TL; DR
What if remembering is more than looking back—what if it’s a way to grow your faith right now? In this post, I’m sharing simple, personal ways I’m practicing the spiritual discipline of remembering—through journaling, prayer, and small acts of love.
On the day I finished the first draft of The Unplugged Hours, I opened my front door to find a beautifully curated bucket full of goodies.
The carefully-curated bin held a cookbook, a new rolling pin, some hand towels, and a box of gluten-free baked goods from my favorite bakery.
One only has to see this kind of display of extravagant love on their front porch for a single moment to know it’s from one person: my friend Cara.
Cara is a gem of a human—the kind I wish every person had in their life. She’s a celebrator of her people. She’s a champion of the small things. And what I love most about her is that she remembers—big celebrations and little moments.
Handing in the first draft of a book should feel like a big deal, but it is often overshadowed by the shinier moments: when the book deal comes, when the hardcover is in hand, and when the publication date arrives. Yet, my friend Cara took time to celebrate a milestone that I was ready to pass by quickly. She was at my front door with baking supplies (remembering that I started baking while writing the first draft to pull myself out of my brain and work with my hands a little more) as a way to say, “Good job, friend. We’re savoring this. We’re remembering this milestone.” Her act of celebration was a reminder I needed of the importance of appreciating and valuing even the smallest of victories in the journey.
Though it’s happening somewhat unintentionally, we are spending these first few weeks of 2025 in the Monday Club talking about these lesser-known spiritual disciplines like paying attention, living alert, and choosing to remember. I didn’t plan for this, but I absolutely love it here.
Remembering– and the act of it– is all over the Bible.
In Psalm 77, the psalmist declares, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” At the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus broke bread, and said to the long table, “This is my body, given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Remembrance is a crucial part of the fabric of faith. It’s how, when we walk through dark tunnels and land in darker pits, we are able to hear the words, “You’re coming through this.” We remember times when we’ve come through it in the past, and we remember how it all felt when the sun shined again.
But in the age of overstimulation and too much information, I feel like choosing to be someone who remembers is not just a spiritual discipline, it’s a spiritual gift that ultimately– when given– builds others up.
So how? That’s the question. How do we remember more? Remember better? Remember with intention?
Today, I’m sharing a few ways I practice the discipline of remembrance in daily life:
Remembering Through Old Journals
I recently posted on social media, asking people what they did with their old journals. I can’t stand to part with dozens of them, but, let’s be honest, they’re taking up too much space.
My friend Jane suggested a practice I now love and have been practicing since. She said she thumbs through old journals and marks the pages with washi tape—the pages where something significant happened, a prayer was answered, or a collection of words was waiting to be written. It’s the act of going back through old journals to remember how God showed up for you, how that circumstance worked itself out, and who you were before you grew and changed and shed skin.
I’ve picked up this practice of thumbing through old journals as a way of remembering God’s faithfulness. I use gold washi tape exclusively to remind myself, “This is a spot where you found gold. X marks the spot.”
Remembering In Prayer
I’m trying out a different prayer journal this year, but I’ve been a long-time lover of Val Marie Paper if you are looking for a solid prayer journal recommendation.
For this year, I’ve picked up a 5-year prayer journal from Hosanna Revival that has been sitting in my office for the last two years.
What I love about this journal is the simple yet profound structure it offers. Each day has just enough space to write a short paragraph, but here’s the kicker: every day of the year has five spaces for the 5 years to come. That means that when you finish one year, you can look back at your prayers from the previous years as you journal the next—and you’ll see how God has shown up in each season.
p.s. I just checked and my code from Hosanna Revival still works for the entire shop! Use code HANNAHBRENCHER for 10% off!
This is what I call a long-haul spiritual discipline. The results and the impact of remembering might not be immediate but, if you stick with the practice, the results will compound and deepen in meaning over time.
Remembering Others
People remember on social media. They chronicle. They share what matters to them.
Little by little, I’ve been scrolling through the accounts of my closest friends and family members, and I’ve been marking dates on my calendar: the day her mother passed away, the day they lost the baby, the birthdays of children, the anniversary dates.
