Bible Journaling

I love God's Word. I have loved it for a long time, but in the last four years, it has become my lifeblood. It has taken deep roots in my heart, and I want to "read it, love it, live it" more and more. (How do you like that? I just made that "read it, love it, live it" up! 

A couple of years ago, our pastor was preaching and mentioned he reads through the Bible two times a year. I dont know why it occured to me at that moment, but I think it was God's voice in my head; regardless of the reason, I thought: If he can read through the Bible two times a year, I can do it once a year. Why wouldn't I want to? 

I knew I couldn't follow a schedule like the One Year Bible. I had tried that before, and it didn't work for me, because when I got behind a day, I would have too much to read and I would just stop. So I figured I would just take my Bible and start at the beginning, and read as much as God led, and if I made it all the way in a year, great; and if not, I would finish when I finished. 

I read at first because I promised. But after a few weeks, something very unexpected happened: I was hearing from God. He was speaking to me through His written word. So I began writing in my journal, and my Bible what I was hearing. 

I love hearing from God. And sometimes, what I heard was so striking that I had to copy the verse or thought into my journal in a special way to make it stick. 

forward four years. I have read through the Bible at least twice, maybe three times. This year, I decided I would take it a little slower so I could really savor what I was reading. And lo and Behold, God led me to this amazing thing that melds my love for journaling, art and His Word together. It is called Bible Journaling, and I am hooked!

Basically, you take what you are reading and art journal RIGHT IN THE BIBLE. It helps if you have a wide margined Bible, like a study Bible or something, but many people don't. They just use colored pencils over it and draw pictures of what God is teaching them as they meditate on His word. 

Think about it: when you draw a picture of somethng, or copy things down, they stick with you longer. So that is want I am doing. I am not an very good draw-er. But I do love fonts. So most of the time I just copy the verse in the margin in different fonts. Sometimes I use colored pencils, sometimes markers and sometimes I use water colors. But all the time it is exciting! It melds my love of creating things, lettering, and God's word into one amazing work of art. 

I have even joined a facebook group called "Journaling Bible Community". Some of the artwork these ladies do in their Bibles are amazing! It is even tempting sometimes to compare my feeble atempts to their detailed drawings. But I know I cannot. God gives each person just what they need to do exactly what God calls us to do. So I admire and appreciate what others in this community do, and let God use this exactly the way He wants to in each of us. 

It brings me such joy- to be in God's word, and to do what I love. Amazing.