How to Start Bible Journaling for Beginners
What’s Inside: Learn How to Start Bible Journaling for Beginners!
Have you ever wanted to learn how to start Bible journaling for beginners? Maybe you’re not an artist. That’s okay. I’m not either.
And maybe you don’t have an arsenal of artistic skills beneath your belt. But one thing is sure- it’s your heart’s desire to combine your creativity with your faith and you’ve GOT to do it!
As a fellow creative- I CAN relate!. Notice that I said I’m creative and not an artist. There’s a big difference!
That’s why I’ve compiled these great tips for you to learn How to Start Bible Journaling for Beginners.
Bible journaling shouldn’t be difficult And it shouldn’t be impossible. I’m convinced that anyone with desire- yes- including you- can start Bible journaling your faith today!
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What is Bible Journaling Anyways?
What is Bible journaling anyways?
There are many types of different ways to do Bible journaling but the easiest way to explain it is that it is a way to combine your creativity in a way that is honoring to God.
My type of Bible journaling most recently is more of a hybrid type of journaling where I take notes and add stickers to my ordinary Bible as seen at left. I’ve done more artsy types of Bible journaling as you can see in this article.
What Are the Different Types of Things that You Can Journal in Your Bible as a Beginner?
Lately, my Bible journaling has taken on a more practical form that includes my Bible study, my prayers my Bible notes and sermon notes.
Your Bible journaling can be more artsy or more practical.
Both are great because there is no wrong way to do Bible journaling.
Here are some things that can inspire you when you journal in your Bible
- journal your prayers
- word studies
- Bible study notes
- character studies
- geographical notes
- history notes
- sermon notes
- decorative art
These Easy Tips will Help you Get Started in Bible Journaling Today
10 Easy Steps to Bible Journaling
- Choose your Bible: Start with a wide-margin Bible or a journaling Bible specifically designed for this purpose.
- Gather supplies: Begin with colored pencils, fine-tip pens, and highlighters. As you grow more comfortable, you can explore watercolors, stickers, and washi tape.
- Pray before you begin: Ask God to guide your time and reveal His truths to you.
- Read and reflect: Spend time reading the passage and meditating on its meaning.
- Highlight key verses: Mark words or phrases that stand out to you.
- Write your thoughts: In the margins, jot down your reflections, questions, or prayers inspired by the text.
- Add artistic elements: Draw simple illustrations, write in different fonts, or use color to emphasize certain words.
- Don’t aim for perfection: Remember, this is between you and God. Your journal doesn’t need to be Instagram-worthy!
- Date your entries: This helps you track your spiritual growth over time. Be consistent:
- Try to set aside regular time for Bible Journaling: Set time aside even if it’s just a few minutes each day.
Can Anyone Start Bible Journaling Easily? Yes!
Why is it so difficult to Start Bible Journaling for Beginners? What is the main hindrance that hold many women back from starting to journal in their Bibles.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we?
That elephant is two things that are closely related.
Comparisons and Expectations
Comparison and expectations are two things will paralyze you in your desire to create because you’ve put other’s desire ahead of your own. You’re also worrying about what other people will think of your journaling.
In a nutshell, you have allowed perfectionism to hinder you.
If you’ve been on Instagram or Facebook for any length of time you’ve seen the lovely work of other bible journalers. Perhaps they have been to art school or maybe they are insanely talented.
But is Bible journaling really about your artistic skill? Or is it about creating for God?
Don’t let your lack of artistic skill stop you from pouring your creative heart out to the One who is your God. God isn’t looking at your best work nor is He comparing your work to another. He’s looking at your heart of worship.
Sweet sister, it’s not about how many like your Bible journaling. Your creative worship is your expression and shouldn’t look like the work of any other. It’s about creating to glorify God. Plain and simple.
Do you have an expectation of what your Bible journaling should look like? I encourage you to cast any ideas of what you think journaling in your Bible should look like and just create to glorify God and worship Him.
Put away the expectations and comparison.
God isn’t looking at your best work nor is He comparing your work to another. He’s looking at your heart of worship.
How to Get Started Bible Journaling
How do you get started? It might seem silly to you but its true.
Just start Bible Journaling.
Choking is the single factor that most don’t get started in their creative journey of journaling in their bible.
So stop the hesitation.
Silence the doubt.
Take a deep breath and don’t let fear paralyze you
Throw out the fear and gather your supplies. (We’ll talk more about supplies later on in this article)
Start Small with Micro Bible Journaling
Most Bible journaling takes up the entire page which can be intimidating. I’ve found that’s one of the reasons I love micro bible journaling. Micro Bible journaling is perfect for beginners and can be done in the margins of any bible.
