Bible Journaling for Loved Ones

Have you ever considered designing Bible journaling pages, projects, or even whole Bibles for loved ones? Your words and designs create an incredibly meaningful, important gift that will be treasured for years to come. Keep reading for special ideas of how to Bible journal for loved ones.

What a pleasure it is to introduce our guest author Rebekah Freed. Bekah loves Bible journaling, but even more loves to see her Bible journaling bless others and has plenty of ideas to share with you.

Bible Journaling for Loved Ones

by Rebekah Freed

While I enjoy Bible journaling for my own spiritual growth, one of my favorite ways to journal is with the intent of giving it away. Getting the Word of God into the hands of another person is always fun, but adding some color and love makes the gift even better!

Times to Bless Others with Your Bible Journaling

Here are some situations in which you might consider gifting a pre-journaled Bible:

A Gift for The Future

I started the Bibles for my nieces when they were infants and love including pictures, memories, encouragement, and more on the pages. I write them notes, journal prayers for their life, and share funny stories.

Encouragement Built Right In!

In Seasons of Suffering

When friends or family walk through a challenging season of life, this kind of gift may be just the encouragement they need to draw them into specific Scriptures that will point them to Christ and the comfort of His Word.

To Commemorate a Special Occasion

Our church gifts Bibles to our graduating seniors. In it we mark verses from various events, programs, trips, and retreats they attended with the church while growing up. Friends and family also highlight favorite verses and write notes for the seniors as they begin life as an adult. You could do this for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, or other milestones. This would make a special thank you gift as well.

For a New Christian

One of the biggest challenges for a new Christian to get connected with God’s Word is that it’s so big and overwhelming. Where do they begin? Highlighting some key verses through Bible journaling may help a new Christian connect with God’s Word and shows them God’s Word is anything but boring!

Introducing Someone to Bible Journaling

Perhaps you know someone who would enjoy the practice of Bible journaling. Giving them a Bible with some pages already done may excite them and help them get started.

Just Because

You don’t necessarily have to have a reason; it’s just a fun gift!

How to Bless Others with Your Bible Journaling

While you can obviously Bible journal in whatever way you normally do, here are some other ideas that might make a gifted Bible extra special:

Share Notes or Prayers

Include comments throughout of how you are praying certain verses over the recipient. Tell them how you see God at work in their lives. Write actual prayers in the margins on pages you design.

Think Thematically

Try to think of themes that you can mark throughout the Bible. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to get a gift together quickly and can’t spend an hour on each page. Find verses that would be personal to the recipient.

For example, my mom is a teacher. I found a list of 26 prayers she could pray over her students, one for each letter of the alphabet. I put one large alphabet sticker on each verse’s page with the prayer theme and a note of where to find the next letter. Because these pages were so simple, I was able to highlight 26 verses in a short amount of time, yet she enjoys these pages just as much as ones I spent tons of time on because they are personal.

: Bible Journaling ABC’s

: Oh, How He Loves Us!

Some other theme examples: names of God, putting a small heart over each time it says the word “love”, our identity in Christ, church holidays, stories about animals in the Bibles for kids, etc.

“Explode” a Bible

A few years ago I wanted a way to help my high school students see God’s Word as applicable in their everyday lives. I designed a tool for marking the edges of a Bible with colored dots based on various themes. We called this “exploding” our Bible. While this is less about Bible journaling and more marking verses, it can be a great addition to a gifted Bible, especially those new to exploring God’s Word. A link to the free Explode Your Bible Instruction Kit is available here.

Leave Some Things Unfinished

In one Bible I gifted, I left some pages incomplete for the recipient to finish. One example of this would be tracing a design for them to color in later.

Space for the receiver to add their journaling — the gift that keeps on giving!

Use Real Life Pictures

One of my favorite tools to use in gifted Bibles is label paper. I can quickly print pictures from events, trips, or milestones to stick near a related verse. Add some washi tape and some stickers and you’re good to go! This makes a fun, personalized page that also serves as a marker for God’s work in their life at that time.

What are some ways you have used Bible Journaling as a gift? Tell me about them in the comments below. Don’t forget to share in the Holy Mess Bible Journaling Facebook Group here.

About the Author

Rebekah Freed is a Kansas-grown girl who went to college in the cornfields of Nebraska before moving to Western New York in 2010 to serve at a church as the Director of High School and Young Adult Ministries. In the few warm months that Buffalo has, Bekah enjoys spending time outside hiking, facilitating the high ropes course at a nearby camp, or visiting the many parks and waterfalls in the area. The rest of the year, she bundles up inside reading, writing, playing her guitar or piano, and wishing it was warm out. She occasionally writes about ministry and life at joyfullyblessedblog.com