This post is all about Bible Journaling through Genesis.
In it, I share my honest thoughts about what I read and the supplies I used.
Bible Journaling is a journey. It attempts to engage with the text more fully by contemplating what was read. The aim of Bible journaling is not to reach perfectionism, but relationship. After all, the reason we read our Bible and engage with the text is because we believe that God is real. We know that He loves us, and we acknowledge we can know Him more through His word.
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I have been Bible Journaling since I was 16. In the Beginning, I wanted everything to be perfect. And I let that drive for perfection keep me from engaging with the Word of God.
I forced myself to start from the very beginning of the Bible and not move on until I had completed a page. I knew I didn’t want to skip over scripture so that I could Journal the “aesthetic” passages. But that left me not wanting to journal at all because it wasn’t pretty enough for me.
Now I enjoy the messiness of Bible Journaling. I let it be a way to understand the Word of God better. In it, I write notes, draw pictures, and add paper and washi tape. I stamp my pages and highlight repeated phrases. I am not focused on my imperfections because I choose to focus on the perfection of Christ instead.
Although my my Bible Journaling through Genesis looks drastically different that other books of my Bible, I wanted to share it to give you inspiration for what you can do in your Bible and the courage for embracing imperfection.
Genesis Bible Journaling – Redemption is seen from the Beginning
You can tell from the very first page of my Bible that I am not a professional! But that is okay with me. I wanted to highlight the fact that God was in the beginning. And He created us in His image. From the start of creation, God had us in mind and He created us for a purpose.
Related post: Genesis – A Brief Introduction to the First Book of the Bible
One of my favorite things about reading the Bible as a whole is that God’s redemption for His people is seen from the beginning. You can read more about that Here.
I love my NIV Journal the Word Bible Journal. The 2″ margins on either side allow so much room for note-taking and drawing.
Walking Faithfully with God
I often look up “how to draw animals.” These little friends were drawn by step-by-step guides that I found. Or I’ll google something specific I want to include in my Bible. Then I’ll place my phone under the page and trace the design.
I have always used Crayola colored pencils in my Bible. They are so cheap and so durable! I’ve found that markers tend to bleed through, and crayons leave a waxy residue, but the colored pencils are perfect!
I honestly don’t use that many different supplies in my Bible Journaling through Genesis. Again, here you can see the Crayola colored pencils at work.
Micron Fine-tip pens are a favorite Bible Journaling tool for me! I love that they come in multiple colors and don’t bleed through my Bible pages that much.
The God who Sees
Once again, this page is mostly done with micron pens and crayola pencils. I love the simplicity of only needing a few supplies.
You can also see my notes between the text on this page. These notes were added a few years after I had first done the margins. As I was going through and reading Genesis again, I found more context and application notes that I wanted to add.
I love the rhetorical question posed here: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Sometimes when I want to highlight a particular verse, I use different lettering to make it stand out.
The Issue of sin
Using my micron pens, I connected some New Testament Passages that connected with what I was reading. I also used a regular old pencil to draw a salt shaker for the story of Sodom and Gomorrah being turned into a pillar of salt.
Sometimes when I want to find different lettering, I go onto Canva and scroll through their fonts. Then I just copy them into my Bible.
Genesis 23 seemed out of place when reading through the book again, so I added the note with a red micron pen years after the first journaling occurred. It says: “Abraham’s faith is expressed in his response to Sarah’s death.”
If you don’t want to take time to draw out and color letters, Stickers are also a great way to add dimension to your Bible Journal.
Inquiring of the Lord
I love that Rebekah went to inquire of the Lord. This spread helps me remember to go to God first.
Here, I used various sizes of micron pens to write out these notes. Although I would not typically write only one verse in the margin now, I enjoy the journey of learning the most effective way for me to Bible journal.
Once again, I’ve used a combination of micron pens and Crayola pencils on this page. Because I wanted to draw attention to a larger section of text, I chose to highlight it with pencils. The best part is, it doesn’t bleed through!
Bible Journaling through Genesis: A pillar to remember
My “gather stones” page was a combination of different inspiration I found while looking on Pinterest for ideas to journal about.
This quote on sin convicts me every time I read it. And this is one of the reasons that I love Bible journaling through different books such as I did here in Genesis. I have written down so many helpful notes that I can reference the next time I read that passage in the Bible!
I love connecting the dots between different sets of scripture. “Where can I go from your Spirit?” Is a theme throughout the entire Bible.
Character studies are a great thing to add to your Bible Journal
Joseph is such an amazing example of keeping the faith even in difficult circumstances. You can read more about how to Praise God in the Storm, just like Joseph did.
Tamar is such an interesting character, and she is one of five women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. I love the Francine Rivers series of the women, A Lineage of Grace.
I love the simplicity spoken of here: “I cannot do it, but God can.” How would our lives look different is we had this same surrender of control?
Adding extra notes to Genesis while Bible Journaling
This paper note was another addition years after my first attempt of Bible Journaling through Genesis. I simply applied a thin layer of Elmer’s glue to the edge of the paper and placed it in the spine of my Bible. After gluing it, I added this Cactus Washi tape for some fun details.
Since I was adding notes a few years after I drew the flower, I was so glad I had the same micron pens that I outlined the flower in. You can’t even tell these notes were added years later.
Once again, the small red and black notes between the lines of text were added years later! Can you tell I really love the fine-tip Micron pens?
I love the reminders throughout the Bible that we have evidence of God’s faithfulness wherever we look. Because of that, we can hold onto His promises, no matter how long they take to come because we know that He is always faithful.
For these flowers, I used some markers, and because of that there is bleed-through on the other side of the pages.
Although there was some bleed-though, I used the same color (this time with a pencil) to highlight a note I took a few years later. I think it helped blend in the accidental bleed-though a little.
Since I had so much room with the last page of Genesis in my Bible journal, I decided to write Genesis 50:20 down because I feel like it is a key verse. On the opposite side, you can see I glued in a page so I could write extra notes for exodus.
Final reflections on Bible Journaling through Genesis
Well, there you have it! A look into my Bible journaling Journey through Genesis. Although my style has changed so much over the last few years, I am glad that I started journaling when I did and just went for it.
I hope this post about Genesis Bible Journaling was inspiring to you! What is your favorite thing about Bible Journaling? Let me know in the comments below!
