Surprise, surprise!! It’s FRIDAY and I have a VERY special guest for you guys today!!! Whenever I would talk about the journaling bible with anyone in person they would say I LOVE LOVE LOVE what April (Marine Parents) is doing with hers, and I have to say I agree!! She knocks it out of the part with her joyful spirit and creative touch!!
hello, beautiful ladies! i am so excited & completely honored to be guest posting here on shanna’s gorgeous blog. finding this community of creative ladies color coding, stickering, & painting inside their bibles has been [literally] one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
i’ll let you in on a little secret…. i’ve been a christian for 19 years this month & i have never read the entire bible. nope. not even in sections. not even over the course of nearly two decades. for years, i’ve felt such a total disconnect from the Word. this bible absolutely rocked my world as soon as i opened it. and i’m happy to say that after just two short months with this fantastic tool, i’ve devoured nearly twenty of the sixty-six books bound within these leather covers.
i first saw this style of bible on the instagram explore page [my favorite middle of the night scrolling activity]. i had been riding the fence on replacing my twelve year old bible that was gifted to me at high school graduation. it was falling to absolute pieces — i’d taped the spine three times, glue stick-ed in more blank note pages than i care to count & filled the teensy margins with notes & tattoo ideas brainstormed during freshman chapel in college. i had plum grown out of it.
i immediately hopped on amazon, ordered the ESV single column journaling bible & anxiously awaited it’s arrival. i found some of the frixion pens that shanna had recommended on a previous post & purchased those as well as the “highlighter” version — the frixion colors. the rest of my go to bible supplies include several of the she reads truth journals [i love their studies!] as well as a pencil pouch & bible bag from my own hand made shop.
i don’t have much rhyme or reason to what i read in my own person study time. i’ve been flipping back & forth between the testaments at random — i read through matthew first, to fill my heart with the promising words of Christ. next came proverbs & all the letters of paul. i’m currently digging in to isaiah. for anyone just starting to read the Word, i totally recommend ephesians & philippians to start.
i take small notes in the margins during weekend church services & fill in the rest of the space with my ever growing stash of alpha stickers & scrapbooking embellishments during the weekdays. i love sneaking a few of my daughter’s crayola twistables to use as highlighters!
a lettering perfectionist i am not, but a lover of Christ i am. and that’s exactly what this bible is for — filling the creative desires of our human hearts to draw us closer to the eternal promises whispered by our heavenly Father.
♥ ♥ ♥
as a special thank you to shanna & all you lovely gals for making it through this novel of a post [–*wink], i’ve got a couple of fun extras & a pretty little giveaway for you!
leave a comment on this post with your favorite book of the bible — shanna & i will select a winner on friday to receive this super popular bible bag from my shop in the Jesus Chalkboard fabric!
if you want to grab your own bible bag, pencil pouch or a multitude of other zipped & ruffled goodies, i’ve set up a 15% discount code just for y’all!! use the code SHANNANOEL at checkout — code is valid on all orders placed through sunday night!
and last, but absolutely not least…. i made up a fun little printable // instagram share-able for us! our creativity [no matter how it comes out on the pages of our bible] is a true gift from God. don’t let a single soul discourage you from how you dwell in the Spirit — He has filled us with all knowledge & craftsmanship…. and that my sweet friends, is something to be excited about it!
Thank you so much April! I think I am going to need to pick up one of those adorable pouches of yours! My favorite is the camo with the yellow ruffle! Serious PERFECTION my friend!!! Thank you for all you do, and thank you for sharing your heart with us today!!
go.be.inspired.
Shanna
My favorite book of the Bible must be Ruth…loss, love, redemption. I’ll be back….I think I need to go read it again now. ;) completely inspired to start my own journal Bible. I totally relate to your opening paragraph, April!
Wow! What beautiful handcrafted items. If I win I will give to one of the young ladies at the pregnancy shelter that I’ve been witnessing too and just started Bible study with! I think every new babe in Christ needs a tote bag declaring God’s glory.
Melissa W.
Oh my goodness! This bag is adorable, and would be great to take all of my goodies in for bible study. Love it!! My favorite book in the bible (at least for now) is Genesis. I love learning more and more about God’s loving nature as He created us and everything we would need.
My favorite book of the Bible is the book of James. I have a Bible study leader I’d love to gift this bag too. She really needs a new bag.
My fav book is Ephesians. I like the practical instructions for living a “good” life. Thanks for sharing and for the chance to win!
