Joy Leanne

One of my favorite pages...even with the spelling errors. I am supposed to be blogging every day for 31 day. I missed days three and four. In the past I would have just given up on the project. Missing two days in the first week would have been too much for my perfectionist tendencies.  But I am not giving up or stopping this project. I have learned a lot from my time journaling the Word. And one of the BIG things I God has taught me is that there is no room for perfectionism in the Christian life or in creativity. I could write a whole blog post about how I have let perfectionism impact my personal walk with God, but I will keep it simple. When I give into perfectionism I am saying I believe perfection is possible in my own power. When I believe perfection is attainable in my own power I'm saying I don't need my Savior. Unfortunately I have let perfectionism impact my Bible Journaling journey as well. And I have a inkling that I am not alone. Perfectioni...

I started Bible journaling three years ago. It was back before it was this big thing. There were a handful of women sharing pictures on one facebook page. Since then it has exploded and people's reasons for Bible journaling are as diverse as the people worshiping in the margins of their Bible. Before I go any further in this 31 day journey I wanted to share my personal reasons for adding art worship into my spiritual walk. *I believe our stories matter. I grew up in a family of story tellers. I'm sure I have shared that on here before. My father is a forth generation pastor and my mother is a high school drama/speech/composition teacher. Story telling is my culture and my inheritance. The stories that resonate most with us are the stories that point us back to HIS stories. Bible Journaling helps me record my stories and points me back to God again and again. Every time I take to the pages of my Bible to record my story I see His thumb prints all over everythi...

I have tried doing the Write 31 Days challenge twice in the past. Both times I gave up part way through. The first time I just sorta of gave up. Last year I made it about half way through before God called me to a season of silence. It's been a really quiet year for me. I have only posted on here a couple time since last October as I sat with the lessons and seasons God brought into my life. But, now I feel God calling me to share what's on my heart and how He is working in my life. Over the past few months our life has gone through a lot of transitions and for the first time ever I find myself with a lot of free time on my hands. I recently celebrated my third anniversary of Bible journaling. In my first journaling Bible I did 66 entries in 2 years and 10 months. I started a new Bible 56 days ago and have already done 60 entries in the Bible and two Bible journaling studies in journals as well as a scripture writing challenge in September. I share all this not to make...

Three years ago I was searching for something. We were going through a lot of transition at the time and while my faith didn't waver, my walk had become rather stagnate.  Then I stumbled across this thing online called Bible Journaling. An amazing woman named Shanna Noel had just started a facebook group and I found a community of women who were expressing themselves creatively in the margins of their Bibles. I fell deeply in love with this style of worship, but a recent change in my husbands job meant we didn't have the finances to buy a wide margin Bible or supplies. Then an amazing women I had never met before sent me a package through amazon. A Journaling Bible, some washi tape, and some fineliner pens. Sunday will be three years since that package arrived on my door step and changed the way I interacted with my Savior, The Word, and my faith. I did 66 entries in that Bible in a little over 2.5 years. Then last month I started a new  Bible. Things were shif...

Hello Dear Friends! It's been a long time. Nine months to be exact and I have missed this space. I tried writing a number of times, but every time I tried I felt God telling me it was time for silence. But at the prompting of some dear friends I think it's time to get back in this space. I'm not exactly sure what that looks like, but I would like to share more about my creative journey the past few years. Today I wanted to share a little bit with you about my journaling process lately. Our church is nearly two weeks into a 100 day Bible Reading plan that walks through 100 essential Bible passages starting in Genesis and going through to Revelations. Currently we are still in Genesis and I have been stumped more than once. Doing pages for the "stories" is a bit of a challenge unless you want to draw illustrations. Since that is not my talent or my desire I've had to really think about each entry. Today's reading was about Joseph and his dreams a...

In my mind I am 11, but the math says I couldn't have been more than 9 maybe 10. Either way, I was in upper elementary school the year the associate pastor's wife decided to put a new "spin" on the traditional Christmas pageant presented every year at the Christmas Eve service. Preschoolers in cardboard angel wings and bathrobes weren't quiet enough, so we added a bit of creativity. My best friend, her brother, and I were selected to play three siblings who were so excited for gifts that they missed the true meaning of Christmas. We were visited by a special angel: the associate pastor in a white sweatsuit and the special cardboard wings that were covered in glittered and typically reserved for "the angel of the Lord". The "angel" narrated the Christmas story to us while our classmates and younger siblings acted it out. Have you ever read "The Best Christmas Pagent Ever"? If not, you should! While our nativity play wasn't qu...

I wrote a little bit the other day about perfectionism and how it holds us back from journaling.  I think we each have a lot of reasons for not journaling. Perfectionism is a big one for some of us. Another thing that has kep me from journaling for years was feeling like it was a chore. I loved the idea of journaling, but actually sitting down to write felt like home work. No fun. Over the past few years though I have unintentionally developed little rituals that have made time in my journal feel like a mental retreat rather than an assignment. While I some times journal on the go, I prefer to journal at home in one of three spots: my dinning room table, my office writing desk, or a giant, leather chair next to the front window. Before I start journaling I make sure I have any and all supplies I might need. Pens, pencils, journal, embellishments, glue sticks, photos, all in close reach.  I normally keep a drink close by as well. In the summer that normally means ice water, lem...