TOPICS and CHAPTERS Scripture Journals

Here is what these are all about:

This is the title page of the CHAPTERS journal

– there is also a companion journal that is a TOPICS journal.

Here is how they are different…

When you are studying a certain chapter in the scriptures, or even a couple of scriptures that you really want to dig into, you use your CHAPTERS journal and  you write the verses at the top of the page.

And then as you study you can fill in the provided boxes.  They are meant to guide you and give you places to record a lot of information about what you are studying.

For example, there is a place where you can write down words that you want to look up.  These don’t just have to be words you don’t know, they can be words that you do know, but just want more insight to.

There is also a place where you can record the various doctrines and principles you are pulling out of the verses.  I love these boxes because it begins to put real meaning into the verses for you personally.

There is also a column to the right where you can link to other journals you have written about the same subject.   That “2:4-5” is written next to my comment on “pride”.  And in my TOPICS journal, I have a page on “pride” on pages 4 and 5.  Now they are linked and ready to find easily.

At the front of each journal you can give it a volume number to help you reference them.

Ok… back to the CHAPTERS page…

Then there is a box to write about the people themselves.  This can be the people in the story, or the authors themselves.  Then you can let their good or bad examples teach you.

You can write your own cross-references to what you are studying here.  This is where you start making the scriptures all come together and connect.

This is one of the most important boxes.  “Questions I Asked”.  It is when we ask questions that we open ourselves up to receiving answers which will then take us to new levels in the scriptures.  This box is meant to encourage you to ask questions that maybe you wouldn’t have considered asking.  The questions can be about something the scripture says to personal questions… there are no rules.

The last box on the page is for insights from study guides and other things.  You can put quotes here, scholarly information, etc.

Then the next page is open for all of your insights that you have.  This is where you write your own commentary.  And believe me, it gets easier the more you do this.

You can write your thoughts about individual verses, ways those verses impact you, your testimony of them, how you would like to improve your lives, what you want to teach your children about those verses, etc.

What helps me gain a lot of insight is I will write to my descendants.  I record my thoughts and advice to those that I may never know, but yet will still be incredibly important to me.  And when I think like this I start seeing all sorts of things I may not have noticed before.

When I want to really emphasize a principle, I write it larger, with a little color… you can get pretty creative on each page.  Plus it makes it more fun.

I mean… can you imagine leaving your posterity a set of Scripture Study Journals like this?  What an inheritance!

This is another page I have in my CHAPTERS journal.  Here I was studying D&C 4.

I will be posting weekly ideas on my blog of different ways you can study.  Then you can choose your favorite ways and run with them!

Now for the other journal… this one focuses on TOPICS.

These are meant to go hand-in-hand.  The CHAPTERS journal is meant to help you study the scriptures in context, and the TOPICS journal is meant to help you study individual subjects.  Each type of study is important, and they compliment and impact each other.

I named this journal “Volume Two”.  Once I fill this up, my next one can be “Volume Three” and so forth.

As mentioned, I have a page on “Pride”, but whatever your topic, you just write it at the top.

Just below the topic is a place for you to write a definition for it.  This is important, as it allows you to consider and then write a simple statement for that topic.

Then there is a place to record some of your favorite scriptures that teach you about this topic.  Next to the scripture you can write what it teaches.  You can see that sometimes I paraphrased it and sometimes I quoted it exactly.

Then below that box is a place to record some of your favorite quotes.

And you can have a lot of fun making things look cute… if you are into that.

 Then at the bottom of the page is a place where you can link to other places in other journals you have also written on that topic.

Like in the CHAPTERS journal there is a page to write down your personal thoughts and insights.  Here you can write your thoughts, testimony, personal experiences, insights, etc…

On this topic I decided to do something visual, so I made a “Pride Tree”.

There really is no limit of ways you can study and make learning really fun and insightful.

And like mentioned before, I will be posting weekly ideas like this to help you have lots of success in your journals!

Both journals come with a “Table of Contents” in the front so you can keep an organized record of what you are studying and find things really easily.

And both journals come with instructions in the front to help you understand how to use each type of box and how to keep things organized.

The journals come with several different colors and designs.

They are each 100 pages.

If any of you are thinking of giving these as gifts… I think it would be really great to give with a set of colored pens to write in them with.

Also… if any of you are wanting them for your church group, please email me with the group you are getting them for and the amount you would need and I will try and get you the best possible deal I can.

79 comments

  1. Yeah! Just purchased them 🙂 They are my Christmas present along with a brand new set of scriptures. I can’t wait to get studying. By topic or chapter first? That is the question!

  2. Yay! I got a new set of scriptures for Christmas last year, this is what I will be asking for this year. Oh, and my brother on a mission…he will be getting them as a gift as well. Thanks so much!

