How to Start a Bible Study Journaling System for Beginners

You don’t have to be an artist to start Bible study journaling. This new trend is an excellent way to help you make sense of and apply what you’re learning to everyday living.

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WHY YOU NEED TO WRITE IN YOUR BIBLE

If you’re reading this, then you probably love taking notes. You have sermon notes, notes on your phone, workbooks from Bible class, and scribbles on scraps of paper.

But you struggle with finding some kind of system to keep track of it all. The worst is when you go back and study something that you know you’ve already written down and have no clue where those old notes have gone!

It’s nice having all of those notes, but they are so much more effective if they are in context and organized in some way (unlike my old system of scraps of paper stuck in between the pages of my Bible, stacks of mismatched note-taking sheets and writing in super tiny margins).

If your notes are leaving you doing the same kind of studying over and over again, then are you really growing?

TIPS FOR BIBLE STUDY JOURNALING

As students, we learned specific ways to study for tests. You can’t just read the chapter and retain all of the information right before you are quizzed about it.

If you want to learn the material in a way you can explain it to others and apply it to your life, you’ll have to do more than flip to a random page or lose yourself in endless notes.

For example, you may want to go in order, read a chronological Bible, or study a specific book or theme. Choose something so that you know what your start and end goal is.

Some people want to just focus on scripture memorization and draw out a pretty verse in the margins. Others may not want to draw at all and simply stick to note-taking. I love to combine doodles with diagrams and notes in a way that I can remember since I’m such a visual learner.

You may be hesitant to start writing in your brand-new Bible, but go for it anyway! If you want, you can use a pencil or erasable pen, but mistakes will happen and they’re ok! Basically, let them happen and move on. You can also do a quick cross-out and update as needed. The important thing is that you JUST START.

MY METHOD OF BIBLE STUDY JOURNALING FOR BEGINNERS

1. READ

Read the text. It can be the page, the chapter, or the entire book of the Bible. Then look for patterns, details, places, and names.

2. HIGHLIGHT

Highlight things that stick out. If you normally look at the Bible as a history book, then read it as how it applies to you personally. If you usually read it as a book for you, instead look at it through the lens of a historian.

3. GROUP

Group notes together. If the section talks about genealogy, list the names in the margins. If you notice extra facts you never learned as a kid, write those out too.

4. DRAW

Add drawings to help retain info. You don’t have to be an artist to do this step. It can be as simple as drawing a happy face when something good happens and a sad one when something bad occurs. Use your drawings as codes like stars for things you want to memorize or rectangles around key concepts.

ORDER YOUR OWN ILLUSTRATING BIBLE

I own a lot of Bibles, but this one is my current favorite. Just look at this beautiful design! As an avid note-taker and artist, I was PUMPED to find not only a Bible with tons of space to write in but one that is SPIRAL-BOUND!

It comes in pink and gray for the NIV (New International Version):

In green for the CSB (Christian Standard Bible) Version:

And they even just came out with two exclusive versions of The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and a separate one for Psalms/Proverbs. They are both using the NIV edition.

SHOP ALL ILLUSTRATING BIBLES

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So a few years ago, I made this Old and New Testament Summary Printable, and now I’m working my way through each book of the Bible! To get the rest of the printables, check out my Timeline Bundles for the best deal:

Timeline Bundles