How to Get Started With Creative Scripture Journaling

What is Creative Scripture Journaling?

Creative scripture journaling is a form of scripture study that involves writing, drawing, painting, or using other media to respond to a scripture passage or theme. It can be done in a regular journal, a notebook, a planner, special journaling scriptures that has wide margins or blank pages and the Digital Journaling Scriptures found here on LDS Creative. The purpose of creative scripture journaling is not to create a perfect page, but to meditate on God’s word and apply it to your life in a fun, creative way.

How to Start Creative Scripture Journaling?

If you are new to creative scripture journaling, you may feel overwhelmed by the many options and techniques available. Here are some simple steps to help you get started:

1. Choose a scripture passage or theme that speaks to you. You can follow a reading plan, a devotional, a talk, Come Follow Me, or a personal topic that you want to explore. Pray and ask God to guide you and reveal His truth to you.
2. Read and study the scripture passage or theme. Use a study guide, a commentary, or other resources to help you understand the context, meaning, and application of the text. Write down any insights, questions, or reflections that come to your mind.
3. Decide how you want to express your response to the scripture passage or theme. You can use words, images, colors, shapes, symbols, or any other media that you like. You can also use stickers, stamps, die cuts, washi tape, or other embellishments to decorate your page. There are tons of great resources out there for this. If you are using physical scriptures, places like Worthy Written Words, Etsy, your local craft store, and Deseret Book are fantastic for finding images, embellishments, paints, and pens. Pinterest is great for ideas. If you are doing digital scriptures, Worthy Written Words has a ton of digital images and pages, you can find things on Etsy, Creative Fabrica, LDS Creative, and Google. You can also check out places like The Red Headed Hostess for study guides and ideas on applying the scriptures to you. There is no right or wrong way to do creative scripture journaling, as long as it helps you connect with God and His word.
4. Create your page. start with whatever comes to your mind. Don’t worry about making mistakes or being perfect. Enjoy the process and have fun. Remember that creative scripture journaling is a form of worship and prayer, not a competition or a performance.
5. Share your page. If you feel comfortable, you can share your page with others, such as your family, friends, church group, or online community. This can be a way of encouraging, inspiring, and edifying one another. You can also keep your page private, if you prefer. The most important thing is that you share your page with God, and listen to what He has to say to you.

Some Creative Scripture Journaling Ideas to Try

If you need some inspiration or ideas for your creative scripture journaling, here are some suggestions that you can try:

For Physical Scripture Journaling:

• Use Faber-Castell Gelatos for an easy translucent background.
• Use Distress Inks to create a cool, cloud- or galaxy-like background.
• Achieve a unique effect with a marker spritzer.
• To write on top of a dark background, use a white paint marker.
• Write over a medium colored background, with gel pens.
• Create a border with washi tape or stamps.
• Use watercolor pencils or watercolor paints to add some color and texture to your page.
• Use lettering stencils or letter stickers to write your favorite verse or phrase.
• Use die cuts or punches to create shapes and patterns on your page.
• Use stickers or printables to add some images or words to your page.
• Use verse mapping to dig deeper into a scripture passage.
• Use calligraphy pens to copy a scripture passage by hand.

For Digital Scripture Journaling:

• Google images you are looking for.
• Check out Worthy Written Words for products and page ideas.
• Use The Red Headed Hostess as a study guide and quote ideas.
• Visit churchofjesuschrist.org for quotes, photos, study guides and more.
• Use artwork to add interest to your pages.
• Use water color splashes as a background to create depth.
• You can add quotes, spiritual thoughts, or focus on a specific scripture passage.
• To add your own artwork, use an app like Procreate to create the artwork and export it to use in your scriptures.
• Download clipart from Etsy.
• Use Bing Chat to create AI images from text
• Check back here at LDS Creative for ideas, inspiration and tips!

I hope this blog post has given you some helpful tips and ideas on how to start your own creative scripture journaling journey. Remember that creative scripture journaling is not about the final product, but about the process of spending time with God and His word. Have fun, be creative, and enjoy the journey!