This Good Morning Girl’s Bible Study Journal is AMAZING!

 

Bible Reading Shar

This is Shar!

And friends you are in for a treat today! My regularly scheduled post  is scrapped because I am so incredibly inspired by Shar’s daily instagrams, that I emailed her a few days ago and asked if I could share her journals with you all and she said “yes!” Hooray!

So first a little about Shar aka Gypsy.Mama.nc (her instagram is not available at this time)- she writes:

I’m Shar! I’m 22, I’m a Stay-At-Home mama of 3 boys under 3 (the third being due in less than 2 weeks!), and I have a huge crush on a guy named Robert that I married 4 years ago.

I enjoy: being creative, teaching our children, watching the “Duggars,” a good pair of blue jeans and all of the other good things in life. But more than any of that, I am in love with the One who loved me first, my Savior. Jesus is so much more than religion, He is truly life.

God is continuously shaping me into the masterpiece He planned for me to be long before my existence. There’s been discomfort, pain and even resistance but each day, I’m learning to surrender.

Shar posts on a regular basis a photo of her quiet times and journaling – I am simply fascinated friends! Check this out!

Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling
Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling

 

Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling

 

Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling

 

Shar writes:

I journal because its really therapeutic for me and helps me to dig even deeper into God’s Word.

It’s also a way for me to show my gratitude towards God as a form of worship- not worshipping the journal- but worshipping Him *through* the journal… the written out scriptures, observations, applications, prayers, and small illustrations of His what words mean to me. To put the passion my heart has for Him onto paper into a form of art. To praise Him. To confess my sins. To surrender and to cry out to Him. It’s really great to reflect on, to see how far I have came in my walk with God and also things that I need to improve on.

Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling

 

Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling

 

Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling
Have you tried Bible art journaling as a part of your daily quiet time? Here are some great ideas from one of our Good Morning Girls of Bible journaling. #GoodMorningGirls #BibleJournaling #Artjournaling

Shar has included a photo of her Bible Study Kit and here is what she wrote about it on her Instagram:

My bible study kit! Basically everything that I use for my personal Bible study. HOWEVER, you don’t “need” any of things for an effective Bible study, all you need is your Bible, #prayer and God of course!

**My Bible {NKJV}
**pencil box to hold craft/washi tape
**tin can for pens, pencils & highlighters {I have way too many so I only keep the ones in here that I use the most often!}
**composition/#1000gifts notebook {where I write down all of my blessings & daily gratitudes… I need to decorate the cover! 🙂
**spiral tablet {my bible study/prayer journal}
**head phones {sometimes I listen to worship music while spending time with God}
**post-it notes and tabs
**stickers
**and a pink princess bag {courtesy of Dollar Tree!} to keep it all together!

Everything fits in it perfectly, so I can travel outside my home with it as well.

Not pictured is my book light, used if I’m reading the Word in bed while my Hubby’s asleep.

Have you been waiting to commit to read through the Bible with us?  Maybe it feels like too much of a commitment for you.  Just take it one small step at a time.

As you see by Shar’s beautiful journals – there is freedom in how you study God’s word. Let it be a joy – an oasis of refreshing living water – that leads you to being a woman –who is living well.

I hope you will join us.

Chime In:

I love seeing and hearing about how other’s do their quiet times.  

Where do you like to read God’s word?
When do you like to read God’s word?
What are your favorite methods or tools?

For more details about Good Morning Girls -> read here.

Walk with the King!

Courtney

 

 Need encouragement in your walk with God?  Pick up a copy of my book:  “Women Living Well: Finding Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids and Your Home.”

116 Comments

    1. I love your Bible journaling. I’ve started too! Could you please share with me your composition book for 1000 Gifts and what you write in it, how you use it, and an example? I bought one but I’m not sure what to do with it.