You don’t even need a special journaling bible to do Micro Bible journaling. You can incorporate doodles, stickers,washi tape, or simple notes in the margins of your Bible like you see at right.
It’s really up to you. I love the freedom of journaling in the margins of my every day Bible with tiny Bible journaling (also known as little Bible journaling.
Mistakes in Bible Journaling are inevitable
Making a mistake is literally the worst thing that can happen. That doesn’t make it seem so bad, does it? And believe me, it will happen. The best thing to do is accept it. If you’re writing in the margin of your bible, you can always cover it with white out or a sticker If you’re journaling with paint, you can always swipe more paint over it to cover your oopsie. In a pinch, I’ve even covered the entire margin with a piece of paper as you can see in this blog post. (There really IS a way to cover ALL mistakes!)
Creativity is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more skill you will gain. Practice journaling your faith daily and it will become easier the more you do it!
One thing is for sure- we aren’t perfect people. When we accept that, we can allow ourselves to create for the fun, for creative expression and to glorify God.
What Supplies do you Need for Bible Journaling?
As a beginner, you can make Bible journaling easy with supplies that are easily available to purchase.
pre-made kits- The beauty of premade bible journaling kits is that they help you see things with a fresh perspective. They open the doors of creativity and help you to make something that you wouldn’t normally think of while faith journaling.
I love to use die cuts from Illustrated Faith (as mentioned above) and they come with scripture verse references on the back side where you can use them to journal.
Faith Stickers are a super easy way to add beauty to your Bible journaling as a beginner. I use them regularly. I also use planning stickers.
Ephemera and die cuts are an easy way to easily add color and creativity to your bible journaling pages. One of my favorite companies to purchase die cuts is Illustrated Faith. You can find a vast array of their die cut themes on Amazon and they are reasonably priced. I’ve never purchased a set that I don’t love. They are very versatile and can also be used for faith journaling as well.
One of my favorite ways I love to use die cuts (and scrapbook paper) is by making small mini collages that are only about 1-2 inches big.
Tim Holz also has some vintage looking die cuts for bible journaling that are gorgeous. Stamps are also an easy way to add beauty to your bible journaling as a beginner. I like to use tip-ins as well.
My favorite types of felt tip pens for writing in the margins of my Bible are Paper Mate Flair Pens. I’ve most recently done a review with everything you need to know about these felt tip pens by Papermate.
As you gain more experience, you can start using gelatos, watercolor paints and acrylic paint in your Bible journaling.
The beauty of premade bible journaling kits is that they give you fresh inspiration. They allow you to open the doors of creativity and make something that you wouldn’t normally think while faith journaling.
I love to use die cuts from Illustrated Faith (as mentioned above) and they come with scripture verse references on the back side where you can use them to journal.
Tips to Make Bible Journaling Easy for Beginners
Here are some tips to Make Bible Journaling Easy for Beginners
Use Coloring Pages in Bible Journaling
An easy way to add artistic flair is by using coloring pages in bible journaling. If you can trace, you can trace beautiful images into your Bible. It’s super easy and gives a lovely result in a very short amount of time!
Use Printable Margin Strips in Beginners Bible Journaling
Printable Margin strips are very similar to coloring pages in that you trace them into your Bible and paint or color them. You can even color them and glue them in. I have designed my own Bible journaling printable based off the account of Peter walking on the water and it is my gift to you!
Tip Ins are the Perfect Way to Start Bible Journaling for Beginners
Tip ins, as shown here at left, are a wonderful way to journal in your Bible. You can add journaling cards, printables, notes, prayers and drawings in your Bible. The tip in at left was a piece of scrapbook paper that I cute out and inserted in my Bible.
You can also use tip ins to write notes on the front or back as you see below. The tip in folds from the bottom instead of from left to right like a book.
Using Decorative Napkins for Beginning Bible Journaling
Another easy and foolproof way to get BEAUTIFUL results is to use decorative napkins for your Bible journaling. You’ll be amazed at what you can do!
Would you believe that the journaling below is done with decorative napkins and a little bit of watercolor paint? It’s super easy with amazing results!
Here’s a summary of my favorite tips to make Bible journaling easy for any beginner:
- Use Tip Ins
- Use Premade Kits
- Make your Own Tip Ins
- Use Stamps- just color and it’s beautiful
- Trace coloring pages
- Use printable Margin Strips
- Use Coloring Pages
- Try Decorative Napkins
Have I helped start to get your creative juices flowing, Creative Sister? Are you ready to tackle some new techniques and concepts?
I hope this How to Start Bible Journaling for Beginners has challenged you to realize that you CAN journal your faith!
It’s time to think out of the box, embrace your unique creating style and journal for the Lord. Anyone can bible journal and it doesn’t take any special talent.
You’ve got this!
