Bullet-style devotional journal that will encourage you in your Christian faith.
This 365-day devotional journal brings a unique combination of creativity, reflection and structure into your daily walk with God.
Just like a bullet journal, it includes monthly, weekly and daily sections, creative prompts, space for sermon notes and doodling, habit trackers and blank dot pages for extra journalling, lists or notes.
The first six months of Bible-based creative prompts cover Psalm 103, an amazing psalm full of imagery describing God’s vastness, character and loving care. The second six months look at Ephesians 1:1-14, which explores what happens to us when we are united to this great, vast, loving God through Jesus. These prompts will help you to meditate and reflect on God’s word and find new delight in Jesus.
This spiritual journal will also help you to:
• connect your creativity with your faith
• maintain consistent habits of Bible-reading and prayer
• remember what you learned in sermons or quiet times
• reflect more actively on your personal journey with the Lord
So use this innovative resource to be creative, organised and intentional in your spiritual life. Makes a beautiful gift.
• Months section featuring creative journalling prompts and habit trackers
• Weeks section featuring space for daily devotional notes, sermon notes, prayer lists and more
• Plenty of blank dot pages to be used however You like
| Contributors | Sophie Killingley |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781784986858 |
| Format | Paperback |
| First published | August 2022 |
| Dimensions | 148mm x 210mm x 26mm |
| Weight | 0.54 kg |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 272 |
| Publisher | The Good Book Company |
I just love this! Sophie has applied her undeniable talents to provide something that is as spiritually edifying as it is whimsical and fun. It’s a joyfully imaginative means of deepening our love for God and I am sure there will be many who will be immensely grateful for it!
For far too long, the idea of drawing during a church service has been associated with boredom, distraction, and even irreverence. Sophie Killingley's wonderful new book is a canvas that reframes these flawed assumptions. Drawing is actually thinking, but also, visualized worship. Draw Near is a fun and beautiful way to explore the power of drawing and journaling to cement new ideas, worship, and ruminate upon God and his Word.
What a brilliant idea! We all need help to ‘let the message of Christ dwell in us richly’ and Sophie’s super resource will be just what many of us creative types long for. The prompts to record what we are learning from God’s word will serve me well, especially on those days when devotions are more of a battleground. God is a perfect designer and he has made us in his creative image, so I will feel no shame in colouring in! Pass me the pencils please…
I really like this! I hope GBC and Sophie are planning another one so you can have new material for a second year.
My only negative feedback is that I don’t like having Saturday on the same day as sermon notes page. You could want to write something personal on the Saturday and then have someone read it over your shoulder during the sermon (this has happened to me…). Also, more notes pages and a ribbon bookmark. But, I love it :)
This book is a creative spiritual journal for teenagers and adults that takes you through Psalms 103 and Ephesians 1. It has 12 months of creative prompts and 52 weeks of note taking which are undated. In the months section you have a verse, an activity and an arty calendar. In the weeks section there’s a box for every day except Sunday which has sermon notes. There are pages for you to do drawing or making lists in-between. This book has helped me to keep track of my spiritual life while encouraging me to be more creative.
I'm only a month in using this journal for my daily time with God and love it. It's the bright spot of my morning and i look forward to.spending time w/God. The freedom in tracking what I'm studying is terrific. The creativity and freedom to make it your own along with the structure built in is just what I need and appreciate about the book. I'm blessed to have found it.
It looked like a cool idea to give to people (youth, young adults, new believers...) so I bought one for my wife to "try it out"! She loves it and uses it. Like all things that encourage times with the Lord, it has its limitations but it's a good way to boost the daily routine (or make it more of a routine!). Having a section for notes in church is a good idea too and means you're more likely to use it and keep using it. I thought it was a bit pricey when I bought it, but makes for a good gift for someone you love. If it can encourage someone to spend time with God, it's a small price to pay! I hope they keep printing them and make different ones (or at least change them) every year, so it can become a yearly present that is different to the previous year.
Draw Near is a prefilled bullet journal for your spiritual journey. By prefilled, I mean it already includes monthly and weekly spreads. All you have to do is add some colours.
The journal is undated and features 12 unique monthly pages, followed by weekly pages. Each week has a two-page spread for sermon notes and applications. The journal also has blank pages to use however you want.
The theme of the first six months is Psalm 103, while the last six months are on Ephesians 1:1-14. All months feature daily habit trackers.,
I like the flexibility of Draw Near. You can use it as a planner, journal, or both. The designs are fantastic, and a pleasure to adorn them as you meditate on the Word. I also love the sermon notes space and the little suggestions throughout the journal.
My most significant drawback is its lack of ribbon marker. I don't understand how they missed putting ribbons, especially since it is updated and you need to keep track of the current month and week. I have to keep two bookmarks there, which is not very smooth.
Also, the pages are not very thick, and pens easily bleed through, which can be mildly annoying.
Other than that, the journal is lovely, and it is perfect for Christians to engage with the Lord creatively. Even artistically challenged people like me.
If you are into bullet journalling, give Draw Near a try!
The Good Book company graciously gave me a copy, and this is my honest review.
How can you find the space to be creative in your spiritual life? In Draw Near, Sophie Killingley presents a spiritual journal for creative Christians.
Engage the Bible
With an emphasis on engaging the Bible, this journal is meant for those who want to connect creativity with their faith, develop consistent patterns of Bible reading and prayer, and maintain better focus with sermons and quiet times.