    2. Good morning! Glory to our Father God! I would love to comment. I have the luxury of taking my time to get my day started. Praise God! I begin with listening to some ministry, reading some passages with scripture, sharing the passage and scripture with family and at times a friend or two. Holy spirit always works in my life when I need to reflect on something and, study on that particular area. And that ladies is when I will begin my journaling, highlighting, circling, writing. I love it! It all comes alive….In those precious precious moments, my heart is open, Im focused on the message that God needs for me to know at that moment. I just discovered that Ive had the same scripture written here n there. The new thing I found to be helpful to do moving forward is to journal why I chose that scripture, verses just topic of scripture.

      Thank you for sharing!
      Many Blessings,
      Tina

  1. Beautiful! The time she puts into them says a lot about the love she has. His creativity is seen all around us and Shar, I love how you’ve used the creativity He placed inside of you to worship Him. <3 Bless you for sharing.

    1. I write my own daily devotions and am growing a ton closer and getting tiny tastes of the AMAZING relationship he has in store I hope for mine to be like this soon,I am hopeing that I can publish my devotion and help others grow close to Christ

  2. WOW!!! That is so fun looking. I’m not the least bit artistic but I love seeing this kind of journaling. I keep trying to journal and write about what I read in the Bible but I have a hard time with it for some reason.

  3. Just so cool, Shar!

    A decade ago I found that talking with the Lover of my soul, pen to paper, was a safe place for me to walk through and heal from my brokeness and find hope and healing for my wounded soul.

    These days, it’s still a winsome way to connect with my Savior. Gratitude springs up as I pen my conversations with Him. I feel loved, heard, validated, and re-directed by the only One who can do it well.

    Recently, I talked to Him about blogging while I was taking a break from writing online …
    http://creeksideministries.blogspot.com/2014/09/in-which-i-return-to-my-writing-roots.html

    Thanks again, Shar, for reminding us who made the rainbow of colors that we decorate our printed pages with …

    ;-}

  4. Wow! That is amazing. The time and effort Shar put into her journaling really is inspiring. Thank you Shar for sharing with us.

  5. Inspiring! I needed a bit of encouragement to jump start my quiet time and I think I just got it. I think I’ll gather my materials and be ready for the morning.

  6. Shar, I am noticing your highlighting all over your Bible and I am wondering if you have a “method” or “system” for which colors you use to highlight scripture! Or is just whatever random color strikes your fancy at the moment?

    1. Hi TLC! 🙂 Thank you so much! Someone asked me this on my Instagram a short while ago and this was my response (Its copied & pasted from there but if you have any more questions feel free to ask! 🙂 *** I do use a code, but not from the inductive bible study or anything like that, I simply made my own up! 🙂 I started out with a few basic colors for example: yellow for christian living, pink for marriage/womanly duties, orange for old law & prophecy, clouds for heaven references, red crosses for salvation, save, deliver etc. references… And more, I’ve just been adding to it over the years and have had to get creative lately, I’m running out of symbols & colors! LOL 🙂 I keep everything on an index card for reference. But to make up your own I recommend Googling “bible marking symbols” and things like that for ideas… But remember its great to use your own made up symbols for certain things too, so that you can use symbols/colors that personally mean something to you! 🙂

  7. WOW! This is amazing and I love seeing this. I’m 23, and married (also to a guy named Robert) and I have one 3 year old son… To see her studies and notes and the motivation she has to it, motivates me as well. I love God and I’ve done reading plans and I have a prayer journal I write in, but after I got married, I fell away from it, and it always seems so rough to get back into it… Though I know it isn’t and shouldn’t be felt that way… This definitely inspires me to get myself together and get back close with Our Loving God again, and have that time… BTW, all the colors in her Bible too, I’m always so scared to make too many marks in it, but seeing it like this look amazing… Prayers please, so that my heart may soften and open and I can get back on the road. I know God is waiting for me, as he always has. He’s always here, I know.

    1. Heather, let me encourage you. I was scared too so I went to Goodwill and purchased a used Bible for a couple of dollars. I was less afraid to get familiar and take notes, highlight and mark in my Bible.

