*This post may include affiliate links which means that a portion of your purchase made from links in this article will go to me at no additional cost to you! I only include products that I own, have used, or badly want to keep my recommendations as honest and amazing as possible. Thanks so much for reading, you wonderful human! Read the full disclosure here.
Introduction
A long time ago, I wrote a post about bible journaling. However, when I moved it onto this website, the formatting was messed up and the post, itself, felt very incomplete. So I decided to make a new version of it with updated information! I’m going to talk about everything from my favorite bibles to journal in, to pretty printables, and different styles of journaling. I should let you know that some of these links are affiliate links but every product I’m sharing is one I have owned or am very jealous of someone I know who owns it.
The Styles of Bible Journaling
To me, there are two main styles of journaling. Of course, there’s no requirement to follow these styles (there’s not any rules or anything). I just wanted to tell you about them so you understand that some products and advice I share may not be useful for both styles. If that’s the case, I’ll make sure to clarify what it’s useful for.
- The Messy Chaotic
- Consists mostly of writing (may be stylized), highlighting/another form of color coding, easy to draw symbols, and sometimes washi tape, stickers, and/or stamps
- The word journaling has a heavy influence on what it looks like (i.e. writing may be a way to process biblical passages or even life)
- This is a great style for people who may not be able to draw or don’t want to spend too much money on art supplies
- The Dedicated Creative
- Consists of writing, calligraphy, painting with acrylics, gouache, or water colors, drawing with crayons, colored pencils, or markers, and ribbons, washi tape, stickers, and/or stamps
- Greatly varies from person to person
- Not only is bible journaling used to help understand scripture, but it becomes a form of worship
- This style is perfect for artists and other people who want to see their bible’s stories leap off the page in vibrant color
It would be impossible to include every way one could bible journal, but this list is just what I’ve noticed over the years of bible journaling and seeing other people’s work.
Choosing a Bible
This is always a difficult decision for me to make because bibles can be so expensive. However, I’ve learned it’s important to spend a little extra money on your bible. If you don’t, it will probably not be a suitable bible for journaling.
The HCSB Notetaking Bible
I started bible journaling around the very beginning of the movement. So, there weren’t that many options. That being said, I still loved this bible and it is cheaper than most other journaling bibles. The HCSB Notetaking Bible has many different covers and two page layouts to choose from. Mine has the hard cover blue floral cloth with faint lines in the margins. The pages are thick enough for writing and drawing with multiple inks and mediums. Having never heard of the HCSB translation, I bought it because there weren’t any other options. Thankfully, I actually really liked the translation. Also, there are multiple versions of these bibles on sale, right now, for less than ten dollars here. The average price is less than thirty, though.
The She Reads Truth Bible
I love this bible so much! There are many different covers available, an option for tabs, multiple bookmarks, and lots of high quality artwork and devotions inside. I have the Grey Linen Bible with tabs. It is also available in the CSB translation. The downsides of this bible are that it has thin pages (they’re thicker than normal bibles, but thinner than most journaling bibles) and if you have cats, I would not recommend the cloth cover (it will be destroyed). This bible is more expensive than the last but still in the thirty dollar range. If you plan on doing a lot of writing and highlighting, this is the perfect bible for you!
The Jesus Bible
Now, you may be thinking that all bibles are Jesus bibles. You wouldn’t be wrong but this bible is specifically focused on understanding both the Old and New Testaments in the context of Jesus. There are also notes/devotions from six major theologians of our time. This does mean that not all of the margins are available for journaling. Unlike the others, it comes in two translations, NIV and ESV. I have the ESV Artisan Edition (for some reason, the price has jumped to $50 since I bought it). Also, if you have poor eye sight, this is the bible you will want to choose. It has the option of Zondervan’s Comfort Print that makes the text darker and easier to read. If you like Passion City Church, this is the bible for you as they published it. It’s also really great for anyone who plans on doing a lot of writing and highlighting. I think the pages could handle some paint but I have yet to try it.
The Best Bible Journaling Supplies
These aren’t in any particular order. I, honestly, love all of them!
- For Writing & Office Type Things:
- Pens: I’ve been using these, Ibayam Journaling Pens. They don’t bleed or spread at all. I also really love G2 Pens, Muji Pens, Paper Mate Felt Tip Pens, and Micron Pens.
- Pencils: As far as pencils go, I will always stand by the Paper Mate Clearpoint 0.7 Pencil for everything. They’re a little more expensive than other pencils but they last a million times longer.
- Highlighters: We have a set of dry bible highlighters but I don’t like them that much. They usually require multiple strokes for one line to look even. So, I prefer normal highlighters or even better, midliners. There are so many more color options and I don’t think they bleed through as much as normal highlighters.
