BTW4G – “Abba, Father” Prayer Journal

As I prepped for the “Abba, Father” devotional study from By the Well 4 God, I knew I wanted to try a different approach to the devotional this month.  (You can see my unboxing of this kit right here – “Abba, Father Unboxing”)  “Abba, Father” is a focused study on prayer, taking a look at a variety of prayers throughout the Bible.  There is definitely something to learn from God’s faithful followers throughout the Bible, how they patterned their prayers, what they prayed for, and the purpose behind their prayers.  In order to really dive into the prayer part of this study, I decided to create a prayer journal using a Traveler’s Notebook.  While I have always been a prayer journaler, writing out prayers every morning, I decided that a more focused prayer time, using this devotional would be a nice change.

I created a process and flip-through video of the finished prayer journal that you can check out here:

This is one of those projects that could end up taking a long time to create, but my desire was to keep it simple, but to still have a beautiful prayer journal that I could turn to every morning.  The way I simplified the whole process was by using the same format for every page. Every page began with the same technique of using a blush brush to spread Distress Oxide ink across the background. I chose a variety of colors that I felt complimented the colors of the kit.  Each page also includes a stenciled road, created with Distress Oxide in “Weathered Wood”.  Adding these common elements to every page gives the journal a cohesive look and streamlines the creation of the whole project.

For every single day of the devotional, a specific prayer from the Bible is referenced.  I chose to print out all of these references and adhere those verses on the left side of each layout.  That way I have a direct reference in my journal and an opportunity to highlight and take notes right there next to my personal prayers.  Some of the verses I mounted on scrapbook paper while others were highlighted with stamps surrounding the verses.  I also added a title to each prayer, based on the title or prompt questions for each day of the devotional.

The main element that I added to each page was a series of stamping using both the stamps from the devotional kit and the extra stamp sets that coordinate with the kit.  Every page has stamped elements representing communication.  One of my main goals was to tie the pages together by having a stamped image from one page continue on to the next layout.  This was a bit of a challenge, and as a novice stamper, things got messy, but I am pleased with the result.  I added colored pencil to the stamped images and called the journal complete!

I am looking forward to jumping into this devotional, and I feel pretty excited about filling up this prayer journal!  Have you ever done a prayer journal?  How about a traveler’s notebook?  Let me know how you streamlined the process in the comments below!

Keep it creative,

-The Scrappy Wife

Supplies Used:

• “Abba, Father” Devotional Kit from BTW4G
• Coordinating Traveler’s Notebooks
• Sassy Upper Alpha Stamp Set
• Sassy Lower Alpha Stamp Set
• Connections Stamp Set
• Holy Post Stamp Set
• Coordinating Alpha Tiles – “Intercession”
• Coordinating Clear Alphas – “Intercession”
• Versafine Onyx Black Ink
• Prismacolor Pencils