A Celebration of Journaling- The Beginning of "The Secret Garden Chronicles" Revisited

I used to belong to a wonderful blogging group known as "Random Journal Day", hosted by a very enthusiastic friend, A.K.A. "Enthusiastically Dawn".  Click on this link to Dawn's present day journaling exercise...https://enthusiasticallydawn.com/2018/03/24/an-invitation-to-celebrate-journaling/  and you will realize that she has orchestrated a reunion of sorts for all of us former "Random Journal Day" members, as  well as any newcomers who would like to join in the celebration. 

The idea is to randomly share something from one of your own personal journals...from the past or present time.  We did this for a few years until we kind of all either ran out of material or started pursuing other interests...but it was such a fun time and we were such a lovely group that we knew we had to get back together somehow. 

In the meantime, some of our original group members have even published their own books...Susie Klein formerly known as "Recovering Church Lady", and now of "Walking Butterfly" fame. (click HERE for more details)   Cecelia Lester, A.K.A. "Following My King", and the author of "Times of Trouble Brings Rays of Joy".  And our fearless leader, Dawn Paoletta, of "Enthusiastically Dawn", and the author of "Journaling for Discovery and Delight".  I know there are others, but these are the three that I am most familiar with, and I have purchased each one of these books...and enthusiastically recommend them all!!

So now, for our reunion, I would like to share my most recent "journaling" adventure, which started last year with the creation of my own personal secret garden.  Click Here for more about that story  One thing led to the other as I sat there in my little sanctuary, and finally, God directed me to go get a new "journal" and start writing as I sat there.  The following post is that story. 

I would like to say that I kept up this practice faithfully ever since...well, I did pretty well the first six months or so, and then things got busy....it got hot in the garden...my son got married in the fall, and then it was Christmas, and then it was too cold in the garden...and so on and so on.  I am now trying to get back in the routine, and perhaps Dawn's enthusiastic reminder to celebrate journaling will help me get back on track.  I would like this to become the foundation for my future book someday, so that one day I can be added to that "Hall of Fame" of published authors...but all in God's good timing.

Meanwhile, why don't you join me in a visit to "The Secret Garden":

Original Journal Post: January 24, 2017  

"The Secret Garden Chronicles"

This morning I entered The Secret Garden, to sit and ponder what messages the Lord would send to me through His Word and His lovely creation.


The first thoughts that came to me were:

"How lovely is Your tabernacle,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes even faints for the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh cry out 

for the Living God."

Psalm 84:1-2

As I looked above me I could see new growth of leaves on the Wild Black Cherry Tree that will help shade the Secret Garden throughout the summer months and also provide natural food for the birds.  This brought a smile to my face and joy in my heart for the many ways the Lord provides for His children and creation.

And then I began to sing the chorus (written by Matt Redman) that actually comes directly from Psalm 84:

"Better Is One Day" (Click HERE to sing along)

How lovely is Your dwelling place
O Lord Almighty for my soul longs
And even faints for you

For here my heart is satisfied
Within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere

One thing I ask and I would seek

To see Your beauty
To find you in the place Your glory dwells

My heart and flesh cry out
For you, the living God
Your spirit's water to my soul
I've tasted and I've seen

Come once again to me
I will draw near to you
I will draw near to you

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere

As I was reading these verses and singing this song, my eyes were lifted to the treetops surrounding me, and it truly felt like I was sitting in a lovely tabernacle, with the perfectly blue sky as the ceiling, and the treetops were pointing up like a church spire, lifting their hands in praise toward God Almighty.

And then I know I heard God say to me to start writing these thoughts down as I sit here in the garden...this is what He spoke to my heart:

"Don't wait and try to remember the words I speak to you 

when you get back inside the house to your computer...

but GO, get a new journal and begin to write

the messages as I tell them to you.

I want you to write a journal from

The Secret Garden...

My Own Messages to you from My Heart."

A little later my hubby and I took a ride to the nearest store where I could find a new journal book and begin writing...so here it is...

This may be the beginning of some very special communications between God and me...and I look forward to  sharing what He wants to teach me here in this place that has been set apart for prayer, worship and meditation on God's Word.  

Thus begins 

"The Secret Garden Chronicles"

Then I was directed to Psalm 86:10-12

"For You are great,

and do wondrous things;

You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

Unite my heart to fear Your Name.

