Are You a Note-taker?

Are you a note-taker? Three events in my life this past week spur this question.

First, after returning home from last week’s Shepherds’ Conference, I see in my notebook that I took 48 pages of notes on 8 sermons. Most of these pages are filled and I typically write with a small script.

Second, at the conference before an evening session began I happened to notice Tim Dick’s Christian Note-takers Journal (a leather-bound book designed just for this purpose). I asked if I could see it and was amazed to find in his clear handwriting notes on almost every sermon preached at Cornerstone over the last two years.

Third, I’ve been reading Leland Ryken’s book, Worldly Saints, a book about the lifestyle of the Puritans in the 16^th and 17^th centuries in England and America. I knew the Puritans loved expository sermons but did not realize that they were also copious note-takers. Ryken states:

Several Puritan practices show exactly how active the person in the pew was. One of these practices was the note taking that became a standard feature of Puritan church services. We read about Comenius, visiting England from the Continent, watching with admiration as London congregations took shorthand notes of sermons. John Brinsley, Puritan educator, advised, “For Sabbaths and other days when there is any sermon, cause everyone to learn something at the sermons. The very youngest [should] bring some notes.

The Puritans not only took notes but used them after the sermon as a source of study. Edmund Calamy said that sermons are like food, “You must eat it; and not only eat it, but concoct it and digest it… One sermon well digested, well meditated upon, is better than twenty sermons without meditation.”

When families gathered after church services there was often a “repeating of the sermon.” Fathers would reflect on notes taken during the sermon to give further instruction and application to their families.

The sweetest sound to my pastor’s ears is to hear the pages of Bible turning as the congregation searches the Scriptures together. One of the sweetest sights is to see heads down and pens quickly jotting down thoughts and Scripture references for further study.

I suggest three reasons why every diligent believer should be a note-taker.

First, taking notes requires attentive listening. If you intend to leave the sermon with a well-filled and useful page of notes, you prepare yourself to listen closely to every word that is spoken. This is especially helpful when you are tired and distracted. Taking notes requires that you pay careful attention and not let your mind wander.

Second, taking notes provides a better opportunity for personal study. Every Christian should be like the Bereans of Acts 17 who “…received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so” (v.11). It is never enough to merely hear a sermon. How do you know that the preacher is correct unless you are willing to study for yourself? Further study will help you remember the doctrine of the text and make application in your own life.

Third, taking notes will provide a journal of your spiritual growth. Like Tim, you will be able to look back and reflect on key truths you have learned from the preaching of the Word. You don’t need a fancy, leather-bound book. An inexpensive spiral notebook will do just fine. In the years to come, these notebooks will serve as a roadmap of your spiritual journey.

Note-taking is a beneficial discipline that diligent believers have practiced for centuries and continues to be a source of spiritual growth.

Soli Deo Gloria!