Scripture Study Tools and Helps

One of my most frequently asked questions I get emailed about  is:

“What do you use in your scripture study?  What kind of pens and things do you use?”

So I thought I would do a lil’ post about it.

First…

I have totally converted to my set of scripture study journals.

And actually, it has been a problem.  A good problem.  The format of it totally helps me think of things I wouldn’t have thought of, and I just write and write and write!  It takes me SO long to get through a chapter.  Which I have no problem with, except for when I am prepping my Gospel Doctrine lessons.  It takes a loooong time.  I end up having pages upon pages of good stuff to choose from.  I love it.

And Second…

I keep my marking supplies close and handy.  This is my drawer and that little box in the front corner of the drawer easily comes out and comes to the table with me.

In that box are several variations of two types of pens.

1-  Pens for my scriptures

2- Pens for my journals

Pens for my scriptures need to be the kind that won’t seep through the delicate pages.

Ball point pens work really well and are my most likely “go to” pen.

Also, Michaels sells these pens by Martha Stewart (or at least they used to, last time I was there I stocked up, so I haven’t checked in a while).

I love these because they write really light so they are nice and pretty in my scriptures.  I don’t use them for writing things in the columns, I use them for underlining, circling, etc.

Just remember when you are buying these types of pens, buy the ones with really small tips so less ink is distributed as you mark.  You will need to hide these delicate tipped pens from your children because they will easily push to hard and ruin them.

For my journals I use gel pens or rolling ball pens.  I seriously buy all kinds and it is just a constant trial and error experience.

Alright… there is a basic overview. Whether you need 1 Samuel 16 bible study questions or a 1 Corinthians 13 bible study pdf we at The Red Headed Hostess are here to help! If you have any favorites that you use yourself… please share! 🙂

21 comments

  1. I have had great success with Zig pens, and I can find them on overstock.com for a pretty good price. Also, my mom swears by erasable red pens from Staples! She gave them out to all of her missionaries when she and my dad were on a mission. That way, if something doesn’t look right or you want to change what you wrote, just gently erase and you can change it. I haven’t used them yet, but she loves them. And, I love your journals! I have been using them as I follow my scripture reading schedule. It’s on momsgoodideas.blogspot.com. Thanks Shannon!

  2. the best colors for the scriptures are prismacolor. They are bright, don’t fade and will erase. You can find them in the artist section of Michaels or other stores like that.

  3. I love my twistable colored pencils from Crayola! They are perfect for underlining or ‘highlighting’ (coloring over the words) in my scriptures. I don’t use them to write in the margins. I only use them for marking.

    Funny story…I took the twistable pencils with me to an additional RS meeting where we copied our patriarchal blessings and learned how to mark them. Everyone else brought highlighters. When I pulled out my pencils with 12 different color options they all wanted to borrow my pencils instead! The next Sunday I noticed at least four other women had brand new packages of twistable colored pencils in their bags to mark their lessons and scriptures! =)

  4. i’ve been using the twistable crayola pencils too – i like them cause they seem to last forever and i don’t have to sharpen them!

  5. Hey I am also curious as to how a scripture study sessionn looks for you as far as when you fit it in, how long are you usually studying a day or one topic, chapter, etc. I feel like I have time to study but just as I feel like I am starting to get somewhere my little one needs something, or my time I scheduled for myself is upand I go back to square one next time. Any suggestions or helpful hints, experiences? Thanks for your sharing on your blog it has rally helped me gain perspective on things.

  6. I saved my pennies and bought the 8-color Pentel scripture marker, which I love! I do tend to use plain ol’ ballpoints (fine tip) for notes in my scriptures, though. For journaling, I commandeered a set of Staedtler Triplus Fineliners that my husband had purchased for a work project. I am a school supply junkie and love to try new things! 🙂

  7. I REALLY like the Sharpie fine tip pens (the skinny barrel)-lots of colors to choose from. They do not bleed through the pages and write super fine. To high light scripture passages i use Crayola color pencils-BUT Prisma brand would be my first choice-$$$

  8. I absolutely love Gelly Roll Sakura Pens!
    I love these pens because they are great pens.
    Right now I have the Gelly Roll Fine black pen,the metallic purple and the blue,and I have the stardust gelly roll pens too. So I have many of these pens. There are different types of these pens too. Examples: metallic, fine,stardust,basic,moonlight,and many more. You can find them on Amazon and I am sure you can find them somewhere else too. So I really recommend them! Thanks!

