Ephesians 3:14-19 - 14 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
I remember my father telling me that a good gift to give is something that you would like to receive so on the first day of school each year I give my advanced Musical Theater students a good gift . . . a blank, soft sided, unlined writing journal. Soft sided because on the first weekend of the school year their homework is to decorate this journal in a way that best represents them and sets their journal off as personal. Unlined, because much of the use of this journal, like much of life, won’t be contained in or expressed best in straight lines.
There are three ground rules established, no talking and keep your pen moving, flowing. The ‘no talking’ rule actually frees up our minds to explore a single thought or chase a wild rabbit and the ‘flow’ rule gives permission for the writer to begin creating with no pressure. The pen just moves and it can go in circles until it bumps into thoughts and words which need to be part of the paper. The pen can create a six-minute masterpiece of visual, representational art or simple written word.
These are their “personal, private, public” journals or their “P3 Journal.” Most days I give a writing prompt or an image prompt from which to write. The results of these few moments spent at the beginning of a ninety-minute block reset our hearts and minds.
The P3 Journal and the power of reduction . . . a place for discovery and recovery.
Personal - because we create a private safe space in which to write each day for six minutes. (To the soundtrack of Kool and the Gang - Summer Madness).
Private – They can be assured that I will never, ever read these journals or their writings. They can pour out their hearts and minds in the total assurance that they are the only ones who will ever see or read their musings, unless…
Public – Each time we write in the journals we then take time for anyone who would like to share and we move on to the next who would voluntarily share the most vulnerable thoughts. Without fail every heart in the room with the unfiltered reality of that moment.
After they write for six minutes they are given one minute to reduce their entire thoughts into one sentence and finally, into 6 words. No more, no less. Six words. Every good cook knows the power of reduction clarifies the very essence of the dish, punctuating while at the same time deepening. The same is true when capturing wandering thoughts into six essential words.
Back to the journal – Here’s the catch. When someone shares, no one is allowed to ask for more detail. We never prod. We never ask for someone to magnify. We never comment except to say a unified thank you. (You’d be amazed what inflections can wrap the words thank you to give them meaning.) To this day, year thirteen into this annual launch and yearly focus, I have never read one of these journals. They truly are personal, private and when chosen by the student, public spaces to muse, dump, create, express, meander, run, skip, sit, puddle, or pontificate.
You may remember I said there were few rules, after establishing the ground rules of a safe place to share, express and gain support, the third rule is . . . do not criticize yourself. The mind needs permission to stop running the critical narrative that permeates our lives. We constantly criticize ourselves. Our inner voice can be a very punitive voice. So, unconventionally we don’t allow corrections as we write. No stopping to erase, scratch out or even questions the thoughts. The most freeing aspect is that misspellings are no problem because no one else will read what is written, ever.
Admittedly this exercise can seem dangerous, but so if life for high school students. Students are asking difficult and necessary questions and are being asked to make adult decisions about their futures on daily basis. Any high school senior will tell you that the number one question they are asked is, “what are your plans for next year?”
As an educator one of my joys is to mentor these students and I can’t mentor students if I never really listen to and hear from them. I have found that when one creates a safe space to think, create, express, and even question there is a true and reciprocal bond of trust, empathy, and compassion. The heart came into the room as hardened, sun scorched and fallow ground is, within the span of six minutes of writing and six minutes of sharing turned into rich, receptive and willing heart.
God is not frightened or put off by my wandering musings or inconsistencies as it is His great joy to have real and vibrant relationships with His children. Certainly this time we have been given lately can reveal the power of a moment, a breath, a pulse or leave us with reveal anxiety and stalling fear. When questions stir or the dark places are tapped by the practice of thinking and writing, God is faithful. I remind myself that over the course of history and in dire situations, great minds have asked far deeper questions and found him to be sufficient and abundant. God the Father faithfully and lovingly applies the refreshing gift of His promised love right at the place most needed by a heart that may have shut down out of fear or by painful experiences.
Ask yourself when you stand on a mountain or walk a woodland path, what is over that horizon or beyond the bend. You don’t know but something calls you to wonder or ever wander to find the answer. Or to simply revel in the awesome beauty or the unsearchable love of God displayed in the depths, the heights, the hues, the moment? And that brings me to this . . .
“I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-18.
You’ll need your P3 journal . . .
Brother Morgan