I have to remember that, too.  We think in pictures – holistically. Beholding (seeing) leads to meditating, pondering, and processing.  But Bible journaling is a far cry from this kind of madness. to write in your Bible.  My notes, highlights, and ‘doodles’ help me to remember who He is and who I am. Yes, we have so many fruitless arguments, don’t we? Thanks for reading and commenting, Gaye! There are a few arguments out there against Bible journaling – let’s go one-by-one. Luckily, I change my opinions when presented with new information and I was wrong. I appreciate the opinion on this seemingly divisive subject! But one thing that all writers experience is writer’s block.  BUT…tearing out pages of scripture that is uncomfortable for someone toying with sin is completely different than painting or drawing over words in a Bible as a form of worship after reading a piece of scripture that brought hope to a broken heart. BUT, if it is changed, then the issue is not with Bible journaling.  Yes, my, If you are at risk of being led to materialism through Bible journaling supplies, or any other means…know that this has much more to do with some form of bondage deep within your heart than it has to do with actual objects. If you liked this post, you might enjoy some Bible & prayer journaling posts of mine.  As Christians, we do not need to be so quick to pronounce that another Christian is working for Satan when we do not agree with what they are doing, saying, or believing. I write in my Bibles, except for two.  My husband has this kind of thinking. If you want to remember to share something with your sweetheart when you have time, do you write a note? I would hate for a Bible with writing in it to become an obstacle to the gospel. We get into arguments about such things and yet we have so many broken people on our ‘doorstep’, looking for Hope.  Things that are beyond our understanding. in my last post in the series. I had a great experience with the verses I underlined, so I naturally want to hover over those verses again at the expense of the rest of the verses in the chapter. J.A. It’s actually good to write notes in your Bible and study it.  We disregard the condition of our own hearts because we are so consumed by what others are doing. This is because I have matured a lot in my faith. You know how you read a post and the author sounds angry…or judgemental (maybe both) – and you leave the site feeling condemned? There is so much more we can be doing with our lives than bickering over stupid things and making things divisive that should not be. Matthew 6:1-34 ESV / 7 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  What we are doing for His glory should far outweigh our concerns about what others shouldn’t be doing. The following two tabs change content below. It opened my eyes. So is a Bible verse.  It is very visual, I see it fully. “He cut out passages with some sort of very sharp blade and, using blank paper, glued down lines from each of the Gospels in four columns, Greek and Latin on one side of the pages, and French and English on the other.” I have my own personal bible for personal use I will not write in that one, its all about preference. Thank you for tackling such a tough subject. Change ). Please pray for me to be more humble, understanding, and empathetic towards others who are different from myself. Â, Defacing something is solely for the purpose of ruining it, for destruction. Â, I know the devastation this kind of accusation can cause.  Honestly, I just felt sorry for this woman – she was the one who was so angry! We may never know the “why” until eternity but must trust that he was in his own way a believer in Christ…we can’t say for sure, Now as far as your post goes; the book of 1Corinthians, Titus and 1Timothy show us the fruitless arguments that are nearly the same as today. Being humble goes such a long way for me to becoming a better Christian. Give yourself the margin (pun intended) to write down what you are actually thinking. That was a bit uncomfortable just because so many people are staring at you, but at the beach Im perfectly fine. It is definitely NOT sacrililigous (spelling?) That’s just common sense, too. Is it wrong to write in/ highlight parts of the Bible? Markings from an incredible study in Romans. And I think this fact is either overlooked, ignored, or not even considered by those who are against Bible journaling.  Someone who is defacing something will have a hardened heart full of hatred for whatever they are defacing. You see, Bible journaling ideas and inspiration don’t just magically pop into my head out of nowhere. Why the miracles of Jesus? Bible verses about writing Writing is not only a job, its therapeutic. I had no idea Bible journaling is such a controversial practice.  Then there are people like me – the visual-spatial. But not out of it’s context. Other Problems with the Bible. Â, If you know my story – if you know what God has brought me through, then you would expect to find a woman who reveres God with her whole heart.  Then there are people like me – the visual-spatial. Before we go further, let me say that if you find the Lord speaks to you in a special way when you write in your Bible, don’t stop doing that. It’s not defacing the Bible.  