The season of Lent begins early this year, so I spent a lot of time in January thinking about what study guide or plan I wanted to use during the 40 days leading up to Easter. Then I remembered that Tyndale had sent me two new coloring Study books from a series called Drawn In Bible Study by Eugene Peterson using The Message translation, and I realized going through one of these books would be perfect! I received the studies on Esther and Mary, and although I’ve decided to use Mary for Lent, I’ll be showing you both versions in this post. They also have a third one on Ruththat I don’t have a copy of, but wanted to mention that it was available as well.
You can order Drawn In Bible Study: Mary on Amazon here, Esther available here, and Ruth available here. You can order The Message Canvas Bible on Amazon, as seen in these pictures, here.
Here is the description of the series from the publisher: “Color with friends. Be drawn into scripture. Deepen your friendships as you gather around Scripture for coloring and conversation. Drawn In offers simple four-week Bible studies―perfect for groups or personal devotions. Coloring quiets your heart and mind so you can enter fully into Scripture’s stories. The Bible’s passion and personality come through in The Message, surprising new and old Bible readers alike. Discover the delight of being Drawn In.”
Each book contains 4 sessions that are designed to be used over 4 weeks. It can be used on your own for personal study or as a group bible study guide with additional suggestions in the back for group discussion suggestions and ideas. The study content is written by Eugene Peterson, a well-known author who also created The Message translation of the Bible, which is the scripture used in these books when quoted throughout. The full scripture text is not provided, so you will need your Bible in order to study along with these books.
The illustrations themselves are a highlight of these books. Spread throughout the entire book, they are both full page and partial page designs. The style is reminiscent of that used in The Message Canvas Bible (you can read my review here). My one criticism for the design of these books is that they don’t lay flat, which makes it a bit hard to write and color in them. I bent the binding of mine to be able to get them to lay flat in certain spots, and the binding is holding up well so far. Some illustrations also peek around the edges of pages and there are a few in the introduction, which would be great for practice.
There are lots of questions with space to write at the end of each 6 sections within each session. That gives you six days during the week to work through a session of you decide to do one session a week. I haven’t had a chance to read through the questions, but I’m excited to go through Drawn In: Mary for Lent. I’ll be able to break it up into the smaller sections for a daily reading to get me through this season, with a few days for catching up, which I’m sure I’ll inevitably need.
I think these little books would make a great individual or group bible study tool. The study itself isn’t super in-depth, but there is a ton of thought-provoking content and space to meditate and color. If you’re interested in going through the Mary study with me, you can order your copy on Amazon here.
Please note that this post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Tyndale sent me a copy of these books in exchange for my honest review. All pictures and opinions contained within this post are my own.
When I received The Apologetics Study Bible (CSB) from B&H/Lifeway, my original intention was to review it and then pass it off to my husband. And then I started reading it, the opening articles drew me in, and I couldn’t stop. What started as skimming for the purpose of a review has turned into a desire to devour everything about this Bible.
The publishers describe The Apologetics Study Bible as a Bible that “helps today’s Christians better understand, defend, and proclaim their beliefs in an age of increasing moral and spiritual relativism. This revised and updated edition includes new articles and extensive apologetics study material from today’s leading apologists to reflect and provide deeper understanding of the relevant apologetics issues and questions being discussed today. Includes commentary from over 90 leading apologists, including: Ted Cabal, Lee Strobel, Chuck Colson, Paul Copan, Norm Geisler, Hank Hanegraaff, Josh McDowell, Albert Mohler, J.P. Moreland, Ravi Zacharias, and many more — plus a lead article by Lee Strobel ( The Case for Christ). 
Features include: Presentation page, Book Introductions, Study Notes, Apologetics articles from leading apologists, “Twisted Scripture” explanations for commonly misunderstood passages, Profiles of Christian apologists, Two-color interior, Two-column text, 9.75-point type size, Smyth-sewn binding, Ribbon marker, Full-color maps, and more. 
One of my favorite features of this Bible is the clear study notes at the bottom of the pages. These notes help provide insight to historical customs and context, times when a person chose to sin instead of follow God, and the purposes and meanings behind things like genealogy and numbers. Another feature that I enjoyed while reading the text is the “Twisted Scripture” blurbs spread sporadically throughout. These small sections help illuminate ways that certain cultures, religions, or people groups have taken a certain passage of scripture and twisted it to mean something that distorts the original intention.
