Tonight in our college class we ended up using almost all of our time talking about journaling. The catalyst was a statement by Rick Warren about using journaling as a way of documenting spiritual growth; which I absolutely agree. I am becoming more and more of a huge believer in the power of journaling, mainly because of the lives of the people that I know journal the most. Jim Elliot sat through a chapel at Wheaton College one day as the guest speaker made mention of the benefit of journaling, and just days later began the documentation of a life that would ultimately not just change the lives of some indians in Ecuador, but radically affect the spiritual commitments of thousands through generations. I am one of the many that have voraciously poured through his meticulous journals, laughing and crying at the spiritual roller coaster that he faced every day. How would I be able to share in his life if not for these writings? Of course he never meant them for the world. He never knew the radical call that his example would send through the Christian world. He just wanted to do the right thing day to day. He died by rejection - a spear through his body - but he would plant a powerful seed that would reach beyond his own grave. This, my friend, is how God really works.