I often consult with teams, and while the idea is for me to help them, I often come away inspired with new ideas or reminders of old ones.

Years ago, I met with a team who shared their approach to meetings.

• Discuss
• Discern
• Dream

Simple, yet effective. The discussion portion was filled with ideas, planning, and evaluating/celebrating recent events and interactions. The discernment portion was filled with prayer and honest reflection of what God was leading them to do: sorting through the yeses and no’s. The dreaming portion invited them to soar, explore the possibilities, and plant seeds for what they’d need to discuss and discern in the future.

They included the practical and the creative. They worked together as a group while allowing individuals to share their passions and concerns. They didn’t get distracted with the nonessentials that often derail our meetings.

I’ve found the same approach works for journalling. Whether you journal prayers or everyday thoughts, the discussion portion helps you get organized. You can journal whatever is going through your mind and heart. Discernment helps you focus on what needs your attention and which decisions are the best to make at that time. Dreaming inspires you to hope toward the future.

Give it a try!