Bible Journaling: tools and tips from my devotions and doodles

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I am ✨PASSIONATE✨ about bible journaling. I take my little journal with me wherever I think I might be inspired. To church, on airplanes, wherever I travel, I take my journal with me.

My bible journaling practice is where I go to lay my thoughts, hopes, fears, emotions, responses to scripture and life at the feet of Jesus. Writing can be such an amazing part of a thriving spiritual walk with Christ, and it’s the one thing to which I would most attribute my solid foundation of faith. I keep most of my journals as a testament of what God has done in and through me. Every once in a while, I look back over those years of heartache and happiness poured out into scribbles and doodles and sob stories. Reflecting on my writing never ceases to produce a mountain of gratefulness.

When I write, I breathe. I slow down. I let Jesus into the swarm of busy thoughts and he untangles me from the inside out. He focused my attention to call out the most beautiful thoughts and turn them into works of art by adding calligraphy, drawings, bold text, boxes – whatever little ideas illuminate the devotional content. This is how my focused devotion leads to meaningful doodles, many of which you may have seen on my Instagram (here and here!). Adding these designs during my Bible journaling gives me something to look forward to when I flip through the pages of my notebook. As I look at each page, the doodles pop out at me as lovely little reminders of what God was and is doing in my heart and life.

I want to encourage you – or perhaps challenge you, if writing isn’t really your thing – to start your own Bible journaling practice.

Incredible peace can be found as you write away your troubles and trials. Starting simple is best, and below I’ve compiled some of my favorite tools to get you going.

1. Get a good journal.

And I’m not talking like a composition book. I mean a real journal. Something you’re proud to carry. I prefer one with small lines and thick pages so that I can fill it to the fullest. Lots of people in my life know I’m a writer, so I often receive journals as gifts. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I bought a journal for myself! When/if I need a new journal in the near future, here are some of the best ideas I’ve found.

#1: This journal is actually super similar to what I have now, and I really like the simple pattern with elastic band to keep all my notes and pages right where I left them. The pages are a good thickness and the lines are nice and small. 🙂 Since I take my journal everywhere, it helps to have something small and portable that easily fits into most purses.

What I have now:

#2: This journal has such a pretty cover, and the wire binding makes it nice and sturdy. The pages are also much easier to tear out if you ever wanted to pin them up on a wall or a whiteboard. I should warn you though, the pages are pretty thin, so if you choose o write in pen, this might not be the best choice for you.

Basically, find a journal you love and want to keep with you all the time. Splurge a little if you need to. Go to an art store to find a fun one! It’s worth it.

See also: How to Sacrifice in Marriage – Love Like Jesus

2. Find something you love to write with.

#1: Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens. These are seriously my favorite things. It is so fun to have all the different colors because then the inside of my journal is beautiful! I take them everywhere and use them for to-do lists, journaling, school notes, and everything in between. They have a pretty thin tip which means I can write a lot and they’re quick to dry so they hardly ever bleed or smear.

My colorful bible journaling notes!

#2: Pilot Better Retractable Ballpoint Pen , Blue Fine Point. I love these so much. I’m pretty sure the last time I got a pack was for Christmas three years ago because they last THAT long. I love that they are simple and easy, and they write smoothly. They are SUPER thin, so I often use them more when I’m writing lots of text rather than creating scripture art.

3. Pick a passage of scripture, and start your Bible journaling.

What I love to do is find a few verses that spark something in me – an idea, a thought, a prayer – copy them down in my journal, and respond to what God is teaching me through those verses. If you don’t know where to start, here are some of my go-to verses when I need a bit of inspiration (these are all in New International Version since that is my favorite 😉):

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 10:23

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud

    and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

    and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

    and no cattle in the stalls,

¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

    he enables me to tread on the heights.

Much of the content for this blog comes from my journals. That’s where my stories live. That’s where I meet Jesus and I hope you can too. I hope you fall in love with Bible journaling. I hope you find your weary soul unwinds as you write.

With love and creativity,

Susannah 💕

For even more ideas about starting your own Bible journaling practice, you can check out my Amazon list here!