SOAP Week.

I'm going to post an entry every day this week, demonstrating the use of a journaling structure called SOAP. The basics of this structure have been around for a long time, but Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu has popularized this particular format including the acronym. Next week, I'll demonstrate/use a slightly different structure for journaling.

First, about journaling. One of the best ways to dig deeper into the text is to interact with it. There probably is no better way to do so than to keep a journal handy and spend a few minutes writing as you read, think, pray, etc. Some can do this mentally, others pray their way through the text, or mark up their Bibles. That's great if it works for you. The secret is to interact -- to spend time seeing what it is God would teach you in your reading for the day.

Here's what you need: Bible, writing instrument, journal/paper, time, a planner or other notebook. Leave a few blank pages at the front of your journal for a personal table of contents.

Begin your time by asking God to help you get what He wants you to get. If at any time in the middle of your study/reading/writing you are interrupted by thoughts of things you need to do, etc. stop and write them down in your planner or notebook, so you can go back to your study time. Record the scripture reference for the passage (like Deut. 28:1-48) and date of your reading. Leave room for a title. After you've finished, decide on a title, write it in the space you left, and add it to your table of contents. Oh yeah, make it a point to think back to your study during the day (or the next day if it was at night). Maybe even while you're applying what you wrote.

SOAP is an acronym for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Here's a link to the explanation on Cordeiro's website. It goes basically like this:

S is for Scripture. Read the entire passage for the day. Spend some time reviewing and thinking about it, and then write down the one or two verses that you especially responded to. Write it/them down.

O is for Observation. Look, think, and pray carefully about the verse(s) you've chosen. What is God teaching you? What do you notice in the verse(s)? Write it down.

A is for Application. Now make it personal. How does it apply to your life today? Is there a lesson, instruction, command, example, admonition, promise, etc. that you can apply in your life right now? Write it down. (hook adds here, that it may be just a truth that you need to remember, not a check box on a todo list -- "remember, God loves you.")

P is for Prayer. Write a prayer out that asks God's involvement in living out the scripture you've chosen. Then pray it.

Feel free to adapt these steps. In fact, when you look on the web, you'll find different people describing S.O.A.P., but not explaining it quite the same as Wayne has. They've probably adapted without even realizing it.

So, look for a post each day (it'll be end of the day) underneath this one, for my S.O.A.P. entries. And if you'd like, feel free to enter your own in the comments.