Building a Bible Study Notebook: A Monthlong Series With Printables

August 6, 2019 by Ali Shaw Leave a Comment

All month long right here on the blog, we’ll be talking about Building a Bible Study Notebook and sharing new, updated printables for you!

Why Notebook?

Do you keep a Bible notebook? Or do you want to start keeping one?

Keeping a Bible notebook in a three ring binder (or arc system) is a great way to keep track of what you’ve studied, what you’re praying about, how you’re growing spiritually, and more. (Sometimes, I even print and insert helpful articles or commentary I’ve found online but don’t want to lose track of!)

Like Lisa once reminded us,

God often commanded the Israelites to write things down, and their faithfulness to the written Word means we have accurate scriptures today.

We all know that one effective way to retain what you read is to write it down. In a place you can find again.

What Do You Need to Get Started?

Getting started is simple! Just gather:

3-ring binder
Notebook paper
Insertable tab dividers
3-hole punch
Sheet protectors (optional)

New Printables for You!

Quite a few years ago, Lisa wrote an excellent post titled How to Make a Bible Notebook and shared tips and told us how to get started. The DoNotDepart team then created several printable resources to help you keep track of things like Bible study notes, prayers, sermon notes, original word studies, Bible book studies, and more.

While the Bible notebook series is still excellent, we’ve realized that our printables could use some updating. All this month on the blog we’ll be sharing brand new printables with you to help you continue (or begin) keeping track of the spiritual disciplines of study, worship, and prayer.

Each of our posts will contain one updated printable for you and at the end, we’ll consolidate all the printables into one printable pack.

We hope this series blesses you and helps you get or stay organized!

Need some help getting started? Check out this post: How to Make a Bible Notebook

If you’d like to go ahead and print some tabs for your notebook, click here. (While the printable is a bit outdated, the tabs themselves aren’t!)

And follow this link to see all of the posts in our past Bible Notebook series.

In Him,
Ali

Bible Journaling with Children

June 19, 2015 by Patti Brown 2 Comments

There are many different ways you can help your children dig into God’s Word. One method we have enjoyed in our family is using bible journals.

Our method of bible journaling incorporates personal introspection, family discussion, memorization and even academic skills.

These are the sections we work on with each verse:

– reading comprehension
– dictation
– journaling
– discussion
– memorization

I have found that doing bible journal time first thing after breakfast is most effective. We all sit together around the table, and after prayer I read the verse for the day, sometimes adding extra verses for context.

Next I dictate the verse slowly, while the children write it in their journals. Dictation is an excellent exercise for developing listening skills as well as a rudimentary sense of grammar. At times I have used the King James Version to help the children become used to more difficult language. I believe this has been instrumental in preparing them to willingly read challenging works at young ages.

After the dictation portion of our bible time, we turn to silent writing time, when we each journal about what we think the verse means. I encourage the children to ask themselves hard questions, and to be honest when they are unsure.

When everyone has finished writing, we share what we have written and discuss the verse. This is the time when we take God’s Word and really apply it to the nitty gritty of daily life. It is a great opportunity to see how each of the children is growing in understanding, and also highlights areas we need to address further. Our discussions are sometimes very short, and sometimes last for a long time as we pull in other resources to answer questions, or have hearty theological debates.

Lastly we work on memorization. We have found over the years that repeating a verse ten times out loud really helps us get it fixed in our heads. Each verse almost becomes a mini song as we repeat it. After our repetitions we take turns going around in a circle, each saying the verse on our own without looking at the words.

I enjoy looking back at old bible journals. They are almost like diaries of our spiritual journeys. And I treasure those hours around the table with my children. As they steadily grow up and away into adulthood, I am more and more aware of what a precious time childhood is in a family. A strong foundation of love and God’s Word prepares them for the unknowns and challenges of adulthood in a way that little else can.

Bible Notebook: Sermon Note Sheet for Children

September 27, 2012 by Sandra Peoples 10 Comments

I sit on the front row of chairs every Sunday listening to my husband/preacher with our son by my side. Most weeks our almost-seven year old is wiggly and just can’t help but loudly whisper, “Is Daddy almost finished?” about five minutes after Daddy has started.

I thought it would be a perfect time to introduce him to the practice of taking notes during sermons. He’s still a little young to outline Daddy’s three points and the application, but he isn’t too young to listen well enough for the Holy Spirit to impress something on his heart from the pages of Scripture.

This listening sheet has room for notes and for a picture so your kids can illustrate what the sermon is about or what they will do to apply what they learned. You could even add their notes to your notebook!

Click here for your free printable: My Sermon Notes. (perfect to go along with Caroline’s printable for your sermon notes!)

