Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Stuff I'd Only Tell God: A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery by Jennifer Dukes Lee is a journal that I would say definitely belongs between you and God if you are going to use it and be honest in it. I have some things in common with Jennifer Dukes Lee. I am from Iowa. She is from Iowa. I am a trained journalist who has worked as a reporter with newspapers and so has she. She likes to ask questions and learn about other people and things in the world. So do I. I have followed her on social media and read others books she has written. With all of those things in common and already liking her work, I had to get this guided journal. Oh, and I do like to journal so that also makes this book up my alley. Maybe Stuff I'd Only Tell God is up your alley too? Stuff I'd Only Tell God is a paper back guided journal with an introduction by the author and well-organized sections with titles like, Me and My People,...

  Are you a creative person who likes a paper planner? Maybe bullet journaling is your thing or you want it to be your thing? Draw Near: Your Creative Spiritual Journal by Sophie Killingley is a fun, basic journal that you can use to unleash your creativity and include your spiritual life. This basic journal is blank and could be started at any time. Killingley writes in the introduction that she used to be a compulsive doodler--but that was never a part of her spiritual life. Then she reached a point where she was struggling with her mental health and had to take Scripture in much smaller bites. She used that time to connect her creativity with her spiritual life. She began lettering and doodling verses. She has since moved on from that time, but then decided to merge her creativity with bullet journaling and her spiritual life. This book is a result of that.  Draw Near does have some basic organization to get your started. It starts with a "monthly" section. Killingley en...

When God Says Go: A Devotional Thought Journal by Elizabeth Laing Thompson is a well-bound hardcover journal with a ribbon marker. Each short thought-provoking reading has both a Bible verse and a reading with a lot of room to write. As I write this, we are in a pandemic and no one is going anywhere so that feels a little ironic. However, I think this could be a helpful journal as you think about what God is calling you to do--even if it is to continue to stay home and that is different from your old "normal." This book has a lot of good questions to think about and several of those deal with fear. There was one I especially liked about brainstorming to use your gifts to honor God to those around you. That could certainly be done anytime and anywhere. When God Says Go would be a good journal to use whenever you have your quiet time with God. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

I know I need to work at memorizing Scripture again. I also like to journal. Combining the two sounds like a real win for me--and perhaps you too? The Scripture Memory Map for Women from Barbour Publishing is a spiral bound undated journal with prompts for each day you choose to work on Scripture memory. Each two-page journaling spread has plenty of space to write your memory verse, explain why it is important, tell what it means to your faith, explain how it applies to your life, identify when the verse will be most helpful, and write out a small prayer with your verse. I can't begin to tell you how much I like this journal. The Scripture Memory Map for Women is also spiral bound so it lays flat as you right. I like the layout of the pages with small illustrations and the space it includes to write. I like the prompts. I think it will help me more and more as I use this journal to not only memorize verses, but to identify how and where they will be most helpful in my l...

The new CSB Notetaking Bible from Holman publishers is just gorgeous at first glance. While it is more important to read your Bible than look at it, this Bible just invites me to pick it up and read it--and journal in it. While the print is 8 point type and not real large in this Bible, it does boast a single column text with 1.75 inch margins for notetaking. It is also not real large, at 8 inches long by a little over 6 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick, so it would be great to carry to church for sermon or Bible study notes. It is also a beautiful Bible for those who enjoy Bible art journaling. The pages aren't real thick but they would work great for colored pencils or using gesso to treat the pages for using markers or paints that would bleed through.The Bible has some great extras--a concordance, Bible maps, and a one-year reading plan. The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible's original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage wit...

If you enjoy creative journaling, I think you will enjoy 30 Days to Peace . As the introduction says, In our busy and loud lives, it's easy to get sucked into the pandemonium and ignore the life-giving breeze of peace. That's what this journal is for." I reviewed 30 Days to Joy on October 27. This book is quite similar. The two make good companions and would make a nice gift tied together with a ribbon and a bundle of pretty pens/pencils for a creative friend or family member. There are pages with questions to answer such as: "Why do you think God calls us to have peace within our own hearts and to live peacefully with those around us? and "Reflect on a time recently when you truly felt at peace." There are others that allow you to use other creative ways to illustrate the journal prompt such as this one, "On these two pages, depict mundane activities whose regularity and steadfastness bring you peace." You could choose to write an answer...

Creative Journaling is one of my favorite things to do to relax. 30 Days to Joy is a 30 day creative journal designed for people who like to write, draw, photograph, or collage. You can personalize the journal however you would like. 3 0 Days to Joy starts out with a short introduction explaining the difference between joy and happiness.The journal then has Scripture verses and quotes about joy interspersed throughout the book. In-between are pages with prompts to make your own creative work. There are also pages in the back to list the songs that bring you joy to make your own playlist on Spotify. The concluding pages of the journal invite you to write about what you have learned about yourself and where do you want to go from here. You can end the journal with a short page about you and all of the people you want to thank in your life as the author of your own book. I know I will use and enjoy this 30 Days to Joy journal. I have read through all of the prompts and the quote...