Category Archives: Note Taking

Get Back to the Basics

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Get Back to the Basics

As we are a couple of weeks into the new year, several people are making new commitments, forming new habits, and strengthening spiritual disciplines. Sometimes, I find it helpful to revisit the basics and/or review or remind myself of some things that can be helpful.

Below are some links to revisit some of the basics via some of our previous posts. (You can also find these posts via the “New to the Faith? / The Basics” page on the blog’s menu.)

  • Look over the list of posts and see if any stand out to you, fit with some of your goals for this year, or may help you strengthen some spiritual disciplines.
  • Even, if you’ve read the post(s) before, it’s often helpful to get a refresher, and many times the Holy Spirit might point out something that wasn’t necessarily prominent or as meaningful the first time around. I find this to be true when I re-listen to sermons or podcasts as well.
  • You might also consider sharing a post or two with someone that comes to mind as you read through the links. You never know what might be helpful for others as they strengthen their own spiritual disciplines. Sometimes we all could use a boost in the basics.
    As people make new commitments & strengthen spiritual disciplines, it’s helpful to revisit the basics & review things that can help.

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Learn and Grow in the Christian Faith

A Christian’s purpose and mission in life is to continue to become and live like Jesus. It is possible! In fact, we are told to do so in several places in scripture. Jesus even says numerous times, “Follow Me…” It is said that there are recurring 4 phases of a journey that every Christian goes through: Know God (learning), Grow in Freedom (fixing broken stuff in our lives), Discover Purpose (discovering and using your God-given gifts and talents and life experiences), and Go Make Disciples, Go Make a Difference (helping others grow and making a difference in the world).

Can I Really Live Like Jesus?

Resources and Tools

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The Importance of Writing Things Down

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The Importance of Writing Things Down ...Learn some of the benefits and advantages of taking notes during quiet times and sermons.

The Importance of Writing Things Down

We previously talked about reading the Bible on a regular basis (with tips here and how to stop spiritual cramming here).  In this post, I’d like to take that a step further and share about the importance of writing things down.  It’s a good idea to keep a journal or notebook for taking notes during our quiet times and even during church.  For a lot of people, they know writing things down is helpful and that it’s probably a good idea (much like reading the Bible on a regular basis), but they still neglect to do it merely for the hassle or inconvenience of it.  I’d like to discuss why the benefits of writing things down might outweigh the disadvantages of it.

Writing things down helps the information sink in…

Writing things down takes listening and reading a step further.  The simple act of writing forces us to think about what it is that we are hearing or reading and then reiterating that or abbreviating that onto paper.  When we take notes it helps us to recall the information later.  How many times have you written a list only to find out that you didn’t even have to refer to it?  But try not writing that same list, and chances are that you will forget many of the items.  It’s almost a catch-22.  The process of writing things down will help you to remember what it is that you’ve written.  Skip the notes and potentially forget—with an added disadvantage of having nothing to refer back to if you’ve forgotten.  Which brings me to the next benefit…

Writing things down gives you something to reference…

Overall, the purpose of taking notes is to key in on the important information that we need to remember and to use as a future reference.  We need to write things down to remember—even for those with a good memory.  Look at what the following scriptures say about writing things down and remembering…

“…the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder…” Exodus 17:14 (NLT)

“This says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.” Jeremiah 30:2 (AMP)

“Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced” Psalm 105:5 (NIV)

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” Psalm 103:2 (ESV)

If we are being told to “remember” and “forget not”, then apparently it is possible to forget.  Writing things down will serve as a reference for those things that we may have forgotten.

I’ve also heard it said that writing things down can also give the Holy Spirit something to work with—a reference of sorts.  In John 14:26 it says that the Holy Spirit will “remind” us.  Taking notes will act as a reference to which the Holy Spirit may even trigger us to go back and look.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26 (NLT)

My own personal references

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Taking Notes Effectively

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Taking Notes Effectively

Taking Notes Effectively

Today’s post is more practical in application. This past week I was just visiting with a friend who homeschools her children about some resources for note taking. I thought it might be beneficial to share some resources here as well. After all, good note taking skills aren’t just important for students in school. It’s useful in our jobs during training, meetings, conferences, and in continuing education. It’s also useful in church or for taking notes during a podcast or video message.

