Thank you for your kind words Vickie. But the reason may not be what you think. I asked her to give us a glimpse at her Bible and she agreed! In my last post, “How to Get Started with Bible Journaling,” I mentioned I am not an avid Bible journaler. In a day when “Bible journaling” seems to be synonymous with creating cute illustrations in your Bible or answering pre-determined questions, remember that it doesn't have to be that way — and it shouldn't if it's not truly strengthening your relationship with the Lord. Let's … But for right now I want to tell you that this post is not meant to judge you, criticize you or make you feel bad. Because I was ten, those entries mainly consisted of what I ate for lunch and the Super Nintendo game I played on a given day. Several years ago, I jumped in with both feet when the whole Bible journaling craze began. I will tell you what I found on the video in a little bit. Remember that Bible journaling is not about creating the most beautiful page to post on Instagram or to rival the people of Pinterest. Sometimes I see a need that I should add to my long-term prayer list and begin praying fervently about it and waiting on God to answer specifically. September 28, 2015. People are drawing and coloring in their Bible and purchasing fancy Bible coloring books in order to study the Bible. How kind of you ♡ Blessings on you ! But you also need to be careful that those things don't end up watering down your spiritual life or becoming a superficial replacement for the Holy Spirit's work in your heart. But it did start me making an art journal, and thats been fun. I never understood how much I would enjoy it! | Terms of Use - Designed by Thrive Themes | Powered by WordPress, Why I Don’t Do Bible Journaling (And What I Do Instead), What you learned from your time in God's word that day, Temptations you have been facing and prayer for God's help to overcome them; Scriptures to help you fight that temptation, Burdens you are carrying and requesting God's intervention. I have all the supplies and a Pinterest board at my ready. Why is she telling me to stop Bible journaling? I love to study that way, but I've recently stopped. Last year for Valentine’s Day Alan gave me a journaling Bible. Take the time to journal your precious moments with the Lord. But now I have a herniated disk and can’t bend my neck and my hands are too weak to hold a pencil much less scissors. Perhaps it will fit back into my journey at some point. I gave my “quit” no thought, until now, when I read yours. I decided to finish other projects and books I need to finish reading first. Some of the Scripture illustrations I have seen online are absolutely beautiful. Nancy, I’m so glad you could identify with this Nancy. Your Bible journal is for YOU. I was consumed with looking at other Bible journaling art, what others were doing and creating and then measuring myself against them. Recently, I have even thought about creating in it again. As I share my bible journaling (aka Illustrated Faith, art worship, faith documented), I want to take a beat to explain what it is and why I do it. I thought. My first Journaling Bible was a gift from my husband 4 years ago and I love it because I can just write it on the side of the verses I read. Mine didn’t last long, and thats just okay! Mistakes will happen when you create, and the more you create the more mistakes you will make. I feel the same as you! So far I have about 10 verses that I have “drawn” in the margin. Have you done Bible Journaling? Why I Can Only Bible Journal Digitally! Keeping a journal itself isn’t something only women do. Very interesting. Bible journaling serves a purpose for me in that I savor (and remember) what I’ve read much more. I loved it! You see, I think Bible journaling is not so much about the finished product as it is the process. But none. Yes, the reflection was good for me! It’s one thing to say that reading your Bible is important. If you haven’t heard of Bible Journaling, it is simply taking a key verse from a passage and writing it … Over time, you learn to trust him more because you can remember the goodness and power he has displayed on your behalf in the past. She will be here on the blog next week and I can’t wait to share her ideas with you! And that’s okay. When i saw the beautiful journaling you were doing i felt incapable to do it due to my lack of talent. Because at the end of the day it’s not about whether it came out how it looked in your head, it’s about learning about God. Different Personalities Flourish in Different Ways. With Bible journaling, you will find a creative and fresh approach to the age-old discipline of Bible reading. When you're feeling discouraged, reading your spiritual journal will remind you of all that God has done for you and for your family. Why I Stopped Journaling And How It’s Made Me Happier and Healthier. If, back