I am a book destroyer- no, really. I love feeling like my non-fiction and my books for school have been used up and that all their knowledge has been imparted to me in some way. I am the same way, if not more so, with the Bible.

I began scribbling in my bible when I started participating in Good Morning Girls on WomenLivingWell.org. This program was just what I was looking for at the time because I wanted to make a habit of reading my word every single day. Daily quiet time is what worked best for me and it really set up my day to focus on God for the rest of the day. More about how I do my quiet time can be found here.

This is how I write in my Bible.

The first thing I needed was a Bible that I use specifically for this purpose. I got mine for free for attending Chapel service at Howard University for the first time. I didn’t realize what a valuable resource I had until I decided that it was perfectly OK for me to write in my books- including my bible. I now use it every day for my personal quiet time along with my life application bible. Mine allows me to read the Word as it flows naturally without commentary. When I need some help understanding a concept I will refer to my life application bible. I write in the margins, in between the sections, beside verses, anywhere really. I love doing this and highlighting as you will see below. The NIV is my bible version of choice at the moment and both of my bibles are in this translation.

The second thing that I needed were these fabulous pens that showed how serious I was about my doodle game. Jk, I don’t doodle because I have no artistic ability whatsoever. I bought these pens initially for studying for STEP 1, so I could write in the margins of First Aid. When it was over, I wanted to continue using them because they became my favorite pens ever.

There is no specific system for how I underline or write beside verses because it just works better for me to write on the fly. There are no spatial restrictions because my mind doesn’t work like that and because my pens are so fine tip that I can scribble everywhere on the page with masterful precision. I use a different color every day for variation and because I love having a colorful bible. I underline and write what each passage made me think, what God is convicting me about through His Word, or what application point I realize through reading. When I refer to my life application bible, I go back my highlighter friendly bible and write in the margins what I learned. I love these pens like I love empty notebooks and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Lastly, I use highlighters to accompany my writing pens. My highlighting, like my underlining and writing, has no specific system. Whatever speaks to me or a verse I want to emphasize is immediately highlighted and I write what I am thinking out to the side. My favorite verses and the verses that I read in Jesus Calling are all highlighted. Every day is a different highlighter’s time to shine because it helps me to see what/how much I read on the previous day, plus it makes my bible look beautiful.

Do I do this all the time? Well, yeah if I have time to do my quiet time as I do it normally. I love doing this because it really keeps my mind focused and allows me to see what I was thinking about a passage days, even years, later. When a preacher refers to a passage that I have already gone through, I can see what I was thinking about the passage in my previous reading and then add to it from his sermon, if I want to.

How do you interact with your bible when you read and what are some tools you use?