Of course the main draw of this Bible aside from the biblical text is the articles themselves. The articles are highlighted throughout with a distinctive gray design on the pages. This helps to distinguish the added articles from the scripture text itself. These articles are in no way adding to scripture but enhancing it, as well as exploring various topics that are controversial and relevant to today’s Christian. There is an index included in the front that lists the title, author, and page number for every article, so if you’re searching for a specific topic, you can find it with ease.
The design of The Apologetics Study Bible is clean and simple, creating a distraction-free reading experience. I will say that due to the content of some of the articles, it can get a bit academic and feel like reading a textbook. However, this doesn’t bother me as I enjoyed reading textbooks in college, but I wanted to mention that these are not light, fluffy articles. I think the hardcover version also adds to the feeling of a textbook, but luckily it’s not so thick that it’s too cumbersome to hold in your lap to read.
As graduation season approaches, I think this Bible would make a great gift for high school or college graduates looking to explore their faith on a deeper level, and it will equip them with intellectual tools to aid them in the defense of their faith. Since the articles are written by a variety of experts, theologians, and apologists, it appeals to a broad age range, as well as both men and women. I highly recommend this Bible, and I’m looking forward to reading more from it throughout the next year as I read the Bible in a year.
It’s officially 2018, and with the start of a new year means lots of people making plans, goals, and resolutions. I’m not really a resolution type girl, but I do like to make plans (even if that means watching them crash and burn later in the year). Since I started journaling 2 years ago, usually my start of a new year now includes new Bible studies and journaling plans. 
Speaking of new Bible studies, I finally got a hold of the January #Goals kit from Dayspring. There were some delays with this one beyond their control but it’s finally here. 
At first I wasn’t thrilled when I heard the theme of this kit, but then once I saw it, I was totally hooked. This kit is not only packed with some great content and more scripture references, but it is very visually appealing. The geometric patterns and lettering style that they used for the design of this kit makes me want to jump into my Bible and create as I meditate on the Word.
Here are some of my favorite things about #Goals: the shape of the tip-ins make them easier to use in the margin (plus they’re just so pretty), the 8 devotional cards all include a scripture reference in addition to questions and devotional content, the sticker sheet with all the words has filled in the blank space with mini diamond stickers, and can we just admire that geometric diamonds stamp *all the heart eyes* that I just want to use on everything. Also did you notice they’ve added in the color purple to their normal “Illustrated Faith” color scheme?
My one criticism for this kit is that I wish they had picked a different word other than using “hope” twice on the stamp set. I’m not a fan of the duplicates they’ve been prone to doing on the stamp sets lately because since the size has been reduced, I feel like they need to maximize what stamps are included as much as possible. However that geometric diamonds stamp alone would make this kit worth it to me, since I’m a stamp girl and one stamp can really sell a kit or a set to me.
If you watched my unboxing video, you will have seen my bonus process of the first session #Wisdom Goals. I made a bit of a mess in my 
I have also had a chance to work through the second session #Hope Goals in my Thrive Bible. I will say that because there are some duplicates of words in the supplies of this kit, that gives me the opportunity to choose other passages to journal in addition to the ones provided, if I so desire. I also pulled out my Illustrated Faith “Faith Planner” stamp set to use some of the stamps that I felt went well with the #Goals kit, like the triangles, arrows and banners. I also used the Illustrated Faith acrylic paint set on this page and the colors were a perfect match to this kit!
Overall I’m really happy about this first kit of 2018, and I would definitely recommend it. Even if you aren’t a “planner” type, the questions included on the devotional cards so far have been thought-provoking in regards to areas I want to work on in my faith journey.
Now that the hectic Christmas season is over, it’s time to catch up on blog posts. For today, I’m sharing my review of the CSB Notetaking Bible with the Sage Cloth over Board Cover. This beautiful Bible was sent to me by B&H/Lifeway Publishing, and you can purchase a copy of your own through my Amazon affiliate link 
Here is the original description from the publishers: “The CSB Notetaking Bible is designed to enhance personal Bible study as well as preparation for teaching and preaching. This Bible contains a single-column setting, and abundant space is provided with a 1.75 inch notetaking space on each page to make observations, record insights, raise questions, and suggest to yourself additional exploration of the text.
