Life Journaling is a process for reading and responding to God’s Word, the Bible, that turned my on-again, off-again devotional practice into a habit.

The Life Journal format was developed by Wayne Cordeiro, founding pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii. I was introduced to Life Journaling by Peter Bonanno and the crew at Grace Capital Church, Pembroke, New Hampshire. Since then, I’ve been using Life Journaling as the primary format for my daily devotionals. which is over 10 years now.

Life Journaling consists of a reading plan that takes you through the Bible, and a process that helps you understand and apply it to your life. (Here’s a web site devoted to Life Journaling…)

The Life Journal process follows the acronym S.O.A.P. Here’s how I explain it:

S-Scripture After reading a section of Scripture, pick out a verse that sums up the thought of the passage or particularly speaks to you. Write this verse in your Life Journal. This answers the question "What does it say?"

O-Observation Write your observations on the text. Note the context, setting, people, etc. Pretend you’re explaining the verse in context for someone who hasn’t read the chapter. You’re answering the question,"What is it saying?"

A-Application Now you make application to your life. How does this passage relate to your life and circumstances? Ask yourself questions based on the text. Your goal is to address the question, "What is it saying to me?"

P-Prayer Now turn the topic into a prayer. Express your faith, make a request, give thanks. Answer the question, "What do I need to say to God?"

Here’s the story of how my daily devotions became a habit using the Life Journal process…