at the start, I felt God asked me to share pages from my journaling Bible, verses prompted by Him - then why have I stopped? I thought it was taking notes and writing journal entries. Then, I thought maybe it was because I was putting more into my art shop. Once, a long time ago, I thought that my journals had magical powers. While I was doing that through prayer, meditation and then creating art, I slowly became more concerned with the art than with the Word. I like keeping it separate, so I focus on one or the other. I wasn’t learning… I wasn’t digging into the Scripture and finding the deeper meaning, the connections and the Truths that God was trying to teach me. I would be doing myself a great disservice by ignoring what he wanted me to meditate on and forcing myself to meditate on something completely different. It is so important to do our own thing! Click the link to read why I stopped bible journaling! I still have my Journaling Bible and occasionally, I will pull it out and flip through it. I suppose it would take up a lot of time, like you said, away from actually studying the Word. I have no problem whatsoever with someone using art as an expression of worship or as a way to meditate on Scripture. When he teaches you something through his word, it is much easier to remember it if you write it down. Did you stop? Here are 6 reasons why Bible journaling isn’t just for women. God doesn’t care if we have a beautiful journaling Bible; one we spent hours of time and more money than we’d like to admit…if we have an ugly heart. Hugs and Abundant Blessings, Lynnette. It’s not that I don’t think it’s valuable (I do), or that I feel like I’m not creative enough (with this awesome Bible Journaling kit, you really don’t have to be) …. Bible journaling has really challenged me to put that aside and focus more on the purpose of it all, God. That’s why Bible Journaling is so important and so powerful. I understand exactly what you are saying. I’m also not writing this to convict you and tell you that it isn’t right for you. Men keep journals too. What’s wrong with it? Facebook6TwitterI absolutely love Bible Journaling. Creative Worship in the Margins — and Beyond. I plan to use bible journaling as a small addition to a verse that stands out in my spiritual walk. Journaling my faith in the Bible (I own 5) or on a piece of paper while doodling- it’s your expressive way of reading the scripture and then – if your a visual learner – you place your creativetouch to the scripture for memory and expression. People are drawing and coloring in their Bible and purchasing fancy Bible coloring books in order to study the Bible. The whole reason I started Bible journaling was to get into the Word and really immerse myself in Truth. I'm not saying these things are wrong by any means; my caution is to be careful that you do not get swept up into doing these things just because they are trendy or because you feel like that's how you're “supposed” to do Bible journaling. Why I Stopped Journaling. It’s a way to study and learn from God’s word in a creative way. Photo courtesy of Unsplash royalty free photos. Bible Coloring books and illustrating bibles are all the rage right now. I've noticed a trend lately when it comes to Bible journaling. I pray that you will find your relationship with God deeper each day as you study His word and listen to what the Holy Spirit is teaching you! The first important truth to learn is that you will indeed make mistakes in your Journaling Bible. I taught regular classes on Periscope along with doing live journaling about once a week. It combined my desire for Scripture with my passion for creativity. To this day, the two most popular posts on my blog are from that time: How Start Bible Journaling and The Best Bible Journaling Supplies. Jul 18, 2018 - Do you highlight or write notes in your bible? When he answers specific prayers, you will have a record of his power in your life. Reflection is key to all we do in life. Until then, I would love to hear from you. Are you still doing it? I saw a theme. Also, if you would like to practice more, you can download our free Bible Journaling Workbook. I don’t want to be the one to discourage you. I hope you are blessed by what I share about Bible journaling in the posts that I will link below as they are added to this blog. For myself, I do not do Bible journaling (meaning in the artistic form) because I would get pretty much nothing out of it spiritually. If you know someone who would enjoy this blog, please share with them! I used to doodle, draw, highlight, underline, and take notes in my Bible before it became a popular trend. Often I illustrate through Bible journaling and use it to share a devotional with you. If I tried to strengthen my spiritual walk in this way, it would be like eating a package of Oreos and hoping that it would improve my