Some of this might be very basic or seem redundant if you already have a habit of taking notes. Nevertheless, you never know when you might be able to tweak or improve your note taking style or even get a few new ideas! If you’re NOT a note taker, revisit this post about the importance of writing things down. Basically, when you take notes, you remember the material better, plus you have something to refer back to later on.

The process of taking notes

The process of taking notes involves three phases: before, during, and after. Before taking notes you must learn effective preparation and observation methods. During the process of taking or recording your notes (i.e. actually writing something down) there are several helpful methods to make the process more effective. Lastly, after taking notes, it’s very important to review them in order to transfer the information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory and to retain the information better.

Becoming a good note-taker is a process in itself. You have to find the method or combination of methods that work best for you, and it sometimes takes practice and some trial and error. Every individual is different, so what works for you may not work for a different person. Different learning styles also come into play when deciding the most effective way of taking notes.

Make it plain

When considering taking notes, I think it’s important to note what the Lord told Habakkuk when he was making complaints and requests to the Lord:

“And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV)

The Lord told Habakkuk to write down plainly the important things to be revealed (i.e. the vision and answers to his questions and complaints). He says to do this in order that “he may run who reads it”. Other versions say things like–so that the correct message can be carried to others, so it can be easily read, or so that one can read it quickly. Makes sense, right? The whole point of taking notes is to help you retain the information and have a reference to go back to and read over or study.

Our goal today will be to learn some effective and proven methods of taking notes in order to write down the correct and important information in order to retain it, record the notes in an easy and “plain” way and to make them useful for future use and review.

Order and organization—characteristics of God

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Keeping a Written Account Can Help You and Others

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Keeping a Written Account Can Help You and Others

Keeping a Written Account Can Help You and Others

I’ve written before about the importance of writing things down, specifically when it comes to taking notes during church or journaling during your quiet times. There are so many benefits both to us and to others when we have a written account of something that we have learned or heard. We merely have to look at the bible to see a prime example of that.

This is something I teach both in my college classes and at Glory House, the women’s restoration home where I volunteer. The importance of having a written account of your learning and of your walk with God are fundamental lessons in my classes.

Today, I’d like to look at three examples from accounts of David, Mary (Jesus’ mother), and John to help us further learn how a written account can help us.

A written account from David

David was the primary author of the majority of the Psalms. The Psalms contain a combination of cries to God in times of despair, praise to God in times of celebration and confessions to God of sin along with pleadings for forgiveness. There are a vast range of emotions recorded throughout the book of Psalms.

What was the importance of David (and other authors of the Psalms) recording such a vast range of emotions along with cries, praise and pleadings to God? I, personally, have benefitted from David’s writings because they help me to feel “not-so-crazy”. After all, David was called “a man after God’s heart”. If he was such a rollercoaster of emotions, then maybe I’m not so bad either with all of my own ups and downs! 🙂 I’ve learned from David’s writings that I can be real and vulnerable with God.

After having written down the events and the corresponding emotions and prayers that went with them, I also think David was able to look back over them and see how far he’d come and how much he had grown. I do this too when I look back at my own journals.

What might have been some of the other benefits of being able to look back on what he had written? How have others been able to benefit from his notes and writings? In what ways can we follow David’s example of writing things down? What benefits do you think we (and possibly even others) gain from taking notes and writing things down like David did? 

I’ve learned from David’s writings that I can be real and vulnerable with God.

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A written account from Mary, the mother of Jesus

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Multiple Intelligences—A Different Kind of Learning Preference

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Multiple Intelligences—A Different Kind of Learning Preference

A couple of weeks ago we discussed learning styles—more specifically those styles of Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. I showed you how even Jesus taught in all three of those learning styles. This week I thought I would introduce you to a different type of learning style or learning preference that we discuss in my classes. It’s called the theory of Multiple Intelligences.

The theory of multiple intelligences was an idea derived in 1983 by a Harvard Professor of Psychology named Howard Gardner[1]. Based on his research he believes that different people have different ways of processing information and different intellectual strengths. Gardner says these strengths are important in knowing how we best learn.

