Sermon Sketchnotes - Have you heard of these????

A couple of weeks ago I was accidentally introduced to something called SketchNotes". The idea intrigued me for my sermon notes so I did a little research. In doing so I found this book by Mike Rohde 

So what ARE SketchNotes??? This is an explanation from Mike Rohde himself. . .

"Sketchnotes are purposeful doodling while listening to something interesting. Sketchnotes don't require high drawing skills, but do require a skill to visually synthesize and summarize via shapes, connectors, and text. Sketchnotes are as much a method of note taking as they are a form of creative expression."

The idea is that when you engage your creative skills, your listening skills, and your physical (writing) skills, along with your visual skills, you learn and retain more. It also makes your notes more user friendly, helping you to go back and find main points and re-enforce what you heard and learned. Apparently business people and students are doing this all over the country these days. 

I found a ton of really cool examples online, which made me refine my search to "Sermon SketchNotes" and I found this book by Marsha Baker

I also found a ton of great examples of SketchNoting just for sermons!  Here are a few of the ones I have found so you can better understand what it is I am talking about here . . . 

Aren't they cool!!! They range from really busy to really clean and simple - colorful and black & white, lots of text, lots of icons (doodles).

So, I decided to give this a try. But I did not use a live speaker - instead I rewrote my sermon notes I had already written and here is my first one

I got 6 pages of notes down to these 3 pages and I lost nothing! I also can quickly find the info I want to revisit through the use of the icons. 

See the difference in being able to find something in your notes? 

They suggest you make yourself up an icon dictionary of little doodles etc that help you identify things so as you are doing your SketchNotes you don't have to come up with a doodle - they become part of your written vocabulary like regular words. So here is my  little Icon Library I made up 

So, next up on my quest to learn more about this was a Face Book group - that's right there is a group on FB - it is called Sketchnotes Community. It is a closed group but if you are interested in this I suggest you ask for an invite. I have found a lot of inspiration there and have found the small group to be very nice and helpful. In particular there is a gentleman named David Dial that has been so nice to answer questions for me and make encouraging comments on the things I have shared. But the best part is seeing his notes - Oh MY!!! They are great - beautiful to look at but more importantly they are just chock full of information! Take a look at some his work. . . 

Aren't they AWESOME!!!!

So one day I asked David this question - 

"I am very new to sketchnotes and I was wondering if you would answer a couple of questions for me? Do you actually do your SN live during a sermon or do you just do bullet points and create at home? If you do this live how to you stay up with what your Pastor is saying - any tips? One last questions - what pens do you use?Thank you for letting me pick your brain a little." 

and here is his answer complete with examples - 

Marta- Glad you joined. This little group is here to encourage and inspire any way we can. Thanks for the gracious words. To answer your 'live' question: the attached is the live pencil version I do during service, in my Moleskine sketchbook with dot grid. I then sometime Sunday afternoon I adjust the layout and Chk my spelling by inking it with farber caste ll brush pens and good old bic colored felt tips. 

Content is only good as the speaker and the source. We get an outline our bulletin but I just let the Holy Spirit guide how he is inspiring me that AM. Thx for the questions and happy sketchnotes. Blessings.

Before

After 

I have yet to do any "Live SketchNoting" I am still trying to find my groove in all of this. But I am rewriting all of my notes from our last sermon series "Reboot"

And I keep them in my little binder with my Sermon Cards I have been making. 

I hope you will at least think about giving Sermon "SketchNoting" a try - you might like it???

More importantly, you might retain more of what you heard on Sunday morning!

Until we meet again, Be blessed and Be a blessing!!!

Sharing Psalm 119 with Pastor Daren. . .

So, I have been helping out at the church office on Thursdays stuffing the bulletins (like 500+ of them), 

and last week our assoc. Pastor Daren and I were talking and I mentioned my Psalm 139 Lady that I had made and he of course didn't know what I was talking about so I showed her to him on my blog. He really liked her and had lots of questions about the symbolism etc. He asked if I would bring her in next Thursday (today) so he could see her in person. We ended up taking a little "art tour" on my blog that day and he was surprised at what all I had created. He asked if I sold my art and I told him no - this was God's gift to me and so I love to share it with people but I struggle to sell it - that is not what God has intended it for (not for me anyhoo). 

Well I went back to my bulletins and I had this overwhelming desire to create something just for Pastor Daren - was it God putting that desire on my heart????? So I asked him what his favorite scripture was. He explained that Jonah was his favorite book of the Bible, and that he loved the Psalms and was really studying Psalm 119 right now  and that of course he loved Psalm 139 (who doesn't!). He asked why and I told him I wanted to create a piece just for him. I told him not to expect it by a certain date but that it would come. 

When I got home that day I read the book of Jonah, um. . . no inspiration there! So I read Psalm 119 (all 176 verses - did you know this is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible and that it is right in the center of the Bible? just a little trivia for you) and then I read Psalm 139 again. I wasn't feeling very inspired (artistically that is) by any of these. I just left it in God's hands - "what do YOU want to create through me for Daren Father?" this was my prayer. 