  3. WONDERFUL! Any chance you’ll be making them in more boyish colors at some point? I would love to give my oldest son a set, but I don’t think he would be too hip on any of the colors.

  4. Fabulous! I’ve just ordered one of each, and two weeks to receive them seems like an awfully long time to wait. I guess patience really is a thing I’d better start to learn especially when I’m too cheap to pay for faster shipping. 🙂 Thanks so much for doing this.

  5. Yea! I’ve been waiting patiently since I saw you were printing and selling these! I really think this will HELP me get into the scriptures and be able to use them like I want to and need to. Thanks for all your dedication and willingness to do this. Sincerely, Leslie

  6. This is fantastic! Thanks to you, I’ve already started a scripture journal which I LOVE. I was wondering if there is any possibility that you’d offer the pages as a digital download in the future (for a price, of course)?

    Congrats on making these journals – they are just fantastic. Thanks for inspiring me to dig deeper into the scriptures 🙂

  7. I was afraid you might sell out… so I decided not to wait on “Santa!” Bought a set for my daughter, too. I can’t wait to really delve into the scriptures this coming year. I watched your youtube video linked from sugardoodle and loved it. Thanks so much for sharing and Merry Christmas!

  8. These are so amazing! Thank you for all the time and effort you put into assisting others on such a great journey of learning.

  9. THANK YOU!! My Dad is so hard to buy for but I was telling him how I had found your site and I wanted to put together my own scripture journal, he loved the idea and now I can give him some for Christmas!! I had to buy a set for me also.

  10. These look awesome. I love the idea and think they would be great for children and adults to help them focus more when reading scriptures. I am going to show them to my husband tonight. It would make a great gift for anyone wanting to focus on studying instead of just reading.

  11. They look wonderful. I can use these at home. Just a thought: I would LOVE a version the same size as my scriptures so it would fit in my scripture bag. I take my scripture journal to church and when I am traveling and it is a bit cumbersome to have an open 8 1/2 by 11 when you are writing on your lap.

  12. Thanks for all your work, Shannon! I can’t wait to get mine…now if only my handwriting were as pretty as yours 🙂

  13. The red/blue ones are already on amazon. Prime free shipping & will be here in 2 days!
    What pens do you use? They look so pretty & smooth.
    thx
    sam

  14. I was so excited when I saw the email from your blog this morning in my inbox…I ordered two sets of each color..one for now and the other for later!
    Two sets for me and two for my husband for his Christmas gift! Thank you, you are awesome!

  15. I am SO excited! This is what I am asking for this year for Christmas. I even sent hubby the link so he will get it right. 🙂
    You are AMAZING! Thanks for sharing your talents. I have loved following your blog for quite some time now…

  16. Thank you so much! I can’t wait for them to arrive. This is all I wanted for Christmas this year. I love my current scripture journals and I can’t wait to add the fun ideas in these journals. You are so creative and very inspired.

    Thanks!

  17. I LOVE these!! I’m hoping you will add more colors laters, perhaps a brown/navy for the boys. My oldest wasn’t sure he’d be able to pull off the blue/red. 🙂

  18. Congrats! They look great. You’ve done a lot of work and it’s a wonderful product you ended up with! It’s very exciting to see them come to fruition. 🙂

  19. Wow! I’ve been looking forward to these for a while!! I just bout myself and my mom some 🙂 So excited!!! congratulations!!!

  20. So fantastic! Perfect Christmas presents. I appreciate so much your example and inspiration–truly a blessing to so many of us!

  21. I love your blog and all your insights. I’m over Enrichment and my RS Pres. wants to have a speaker come in Jan and talk about scripture study. Have you ever thought about talking to groups? I would love for you to come and share your thoughts and ideas. Would you be interested. I guess it would help to know if you are even in Utah.

  22. I love that you did this. I’ve been wanting to study the Bible more in depth recently and have the hardest time staying on a certain habit. So this is perfect. BTW, your handwriting is lovely! I love how artistic you are with your journals!! I’m looking forward to how else you use them. I loved the ‘pride’ tree!

    http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/

  23. I just ordered mine and I wish they were here already. Thanks so much for sharing. Your amazing and inspiring. I look forward to your new posts! Congrats on the Little Miracle growing inside you! She will be amazing too.

  24. Just ordered 2 sets of pink and green and 1 set of red and blue. If you could change colors for boys that would be great, I don’t think my brothers would appreciate red and blue, maybe brown and orange, brown and blue, black and red? Not sure but I am so excited to get them! Too bad amazon didn’t have them all yet their shipping is free so even without the dicount code it would be cheaper, now to see if I could afford them for my YW???

  25. Shannon,
    Thanks so much for these. I tried making one with your instructions before, but I don’t think I am great at studying yet and need all the help and guidelines I can get.
    Thanks for all you do.