      1. Jenny, thank you for that. I was just sitting here thinking, “I can’t afford another Bible…” So thanks for that inspiration! 🙂

        1. You can also purchase a bible from the dollar tree for $1.oo. I also went into the Christian Supply store here in Arkansas and they had some nice bibles on clearance. Check them out too.

      2. Lol, I, too, was too afraid to mark up my Bible. I am Triple A personality. Lol I ordered a used Bible from Thriftbooks..om to get started!

  8. Wow Shar! I am truly inspired by your journaling!!! I would love to know, do you have a color coding system? Or do you just like the multiple colors?

    I definitely think I need to revamp how I journal 🙂

    1. Hi Courtney, thank you so much for your kind words! Someone asked me this on my Instagram a short while ago (& in a comment above :)) and this was my response (Its copied & pasted from there but if you have any more questions feel free to ask! 🙂 *** I do use a code, but not from the inductive bible study or anything like that, I simply made my own up! 🙂 I started out with a few basic colors for example: yellow for christian living, pink for marriage/womanly duties, orange for old law & prophecy, clouds for heaven references, red crosses for salvation, save, deliver etc. references… And more, I’ve just been adding to it over the years and have had to get creative lately, I’m running out of symbols & colors! LOL 🙂 I keep everything on an index card for reference. But to make up your own I recommend Googling “bible marking symbols” and things like that for ideas… But remember its great to use your own made up symbols for certain things too, so that you can use symbols/colors that personally mean something to you! 🙂

      Blessings!

      1. Good afternoon Shar. My daughter, Shelly Mabry sent this to her bible study class and I was blown away by it. I absolutely love all the colors, things you have highlighted, stickers, etc. you have used throughout your bible as well as your journal. I have started doing this and I can’t wait to read the next scripture so my imagination can run wild. Thank you for sharing your work it has truly been an inspiration to me! This is right up my alley! God bless you…. 🙂

  9. I am so visual…this just sings to my soul…….I’m going to try my own version of this!!!

    Thank you for sharing and expanding my idea of worship and spending time with our Lord.

    I’m excited about this!!!!!!!!

  10. Hi Courtney this was so awesome that you asked shar to share this. There is an awesome community on IG that is very inspiring to stay in the Word. I’m so glad I started searching different #hashtags to be inspired to read Gods word and journal. Shar love it!!!

      1. Good morning Eveline! 🙂

        The papers that look “glued on” are actually just decorated sticky notes 🙂 I use them for writing notes sometimes because some parts of my bible have really small margins! 🙂

  11. A-MAZ-ING! I love, love, love those pictures! I highlight but not like that… gives me ideas though!! I think I will start!! 🙂

  12. So beautifully done and very creative!! I color code too (I learned that from Kay Arthur’s inductive studies), but it’s not as cute as Shar’s color coding! Now I want to go out and buy a new Bible just to make it look as pretty!!! 🙂

    To answer the questions… I read God’s word pretty much anyway, but the place I do it most is at my dining room table. As soon as my husband leaves for work, I start my prayer time and study. I need to be with Him first thing in the morning. I also like to journal, but it’s just words. Shar has inspired me to use more tools and get more creative!

  13. Always beautiful to see someone’s passion for the Lord. Shar, your creativity is amazing and your love for Jesus just shines through in your words. On a totally off topic…where on earth did you get Lisa Frank to buy?! I thought they were no longer available. 😉

    So great to meet you…God bless!

  14. Love this so much! I love that she stressed not to make it all about the markings and colors, but to allow God to speak to you thru that! I read in the morning around 6am – 7am, in my dining room, and I use the SOAP method.
    Have a Blessed Day!

  15. Hi Karen!

    Thank you! 🙂 Yes, it’s so important not to get so caught up in the markings & colors that you forget about GOD because a Bible can always be replaced, but not God!

    Blessings!!