Thanks for sharing with all of us April… Love your creativity and your heart! Thks so much for the generous giveaway your bag is beautiful! xo
My favorite book of the Bible is Proverbs. So much wisdom and hope! Thank you for sharing your journaling Bible with us!
It is really hard to pick one favorite book! I have learned so much about God and about myself by studying the Bible. I am currently studying James, so I will say James. I appreciate all the advice and warnings that James is giving. Thanks for the chance to win! Debbie Ketcham
Micah 6:8 was our family go to scripture these last 1.5yrs as we adopted out two children from Uganda..it spoke to us so much during this time.
It’s hard to pick a favorite! I love the Proverbs and Isaiah, in particular. But I enjoy reading through the New Testament books as well. Thanks for sharing your Journaling bible pages with us!
My favourite book of the bible is Phillipians. It talks about finding joy and contentment in life and has some of my favourite verses in it.
Love that printable – this type of journaling is inspirational and addictive (love the addictive part – can’t think of anything better than the Word to be addicted to) – I am especially fond of Psalms, then Proverbs – I think I could go on an on. Hugs and thanks for sharing.
It would be tough to pick a favorite book but I would have to say Psalms, you can read anywhere in the book and find comfort and inspiration.
Thanks for your transparency. I can relate to your story in so many ways.. Thanks for His ability to reconnect us to His Word. My favorite book of the Bible is Psalms. It soothes my aching soul when I need it. May God bless us all on our journey into Deeper!!
I have several favorites, but the one that always sticks in my mind is Psalms 119:165. I am in a family where no one gets along. I am 60 years old and it has been this way all my life. I just asked my daughter a question, she is 40, and all she can do is yell at me. I won’t go into all my problems, I do have my dad who is always here for me, and I have God, I don’t know how anyone gets by without Him.
I love the Psalms for the comfort they offer and the transparencies of the writers to share their struggle and concern with the Lord. The Psalms give me such hope that God understands all that I am going through and invites my questions and concerns.
I’m still working on reading the Word, but I did find my self enjoying Matthew. Thank you so much for your generosity
Ruth has always been my favorite book of the Bible! Thanks for sharing your Bible journaling with us & that tote is “tote”ally adorable!
It’s difficult to pick one but my Pastor’s wife once told me to every morning start by reading Ephesians 6 and she said to literally act like you are putting each piece of Armor on and be dressed ready to start the day ….It’s amazing how it helps!!!..and I love Proverbs for wisdom and Psalms for praise…thanks for reading. …Lord bless you in your ministry. …love your work!
I am going to try this out! Thank you for sharing.
I think my favorite book of the Bibles is Psalms. It seems that I am always able to dip into Psalms and find the exact Word that I need at the exact moment of my need.
Proverbs is definitely my favorite. I go there to find wisdom and encouragement. Thank You for your post today… I loved it!
Your Bible looks beautiful! I love the Psalms because they express so much different feelings. I also love Proverbs for the many wise words.
I have not read the entire Bible yet, but so far I have found Ephesians to be one of my favourites! Love this post! Great inspiration!
Phillipians is my favorite! It is short, but full of truth.
What Great Ideas and Creativity!!! Jude is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Its the Know How along with the Wake Up to overcome and outwit those who set out to deceive and cause confusion.
I love April’s products! She is so crafty :) I have so many favorite Bible passages, but my favorite book is probably Ephesians. It’s short enough to read through in one sitting, but meaningful enough to make you feel spiritually satisfied. 5:14b “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you” The book has excellent snippets to remind me that life is about more than what modern society considers valuable.
Ecclesiastes is my favorite! I believe God will ask us if we have enjoyed everything good He gave us (like Eclessiastes tells us to). And, the book tells us why we need a savior!
i usually turn to the psalms, so i think that’s my favorite book…..although right now i’m reading proverbs and have been keeping a journal as i read….so i think that’s my new favorite!
I’m a little odd, I guess. I love Romans. I can study for years and never glean every morsel. The Word is truly alive and active!
I love love love the book of Isaiah. My life verse is Isaiah 43 verse 1 “you are mine.”
Favorite book of the Bible is Psalms. Whenever I’m having a bad day that’s where I turn to.
Favorite book is Psalms. I love the “rawness” of David’s psalms
Our pastor just concluded his teachings on the whole book of Hebrews. Right now, that is probably my favorite book in the Bible as it talks about our new covenant with God!
Mine is Psalms…
James! Finding joy in life’s storms. God is faithful when I am not – I cling to Him. Thanks for the giveaway!
My favorite book of the Bible is Psalms.
