Journey Notes is a collection of reflections, lessons, and personal insights shared to guide and inspire your walk through the Holy Day of Atonement and the Eight Steps of Reconciliation.
Step #8: Perfect Union With Allah (God) and With One Another
Step #8: Perfect Union With Allah (God) and With One Another — “When Your Heart, Your Life, and Your Footsteps Finally Walk in the Same Direction” We’ve reached the final stretch — the summit of the Eight Steps of Atonement. If this journey were a hike, Steps 1–7 were...
Step #7: Reconciliation & Restoration — “When Both of You Finally Stop Stepping on Each Other’s Toes”
Step #7: Reconciliation & Restoration — “When Both of You Finally Stop Stepping on Each Other’s Toes” If Steps 1 through 6 were the emotional warm-up, Step #7 is where the music finally starts making sense again. You’ve pointed out the wrong, acknowledged it,...
Step #6: Forgiveness by the Offended Party — “When You Finally Lift Your Shoe and Peel Off the Gum
Step #6: Forgiveness by the Offended Party — “When You Finally Lift Your Shoe and Peel Off the Gum” By the time we reach Step #6 of the Atonement process, we’ve done some real emotional cardio. Someone pointed out the wrong (Step 1), you acknowledged it (Step 2),...
Step #5: Atonement — “Fix the Fence Before You Invite the Neighbors Over”
Step #5: Atonement — “Fix the Fence Before You Invite the Neighbors Over” Now that you’ve had it pointed out (Step 1), said “Yep” (Step 2), admitted it out loud (Step 3), and turned your direction (Step 4), we arrive at Step #5: Atonement — making amends or...
Step #4: Repentance — Change the Tune, Not Just the Chorus
Step #4: Repentance — Change the Tune, Not Just the Chorus If confession is admitting the lyrics were wrong, repentance is rewriting the song. In his 1995 Million Man March message, Minister Farrakhan said that atonement is “a process that brings us into perfect union...
Step 3: Confession of the fault: have Courage to Say, ‘Yep… That Was Me
Step 3: Confession the fault: he Courage to Say, ‘Yep… That Was Me There’s something sacred — and slightly terrifying — about the words “I did it.” Most people would rather attempt a cartwheel in church than confess a personal fault. But as the Honorable Minister...
Step 2: Acknowledgement of the Wrong — The Hardest Easy Step
Step Two: Acknowledgement of the Wrong — The Hardest Easy Step Let’s be honest — “acknowledging the wrong” sounds simple. Two words. Easy enough to say, right? Yet somehow, it feels like trying to swallow a cactus made of truth and accountability. So What Does...
Why We Delay Atonement: Five Hidden Blocks
Why We Delay Atonement: Five Hidden Blocks In the journey toward true atonement, many of us stall. We procrastinate, sidestep, or delay when what we really need is to lean in. My discussion with our Product Policy Manager surfaced five key sentiments that often...
Step 1: Point Out the Wrong
Step One: Point Out the Wrong (Without Pointing Fingers Too Hard) Ah, Step One — Point Out the Wrong. Sounds simple enough, right? Until you realize… there are two people in this step: the pointer and the pointed. And both have jobs that are not for the...