“Features inlcude: Smyth-sewn binding, Presentation page, single-column text, 1.75 inch margins for notetaking, 8-point type, One-year Bible Reading Plan, Concordance, Full-color maps, and more.
The outside and inside covers feature a floral design. The pages themselves are a plain cream with dark lined margins. Since this is called a “Notetaking” bible, it is definitely geared more towards written notes and journaling. This Bible has one green ribbon bookmark for marking the page when you want to remember your place. It also features the CSB text, which has personally become my new favorite translation for its readability while still maintaining accuracy.
Each book of the Bible starts on a right side page, so if there is blank space between two books, it includes a lightly lined page. It might be hard to see in the above picture, but you can see the difference between the lightly lined full page and the dark lined margins.
As a Bible journaler, I do wish the margin lines had also been the light lines. I did two test pages with some dark artwork and some light artwork to see how the lines looked once I add illustrations to the pages. For the dark watercolor paint, I liked that I could still see the lines when I went to add my prayer journaling. For the light pink stamping I did on the second page, the lines are a little distracting, but something I can live with. However if the dark lines are something that would bother you, I would suggest using this Bible just for notes and written journaling.
The quality of the pages are great and handled different wet mediums well with no bleed through. I’ve come to expect high quality journaling Bibles from B&H/Lifeway, and this one does not disappoint. I’m also a fan of single column for journaling Bibles because it’s easier to add notes and art right next to the verse you’re trying to highlight or study.
Another great feature of this Bible is the sizable concordance in the back. It’s one of the biggest and most comprehensive I’ve seen in a journaling Bible, making it a great resource for those wanting to study certain topics or cross-reference different verses. There aren’t any footnotes in the Bible text itself, so this added feature is helpful for doing more in-depth personal study.
Overall I am very pleased with this Bible and would highly recommend it to those wanting a Bible for taking notes and written journaling. For those wanting to art worship in this Bible, I would just keep in mind whether the dark margin lines would be too distracting for you or not. For me personally it’s not a deal breaker, and I will happily continue to use this Bible for art worship.
As we enter December and the Advent season, I know a lot of people are looking for devotionals and reading plans to use both in personal study and with their families. B&H Publishing was kind enough to send me a copy of the book “Classic Hymns: Read and Reflect with the Classics” to review and share my thoughts. I thought this would be a great opportunity to suggest a non-Christmas-themed devotional. You can order a copy for yourself on Amazon through my affiliate link 
First of all, I love hardcover, cloth over board, books. The outside cover gives a feel of a classic, timeless title. I also liked that it wasn’t flashy or gimmicky, which is very appropriate for Hymns since they are a more traditional style of worship.
The book includes 90 traditional hymns, including several Christmas hymns at the end of the book. Each chapter is just a few short pages and includes the full text of the hymn, Bible study questions with a suggested passage to read, personal reflection questions, and a prayer suggestion/topic as promoted by the hymn. I would consider the text of this book to be more of a devotional, since it doesn’t really include historical information about the hymns themselves other than the songwriter(s) and the year it was written.
I really like the fact that you can choose how in-depth you want to go into studying the hymn and suggested Scripture passages. I think this would be a perfect devotional to use during Advent when time can be limited, and I’m looking for a thoughtful, but brief study.
I grew up going to baptist churches, where we often still used hymnals and “praise and worship” style songs projected onto a screen was just starting to emerge and gain popularity. So I have a fondness for hymns and enjoy any resources that take traditional hymns and bring them to a modern audience. I will say that I’m a little disappointed that there wasn’t more historical information included to give context, as well as maybe some small explanations of the phrases and theology of the hymns themselves for those who may not be familiar with the language of hymns. Overall I would recommend this book for both personal and family study for those who want explore hymns in relation to scripture. I am looking forward to exploring this book more and using it as a study tool with my Bible journaling.
