7 Reasons I Think You Need a Journible Now!

Amazon. I swear it’s the 21st Century form of Santa Claus and the Sears Wish Book all rolled up in one package. How?

Well, scroll through pages upon pages of anything you could ever want to purchase from any place in the world. It’s like Veggie Tales’ “StuffMart” on steroids. Because unlike a combo Walmart-Costco-looking thing, this brings in the handmade and second-hand elements of a good old used bookstore and Etsy.

And like Santa Claus, if you ask it for things, it brings them—usually with two-day shipping and an easy return policy. Amazon doesn’t get offended if you don’t like what came, unlike Santa’s helpers a.k.a Mom and Dad.

Alas, Mom and Dad don’t care anymore because—HALLELUJAH!—it comes out of your allowance now.

So, one one of these “wish book” surfing moments, I found this super-cool journal-slash-Bible-study book. The premise was simple. You write the Bible on one side of the page and you make notes on the other. I bought it. That was in summer of 2015.

It sat on my shelf until this December. Then, as a few friends and I formed a Bible study group, I suggested the book as our “study book.”

Why?

Well, let’s face it. Then it becomes just Bible Study. As in, study of the Bible. It’s not Jane’s book on The Book. It’s not Frank’s opinion of the book in The Book. It’s just… The Book. God’s Word interpreting itself.

And yeah, for the record, people don’t seem to know how to handle that. I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me, “Why is it so important to you that it’s just the Bible?”

Well, I also can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a Bible study and the Bible wasn’t even cracked open! If you have a hard time imagining that, then you won’t believe it but I’ve actually experienced the following scenario (but not quite so exaggerated).

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7 Reasons I Think You Need a Journible Now!

1- The basic premise is to get you into the Word. I mean, you can’t write the Bible if you don’t open it, right? Even if you’ve got the books memorized, it still means you’re recalling… God’s Word.

2- The eye, memory, and hand combination creates a connection that helps you retain that information.

3- Studies suggest the process of writing actually releases dopamine. Basically, it makes you happy to write. How cool is that?

4- It helps you see the Bible in new, fresh ways when you write the words. Let’s face it, you can’t skim! (And, when you use something like the ESV which annoyingly does NOT capitalize all pronouns for God, you have to be sure which “he” they’re talking about! Ahem.

5- Because these books don’t have canned questions that create the “obvious answer syndrome,” you will have to actually think! What a concept.

6- They’re quality journals. I use mine with a fountain pen and there’s not even the hint of ghosting, much less bleeding. The hardback books get tossed into my backpack and toted everywhere—and they still look like new!

7- What a legacy! I’m not usually all about passing this or that down to my children or grandchildren. Stuff is just stuff, right? But man, I treasure the notebook that my grandmother hand wrote all the favorite family songs in. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to have the Bible written in her hand. To read it and realize that she loved Jesus, too—that she probably prayed for me. To see my name on the prayer list in the back (something I do but isn’t a part of the journal itself).

Need further proof that you need a Journible? Well…

David and his son both wrote about the Word of God.

Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. (Psalm 119:11)

And

My son, keep my words
And treasure my commandments within you.
Keep my commandments and live,
And my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 7:1-3)

I’ve purchased a lot of Bible Study “books” over the years, but this has been the most beneficial of all—it’s been all about digging deep into the Word so that I may know it, understand it, and remember it.

About these Books

Title: Journible: The 17:18 Series

Author: Robert Wynalda (a local businessman) and Dr. Joel R. Beeke (President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary)

Genre: Non-fiction, Bible study tool

Release Date: Series released in 2009

Why the 17:18 series?

In Deuteronomy 17, Moses is leaving final instructions concerning the future of Israel. As a prophet of God, Moses foretells of when Israel will place a king over the nation (v. 14). In verse 18, the king is commanded to not simply acquire a copy of the law (the entire book of Deuteronomy) from the scroll publishing house, but to hand write his own copy of the law.

Thirty-four hundred years later, educators are discovering that students that physically write out their notes by hand have a much greater retention rate than simply hearing or visually reading the information. Apparently, God knew this to be true of the kings of Israel also. From such understanding came the conception of this series of books.