How to Keep a Spiritual Journal: A Guide to Journal Keeping for Inner Growth and Personal Discovery [Paperback]

Ron Klug (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

This revised edition of a thorough guide offers steps for anyone interested in keeping a spiritual journal, from recommendations for notebooks to ways to work through common frustrations and writer's block. Ron Klug relies on his experience as a workshop leader, journal keeper, and author to create a book that is both helpful and wise.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This newly revised and expanded edition includes:
--a new chapter on writing for healing-how to use the journal to deal with difficult experiences of life, such as depression, grief, or job loss
--new ways to care for your soul with prayer and spiritual reading
--journal exercises to help you understand your spiritual journey, envision your future, and determine your spiritual legacy
--added suggestions for harvesting your journal
--new resources for journaling, including the Internet
--a "Guide to Forming a Journal Group"

About the Author

Ronald Klug is a freelance writer and editor living near Amery, Wisconsin, with his wife, Lyn. He is the author of more than twenty books, including When Your Parent Dies from Augsburg Books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: AUGSBURG BOOKS; Revised edition (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806643579
• ISBN-13: 978-0806643571
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual Journaling, November 21, 2006

By 

Matthew A. Bradshaw "Ambassador II" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: How to Keep a Spiritual Journal: A Guide to Journal Keeping for Inner Growth and Personal Discovery (Paperback)

This is a great book on Spiritual Journaling. This book takes you on a Spiritual Journey. It is not only a guide but an experience to read. It seems like throughout life we all try to find a way to draw nearer to God through prayer or Bible study. This book gives a variety of methods to draw nearer to God by writing to Him and sharing your experiences with Him. This book is about conversation not just verbal conversation. We read, we listen, we experience, and we express our feelings on paper. It helps us to focus on our relationship with God. This method helps us to dig deeper for those golden nuggets of spiritual truth that we can apply to our lives day by day.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate resource for keeping a journal!, October 16, 2008

By 

Soozie4Him (Chicago suburbs) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: How to Keep a Spiritual Journal: A Guide to Journal Keeping for Inner Growth and Personal Discovery (Paperback)

I wrote a review of the older version of this book - this revised edition is 20 pages longer, and has changed up the chapters a bit, and includes a Guide for forming a journal group!

I've been journaling on and off for many years, but fairly consistently for the past 9 years. Ronald Klug does an outstanding job of explaining the importance of keeping a journal, ideas to get you going, suggestions of things to write about, etc.
Keeping a journal has been one of the most satisfying and helpful things I've done in my Christian walk. When you go back to read it later, you can really see God's working in your life!

One of the things that Klug addresses that I've never seen anywhere else is the "problem" of what do to with notes you might be taking on books you're currently reading. Do you incorporate them into your daily journal, or keep a separate notebook? I'm journaling every day and reading my Bible and other books every day, and this is something that I've done different ways and I haven't found any one solution to be entirely satisfactory. I thought it was wonderful that the author even addressed the "problem"! I want to be able to find notes on a particular book I'm reading easily, and if they're scattered throughout the dailyness of your writing, that is harder to do.

He suggests keeping notes from other books you are reading in a separate notebook from your daily journal. And he suggests indexing them so you know what's in that notebook! An excellent suggestion and one I hadn't tried before. Just leave the first page blank and you could write which books' notes are contained in the book, and you could even add page numbers. I think this is a great idea!

As for brief quotes that you might be struck by, or particular scripture passages that you're learning about, you could include those in your daily journal.

The author says that he writes in spiral notebooks of lined paper. When he's finished, he puts them in a binder so that he has them all in order. For several years, I used the small hardcover spiral-bound books that you find in Christian bookstores or gift shops for journaling purposes - having them all together and in order is an attractive option! For the past several years, I've been using the Rollabind/Circa journals. I buy the Rollabind discs from rollabind.com, the refill paper from Levenger or Rollabind, and the translucent covers from Levenger. You can go to Levenger's or Rollabind's website to get an idea of what I'm talking about. The beauty of this system is that you can add and remove pages anywhere in the journal. And a punch is available to add any paper to your Circa/Rollabind journal. The paper and covers come in various sizes. I use the "junior" size refill paper, which is 5.5x8.5 inches, the perfect size for journaling, I think!

I also prefer using colorful gel or liquid ink pens that are archival safe and permanent.

However you do it, Ronald Klug emphasizes that however you keep your journal is right for you. Whether you write it or dictate it or type it, whether you write in it twice a day, twice a week, or twice a year - it's a valuable tool for spiritual growth.

Please check out my other reviews of Christian books - I also highly recommend Luann Budd's book called "Journal Keeping".

Happy journaling!

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful Guide, January 13, 2005

By 

K. Beebe (Rockaway Beach, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Keep a Spiritual Journal: A Guide to Journal Keeping for Inner Growth and Personal Discovery (Paperback)

This is a great book. It provided great tools and insights for me as I started a journal. It's very practical. I work in a Christian camp, and shared the book with several co-workers, who also found it helpful. Journaling is helping me deepen my walk with Christ.