When we became members of a new church, we went through a new member class. It was a really neat opportunity to learn more ways to strengthen our faith. I have never been a regular Bible reader. It always overwhelms me, but I do have the desire. Our pastor told me about a way that he does his daily readings. He uses the S.O.A.P. method. This involves having a journal to write in. That got me excited! I kept thinking about how I could decorate my own journal!
I had several composition notebooks lying around the house, so I painted gesso on the front and back covers and got creating! I covered the front and back with some cheap tissue paper I bought from Hobby Lobby, then I covered that with cheap craft paint. I used acrylic inks to add drips and drops and splatters. For the leaves, I used a handcarved stamp on already inked dictionary pages. Then I cut those out and glued them to the front. I used a black neocolor watercolor crayon to trace around the leaves. Then I wrote random Bible verses around the edge of the front and back covers. I sealed the entire thing with spray sealant and Ta-Da! This is the finished product!
I absolutely love it and since it's visually stimulating it motivates me to use it!
In case your wondering what the S.O.A.P. method is I'll explain. S stands for scripture. You choose a verse to read and write it down. O stands for observations. You then write your observations about the verse. It doesn't have to be lengthy. A stands for application. At this point, you can write about how you are going to apply the verse to your everday life. P stands for prayer. Afterwards, write your response to God and anything else you need to bring to Him.
It's an organized way to get your daily reading in, which helps me not feel so overwhelmed.
Happy journaling!
