Have you heard about Bible journaling, and wondered what it was? Or would you like to change your quiet time routine with some new Bible journal ideas? This introduction to Bible journaling, and some simple Bible journal ideas, can help you experience Scripture in a new way.
What is Bible journaling?
If you are following other Christians on social media, you may have run across Bible journaling. Over the years, I have seen Bible journaling take a lot of different forms.
The most popular practice of it right now seems to be a journaling Bible. In this form, you would have a Bible usually made for either this purpose or for note-taking, with a single column of text and very wide margins. In those margins, you would make notes and if you desire, draw and color in illustrations. A few Bibles come preprinted with these illustrations. Here’s a few examples from Instagram of how someone might journal or art-journal in their Bible.
This is a beautiful way to connect to God’s Word. But there are other Bible journal ideas, and there’s not one way that is “right.” There might be one that is right for you right now. The point isn’t to achieve the best journal, but to use Bible journaling to connect with God.
Bible journaling is simply reading the Bible, then writing, and sometimes adding art, to process or meditate on Scripture. It’s a tool that some people use to stay focused in their worship of God. It can take many forms. Read over these Bible journal ideas to see if one is right for you.
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Bible Journal Ideas: Physical Journals and Bibles
Many people prefer a physical Bible and journal as to not be disturbed by any sort of notifications or distractions from using a physical device. Here are a few Bible journal ideas for non-digital Bible journals.
Blank journal/notebook + Pen + Bible
This is the simplest form. Read your passage for the day. Use whatever paper/notebook/journal you have to write down any observations or questions you have. You might also want to write down prayer requests or praises. Some people write out their prayers to God in a journal like this. This is the most accessible idea and would be a good starting point for a Bible journal.
A Preprinted Bible Journal
Amazon has several options available. If I were choosing one today, I might choose My Bible Study Journal: A Creative Christian Workbook: A Simple Guide To Journaling Scripture. The non-dated journals could be a good idea if missing a day would really bother you.
Bible Journaling Coloring Pages
A dear friend gifted me the Selah Journal: A Slow-down and think-about it journey through the Bible. It is a lovely journal with space for observations as well as coloring. If the decorating Bible part of Bible journaling is appealing to you, but you don’t like drawing, this could be a good solution for you.
Journaling Bible
This is one of the Bible Journal ideas that most people picture. For this, you might choose a Bible with large margins, or with pre-done illustrations to color.
Crossway has a line of Bibles with journaling pages and illustrations. Some might feel more comfortable with a Bible your are meant to journal in, like this one. Watch my review of the ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal: Psalms on YouTube.
If you don’t like or don’t feel comfortable with drawing, you could buy embellishments to print and paste into the margins, like this one from the BibleVerseColoring at Etsy. Here’s an example of how I used it.
You could add Bible journaling kits like this one or this one. Be sure to check out “Bible Journaling Examples” below for links to inspirational Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook pages.
Bible Journal Ideas: Bible Journaling Printables or Digital Options
If you know you’ll be more faithful at Bible journaling if you have an option on your phone or tablet, or find it easier to print out Bible journaling printables, then these ideas could be a good fit for you.
If you are going to write on your iPad but find it difficult to do so, I’ll share the setup that works for me. I have a 9th generation iPad. Although I’ve tried an Apple Pencil, I didn’t feel like it was worth the cost for me. I use this stylus instead. Yet the iPad still felt too slippery to write on. I researched different types of screen protectors that added a paperlike texture.
I chose a magnetic, removable one with a texture that slows my pen down enough to feel like I’m in control of what I’m writing. This setup is totally not necessary to get started, but if you find that this might help you with note taking or using your iPad in general, it’s worth looking into it for yourself.
Bible journaling pdf – printable or digital journal pages
Want to get started right away? There are free and paid options for downloading .jpgs or .pdfs to use for these Bible journal ideas. I like to use Goodnotes for my digital notebooks. This is a good tutorial on how to import files into Goodnotes so you can write on them. I duplicate the pages within a notebook so I can have as many pages as I want in my digital notebook.
I recently purchased these at Etsy from Lilac Paper Ink, available in a variety of sizes (including my preferred letter-sized, but also A4, A5, and the classic Happy Planner size.) This is the color I chose, but it is also available in a bundle. I put them in my digital notebook, but you could just as easily print them. I found it easy to import into my Goodnotes Bible journal notebook and write on using my stylus.
I also picked up this Daily Devotion template to add to my notebook.
There are also free options available for Bible journals like this.
- The Housewife Modern has printable Bible journal pages, both in color and in black and white.
- Garments of Splendor has prayer journals on her free downloads page, like the Floral Prayer Journal.
- There are many Bible Study printable options on Megan Allen Ministries’ free downloads page.
Using a Bible Journal with a Scripture writing plan
This has been one of the most recent ways I have done Bible journaling. I set up a digital notebook in Goodnotes with several pages of my free Scripture Writing Worksheet. I choose a Scripture to write down, then I reflect on it and pray about it. I also note some praises and prayer requests for the day. Sometimes for fun, I add stickers like these from MzzbevCreates’ Etsy shop. The Scripture Writing Worksheet is free to download here.
You can also print copies of this .pdf for your personal use.
You don’t need this worksheet; a pen and paper are sufficient.
With this, you can use any number of Scripture writing plans. I’ve linked a Pinterest board below under Bible Journaling Examples. You could also use one of these free Scripture Writing Plans:
- From this website, Hope Filled Faith, you can download two 30-day Scripture writing plans from my Free Downloads page, one for Comfort and Encouragement, and one for Peace and Rest.
- Sarah E. Frazer has reading plans on her blog.
- Coffee with Starla has reading plans on her website. You may need to sign up for an account to download them.
Bible Journaling Examples
When you’re not sure where to start, it can be helpful to look at some examples of Bible Journals.
You can visit my Pinterest board with Scripture Writing Plans.
Garment of Splendor has a board for Bible Journaling.
The Bible journaling hashtag is a fun one to check out on Instagram.
The Facebook page Bible Journaling Ministries has interesting ideas and posts.
Is Bible Journaling right for you?
If you find that it helps you to write things down while you have a quiet time, then Bible journaling might be for you. For me, these are the advantages to Bible journaling.
- Writing engages me and keeps me from being distracted;
- Journaling lets me look back later at insights and prayer requests or praises;
- Writing things down has always helped me remember information better, because of my learning style;
- I don’t have any expectation of being artsy or having beautiful lettering, like you see in some of the examples. I’d like it to be legible, but that’s about it. The Scripture writing plans and worksheets are a good fit for me right now.
While Bible journaling can be very positive, these are reasons why it might not be a good idea for you.
- If the process becomes more important than actually connecting with God;
- If you’ve given it a good try before and you just don’t like writing;
- If you are doing it just for the “Bible journaling ideas aesthetic” Instagram post;
- If it makes you feel superior to or more spiritual than others, then your motivation might be in the wrong place.
Pray about what God would have you do! He will give wisdom to those who ask Him for it (James 1:5.) I wish you the best in trying out some of these Bible journal ideas!
If you liked Bible Journal Ideas, you may like 8 Powerful Bible Verses About How God Sees Us or 20 Prayer Board Ideas.
