I love the feel and smell and of a leather journal. They are perfect for capturing personal prayers and reflections. They are also good for taking notes on Sundays. As much as I love the pen and paper experience, in this post I want to recommend that taking digital sermon notes is a great idea. Here are eight reasons why you should head to church this weekend with a fully charged phone or tablet.
1. It keeps you from distraction. Note-taking locks you in to what is happening as the people of God gather to hear the Word of God. If you are busy taking notes, you are less likely to check social media feeds and less likely to people-watch. It even counteracts the tendency to fall asleep. Your mind will focus and your heart will follow.
2. Digital notes are searchable. That means you can comb through them weeks, months, or years later to find a subject or scripture reference. You might one day find yourself facing an issue when the thought hits, “I think I once heard a sermon about that.” Thorough note-taking can serve you for decades to come.
3. Notes give you space to record commitments. Sermons are preached in the confidence that while one person is speaking, the Holy Spirit is moving in every listener’s heart. As you listen to preaching and teaching, listen with your soul. Before the preaching begins ask God to speak specifically to you, invite Him to address anything in your world, and submit yourself to the authority of the Scriptures. When the sermon is finished, consider these questions: “What is God leading me to do or change or stop or start after hearing this?” and “How should I respond to today’s sermon?” Include the answers in your notes for immediate accountability and future reminders of God’s work in your life. 
4. Notes provide a launch point for devotionals during the week. In the days between Sundays, your notes can nudge you to dig deeper into the featured Scripture text or to investigate the sermon concept in published books or other Bible passages. You can also let the notes lead you for praying through how the pulpit topic meets your real life.
5. Digital notes are easy to share. This could be tweeting or posting on various platforms (after the service!) for the purpose of helping others. When the notes are digital, you can select a few lines, copy them, and then paste them in an email to a friend who needs encouragement or challenge. All of that can be done in less than one minute. By taking notes, you might increase how often you encourage and minister to family, friends, and followers. If you hear something helpful, share it!
6. Sermon notes can help your small group. I hope you are part of a church-based small group for community and spiritual development. If your group discusses the Sunday sermon, then your turn to chime-in is made easier by scrolling through the notes. 
7. It sets a good example. Note-taking parents communicate value in the preaching experience to their ever-observing kids. If you are not a parent, note-taking can encourage those sitting near you to take the sermon seriously. It can even lead to their decision to start a note-taking habit of their own.
8. It reminds you that you are not in an audience listening to a speech. The sermon is a supernatural moment; teaching and preaching from a man who sought the Lord on your behalf. He studied and prayed and edited and crafted—for many hours—to find the best way to communicate deep and filling Truth to you. I’m not talking about taking notes to honor his efforts. I’m talking about note-taking as a reminder to self that you still need to be taught, that you are sitting under spiritual leadership. This isn’t a speech—it is a Spirit-driven moment of proclaiming things you need. Note-taking keeps us in the position of a humbled learner, participating by listening and then capturing by note-taking the things preached for God’s glory and for our good.
I challenge each of you to try this for eight Sundays. Don’t worry about typos and auto-correction; you can clean them up later (But let me know if you get some funny auto-corrects!). Choose an app for your phone or tablet or laptop and take notes on the next eight sermons you hear.
If you are new to note-taking, do not worry about method or format. If your preacher uses lists or outlines, the path is laid-out for you. If not, just type things in a way that makes sense to you. After all, they are for you.
Can you think of any other benefits of sermon note-taking that I left-out? Join the discussion in the comments below.
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