Tuesday, August 25, 2020

July Bible Journaling Pages

Last month I started reading the book of Psalms.  It's a very long book, so one month later, I am still reading the book of Psalms.  But I'm loving every minute of it and soaking it all in!  Being in the book of Psalms at this time in history has been extraordinary eye opening for me and comforting.  I can so relate to so many of the experiences of the psalmists.  

One theme I am constantly seeing in the book of Psalms is how David looked to God as a refuge, and as a place of safety from his enemies.  As I've watched our society break down the past few months, I too have had to learn to trust God to keep me and my family safe.  I live in the country so I don't have too much to worry about until I travel, but both of my children live in suburbs of large cities so I worry about their safety a lot.  God has been teaching me to trust in Him to protect me and my family from all the civil unrest I continually keep seeing on the news.

This is a pre-printed page that I colored in using Prismacolor Pencils for the large areas and gel pens for the smaller spots.


Here  is a page I created myself.  I colored the background with craft paint then used stamps for all the images.  I wrote the verse with my own handwriting.  I have tried so hard to duplicate the beautiful calligraphies I see in most Bible Journaling pages on the Internet, but I am just not very good at it.  My daughter even purchased a book for me, but unfortunately it didn't help me.  I finally determined not to worry about it and just write in my Bible with my very own handwriting, because that's what makes it me!  Everyone's handwriting is unique, so whey should copy some fancy calligraphy when I can use my own?


I used a yellow pencil to color in the letters of this pre-printed image then I colored everything else with gel pens.


One of my favorite verses, and favorite songs to sing!   This is all done with gel pens.


I decided to make this pre-printed image as joyful as the word "joy" itself by coloring it with bright, happy colors.


Since Covid19 has affected mine and everyone else's life so much this year, I wanted to do one page in my Bible to document it.  Now, I've never really had any fear of getting the disease (Frankly, I'm one of "those people" who questions if this really is a dangerous disease or if were all being played.  But that's a topic for another day!). If I had any fear at all, it is for my husband who tends to be very susceptible to respiratory illnesses and also I fear all the repercussions the lockdowns have done to our economy and our civil liberties,  but when I read Psalm 91 it hit me like a ton of bricks:  it sounded like exactly the times we are living in.  So I claimed Psalm 91 for my home and family and committed the first verse to memory "Those who live in the shelter of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the almighty".  The important parts to pay notice in this chapter are the words "IF" which is used twice, and "Those Who LIVE in the shelter".  If we live a life in communion with God, we can have security of mind at all times.  We can live without the fear that torments our sleep,  because God is our shelter, our refuge, our protector.


Many of the psalms have the similar theme of God as a fortress, a shelter, a protector.  When I did this page, I once again thought of all the 2020 riots and rioters.  As I write this post, I am thinking of the most recent rioting done in my own home state last night in Kenosha. Every day seems to bring a new tragedy.   The world just seems out-of-control right now.   I highlighted verses 6 and 7 and wrote "2020 rioters" right next to it, because it so perfectly describes everything I'm witnessing in today's culture.  It's all just so sad.  

I created the page by coloring the background with gelatos then using stamps for the butterfly and castle images.   The words were created with a mix of washi tape, stamps, and my own hand writing.


This page, which once again deals with fear and putting our trust in God, was created by first painting the background yellow with craft paint.  I then stamped the butterfly images and used a collection of stickers and my own hand writing for the verses.   Finally, I wrote a few notes of my thoughts as I reflected on these verses.  The most important thing I have gleaned from this passage is from the verse "What can mere mortals do to me?"  Matthew 10:28 says " Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."  If I trust in God, why should I be afraid of man for my eternal soul is secure?




As a lover of birds, I love how many times the Bible speaks of birds, and specifically how often the wings of birds are used as imagery as an example of how God shelters his children.  For this page I painted the background then used bird stamps for the top and bottom.  The verse is a mix of stamps and my own handwriting.  I added a bit of washi tape at the top to theme the page.


One of the things that has saddened me deeply the past six months, or even the past decade, has been seeing believers fall prey to many movements and beliefs in popular culture.  I think that happens when believers are not reading their Bible or spending more time on social media than they are in the word of God.  Their mind and thinking become influenced by the world instead of shaped by Biblical principles.  Christians can go to protests and rallies with the best intentions, but did you know God is a God of Peace?  The Bible says He wants us to "Search for Peace and Work to maintain it".  So when one screams "No Justice No Peace" it's actually antithetical to the word of God.  Does that mean we are not to fight against injustice?  Of course not.  But gathering in large angry mobs in the street is not the answer.  What does it accomplish?  More often than not it results in innocent people being hurt.  There are many non violent, peaceful options.  We are called to live a "peaceful and quiet life trusting in God to defend us".  