I will praise You,

O Lord my God,

with all my heart.

And I will glorify Your Name forevermore."

Yes, Lord, This is my prayer as I begin this new adventure in The Secret Garden with You!

Make Your Presence known to me Lord...here in the "Secret Place of (Your) Tabernacle."

(Psalm 27:5)

"One thing I have desired of the Lord,

that will I seek;

That I may dwell in the 

house of the Lord

all the days of my life

To behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavillion;

In the SECRET PLACE of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be 

lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer 

sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes I will sing 

praises to the Lord."

Psalm 27:4-6

Thank You, Lord, for speaking to Me today.  I am ready to do Your will!  Amen.

Back to the present:

I hope you enjoyed this visit to The Secret Garden today.  I hope to see you again soon!!

Be blessed, my friends...and be sure to write it all down when it happens...or even when it doesn't happen...write it down! It's all good!

"The Secret Garden Chronicles"

This morning I entered The Secret Garden, to sit and ponder what messages the Lord would send to me through His Word and His lovely creation.


The first thoughts that came to me were:

"How lovely is Your tabernacle,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes even faints for the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh cry out 

for the Living God."

Psalm 84:1-2

As I looked above me I could see new growth of leaves on the Wild Black Cherry Tree that will help shade the Secret Garden throughout the summer months and also provide natural food for the birds.  This brought a smile to my face and joy in my heart for the many ways the Lord provides for His children and creation.

And then I began to sing the chorus (written by Matt Redman) that actually comes directly from Psalm 84:

"Better Is One Day" (Click HERE to sing along)

How lovely is Your dwelling place
O Lord Almighty for my soul longs
And even faints for you

For here my heart is satisfied
Within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere

One thing I ask and I would seek

To see Your beauty
To find you in the place Your glory dwells

My heart and flesh cry out
For you, the living God
Your spirit's water to my soul
I've tasted and I've seen

Come once again to me
I will draw near to you
I will draw near to you

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere

As I was reading these verses and singing this song, my eyes were lifted to the treetops surrounding me, and it truly felt like I was sitting in a lovely tabernacle, with the perfectly blue sky as the ceiling, and the treetops were pointing up like a church spire, lifting their hands in praise toward God Almighty.

And then I know I heard God say to me to start writing these thoughts down as I sit here in the garden...this is what He spoke to my heart:

"Don't wait and try to remember the words I speak to you 

when you get back inside the house to your computer...

but GO, get a new journal and begin to write

the messages as I tell them to you.

I want you to write a journal from

The Secret Garden...

My Own Messages to you from My Heart."

A little later my hubby and I took a ride to the nearest store where I could find a new journal book and begin writing...so here it is...

This may be the beginning of some very special communications between God and me...and I look forward to  sharing what He wants to teach me here in this place that has been set apart for prayer, worship and meditation on God's Word.  

Thus begins 

"The Secret Garden Chronicles"

Then I was directed to Psalm 86:10-12

"For You are great,

and do wondrous things;

You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

Unite my heart to fear Your Name.

I will praise You,

O Lord my God,

with all my heart.

And I will glorify Your Name forevermore."

Yes, Lord, This is my prayer as I begin this new adventure in The Secret Garden with You!

Make Your Presence known to me Lord...here in the "Secret Place of (Your) Tabernacle."

(Psalm 27:5)

"One thing I have desired of the Lord,

that will I seek;

That I may dwell in the 

house of the Lord

all the days of my life

To behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavillion;

In the SECRET PLACE of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be 

lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer 

sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes I will sing 

praises to the Lord."

Psalm 27:4-6

Thank You, Lord, for speaking to Me today.  I am ready to do Your will!  Amen.

Moments of GRACE - One Word for 2016

Okay, drum roll......I have been deliberating what my "One Word" for 2016 should be.  A couple of months ago, while listening to the radio on my way to work, I heard a song that seemed to "speak" to me...along with other thoughts and insights hitting me at the same time...and the word GRACE just seemed to leap out at me, so much so that I grabbed something from my purse to write on, found a pen, and as I was driving down the road (I know, dangerous), I wrote this note to myself:

Not the part about the "coupons due to expire soon", but the note scribbled on the end..."One word 2016 GRACE and  "Your Grace Finds Me"  was the song.  Click HERE for "Your Grace Finds Me" by Matt Redman.  The song was a part of the interview that the radio (JoyFm) station was having with Louie Giglio about his new book entitled "The Comeback".  I haven't read the book yet, but it is on my list of books to read for 2016.

