BIBLE JOURNALING  

It is less than two weeks until Christmas.  I am not ready. So I am escaping for a few minutes into my blog. Also if you are looking for Christmas presents and you know someone who enjoys bible reading /study this may give you an idea: Bible Journaling.

When was the last time you and God hung out together having fun?

Front cover of the Inspire Bible

I recently started bible journaling. I had not even heard of it until a few months ago. My reaction was, "Color in my bible are you nuts!!!"  I still cannot bring myself to color over the scriptures themselves, but I really enjoy coloring and drawing and journaling in the very wide margins of my Inspire Bible.  This page gives you an extremely good idea of what it is and how to make it a part of your communication and worship.  It is the New Living Translation. Personally I think of it as a mediation bible more than a study bible. It has it's own Facebook page.

They apparently have a bible study coloring session online. I think I'll try that. The main feature is coloring pages and lined margins for notes and original drawings. Mine is the large print version.

There are several journaling bibles on the market and you can find one that fits your bible reading style. The idea of bible journaling is to take a passage of scripture or even a verse and mediate on it. You think about what God is saying to you. What it means for your life. You make it personal. Because life is personal and God is a personal, up front, in your face God; if you let Him in that close.    As you are thinking on the verse you color in the drawings in the Inspire Bible and/or make your own drawings as well. You also write your own notes, impressions, feelings about the verse or passage in the lined margins.

Psalms 91  Coloring page with my notes

Started coloring in the Inside front cover 

Some bibles have only lined margins with no drawings and others have only blank wide margins. So you have a variety of options to suit your reading mediation style.

I have seen wonderful examples of pages that people have completely colored over, they are beautiful. But I can't bring myself to do that. So I stick to the margins and the drawings that come in the Inspire Bible and I am very happy with it. 

Psalms 91 with my drawings

Is. 41 with my drawings

I think a journaling bible would make a great gift. If you get one or give one, remember to also get some nice color pencils. Later you can look into various makers and inks but the colored pencils will probably be your ‘go to’, because they shouldn’t bleed through to the back side of the page. There may be some ghosting, where you can see a faint image on the back of a page you have colored but whatever you colored with should not be bleeding through.

I think I’ll start illustrating the Christmas story in the gospels and post some photos.

I just had a thought. The Inspire Bible would be a great bible for a reading through the bible in a year plan.

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I’m also looking for patterns for triangular looms so I’ll be ready to get started Christmas, when I open the loom.