A Bible study journal or Faith Planner is a tool for you to organize all your faith notes and Bible Study notes in. It can be a binder, a journal, or a collection of notebooks. The idea of a Faith Planner is that it can be used to help you organize your thoughts, keep track of what you have learned from your Bible reading session, or to summarize important points that you want to come back to. In this post, we will discuss how to set up a Bible study journal and some ways that it can be beneficial for you in your faith practice.
1. Assess your current journaling/planner habits.
If you already keep a faith planner or Bible journal, think about how you do it.
- What kinds of notes do you write? How much time do you spend taking notes?
- Do the pages look well organized, or is it more scrawled out with no rhyme or reason?
- What do you like and dislike about your current system?
If this is the first time keeping a Bible study journal, try to determine what kind of system will work best for your needs. You can try different types until one stick—there’s no need to be perfect right away!
2. Decide how you want to use your Bible Study Journal
You might consider how you want to use your Faith Planner / Bible Study Journal.
- What do you hope the journal will help you accomplish?
- Do you want to be creative and use stickers and embellishments to decorate it?
- Do you want to record words or phrases that stand out?
- Are you looking for a place to record your thoughts and feelings on the passage?
Asking these questions will help you to determine what kind of system to set up. And will also be a help in choosing what type of Journal to start with.
3. Choose the perfect binder or notebook for your faith planner
Basically, a Faith Planner is a tool that you can use to record your thoughts and ideas as you encounter the scriptures. It’s also a great way to be reminded of what’s been happening in your life so that God can use that information to teach you how to draw closer to Him better.
If you’re just starting out or if this will be your first time using a Bible study journal, we want to help you find the right one for your needs! You don’t have to buy an expensive journal with bells and whistles if it doesn’t suit who you are personally; however, it’s important that the journal fits you, and that you like it. Because if you like it, you will likely use it more.
Some questions to take into consideration:
- Do you want a regular notebook?
- Do you want to use a binder system so it is easy to add and remove new pages to the journal?
- If you like the Happy Planner style of planner? Perhaps a disc-bound system can be something that would suit you well.
- Do you want something that has a lot of space for writing or more room for drawing? How much time should be spent on each section?
For example, if someone is using their faith planner to record their own thoughts about the passages in their reading plan, then they might benefit from a large page size. This is so they have enough room for writing down their thoughts without feeling cramped. Perhaps as they go through different passages throughout the week or month.
On the other hand, if someone wants something small enough that they could carry around with them at all times, then maybe a smaller book would work better. It wouldn’t take up too much space in their bag or purse.
The most important thing – use it
By now, you should have a good idea of how to set up your Bible Study Journal and the steps involved. The process is as important as using it, so make sure you take time and enjoy the journey.
Let us know if you have any questions below in the comments!