  16. Thanks Shar for sharing your personal space of how you Journal and worship. What an amazing keepsake you will have of your reading through the Bible. It also serves of an example for others of some of the ways we can share our thoughts by getting them out on paper. I journal (not so extensively as you), but in the hopes of making an outline and memos to myself that will help me remember what I’ve read as an accompaniment in re-reading verses and chapters. I find that writing also helps me understand a bit better what I’ve just read. Thanks to Courtney for sharing your story of worship with us as it also helps as an inspiration of how God works through others. 🙂

  17. I love to color up my Bible. I’ve been on a digital bible thing the last few years and recently found the Faithlife Bible that can be color marked up and I’m loving it, though in the last month I’ve wanted to go back to paper again, so I cand color and use stickers and washi tape like in my journal. I need my colored pens and pencils again and your journal makes me want to go shopping for more fun stuff. Celebrating the creativity God has placed in each one if us.

  18. shar, that’s a lot of color there, but i do appreciate your enthusiasm. keep it up, i’m sure you’re learning a lot more than me, since i do need to get closer to God.. i do need to delve more into my bible. prayer was 1 of the few tings that got me thru my wait at the dr.’s since i was being seen as a walk in. bible verses just kept coming into my head as i was waiting, even though i haven’t memorized anything new lately.

  19. this is super cute and fun! you have inspired me to be more bold, more praising, and more everything during my morning time with God!!! TFS…

  20. I love the bag idea. It seems I’m always walking around the house gathering my Bible, notebook, pens, highlighters, and Sunday School lesson book, and whatever book I’m reading, “Messy Beautiful Love” at the moment. Why not put it all in a bag that makes me happy so its all right there when I’m starting my quiet time? Thanks for sharing how you do quiet time Shar. And you are so young. If only I had been so disciplined in my 20s. It has taken me 36 years and a good shaking by God to start having daily quiet time with the Lord.

    1. Hi Lee Ann!

      It just depends on the type of highlighters you use. There’s so many different brands and my bible has seen them all! LOL How thin your pages are factor into it, too. Zebrite is a really great brand as well as Wordkeepers. I’ve heard great reviews on Pigma Micron pens, too for underlining! Also, Crayola Twistable crayons are awesome for no-bleed highlighting as well as colored pencils! However, I’ve gotten lucky a few times, buying “non brand” highlighters and having no bleed through! 🙂

      But here’s a link to the highlighter section of ChristianBook.com, you can check out a lot of different options and read the reviews on them http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=highlighters&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCQ&nav_search=1&cms=1

      A lot of their products are available at Walmart, Target and local Christian Book stores if you don’t want to have to wait for shipping.

      I hope you find something that you like! 🙂

  21. I love it…so inspiring!!! Thanks for sharing. Do you have a Facebook page? The reason I ask,is that I don’t have a Instagram account. I would love to read your posts.

  22. Wow…just wow!

    I have struggled a lot with boredom when it comes to studying the Bible. About a month or two ago I started putting stickers in my Bible but for some reason, I felt really stupid. I also color coded my Bible…I love coloring.

    I now know it was the devil. He has spent quite some time making me down right BORED with God’s Word but I didn’t realize it was him. The past couple days God has been opening up my eyes and I truly believe this was part of it.

    God is not boring and nor is His Word!! I go to Dollar Tree every week…I will be picking up an item each week now to have FUN studying God’s Word. Every single thing she has done is something I have wanted…but felt foolish. Now I feel foolish for believing those lies! Thank you Courtney for sharing her story! I’m now looking forward to studying the exciting Word of God!!

    I don’t have an instagram account but I might just get one!

    1. ANGELL! I love this comment! Thanks for being so honest! Satan uses the most simple things to deceive us and try to keep us out of God’s Word! Honestly, were all different and it takes different things/method for different people to really comprehend AND enjoy reading through the Bible! Some people have absolute blank Bibles but they know God’s Scriptures inside & out, and enjoy reading everyday!

      Its up to us to do what we have to do to enjoy soaking in His truth!

      Years ago I felt uneasy about “dressing up” my bible. But we worship GOD, not a book! This book is our tool to help us as Christians! So read it! Study it! Highlight it! Mark it! Underline it! Write it! Journal it! Share it! Draw it out! Blog about it! Instagram about it! Tab it! Take notes! Pray about it! Meditate on it! Do whatever YOU have to do so that it truly has an impact on YOUR life & walk with God, because we’re all different! 

