I never know when an idea will hit me. As a result, I almost always have a pen on hand and some form of paper. I make notes on napkins, envelopes, notebooks, gum wrappers, anything that is near me when inspiration hits.  My mind never rests. It’s always turning. So I’m almost always reaching for something, anything that can help me record my thoughts.

I have drawers packed with scraps of scrawl. Sometimes, when I revisit them, I can’t even read my own handwriting and have little or no idea what I tried to write down. Other times I read it back and wonder how I thought it was worth writing down in the first place. And every once in a while, I stumble upon a surprise.

Tonight, I was rummaging through my scrap heap and came across a few old church bulletins. They were several years old. I had scribbled all over them with lines of poetry, thoughts about fiction projects and new characters.  Evidently not paying much attention to the church service around me. I was taking the time to brainstorm, to drift off into a daydream.

After finding several examples of where I had checked out of worship to write, I retrieved a few programs from the past several weeks. To my pleasant surprise, they looked much different. The same chicken scratch covered them, but instead of another plot twist, I was writing down key points the pastor had made. I was recording inspirations from God. Verses or analogies or key words that would later remind me of something important He was sharing with me. I was in communion with God. 

I view this as a physical sign of how far I’ve come in the past few years. How much closer I am. How differently I approach my faith walk. It’s very encouraging for me to have proof of the progress. See for yourself, if you can read my writing:

  

This first image is a collection of notes from church services where I obviously had more on my mind than God.

This second image is from a church service I attended a few weeks back. Notice the difference.