Bible journaling/colouring

[Becca19962014]

I recently after much prayer decided to invest in a journaling bible and purchased the inspire Catholic version. It's not a version I know well - it's the new living translation but I wanted a journaling bible with pre printed items to colour as well as columns I could write in.

It's taken weeks (literally) to arrive due to availability issues and now I have it I'm almost scared to do anything as I'm worried I'll ruin it. I know. It's wierd. I bought a case for it, pencils and some journaling pens but having made the mistake of googling bible journaling now feel unworthy of doing it. I don't want to be covering The Word at all, just sticking to the margins and use pencils. But the videos/blogs I've seen are intimidating to say the least.

I already do small a6 size cards with scripture on, but as they're cards they're not easy to ruin.

So I was wondering if anyone here does bible journaling/colouring?

Eh? Didn't know this was a thing. But I would guess it is to help your understanding and not a craft project. The most exciting thing that can happen from this exercise is what goes on in your heart and mind not the neatness of your colouring in!

I think it's just how I approach things like this, always hard for me to get going as I'm a perfectionist. I know it shouldn't be about neatness!

But looking at what others have done was very intimidating, some were covering the scripture and I don't want to do that at all. For me it's about more understanding and spending time with scripture, well more scripture that I do now.

I wondered if others here had begun doing it too.

Just do it in a way that has meaning to you. Comparing yourself to others is pointless, really. One thing is, I bet looking at the journals that they are all different.

I can't imagine there is a established 'right' and 'wrong' way to do something that is meant to be as personal as a journal. Apart from trying to copy someone else or using it as a 'one upmanship' exercise. When I heard of the concept (from you) I thought it couldn't be about the way it appeared rather than an interactive way of approaching study. Yes, a journal will probably be interesting to look back upon and even share but don't lose the point in doing it in terms of trying to present it in a certain way,

I will and you're absolutely right. The intention I believe is for a more personal relationship with the word and God not what it looks like. I should know better than to look at others!

Actually most of the ones I've seen have been very similar, some vegan simple but gradually added a lot of things like tape/water colouring over scripture but that could be more because they're being used for colouring and not necessarily studying maybe?

Anyway thankyou for replying! I appreciate it.

No problem. I thought it was an interesting idea. People express themselves in all sorts of different ways. Look at how different art is for example. As I said, I don't think there is a right and wrong in this as long it is genuine expression and not primarily for 'show'

I've got an NLT Inspire bible too and I understand taking that first step at colouring it in feels really daunting! I've had it a while and haven't coloured it in much but I've used it far more for making notes at church.

I'd say with the colouring just go with whichever style verse you like best (some are really modern, some are more old-fashioned flowery, some are retro) and get stuck in! For me, it was about meditating on that verse as I coloured and I've got over the idea that it has to be perfect now :)

wing thanks for that. Yes my intention was to read the page or a chapter and then think about that chapter as I drew or coloured. It was ok until I googled bible journaling and saw all the fancy things others were doing.

Also I got the catholic version, because I use a bible with the apolocrypha in it for my daily study so it made sense but found no one was impressed by it unlike the other versions of inspire. It took weeks to arrive (I suspect they won't print another run because it got slammed in reviews for not being genuinely Catholic) so I spent time ordering special bible pens (that won't leak), pencils and watching videos on YouTube which I don't recommend at all. Some seemed to start how I want mine to look but branched out into sort of scrapbooking and painting and writing over scripture.

Also, I qualified as an archivist so writing in books is something I rebel against, yes even this one!!

Anyway thankyou for the replies. I think I'm going to read it and get used to the version then think about what I'm going to write/draw/colour.

It's definitely NOT for show. It's for private study. I'm not about to start a YouTube channel on it or anything like that!!

Oh bible journaling in general is a huge thing - proper artists really getting stuck into their bibles and covering them with all sorts. I couldn't do it myself (and it is controversial) but I admire those journallers for their creativity. I also suspect the bibles they use to do that in aren't their only bibles, but just the ones they use for art.

I just bought myself some decent colouring pencils so that it doesn't bleed through and I'm happy with doing it like that but whatever you want to do is up to you!

I had wondered about them having various bibles, I have many I use for different reasons, I've even a children's one which i use when my MH is bad because I can't cope with reading an actual bible, am hoping NLT will be easy reading too. I couldn't bare to cover the word, so it's margins only for me!.

Most are happy with what they've done and are showing it off effectively to the world in YouTube and I just found it a bit much I guess.

Realistically I don't know what I expected. I just have my basic colouring pencils from stationers and some micron pens which I splurged on from Eden.co.uk (where I got the bible from).

I don't intend it to be my main one, but my faith journal I have already is falling apart so I needed to replace it and this seemed a good idea especially being in the word as well!

Just start by colouring in one of the preprinted pictures - you can’t do that “wrong” can you?
From there, you can go in a variety of directions - some people do very elaborate, others do very simple.
There is a Facebook group with people who do bible journaling of all types/levels/experiences which might give you some ideas & a place to ask questions
www.facebook.com/groups/284465658706757/?ref=share

I love my inspire nlt but I have never looked up what anyone else has done.
Sometimes I just make notes from other people's sermons or Bible studies. Sometimes I draw or write my own 'inspiration' and reflections. I'm not very arty, more wordy, but enjoy colouring the pictures in.
Looking back on passages that I wrote about a couple of years ago shows me where I have come from, where my thoughts have changed, or where they have stayed the same.

It's a good idea to date entries definitely, I've done that in my separate journal.

Had should look through the bible properly now, there's a lot of line art in it, plenty for me to colour, I definitely need to practise with the pens before I start with those though im confident enough with the pencils.

I did a couple of bible journaling workshops at new wine this summer, I bought myself special journaling bible (nothing preprinted but wide margins, NIV), but I struggle with the thought of drawing in a book and it being permanent - I can't rip it out and start again if I make a mistake. The lady running the workshop showed me that she had written a "prayer of permission" in the front of her bible - sort of to acknowledge that mistakes would be made, and it was okay, and the end result would be beautiful whatever it looked like because it's an act of prayer.
I still can't bring myself to do anything in my bible but I've been doing a lot of stuff in notebooks and looseleaf paper.

nanny I feel the same. I'll see what happens whether I actually do use it or not. I saw a video on YouTube that had a permission prayer in it and another with lists of what the journal bible was and wasn't for. If I do it then I'll be sticking with my pencils and only in the margins. I definitely won't go over the word.

Good to see you Becca :)

I know loads of people who bible journal - some just colour in the printed pics but I have a very artistic friend who draws designs over the text as well, sort of like an act of worship - and it looks incredibly beautiful - it's kind of like her response to the text so it doesn't feel wrong as it's over the text, she does it very lightly so she can read the words and respond through the art too. I love it. My DD has the NIV version with the wide margins, some have ready made pics/verses to colour but some are blank and DD loves to draw and doodle in these, she is again very artistic so it looks beautiful. I'm hopeless at art so beyond colouring in haven't tried it - my thing is writing poetry so if I have a journalling bible workshop or something I'lll do that and just make the words into art iyswim.

It can be what you want it to be :)

You too mhd I've lurked around the thread every now and then but not so much recently. Thankyou for replying. Not done anything yet but I am reading parts so I can get familiar with the translation.