      Blessings!!!

  23. I LOVE THIS!!! I am so inspired to get out my bible and start highlighting! 🙂

    Shar, I as wondering if you use a specific website to help you study the Bible? I have a hard time understand ing the scripture sometimes and would like some good resources to assist with my understanding and growth. Any suggestions???

    Thanks!!

    1. Thanks, Brittany!

      Woohoo! Go get that Bible out! (^_^)

      My Bible is basic, as in not study Bible or anything like that. So when I don’t understand something I read different commentaries. Sometimes I’ll ask my husband about it or even just Google the particular Bible verse! Biblegateway.com & Biblestudytools.com are helpful sites! As well even reading the same verse in a different translation (that helps me a lot, too!). And sometimes just rewriting the verse out in my journal helps to really slow down and just “take the words in.”

  24. Courtney thanks for deciding to share these pictures today. It is so encouraging to see someone having fun journaling the Bible. I love that she uses so much color and doodling and embellishments!
    One thing I do that is sort of special to my quiet time is I always write “Amen” at the end of any prayer journaling, but I always write it as though I was signing a letter, with big flourishes. It always looks different, sometimes curvy and beautiful, sometimes simple and quiet, but it’s my way of telling God I enjoy my time with Him (even if it’s convicting!) 😀

  25. God made each of us uniquely different. That Shar is able to incorporate all this into her daily journaling is truly amazing. I cannot even begin to imagine, especially with small children under foot! May God continue to bless her with His strength and might! Amen
    Rosalyn

  26. I love how beautiful your illustrations are!
    My journal isn’t as beautiful in the sense of colors and symbols but I highlight names in blue and verses relating to women in pink. And I write write write! Usually if the children don’t wake up when my husband leaves for work at 5:30am I sit on my bed soaking up a few chapters in my bible and write a letter to my heavenly father telling him thank you for his gifts and about my struggles and how I feel he could help me overcome them, and then asking him for his will.
    I Don’t have to write but I love to and it makes it doubly nice to look back and see the gifts God has provided and the strength he has given me to make each day count.
    I need to find a way to include more of it on my blog.

  27. I love how she gets deep into the word of God. Her inspiration has encouraged me a lot to get into my reading and to start jouraling. Thanks for sharing with us.

  28. Thank you Courtney for sharing Shar with all of us! I am 50 years old and am totally inspired when someone who is 23 is so on fire for Jesus! I love that she doesn’t follow what the world tells her is success, but follows the Holy Spirit regarding her life! Thank you both for sharing your thoughts and your insight. We see in part and we prophecy in part……we need each other!
    be blessed,
    Donna

  29. I was so inspired by this today!!! I am a lover of all things colorful and scrapbooky and artsy, but I never feel like I have the time to get back into the hobby of scrapbooking, and if I did, I’d probably feel guilty for spending the time on it. But today, THIS made me feel so awesome. So I broke out my pens and my stickers, and I made a lovely journal entry for my Jesus, and I feel GREAT about it! Thanks so much for sharing this! My journal will never be the same! …and on that note, the baby’s nap just abruptly ended so I gotta go! Love to you all!!!!

  30. Hi Shar,

    You are SO inspirational! I’m a 1st time Mom-to-be and want to really get disciplined in my quiet time before my baby gets here because it’s going to be even harder to carve out time with a newborn I imagine. (I just found out last week so hopefully I have plenty of time to really develop the habit of daily DISCIPLINED study). My question is….What Bible do you use? It looks like a regular one with no study notes, but can you tell me specifically which one? Is it a hardback/paperback? I like the size of the font and the fact that the paper is obviously high quality enough to endure highlighting 🙂

    Thanks,
    Ashley

    1. Hi Ashley!!!

      Congrats!!!