I wanted to share the journaling pages I did for Gratitude Documented. I didn’t journal all 30 days, and I wasn’t planning to, so I’m happy with the amount of time I was able to spend in thankfulness this month.
I did my gratitude journaling in both my 
I have been loving my new Inspire Praise Bible as well. I tried to use a combo of blank margins and illustrated margins as I did my Gratitude journaling. I noticed that when I kept the entries simple or just colored, I was able to focus on the gratitude prompt a little more than on the pages where I was trying out some different techniques.
It’s been a lot of fun to see how different people interpret the same prompt in different ways in the margins of their Bible. That’s why I love being part of the Bible journaling community, because even though I’m mostly experiencing this community online, it still feels like a tight-knit group of people sharing their heart through their art. And that’s something to be thankful for.
In total, I journaled 10 pages in my Bible and 4 pages in my Documented Faith Binder for Gratitude documented. It was fun to have a bunch of supplies to choose from, but at times it was overwhelming to have all the different pieces. My plan for Advent is to keep it a little simpler when it comes to supplies, since I will be trying to journal every day in December. If you journaled for Gratitude Documented, how many entries were you able to finish? What was your favorite prompt? I’d love to hear from you, so leave a comment below.
You can order the Inspire Praise Bible on Amazon 
The newest Advent devotional kit is here! Advent is my favorite time of year for Bible journaling, and this little kit is packed with an explosion of color as you explore the reason for the season.
The style of this kit is such a cute vintage handmade vibe. Plus add in some cute Christmas mugs washi tape, and you can’t help but get into the Christmas spirit. The biggest difference to the kit this month is that the 8 cards all include devotional material. I do wish that there had been more scripture references included with the kit, because the devotionals only include 4 verses. However there are so many other resources for Advent studies this time of year, so having a simpler kit is appealing to supplement other studies or for those who want a simpler study in the rush of the holidays and not feel pressured to journal every day.
I’m happy to see that the stamp set has more smaller stamps this month to give you more options for stamping cuteness onto your page. However as with past months, I just wish there was more variety. There are two stars and 4 bows, so I would have liked to see maybe a little tree or a little ornament. But the great thing about the Advent kit is that it coordinates with the entire line of Illustrated Faith Advent products on Dayspring, and there is a stand-alone Advent stamp set with more stamps that would be a great add-on to use with this kit. The die cut pieces are a mix of blank vintage style ornaments and a few ornaments with words on them. It would be so cute to use some of the icons from the stamp set to embellish the blank ornaments.
The devotional cards are the perfect size to fit into a traveler’s notebook. I’ve decided that I wanted to work in a traveler’s notebook in December so that I would have room for writing as well as adding in other sources and studies as I work through this season. I’ve been having fun getting it set up in anticipation of December as well as using a bunch of fun pieces from my stash in addition to the Advent kit to decorate my notebook.
It seems like just yesterday I was writing my very first Bible review on this blog with the original Inspire Bible by Tyndale that released March 2016, and now here I am again reviewing the newest addition to the Inspire line, the Inspire Praise Bible, which releases December 5, 2017. You can preorder a copy of the Inspire Praise Bible with purple butterfly softcover from Amazon 
My biggest question when I heard that they were releasing an all-new Bible was will it have the same art or new art? Answer: all new art! And not only that, the Inspire Praise has new features as well. Here is the description from the publisher: “The new Inspire PRAISE Bible has even more beautiful line-art illustrations to color, with nearly 500 all-new full- and partial-page Scripture illustrations attractively displayed throughout the Bible! Bonus features of Inspire PRAISE include even thicker Bible paper; thirty-two colorful, transparent, praise-themed journaling pages to enhance your coloring and creative journaling journey through the Bible; plus, three sheets of PRAISE-themed stickers and a purple pocket in the back of the Bible for storing journaling embellishments. Leave traces of faith―and PRAISE―throughout the Bible for a treasure that will truly inspire! The lightly-ruled, two-inch-wide margins offer additional space to write notes and reflections or to draw and create. The 8.65-point font is larger than most full-size journaling Bibles, and the high-quality Bible paper makes it a great choice for creatively responding to God’s Word right on the pages of the Bible.“
NEW INSPIRE PRAISE BONUS FEATURES
Tyndale listened to what journalers like, and this new Inspire Praise is a response to that. My favorite new feature of this Bible is the thicker pages. I was skeptical at first whether “thicker pages” would truly make any difference when it comes to using paints and wet mediums, and let me tell you that it does! Typically the pages of my original Inspire Bible get super wrinkled if I use watercolor of any kind. The wrinkles don’t bother me, per se, but they do make me hesitant to journal on the back of a page in which I used a wet medium since it’s so wrinkled. When I used watercolors for the first time in my Inspire Praise, I was shocked at how smooth the page stayed. There is still slight wrinkling, but it is a noticeable difference how much smoother the pages in the Praise remain.
