Bible Journaling: A Guide to Getting Started

I remember when I first got my journaling Bible. I had ogled over pinterest for months before finally delving in and getting on for myself. I was excited and nervous all at once. I didn’t want to ruin it. Putting ink, paint, stickers, etc. on the page felt so final. At the same time, I was so excited to see what the hype was, and I knew I was going to fall for it right away.  Then there were all the decisions…Should I use acrylic paint or watercolors? What colors should I use? Alphabet stickers or handwriting? What passage do I want to do? After all the emotions and decisions, I finally took the plunge. It most certainly isn’t my best page ever, but it started it all. And the rest is history for me.

If you’re here, chances are you are also thinking about getting started with Bible Journaling. Maybe you’ve gotten as far as purchasing your Bible and have come to a halt, or maybe you’ve only seen pictures and wonder if it’s worth it. Maybe you’ve started a page and feel stuck or uncertain about pushing forward. If you’re there, I’ve got some tips for getting going:

First things first, I highly recommend getting a Bible specifically for doing your art in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a fancy one with extra margin space, but having one Bible devoted to art is key. Why you ask? For me, it gives me the freedom to not worry about covering words or passages because I know I have another Bible I use exclusively for reading. It allows me to be free with my creativity because I know that if paint gets somewhere I didn’t originally intend, it’s not the end of the world.

The next thing to know about getting started with Bible journaling is, you are going to have good pages and bad pages. It’s the reality of being human and being a creator. Sometimes what you create will just not work out. Don’t get discouraged with bad page days. Remember the whole point of this thing isn’t even to make pretty pages, it to dig into The Word and worship our God.

I recently read a quote that spoke my heart when it comes to Bible journaling: “Art is not always about pretty things. It’s about who we are, what happened to us and how our lives are affected.” – Elizabeth Brown.

Now I confess, I don’t know who Elizabeth Brown is and even after a quick google search I wasn’t able to narrow down the endless results to who wrote or said this. So while I don’t know what her overall world view and beliefs are, these words ring true to what I believe about Bible Journaling. We aren’t making art in our Bibles just to make pretty things, we make it to express how God’s Word and His work in our lives has changed and shaped us. We do it to show the journey we are on with God. Sometimes that journey is hard, painful and flat out ugly, so why should we expect all our pages to be beautiful and flawless? It just doesn’t tell the story right if they are.  

I’ll spare you the details, but just know that now when I look back at my first page and see a giant mess. Words that are hard to read, heavy and thick paint, odd color selection… It tells the story of where I was then, and I didn’t even know it. Be gracious with yourself, your pages will tell your story.

Once you’ve got yourself a Bible and you’ve resigned yourself to reality (ugly pages will happen), the next step is the most important: JUST DO IT! Get supplies you are comfortable with to start out and just do it. Pick a page and get started. Stop putting it off, stop making excuses, and stop waiting for perfection. Think about what you already are comfortable with creatively and start with that. If you’re completely new to the creative world, a great place to start is with stickers, cutouts and stamps.

The thing about it is, your first page won’t be perfect and neither will your last. You will get better with practice, and you’ll develop your own style. It a process to learn and grow from. But none of that can happen until you start. So get going, my friend! Then, comment below what your experience of doing your first page was like, because we want to know all about it!