      I honestly didn’t even buy my Bible, I was at my parents house one day a few years ago and took it home with me. Parents seem to always have extra Bibles laying around LOL. It’s from Kenneth Copeland ministries, NKJV and paperback. As far as the highlighting/bleed through goes, it really just depends on the type of highlighter that I use. I’ve used so many different brands and “non brands” but most of them don’t have a bleed through! 🙂

      Blessings!

  31. Absolutely love this idea!

    I love my kids getting creative when journaling!
    A picture tells a thousand words, and helps them improve their drawing skills too.
    I love all the different colored pens for headings and subheadings.

    I have my kids go thru Sunday sermons like this too – helps to keep their attention span.

    So many inspiring ways to go thru the bible! Thank you!

  32. It ia through Shar how I heard about blogging through the bible. I have never been more inspired. I decided to take that step. I came in at the start of 1Peter but I did go back and read esther as well so I am caught up and on 3 John today! I have never been more excited to connect with other women of God who are taking a huge step just as myself. I appreciate you all and I appreciate Shar for sharing her walk with us all. Lets stick to it ladies as we continue to read and blog through The Bible!

    1. It just depends on the type of highlighters you use. There’s so many different brands and my bible has seen them all! LOL How thin your pages are factor into it, too. Zebrite is a really great brand as well as Wordkeepers. I’ve heard great reviews on Pigma Micron pens, too for underlining! Also, Crayola Twistable crayons are awesome for no-bleed highlighting as well as colored pencils! However, I’ve gotten lucky a few times, buying “non brand” highlighters and having no bleed through! 🙂

      But here’s a link to the highlighter section of ChristianBook.com, you can check out a lot of different options and read the reviews on them http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=highlighters&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCQ&nav_search=1&cms=1

      A lot of their products are available at Walmart, Target and local Christian Book stores if you don’t want to have to wait for shipping

        1. Tasha, also try out the yellow Gel highlighter made by Sharpie. It is bright and doesnt go thru any type of paper. I think other brands are making this type as well.

  33. This is amazing! I believe I will be starting this when we get into Genesis! I will label my notebooks from the beginning to the end so when I go back and look them up they will be easier to find. This is an awesome share and had to follow on Instagram. What an inspiring share!! And love your ministry by the way! I have been having some challenges and have been looking for a stable church family. Your ministry has helped in more ways than one. I thank you so much. It would be great if you lived closer so I could give you a hug. (I am not an affectionate person, but I am VERY grateful!!!) God Bless you and your family!!! Much Love your way!!

  34. Good morning, Girls! Well I am a science person, so my journal is written in black ink with no stickers, drawings or bright colors, in fact, the only deviation from just written words would be equations because that is how I think. When I study, I read through the passage first, then I go back and look at it in depth. I pick it apart word by word, figuring out (or trying to) what is being said, what the principles are, how it applies. It’s really pretty scientific in every way, but I love it! (I am also not very girly;) ) I study when both of my kids are asleep, which is usually after my husband leaves for work just before dawn, at our kitchen table. Shar I feel like I can totally relate to you though, I am a stay at home mom with two kids under 3 and we have been married 3.5 years, and I also love teaching.

  35. Such inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I also journal my bible study, but never so beautifully as you do! I’m going to share this post with my daughter – perhaps this will encourage them as well.

    Thank you!

  36. Very inspiring! I’ve been trying to do more Bible journaling. You’ve definitely inspired me to just start writing it down. I started following your Insagram feed. Praying that you deliver a very healthy baby. God bless you and your beautiful family.
    Melissa

  37. For those of you asking about highlighters not bleeding through the pages… I use colored pencils 🙂 and I don’t have any sort of coloring code, I just choose a color I want to use anytime I want to highlight something. Except purple I guess. That’s my favorite color so I use it on my favorite verses!

  38. So neat. I think this has inspired me to start a journal. And yes, I am going to try to go out today or tomorrow and get another Bible to mark up. Especially for Genesis. I think it will ge good to look for what Genesis tells me about God’s character. So, I am thinking of using colors for love, grace, mercy, anger, discipline, promise, etc.