And, friends, that is exactly what they are – opinions. I’ve read in some posts that God’s word can become secondary to my own ‘self-expression’. That’s not to say I can’t get anything new from that chapter/passage if I’ve underlined in it already. This is very eye-opening, Aimee. You are choosing to judge that person without knowing them based on what their profile picture is and what they have said on their page. Answer: There is nothing inherently wrong with reading or reciting a pre-written prayer—as long as the prayer doesn’t contradict Scripture. Instead of writing in the margins of your Bible, which gives you about enough space to write one word, maybe two, with which to summarize your thoughts, write in a journal. Instead of looking at something like Bible journaling as another method for some people to draw closer to God, divisive people will work very hard to fin the bad and the evil in it – even if those ‘reasons’ are a stretch. In each instance where the Bible contains a contradiction about an alleged historical event, at least one of the accounts is wrong. Here is my concern with writing in your Bible: In my personal reading (of all books), I tend to underline and write in the margins.  The pain lasts a very long time. As emotions rise and become tangled, jumbled thoughts, it can be relieving to find the words to untangle them and put them on paper. And you know what? You make some helpful points. There’s barely a page in it that doesn’t have at least one verse underlined. Here’s the link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-thomas-jefferson-created-his-own-bible-5659505/  At least we try.  Let me say this: I have yet to meet someone who is dim-witted enough to actually think that Bible journaling is a substitute for in-depth, fruitful Bible Study. There are those who believe that for someone to write or draw in their Bible, they are adding to God’s word, which is clearly wrong (Prov 30:5-6, Rev 22:18). So, it is established that it is not sinful to read or write … What, if anything have I done wrong?     Â, I am working on an in-depth Bible study of the book of John and there is a chapter that touches on this kind of divisive behavior. Â, I highly doubt that anyone who journals in their Bible would dare say they have a brand new revelation from God and, thus, they are adding it to His Holy Word. You know how you read a post and the author sounds angry…or judgemental (maybe both) – and you leave the site feeling condemned?  This is, If you know my story – if you know what God has brought me through, then you would expect to find a woman who reveres God with her whole, I’ve read in some posts that God’s word can become secondary to my own ‘self-expression’. Then I learned how to look at the Bible as a… Privacy Policy for AWOG email newsletters, Grace & Truth ~ How to Build Your Home with Biblical Wisdom, 4 Uplifting Things To Remember In Your Heart When Pursuing Hope, 6 Critical Tips For Healthy Burden Bearing, Grace & Truth ~ 3 Easy Ways to Connect with God, Grace & Truth ~ What to Do When Your Past Revisits You, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-thomas-jefferson-created-his-own-bible-5659505/. Some people don’t write in their Bible because they feel weird about it — but don’t worry; you aren’t defacing or treating the Bible as common! Until reading this post, I actually looked down my nose at those who did journal and saw it as a sin. You see, Bible journaling ideas and inspiration don’t just magically pop into my head out of nowhere.  This kind of behavior is just to make trouble, cause strife, and divisiveness. No, as long as you are not marking or writing in your Bible to deface or desecrate it, there is nothing wrong when you do so with good intentions. No surprise.  It is very visual, I see it fully. Â, Now, I know that there are ‘prophets’ out there who declare that they get special revelations from God just so you’ll drink their Kool-Aid (whatever that Kool-Aid might be). I love that Bible journaling is a way to get closer to God.  It could if my heart wasn’t in the right place.  Bible journaling – even full page journaling – is not destroying God’s word (ummm…nothing can destroy His word).  And here she was concerned about Bible journaling giving Satan a foothold… Â. I think there much bigger issues to deal with than whether or not other Christians should be drawing in their Bibles. Or do you say, ‘Honey, remind me later to tell you about…’” I blinked. Yes, we need to be encouragers, building up the body of Christ instead of getting into foolish arguments. Or someone who maintains a healthy, balanced diet? But if John 3:16 stands unmarked with the other 36 verses in the chapter, I’m less prone to automatically run to verse 16 as the focal point of the passage. I think I’d have a hard time using a Bible app – only because it would be so small on my phone;) But, there are people who ‘frown upon’ using such technology to read the Bible. It would be wrong to add to or take away from the words of the Bible. Maybe putting our emotions into words as we read Scripture will help us grow more confident in sharing our love of the Lord with those who don’t know him. We struggle enough to connect with God’s Word, so don’t stop doing something that helps you engage with God. Again, I don’t want to tell you to stop writing in your Bible. * I also don’t want to discourage the practice of writing in your Bible for the sake of tracing the argument of the text. The primary reason I do this is so that I can go back and find the sections I found important and pull out the “nuggets” of information that I found either especially helpful or highly representative with the primary message of the book itself. He took scissors and cut out the miracles of Jesus and made his own Bible which is known as the Jefferson Bible. In short, in Bible journaling you break out the pens, pencils, and even paint and express yourself artistically in the margins–or, for some folks, across the pages–of your Bible. D. L. Moody wrote in his Bible, and also wrote a book called Notes from my Bible. I do think we ALL have MANY issues to deal with and many sins in our life that can give the devil a foothold. In order to change, we must let go of the chains.  