Thicker pages also means less bleed through and shadowing. The pages of the Inspire Praise Bible are still thin compared to watercolor paper or other art papers/journals, but so far I have been very pleased to see how well these pages are handling paint, watercolor pencil, stamping, and black ink pens.
The style of the illustrations in the Inspire Praise are a bit more whimsical than the original Inspire, and I love them! I definitely think the new illustrations will appeal to younger girls wanting to get started Bible journaling, as well as women who want a bit less “formal” floral style of illustrations.
The purple cover and endpapers are absolutely beautiful! I love the colors they chose this time. The partially-colored transparency pages sprinkled throughout are a fun new addition. Each one can be journaled on or left as-is (I may leave mine as-is because they are so pretty already), and highlights a verse of Praise. The page behind each transparency has a blank margin so as not to compete with the design on the transparency page.
Another new feature of the Inspire Praise is the 4-page welcome message at the beginning of the Bible that invites the reader to praise God through the reading and coloring of this Bible. This would be a great place to start if you are new to Bible journaling and hesitant to get started, as there are beautiful illustrations alongside the welcome message. It would also be a good place to test out different mediums to see how they perform on the pages if you’re concerned about bleed through.
On the back inside cover is a purple pocket containing 3 sticker sheets that you can color and add to your pages. These match the illustration style of the Inspire Praise. One of the sheets is blank tabs that you can color and/or write on and then fold over as you adhere them to the top or side of your page. The pocket can also be used to store a few smaller supplies that you might want to keep and carry along with your bible.
I am very pleased with the new Inspire Praise Bible, and I would highly recommend it! This new Bible would make a great Christmas gift for both new and experienced bible journalers young and old. The release date has been pushed up to November 30 (originally set for release December 5), and Bibles have already started shipping! To order the Inspire Praise hardcover solid purple on Amazon, click 
Also, for those wondering if this comes in Large Print, the answer is not yet. Tyndale typically releases regular size versions of their bibles first and then as demand dictates, they add a large print edition. There is no new information about the release of the Praise in a Large Print edition at this time. To order the original Inspire Bible blue hardcover in Large Print on Amazon, click 
Here is the description of the She Reads Truth Bible from the publisher: “The She Reads Truth Bible aims to live at the intersection of beauty, goodness, and Truth. Featuring devotionals by the She Reads Truth team, and Scripture reading plans that include supplemental passages for deeper understanding, this Bible invites every woman to count themselves among the She Reads Truth community of ‘Women in the Word of God every day.’ The She Reads Truth Bible also features 66 key verses, artfully lettered to aid in Scripture memorization.”
This Bible is done in the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation. My husband introduced me to this translation, and it has quickly become my favorite, especially since it uses both word-for-word and thought-for-thought styles of translation. Here is the description of the CSB translation from the publishers: “The She Reads Truth Bible features the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) text. Translated by more than 100 scholars from 17 denominations, the Christian Standard Bible features an optimal blend of accuracy and readability that’s faithful for serious study, and written with heart-stirring clarity that inspires readers to live and share it.”
So now that I’ve told you what this Bible is, let’s talk about the included features inside. I received the gray linen hardcover, but there are several other colors and styles including an indexed version and an imitation leather softcover. This Bible includes two ribbon bookmarks, one red and one white. A genius idea, and they are spaced in two different spots to make it easier to mark your place depending on which part of the Bible you’re in. The supplemental material in the front includes an introduction, the gospel message, information about the CSB translation, and an explanation of key features. In the back there is a one year reading plan, a concordance, the Apostle’s Creed, and a list of key verses for each book of the Bible conveniently color coded based on genre.
