With the exception of a short span of time several years ago where I tried to produce sermon notes published from my computer I historically carry handwritten notes with me to the pulpit.
I’m not sure why I prefer to do so. But I do prefer to.
It may be a security blanket issue. It may be a habit. I’m sure there could be a psychological study to explain such a reason. But at the end of the day, I just prefer my handwritten notes in the pulpit with me.
Here is the anatomy of my sermon notes for the book of Isaiah. I’ve used multiple notebooks to preach through this epoch journey. By the time I’m done with preaching through Isaiah I will have filled up four notebooks.
I will likely finish preaching through the book of Isaiah by the first Sunday of March, 2021.
This past Christmas Renee bought me a new notebook. I’ve been using this notebook on Sunday nights since Christmas. For a guy like me this has been revolutionary. You should check it out some time if you like to write things out as opposed to typing.
It is called Rocketbook. It is revolutionary because it may be the last notebook I’ll ever need to buy. I get the pleasure of handwriting and the comfort of preaching with my own handwritten notes next to my Bible in the pulpit. (I also still preach from a rebound paper Bible because I have handwritten notes throughout it and couldn’t see getting another one.)
That Rocketbook notebook is unique in that the pages are reusable. See what I mean by revolutionary? I write out my notes and then archive them to .pdf files with the camera on my phone. It is the best of both worlds. I have the experience of handwriting and the benefit of digital filing.
This Rocketbook may have finally propelled me into the modern era. So much so that I just made a major investment that could soon completely impact my sermon preparation experience.
Today, after weeks of research, I just unboxed my new reMarkable tablet. I am excited to use it but will only practice on it until I finish preaching through the book of Isaiah.
I think one of the things I like most about writing my sermon notes is actually writing my sermon notes on paper. I will post an update in a few days about how it is working out with the reMarkable tablet. Then will come the real test of when I take the reMarkable tablet with me into the pulpit. I’ll likely try it out on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights for several weeks before I dare to take it on a Sunday morning.