  39. I never journaled before. I’ve always tried since I was little, but was never good at staying with it…even before I was saved. I have to tell you I’m abit of a nut/ocd with school/study supplies and I really want to give this a try. Do you suggest I get a new bible to start with? Please tell me yoyr thoughts about getting started for the first time. I know I wanted to do a prayer wall or box with my kids (5 of them ages ranging from 16 almost 17 down to 5 almost 6.) Started on new year’s day and then go over it at the end of the year to see how much God does answer our prayers! I’ve even done a “prayer tree” for Christmas instead of the regularly decorated Christmas tree and we write prayers and hang the up on the tree as ornaments and pray over them every night. But I digress…I just REALLY would like your advice on starting and what you recommend to start this healthy habit of spendong deep spiritual growth and time with God. I have a 16, 12, 11, 8, and 5 y/os…soon to be 17, 13, 11, 8, and 6….they grow up so fast don’t they. Sorry I rambled on and on…JUST THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU FOR BEING MY INSPIRATION FOR BETTER QUALITY TIME WITH MY FATHER IN HEAVEN!

  40. That’s very cool. I have read through the Bible a few times. This time I’m reading through it ALPHABETICALLY. Doing this mixes up OT and NT beautifully! When I try to read through from front to back I loose steam quickly. When I’ve read through backwards same thing I only get do far and then I fizzle out. This way is keeping my interest! I read for 15 min in bed before I do anything else. I get through 1-3 chapters and I start my day with my mind set on things above.

    1. Karen, that sounds like an interesting way to read the Bible…I think I may try that. Like you said I can begin reading and then lose steam and fizzle out real quick. Thank you for sharing that.

  41. I wish I had what all you have…I left an abusive marriage and God seems so far away. I was so broken within my marriage that it is a struggle now to start on a new, positive, healthy path. I do like what I saw within this beautiful ladies journals…the color is what caught my eye. I think I shall read some more.
    Thank you

  42. Can anyone recommend a Bible translation as there are so many out there and I want to get the most out of what I am reading. Thank you. So for the many messages 🙂

    1. Hi Michele, There are many good translations and only a couple that I wouldn’t recommend. I would suggest that you pray for God to lead you – even if you don’t feel close to Him right now. Just ask Him to guide you to His word. I like these versions: NASB, NKJV, & HCSB – They all capitalize any reference to God which is helpful to me. ESV is another good one. The one that I would not use is The Message as it has taken things out to match modern day opinions. It is a paraphrase not an actual bible. Again, there are many good translations and many opinions. I started with NIV and then I switched to NKJV like Shar uses. I found out that NASB is very literal word for word but still uses language we speak so I use it for study. I hope this is helpful. Ask God to lead you : ) I am going to pray for you.
      Much love to you.

  43. WOW! Amazing!!! What a Legacy your leaving for your children. 🙂 I want to scroll through the pics again. 🙂 Great job Shar!!!

  44. I just wanted to let you know and thank you…I saw this post the day you shared it and it has stuck with me. I am following Shar on pinterest now and am very inspired/convicted by the time she spends in the word. I just had a baby on September 19. I have been feeling really overwhelmed, like I can’t take anything else on…but seeing the time and thought Shar puts into her journaling has really inspired me. I have always been struck by the idea of creativity as worship, but never really knew how to apply that to my own walk with Christ. I have tried, countless times, to get into the Word everyday…but I always did it just to do it. I think starting a bright & colorful journal like Shar’s will really help me put my heart into what I am doing. Combining a “habit” with something I enjoy doing…like being creative with color and writing…seems like a really good idea for me. Thank you so much for this post and this blog in general!

    I first heard about you on WBGL out of Champaign, Ill. Big thanks to them too! 🙂

  45. THANK YOU!!! I needed to see this!! I too am a creative soul and love to journal. However when it came to my Bible, I always felt afraid to make any marks in it. I was terrified that maybe that would be seen as “adding to the Bible”. Foolish I know. I respond so well to markings and underlining things. It causes me to “dig in deep”. All my college text books are full of notes, markings, highlighting, etc…. this helped me fully grasp the information. Why I thought this is unacceptable for our Bibles…I don’t know. I guess the enemy was just hindering me using fear. I really appreciate this post. It gives me the confidence in knowing that I can apply my learning style to Bible Study!!