Matthew 6:6 was quoted here – ummm…I think it has been taken way out of context in order to make an argument.  And, really, I’m not that great of an artist – I don’t think quite that highly about myself.  Wow! The gospels record nearly fifty stories that He told in order to teach those who were willing to listen. It is the Word of God that is holy… not the paper on which it is written. Â. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Of these two, one is a small pocket Bible that has no writing since I live in a culture that has a growing increase of Muslims who believe Christians profane what is holy when they write in their Bibles. Â, Hey, you know what? Use our custom writing services or get access to database of 7 free essays samples about bible is wrong. I hope so. Thanks for stopping by and being open to hearing me out!  However, things get a bit dangerous when that belief leads to accusing other Christians of not honoring God or being deceived by Satan because they do write (or draw) in their Bible (see above). Is it wrong to write in your Bible, or is it essential for learning? Plus, I used to be a diver before full-time riding took over, so showing skin was never an issue.  We think in pictures – holistically. Writing in your Bible puts up landmarks, and as you work your way through an Epistle you can look back and see the connections and it helps you process the context, the flow, and the theme of the book, chapter, section, or verse. Writing in my Bible and drawing in my Bible Journal helps my heart honor God (see, it’s about my heart. I should try it, though – and use it for some things, like when I am teaching and I need a quick Bible reference. I use the app because it’s easier to search and find what I want and just more convenient for me in general. Oh, Wow! So, in other words, not my business.  I think there is more to it than that. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. And…to say another Christian is under the devil’s influence is quite an allegation to be making against your sister in Christ, wouldn’t you say?  Someone who is Bible journai\ling is more likely to have a softened heart full of love and respect for God’s word. This seems to be the biggest argument against Bible journaling. But if you’re just taking notes, there is nothing wrong with that.  And you’ll see that it simply does not apply to sharing photos of Bible journaling. I think it’s a great way to honor God and his word; signs of a feast .  Or out of ignorance…or pride.  I click on her name and I am taken to her Facebook page – which has a horror movie character on the cover. Signup now and have "A+" grades! There are those who believe that for someone to write or draw in their Bible, they are adding to God’s word, which is clearly wrong (Prov 30:5-6, Rev 22:18). Whether I want to or not. Grow your Prayer life, with Prayers you can keep private or invite Friends. I don’t even highlight passages. This is an incredibly important practice that more Christians should use. Jesus I’m sure is very happy that you’re writing in your Bible, taking notes! I have a wonderful 'Life Application Study Bible" Over the years I have highlighted scriptures, circled page numbers, and made short notes where I felt I needed. People in my youth group do it, but I don't know if I should or not. Closed for business, but be sure to check out my new place!  So malicious! What is so exciting about this passage? And open to what the Lord wanted to show you!  But finding these kinds of posts is pretty easy – even when you search for a topic as harmless as Bible journaling.  It assumes that their faith and self-control is very weak. I wonder what he was thinking when he did that. It made me really happy to see such a lovely post to encourage healthy discussions about Bible Journaling. I look back 10 years ago and see how I would get upset over things that I don’t get worked up about now. And Bible journaling certainly is a foolish argument! Bible Journaling Tips for the Not-So-Artistic Artists. He was appalled and openly admonished me. How To Create A Simple Prayer Journal – includes HUGE subscriber freebie of a prayer journal!  The scars never quite heal. I certainly was not judging the heart nor the character of one of your readers. Thanks for your post.  It could if my, Another argument was that painting or drawing over the words in scripture is defacing God’s word. What app do you use?  Imagine what would happen if we started to give our brothers and sisters in Christ the benefit of the doubt…especially if the strife is coming from Bible journaling…, God’s word isn’t being changed. But I would think that would be just common sense. No, it’s not wrong to write notes in your Bible. That being said, I think it’s worthwhile to reflect on how underlining/highlighting verses in God’s Word affects the way we interact with Scripture.  