Pastor Scott Mawdesley has blended his love for writing and his love for working with leather, creating a fledgling business that promises to grow in time. Why? Its roots run deep.
“Write One Line,” both the name of the company and Scott’s philosophy about journaling, rings true with a lot of people.
“I began journaling as I went through about a ten-year journey of healing,” Scott said. “Daily writing helped me work through the things I needed to. I wanted to get consistent with my writing, so I would write just one a line a day if that were all I could manage. It’s not what I write, it’s that I write,” he explained.
“The Write One Line” Journa
Putting pen to paper and writing personal thoughts can be a difficult thing to do, and being consistent with that writing – journaling – is important when writing is part of a healing process, a catharsis of the mind and soul. Otherwise weeks, then months and yes, even years can pass between journal entries. When the consistency is not there, the writer may simply and quietly give up. The paper becomes a behemoth, too big to conquer. But life gets very busy, and quiet time set aside for writing one’s thoughts easily gets pushed aside to handle more hectic demands.
The campus pastor at the 12Stone Church Sugarloaf location, Scott encounters hundreds of people (thousands on any given Sunday). When talking with people about journaling and its healing impact, Scott offered, “When people struggle with the consistency and habit of writing, I ask, ‘Well, how about writing one line a day?’” Over the years, he has trained many others to be consistent with their journaling, and he has seen the positive effects that the habit has on them.
“I began journaling about twenty years ago, writing about dreams I’d had, or just my thoughts. But I found that I’d write consistently for three days, then I wouldn’t pick it up again for three years,” Scott shared. He understood early on that consistency in practice made a difference, and from that, he developed a very simple mantra. “The practice is simple, yet profound. Set aside 60-90 seconds a day to ‘Write One Line’ in your journal,” Scott shares with those he mentors in the practice of journaling. “It will change your life.”
Pastor Scott Mawdesley working on the hand-made journalRick Barnett is a good friend of Scott’s, and he’s also benefited from the Write One Line philosophy. “Life is busy. Journaling is important and very rewarding. These two statements seem to have been conflicting my entire life until I was introduced to Write One Line,” Barnett said. “I am grateful for the platform that has helped me to develop such a meaningful and rewarding habit.”
When the idea to combine his love of working with leather with his passion for journaling came to him, Scott began to make his own leather journals. “It gave me more motivation, writing in a leather journal. It just feels right to me.”
“I love working with my hands, and I love working with leather. When my grandfather retired, he made crafts with his hands. I’ve been making these leather journals for about seven years,” Scott said. The father of two children ages 11 and 6, he knows the importance of words he committed to paper years ago. He decided early on to pass his passion on to his children. “My son found a journal that I gave him when he was six, and when he read through it, we talked about it. I’m giving my children a lifetime habit,” said Scott.
The pastor and father has been working with a mentoring company to get the journals he makes to children in need. For every sale of one of his handmade journals, a child-size journal is donated to a child. While that may seem like a small gesture to some, it can give a child the outlet he needs in order to process strife on a scale that he can manage. Children manage stress and difficult situations differently than do adults. Often, a child’s journal containing his own thoughts are all the counseling that child will receive. If even one child is helped by this gift, the effort will be well worth it.
Pastor Scott Mawdesley working with the press.The rising popularity of the beautiful journals and the gifts to children in need have steadily increased the need for higher production. “I used to measure and cut every journal by hand. Now I have a leather press, but I still finish every one by hand,” Scott said. That personal touch on every one of the “Write One Line” journals matters to him, and he’ll likely continue adding his touch to every journal for as long as the practice is feasible.
“Write One Line” journals are available for sale through the company’s website, www.writeoneline.com. Refer to special discount code GC25 to receive a 25 percent discount off the first order.
