Enlightened: My Personal Journey with Christ Through Scripture Journaling

Enlightened: My Personal Journey with Christ Through Scripture Journaling, is here!
(And I need reviewers!)

If you'd like to review this book, and you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, please let me know. We can discuss the details. Email me at kathy@ariverofstones.com.

Get it at Amazon
or send an email to kathy@ariverofstones.com
and I will autograph and send you a copy!

Is it Time?

Kathryn Elizabeth Jones has been a lover of journaling since the time she was a teenager. But the journaling that began as a keeper of secret thoughts, daily activities, and hopes and dreams of the future, one day changed direction in focus and feeling the moment she realized what personal revelation could truly mean for her.

Although personal scripture reading began at about the same time, it was much later, while Kathryn was reflecting on the power of the Kirtland Temple dedication, that the Lord’s voice was heard, and Kathryn wrote of the experience.

Connecting personal revelation to scripture study and prayer as a conduit for an even stronger relationship with Jesus Christ is the premise of this book.

May it enlighten your life and may your own path be made clear as you take the Lord’s hand, listen to His words, and follow His voice.

Giving Thanks for Your Writing

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and before you think that I'm all ready for Christmas (you may have seen a few of my posts promoting my book signings) allow me to clarify.

I LOVE Christmas!

But I also LOVE Thanksgiving.

Photo by: basykes, courtesy of Flickr

When did you begin writing?

From a class assignment that you loved and writing has been with you ever since?

When you began your journal as a teenager?

As a child? Can you still see yourself sharing stories with your friends, maybe even getting them to believe they really happened?

When you first fell in love with ink on paper?

When you fell in love with reading and said to yourself, "I could write like this!"

Whatever sparked in you the desire to write, think about it now...

Photo by: PhotoGraham, courtesy of Flickr

For me, it wasn't until after I married that I developed a real interest in writing, though I'd been a journal writer and reader for years. And I suppose the idea to write struck me at that time because I was pregnant with my first child and feeling pretty sick.

Suffice it to say I didn't just get morning sickness.

I remember that day because, as I sat on my couch with my legs propped up to take down the swelling, I thought about the real meaning of being pregnant; with all of the aches and pains there were also many joys and I just had to get my feelings down on paper.

The story, when finished, was titled, "Weebles Wabble."

I don't know what I think about that title today, (okay, it's pretty strange) but then, it was like a spark of light had entered the room. I was on my way.

What about you?

BOOK REVIEW: Journaling with Jesus: How to Draw Closer to God

For readers who know me and my personal journey with what I've always called "scripture" journaling, you'll want to read Journaling with Jesus, an insightful, honest and refreshingly motivating nonfiction book by Carol Round.

 

If you've ever wanted to get closer to God through prayer, scripture study and journaling, then this book is for you. Journaling with Jesus is beautifully penned from the first word to the last, and gives adult readers an opportunity to see the power of prayer while they are developing a more intimate communication with God.

Round shares personal experiences that she has had with God through her journaling of the past 10 years. She also shares the experiences others have had with prayer journaling. She opens the way for readers of all faiths to experience prayer journaling for themselves.

Consider these insights:

"(Prayer journaling) is a relationship with God. I talk, He listens. He talks, I listen."

"...we write to grow, not to stay the same."

"I wasn't aware of God's plan to use my gifts and talents for His glory. Through my daily habit of journaling, He has made me appreciate the importance of letting Him shape and mold me into the woman He created me to be."

Journaling with Jesus is for anyone desiring to improve his/her relationship with God. Although this reader could see the direction of the book for women, primarily, the truths spoken of in Round's book will assist anyone with the desire for a deeper connection with God.

Discover the interest God has in you as His child. Feel the presence of God.

Carol Round's book can be purchased at Amazon.

 

Feeling a Bit....Under the Weather?

It isn't easy to stay motivated, especially when you have to do your life.

Photo by: camerakarrie, courtesy of Flickr

You know. Clean the house. Take care of sick kids. Work a full or part-time job. Go grocery shopping. Deal with all the unexpected variables that life has to offer. Health issues. Choice issues. Last minute issues.

But I'm here to tell you that staying in tune with writing can't do anything but help you. Yes, even when the clouds are the darkest and it appears that rain is going to continue through the weekend. Yes, even then.

I find that my journal comes in handy during the dark times and I'm glad for the free therapy as well as the opportunity to write and improve my skills. 

• Will a new character spring forth from a morning write?
• Will I discover something new about myself that will help me in the future?
• Will my writing merely be a 'crying jag'?

Photo by: epSos.de. courtesy of Flickr

No matter.

I'm feeling a bit under the weather this morning. But already, the clouds are parting.

Writing by Hand

In this day of ever-changing technology, it's easy to get caught up on the computer and all that this instrument has to offer. I'm on it right now, writing this to you, and you're right there a moment or an hour or a day later, reading what I've written.

Photo by RoboGenius, courtesy of Flickr

But today, after reading this blog, I'd like you to stop and take a few moments to reflect on what writing really means to you. And then I want you to get a pen and a piece of paper (or your journal) and write down your thoughts. You may want to answer these questions.

1, Why are you a writer?
2. Why do you think you chose the particular genre you did?
3. Have you been published? If so, what was it and what brought you the most happiness? Was it the writing itself? Was it the publishing? A combination of both? If you've never been published, how long have you been writing? Set a date now to have your first piece of writing published. Decide what it will be and place it on your calendar. 