- Colored Pencils: In my mind, Crayola is the only colored pencil and crayon brand that exist. The best colored pencils are the twistable kind but normal colored pencils work just as well.
- For Painting & Other More Artistic Endeavors:
- Different types of paints: acrylic, gouache, gelato, and watercolors. Some brands I love are Faber Castell and Winsor & Newton. However, there are so many brands and kinds of paints that you definitely shouldn’t limit yourself to the brands I mentioned. My general rule of thumb is to not buy the generic brand, but go at least one step above. If that doesn’t make sense, don’t buy the Walmart brand, buy the Target brand item.
- I love using fancy calligraphy pens by Faber Castell and Tombow. If you know how to do calligraphy or are learning how to, I highly recommend both brands.
- I also love to use alcohol based markers like Copic (this brand is very nice but also very pricey, btw). have generic copic markers from Michael’s that I love! You can generally see right through them so it doesn’t matter if you accidentally cover up a word. They can be used to illustrate or to do fancy handwriting. Depending on how thick the pages are of your bible journal, they may bleed through so do be careful about that.
- For Stationary Type Things:
- Illustrated Faith has a massive collection of stickers, stamps, print-outs, paints and even bible journaling reading plans!
- If you live in Europe, I’d highly recommend checking out Søstrene Grene‘s assortment of stationary. Each store is different, but they usually have washi tape, notebooks, and other art supplies at really great prices! If you do go, please tell me because it’s one of my favorite stores (there aren’t any locations in America, though).
Free Resources for Bible Journaling
- Rachel Wojo has tutorials, advice, and printables available on her blog.
- Dawn Nicole specifically writes and teaches about modern calligraphy.
- Pitter and Glink has printables available on her blog.
- Scribbling Grace has free resources and tutorials for all kinds of bible journaling available on her youtube channel.
- LindseyDecor is another great youtube channel for advice, reviews, and tutorials.
- Shayda Campbell is an amazing youtuber who’s goal is to teach non-artists how to draw, watercolor, and do calligraphy.
Paid Resources for Bible Journaling
- Illustrated Faith has an awesome assortment of stationary related supplies as well as paid and free printables, bible study plans, and tutorials.
- The Complete Guide to Bible Journaling by Joanne Fink and Regina Yoder will teach you everything you need to know about bible journaling. If you want something that goes more in depth, this is definitely a great place to start.
Alternatives to Bible Journaling
For those of you who like the idea of bible journaling but would rather try something a little bit different or feel that it isn’t for you. There’s no need to miss out or worry. I’ve made a list of ideas to accommodate different needs without full on bible journaling.
- The ESV Illuminated Scripture Journals have bible passages on one side and a lightly dotted page on the other for easy notetaking and artwork.
- If you would rather color than bible journal, The Inspire Bible has hundreds of coloring activities for you to do in the margins and comes in the NLT translation
- If you are unable to afford a journaling bible but really want to, I’d recommend using a lightly dotted journal alongside your bible so you still can create beautiful artwork and read your bible at the same time!
Five Tips & Tricks for Bible Journaling Beginners
- In general, it will probably be easiest for you to find a wide selection of writing, painting, and stationary supplies if you go to an arts and crafts store like Michael’s, Joann’s, Hobby Lobby, or A.C. Moore to see everything for yourself and figure out what you like best. Most of these stores also have constant sales and coupons so be on the lookout!
- If you understand best by listening, choose the passage that you want to journal about and listen to it online while you start.
- If you’re struggling to stay focused, turn on worship music to listen to in the background and drown out distractions. To prevent getting distracted by the music, journal about the song instead of the passage (this would work best for songs that are associated with bible verses). If you are struggling to find worship music that doesn’t distract you, here’s the link to my minimal worship playlist on Spotify.
- If you don’t like what your art looks like, spend time practicing that skill outside of bible journaling. For example, you want to write with calligraphy, but have never learned how. Don’t give up before you’ve begun. Check out one of the youtubers or bloggers above to learn how to write with calligraphy and get practice sheets. Then, you’ll have one more skill in your skillset and you will improve in your bible journaling!
- Consider doing a monthly bible reading plan like The Little Bible Plan or A Love God Greatly Bible Study (free for digital download) and bible journaling the verses from your reading to deepen your understanding of the passages.
You can find the Bible Journaling Tips & Tricks PDF in the Free Resource Library to learn about more tips and tricks that will encourage and help you in your bible journaling journey!
Conclusion
I really enjoyed writing and sharing all of this information with you today. I’m so glad I could expand and improve what I had previously written to better encourage you. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe before May 1st, to be eligible for The Definition Collection Giveaway where you could win one of my bracelets!