  9. I LOVE pens! Seriously, I could be considered a collector…lol. For my scriptures, I used to only use blue ball point pens and red pencils. Since using your scripture study/marking ideas, I use Zig pens (blue for your notes/ideas, page headings etc and red for my own notes).

    Haven’t had an opportunity to begin using your journals yet, so not sure what I’ll be using.

    And….you keep mentioning your gospel doctrine class, but I have yet to see any add’l lesson posts. I miss them 🙁

  10. Hi! I love your site, it is so inspiring and right up my journal-loving color-coded alley :).

    I really love my Staedtler triplus fineliner markers for my journals. They don’t roll too easily, they come in plenty of colors, they won’t dry out if left uncovered overnight, and they are so easy to write with! I typically write in black or brown and use the other colors for dissecting what I’m studying. Pink is just for me- inspiration or insights that I have.

    I also have the pentel 8 color scripture marker (for highlighting) which I use along with a ball point pen (for notes) in my scriptures.

  11. Thanks for sharing this info on pens, and thanks to all the people who have shared their ideas in the comments section. I have been collecting pens all week. Now to get over my fear of putting pen to paper. I am NOT a tidy writer. I know – I just need to get started. I’ve never done more than highlight in my scriptures, and I’m excited to put your ideas into practice.

  12. I just received my journals in the mail yesterday and I am so excited! I can’t wait to get started with some real , in-depth scripture study. But reading through your posts on how you mark your journals has me extremely intimidated. I want to leave that kind of legacy for my posterity too! But I don’t feel like I am very inspired or insightful.

    Like Shawna, I am wondering when you schedule your studying. Naptime?

    I think I need to make a trip to AC Moore and get some pretty pens. They will surely start some inspiration!

  13. Tokyo Pen Shop imports the Uniball Signo RT .38 directly from Japan. This is a perfect pen for Japanese gel ink lovers. They come in 3 different shades of blue plus the usual black. orange. pink, red etc.

    Ultrafine
    Click top
    Rubberized grip
    Inexpensive

  14. Thanks for all the ideas. Can’t wait to go pen shopping. I too am a messy writer and feel like I am just making a big mess of my scriptures. I am already devising a crazy plan to type it all up on sticker paper and add it that way (not really).

    I have noticed that you use many colors in your scriptures and Journal. Do you use a color coded system or just use any color you feel like?

  15. Thank you for all the great tips. Went looking for pens today and had some additional questions for you. 1st, Do you use the Martha Stewart writing pens with archival ink or the permanent ink pens. The pens you have pictured look like the autumn colors permanent set, but you mentioned acid free pens so just wanted to be sure. 2nd, what markers do you use to color/highlight some words in your journal? I’ve notice you retrace some words in a very light color, love the look so I’m curious as to the pens/markers you use for that. Thanks again for all the wonderful inspiration!!

  16. In college we were told that the only ball point ink that is archival is black. All others will run over time. As a teen ager I wrote in my journals in red and green, pink and blue, and black…black is the only one that has not bled. Some of the others cannot even be read anymore 🙁

  17. Janice I agree! I have written in journals for 18 years and the pencil of course is now very fuzzy, but the ball point pens also have bled. I would say that you must look for archival, water proof, and fade proof pens. I would love to color and decorate, but I am afraid that it will not be there for years to come.

  18. I LOVE to shop for gel pens for my scripture study journals, specifically. And honestly, I cannot have enough of all types of writing instruments, from fine point pens to watercolor pencils to gel pens. You name it, I buy it — which is great because I can do this in small amounts and feel like I am buying some sort of treasure, even if my bank account is looking sad on a particular week.

    For highlighting in my scriptures, I use Crayola Twistables Colored Pencils and any gel-type highlighter. Notice the word “gel” because gel doesn’t bleed through the paper as regular highlighters do…and they sell for just ONE dollar at Dollar Tree for two gel highlight pens.

    I also keep a small daily scripture/inspiration journal that I’ve had for a year and am down to my last five pages (YEAH!) and I paste various artistic looking “stuff” and quotations and such.

    The last thing I have to say is Thank You for putting this webpage together. The work you inspire us to do, the creativity that is spawned, is just amazing!

  19. I use the pentel 8 color marker also and one color pencil to get nine colors for the 9 basic doctrines of the church.
    Colorful scripture, not just red, are great to look at and easier to find when looking for a scripture on a specific principle.
    Thanks, all your suggestions are really helpful.

    Robert

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