I am a big fan of taking notes at church, and I think everyone should try writing and journaling just to see how it helps their spiritual life. Monthly artistic prompts can serve as themes to focus on, giving you Scripture to meditate on over 30 days.
Spark Creativity, Encourage Curiosity
Weekly sections include prayer request tracking, and it’s always encouraging to see how God answers prayers over periods of time. Every Sunday comes with a sermon notes section, including a Bible timeline so you can mark where you are in the teaching passage. What I most appreciated were the weekly suggestions – tips to form better spiritual habits.
This journal is perfect for youth and young adults who want to get serious about their spiritual life. For older saints, it will spark creativity and encourage curiosity. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
I received a media copy of Draw Near and this is my honest review.
This is a wonderfully creative and engaging resource for anyone like me who loves to doodle, and yet doesn’t really know where that fits into my daily time with the Lord. So often my mind wanders, and drawing is my natural response. Sophie’s journal is the perfect habitat for me to embrace those wanderings, and channel that creativity back into prayer. This journal is a joy bringer, and a gift to anyone looking to grow their daily time dwelling on the riches of Christ.
Fun, imaginative, enjoyable and creative, are all words I think of when I think of the word ‘journal’. I love any kind of journal that can provide you with a creative outlet; a way to not only write on the pages, but to be creative and to creatively note down thoughts, ideas, questions, prayers, reflections and so on. As a Christian, a journal can be used alongside your Bible study time, your quiet time with God, to write down the prayers that are on your heart, to list prayers that have been answered, to thank God, share your praises to God and to list all the things you are thankful to God for. A journal can be used for many different things which is why it’s always special when you come across one that lets you do all that plus more. I especially love a journal when it helps you in your journey of faith.
Draw Near by Sophie Killingley, published by The Good Book Company, is just that sort of creative journal, and exploring it has brought me so much joy. It does all the above and more. Sometimes I find it’s rare to find a journal (and specifically a Christian journal) which is affordable, has lots of pages, is designed to cover a whole year, and one that is undated, so that you can start and finish it any time you like and use it flexibly. The reason I say this journal does so much more, is because it helps you in your daily journey of faith. It helps you to form and maintain good daily habits such as reading the Word of God, reflecting on scripture, prayer, a companion to your Bible study time, a reminder of particular verses that you have read along with notes, thoughts and questions that you want to jot down. This journal also has a specific section for each week to use during church, a space for sermon notes, Bible verses that really stuck out, your take-home points, and anything else you want to note down.
The journal consists of undated pages of months and days.
This is so nice, because you can start this journal anytime. And if you happen to get out of the habit of filling out this journal, you can pick it back up later and you can start it again.
There is no color in this book. That’s your job.
There are shapes, corner art, and other elements to color so that you can make this your very own.
The object of the book is to obviously read your Bible and pray every day, but you keep track of your progress by coloring in a section on your tracking sheet for each day.
There is plenty of space for notes each day. You can write out your to-do’s, journal your thoughts, place your prayer requests, or even write down what you read in the Bible that day.
After every monthly spread is two pages of dotted pages.
These dots are here for you to design your own pages. You can create anything that you need in your journal: charts or tables, check-off lists, etc.
Ms. Killingley has graciously provided reminders for us in her tracking sheets that if we don’t get to read our Bible or pray that day, that God still loves us.
Weekends are included in the Draw Near journal. On each weekend page there is space provided for sermon notes as well as space to write the life application that you can apply that day.
Emphasis is placed each month on specific Bible passages.
The first six months is Psalm 103 and the second six months is Ephesians 1:1-14.
A small creative prompt is placed at the beginning of each monthly tracking sheet.
This creative prompt talks a little bit about the scripture passages above, but also gives you a “to-do” that will help you meditate on God’s word.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that would like to have a spiritual journal as well as a place to be creative during their personal devotion time.
Many thanks to The Good Book company for this complimentary book to review.
What I like about the book:
this is an option for those who need ideas on how to creatively document their time with God, or to get them going in a habit, and it also encourages documenting what you learn in your personal walk with God as well as in your local church and bible study.
It leaves blank dot pages for adding your own notes, doodles, designs, etc. Plenty of room for the individual to take the suggested concepts and add their own structure or format to the book.
It is the right size to take with you and seems durable and well made.
It provides a model in the structure for the first 6 months of studying two specific passages in depth, and it's always good to try a new way to dig into the Word.
The two passages selected Psalm 103 and Ephesians 1 are appropriate to a new believer or a more mature follower of Christ with rich concepts to reflect on and learn from.
What I wonder about the book:
Is there enough structure for someone to pick it up and meditate on the Word with the tool? Is it too much structure for those who already enjoy dot pages? Will the user expect a completed example to guide the process?
Would it also be a tool for a group of women to bring to a girl's night out and share something every month or so? Would that improve its accountability and use of it?
How long someone will stick with the habit trackers? I love the idea of picking it up daily to keep documenting the progress you are making, and that the author included documenting God's love for you, which is unconditional daily.
I am not a dot journal kind of person, the blank pages and doodles that it inspires and the desire to look at it repeatedly are not my giftings. But in this format, those dot journal pages are set up, and I suspect I will find notes and visuals that help me remember and apply the concepts to use.
Thankful to partner with Goodreads and receive a copy of this new release.