Bible Notebook: Prayer Album for Women on the Go

September 18, 2012 by Julie 11 Comments

I’m pretty sure I frequently look like a refugee. Women have a lot of “stuff” to take with us. Maybe it’s because we want to be prepared for any possible scenarios. Maybe it’s because we want to justify having large floral bags. Maybe it’s because people get used to us with a diaper bag appendage, and that matures into carrying extra snacks, random trash, and assorted fast food coupons. Or maybe it’s that we want to be ready to use our spare moments well.

When life is busy, we need to think ahead about how to make the most of time to turn our hearts to the Lord. There are many ways to organize simple devotional, study, and prayer resources we can take with us.

As a woman often on the go, there are times when I just can’t take my Bible Study materials with me. I want a handy, easy-to-carry, mobile tool for unexpected times I can turn my attention to the Lord. Imagine yourself sitting in a school pick up line … because you didn’t have time to go home. Think about waiting at the doctor’s office … because she was called away to an emergency. Or envision the 30 minutes wait during a music lesson, because it’s not long enough to leave and come back. Women have little time to waste, yet we have to learn to wait. In the waiting, it’s good to have a Prayer Album for Women on the Go. Pull it out of your purse, glove compartment, lunch bag, desk, diaper bag, or other case and use your time to do a little “praying without ceasing.”

We created these Prayer Albums as an activity at a women’s shelter. We talked about, “How do you really pray without ceasing?” It was a fun way to spend an evening with other women, putting together a tool we can all use to make the most of our time and help us abide in the Vine (John 15:1-11) in our busy lives, talking to God throughout our days.

Five sections for prayer include: Praises (giving thanks), Pits (temptations/sin), People (specific needs/hopes), Pleas (burdens/requests), Promises (scripture to guide/encourage).

Download The Prayer Album for Women on the Go here.

10 Steps to Make Your Prayer Album for Women on the Go

Purchase a 4×6 slide in photo book (Ex. $2 option & $4 option at Target) & index cards
Print out the 6 pages on to card stock
Carefully cut out the divider cards
Prepare 2 tabbed cards for each section: Praises/Pits/People/Pleas/Promises
Trim away extra words, preparing 2 cards per section
The final card can be used as a cover card
Put two cards, back to back, into a pocket, so that they show on each side
Fill 3-4 pages with index cards in between each section
Repeat for each section
Use index cards to write down requests, answers to prayer, and scripture, and update regularly. You can even add pictures or notes unique to the content.

Click here to download your free printable Prayer Album cards.

And when you carve out sweet time to open up your Bible Notebook, use the Bible Notebook tabs, the Meditation Worksheet, pages for Seminar and Sermon Notes, and Prayer Calendars to dig deep in God’s Word.

Bible Notebook: Tabs

September 13, 2012 by Lisa Burgess 15 Comments

What do you do with . . .

the sermon notes you took last Sunday?
the handouts from your ladies’ group book study at church?
the list of memory verses you’re hiding in your heart?

If you want to collect all those scattered papers and capture your insights in one place, we’re offering free printables all month to help you create your own Bible notebook.

Getting organized isn’t as difficult as you might think, and is less time-consuming in the long run than chasing down paper clutter or forgetting lessons you want to remember.

Here are 4 easy first steps:

Print this page of tabs (three blank tabs included)
Cut on the solid lines; fold on the dotted lines (makes the category visible from front and back)
Insert tabs into plastic tab dividers or tape onto a piece of paper (use only the ones you need)
Put all into a binder with loose-leaf notebook paper (or decorative paper if you’d prefer)

Then start collecting! Just by setting up the notebook, you’ve conquered one of the greatest hindrances to getting organized.

God wants us to remember and worship Him for what He’s done and is currently doing. Being organized makes that easier, as well as helps us serve others more effectively by accessing scriptures we’ve learned from.

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Psalm 77:11-12

Click here to download your free printable tabs sheet.

What categories would you include in a notebook? Please leave your suggestions here.

Bible Study Notebook – Meditation Worksheet

September 11, 2012 by Kathy Howard 2 Comments

As a tea bag steeps in the tea cup, the hot water absorbs the flavor of the tea. In fact, the water becomes tea. The longer the bag stays in the water, the richer and more flavorful the water becomes.

Simply reading through or hearing a biblical passage will not affect our hearts, minds, and lives like steeping in its richness. Like the tea bag, we must immerse ourselves in God’s Word, holding onto it in our thoughts until its truth becomes a part of who we are. This process is called “biblical meditation.”

