My Bible Journaling Experience + the Supplies I Use

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I decided a few months ago that I wanted to read the Bible from cover to cover.  Aside from reading Genesis and Exodus from start to finish during my freshman year of high schooI, I’ve never actually read the entire Bible in chronological order… and I’ve also never really delved in to study and comprehend the entire Bible as a whole.  Sure, I’ve probably read almost every chapter and verse of every book in the Bible at some point in my life, but I recently decided that it would be nice to read the whole thing and put it all together.

I knew if I was going to do this that I wanted to do it right, so that would mean finding some sort of study guide to supplement my Bible reading.  A lot of the Bible is easy to comprehend, but there are plenty of passages that require more explanation, so I wanted to find a resource that I could read alongside my Bible to assist with any questions that come up during my reading.   

I also knew that I wanted to be able to take notes and/or make doodles in the Bible as writing things down really helps with my comprehension, and I also love that it allows me to use my creative side, too.  So, while I’ve had the same Bible since I was a little girl, I decided to grab a new Bible – a journaling Bible – to use for this new journey. 

It took me forever to decide on a Bible – you may remember all of the different Bibles I posted about while I was trying to make my decision – but I’m happy to report that the Bible I ended up choosing has been absolutely perfect, and I look forward to my journaling time so very much. 

As for the study guide to supplement my Bible reading, that was a no-brainer since so many people I know have used the same one and raved about it. 

Here’s what I ended up purchasing for my journaling…

NIV Journal the Word Bible

After much deliberation, I chose this NIV Journal the Word Bible.  It ended up meeting every single requirement that I had for a journaling Bible.  I wanted a Bible that looked traditional, so I adore the brown faux leather cover with the cross on the front.  It’s timeless.  I also love that the columns have lines and that they don’t contain any artwork.  As much as I loved all of the gorgeous artwork in a few of the other Bibles that I considered purchasing, I really did want to have blank space to do my own artwork. 

This Bible doesn’t have the indented tabs, so I added my own (keep reading, I found some that are stunning), and it is just perfect.  There was only one thing that bothered me about this Bible, and it’s that the paper is cream instead of white.  I much prefer a nice clean white sheet of paper, but honestly, the cream color hasn’t bothered me as much as I thought it would. 

With regard to the translation, I ended up choosing the NIV version because it’s the most widely used translation, and also because that translation is right in the middle of the Bible translations scale meaning that it’s fairly easy to understand, but it’s not overly paraphrased. 

All in all, this Bible is just beautiful, and I am 100% satisfied with my decision.  This one happens to be on super sale right now, too!

 

The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble

The Bible Recap is the Bible study that I chose to supplement my Bible reading as I’d seen so many rave reviews from friends and acquaintances.  The Bible Recap is designed to get you through the entire Bible in one year.  It tells you which books/chapters/verses to read every single day for 365 days, and then after you read the Bible reading for the day, you read the two-page recap from your book.  The recap breaks down what you read in the Bible for the day, and it also has a quick “God Shot” for the day that I absolutely love reading each day.  The Bible contains many complicated passages, and this book truly does a fantastic job of breaking everything down to make it easy to understand.

 

Bible Tabs

I purchased this set of gold, embossed Bible tabs to put on my Bible, and oh my word, I couldn’t love them more.  The tabs themselves are just stunning.  The set that I purchased comes in four different shades, all pink/rose/mauve neutrals, and the books of the Bible are embossed in rose gold.  The font size is the same for every single book (which I LOVE), and they are sturdy and nice.  They come in several different colorways, but these were my absolute favorite.  Installation was quick and easy thanks to the template that comes with them, and my tabs look absolutely perfect. 

 

Mr. Pen Bible Pens

These pens have been excellent for journaling as they write crisp and smooth, and the colors are vibrant, but they don’t bleed through the pages.  I love this pack because it comes with every color of the rainbow.

 

Diversebee Bible Highlighters

These highlighters are great for Bibles because they don’t bleed through the thin pages.  They also don’t smear, and supposedly they won’t ever fade either.  Most of the colors are vibrant, although, there are a couple that don’t show up as well, but all in all, these are absolutely beautiful. 

 

Crayola Colored Pencils

I’ve had this pack of 100 colored pencils for years, and they have been the perfect addition to my journaling time.  They are great to use when I want good vibrant colors without worrying about the colors bleeding through the pages.  I like to use these for my doodles/artwork in the columns.

 

Hymn of Heaven Acoustic Sessions by Phil Wickham

I’ve already mentioned this album on the blog once, but y’all, it is definitely worth mentioning again.  Every day when I sit down to do my daily Bible study, I turn on this music, and it is the absolute perfect soundtrack for a Bible study.  The music is so peaceful and the whole album is beautiful from start to finish, so I can’t recommend it enough.  It totally elevates my whole Bible journaling experience.  My favorite time to journal is in the evening after it's dark outside... I sit in my office under my twinkle lights, turn on this album, and wrap up in a cozy blanket to read God's word.  It's heaven.

 

When I sit down to journal, the first thing I do is open The Bible Recap book to see which passages I need to read for the day (they have the whole plan laid out for you in the book), and then I read the passages in my Bible… it’s typically 2-4 chapters in one of the books each day.  Once that’s done, I read the two-page spread in The Bible Recap to review what I just read in my Bible, and I take that time to highlight and make notes in my Bible.  Then, some days, if there’s a verse that jumps out at me, I’ll write it out in the columns and do a few little doodles/artwork around it. 

 

All in all, it takes about 15-60 minutes per day (depending on how fancy I get with the journaling and artwork), and it has been the biggest blessing to me having that time each day.  I always feel so much more relaxed when I’m done, and so much more connected to God.  And I’m learning SO MUCH.  I have had a relationship with God my entire life and I attended a Catholic school growing up, so I have been studying the Bible for years, but here I am at age 41 still learning new things.  I love it.

If you’ve been considering reading the Bible more often (or even for the first time), starting a quiet time routine, or trying to grow your relationship with God (or start one), take this as your sign to go ahead and get started.  You won’t regret it.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!