Bible Journaling: You Gotta Do It!
I feel like Bible Journaling is something that falls into three camps.
- You LOVE it.
- You aren’t interested.
- Or you don’t have a clue what it is.
I’m here to shed a little light and motivate you to start doing this. If you already love it, hopefully I can share some fun options to add to your mix of journaling the Bible.
What is Bible Journaling?
You could Google this question and come up with a lot of different answers. But in the end, Bible journaling is just a way to creatively study the Word of God. When I say creatively, it may not be exactly what you think. It could mean writing scriptures with colored gel pens, mapping out a verse with a template, using a bullet journal to write out things that are important to remember from a passage of scripture, or making a mixed media collage across the pages of a Journaling Bible.
How to make it work for you
There are a few things that might be holding you back from wanting to jump into this type of studying. First of all, you don’t think you are creative. Well, that definitely shouldn’t be stopping you. In fact, you may already be doing some faith journaling and not realize it. If you’ve ever highlighted scriptures or written notes in the margins of your Bible, you are already journaling! These notations we make over the years in our Bibles become a tapestry of faith-growing memories, connected to scriptures. To me, this is the essence of Bible Journaling.
Not a Creative Bone in My Body!
If you don’t love the idea of coloring, doodling, stamping, painting or even cutting and pasting, then you might love the idea of Verse Mapping. A great definition comes from VerseMapping.com. Verse-Mapping is a method of studying the historical context, transliteration, translation, connotation, and theological framework of a verse in the Bible. Go to their website. You will find a ton of resources to get started. I also recommend this post on Cups to Crowns. It will help you map your verses in a more contextual way. I’ve included this free printable to get your feet wet. I like to think of this as a Classical Approach. By understanding the history of the text, we can learn so much about what God is revealing to us. I haven’t done this method of Bible Journaling, but it is on my list to start diving into it more this fall.
Sounds Overwhelming
Secondly, you might not want to get into Bible Journaling because it sounds a bit overwhelming and possibly expensive. I can relate. When I bought my Journaling Bible back in 2015, I was ready to paint, stamp and get all colorful with my new Bible. But life was busy and I never could find the time to delve into all the techniques I wanted to learn. Although this Bible didn’t turn into what I had envisioned, I love what happened instead. It became my washi-tape Bible. I love ribbon and washi-tape is the next best thing!
As I was going through Bible studies with my small group and ladies class at church, I found myself putting a little tab, using washi-tope, on pages where I had made notes or hi-lighted things I wanted to remember. Also, I would put tabs on pages that I had jotted down prayers for my kids,
At the time, I had a dear friend battling cancer. I began sending her cards each week with passages that God put on my heart. Every time I sent the card, I highlighted the passage and put a piece of tape on the top of the page. I did this so I wouldn’t send her the same one twice. This continued for a long time. Then other people came along that needed cards with scriptures! I used a different pattern of tope for each person. This became a huge encouragement to friends, but it also showed me God’s faithfulness to me through those same passages.
The thing is, a Journaling Bible can be whatever you want it to be. If you are in God’s word, good things will happen.
Consistency Is So Hard
Are you hesitant to start because you struggle to be consistent at anything. Yep, that would be me too! But don’t approach Bible Journaling as all or nothing. The enjoyment and growth you receive far outweigh the guilt you put on yourself for not being consistent. It’s time to let perfectionism go.
This is also true of the pages you might create. Trying to make the perfect piece of art in your Bible isn’t the point. This isn’t a comparison game. It is all about growing your relationship with God. It’s great to get all kinds of ideas from artists on YouTube. But just like everything with social media, the highlight reels can steal all our joy. Watch, learn, then go do your own thing.
My Inconsistent Example!
So in January, I decided to write a scripture every day in a blank journal, using Illustrated Faith’s Print and Pray Digitals. They come up with a themed Scripture Writing Plan every year with printables you can add to the pages. Print the pages on sticker paper, or just print them on plain paper, cut them out, and stick them on with tape runner. You can be as simple or as elaborate as you want.
This has been really enjoyable for me and led me to delve into scriptures that I might not typically read. Many days I will read the full chapter, or a few chapters to get more meaning from the individual verse. I’m also enjoying cutting out the Ephemera pieces and taping them into my journal. It’s something I loved to do as a kid. I was an early scrapbooker!
Have I done this consistently every day? No. But I AM up to date:) Some days it just doesn’t happen, but I go back and write the scriptures I have missed. So far this year, I have been away from home 10 weeks. This was an easy journal to pack and take along with me.
Below are some links that should be helpful if you decide to jump into this new adventure. Remember it’s not a sprint, we are in this for the long race. Don’t forget to find joy in the journey!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1
| Journaling Bibles | ChristianBooks.com, Amazon |
| Kits & Printables | Illustrated Faith |
| Chapter and Verse Washi Tape | Dayspring |
| Washi Tape Variety Packs | Christian Art Gifts |
| Bibles, Printables and more | Etsy |
| Free Printables | Garments of Splendor |
| Sticker Paper for Printer | WalMart |
| Sticker Paper for Cricut | Cricut |
| Christian Samps | Stamps Of Life, Sweet N Sassy Stamps |
| Bible Journaling Videos to get started | YouTube |
Feel free to comment or email me if you have questions or want more direction to get started. And don’t forget, if you love just a basic, lined journal we’ve got them in the shop!
You are precious in his sight,