In other words, in discovering what our own individual strengths are (our own multiple intelligences), we can leverage these to enhance our own learning and understanding to be more successful–be it in school, at work, or even spiritual growth. We’ll discuss some strategies we can use to leverage our strengths in order to be more successful. 

We can leverage our strengths to enhance our learning and understanding to be more successful.

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See if you can see yourself in any of these descriptions…

Gardner’s Eight Multiple Intelligences:

  • Verbal/Linguistic—includes the ability to analyze, use, and manipulate language and words (written or spoken); strengths include reading, writing, telling stories and memorization
  • Musical/Rhythmic—includes the ability to use and make meaning out of sounds, rhythms, repetition, and tones; strengths include creating rhymes/rhythms/melodies/songs, singing, and/or playing an instrument
  • Logical/Mathematical—includes the ability to reason scientifically, understand and analyze patterns/equations/calculations, and make connections between complex and/or abstract items; strengths include problem-solving, critical thinking, logic, and reasoning
  • Visual/Spatial—includes the ability to see relationships between objects and to visual things in the mind; strengths include understanding maps/graphs/charts, making use of images, and creative processes such as designing, crafting, building, etc.
  • Bodily/Kinesthetic—includes the ability to connect the mind and body and learning through bodily activity and motion; strengths include good motor skills and controlling movement, using the body to create products, and/or excel in activities requiring physical activity such as medical careers, athletics, performance (dancing, acting, playing music, etc.), military, construction, etc.
  • Intrapersonal—includes the ability to be introspective and self-aware including evaluation of one’s own strengths/weaknesses; strengths include self-assessment and knowing oneself (own abilities and limits), predicting one’s own reactions and emotions, and ability to know and set boundaries for oneself
  • Interpersonal—includes the ability to utilize empathy and see things from other’s perspectives, discernment and proficiency in reading the people around oneself, and skill in social interaction; strengths include communication with others (both verbal and nonverbal), creating and managing relationships, negotiation, and cooperating within group settings
  • Naturalistic—includes the ability to connect with nature, relate information to the natural surroundings, and to recognize and classify things in nature; strengths include understanding patterns in living things (recognize distinct types of plants/animals/geography), feeling nurtured/invigorated in natural surroundings, and excelling in areas such as biological and environmental sciences, gardening/farming, hunting, culinary arts, etc.

A video interview with Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences

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What Are Your Preferred Learning Styles?

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What Are Your Preferred Learning Styles?

I love taking self-assessments. I’ve always found them fun and interesting. Many of my students over the years have seemed to enjoy them as well. Most people love to learn new things about themselves or confirm things they might already know. I think learning more about ourselves and getting some strategies to put into practice can help us to accomplish the tasks that God sets before us and help us to be successful in the things that God has called us to do and be. Since we discussed success a little last week, I thought it might be fun to share a learning styles self-assessment as a tool to add to our toolbox for success!

In the classes I teach, both a success skills class at a local college and a life skills class at a women’s restoration home, we spend some time learning about learning styles and preferences. Knowing how we learn can affect both our success in school and in our careers.  We can utilize these learning styles to our advantage to help throughout our lives.

Self-awareness and understanding that others sometimes learn, think and behave differently than we do can also help us manage relationships with others better (both personally AND professionally). Through self-assessments we can analyze and modify learning techniques and behavior patterns to get more out of learning, whether it’s at school, work or even learning and growing spiritually. 

Learn more about yourself to succeed in what God has called you to do and be.

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VAK Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, & Kinesthetic

The first learning styles assessment we discuss in my class is the VAK system, which is an acronym that stands for Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. This set of learning styles focuses on learning through our senses:

Visual: Learning by seeing

Auditory: Learning by hearing

Kinesthetic: Learning by movement

We all use all three when we learn, but most of us have one or two dominant learning styles or preferences. We typically default to our dominant preference when we take in new information.

Visual learners tend to take in and understand information by actually looking at it, either in writing or some other visual format (pictures, videos, demonstrations, or visualization). These are the people that when you ask for directions they will either write them out for you or draw you a map. If they are assembling a new piece of furniture, they will probably look over the directions first or watch a tutorial video on how to do it.

