Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.
During my years in Africa, I taught the ladies how to take useful notes during the sermon and then
how to make them useful during the week. This proven method took hold and brought a lot of
smiles and discussion after worship. How proudly they shared their success with each other and
with me. In our subsequent ladies’ classes, their notes became useful by referring to the date code
of the verse in their bible. They loved to surprise me with their ability to find and refer to their
previous notes on that particular verse. I loved it!
Today, when I scrolled down my list of lessons and articles I had written, I thought, why shouldn’t
you, dear reader, also benefit from this method of taking down sermon notes that can become
useful to you now and later? Do try this method (adapted) and see if you too will benefit, as will I.
1. Choose a workable notebook paper.
2. Divide each page as demonstrated below.
3. Add date and speaker at the top of your page.
4. During the sermon take notes on the right side of the page (“Sermon Notes”).
5. Write key word questions in the “Recall Column” across from your key points.
6. At home read and review your notes and scriptures as soon as possible. Choose one key
verse to memorize for the week.
7. If you did not manage to write down quick questions on the left side of the page, do this
now.
8. Write down how the lesson applies to YOU in the “Application and Key Verse” area at the bottom of the page.
9. In the margin/top/bottom of your Bible, code the key verse/scripture with the date recorded
on your sermon notes.
10. Use the Date Code to refer back to these notes whenever you study the verse again.
11. During the week review the sermon by covering the right hand side of the paper and answer
the questions you wrote on the left side.
12. From now on you can know that your time while listening to the sermon was not wasted, but
instead has become very useful to you.
From Cornell Notes and the Five Rs
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