Using GoodNotes for Bible Journaling
I’ll be honest, I’ve taken a break from my Bible in recent years. But over the last couple of months I’ve started a healing journey that’s allowed me to find myself in the right headspace to jump right back into God’s Word. That’s when I found myself on Etsy searching for a solution.
I am not an artist, but Bible journaling has always been something I’ve enjoyed looking at and pinning on Pinterest. So I found a digital Bible, uploaded it to GoodNotes, and started to hack my way through journaling.
✨ Pens & Highlighters: I googled GoodNotes highlighter codes and found tons of aesthetic palettes. So I popped in a couple of palettes to my pens and highlighters and use these to create my colorful pages.
✨ Artistry: Like I said, I’m not an artist. I can’t draw. But I found that if I downloaded an image to my iPad, I could position it on my GoodNotes page, essentially trace it, and then delete the image when I’m done. It is not perfect, but Bible journaling is supposed to be about digging into the meaning and being creative. So it’s perfect for me.
✨ The lasso tool will also allow you to make items smaller. I used an image to trace the words in Matthew and then the lasso tool to select the words and make them smaller so that I could journal later. You can also delete your drawings later if in a few months you want to redo the page.
The last picture shows you which Bible I bought, but Etsy has so many options. Mine comes with a place for study (SOAP), devotional journaling, and notes.
This has helped reignite my passion for reading the Bible by allowing me to be creative without fear of ruining a physical Bible page. And I can take it with me wherever I go. ❤️
Like many of you, I sometimes struggled to maintain a consistent Bible study routine. The thought of marking up a physical Bible or running out of space for notes often held me back. That's why diving into digital Bible journaling on my iPad using GoodNotes has been an absolute game-changer! It's not just about convenience; it’s about making my study time truly mine, creative, and completely flexible. One of the first things that transformed my digital setup was finding the perfect aesthetic for my notes. Instead of just basic colors, I went on a hunt for 'GoodNotes highlighter codes' online, and wow – the possibilities! I found tons of gorgeous palettes that make my digital pages look so inviting. Having pastels, earthy tones, or vibrant hues at my fingertips makes highlighting verses and themes feel like a creative act, not just a task. It's amazing how much more engaged I feel when my notes are visually appealing and cohesive. And for all my fellow non-artists out there, GoodNotes is a dream come true for adding beautiful touches without needing to draw a stick figure! My go-to trick is to download scripture art, decorative fonts, or even cute little doodles from Pinterest directly to my iPad. Then, I simply insert these images into my GoodNotes page, position them where I want, and trace over them with a fine pen. Once I’m done, I just delete the original image, and voilà – I have personalized, beautiful artistry that looks like I spent hours on it! The OCR even mentioned how you can 'erase, shrink, or add artwork,' and this tracing method is perfect for that. Don't be afraid to experiment; you can always undo or delete if it's not quite right. When it comes to actual note-taking, I've found several strategies that make my iPad a powerful Bible study companion. Beyond just highlighting key verses, I love using different pen colors to identify themes, promises, commands, or personal reflections. For example, I might use pink for promises, blue for commands, and green for personal application. This helps me quickly review and understand the text. Many digital Bibles, especially those with 'Hyperlinked Books & Chapters' like the one I found on Etsy, also incorporate structured journaling methods like SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer). Having dedicated sections for these elements within the digital Bible itself streamlines the study process and keeps everything incredibly organized. Another feature I can't live without is the lasso tool. This isn't just for resizing traced images; it's fantastic for rearranging notes, moving highlighted sections, or even making entire blocks of text smaller or larger to fit my layout. If I write something down and then realize it would flow better somewhere else on the page, the lasso tool makes it easy to grab and reposition. It’s perfect for ensuring your 'cute Bible notes ideas' are always perfectly aligned. The best part? You can always go back and 'erase, shrink, or add artwork' and text whenever you want, making your digital Bible journaling a living, evolving study guide that adapts to your insights and growth. It truly gives you the freedom to explore God's Word without any limitations.