Anyway, back to the "One Word" event...that day I determined that my One Word for 2016 would be "GRACE".  I even wrote another note and put it in my Bible so I wouldn't forget...along with some other notes from the book of Esther 4:14, which really didn't have anything to do with grace, but it definitely had something to do with what I was going through at that moment in time, and it was definitely a test of "grace".  

But here we are in the first week of January, 2016, and I still was not exactly sure that this was supposed to be my "One Word" for 2016.  I kept trying to come up with something better. Why? I don't know. Not sure why I am trying to avoid the word "Grace".  But I have been. So tonight I thought to myself, "Okay Pam, you need to nail this down. It is time to quit playing around with this and get down to business.  The year will be half over before you discover your One Word if you don't pay attention to what God has been trying to tell you all along."

So I thought I would do the old open up the Bible and find some kind of answer trick. You know the one, where you open the Bible and point to any verse that happens to appear and proclaim that to be God's message to you today? Who hasn't ever done that?  I admit, I have.  Well, anyway, I actually opened up one of my little devotional books that I like to read, and this bookmark fell out on my lap:

Well, would you look at that???? What does that verse say at the bottom?

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."  Romans 16:20

and THEN it says "Moments of GRACE"

Still not totally convinced, (yeah, I know, dense, stubborn, not full of GRACE), I turned the little bookmark over to the back and what does it say?

Need I say more? God got His message through to me.  My ONE WORD for 2016 is

GRACE

and I expect that He will be demonstrating many moments of GRACE to me throughout the year.  As I become aware of this "great Grace, such grace", I hope to share these special moments with you. I have a feeling I have some things to learn.  We'll start with this verse:

"But He gives more grace.  Therefore He says:

God resists the proud,

but gives GRACE to the humble."

James 4:6

Yes, I expect I have a LOT to learn.  Humility is not one of my better traits.  

So, are you ready to join me?  Let's start watching for those special "Moments of Grace"...and 

"May these fill your cup of blessing as you reflect on the love of Christ Jesus for you today and always!"  (bookmark from CTA, Inc.)

Who is Your Pilot? Updated April 18, 2013

New Update:  April 18, 2013, Two years after original writing:  Thinking today about the different tragedies that have taken place in our  nation just this week...The Bombing in Boston on the day of the Boston Marathon, which killed 3 people and severely injured so many more...and then just last night a major explosion in a fertilizer factory in West, Texas, which again, killed several and injured many more and destroyed a large portion of that town...Those families may not feel like God is holding on to them today, but He is...in the midst of the chaos and turmoil, pain and sorrow...He is there...holding on and extending His arms of love to these communities through the outpouring of love and help from so many from around the nation. May these hurting souls feel His presence in the midst of the tragedy...may we be His hands and feet to those who are hurting in whatever way God leads.

UPDATE: Additional Note:    "Oh No! You Never Let Go!"   Click on this link for a song of encouragement by Matt Redman.  I think this is an appropriate message for this post.  God bless you, dear friends...Hold on tight!  God will never let go of you!!!  Pam

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

I have a little daily devotional calendar shaped like a teapot...(I like teapots)...and the reading for yesterday morning was most appropriate for those going through difficulties...like cleaning up after Hurricane Irene swept through and left many stranded and flooded and wounded...or those who may be mopping up after other kinds of family disasters and turmoil...sudden illness, bad news, marital difficulties, financial woes, loss of employment, loss of loved one or friends, or any other sorrow that comes upon all humanity sooner or later. The reading for the day went like this,

"It is not how troubled the sea is that determines the course of your life; it is who the Pilot is."

"The Lord will either calm your storm or allow it to rage while He calms you."

 I don't know who wrote those little statements above...no credit is given.   But I thought they were worth sharing with you.  Perhaps you needed to be reminded of Who is piloting your ship right now in the sea of life...hopefully it is the Lord.  I know I needed that reminder. 

"Christ Our Pilot", by Warner Sallman

Thank you, Lord, for being the Pilot of my ship.  Please don't ever let me attempt to take back the wheel...I need YOU to stay in control.  Amen.