If you’re like me, one of your challenges involves balancing the benefits of our “devices” with their distracting downsides.
Their giant, hairy, screaming downsides.
Toward that end, I’ve begun using a paper notebook again to jot down ideas for book chapters, blog posts, and sermon prep. The shift happened almost by accident. Last month, IVP sent all of their authors a faux-leather journal for a Christmas gift.


As you can see, mine looks vaguely like it was stolen from a local psych ward. (Seriously, my high school psychology teacher showed us one he had “borrowed” from a friend with paranoid schizophrenia; it looked exactly like this, minus Jonathan Edwards.)
Then, last week, Jon Acuff’s author newsletter detailed why he uses pen and paper.
While at his daughter’s swim meet, Jon jotted down an idea on his notebook, only to be told by an elderly lady that “That’s the first time I’ve seen someone write something down by hand in a long time.”
His response was thus:
“Paper helps me focus. This notebook doesn’t have Netflix.”
Nuff said.
And while I’m at it, here is a not-at-all-creepy pic I tookof my friend Jake T.
He has notebooks for days. I can smell the spirituality.

Make faux-leather great again.
Make everyone twins.
Electric toilet.
If you’re interested in an accessible book for anyone feeling baffled by the Bible, check out my new book, Long Story Short: the Bible in Six Simple movements(here).
Signup here to receive bonus content through my email Newsletter (“Serpents and Doves”).
I will not clog your inbox, and I will not share your email address.