THE DISCIPLE’S COMPASSYou don’t have to wait for anything to ship. Everything the Disciple’s Compass asks for fits on one page of a notebook you already own. This is the smallest version that still works.
Tonight, build tomorrow’s page
The last thing you do this evening is open the notebook to a fresh page and write tomorrow’s date at the top. Then add two things: the Scripture you’ll read in the morning, and a short list of what tomorrow already holds. That way the morning never begins with a blank page, and you never stall on the question of where to start.
The page, top to bottom
- A verse for the month. Choose one and write it at the top of every page this month. Read it each morning, so that your heading comes from Scripture and not from your mood.
- Current wobble. Write one honest phrase, Current wobble: ___. Some days the honest phrase is same.
- Today I will. Write one sentence identifying one act of obedience you can see from where you’re standing, Today I will ___.
- What today holds. This is the list you wrote last night.
- Scripture. Note what you read this morning and write one line back to it. It can be a reading plan, a devotional, your church’s study, or a single verse you sat with. The page doesn’t care which. Keep it to one Bible interaction a morning, because two gets muddled.
- Insights. These are things you heard from someone else, like a sermon, a conversation, or a page in a book.
- Reflections. This is what the Holy Spirit is showing you about yourself. These are the entries you’ll forget first, so write them down.
- Notes. Record events, people, and anything else that needs a place to land.
- Movement. Write one line about what you actually did.
- Tonight’s close. Write three lines: what moved, what didn’t, and what tomorrow needs. Then build the next page.
What a line looks like
Here’s an example day, made up for this page:
Current wobble: zeal and wisdom. I want to fix a coworker’s problem by Friday.
Today I will: ask him how he’s doing, and listen before I offer anything.
Reflection: I care more about being useful than about being kind.
Moved: we talked. Didn’t: I still offered advice too soon. Tomorrow needs: a shorter answer.
A sentence counts as a log, but a blank page doesn’t.
Once a week
Sit down with the seven pages and read them as one conversation. What moved across the whole week, and what stalled? What’s the one thing not to miss next week? Write it at the top of the next page.
When you miss a day
You will miss days. When you do, let them go. There’s no streak to protect and nothing to fill in after the fact. The next page is simply the day you came back. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:23).
One more thing
Find one person who’s allowed to ask about your wobble. You don’t need a program, just a table and a question you’ve given them permission to ask. The page gives them something specific to ask about.
When you want the whole practice, it’s on the Disciple’s Compass page, and in full in the Foundation. The paper edition, with the page already laid out, is in progress.
What will you follow tomorrow, and is the page already waiting for it?