We will never see true justice on this earth until Jesus comes back.  Only then will the suffering stop and the wicked will be punished.  Did you know that all of creation will celebrate the Lord's Return?  

Using craft paint I "tried" to create a natural background simulating the sky, mountains, and river".  Then I hand wrote the verse, stamped a globe on the page, and added some hand-written thoughts.


This cute page was created with paint, stamps, and stickers.  I first painted the background using blue for the sky and green for the ground.  The verse is a mix of my own hand-writing with stickers and stamps.  I added some washi tape for emphasis on the key theme of the verse.  The sheep are stamps that I cut on a separate piece of card stock and then glued to my page.


Here are a couple of pre-printed pages I simply colored in with pencils and gel pens.


I love this cheerful, colorful, happy page.


And the last page I have to show I created because when I read the verses I was reminded of the Third Day song based on these verses.  So I created a sky with craft paint, then wrote the lyrics to the song on top.  I used some stickers to highlight certain words, and I stretched out letters to emphasize the words "reaches" and "stretches".  Musical note stamps were then added to further connect the psalm to the song.

 

If you never heard of the the Third Day song "Your Love, Oh Lord" I found it for you on YouTube.


As I close this page, I pray that you will spend less time this week on social media, less time watching the news, and more time in prayer and the Word of God.  Let God's word fill you, not the words of the world.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

37 comments:

  1. Love this, Amy. I recently had a conversation with my daughter about making notes in our bibles. It seems we are both hesitant to mark the pages of scripture. Time for both of us to get over it! Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Thank you. Yes, lots of people have issues with it. I totally get it. I did too at first, but I'm so glad I finally made the plunge because it's really deepened my walk with God. Before I'd read a few chapters and walk away. Now I really mediate on what I am reading. The key is to buy a Bible specifically made for Bible Journaling...that's what it was created for so you don't need to feel guilty writing in it. Keep other Bibles on hand solely for reading.

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    2. Good advice! Thanks. I'll let you know how it goes.

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  2. These pages look so beautiful. I like them so much.

    New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2020/08/atelier-des-ors-choeur-des-anges.html

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  3. So beautifully done Amy. Loving all the pretty colors on these pages!

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  4. My favorite was the Joy! But they all make reading the Bible fun. So creative.

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    1. Thank you! It was a Joy to color too! Yes, Bible Journaling makes Bible reading more fun.

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  5. Beautiful. Well done. Happy weekend.

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  6. Psalms is one of my favorite books in the Bible,
    I admire David's faith in God.

    Ann
    https://roomsofinspiration.blogspot.com/

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    1. Mine too! And David has only been one of my favorite biblical figures.

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  7. This look so beautiful, colorful and interesting. Thank you for sharing.

    New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2020/07/marc-jacobs-decadance-mugler-aura.html

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  8. These are some rather interesting times. I find comfort and reassurance in my Bible. Psalm 91 particularly nice.

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    1. They definitely are. And I so agree, I don't know what I would do without God's Word.

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  9. I love how you have added beauty and colors to the words of God.

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  10. You have such a lovely way with color! Thanks for sharing with Creative Compulsions.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

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  11. I am so frustrated trying to find a Bible study for fall. Have ordered a couple of workbooks that turned out to be something I fill in and not Bible studies at all. Maybe I will concentrate on Psalms and use the workbooks for my notes and thoughts.
    You are my Bible journaling inspiration!! Love the JOY. And the REJOICE. Have created my second page...ha!! Need to color it in. Want to try some of your techniques of using stickers and stamps with your journaling. You are always an inspiration.

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    1. I know your frustration! There are very few Bible Studies I enjoy. I think I work best on my own, letting God teach me, and if a Bible verse confuses me I just google "Enduring Word Commentary".

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  12. I just bought some of the gel highlighters especially for Bible pages. When I got them they reminded me of clear wax crayons although they are colored. Works well, very pretty colors. I haven't tried coloring pages like you but still enjoy using the highlighters. Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 16, open until September 26!

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    1. Aren't gel highlighters the best? I will never buy a normal highlighter marker again. I love how smooth they go on.

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    2. Yes, they are the best. Your artwork is pretty and I'm back again to say thanks so much for linking up with me at #FaithAndWorshipChristianWeekend 1, open until September 21.

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  13. CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at #FaithAndWorshipChristianWeekend 2.

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  14. Beautiful pages Amy! Thanks for linking up and Congratulations on the Feature!

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