Faith Journals

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Journals everywhere. It's the story of my life...a journal for my gratitude list, my monthly prayer list in another, Scripture writing in a third. Every morning I would pull out my pile of journals and my journaling Bible for my quiet time. I have wanted for a long time to have just one journal, but the problem was if I separated the journal into different sections then one section (like my Scripture writing) would fill up before one of the other sections. I wasn't sure how to solve that problem until I started following Hope. Dream. Journal. and noticed that Allycia had something called a traveler's notebook. What's a traveler's notebook? It is a cover in which you can insert several different notebooks. I immediately liked this idea, because I could have all my notebooks TOGETHER! And yet, they wouldn't all be in the same journal. So for example, when I fill up the notebook with my gratitude list I can change it out for a new one.

Here is the cover I am using. It is handmade by Karee from SunshineNBliss on Etsy. She was great to work with to get exactly what I wanted. Take a peek at what she offers as there are a plethora of patterns to choose from.

Above, you can see some of my notebooks (inserts). These are Kraft Moleskine Cahier Notebooks. I decorated them on the outside by stamping and embossing them. I have four inserts: Scripture writing, Prayers, Gratitude list, and Quotes.

In the Scripture writing section I write out the verses for the plan I create each month, Think On These Things. Sometimes I also do verse mapping with the passages. Basically, verse mapping is writing out the verses and writing down the definitions of the words that jump out at you. Then at the end, I write out my thoughts on the verses. Here is an example: 

In the Prayer insert, I have my monthly schedule of people I pray for. Here is what it looked like before I added the names: 

So there are thirty-one entries...for every day of the month (or at least a lot of the months). I put my husband's name on day one. My two sons' names fill day two and three. The other number slots are filled with the names of family, friends, students I teach, and even my "enemies" (See this post about praying for your "enemies"). So if today is the 8th...I look to see who is on line eight and I make sure I pray for him/her throughout the day. This isn't to say that, for example, I only pray for my husband on the first of the month! It is however, a system to make sure I am covering in prayer those people who are important in my life. The rest of the insert is for writing down prayers and prayer requests.

Finally, I have my gratitude list in which every day or so I list those things I am thankful for. The last insert is where I write down quotes from books I have read and sermons I have listened to. Because this system is fluid, you can create a traveler's notebook with the inserts you would want and use. Here is a list of ideas:

• Scripture writing
• Prayers (Can list answers to prayers also)
• Gratitude
• Book Quotes
• Sermon Notes
• Letters to God
• Verse Mapping
• Special Songs (lyrics that have spoken to you)
• Verses by Topic (forgiveness, faith, anger, worry, etc.)
• Insights (What you learned through the month)
• Hopes/Dreams for you and your family (Things to speak over your/their lives)
• Scripture Memory (List of verses you are memorizing)
• Word of the Year (If you pick a Word of the Year, you can write about it in an insert)
• Scripture Art
• Confessions
• Praise
• Soap Pages

Other resources:

A video on traveler's notebooks and how to add inserts

A look at a Faith Journal (a.k.a. War Binder)

War Binder Group on Facebook