Whether you're brand new to journaling your faith or you've been doing it for years, I hope this gives you a little inspiration (and maybe a few laughs) as we explore my favorite tools, tips, and some of my less-than-perfect moments too!
My Bibles & Bible Journaling Journey
I’ll be honest—I have a lot of Bibles. Each one has its own purpose and personality. My everyday Bible is a go-everywhere-with-me kind of Bible. It’s simple, well-loved, and filled with highlighter marks and underlines. My method? Super straightforward: I highlight what stands out to me and underline the parts that really hit home. This one’s an NIV.
Then there’s my older ESV journaling Bible—my “beginner” journaling Bible. I haven’t used it as much recently, mostly because some of my first attempts didn’t turn out the way I hoped. (Yes, there’s one page that still haunts me.) But it’s a work in progress, and I plan to revisit it soon because it’s full of sweet, imperfect memories.
And then… there's the new ESV large print Bible from Hosanna Revival. It’s big, beautiful, and has a soft cover I adore. You can’t find this exact one on the Mr. Pen site, but there are so many gorgeous and similar options there—trust me, you'll fall in love! I'm also eyeing a pretty NLT edition next.
My Bible Journaling Style
When it comes to Bible journaling, I’m still learning and experimenting. I’ve made lots of pages inspired by Pinterest (because who isn’t inspired by Pinterest?). If you’re not confident creating your own designs just yet—same here! I’ve found it’s a great place to discover simple, beautiful journaling layouts.
I went through a pretty intense watercolor phase. Some pages turned out really lovely… others, not so much. Pro tip: watercolor will wrinkle your Bible pages. If that bothers you, maybe skip it or try it on thicker paper first.
As much as I love creating in my journals, I also want to avoid repeating the mistakes I made early on. That’s why I’ve started incorporating Mr. Pen’s transparent sticky notes—perfect for layering thoughts and sketches without committing directly to the page.
Testing Out Tools (and Making a Few Mistakes)
For this journaling session, I decided to stick to the basics: pencil, pen, and Mr. Pen highlighters. I tested a few colors to match my theme—light shades for the sky, ocean tones, and soft hues for a peaceful feel.
Things didn’t go perfectly. I got a little excited and drew before my pen had dried. Whoops! It smudged a bit, but that’s why I chose my practice Bible instead of jumping into my new one. Always a good idea to test things first!
Some of the highlighters bled through when I layered them too thickly or pressed too hard. Lesson learned: a light touch goes a long way. I even pushed so hard with a pen once that the pressure left an indent all the way through the page! Definitely not the pen’s fault—just my enthusiastic note-taking energy at work.
The Best Highlighters for Bible Journaling
If you’re looking for the perfect Bible journaling tool, I can’t recommend Mr. Pen’s gel highlighters enough. They're smooth, vibrant, and best of all—no bleed-through. Seriously, they're a game changer. Unlike traditional highlighters, these don't soak through the paper because there's no liquid ink involved. They're especially perfect for thin Bible pages and delicate journaling work.
I tested them on both my practice pages and journaling spreads, and they performed beautifully every time. The colors are soft, they glide like butter, and they won’t ruin your pages—even if you’re as heavy-handed as I apparently am!
Final Thoughts
Bible journaling is such a fun, personal way to connect with scripture, express creativity, and document your spiritual journey. Mistakes will happen (I make them all the time!), but that’s part of the beauty. Every page tells a story—even the messy ones.
Whether you're highlighting, doodling, or decorating with sticky notes, Mr. Pen has so many tools to help you bring your Bible journaling vision to life.
Thanks for hanging out with me today! I hope this little behind-the-scenes look at my journaling process gave you some ideas and encouragement to dive into your own. Until next time—happy journaling!