Journaling Bible Flip-Through Video of the Gospel of John

Greetings, friend! I’m very excited to be sharing with you a flip-through video of the gospel of John in my Journaling Bible.

This was my first time studying and journaling my way through an entire book of the Bible start to finish. And it was truly a transformative experience for me.

Honesty Moment

If I’m honest, studying God’s Word is not something that has come easily to me or something I’ve been really excited about in the past. I can’t tell you how many times I’d make a resolution to read my Bible more…stick with it for three days, miss one, and give up completely.

Any other perfectionists out there with the same problem?

But this time, things were different. I didn’t just stick with it, but I fell more deeply in love with God and His Word than ever before.

And throughout the video below, I share what was different this time around and what God was teaching me in hopes that it would inspire you in your faith journey. Especially if scripture study has been a struggle for you in the past or something you’ve never explored before, but are curious to learn more about.

The rest of this post is essentially a transcript of the video, so feel free to reference it for resources and supplies I mention (some of which are *affiliate links).  I also include video times for each entry below, so you can easily hop around!

Let’s dive in shall, we?

Journaling Bible Flip-Through Video

{If for some reason you have trouble viewing the video above, click HERE.  And if you click the gear icon, you can change the default setting to H.D. for higher quality.}

1. “…grace upon grace.” John 1:16

1:43 – 3:08

Let’s start at the very beginning of John (a very good place to start).

This reading of John’s gospel all started because our church is studying the life of Jesus this year, and it just so happened that the morning of the first reading, our toddler Juniper was playing quietly with her basket of sunglasses. She’s a professional sunglasses organizer, and it can keep her occupied for a good 30 minutes.

And so, even though I didn’t even really intend to do this whole gospel reading plan (because why start when you know you won’t be able to stick with it?), God gave me the gift of time that morning of January 15th. And I decided to slap some watercolor across the first two pages of John.

And my adventure began!

I think what encouraged me to keep going after Day 1 is that in these first chapters of John, Jesus made it very clear that perfection is not required of His followers. All He asks for is a willing heart. And God’s limitless grace takes care of the rest! “…grace upon grace,” as John writes in chapter 1 verse 16.

This is just the message my heart needed to hear as I started this journey. And maybe it’s what you need to hear today, my friend.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Faber Castell PITT artist pen, big brush pen, watercolors, micron pens, date stamp, ink pad, tab punch.

2. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness….” John 3:14

3:08 – 3:56

One thing that became abundantly clear to me these past few months is that God’s Word is like a inexhaustible gold mine. And there’s no end to what we can uncover as we read, study, and meditate on the text.

This entry was the result of looking into a brief reference in John 3:14 to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness–and I discovered a deep significance in it.

I journaled my big takeaway in the margin:

We can’t do a thing to earn our salvation. As much as we try, we need only look to God. Just as the Israelites in Numbers 21:4-9 were saved simply by looking at the bronze serpent.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, alphas, rub-ons, Art Basics clear gesso, FaberCastell gelatos, watercolors, micron pens, Heidi Swapp sweet mint color shine and date stamp, ink pad, tab punch.

3. “He must become greater….” John 3:30

3:56 – 4:29

This entry was a blast from the past–one I had worked on back in 2015 at a coffee shop on the Jersey shore with my sweet Mom journaling across the table.

That’s one of the things I love most about this style of Bible Journaling–when I invest so much time and heart into a page, it writes itself into the long-term memory part of my brain. And I can recall what God was teaching me in that season and also reflect on how far He has brought me!

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Staedtler pigment liners, Crayola Twistables, date stamp, ink pad, tab punch.

4. “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” John 5:8

4:29 – 5:54

Ahhhhh. A two page spread. Some encounters with God’s Word are so impactful, that I feel the need to dedicate two pages to an entry. And that’s what I did for the story of the healing at the pool on the Sabbath in John 5.

One of the dangers of Bible Journaling for me is being too focused on “the finished page.” I’ve often found myself scanning a passage for that “nugget” to inspire my art.

But there’s great blessing when we can take our focus off of the finish line and relish in the joy of just being with God. Of not rushing that experience, but letting it be a back and forth conversation of listening to Him and responding to Him in prayer before even picking up a paintbrush or pen.

That was something I learned while working my way through a Jan Johnson’s guided meditation of John 5 in her book, Meeting God in Scripture. It is a wonderful resource for anyone curious about the practice of lectio divina!

And I decided to type up some of the sweetest moments from my conversations with God and print it on white sticker paper, so I could squeeze more into this tiny margin. My handwriting is rather large!

Supplies: Journaling Bible, watercolors, micron pen, white gelly roll pen, white acrylic splatter paint, white sticker paper, cross stamp, ink pad, tab punch.

5. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand, John 6: 1-15

5:54 – 7:02

So, one of the awesome things about studying the life of Jesus this year as a church is that we’re getting hit from all angles with the same texts. So, oftentimes what we’re reading in the gospel reading plan aligns with the sermons being taught and the family theatre performances I get to direct each month. It’s awesome.

And so turning to this 2 page spread for the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, I’m taken right back to the theatre sketch I got to perform and the reminder that Jesus doesn’t need to use us in his ministry, but chooses to use us. He could have snapped his fingers and fed those 5000, but chose to use a boy’s small lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fish to meet the needs of the massive crowd.

We may think what we have to offer to God is small or insignificant, but it could be a miracle waiting to happen. What an encouragement to us!

Supplies: Journaling Bible, alphas, highlight brush, Avery Clear Full-Sheet Shipping Labels, FaberCastell gelatos, Staedtler pigment liners, date stamp, tab punch.

6. “I am the light of the world.” John 8:12

7:02 – 8:02

The bright colors on these pages make my heart happy. I used the right margin for some hand-lettering of John 8:12 and the left-margin for a visual picture of this passage. Shout-out to Melissa from @FischTales for inspiring the lightbulb design.

And you may have already noticed that I date and tab all of my entries. The date helps me remember what God was teaching me in each season. And I make my own tabs using a tab punch or scissors and double-sided tape.

I like to match the tab to the style of the page and sum up my big takeaway in a word or phrase at the top so that when it’s closed, you can read them all from the top of my Bible, and if I am looking for a reminder of being “free indeed” or that “Jesus heals” I can more easily find it.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Faber Castell PITT artist pen, watercolors, tab punch.

7. Free Indeed, John 8:31-38 & Oh Happy Day, John 9

8:02 – 9:30

I really see Bible Journaling as a very personal act between the journaler and God. That means, some people are comfortable covering up the text with paint because they’re using their Bible as more of an art journal. Others aren’t comfortable writing in their Bible at all and prefer to document their faith journal in a separate notebook. Or maybe you fall somewhere in the middle like me, and want to color in your Bible, but still read the text in your entries.

If that’s the case, I have a fun new supply to share with you: Avery Clear Full-Sheet Shipping Labels. I purchased a set of 10 pages on Amazon for $12.96. Then I nabbed some adorable digital designs in the Illustrated Faith Print & Pray Shop: the Beloved Society gal and the title starters brush lettering. I just printed them on some label sheets, cut them out, and slapped ’em on the page.

And guess what? Because the labels are clear, you can still read the text underneath. The highlight paintbrush and the alphas on my “loaves and fishes” entry were also printed on clear sticker labels.

How cool is that?! I feel like this is a game-changer for the Bible Journaling community.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Beloved Society “Be Here Now” kit, Title Starters Vol. 2 brush lettering, Avery Clear Full-Sheet Shipping Labels, micron pen, acrylic paint, doilies and scrapbook paper, assorted alpha stickers and stamps, ink pad, tab punch.

8. “I am the gate” sermon notes, John 10:1-21 

9:30 – 10:34

Now you might have never known this from looking at it, but this is one of those entries that I thought was going to be easy as pie…just some simple sermon notes in the margins. But boy, did it give me trouble between tacky paint and eraser smudges and the black text transferring onto the white space on the opposite page.

There was a lot of winging it. And a lot of mistakes.

The irony wasn’t lost on me that as I was journaling about surrendering control, I was working on surrendering control with this entry’s design.

I love how God uses imperfections in my Journaling Bible entries to remind me that this is not an art contest. That I am free from the pressure to be perfect in life and in my Journaling Bible because of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. We are free!

Supplies: Journaling Bible, micron pen, Faber Castell PITT artist brush pen, Art Basics clear gesso, acrylic paint, date stamp, tab punch.

9. “Jesus wept.” John 11:35

10:34 – 12:19

This beautiful mess was created by sending pools of watercolor across the page by blowing air through a straw, a technique I was inspired to try thanks to @Arden_Elise. Here’s one of her videos of the process.

It’s a lot of fun to do and not as scary as you think. Just drop pools of highly saturated watercolor on your page and send it where you want it to go. Use a heat gun or let it air dry in between different colors.

This technique really helped achieve the look of tears I wanted to create atop the famously short verse in John 11:35: “Jesus wept.”

Even knowing He could and would raise Lazarus from the dead, Jesus cried–validating the pain we suffer in losing our loved ones. Death feels wrong because it is wrong. Death was not part of God’s original design.

So, here’s the crazy thing about God’s timing: I read that passage and heard the powerful Audrey Assad song, “Death be Not Proud,” in church on February 11th. The day I journaled this entry. And then just a few days later on February 15th, my 94-year-old grandmother passed away.

And like Jesus I wept.

