When I had my first journaling bible get together at my house one of the ladies said “ya I found out about this awesome thing through marine_parents on instagram. So the moment my house was quiet that night I searched for her and instantly fell in love. April has a heart of gold and loves to spread little gold hearts all over the instgram community. The moment I started this website I knew I wanted her to be a part of it so I was so excited when she said YES!!!! Please welcome April!
i keep my bible on the dining room table. like, permanently. it’s always there…. we only use three of the six table spots for meals & other activities because my supplies are always spread out, at the ready. i like keeping my bible open so i can work in it throughout the day. since i started journaling artistically in my bible just a few months ago [how time flies!], my daughter amelia has really taken notice of my constant interaction with the Word. coloring pages are her JAM, so we are pretty much speaking the same love language of art here.
last week, after i picked her up from school, i asked her if she wanted to help me in my bible. if i could bottle up the look on her face…. the way her eyes opened wide and in awe of this moment that was going to happen when we got home…. it was the single best mom moment i’ve ever had. and i say that in all super seriousness, y’all. [hold please, as i have a little bit of a cry sesh just typing this…..]
at home, we opened up to proverbs 22:6 — train up a child in the way [s]he should go, so when [s]he is old, [s]he will not stray from it. [parenthetical additions are mine].
we chatted for a few minutes about the importance of having a faithful mommy & daddy to guide her into a loving, personal relationship with Jesus so that when she grows up, she will be firmly rooted in Christ! then i let her go. she chose a few favorite colors to draw our little family, flowers & numbers [math obsessed child that she is]. i also adore that she wrote her name so that i would know it was her work. a few little stickers from mom & the page was done!
a few days ago, i had amelia work another page for me. she was seriously ecstatic to have been approved for a second go around on bible journaling with mommy!
this time, we worked in psalm 127 — verse four says, “as arrows are in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.” [AMP version] i set aside a few applicable stickers for the page & let amelia try a new medium for her art worship. and yes, i totally marked this page with her mickey mouse washi tape!
supplies | heidi swapp roller date stamp | hero hues ink pad | mickey washi tape | frixion pen | october afternoon daily flash stickers | crayola crayons | american craft dimensional sticker
if you’re not quite ready to let go of an entire page in your bible, pray about it. this will seriously be the biggest deal to your kids. amelia obviously noticed how important my bible was to me & never asked to color inside it until i invited her. and when i saw how important that made her little four year old heart feel, i couldn’t believe i had waited so long to bring her into the fold. don’t be afraid to get messy for the sake of your kids’ salvation! have fun with them & turn it into a moment where you can pull a verse out to speak into their little heart. they need Jesus just as much as we do, sisters.
Thank you so much April! This put tear in my eyes as I read it! Spoke directly to my heart! I hope this encourages you to share your journaling bible with your family, April is right they need it as much as we do!
xo- Shanna