You may even want to put together a vision board. Vision boards have your goals on them as well as pictures to compliment your goals and dates of completion. There's something about putting your goals on paper and hanging them where you see them the most often, that brings a goal to fruition. Once the goal is achieved, take off the picture, the words you've created and put them in your journal to remind yourself of
what was accomplished.
  

Photo by Dawn, courtesy of Flickr

We, as writers, need to stick together, and that means that sometimes we need to step off the fast track of the Internet, and take a slower pace by writing everything down by hand.

Can't you just smell that new fine tipped marker?

Memories Keep You Writing

How I LOVE making memories! Memories keep you writing and excited for the next event, the next opportunity to share what you write!

I had a lot of fun at Lakeview Hospital, but it's not the end of my book signings, nor is it the end of fun! If you keep a journal like I do you may also find that you're pulling ideas and mixing them up a bit. Just because something starts out as nonfiction material (in your journal) doesn't mean you can't turn it into (fiction) and it doesn't mean that this is the only way to keep your writing going.

Signing Event at Lakeview Hospital

Sunday I went through some of my old scrapbooks and discovered a terrifying secret! I hadn't pasted a picture since 2006. If you know me, you also know that a lot of things have happened since 2006, and those things are memories for me to use today in my current works.

Speaking of current works, since finishing "Scrambled," and getting it out in September, I have begun the sequel to the first cozy, "Sunny Side-Up." As I was writing and reflecting about my life and how (in some instances my story becomes fiction in this book) I was given the book title for the third book and a bit of the plot line. Want a little hint?

I'll give you a one. The title is, "Hard Boiled." Boy, do I have some memories with that!  

Here's to your writing success!

 

Kathryn

Writing as Therapy

I love writing, but (smile) I have also needed therapy in my life. I'm not sure if there are any other writers out there who have had to visit a shrink, but I'd like to think that I'm not alone.

What I've learned from a few great (and not so great) therapists is that they may not have the answers either. They may give you direction, suggestions, they may even tell you what's not working in your life and what you can do to change your situation, but they can't do it for you.

Photo by Tony Hall, courtesy of Flickr

Therapists are expensive, too, When I went, therapy ran between $25 and $50 an hour; I'm sure, some 20 years later, it's spiked a bit higher. Though it cost me, for the most part, I gained from the experience. I learned more about myself and more about relating better to certain individuals in my life.

It was soon after the therapy experience that I learned the power of writing my feelings down. I realized that writing was just as powerful as speaking, and I would often find myself solving my own problems with a bit of reflection and an open heart to God.

Perhaps that's why I continue to keep a journal today. Even when it hurts, and especially when it hurts, I can get my feelings down on paper. Words written down never go away unless there's a flood or some other natural disaster; the words are there the next time I am struggling and I am reminded that this is what life is all about. Yes, it's about struggling, but it's also about overcoming and becoming better. And I read those too.

Some days writing is the only thing that keeps me going. And on other days, I am filled with knowledge and direction almost too powerful to write about.

But I do.

DECEMBER 8
The Joseph Smith Translation
When you go to a grocery store, do you comparison shop? Are you checking price tags at Shopko? Are you trying to get the best deal on Christmas gifts?

If you’re anything like me, you are. Getting the best deal is important to you. Besides, it feels good to save a little money.

For a moment I’d like to compare using the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible to your desires to save money at the checkout counter. And before you leave me for my strange comparison, let me share with you my reasoning.

Have you ever read something in the Bible that confused your thinking or made you wonder, why isn’t there more? Have you considered the fullness of peace that comes from modern day revelation?

As we know, there is a slew of latter-day truth within the Doctrine and Covenants and at the bottom of each page in all of the LDS standard works, but there is also some mighty fine gems beginning on page 797 of the Bible. When was the last time you did a reading of just this section, comparing the scriptures of Joseph Smith’s Translation to those in the Bible?

Here is one of my favorites:

“And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth” (Genesis 9:16-17).

“And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself. And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy; And the general assembly of the church of the first-born shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with they father Enoch. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will establish my covenant unto thee, which I have made between me and thee, for every living creature of all flesh that shall be upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and thee; for all flesh that shall be upon the earth” (JST Genesis 9: 21-25).

What an amazing difference! What new insights do you gather from this latter-day scripture? Record these thoughts in your journal.

DECEMBER 7
The Bible Dictionary

The Bible dictionary (in the LDS King James version of the Bible) is full of truth for your study. Turn to the subject heading, “Prayer.” Skim down to the bottom paragraph on page 752 that begins, “As soon as we learn the true relationship…” end your reading at “the highest of blessings.”

Reflect on what you’ve just read about prayer. What are your thoughts? What have you learned? What do you think about prayer being “a form of work?” What do you think the “highest of blessings” means? Review the scriptures located in this section on prayer.

Some other ideas:

Anoint/Anointed one
Ark of the Covenant
Atonement
Blood
Charity
Covenant

There are many wonderful words to study in the Bible dictionary. Look up the word, Communion if you haven’t done so already in your previous studies. When I studied this word I learned that communion in my life “is a two-way conversation with God. To commune, means to talk with someone else.”

"And there I will meet thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat…” (Exodus 25:22) “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still” (Psalms 4:4). “And it came to pass that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them” (Luke 24:15).