On Monday it was like a bolt of lightening struck me - I knew exactly what the Father and I would be creating together - it would be Psalm 119 with and emphasis on verse 11 - 

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

I gathered up my supplies and started laying it all out

Then I started "rusting" and aging stuff and painting the framework. This piece sits inside an old chess set that I got from Goodwill a couple of years ago on my birthday junque trip with Rooster (thanx Rooster!). I ripped out the velvet lining and painted it black then scuffed it all up so it would have the beautiful "old" look that I love so much!

 That red, plastic heart that was left over from last year's Valentines Day (that I stole from my granddaughters - bad Amma) had to go!!! So it was transformed into this cool "metal" heart. The white plastic signage letters turned into the black letters on scrabble pieces (real Scrabble pieces don't have numbers!)

 A coat of modeling paste and some paints and inks were next. Then the "final" layout of all the little pieces. Am I happy with it? Father is this what you had in mind?  

Okay then let's glue it all down!!! 

Ta Da! It is finished by Wednesday evening - just in time to take it to Pastor Daren on Thursday (today)

He was really surprised and he looked like he really liked it (which made me happy!). He had me explain all the symbolism to him  - and I knew he would so I was prepared with a typed explanation for him. I walked out of his office to get my camera (I wanted a picture of him with it) and when I came back in he was standing there smiling just looking at it (again, this made me happy!).

 Before I left for the day he already had it hung on the wall in his office and made me pose for a picture with him and the piece - I wish I had gotten one of those pictures!

I have to say thank you to Pastor Daren for inspiring me to get back in my studio to get messy and create something 

and most especially thank you to the Holy Spirit for working through these hands of mine!

If you are at all interested in the details here are some more pictures and explanation. . . 

Element - Meaning - Verses

Heart

Seeking with my heart, praising Him with all my heart, Setting my heart on His laws, Obeying with my whole heart, and so much more!

2, 7, 10, 11, 30, 34, 36, 58, 111, 112, 145, 161

Computer Board

Remembering and storing knowledge and love of the Word.

11

Rulers

Laws, Statutes, Precepts, Commandments, Decrees, Word. This comes from something Pastor Ray says - How do you know what is right or wrong? What is your measuring stick?

Too many to list!

Cross

Salvation and His promises

38, 41, 81, 94, 123, 166, 174

Arrow

Following

3, 14, 33, 80, 106, 166

Clocks/Clock Parts

Eternity and Everlasting, and Time

62, 89, 142, 160

Coins

Silver and Gold

72, 127

Light Bulbs

Lamp & Light

105

Key (Fortress)

Refuge

114

Key (Master)

I am God's Servant

6, 11, 17, 38, 49, 65, 76, 84, 91, 125, 140, 144

Pad Locks

Learning, Understanding and Teaching

34, 100, 104, 124, 125, 130, 135, 152, 169, 171

Compass

Path, Walk, Way & Steps

1, 9, 30, 32, 33, 35, 45, 59, 101, 105, 133

You will notice that there are two hearts, 1 BIG heart and one little heart. The Big heart represents God's love for us and the little heart is ours. 

I will be back soon with some more Sermon notes to share. . .
till we meet again. . . 
Be blessed and Be a blessing!!!!

Drawing Closer. . .

Well, in my last post I shared with you all HOW I take my sermon notes and study my Bible so that I can then create my sermon cards. Today I am gonna share some FUN news about that. . . 

All of my copious notes are going to turn into a small group at my church! It is all still in the planning stages at this point, but we will meet weekly and go over the notes Pastor Ray provides in the bulletin, study the scripture references and then create some art and do some journaling!

I have always believed that each one of us is CREATIVE in some way because our Father is CREATIVE and we are made in HIS image! 

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). 

If you had any doubt that God is creative or that He passed on the creative ability to us, I’d ask you to notice that the word “create” appears three times in this single verse!

Here is another verse that I just shared with you the other day - 

“For we are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). 

When we think of this verse, we usually think about “good works” as spiritual disciplines and the ways in which we serve others, and that’s true. Remember though: creativity can be a spiritual discipline, a way to honor God and worship Him and it can also be a way to serve others - sharing your creativity and art can serve to inspire and encourage others!

One more scripture for you. . .

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24). 

So "whatever you do" means everything you do , including your creativity/art. You should do it with ALL of your heart! Let’s always remember who has given us our creativity and who we use it to worship!

So here is my art for today - this will be the "logo" if you will, for the small group. I made this one a little bigger than usual so that it would fit on the front cover of my binder. I am so excited to get started with this group and I pray that God will use me and be glorified through this group and that  it will be a blessing to the ladies at my church. 

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies 

washed with pure water. 

(Hebrews 10:22)