I have a very serious problem with the condition of my what??? It’s good for your soul if you can. But, hey, I don’t write in my Bible like those heathens do. The God I serve is so much bigger than such a tertiary issue. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Am I going to listen to someone who dines at McDonald’s regularly and who is sick from it? Now take two minutes to carry out that thought! It is very informative and (mostly) well thought out.  Then, if I have a bit of extra time, I just might journal.  Oh, my, if people ever felt like that after reading any of my posts, I’d be quite concerned about what I was writing!  YIKES! Last week in church, the little old man next to me saw what I have done. I’ll admit that even with an unmarked Bible, it’s still possible to unconsciously give some verses priority.  Wow! The initiative here is to write — and to write to your children.This means to get a new Bible with margins and walk from Genesis to Revelation, sketching devotional insights and prayers for your kids, that you will then give to them one day. ( Log Out /  I’m grateful for that season, and I think writing in my Bible was good for my soul.  The scars never quite heal.  Bible art journaling actually quotes scripture, usually word-for-word. Including your judgment of a fellow sister in Christ.  And, friends, that is exactly what they are – opinions. ( Log Out /  Gather your tools and head to a quiet spot for your own interactive Bible study and quiet, artful meditation. We really wonder, how it is possible that Luke and Matthew were able to find and record their genealogies of Jesus., given the difficulty that we have today with tracing our own genealogies. And thank you for the kind words. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Here’s a link…he was a deist but was also a follower of Jesus Christ. That is terrible about Thomas Jefferson. So buy a notebook. If that is drawing you closer to Jesus, don’t stop. Judge not.  Below are some photos of my Bible – the one I use for studying. The Bible was not meant to be read as an inspirational verse calendar.  Â. You’re probably reading the Bible the wrong way. The written word is powerful. If I’m reading John 3, my eyes are going to be drawn to verse 16 because it’s one of the most well-known sentences in the English language.  The argument was likened to Thomas Jefferson tearing out pages of God’s word he didn’t like – now, being Canadian, I’m not familiar with this story, so I don’t know how true it is. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. It might not even be what people think! Your characterization of her is unfair. She works from home as a homeschool support teacher and she homeschools her own children as well. 4. She loves writing abut her faith and decided to give blogging a try in 2013. I also enjoy reading the different translations. “Not relationship. Thank you, Sue, for coming over to read my (mostly) well thought out post. The login page will open in a new tab. Is Bible Journaling Wrong? Or Even Evil? Do you like to take notes in your Bible? Â, Years ago, I was part of a church that split and I overheard an incredibly angry woman declare that the remaining members of the church were under the influence of Satan and doing his work.  It’s with the…HEART.  Not someone else’s). Obviously, you have done your research to “prove” the Bible is wrong or inconstant, but from a neutral standpoint your goal to “disprove” the Bible came before an actual want to understand the context and what is meant behind the verses you so effortlessly plucked from the Word and twisted to meet your expectation. This is the same for spiritual matters.  I could say that writing or drawing in my Bible dishonors God and then go for coffee with my church friends and gossip about the Pastor’s Wife. And it is weird.  Now that can be scary, can’t it? Maybe it will give us a greater vocabulary with which we can share our faith. In my experience, when I come back to a chapter in my Bible six months after underlining a verse or passage in that chapter, my tendency is to focus on what I underlined/highlighted rather than looking at God’s Word with fresh eyes and listening to what the Lord might have for me today. Why You Should Be Writing in Your Bible January 25, 2013.     Â, If you are easily distracted from God’s word by art, then there are more serious issues at play here. I have done so sparingly for a couple of reasons.  If you are interested in this study when it releases this summer, sign up here.    Â, Are you having a critical spirit towards someone who uses Bible journaling to draw closer to God? Is holy… not the paper on which it is changed, Then the is... Concerns about what others are doing for his glory should far outweigh our concerns what! Considered by those who did journal and saw it as a homeschool support teacher and she homeschools her own as.  at least we try read in some posts that God ’ s barely a page in it already argument... Her name and I am is writing in your bible wrong of Jesus and made his own Bible which known... The cover doesn’t contradict scripture at those who are different from myself the on!, at least we try in order to make trouble, cause,! Your details below or click an icon to Log in: you are commenting using your account... Ll see that it is the word of God that is exactly what they are –.. 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