Each book of the Bible begins with a key verse artwork piece, a one page explanation/historical background, a map, a timeline or a chart based on the content of the book, and a reading plan for the book that also gives supplemental verses for further reading. Spread throughout the text are 189 devotionals that expound on a particular section of scripture in order to direct your heart to God. These devotionals are written by the women of She Reads Truth, so I would consider them the highlight of this Bible (besides the Word itself) for anyone who has used She Reads Truth for personal study before.
The format of the text itself leaves room in the margins for notetaking and art worship. However the pages are extremely thin, thinner than most journaling Bibles I’ve encountered, so I could imagine it might cause a lot of shadowing and bleed through. If that is something that concerns you, I would recommend using this Bible more for reading instead. I have found that my favorite 
I did also feel like the cover was a bit plain for my personal taste, but I am glad to see that they chose colors and covers that would appeal to a broad range of women. Many women’s Bibles tend to be overly flowery and feminine, so the She Reads Truth Bible took other tastes into consideration when creating the aesthetics. I did purchase a quilted “
Overall I am highly pleased with this Bible, and I am very confident in my recommendation of the 
Illustrated Faith and Dayspring have released three new collections this month: Faith > Fear, Gratitude Documented, and Advent. Dayspring was kind enough to send me the Gratitude Documented journaling kit, and it is so cute! 
Instead of posting a “review” type post, I thought it would be fun to show you the two different ways I plan to use my Gratitude Documented supplies. This kit is seriously packed with so much stuff that I’ll definitely be able to use it over the next three months leading up to Thanksgiving. What better way to spend some reflection time while journaling during some of the busiest months of the year than to focus on prayers of thanksgiving? 
Even though this kit doesn’t have any devotional content, every single die cut piece has a verse on the back to prompt journaling. That means 39 pieces equals 39 verses of possible journaling. Not only that but 
This Bible is getting quite full and it took me awhile to find a die cut that had a verse I hadn’t journaled that page already. I eventually settled on the leaf that had Colossians 2:6-7 on it, which reads, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” That word “rooted” helped tie in my cute little tree stump with the words “blessed.” I find that when I am the most rooted in Christ is when I can appreciate my blessings the most, because He has truly blessed me beyond what I deserve, and it’s so easy to forget that. 
This particular page also happened to have some shadowing from messy paint on the other side, so it was a great opportunity to use a tip-in from the kit to mask that in the margin. I also got a chance to use my new Illustrated Faith acrylic paints, and I really liked how the pink paint came out the color as displayed on the tube: very bright and vibrant!
The second way that I’ll be using the Gratitude Documented kit and stamps is in my Faith planner. I just recently found an Illustrated Faith 2017-2018 planner on clearance at Hobby Lobby and couldn’t resist. I’ve been needing a more organized way to keep track of all my tasks that seem to be adding up as the holidays approach, and I’ve always loved keeping a physical planner instead of just using my phone calendar. Since I don’t really need all the weekly layout space for planning and lists, I’ve been using that section each week to write out verses from a weekly scripture challenge I’m using based on the topic of contentment. I felt like contentment and gratitude go together very well, so it was great timing to be using these verses with this kit. 
Each Sunday I’ve been trying to sit down and write out my weekly verses and then decorate the leftover white space. I like writing out all four verses at once and then decorating the spread in one sitting, so then I can flip back to it throughout the week and read over the verses. With two young children, it’s often hard to commit to a daily task of this kind during the busy week, because sometimes I just don’t get enough free time. But I always have a little bit more time on the weekend to write them out, and then I can always find a few minutes each day during the weekdays to reread my verses. I’ve only been doing this for two weeks now, but I’ve found that it helps me to have a better mindset to face the week. 
Illustrating in my planner also gives me an opportunity to use some of the bigger pieces that I may not want to use in my Bible. I knew that I probably wouldn’t use this “I am thankful for…” die cut in my Bible, but it filled up the bottom blank section of my planner page perfectly. I also plan to use some of the tip-ins with my planner as well, because I think some of the writing prompts will fit in better where I can have more space for writing than the margin of my Bible. 
Kountingsheep 