  46. I have never heard of or thought of Journaling the Word through artwork. This is the most amazing and inspiring thing I have ever seen. I read the Bible and study the Word…I even make my own personal notes, but never in a million years would I have dreamed of journaling this way! I’m excited and truly blessed by your work and look forward to starting this myself. I’m not very artistically inclined, however God doesn’t care as long as I am learning and enjoying His Word. Thank you for the blessing you are!

  47. I came across this on Pinterest! : )
    What a wonderful way of learning about God and being able to see your walk with Him over time.
    I have been wanting to read the bible,more than my open to whatever page it opens toand reading there. I also have been wanting to encourage my kids to read the bible and have started having them look up a verse to post on a dry erase board which is on our fridge…each week or there abouts we change them. This is a wonderful idea and something I can have them do also. Thank you so much for sharing this!

  48. LOVE this! For Christmas this year I’m giving my twelve year old a brand new journaling bible after all of the chaos as died down I’m going to ask for it back. This is my third year reading the bible through this year I’m going to read it and journal and highlight it with her in mind. My hope is that this bible and the scriptures in general will always be close to her heart.

  49. I love this way of journaling. I recently started journaling myself and wrote about it on my blog this week. (Also a new endeavor for me!) I get so much out of my devotional time when I stop to really think about what I am reading. I teach Bible class for teenagers at a Christian school and really want to get them more into personal devotion time as well. I think that this type of journaling would really appeal to some of them! It looks like fun, not just like homework. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

  50. Art Journaling works best for me. I’m a visual learner. I am able to get more out of my Time with God if I write it, color it, and re-look at it as I mature and more often than not when I glance back I learn something new!

    I am so glad I found yall

  51. WOW!!!!This gives me so much inspiration to read more!!! It is amazing how you spend so much time in the word! Thank you so much for sharing!!! Keep up the great work!

  52. Shar, I just love this Bible journaling idea of yours! I’ve started to do the same. Its fun, creative, and helping me understand and remember. Plus, my Bible is looking so pretty. I bought a composition notebook like you suggested to use with 1000 Gifts, but my question is what exactly do you write in it? Is it to write daily blessings? Thank you.

  53. I love your style of journalling – BUT – to all those who love our Lord, if u think, that’s not me- stop and rethink. I have been journalling for 18 years, just using a hard cover A5 book. I did try colours at a point in my Bible, didn’t work for me! So admire, be amazed and astounded, Shar u are both, but find your own style and commit daily to meet with Jesus!

  54. Oh, I love this! I just wrote about my Bible-study journalling technique too. I love it so much I am giving away a journal on my blog. Yours is so vibrant and colorful! I’ll have to bust out the markers next time and see what I create. Really inspiring!

  55. This is amazing, I just have one question…what type of scripture plan do you follow? Do you do a chronological order or a theme/topic or the order the regular order the bible is in. I would love to jump in and start but don’t know where or how to. I guess my problem is that I get overwhelmed.

    Thanks!

    1. Welcome Stephanie to Women Living Well – here at WLW we are reading through the Bible chapter by chapter. This January we’ll be beginning the book of Job! (more details to come here on the blog this Monday). I provide tons of free resources for you and support. Check out our GMG Resources page here: https://womenlivingwell.org/good-morning-girls-resources/ and our facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/goodmorninggirlswlw or my instagram here: http://www.instagram.com/womenlivingwell

      I blog on Mondays and Fridays about our reading and there’s a vibrant community here to interact with you. I hope you will join us!
      Courtney

  56. I so miss seeing Shar’s posts in instagram. I found this page via Pinterest and it inspired me to begin the Good Morning Girls studies and to begin journaling. I hope all is well with Shar!

    1. Me too! She recently came to mind and then this post just popped up on Pinterest. I miss following her on Instagram. Prayers for her!

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