Mark Driscoll on Reflection

Mark has some helpful questions in an outline of how he does a day of reflection:

Date:
Modified or Full Plan:
Note: Here I am making note if it?s one hour or one day for silence and solitude.
Place and Conditions:
Note: I am someone for whom space deeply matters. On a nice day I sit outside by a river or at the beach in a beautiful spot. I don?t like coffee shops (too noisy and crowded) or the office (too much distraction). I like to be up high with a view, crave fresh air, love the sun, and cannot relax where it?s loud, busy, ugly, stinky, disorganized, poorly designed, uncomfortable, or too hot or cold, and yes, I am picky. So, I note where I was and that helps me keep a record of nice spots for silence and solitude days. I borrow friends? vacation homes, have spots I like outside of town in the mountains, and so forth.

Part 1 ? Recent Evidences of God?s Grace

?Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.? ? 2 Thess. 2:16?17

Note: To have good words and works, we need hope and comfort by seeing and savoring evidences of God?s grace. I start with this topic to get me into a mode of worship. I can be quite a gloomy and moody person, so this gets me going in the right direction for my time with God. I often take an hour on this topic alone and make a long list, thanking God and praying as I go.

Part 2 ? Deep Questions

?The purpose in a man?s mind is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.? ? Prov. 20:5 (RSV)

Note: These are my questions and you can make your own or change mine. I don?t include Bible reading and study because they are like breathing to me, but you may want to add them. In question four I?m talking about my wife, Grace. I list each of my kids in question five because with a big family it?s too easy to treat the kids as a herd rather than knowing and pastoring each one. I put my work last, figuring that if the rest of my life is in order, work will go well. I rate every question on a scale so that I can be honest about how I?m doing and track progress over time. The prayer points are things I pray about as I?m journaling and things to put on my prayer list that week. The action items go on my calendar. Lastly, I share a lot of this with my wife, kids, friends, and others, and a lot of my blogs and ministry training are simply sharing what comes out of my journaling on days of silence and solitude.

1. How accurate is my view of God lately?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

2. How are my joy in the Holy Spirit and corresponding hope?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

3. What temptations and sins are most ensnaring?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

4. How is my connection with my wife?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

5. How is my connection with each of my children?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items
6. How is my health (e.g., weight, diet, exercise)?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

7. How is my sleep (e.g., bed time, quality of sleep, length of sleep)?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

8. How is my energy level?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

9. How is my dominion over my technology (e.g., cell phone, laptop, email, text)?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

10. How is the stewardship of my wealth (e.g., finances, possessions, property, investments)?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

11. How is my social life with friends and extended family?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

12. Who or what is filling my tank lately?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

13. Who or what is draining my tank lately?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

14. Who has sinned against me and how am I responding?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

15. Who do I need to confide in and where should I seek wisdom?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

16. Are there any warning signs that I am burning out?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

17. Am I successfully getting out of the river onto the bank enough through silence, solitude, study, and Sabbath?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

18. What do I need to stop doing, do less of, or hand off to someone else?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

19. How are my self-deception and truth suppression?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

20. How is my writing (e.g., books, blogs, papers)?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items

21. How is my preaching (preparation and results, in and out of Mars Hill)?
? Scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high)
? Prayer Points
? Action Items