Women of the Word Bible Quilt® Journal: Old Testament Figures
- Dianna
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
We knew from the start that it was an ambitious idea to do #biblequiltjournal pages on female characters throughout the Bible.
I thought I'd share my progress so far to encourage YOU wherever you may be on this journey.
As my Women of the Word BQJ has gotten thicker with more pages, I feel like I'm understanding these ladies in a different way and beginning to see more connections between them over time.
Each woman plays a role in the overall story of the Bible. These women are not one-dimensional. They are multi-faceted and show us a variety of ways to respond to challenging life circumstances.
Through them we encounter tragedy, loss, conflct, romance, betrayal, courage, deception, love, and grace. From Eve to Gomer we can glean lessons that point us to Jesus.
I've summarized stories of both "major" and "minor" characters, learning more about them by slowing down to write out the details of their stories.
For some pages I've used a freestyle #biblequilting method, whereas on others I've used templates as kickstarters.
To help illustrate these stories to break up the text, I've used a variety of stickers, washi tape, materials from online Bible journaling clasess, and sticker kits from Etsy.
I punched the pages to insert them into my Women of the Word BQ Journal.
I've listened to podcasts, reviewed commentaries, devotionals, and books. I've gone back to notes from previous sermon series and Bible studies to glean information on these women.
At times, this journey has been overwhelming and I've had decision fatigue regarding what depth of information to include. Sometimes I've stalled out on whether to paraphrase, summarize or write out specific passages verbatim. Each time I've struggled with the process, I've prayed for the Lord's direction on what He wants me to learn. Then I've moved forward.
Here is a flip-through of my BQ journal so far, using a mix of #biblequiltjournal templates and some freestyle Bible Quilted pages. It's been SO meaningful to pause on each woman's story and reflect on how her character strengths and weaknesses may resonate with our own.
As I flip through it, I love the eclectic combination of note-taking from various sources and using embellishments from online Bible journaling courses, stickers from Etsy shops, and incorporating my BQ materials. Since this was my first "experiment" with a disc-bound #biblequiltjournal option, I like that it has allowed me the utmost flexibility in moving pages around or pulling out one page to work on separately on a clipboard during Bible study. I could also see it being adaptive to inserting templates into page protectors and keeping in 3-ring binder. I just love the tactile journal feel and immediate access to pages as I add one more thing.
Other Resources
Thanks to a discussion on a recent zoom, I learned about this beautiful Bible which has summaries of many of the women we've covered so far. I look forward to gleaning some more details on the Old Testament ladies and incorporating the stories of the New Testament women as I continue in my BQ journal. It's never too late to add another layer or start a fresh page!
Coordinating & Cultivating Your Personal Approach
As we launched the Journaling Through the Word BQJ, I realized having some summary pages completed on Old Testament women helped streamline this process. I can jot down their names and a couple highlights rather than a whole section because I know I've got their stories already covered.
If you choose to do these two projects in tandem, you could insert summary pages on Eve and Sarah into your Genesis section, for example.
Links to the Ladies I've covered so far:
Dinah Tamar Potiphar's Wife Puah & Shiprah
Merab & Michal Abigail Bathsheba Tamar, daughter of King David
Abishag Queen of Sheba Jezebel
I've enjoyed seeing pages other BQJ community members have shared:
Join our next Zoom Chat to ask questions and brainstorm with us.
We've been sharing share ideas & pages in BQJ Facebook group. You can comment below regarding YOUR progress and intentions. Remember you can go at your own pace, summarizing individual women as you encounter them in your personal reading time or in Bible study. Sometimes I'll catch a snippet while listening to a podcast, then jot down a couple phrases on a page. It all adds up!
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