And I felt free to weep and really mourn losing her. Even knowing she was in heaven and free of pain, I felt heartbreak. Heartbreak we’ll all feel until that day when “death will be no more.” That’s the hope I’m clinging to when the tears come.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, blue Stabilo fine-liner, Art Basics clear gesso, watercolors, straw, tab punch.

10. Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet, John 13

12:19 – 13:46

Paint is a common denominator in a lot of my entries. I love watercolor because you can see the text through it. And I’ve loved playing with acrylic paint, too.

Shanna Noel, the founder of the Journaling Bible movement and Illustrated Faith, introduced many of us to an easy technique for applying acrylic paint to Bible pages thinly with an old gift card, so you can still see the text underneath. Here’s a video tutorial from Shanna. You can also apply it with a baby wipe for even more control.

Any brand of acrylic paint will do. The bright colors in this entry are Hand Made Modern paints from Target. And yes, those flowers and the brush lettering were just digital designs printed on clear shipping labels.

This two-page spread was the result of a deep dive into the passage about Jesus washing His disciples feet. And you can see from the date stamp that I worked on it over the course of several days: evidence that you don’t need a huge block of open time for scripture study or art journaling in your Bible.

Even just small pockets of time meditating on a passage over several days can be so meaningful!

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Title Starters Vol. 2 brush lettering, Avery Clear Full-Sheet Shipping Labels, Hand Made Modern acrylic paints, big brush pen, micron pen, date stamp, tab punch.

11. “Abide in me….” John 15:4,5

13:46 – 16:16

This verse in John 15 is my theme verse from John’s gospel. The one that rises above all the others as God’s big message to me in this season: “Abide in me.”

When we abide with Christ–when we’re present with Him and in constant contact with Him like branches on a vine–we can experience the gift of “oneness” with God the Father.

That “oneness” is something I’ve craved for for a long time. And my time spent studying God’s Word more consistently this year and documenting my faith in the margins of my Bible has been feeding that hunger. And making me hungry for MORE time with God. The more I abide, the more I want to abide.

It’s kind of like exercise, right? That first run after months and years of not running, isn’t necessarily going to be fun. You may not want to run again the next day. But after a week of running, you’ll start to experience the fruit of running. How it positively impacts all areas of your life from sleep to eating to mental health. And you’re going to want to run!

That’s been my experience with spending time with God in His Word. It was something I had to work into my schedule with intention at first…but that “oneness” with God has been bearing fruit in my life to the point where now I’m working everything else around my time with God. It’s been a complete priority shift for me. Because I know that even good things–done apart from the vine and done on my own strength–are fruitless.

Here’s the good news for those are feeling a sudden pressure to do-all-the-things and go on a Bible reading rampage to get that good fruit growing in your life: it’s not on you. God is the one who will produce the fruit in you. You’re just showing up to spend time with Him in His Word and in prayer.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Faber Castell PITT artist pen – XS, watercolors, date stamp, tab punch.

12. “…that your joy may be full.” John 16:24

16:16 – 17:05

Changing gears, I’ll share a time-saver that I have been doing now that I’m journaling at a much faster pace to keep up with our church’s gospel reading plan.

I can tend to belabor little decisions like what medium I’m going to use on an entry or what colors–whether I’ll use stickers or hand-lettering or both? 30 minutes can go by in a flash before I’ve even begun.

So, lately, I’ve been allowing the entry on one page to inform the other. So it eliminates some of my decision-making.

That’s exactly what I did here: I pulled inspiration from my vine entry when creating this balloon doodle and entry on John 16:24.

Shout-out to @stephmiddaugh whose watercolor and hand-lettering style inspired my own on these pages!

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Faber Castell PITT artist pen – XS, watercolors, date stamp, tab punch.

13. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!” John 16:33

17:05 – 17:59

Any other children of the 80s grow up listening to “G.T. & The Halo Express” cassette tapes? They featured Bible verses put to music, and John 16:33 was sung in a country twang, which I loved to imitate as a seven-year-old.

All those repetitions of that song over and over committed this verse not just to my memory, but to my heart. As I grew up and did face trouble, I would return to the truth I sang. And a wave of peace would wash over me. That’s why I’ve declared this to be my life verse.

Sidenote: if you struggle with scripture memorization, put it to song! It’ll be stuck in your head before you know it.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Faber Castell PITT artist pen – XS, watercolors, tab punch.

14. Unite us! John 17

17:59 – 18:42

If you couldn’t already tell, there are so many things I love about Bible Journaling. I think the #1 thing is that I’m able to bring my love of creative expression into my time with God and bring the Word to life in a way that speaks to my artist heart. I also love the therapeutic nature of it. It’s reviving to my soul to play with art supplies. It has been since I was a wee lass.

So, I brought my inner child along for this entry, and finger-painted with acrylics for this one. I felt like I was five-years-old again, and loved every minute. If you haven’t gotten paint under your finger-nails in a while, I highly recommend it.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Hand Made Modern acrylic paints, big brush pen, white gelly roll pen, mega-date stamp.

