4 Different Kinds of Scripture Journal Setups- Which One Is Right For You?

Not sure where to start with scripture journaling? There are so many different ways you can document your scripture studies, impressions, testimony, etc in a scripture journal it can be very overwhelming. I am going to explain my 4 favorite different kinds of scripture journaling setups so you can figure out which way works best for you and your lifestyle. You will notice that many of my kits and templates come in different sizes and that is so that you can use them in whichever kind of journal you like. Lets start with the most obvious:

Bound Notebook or Book Journal

This is simply any kind of notebook or journal that you either buy from the store or create yourself. In my Scripture Journal Basics post I discuss tips such as to pick something that is durable, the right size to hold lots of information, and realistic for your lifestyle. Look for one that will function the way you want it to, and look the way you want it to. If you plan to keep it simple, pick a lined journal that you can do lots of writing in that has thick pages so your ink won't bleed through. 

I planned to be more artsy and wanted to decorate my covers using paint so I make coptic journals out of 11X14 size sketchpads. If interested in this option, you can see how to do this here. If you want the journal but don't want to make it yourself, I sell hand painted hand sewn journals by yours truly here. Here is one example of a cover you can choose:

I also sell a professionally bound book through blurb here. It looks like this:

This cover is also an option on the hand painted ones too. This notebook/ book bound type of scripture journal set up is my favorite and what I personally use. The overall point is, any journal will work.

Wide Margin Scriptures

Another extremely popular option to start your scripture journaling is by downloading the wide margin scriptures at www.bradjackman.com. He includes all 4 standard works. You can take the pdf file to a copy shop and have them print it out front to back and have it spiral bound. It will look something like this:

This beautiful bible journal is from www.alivelyhope.com. Isn't she so talented? With spiral bound its neat, smaller, and you won't lose pages. However if you mess up, theres nothing you can do about it and the only way to add things is using washi tape. 

The other option is to print it out and put it in a 3 ring binder. This is a little heavier, and there is risk of pages getting taken out and lost. However it allows for the ability to add all sorts of journaling in-between pages like conference addresses, inserts, blank pages for note taking, etc. Also, if you mess up you can reprint a page out and try again. 

Image provided by Tamara Zappe. Tabs in this picture can be found here.

Pocket Page Scripture Journal

A pocket page scripture journal is taking the popular scrapbooking concept- pocket page albums (you may have heard of the company Project Life that started the movement), and turn one into a scripture journal. The idea is you use a 3 ring binder and page protectors for your journal. However the page protectors are split up into pockets. In these pockets you put journal cards inside.

You can add images, or whatever else you like to the pockets as well. I have created some journal card kits for these types of journals as well as a tutorial for how to start one.

 Planner Size Journal

The last kind of scripture journaling setup I want to share is using a planner. Not all planners are used for planning your day and month. As a friend of mine says who uses about 6 planners everyday, "a planner is just a nice small binder that can be used for anything."

Because of their smaller size they are easier to carry around with you. Many of my kits come in A5 planner size for this reason.

So there you have it. 4 different types of scripture journaling set ups. Another one I didn't mention above but you may be interested in is the Traveler's Notebook Midori size (4.33in x 8.25in). The only kit I sell right now for this size notebook is my Sunday Notes Kit, or LDS Sunday Notes Kit Version. At a later time I may create more for this type of journal, but for now I would suggest googling it or looking at videos on youtube to see how to set one of these up.

So which journal set up is right for you?