physical health. If you are enjoying it and experiencing growth from this practice, then keep at it my friend! I stopped sharing photos of my Bible a while ago, for different reasons this time. Someone who is defacing something will have a hardened heart full of hatred for whatever they are defacing. Second, I began the slow descent of comparing myself to others around me. An amazing array of Bible journaling tools makes it easy to create a visual Scripture entry, using pens, highlighters, markers and watercolors that will not bleed through thin Bible paper. Sandy Allnock, author of Bible Journaling Made Simple and the Bible Journaling Made Simple Creative Workbook, introduces us to bible journaling and discusses how this creative worship can be an enriching and powerfully inspiring way of expressing yourself and your spirituality.Enjoy! You'll be reminded of spiritual growth and encouraged to continue drawing even closer to God. Not a great place to live when the whole idea was to find freedom in the Word! I hope you find “your” way! More Bible Journaling Tips. Why Bible journaling? I hope you like the new ideas my friend shared this week. I didn’t really know what Bible journaling was. The important thing is for us to be in the Word and spending time with Him. It serves as a record of my walk with the Lord and it helps me delve deeper into God's Word. Read more about why I started Bible Journaling here. Instead I prefer keeping my Bible studies open ended, so that I can listen to whatever it is the Holy Spirit is teaching me as an individual. The sooner you accept this truth, the easier it will be to go ahead and allow yourself to be okay with going for it when it comes to writing, drawing, and coloring on your pages. Sometimes God gives me the solution right away. At first, I thought it was because I got busy. The answer is often Scriptures I already knew well, but before I wrote down my thoughts I was unable to see the problem clearly enough to apply them. We’d love to see pictures of your Bible journaling, so share them with us by using #noteworthyTruth on social media. Bible journaling – even full page journaling – is not destroying God’s word (ummm…nothing can destroy His word). Our thoughts are fleeting; if we don’t write down our insights, they’ll be lost forever. It wasn’t until recently that I figured out what made me quit. I never heard of bible journaling. I would be concentrating on coloring in the lines, not meditating on whatever verse I was trying to color. We shall see! I wrote several articles about my new hobby. In many respects Bible journaling has become my baby! I appreciate your genuine sharing. When I was searching on the internet for this blog post, I found a video that was a confirmation for me to write this post. I’m not good with creating in my Bible, but I love to paint elsewhere. About twenty years ago, I threw all my journals in the trash. If you have never tried Bible journaling before, let me encourage you to give it a try. I fear that in some cases, Bible journaling becomes a replacement for studying God's Word. I am not artistically talented whatsoever, and for that reason I don't really enjoy it. After writing these posts and teaching all of those classes, it didn’t take me long to completely stop. (That means that if art is an effective way for you to record your thoughts, go for it!). Bless you!! I believe there is an artist in everyone. We were all created differently, we need to study the Word in a way that works for us! I could easily get obsessed with it..but I wasn’t getting my devotions done, without distractions of, “Oh, I need to make a picture here”, as I read my Bible. Purchase a Bible Journaling Toolkit and use the doodles and margin strips in it to help you along the way. When you keep a spiritual journal, you are creating a record of your walk with God. If I tried to draw illustrations of the verses in the Bible, I would not be thinking about the verse one bit. But talking yesterday I had to ask myself if stopping is right. Rather than spending my time creating colorful illustrations (again, not wrong, just be careful!) My entries were short descriptions of my day. And I started Artistic Bible Journaling last year, I love it! I taught several classes for family, friends and even at a few churches. Gather your tools and head to a quiet spot for your own interactive Bible study and quiet, artful meditation. One day, I spent some time leafing through them and felt so discouraged. I need to think (and pray) about it more and determine my motivation behind it, mostly I think I want to do it because it feels so unfinished to me. I have been drawing in my Bible in what is often referred to as Bible journaling art or doodling. Maybe I've felt uneasy or burdened and didn't quite know why. Bible artwork can be a helpful tool if that's truly how you learn and solidify in your