A few months ago, I wrote a post about what Christian, biblical meditation is and why and how we should meditate. Read “Meditate on God’s Word: Time to Mull, Ponder, and Steep.”

I’ve created an easy-to-use, printable worksheet to help you meditate on God’s Word. Download and print the PDF now: Bible Meditation Worksheet.

This worksheet is just one of many resources and tools we’ll be sharing this month here at Do Not Depart. Lisa’s post about making a Bible study notebook got such an overwhelming response, the DND team wants to encourage you with a month full of useful items to add to your notebook!

Let’s chat: How has God used biblical meditation to grow your relationship with Him?

Bible Notebook: Prayer Calendars

September 5, 2012 by Teri Lynne Underwood 10 Comments

I used to be an organizational ninja! In fact, just a couple of years ago I wrote a post called The Type A Person Prays. As I was praying and contemplating what to share this month as we highlight tools you can use for Bible study, I came across that post. And, to be honest, I was very convicted … it’s been far too long since I have been focused and intentional in my prayers.

In that post, I shared about using Prayer Calendars to organize your prayer times. Perhaps you are like me and often find yourself lost in the daily demands of mothering, wife-ing, housekeeping, working, and laundering. Prayer calendaring is a great way to maintain focus in your prayers.

I have used both weekly and monthly prayer calendars. First, the weekly:

I assign a specific prayer need to each day of the week.

For example:

Sunday – church services, both my church as well as other churches in my community and those pastored by family and friends

Monday – our church staff and the ministries of our church

Tuesday – my daughter’s school system and the teachers

Wednesday – my family

Thursday – Scott’s family

Friday – my community, the ministries that happen here, our local government, etc.

Saturday – the week ahead. I like to use my calendar and pray over any activities, etc., we have coming up.

Using a weekly prayer calendar helps me spend quality time praying for the needs of those close to me as well as in my church and community. I am adding a new component to my prayer calendar – focus Scriptures. As I find passages or verses that pertain to the specific areas about which I am praying, I will be making note of them on my prayer calendars.

The other type of prayer calendar I use (at the recommendation of my daddy) is a monthly prayer calendar. I assign a specific prayer theme to each month. Then with the monthly calendar I fill in a person, situation, etc., to pray for during each day.

Here are some of the prayer themes I have used for my monthly prayer calendar:

myself
my husband
my daughter
national, state, and local governmental leaders
foreign mission fields and ministries like One Verse and the Gideons who provide the Bible in many languages
North American mission fields, church plants, etc.
summer months – how we should use them, etc. (I typically do this in May.)
focus and direction for the year ahead (typically in January)
adopting families and ministries like Compassion and World Vision
my friends
gratitude (November is a great time for this!)
friends we have in ministry
crisis pregnancy ministry
La Clinica Cristiana (the local health care ministry where I volunteer)
back to school (teachers, home school families, etc.)

The options are endless … but I have found that by devoting an entire month to praying for such specific topics helps me keep those things on my mind throughout the whole year.

You can download both of these calendars and use them for your personal prayer time. (To download the weekly prayer calendar, click here, right-click on the image, then choose “Save As…” to save the file on your computer. To download the monthly prayer calendar, click here, right-click on the image, then choose “Save As…” to save the file on your computer.)

How do you organize your prayer time? Have you ever used a prayer calendar or similar tool?

Bible Notebook: Sermon and Seminar Notes

September 4, 2012 by Caroline 8 Comments

I love attending seminars and conferences with new-to-me speakers almost as much as I love listening to my fellowship’s regular speakers share.

Enthusiasm, passion, and encouragement cascade out of verbal speech. Listening to wise words motivates and heartens us. As much as I feel empowered from a sermon or conference session, I inevitably forget those amazing quotes—occasionally by the time I return home that evening!

As a visual learner, I sometimes follow and retain more information through written words.

This month on Do Not Depart, we’re sharing Bible Notebook components and tools. Check out the original post on creating your own Bible notebook here.

In an effort to organize our notes, I created this “sermon and seminar notes” printable. (To download this free printable, click here, right-click on the image, then choose “Save As…” to save the file on your computer.)

When I listen to a sermon or attend a conference, particular lines or verbiage spark thoughts on application in my own life or in ways to help others around me. I write down observations on theology, highlighted Scriptures, application ideas (especially regarding challenges and convictions), and areas I’d like to study or pray about further.

Right now, I categorize my notes according to which fellowship or conference attended—and usually chronologically. I may begin to organize these sheets based on topic or Scripture reference. What do you think?

Do you organize your Bible studies and sermon/seminar notes in a notebook? We’d love to hear how you note what you’ve learned in a sermon!