A few months ago, I attended a seminar where the speaker talked about the benefits of “journaling.” This was not the first time I’ve heard someone talk about the benefits of journaling for our Christian walk, but for some reason, the idea really stuck this time. Even though I had never journaled in my life, I decided to give it a try. The very next day after I attended the seminar, I found a blank notebook and started journaling. After 3 and a half months, I am glad I did. I really believe that I have grown in my walk with the Lord during that time, and that journaling has been one of the catalysts in that growth. Every morning, I get out of bed at 6AM and make my way downstairs where I put on some coffee and then grab my Bible and my journal. For the next hour or so, I am simply in fellowship with the Lord where I read Scripture, journal, pray, and listen to what God wants to say to me. I have really come to enjoy this time of intimate fellowship with Jesus. After meditating on the Word for a time, I grab a pen and start journaling. Essentially, when I am journaling, I am writing a love letter to God. I generally follow the acrostic ACTS – Adoration (praising God), Confession (confessing my sin), Thanksgiving (thanking God for everything) Supplication (lifting up the needs in my life). After I have finished journaling, I usually take a few minutes to simply wait on the Lord – to listen to Him and enjoy His presence. All this usually takes close to an hour. I want to encourage you that if you don’t have a time set aside for fellowship with the Lord, to make time. It is so important to have that daily fellowship with the Lord. If you feel so inclined during that time, try journaling. I don’t know how many times I have looked back in my journal at a prayer request from weeks earlier, and seen how God answered that prayer. Sometimes we Christians have short memories and journaling is definitely a memory aid. But even if you don’t journal, you need to have that time with the Lord. And I am not just talking about the 11:00 Sunday morning hour in church – I am talking about daily personal devotions. This is simply Discipleship 101. I know that most of us have a busy schedule (especially this time of year) and that it’s tough to carve out time during the day for this, but we all know that life is about making priorities. We make time for the things that are important to us. Let me ask you: is Jesus important to you? As I close off, I want to once again wish you a very Merry Christmas.