And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer; let it be.
For though they may be parted,
there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer; let it be

Let It Be - The Beatles

In January, I joined a D-Group Bible study. If you are curious about what a D-Group is all about, you can read about that in this post. Reading the Bible didn’t seem like that big of a deal, but journaling was new to me. I decided that more people might enjoy reading the Bible if they knew this method of journaling, so I decided to share it with you all.

I was apprehensive about it when I joined D-Group, especially regarding our first meeting. I didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous that I’d sit in a room with four other men who were way more skilled and well-versed in scripture than I was. The thing that I remember most is how quickly that feeling subsided. Yes, some of my brothers in D-Group are more experienced in studying scripture, but that was what made it all work, in my opinion. One thing became clear from the start: we were each picked and placed in this group for a reason. That reason wasn’t because Chris decided on us. It was because we each felt the calling and had the desire to know God in a more profound way than we ever have before. This is our first D-Group experience, but some have spent more time reading the Bible than others. What I love is that none of that matters to any of us.

Day One / Week One

On our first meeting, we were given a booklet that told us what D-Group was, what we were called to do, and a guideline for the rest of the year. Reading scripture daily when you don’t read scripture at all is a pretty huge life change. There are still some days when life gets in my way, but I can tell you that once you do it consistently and consistently spend time asking God to speak to you, He will do so. I never understood what that meant until now. On those days when life gets in the way, and I don’t have my quiet time to study and be with God, I do not feel as whole or as happy as I do when I make that time. I wouldn’t say I like writing that. We shouldn’t need to make time for God. God is not something or someone that we pencil in on our calendars. It only took me a few weeks to realize that God desires the closest relationship with us, just like human relationships. How can we expect to have a relationship with anyone or anything if we don’t spend time communicating? I want my quiet time to feel as natural and routine as breathing. I like these quiet bible study and prayer times to become so necessary that my day won’t be complete without them. This is what I am finding to be my truth. It can be yours too.

Weekly Journaling - The H.E.A.R. method

The H.E.A.R. journal entry method was adapted from Replicate Ministries. It promotes reading the Bible with a purpose that can be life-transforming. It’s not about checking off the boxes on your daily reading schedule. The bigger goal is not just to read but also to apply and respond to God’s word.

Before joining the D-Group, my girlfriend Ashlie got me a fantastic bible to use as a study guide. Sometimes, I find myself copying directly from that when it comes to doing the E-Explain portion of journaling, but I’ve been assured that I’m not the only one who does that and that it’s completely okay.

If you’re interested in that Bible, check it out here.

H - HIGHLIGHT
E - EXPLAIN
A - APPLY
R - RESPOND

That’s what the acronym H.E.A.R. stands for. Each of the four steps has helped me read and HEAR the words. Without even realizing it, this method has created a much deeper connection to God than ever before. I used to roll my eyes when people said God spoke to them. I never really knew what that meant until now. If you pray consistently and ask God to speak to you, He will. It took me a long time to wrap my head around it, and it can also seem frustrating sometimes. Sometimes, accepting that God does not always work according to our schedule is hard but necessary. In my opinion, this is one of the things that having faith is all about.

The idea of the HEAR journal method is to set a reading plan. In D-Group, this is a five-day-a-week study that lasts 52 weeks. My goal for this blog is not for anyone reading this to feel like they have to do the same things that I am doing in D-Group but to hopefully use this journaling format to create a closer relationship with God. The motivation behind each word I type is that this will inspire you to read the words and HEAR them.

Usually, the study plan for a day is to read no more than two or three chapters. For example, on day one of my D-Group, I read Luke 15 - The Prodigal Son.

The idea is to begin with prayer. I pray out loud. It’s pretty awesome; you should try it! It keeps my mind from drifting as it sometimes does when I pray silently.

In my journal, I write at the top the name of the book of the Bible that I’m reading, the passage of scripture, the day, and the week number it is. Sometimes, I write a title to help me remember what I read about.

Then, I read the whole passage and the explanation at the bottom of each page of my Life Application Bible. This has undoubtedly helped me to understand what I’m reading better. Sometimes, if I’m confused, I will back up and read a chapter or two before the daily scripture and maybe a few verses or chapters after it.

Then, I mark the H, the Highlight portion of what I read. That’s the one that stood out to me. I’ll be honest: sometimes, I read the scriptures, and there isn’t one good Highlight. When that happens, I will typically highlight one that I feel best defines that passage.

So when I write an H on the page, my Highlight is taken directly from the Bible, and afterward, I write what chapter and verse it is.

Then comes the part I feel is the hardest part of this journaling method.

The E is the Explain part. This is where the Life Application Bible has come in handy for me. I also resort to Google from time to time. I won’t lie; one of the bonuses of being in my D-Group is that we get to bounce this stuff off of one another, and it certainly helps to have our pastor as our leader, although he isn’t shy about letting us know when he doesn’t have all the answers either. I think that’s the point, though. We aren’t supposed to have all the answers. Only God could have all the answers.

A is the Apply portion of journaling that comes after the E part. On my journal page, I will skip a line or two on the page and write an A. This has been the life-changing part of journaling for me. Some would say it’s the ‘R,’ which is Respond, but for me, it’s the Apply part. The ‘A’ has been described as the heart of the process. It’s where we focus on putting God’s word into action.

The Apply is the personal side of it and is the culmination of all we have done so far.

These are some of the questions that I ask in the Apply portion:

How can this help me?

• What does this mean today?

• What does the application of this verse look like in my life?

• What is God saying to me?

Lastly is the R, the Respond part, and the last part of a daily HEAR journal entry.

The R is the most creative journaling part because it can take many forms. It can be a call to action of some sort. Mine are ultimately written to reflect how I want God to help me take the Apply portion and genuinely let it change how I go about my daily life. So, my responses have become more like written prayers.

Here is what my week one / day one journal entry looked like:

This has also been an excellent experience because my girlfriend is in a women’s D-Group one week behind my group, so it’s excellent for us to share our journals.

I do not think anyone reading this will go out and create a D-Group. That’s not my goal or motivation behind writing this. I hope to show you a new and solid way to have a closer and more meaningful relationship with God through prayer and journaling.

There is no better feeling than going through the day being bold in my faith and knowing God has my back. That is what it means to FACE THE LIONS, after all.

Good luck, and happy journaling!