Bible Study Resources: A Haul

Hello there, sweet friends! It’s finally Sunday… this week has felt so long! The weather in England has been a little less cold this week which has been so lovely, although that said, it was chucking it down with rain when I woke up yesterday morning! At least we’re headed towards spring (and then summer) now!

Today I’ve got a super fun little post for y’all… something I’ve been wanting to do for a while! I recently invested in a bunch of new Bible study resources (and I got a new Bible with big margins for Christmas) so I thought it would be super fun to share my Bible journaling process and do a lil’ haul of the stationary I use, just for fun!

I mentioned this in my home school routine post the other day, but with lockdown and being at home all the time, I’ve been finding it difficult to get up in the mornings and have enough time to read my Bible, eat breakfast and exercise, so I’ve moved my Bible time to the evenings where I have a lot more time, which has been really lovely!

These past few weeks I’ve been studying my first book in my new Bible, Galatians! It’s been kind of difficult to understand in places, but I’ve really enjoyed reading it!

The first thing I do when I sit down for some Bible time is to pray (not a long prayer at all) that God would speak to me through His Word. Then, I get into it! I like to read the verses/ chapter that I’ll be studying and highlight anything that stands out to me. Then I’ll go back and reread it, making notes in the margin and sometimes using commentaries to help me understand the context or even just the simple meaning of the passage.

I also have a journal which I like to use to make longer notes. Sometimes, if a passage is really tricky, I’ll write a page or two explaining it to myself once I’ve read some commentary on it. I find this is how I learn… how what I’ve read sticks in my head.

After I’ve read through and made some notes in my Bible, I’ll often write a few take-away points from the passage in my journal, just to keep everything together!

I think it’s important to note that, whilst this is the process I follow when I read my Bible, it definitely doesn’t always go like this!!! There are times when I have to spend multiple days on a short passage, or other times where, even after reading a commentary, I don’t get much out of it at all. And it goes without saying that I’m not perfect at getting into the Word every day!! Like a couple of nights ago I watched a (totally random haha) TV show with my dad and my pup instead of spending some time in my Bible. So I’m working on it, but it’s sure tough!

I have a little collection of resources that I like to use to Bible journal, from sticky notes to pens. My go-to is for sure my Mildliner highlighters… these don’t bleed through and the colours are somewhat pastel, so they’re ideal for using in any Bible! I also use Pilot G2 ballpoint gel pens… their gel ink also doesn’t bleed through, making them ideal!

For making notes in places where there’s not very much space, I like to use post-it notes, because you can lift them up to see what’s underneath, but I can also still see my notes above. I also like to use index cards for writing out memory verses. They’re also just super practical for writing down prayers, lists, anything you feel God may be saying to you, or practically anything you want to write down during your Bible times.

The Bible translation that I use is NIV, but I also have the Bible app on my phone with lots of different translations. I will often look at a verse/ passage and put it in a different translation if I think that might help me understand it better. I like to use the Message version because it is so paraphrased and different, but I wouldn’t recommend this one as the main Bible you use, especially for studying, because it isn’t hugely accurate. If you’re not a fan of the NIV, I have also heard good things about the ESV and I know of many people who use that one.

So that’s about it… my Bible study routine, a little stationery haul and the Bible translation that I use!! I’d love to know how you study or read the Bible in the comments below!

Happy Bible journaling!