Auditory learners tend to take in and understand information by hearing it or talking about it. When asked for directions they will give you verbal instructions. If they are assembling a new piece of furniture, they will probably read the directions aloud, have someone else read the directions to them, or just ask somebody who has already put a similar piece together about how to do it.

Kinesthetic learners tend to take in and understand information while moving around or by touching things. These are the people that when you ask them for directions they might say, “Follow me. I’m driving right by there.” Additionally, they might use their hands and point a lot when describing the directions to you. If assembling a new piece of furniture, they will probably disregard the instruction manual altogether and just start assembling.

VAK in the Bible: Jesus even modeled visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles

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Make a Habit of Taking Notes During Your Quiet Time

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Make a Habit of Taking Notes During Your Quiet Time

Recently in my college classes we talked about reading strategies. One of the things that we discuss is a strategy to be a critical thinker and reader. In turn this practice enables us to be a better learner and understand and retain information better. The strategy we learn is taking notes (or annotating) while reading. We tell our students that simply holding a pen or pencil in your hand creates an active reader of you. This is a great approach to use during bible reading and quiet times too.

Unfortunately, this is a strategy that has fallen a bit by the wayside for me during my own bible reading times. It’s something that I’ve always been so good about in the past. Lately though, I’ve grown a bit lax and more intermittent in taking notes or journaling during my quiet times. I guess I had gotten out of the habit.

I’ve noticed a pattern when I write notes less. I tend to remember less, and I notice a little deceleration in my spiritual growth. Sometimes I have even tangibly “felt” further from God. It’s been a noticeable difference for me in hindsight.

Lately, I have sensed the Holy Spirit telling me to go back to what I did before. I remembered that before I was more consistent in journaling and in taking notes during my quiet times. During those times of my life when I took more notes and journaled, I grew more spiritually.

“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:5 (NIV) 

During times of your life when you take more notes and journal, you will grow more spiritually.

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Benefits of taking notes and journaling

I know firsthand of the benefits of taking notes. You’d think I’d be better about practicing what I preach! I guess sometimes even I need reminders. I’ve written before about why it’s important to write things down and take handwritten notes. Some of the advantages to taking notes and journaling I discussed in previous posts were…

  • Scientific research shows it’s proven to help with remembering the information better—we remember more of what we write down.
  • This article discusses how our brains are engaged more and we learn more when taking notes.
  • It helps the information to take root into our minds and spirit.
  • Writing things down gives us something to go back and reference later during a time of need or just as a timely reminder.
  • Writing things down can be a record and evidence of our growth and progress as we look back on our notes.
  • Our written notes can be a resource to share with others or from which others can learn.

Maybe my notes and journals aren’t just for me

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Why You Should Be Taking Notes Old School Style

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Here are some reasons why you should be taking notes old school style...using pen and paper as opposed to digitally.

Why You Should Be Taking Notes Old School Style

We talk a lot about taking notes in my classes—both in the college classes I teach and at Glory House, the women’s restoration house where I teach. I wrote previously about why it’s important to write things down and take notes. Some of the benefits I discussed earlier were…

  • It helps the information to sink in.
  • Writing things down gives us something to go back and reference.
  • Our written notes can be a resource to share with others.
  • Writing things down can show us our growth and progress as we look back on our notes.

Today, I thought I’d stay more on the practical side to talk to you about why we should take notes old school style. You know…with actual pen and paper! 🙂 This of course is as opposed to using electronics and devices such as computers, phone, tablets, etc.

But technology makes it easier!

Technology these days has made it so easy to be more efficient and to make things more convenient. Unfortunately, with convenience and efficiency we lose some things. I guess there’s a give and take to anything isn’t there?

Even though there is all kinds of technology out there for taking notes now, I’m still a little bit old school. If I’m in a meeting at work, I pull out the old pen and paper. When I attend a training or a conference, I typically write notes in a journal or spiral notebook. My morning quiet times are ALWAYS accompanied by a pencil and journal. Additionally, I have a journal dedicated specifically for sermon notes at church.

I don’t know why really—I just like to write things out by hand. Partially, I think it forces me to pay better attention because I have to listen in order to take good notes. Another reason might be that I’ve noticed I remember more when I’ve written something out longhand.

I probably look funny at church

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