don’t ask me either. It’s easier that way.

Maybe that’s the answer to the original question – the path of least resistance. The voices in my head can’t move a muscle, push a pen, or lift a finger to a keyboard… so I “win” by default. If you can call it winning.

Tomorrow there’s a Writer’s Hour at a library on one of the nearby bases. I plan to go. I’m excited about there being some kind of writer’s group, especially one I don’t have to lead or organize. I’m happy to pop in and smile at everyone, laugh with everyone, listen to the stories and the struggles, nod my head with the sage advice and whatever anyone’s willing to share because “I know how THAT feels…”

I know a bunch of us will probably have similar voices locked away inside, waiting for their turn to come to life on paper or a screen. I know I’m not alone in feeling the way I do.

I wonder if it will help. Maybe my characters wonder too. Then again, I doubt they’d read this. They probably already know the answer to the one question they’d ask.

General

A Clip of Journals

January 12, 2023 SonWorshiper 1 Comment

I got something special in the mail today.

For six years, I’ve used the Bullet Journal system, and for over four of that, Scribbles That Matter has been my go-to for great paper (thick with no ghosting!), high quality, and vibrant color.

In late December, I watched one of Ryder Carroll’s livestreams about the system he designed. His intent was that users could “track the past, organize the present, and plan for the future” while regaining some control and focus for how they spend those precious resources: time and energy.

During the stream, I realized I’ve completely missed the reflection piece of BuJo… which essentially turned my notebook into a glorified day planner full of unfocused daily notes and repeated thoughts.

Reflection is the part of the process which helps you look back at what was working well, or what wasn’t. It’s how you more clearly identify what you want more of moving forward, and what you need to cut down on or eliminate.

Without that effort, I was left with day after day of notes on all the tasks I did or left unfinished, lots of cool or frustrating moments that happened, details of good and bad results, and just page after page of evidence of the passage of time.

No thrust, no vector.

Just lists of events, unevaluated, un-interrogated, unconsidered, recorded but forgotten.

You can’t learn lessons without taking time to absorb them. I vowed to learn from this lesson, and to start learning from the many others readily available.

But that would cost something. Reflection and deeper journaling will take up space on the pages. Doing BuJo better would mean burning through notebooks faster… but would also mean refocused vision, renewed purpose, and greater intention in my day-to-day.

Well worth the trade-off.

Prior to watching Ryder’s stream, I thought, “I’ve gone through this notebook in less than a year. Maybe I am using up space too fast.”

Then I heard Ryder talk about how he goes through one each quarter, and laughed. My pace is glacial compared to that.

I started my new journal on 7 Jan, with a stack of seven finished journals on my shelf.

Plus I received a nice Happy Holidays gift from my company (The Intellekt Group, LLC), and realized they could be funding my Bullet Journal ritual for the next year or more.

I’m not sure about the Mustard color, but I have faith it’ll grow on me.

The stack of STMs arrived today, adding to the pile, waiting for whatever the future holds. Maybe it’s a clip of bullet journals now.

If you’ve got a system for journaling or reflection, I’d love to hear about it! Maybe it’s something I could use in my own habit. Let me know in a comment what you do to track your past, organize your present, and plan your future.

Scripture commentary, Worship

A Picture’s Worth

December 22, 2022 SonWorshiper 1 Comment

Years ago, when I was looking for ways to develop in my faith, a friend introduced me to the Topical Memory System or TMS, published by the Navigators.

It’s a thematic collection of Bible verses – five overall themes, each with six sub-topics, which each have two verses assigned to them. One block is about living the new life of a believer; another is about growing in Christlikeness; another is about sharing the gospel message with others.

The app isn’t super polished, but it still works great.

The TMS is a really useful system for getting some key scriptures into your head, so that you can call on them later, in conversation or for your own reflection and recollection. NavPress has some apps you can use on your phone or device, if the hard-copy paper cards aren’t what you want. They have eight common versions built into the apps and the printed card set – NIV, NASB, ESV, NKJV, KJV, NLT, MSG, and NRSV.

In other unpaid advertisement, a couple years ago, I picked up an Aura Frame for my office (and also one for my wife, and one for my mother back in the States, and then one for our daughter and her husband, and my brother got one too, and… yeah).

Aura makes digital picture frames where you can load a LOT of pictures into the service, and it will run through them at intervals you set so that you’re always getting fresh pictures. The app also lets you load pictures onto anyone else’s frame that you’re connected with, so when we’re calling home and talking about some exciting trip or funny picture, we can actually display it on my Mom’s frame instantly.

I’m sure there are plenty of frames and services that do similar things, but Aura’s the one I happened to get, and it’s been great for what I wanted it to do.

I love having an eclectic mix of pictures changing every 30 seconds.

The other day, I thought, “hey, why not put the TMS verses onto the Aura frame?” And I assumed someone somewhere must have already made images for the verses.

After a little Google searching, I ended up looking at a Facebook page for Navigators Ghana, where they had a few of the verses in their photos. But they were using NIV (I prefer NASB), and they had other info I didn’t want or need.

So I made my own, and thought I’d share on the off chance someone else is out there Google-searching “Navigators TMS NASB” images.

This actually took more work than I expected, but I’m happy with the result.

If you happen to live near me and know me, feel free to pop-quiz me on these when you see me. I’m going to try to keep all five blocks fresh in my memory, and I can use the impromptu challenge!

Here are the links to each of the Powerpoint presentations and image files:

Block A – Live the New Life ppt and images

Block B – Proclaim Christ ppt and images

Block C – Rely on God’s Resources ppt and images

Block D – Be Christ’s Disciple ppt and images

Block E – Grow in Christlikeness ppt and images

Scripture commentary

TMS – Grow in Christlikeness

December 22, 2022 SonWorshiper 1 Comment

I recently decided to create images for the Topical Memory System published by the Navigators, using NASB as the Bible version. I’m posting these here so that hopefully someone else who finds them useful might also benefit.