Bible Journaling: 8 Things To Consider Before You Begin 

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This was a grace-filled teaching! Thank you for your vulnerability as you exposed another way legalism can sneak in in many ways for Christians. ✌️

Excellent video, Nancy! I do not Bible journal. I love to draw, sketch, and paint, however I do those artistic things completely separately from my studying the scriptures. I want to immerse myself in God’s word, understand it, and live in it’s truth by God’s grace. In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge… I need nothing else but to study to show myself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. That is where my joy is! 🥰 I enjoy my art as a hobby in my free time!

I've strayed away from journaling because I'm not artsy. It takes alot of work for me to draw or copy. But, words are always my way of expression. I love to verse map and show others how to do that. Note-taking is something that I want to begin doing in my Bible. Thank you for sharing this. I'm binge watching your videos today, lol.

❤Thank you, you are refreshing! Finally someone that cares more about what Jesus wants for my life than me or anyone else. You don’t try to tell me what to do. I think it’s great to start in a notebook first,smart thinking.

I love that you give people freedom to choose..I have been a notetaker all my life but also am trying to be a little more creative..you are an excellent teacher!❤

I've been in a read through the Bible in a Year group. I read my daily passages and take notes as I read. I sometimes make notes in my Bible and sometime put sticky notes in it along with taking my notes in a spiral notebook. I never thought of that as "Bible journaling." I am easing into a plan to start using color coding and using symbols in my journaling Bible. My plan is to finish my Bible in a Year reading the way I have done all year and then begin my new system the first of the year.

Thank you Nancy for sharing your thoughts! I’m starting to journal and there are sooo many options. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Hi! I'm Getting Stared On My Journal Journey!! Thanks So Much! Marcia Dove

I'm inching toward being able to just write in my Bible. It's been a real struggle for me because of how I was raised with the idea that we don't write in books from the library or in the Bible. In elementary school our teachers and librarians pounded it into our heads about library and text books, and family members said it was defacing the Bible. Also, like you, I had a bad experience years ago with notes and highlighting in a Bible becoming a distraction for me. I recently bought a $3 thrift store study Bible that had a broken spine. I have been taking a few notes in it and am easing into Bible notetaking without much risk involved.

Here's the thing. I love art and creativity and color and visually engaging things. But I never thought all that crafty stuff people do is for me because it is literally getting in the way of the text! I can do some of that with my highlighting and written notes and tabs and some sticky notes too (transparent ones are my new favorite thing, thanks to a chronological study Kanoe Gibson is doing on her channel, NotesandHues). I don't hate the thought of journaling. I'm just thinking about what I already have going - there's the notebooks I have just for sermon notes; the smaller notebooks I have just for the SOAP method; the larger notebooks I have for my time with God as well as to take notes on anything that seems relevant to my discussions with Him/things to pray about; and finally my notebooks where I am summarizing the OT books, one chapter at a time. Let alone my actual journals about my life (which is mostly electronic these days)! Oh! I almost forgot, my dreams are in their own books and I have another newer one with verses categorized by topic because I was getting annoyed by the repetition of common (dare I say cliche) verses we all use for certain types of prayers. God didn't ONLY say by his stripes we are healed, when we're praying for healing. And no. Believe it or not, I'm not overwhelmed by all these notebooks. (My side of the bed is a little tricky, though. 😀) I prefer it this way. However, I just don't know if I can do one more special notebook, and that's coming from someone who is a writer - in case my lengthy comments didn't clue you in to that. 😛It may seem intuitive to combine some of these, but I also may carry one of these around for a reason for a season, so I don't want to make it cumbersome. What I think needs to happen down the road is I need a journaling Bible because I already know I won't draw pictures in it so it should allow the room I need for the thoughts I get and the connections I want to make. Problem solved! I hope! But it's going to be awhile before I need a new Bible, so for now I may leave well-enough alone. But you've made some great points here and I really like how you talk about how all that artsy stuff can actually be a hindrance. I never realized journaling Bibles have thicker paper. Makes sense. Great, smart, helpful video. I feel like you get me. lol!

I have been scared to started bible journaling ..because like you said I will to overwhelmed. Like you said pray about it thank you..

I keep some Bibles clean for f resh reading but others I mark - esp adding color with highlighters and taking notes, asking questions, taping in something here and there or using post-its - last year the BIble I used for my one year reading plan had lots of extra pages of stuff I didn't really care for so I used those pages for putting sticky notes on and writing in the empty spaces. The bible I chose for this year doesn't have that 'real estate' and I'm missing it. I was in several journaling groups on facebook and got out of them when the craze with gesso and napkin pictures was hot and heavy - same with the war binders - I realized with the war binder that I wsa spending so much time stressing over how to put one together that I could have been praying that whole time! my energy is low and I'm tired from 12 hour rotating shifts so my time for Bible reading/study/journaling is precious and limited and anything too time consuming hasn't been worth it for me - the benefit I gained wasn't worth it though I may try listening to Scripture on app while coloring in the Inspire Bible I have. otherwise my pics are simple or a simple sticker here and there.

Hi Nancy!

Enjoyed the video, although I'm more into note taking in a 5 subject notebook, I have * highlighted areas throughout my Bible and a pocket that I created that holds thin index cards; with various encouragements and Favorite scriptures that I read before studying or afterwards, I'm uncomfortable with Heavy Artistry by way of doodling in my bible. Praying before I read gives me direction as to where I need to focus my attention. I pray and ask Holy Spirit to guide me and give me understanding as He intended. Takecare 🌹

What are you're thoughts about writing notes or drawing in your Bible? Yay or Nay? Or somewhere in-between? Check out this video if you want more journaling ideas besides writing in your Bible: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nApzmpfRgU4.html

Excellent video Nancy! All really great points and food for thought. I am yay all the way with writing/drawing/stickers/adding all sorts of notes, prayers, questions, highlights...the whole shabang. (however you spell that) I tried to get all artistic at first, but man, that didn't last too long because it just took too long. I was following Illustrated Faith as my example since they were the only ones around doing it...I was one of the early birds...and they used so much paint. You know what happens to paint right? It dries....and that takes time. So, I still have my big Illustrated Faith Illustrated Bible that I will still fill up eventually. I've since moved on to basically: pens, highlighters, some stamping, stickers and then just writing. Some days all I do is highlight and write. But, for the most part I don't read from these bibles. I "work" in them. I dwell in them and take everything in....I pray over them...take notes, ask questions, decorate, etc. I read my collection of thinlines or personal size bibles that I collect in multiple translations. I treasure my work in my journaling bibles and I review my past entries from time to time to see what I was doing and when, but I don't sit there and read from them (other than when I'm actually working in them if you get my drift).

Looking forward to starting a new Bible study in January so this great info. Love the details. Thank you.

This really helped me, thanks for all the tips!!!

Wonderful video, thank you!

I have no problem with writing /making notes in our bibles. But for me it is not necessary to be drawing colouring and creating unnecessary art work which to me is distracting.