Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: Discover how daily scribing (journaling with pen and paper) completes the morning savers routine and creates a powerful spiritual practice for Kingdom Family Leaders. Learn the W REST framework for intentional journaling that builds equity, tracks growth, and focuses daily priorities for sustained transformation.
What?
I’ve been journaling for years – since before 2015, five days a week in general. I’ve gone through tons of iterations with journaling, from handwritten to tablet with a pencil to just typed. But I discovered there’s something spiritual about the pen and paper connection that I kept coming back to.
My latest iteration is a composition notebook that lasts about three months with a hundred pages. I developed my own format called (W)REST. W watch – what am I watching or measuring? I track my weight and what time I get up in the morning. What we watch gets our attention. R is reading – what did I read today? I put my Bible reference and other books I’m reading. E is equity – every day we should be building some sort of equity, whether that’s personal, family, or business oriented. S is savers – did I do all my morning savers? I write the letters S-A-V-E-R-S for the steps I completed. The T is thankfulness – three things I’m grateful for in the last 24 hours. Then I write about my thoughts, what I’ve learned and discovered about myself, about people, about my family, God, the world.
When I discover things about myself, when I fail and learn something to grow and become better every day – that’s one of my core beliefs, I believe I’m getting better every day. At the bottom, after thankfulness, is goals – “what’s the one thing that if by doing it today would make everything easier or unnecessary?” (from The ONE Thing by Keller) Usually I want more than three things, but I focus on one, two, or three things I’m gonna get done today that really fit the visualization I did and align with my vision.
Why?
I share this format because so many successful men are overwhelmed by their thoughts and lack clarity on what really matters each day. We’re busy doing urgent things instead of important things. The scribing process forces you to slow down, reflect, and intentionally choose what deserves your attention. It’s about stewardship of your mind, your time, and your growth.
There’s something about the physical act of writing with pen and paper that connects your mind, body, and spirit in a way that typing just doesn’t capture. When you’re building equity every day – whether personal, family, or business – you’re actively participating in expanding your territory and serving God’s Kingdom through intentional growth.
Lesson
The (W)REST framework creates accountability and intentionality in multiple areas of life simultaneously. By tracking your physical health (weight/wake time), spiritual intake (reading), daily growth (equity building), morning routine completion (S-A-V-E-R-S), gratitude practice (thankfulness), and reflection (thoughts/learnings), you create a comprehensive stewardship system.
The key insight about equity building is that every single day should include some action that builds value – whether in your relationship with God, your family relationships, your health, your business, or your community impact. This prevents the drift that happens when we get caught up in urgent but unimportant activities.
The goals section keeps you focused on what Gary Keller calls “The ONE Thing” – that priority that makes everything else easier or unnecessary. This is where you take your vision and visualization from earlier in your morning routine and translate it into concrete daily action.
Apply
Get yourself a composition notebook and try the (W)REST format for the next seven days. Start each morning by writing down your weight/wake time, what you’re reading, one way you’ll build equity today, which morning S-A-V-E-R-S elements you completed, three things you’re grateful for, and your thoughts about growth and learning. End with identifying the one to three most important things you need to accomplish today. Less done better is more excellent than more done poorly.
Write by hand with a pen. Don’t type it. Experience the difference between the spiritual practice of scribing versus just journaling on a device. After seven days, notice how this practice affects your clarity, focus, and sense of progress in the different kingdoms you’re stewarding.
You be blessed!
Morning SAVERS Part 6: Scribing – The Power of Pen and Paper with Intentional Scribing
