100 Days of Bible Journaling: Days 29-35

Another week of this journaling challenge has passed and I find myself falling more in love with journaling and my Bible every day... and I already loved both to start! Take a look at this week's journaling pages:

Day 29: Be Strong!

People often tell me I'm a strong person. Sometimes it's referring to being a military wife. Sometimes it's in reference to raising an autistic child. And even other times just dealing with my own health issues. But let me tell you, no matter the intention, I must admit that I don't often feel strong. Often I feel as though I am just barely holding it together. It is not by my own strength that I remain standing, but by God's strength that I get through.

For this post I couldn't resist bringing in a little more Disney--- this time with Brave! I have said before that I am far from an artist, and this page is perhaps proof of that, but it was such a perfect fit for these verses that I had to step out of my comfort zone and just be brave!

Day 30: Confess and Be Healed

Do you ever hold onto everything you've done in the past? You feel as though the things you have done- whatever they may be- leave you unworthy of forgiveness. We know that God forgives us... but we have a hard time wrapping our minds around this idea.

For this page, I couldn't help but think of the song Mended by Matthew West:

When you see broken beyond repairI see healing beyond beliefYou're not too far goneYou're one step away from home
When you see nothing but damaged goodsI see something good in the makingI'm not finished yet, noWhen you see wounded, I see mended

Such beautiful words, aren't they? I love the message behind this song, and find it's one that I listen to often when I need that reminder that even in my brokenness, God intends to use it and me for His goodness. I played around with layering die cuts, but really kept this look fairly simple.

Day 31: God's Plans For You

We all know that verse,"For I know the plans I have for you...". I'm a planner though and so often I find myself making my own plans. Sometimes they work out, but more often than not... they just don't seem to work out. It can be so hard to wait on God to work out the plans He has for us, but if there is anything that I have learned in my life, it is that those plans are most certainly worth the wait!

For this page, I wanted that simple reminder to wait for His timing and His plans, not my own. The translation in the journal also read 'I have GOOD plans for you'.I loved that version. He doesn't just have plans for us, he has GOOD plans. I wanted to be sure to include that and emphasize that GOOD.

Day 32: Living God's Way in This World

Being a Christian in this world isn't easy and it's far from popular. But the Bible reminds us that it's not going to be easy and that we are supposed to stand out from the non-Christians in the world.

For this page, I started with something completely different in mind.I had a tip in that read 'You cannot influence the world by trying to be part of it'. But as I was reading, I was reminded about a song from my teen years from Krystal Meyers, Anticonformity:

They conform, un-individualityAnd they conform, forget about varietyYeah, they conform, they don't know what they believeThey conform, they conform, they conform
So I'm anticonformityI don't try too hard to beI'm not what you think you seeInside, I've made a changeAnd I'll never be the same, no way

First of all, can we just take a moment to consider that I walk into a room 5 times before remembering why and have been known to forget I'm cooking... but I recalled this song that I haven't heard in a good 10 years! Whew! That aside, it's a fantastic message isn't it? I remember listening to it as a teen and falling in love. When everyone struggles so hard to just fit in, it's intimidating to stand out for any reason. And so, as I worked on this page, I found my focus shifting to this song and I decided to go a different route. I created a washi background and added a little alien sticker that I'd been looking forward to using too. (I LOVE aliens!) The green piece offers some extra space for journaling--- after the photo!

Day 33: Do Not Be Silent

I'm not a loud person. I don't speak much.  I remember talking to a friend of mine at our graduation rehearsal, and a girl sitting behind us turned around and commented, 'Oh my goodness, I'd never heard you speak!' I went to a small school, and had been in school with the same people from preschool through then (aside from a few years of homeschool) so I'd known these people for YEARS. But like I said, I'm quiet and I only tend to speak around those I'm comfortable with and when I have something to add to a conversation (though my husband would argue otherwise). So speaking up? That's a tough one for me. I think for me, social media has given me a voice that I might not have in real life which I am very thankful for, but I pray that should the opportunity arise, God can give me the voice to spread His word in person too.

For this page, I wanted BOLD. I felt the message called for it. As you have seen through these previous pages, I often find inspiration through music and this is another great example of that with TobyMac's Speak Life:

So speak life, speak lifeTo the deadest darkest nightSpeak life, speak lifeWhen the sun won’t shine and you don’t know whyLook into the eyes of the broken heartedWatch them come alive as soon as you speak hopeYou speak love, you speakYou speak life

This is a great song that reminds us the power of our words and the power of sharing God's message, so it really was the perfect fit for this day.

Day 34: Christ Died For You

This is the greatest promise of all, isn't it? While we were still sinners- imperfect, flawed- Christ gave His life so that we may live. Now listen, I've been a Christian for many, many years... and every time that I stop to consider this, I still stand in disbelief. What an amazing love that is!

For this page (on the right), I must admit I really struggled to come up with how I wanted to portray this powerful message. I mean, what could I do that would really show the true magnitude of this sacrifice. In the end, I decided to focus on the love. I created a cross (though imperfect) using the credit card method and added a simple reminder that I am loved.

Day 35: Christ Is In You

Another powerful message to round out this week--- Christ is in each and every one of us. When we struggle, when we feel alone, we need this reminder that that same power lives in each and every one of us.

For this page, I wanted to focus a bit on the holy spirit and once again incorporated some music. This time a simple line from my favorite song, Hillsong United's 'Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)'... "Spirit Lead Me". I tried a new technique I'd been wanting to try with which I placed watercolors (actually watered down acrylics) onto this Illustrated Faith script sticker and used a straw to blow it in all directions for this cool result. These stickers do not allow the paint to stick, so it was really fun to try and I was very happy with the results. I will be sharing more about this technique soon.

Are you enjoying following along on my journey? Do you want to start yourself? There is no bad time to start! You can purchase your own copy of the 100 Days of Bible Promises journal at Dayspring! (Use code IFSHIPSFREE for free shipping.)