Holy Club 4

Did the Bible live in me today?

This is the first question that is specifically Christian. The Holy Club used 22 questions regularly - only 8 of them are 'religious'. The other 14 are all about living well and would be regarded as helpful by most people - religious or not. Is this a good balance when we think about Christian discipleship? Two thirds of our effort is directed towards living 'good lives'. The third where we ask for God's help is vital, but we can be too 'religious' which is not the same as being holy.

The Holy Club encouraged one another to keep journals. This is something I find difficult. My past is littered with almost pristine books that were bought to be journals of one sort or another. More recently I've switched to apps for phone or iPad - the only constant is that I fill them in enthusiastically for about a week then dry up.

Why keep a journal? One of the primary reasons for the Holy Club was that they were determined to make the best possible use of time - reflecting on their journals helped them to see whether they were wasting time. If the 21st century has provided anything, its a proliferation of ways of frittering time away. Perhaps we need journals more than ever.

A second reason is that it's good to remember the times when God was very close to us. Those experiences sustain us in times of doubt and difficulty.

Reading John Wesley's journal for the first time many years ago, one of the things that struck me was the number of times he told a story that puzzled him. He wrote it down in the hope that later experience/reflection would help him to understand what God was doing. An open, enquiring mind its a great help when we're trying to grow up in our faith.

Another task for Lent - dust of my journalling app and start writing at least a couple of lines each day!

Bible passage to meditate on: Philippians 3:10-21