heart what God is teaching you. Bible journaling can be a little scary, especially if you’re not used to writing in your Bible before. NONE of them have margins worth speaking of. What is bible journaling or Illustrated Faith? Today my friend Carolina is here to share some reasons why not to do Bible journaling. How we can include art in our devotion time, we take time to make art or write the word in artsy way and we ponder it in our heart and mine. This latest special time got me thinking about why I enjoy Bible Journaling so much, and wondering why I don’t put it at the top of my list along with reading my Bible, Bible Study and prayer. We’ve talked a little about why Bible journaling can be a helpful discipline, but let’s look a little more closely at why someone might want to consider Bible journaling. Once the page is done, it’s done. I’m sure it’s too expensive to start. More recently, I realized another reason I stopped. Why I stopped journaling. It can transform the way you spend time in the Word and it all begins within the margins of the Bible. P.S. As soon as I discovered it, I was hooked. Journals, were, since I had started writing in one at age 14, a place were all my feels (and believe me, I had a lot of feels) were safe. It was eating time that I normally read, not draw or paint. But I could print out the pages and do some cutting and pasting. While I was doing that through prayer, meditation and then creating art, I slowly became more concerned with the art than with the Word. A sweet friend from church introduced me to her version of Bible Journaling. I quickly dismissed it and moved on. Wantable Style Edit: My Honest, Unsponsored Review, Copyright 2018 by Imperfect Homemaker. Read that now. So last year when I began Bible journaling it was easier for me to Bible Journal on the computer. We have to do things our way for sure! Curious about the new ideas you will be sharing next time. It became more of a surface learning. I am not an artist by any stretch. I love the idea of having a record of how God was speaking to me during whatever I was experiencing at the time. Hmmm. I enjoy coming across the pages I’ve already completed when I read my Bible, and I like creating something personal and meaningful. It was shallow rather than growing roots. Bible journaling is how I make personal connections with the scriptures and what is going on in my life. God doesn’t look down from heaven and mark points … Thank you, Lynette!! Arthritis makes it difficult to use scissors to cut and paste. Yesterday, I also stopped by the local Lifeway Christian Store and with the help of a very wonderful employee, I studied the current options of Journaling Bibles available. Thank you for your honesty. Instead, it was because I was scared of ruining my Bible. The whole reason I started Bible journaling was to get into the Word and really immerse myself in Truth. Why I Don’t Do Bible Journaling (And What I Do Instead) Pitfalls of Bible Journaling. I got my first journal when I was ten years old. Writing down what I'm feeling helps me to gain clarity as to what it is that's troubling me. But when Bible journaling begins stealing your time from really digging into the Word and studying it in-depth, then it is time to reconsider its worth. Little did I know that Bible journaling would actually become something I enjoy and we sometimes do together as a family. We are called to walk our journey… not someone else’s! You see, yes, I do have dozens of Bibles on my shelves for various purposes and translations and studies. My journals were a place that I could take out my feels. You can’t start over. Now, I will be honest, and say I learned a tremendous amount from that season, and much of it stuck with me. Why? I first heard of this when I came across a post from Shanna Noel on Instagram and immediately fell in love with the idea. I keep a simple spiritual journal with a notebook and pen. Again, the issue here is the condition of the heart. Bible journaling is simply the process of spending time with God and recording the scriptural insights you receive from Him in your Bible. First, I found I was becoming more concerned with the art instead of the Word. If you wish, I've also provided some free, open-ended printable pages you can use. I’d been keeping a journal, off and on, since high school. I did feel the challenge to do the art as well as the beautiful work I have seen. I have been Bible journaling for about nine months; just the amount of time to have a baby! With pen in hand, you can visually capture Scripture, meditate on God's Word and memorize the text. So say a prayer before you open your Bible, for God to open your heart to his word, and to give you guidance on what to put down on the page. Laurel Keller has always had a deep love of art and connecting it to God’s Word. 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