It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I find myself memorizing more of the Psalms than anything else, so I’ll go with that. Love your products and journaling. That tote bag is wonderful. Blessings!
I am enjoying Psalms a lot recently with this new endeavour of Bible Journaling, so I will say Psalms too!
Oh! Definitely Philippians! :)
~Lindsey
I’m so incredibly inspired by you, April! Seriously, it’s because of you, I’ve opened my bible up and started journaling. I, much like you haven’t really read thru the entire bible, BUT some of my favorite words come from Psalms, and Matthew and Exodus.
Blessings friends!!
I love that you said you were digging into Isaiah — I think it might be my favorite book ever. So much of it speaks to me on a regular basis.
I’m totally asking for a journaling bible for Christmas this year. ;-) I love keeping notes and highlighting in my bible!
I think it’s James. It is so full of thought and heart-provoking thoughts I can go through a verse at a time…a great book to encourage the journaling habit!
Romans! I’ve gotten into the habit of reading scripture on my phone, which is convenient, but I really think im missing something having a physical book to interact with.
Like you, April, I’ve been a Christian for MANY years, and have never read the bible cover to cover!! But we just finished a study on Proverbs, and it was so insightful — so much wisdom! Proverbs 1:33 — “but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster” — how WONDERFUL to know that our God loves us so much, all we have to do is listen to Him, and he will protect us!
April, I absolutely LOVED this post from you! And, confession – I’ve never read the whole Bible either! I’ve been trying, though, to read cover-to-cover. Daunting, but I’m finally in Matthew now, so I feel like I’ve accomplished and learned and HEARD FROM GOD so much more now that I’ve been so intentionally studying His Word.
I cannot WAIT to get my journaling Bible and little pretties from you! And I loved what you said here: “A lettering perfectionist I am not, but a lover of Christ I am.” I feel the same way, girl. ♡ I may not have the prettiest journaling Bible when all’s said and done, but whatever I put in there will be from my heart.
I am SO ready for what this new chapter of my Bible-reading-adventures will bring!
I love hearing this, dear!! I so agree that what comes from our heart is far more beautiful & praise-worthy to God than anything we could put on paper :]
Congrats — you won the bible tote, friend!! Could you please email me with your mailing address & I’ll pop this in the mail for you this week! [ marineparents.shop@gmail.com ]
I have time for a quick comment and then I am going to check out your easy shop, April.
Right now I am studying Thessalonians, so it is my current favorite book.
I absolutely love the book of Proverbs! Always find what i need in there <3 and your post is very inspiring! This seems like just the thing i need to do for myself… Thank you!
I love the book of James!!!! I get so much out of it no matter how many times I read it!!!
My favorite is Proverbs or Ephesians, hope to add more to the list as I start my bible journaling!
You are so cute!! My favorite book is Matthew. Mainly because I love the Christmas story. <3
My favorite book is Ruth…1:16″Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”
My favorite book is Ruth. It is one of the most beautiful story ever told
April, love your style of bible journaling and your products are beautiful! This is hard to pick a favorite book, but I really like Proverbs! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for sharing April. My favorite book is (would you believe) Isaiah. We’re going through Isaiah at church and this book contains the entire gospel (but written hundreds of years before Jesus! What a God inspired prophet he was!).
I’m going to have a peep at your shop, but living in Europe usually means I can’t afford the postage….
My favorite book of the bible is Phillipians. I am so glad I found your blog. You inspire me. Xo
I love the book of Ruth! Thanks for the chance to win!!
I think my favorite book would have to be 2 Timothy. Hard choice to narrow it down to one, but I love the encouragement and determination behind Paul. Don’t give up and don’t let the gospel end with you.
My favorite book is Genesis. I like going back to the beginning, the ” basics ” of my life of Christ.
Esther!! Has always been my favorite book of the bible! I have done several bible studys on Esther, Beth Moore being my fav, and I read it when I need inspiration. I tell my daughter often, nothing is Impossible with God, NOTHING! Hadassah trusted God, stepped out of faith and followed where He lead her. What she thought was impossible became possible! There is nothing our God cant do!
Thanks so much for sharing with us, your bible is beautiful. I’m glad you have found SRT, was going to tell you about them so you could read and enjoy plenty of chapters with this group. I am in two small groups at church and the SRT online so I get to read the bible plenty and LOVE reading it. So glad that you found a way to enjoy getting into the word. So awesome that Shanna has inspired so many of us isn’t it!! Thanks again and enjoy your bible.
I would have to say Proverbs. thanks for the contest!!!