9 Ways to Faith Journal
It is hard to describe just how big of an impact Bible journaling has had on my faith journey. It has rejuvenated my study of the Bible and unlocked so much of scripture for me by allowing me to see it in a fresh light. That being said, I realize that “traditional” Bible journaling is not for everyone. (Although, it is hard to think of any sort of Bible journaling as traditional!). By request, I thought I would share with you all a variety of ways that I have worked through devotionals and completed faith journaling projects in the past!
- Standard Journal Bible – This is the type of Bible that I used when I first started Bible journaling. Journaling Bibles are designed for notes & art with extra wide margins and slightly thicker paper. While they are often chunkier than regular Bibles, this one can still be carried to and from church or bible study.
2. Spiral Bound Illustrating Bible – This journaling Bible is a bigger investment, but it is WONDERFUL to journal in. The pages and margins are extra large to create lots of room for artwork. The pages are definitely thicker than the average Bible to stand up to paint. And, the spiral bound spine makes it easier to add a bit more bulk to your pages. This is a rather large Bible, so most likely you are not going to want to bring this back and forth from church. You may want to think of it more like a keepsake that will be passed down in the family.
3 & 4 – Traveler’s Notebooks – These blank traveler’s notebooks are fantastic for your faith journaling, especially if you don’t feel comfortable journaling in a Bible. By the Well 4 God releases traveler’s notebooks every month that coordinate with their devotionals, and they are filled with high quality white paper. You have the freedom to try all kinds of art techniques without worrying about covering up text in your Bible or having bleed-through affect other entries. I have approached these in a couple of different ways. Sometimes, I create free form, with no connection between entries. Other times, I pre-create my journal before the study starts. In those cases, each journal pages follows a pre-determined layout that I fill in later as I study. I have also used these blank journals for prayer journaling and gratitude journaling.
5 & 6 – Work within a devotional – There have been several months that I have worked within the actual devotional booklet. You can easily use Washi tape to tape in tags and additional journaling pages. Or, I have even de-constructed a traveler’s notebook and added happy planner discs in the past. This allows me to add all kinds of pages and tip-ins directly to the traveler’s notebook.
7. Illuminated Scripture Journal – In the past few months, I have really enjoyed journaling in the Illuminated Scripture Journals. There is one journal for every book of the Bible. You can buy them individually or as large sets. Much like an interleaved Bible, there is text on one page and then a light grid pattern on the opposite page. This makes this journal ideal for note-taking and art work. It is nice that each book of the Bible has its own journal so it is easily carried to church or a Bible study. The pages are not especially thick, but do hold up well to most art techniques.
8. Faith Dex System – Years ago, Heidi Swapp introduced us to a Memory Dex system. This was an updated version of a Rolodex meant for memory keeping. This same system works well for faith journaling as well. These small 3×4 cards are created quickly and perfect for writing out memory verses or quick prayers. The whole system is kept in a small box called a Faith Dex and can sit nicely on your desk! This is such a fun way to change up your journaling and give you an outlet for creativity as well.
9. Tag Ring – Now, this was a super fun project! Instead of sticking to a book, I created a tag (or two) for each day of a devotional study. The tags had verses and notes typed out on them and also places to hold prayers. It was a fun way to use tons of embellishments, but not to lose focus on what I was there to study. Now that I am done with the study, this is a fun decoration that hangs in my craft room reminding me of the lessons learned in this study!
I hope that some of these methods of Bible journaling have inspired you to either jump in or possibly change up what you have been doing! Let me know if you are excited to try something different.
Keep it creative,
-The Scrappy Wife
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