Hi, Friends! I’m back for a second guest post to share a bit more of my Bible journaling. I have found a lot of inspiration from just my daily Bible readings, but lately devotional kits have been amazing. Currently, I am working through BytheWell4God’s Great Is Thy Faithfulness kit. The study centers on these verses:

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23

What a great theme for the holiday season–to be thankful for the faithfulness of God! I usually journal with whatever colors are nearby, but I loved the theme of this kit, so each page I have done in the booklet and in my Bible uses these colors.

As always, I started my pages with a coat of clear gesso. I was intentional about not applying it smoothly, because I like when the gesso gives some texture to the page. But my random application meant that I did have some bleed through on the next page. It does not bother me, but for those who would prefer blank pages to work with on every page, a good, even coat of gesso will prevent this. Here’s a behind the scenes look at what the non-gesso edges look like on the other side:

Since I had already journaled in Lamentations, I chose two pages in Jeremiah to work on that kept the theme of hope that has been a prominent part of this study. One of the descriptions in the devotional is of Jeremiah looking at the destruction around him and still placing his hope in the faithfulness of God.

So on the bottom left corner of the first page and the top right corner of the second page, I used TCW191 Stencil Bricks with three distress inks that matched the kit and together gave a great brick color. I wanted to give a bit more background color to the page, so I mixed up some white and yellow ochre acrylic paint to try to make a light yellow to match the kit.

I squared off a tile of the TCW 735 Lacy Tiles with washi tape and used a sponge brush to apply the yellow paint to the page. I did the right page first and then the left page.

I loved the color and the pattern but then wished I had not made the square, so I painted the margins the solid yellow. Next, I used TCW 754 Distressed Details. I wanted the gear like shapes to go with the devotional writing of the day I was journaling. The author talks about how we are bound by fear to thinking the circumstances we are facing will never change; fear tells us that God will not deliver us. What Jeremiah reminds us is that we are blessed when we hope in Him and rejoice in the future. So the distressed gears were a perfect reminder for me of being locked up by fear.

To add a little more texture to the page, I used TCW9012 Shimmery Goodness mixed with just a touch of heavy body aqua green acrylic paint. Can I just say that Shimmery Goodness is the best named product ever! The TCW team gave me this product to try, and I am hooked. The shine is great, and the thickness is perfect for stenciling. I did make it a little thick, so it covered some of the words. I smudged it a bit to help with visibility, but found that I could still read on the back side of the page, so I left it alone. Again, this is my everyday Bible so I try to keep it readable, but that is not a “requirement” for Bible journaling–many who worship this way work in a second (or third or fourth) Bible in their home.

I continued on the right page with Shimmery Goodness, this time I blended it with a little bit of crushed gelato (first a coffee colored, then a green) and applied it to TCW251 Stencil Branches Reversed. I’ve used this stencil on several pages with this kit, so I wanted to continue that theme. I used a small makeup sponge to apply the coffee color from the bottom up and then the green overlay at the top to represent growth and movement. I tried to angle the page a little for this photo of the trees so you can get an idea of the shine!

Where fear binds us, hope helps us to move forward, keeping our eyes up rather than down on ourselves and our circumstances. I used some Illustrated Faith stickers to add the phrases “fear binds” and “hope grows” to remember this truth. I applied some white gesso to the areas where I wanted to journal. I loved some of the writings from the kit so I quoted them on my pages and added a prayer. There are lots of options for what you can journal in your Bible–song lyrics, sermon notes, passages from studies, or just copying your favorite verses.

Thanks so much to The Crafter’s Workshop for this space to share my faith and art with you. I hope you all have a beautiful holiday season and that in the midst of it you experience the faithfulness of God! 

Here’s a peek at the products I used in this spread. If you would like to see more of my pages from this kit, visit me on Instagram (@mon_creates) or stop by my blog (Dr. Mon’s Creative Space)!