Bible Journaling is a way of using your artistic abilities to honor God and a creative way to engage with Scripture.

I was introduced to bible journaling during the lockdown here in March due to the pandemic. As I browsed my favorite website – Pinterest – I came across these beautiful drawings in bibles and became fascinated.

I did some research on this interesting phenomenon and discovered bible journaling. This was very new to me and I wondered, “how can a person read the bible when there are drawings and writing all over it?”.  I was impressed though and admired how beautiful they looked so I decided to try my hand at it.

After doing some more research I learnt there were bibles specifically designed for this type of journaling. I was particularly drawn to the NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible, so I purchased one for myself and the Girls edition for my daughter. It was through bible journaling that I discovered my ability to draw.

Here are some ways that bible journaling has helped me:

Memorize Scripture

Memorizing scripture is particularly important in a Christian’s life. It is not an easy thing for me to do especially as I get older, but I found that when I journal the scripture by drawing an image related to it, helps to cement it in my mind. Take for instance Psalm 42:3: “My tears have been my food day and night”. By drawing an image of a woman with tears on her cheeks, this has helped me to remember this scripture.

Express My Feelings

Let’s look at Psalm 42:3 once again. When I first read this scripture it just jumped out at me. Reading it, I remembered the times I cried when things got so overwhelming. When I cried so much, I literally drank the tears as it ran down my face. And as mentioned before I had to draw an image of this to help express how I felt.

Use My Drawing to Glorify God

As an artist there are times when I need inspiration to draw. Reading scripture and visualizing how it plays out in my head is an ideal way to get my creative juices flowing. If at any time you need inspiration to create, turn to your bible and use scripture as a reference. You glorify God in this way.

Choosing Scripture

I use scriptures from the SOAP method of bible study.  Sometimes too, when reading my daily devotionals, a verse jumps out and speaks to me. I then feel compelled to journal this verse and this helps me to become creative in my journaling bible.

Bible Journaling Tools

Sometimes I use a sketch pad to create if there is no space in my journaling bible to do what I want.

Other tools I use to create are:

Colored Pencils

Colored pencils are my favorite art tool. They are ideal to use in the bible because they will not bleed through the pages. There are many different brands of colored pencil, but an artist brand is better because the regular children’s brand would not show up well in the bible pages.

Drawing pencils

While colored pencils bring images to life, there is something about black and white that colored pencils cannot depict as well. I just love drawing and shading so I have a wide variety of drawing pencils I use. Of course, you also need a drawing pencil to outline your image in the bible. And please note there is nothing wrong in tracing an outline before you finalize it.

Highlighters

Highlighters can be used to highlight the scripture you wish to journal. I usually highlight the scripture I am journaling so I would remember that this is what the drawing is depicting. You can also use highlighters to color code your scriptures for easy referencing. For instance, when I did a study on I and II Kings, I used purple to highlight all the Israelite Kings so I could easily find it for future reference.

A Few Stickers

Stickers enhance your page and it make it look beautiful. I use a lot of butterfly and heart stickers. But there are a wide variety of stickers to choose from. It’s all about personal preference.

Washi tape

When I first discovered washi-tape I was so excited. I ordered a wide variety and use them mainly in my notebooks or sketch pads, so the pages won’t look so plain. I know a lot of people use them to identify the various books of the bible by placing them on the edge of the page. Just get creative, there are so many ways to use washi-tape because they are so versatile.

Your Creativity Honors God

If you are an artistic person, I highly recommend bible journaling as a means of expressing your time in the Word. Remember, your creativity was given to you by God and is a wonderful way of honoring him.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Exodus 31:1-5

If you don’t feel comfortable creating in your bible, then a regular journal or notebook will do.

Here are some of the pages I did in my coloring bible as well as some I did in my sketch pad.

You can visit my Instagram page to see more of my bible journaling.