15. “Behold your King!” John 18:28 – 19:16

18:42 – 20:27

I used to teach high school English back in the day, and so I can really geek out over uncovering literary devices in a text. And this passage about Pontius Pilate in John 18 & 19 is full of irony with Pilate unknowingly dropping truth bombs like, “Behold your King!” He was being sarcastic but the reality is that Jesus was the King of all.

I painted watercolor flowers on this entry inspired by ones I had made on the opposite page back in 2015 beside a Jon Acuff quote. Later, I realized I was being unintentionally ironic with the choice of flowers behind the words, “Behold Your King.”

Jesus, King of all, would be deserving of people throwing flowers His way. But instead, he received a crown of thorns, mockery, torture, suffering, and death on a cross. All for our sakes. Amazing grace indeed.

Sidenote: you’ll notice a new supply I started playing with here: highlight washi tape from Illustrated Faith & Dayspring. It’s see-through, so you can highlight verses and still read the text underneath. I’m lovin’ this supply and nabbed a book ring on Amazon to store ’em on.

Also, these watercolors were handmade by my friend Angeline from @DotsAndDots. Check out her Etsy shop if you want to support a small biz owner creating amazing supplies for us journalers.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Dots & Dust watercolors, highlight washi tape, micron pen, Uniball white gel pen, date stamp, ink pad, tab punch.

16. “I know you by name” & “God provides,” John 20 & 21

20:27 – 21:55

My husband Mark says that when he flips through my Bible, it looks like each page could have been created by a different person. And it’s true! Because I’m continually inspired by other Bible Journalers and love trying my hand at their unique styles, putting my own twist on it.

This fun swirly style you see here and saw on my first two pages of John is in the style of @muchloveilly. Fist-bump to her!

By the way, the Bible Journaling community is incredibly supportive, and one way you can show support is by tagging or shouting out the folk who inspire your entries. Send ’em some love.

I know bleed-through is a big concern for folk when it comes to Bible Journaling. And many ask if I prep my pages with gesso. Sometimes I do. But mostly I don’t! Because if you lay down watercolor or acrylic first like I did on these entries, that’s a way of “prepping” your page, so stamps and a thick big brush pen like the ones I used on this entry, won’t bleed through.

Supplies: Journaling Bible, highlight washi tape, Faber Castell PITT artist pen, big brush pen, Uniball white gel pen, texture stamps, date stamp, ink pad, tab punch.

17. “…could not contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25

21:55 – 23:08

Friends, we are on the last entry! You deserve some sort of award for sticking with me through the end here. Turns out I’ve been learning a lot this year, and had a lot to say about it!

John on the other hand, was concise in his gospel. He was really intentional in the stories he chose to tell, and fun fact, he documened only 30 days of Jesus’ 3.5 years of ministry.

And I love this verse he ends with:

“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” –John 21:25

Isn’t that a great image? It’s the image that inspired this barrage of books I doodled and painted with watercolors. It took me FOR-EV-ER, but was worth it.

And because all scripture is God-breathed, we can trust that what we’ve been given in the Bible is sufficient!

Supplies: Journaling Bible, Faber Castell PITT artist pen – XS, watercolors, date stamp, tab punch.

To Close

I hope my story and my pages have ignited a fire in you to abide with God, my friend.

You don’t need a Journaling Bible or fancy supplies for that. Sure they can be helpful tools for growing closer to God, especially if you are a visual learner, but they aren’t required. You have everything you need right here and now to meet God in His Word.

If you are just starting off and feeling a bit anxious about drawing or painting in your Bible–or if fear of failure or making a mistake is paralyzing you–I have been there! I am a recovering perfectionist and I have a great exercise to help set you free called “Permission Pages.” Click HERE to read the blog post. And click HERE to check out my first Flip-Through Video where I featured my Permission Pages!

If you’d like to stay in the loop on future Bible Journaling updates, you can follow me on Instagram @ThinkingCloset where I use the hashtags #LaurensBiblePages and #LaurensYearWithJesus. You can subscribe to my email newsletter and my YouTube channel so you don’t miss a future video.

Your Turn

I hope you enjoyed this flip-through as much I did enjoy sharing. And please join the conversations in the comments section to share what God is teaching you as you seek Him in His Word. I’d love to know what you’re learning and what you’re struggling with.

This journey is so much better with friends. I know a big reason why I was motivated journal my way through John’s gospel was because I wasn’t doing it alone. I was following the same gospel reading plan my husband and friends from church were following. We could talk about it. Study it together. Process our questions with one another. And that spurred me on when I wanted to give up.

Let’s encourage one another to abide with our great God by spending time with Him in His Word. Because He has great things in store for you and for me. Of that I am certain.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. –Jeremiah 29:11

Catch you again real soon!

*Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for helping to support this site!