How To: Bible Journal || What Is It?

Hello, lovely readers! I'm so happy you clicked on this blog post! If you've read some of my content, then you're aware I talk about a lot of things. I write stories, prose pieces, lifestyle articles, and much more. One topic I love to discuss is Bible journaling. I'm writing this to help others learn what Bible journaling is and why I love it and how it could be beneficial to you. So let's get into it, shall we?

What Is Bible Journaling?

I believe there are two types of Bible journaling. You can write notes in the margins of your Bible (like the pictures listed below) or you can make art in your Bible (this is what I typically do). Bible journaling was made specifically for you to understand and connect with God's word in a more personal way. If you think Bible journaling is a bad thing to do to a Bible, that is your opinion. We all have different ways to connect to God's word and this is just my way :)

Notes

There are many ways where you can make notes in your Bible. Highlighters help to keep track of important pieces of information. During this time, I was in a Bible study where we were reading through Hebrews. Then a few weeks later, we were starting through Hebrews in church for the Sunday services. There was a lot we learned, so a lot of notes went into this Bible. You decide how you want to write your notes. You don't have to go all highlighter crazy like I did, but it makes for an appealing picture, I believe. However, if you are not going to write notes like these, I don't recommend using so many highlighters. That might make going back harder to understand.

These notes are your own. So feel free to write in different colors, highlight some key phrases you jot down, and if something pops into your mind that you feel relates to the subject, feel free to write that down, too.

When these notes were written, my brother was teaching about fear in our Bible study after a retreat. God used him to talk about fear. As you can see, he brought up many good points. I also wrote down some lyrics to a VeggieTales song at the bottom because I could relate the two topics.

Art

There are many ways to make art in your Bible. You can use colored pencils, markers, crayons, pens, watercolor paints, acrylic paints, and so much more. There really are no rules to Bible journaling, unless you decide to make your own rules, but I'll talk more about that later. (Also, are you interested in tips for Bible journaling? If so, please leave a comment and I'll take some time to make separate posts for separate topics, like paints, stickers, and so on.)

Recently, I have been loving using watercolors. I like sketching out my piece first then adding watercolor to bring the entry to life. You can Bible journaling

however you would like. It is completely up to you. This is your Bible, your sanctuary, your own personal praise and worship to God! Don't let the idea of other artwork or what you are capable or incapable of doing stop you from making beautiful art in your Bible.

Rules

I mentioned you can make your own rules to how you Bible journal. I want to take a few minutes to talk about that before moving on to a few more things.

Try not to let the idea of rules keep you from making art. While they may be nice, they also have the power of keeping you from adventuring a little. When I started Bible journaling I said I would not cover the words of the Bible. And I still try to stay true with that, but I have found a way to paint over the words without covering them. But when I made that rule, I was afraid to use paint in my Bible. Last year, I decided to change that and it has transformed how I journaled. Here are a few things to keep in mind before deciding you want to Bible journal:

1. Know that Bible pages may rip. It has happened to me before, but it is not the end of the world. It happens.

2. If you try to keep paint from covering the words, know it might not work. Again, I have done this, but it wasn't the end of the world. I have a second Bible (which I recommend) and my Bible app to help me read it if I can't.

3. Keeping restrictions might keep you from exploring what art you are capable of making. The first year I had my journaling Bible, I was strictly just for notes. I was too afraid of messing up the pages. Then one day I was inspired to draw, add a few stickers, maybe a few stamps, and my journey in Bible journaling began.

Do I Need A Journaling Bible To Bible Journal?

No, you do not need a journaling Bible to Bible journal. While it might be helpful for the extra room, it is not needed. If you search for some Bible journalers on YouTube, I'm sure you can find some who use a regular Bible. You can make art in many ways, with clear stickers, paint, stamps, and so on. Having a regular Bible shouldn't stop you from making art in your Bible. But if you want to buy a journaling Bible, Zondervan Bibles with the single column is preferably my favorite. :)

What If I'm Not A Good Artist?

I thought this too when I started Bible journaling. I'm not that great of an artist, but I try. There are many ways you can still journal in your Bible without being a good artist. You can use paints, stickers, stamps, and even trace pictures and use stencils. Don't let the inability to draw keep you from Bible journaling. And on top of that, throw perfection out of the window. It took me forever to do that. Before you make an entry, clear your mind, throw away perfection, and let God's words speak to you.

That's about all I have for you guys. I hope this was helpful to you. If you want to subscribe to my blog, feel free to do so. I'm in the process of making my own little devotional content. If you like posts like these, leave a comment and let me know what you want to me to address next!

Thanks for reading. I hope you have an amazing rest of your day and week. Remember to keep smiling. You never know who will need it.

XO,

Kaylee ❤