I want to be a remember-er of my people’s celebrations and losses. I’ve witnessed that power from others in my life, who have remembered for me in remarkable and thoughtful ways, and that’s a quality far more critical than being efficient, or successful, or booked and busy.
In my morning meeting the other week, I felt God pressing into my spirit to send more flowers. The reason I think this could be God is that I’m not a big flower lover; this would never be my go-to idea. But I finished that quiet time with such a serene peace, saying, “I hope this is the year that I send more flowers than ever before.” Flowers to celebrate. Flowers to remember. Flowers to say, “Hey, I know to everyone else this feels like a normal day, but I’m standing with you on this day– I remember your pain three years ago.”
I hope I can reach the end of this year and say, “I sent too many flowers.”
Here’s the thing: I might be on a flower-sending rampage this year, but remembering others doesn’t always require a bouquet on their doorstep. You can choose to remember someone every day—without spending a dime. It’s as simple as this: look up from your screen, open your contacts, close your eyes, and scroll for a moment. Pause. Wherever your finger lands, send that person a text. Right now, if you can, and if it’s an ex, don’t text them—choose someone else.
I’m doing this with you. Hold on.
The first person I landed on wasn’t the right choice for this. Let me try again.
Okay, the next name was an old team member I hadn’t spoken to in a while. I paused and immediately sent her a quick message of encouragement. It took about ten seconds, maybe less. That’s how simple it can be to reach out in the middle of a busy Monday. It costs nothing, and it’s easy—but it matters.
In a world where we’re all trying to remember that we matter, that we’re seen, loved, and known—receiving a text from an old friend can be just the reminder someone needs today. And you have the power to offer that reminder.
**Update: She texted back immediately with a minute-long voice memo. We’ve been catching up ever since, volleying voice updates back and forth.
Remembering Out Loud
I came across a line in Psalm 34 recently that has stayed with me since I first found it:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
I’ve thought about this a lot over the last few weeks. Yes, I bless God but there’s something significant about what the psalmist says here. It’s not that he blessed God in prayer or that he blesses God in the lines of his journal. He blesses God with his mouth– out loud and on display.
Translation: you remember the blessings and share them in conversation with friends. You remember the blessings and share them in public places, for others to be encouraged. And I’m not only focusing on the big blessings that are easy to share on social media but the small ones. The ones that can easily get overlooked.
When’s the last time we shared out loud, about the small blessings? About miracles? About what God is up to on a Tuesday? When’s the last time we made a social media post about those things? And what would that do within our hearts? Or within the hearts of others?
Remembering the Days
Want to start small? This is a good idea for the person who simply wants to remember more, to look back and savor the small and big parts of life.
There’s a variety of journals that will help you start remembering. It doesn’t have to be your big prayers or micro miracles- you can simply start to remember the days and, as a result, you’ll reflect on the bright spots in your life.
•I used to have this one.
•This one is gorgeousss.
Remembering God
Years ago, on a podcast interview, a friend shared her discipline of keeping a bible on the countertop. By having it in plain sight, in a highly trafficked area, she would remember to flip it open and read a verse or two in the midst of the chaos, or while she was waiting for her tea to brew, and the dino chicken nuggets to cool down.
I started practicing this spiritual discipline, and it is now one of my favorites. It does not require much effort but it yields a lot of fruit. It’s the simple act of remembering God in daily life. In the busyness of the day. In the moments where I typically choose checking in on social media over checking in with him.
Some days, just seeing the Bible on the countertop, stirs a reminder in me to breathe and remember God, and remember all that is growing and changing in me at this present moment.
The pockets of opening the Scriptures aren’t long but they always leave me more refreshed than an app ever could.
**For reference, I use these journals and I keep a pen in the spiral bound part so I can journal little notes in the margins. I am making a habit of rotating them seasonally. Right now, the Poetry journal (Psalms and Proverbs) is sitting on my kitchen counter.
xx,
hb.
p.s. a booklist to reset your spirit, and my favorite nighttime rhythm.
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