  26. Hi Shannon,

    Thanks for making these! I’m excited to get mine. I am in the Young Women presidency and we have about 35 girls. Could you let me know what kind of a discount you would offer? Thank you!
    Kim

  27. Shannon.. I am SOOO excited to receive the journals.. I ordered the first day they came out. I ordered one for me and one for my sweetheart… I didn’t see a place to select color? Is there a default color that comes?

    Brooke

  28. Never mind.. I was just so excited to order the day they came out.. I didn’t even notice that their are 2 choices chapter and topics.. Guess it will me a mystery when they come…

  29. Hi Shannon,
    I just received my Scripture Journals! I wasn’t expecting them until the 14th. What a nice surprise. Tomorrow is my birthday; what an awesome birthday present. They are amazing!! I love the way the pages are set up, that they are numbered, and the size of the journals. You have made it so easy to record what is studied and thoughts and feelings about what is learned. I have been following your blog for several months now. I appreciate all your amazing and inspired ideas that you have shared on your blog. I started keeping a scripture journal after reading your blog the first time. It has really helped me a lot. I know with my new Scripture Journals I will study and learn even more. I am always sharing with friends what I learn from you. Thank you!!

  30. These are perfectly organized for me! The way I try to make notes when reading the scriptures, I seem to have 3 different journals: one for Hebrew/Greek definitions, one for thoughts, and another for scriptural notations. I can’t wait to order these!

  31. These look wonderful- Good job!! I am interested in journals for young women. We need about 40. Is there any possibility of purchasing a digital download? This might be more cost effective for our group as we have connections to get them printed. A wiro or spiral bind would make it easier to write in.

  32. I ordered your Scripture Study Journals (green Chapters & pink Topics) entered the code but didn’t receive the discount, however when flipping through both journals I found the page numbering is not very user friendly in the Topics Journal. The left hand numbering is in the bottom center crease of the book which is hard to find because of this placement which is quite opposite to the Chapter Journal being at the top of each page but missing numbers on pages 11 & 13.

    It may be easier for the publishers but would it be possible to have all the numbers at the top outer corner of each page and both journals uniform in this respect?

    Love the layout but would also like: “Other journals I’ve written about this topic ” added to the Chapters journal.

    Sorry for showing my OCD but life’s confusing enough. I know you can’t please us all but it’s always better to beat the bugs the second time around. Don’t you think?

    Thank you for making scripture studing so much fun. God bless us everyone.

    1. Thanks Jessica!
      I will see what I can do about the page numbering as you suggested!
      Also, the chapters journals does have the “other journals I have written about this topic”. I placed it in the Principles and Doctrines portion, because I found that is the most likely place you will actually create a list that you can reference to.
      Thank you so much for your insights!
      Have a wonderful Christmas!
      Shannon

  33. I too would love a digital downloadable version. I’d be willing to pay the same price as the actual books to gain the flexibility of using a 3-ring binder/printing smaller pages/spiral binding it myself/etc.

  34. Hi Shannon,
    I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed using your marking guide for 2 Nephi 1-2. I went at it slowly but I have faith that I can really learn these study habits. Miraculously, I was able to do all of my “necessary” tasks and still have time to make scripture study more in depth. I also got my topics journal in the mail. Funny enough, I’m sort of scared to start writing in it for fear of messing it up. Thanks for all you share with us.

  35. My family always goes to This is the place, Heritage Park on a Pioneer day. They have a lots of activities including an appearance of Brigham Young, and it is a perfect place to celebrate a Pioneer day.

  36. I ordered a topics, chapters and names of Christ journal. I was pleasantly surprised to get them 8 days before the expected delivery date! So fast! Now I can’t wait to start filling them up. I am such a fan! Thank you for all of everything you do! My study is so much more than just reading the scriptures now. I’m in the YW organization and have been teaching my girls your methods, what a difference it makes. Thanks again!

  37. You really have a brilliant mind! It really is a SCRIPTURE STUDY JOURNAL where a person will surely search and ponder the scriptures. If one will have this journal, he will surely read not for the sake of reading but the real intention of learning and seeking the truth. Hope we can have your works in the Philippines. 🙂

  38. I absolutely love your blog. I have always loved to read and study the scriptures but as I’ve gotten older, I have been trying to find a new way to study that will be really enriching. And thank you for helping me to find that enriching way to study!

    By the way, I LOVE your handwriting!

  39. I am so excited that your books are available on Amazon!! I just ordered the Chevron Topics and Chapters, I can’t wait to get them! I am just crazy about your site. Thanks for all that you do and share. I plan to purchase more books next month.

  40. Thanks to some serious motivation — combined with the ease with which these journals can be used — I am halfway through my first full topics journal…and since I dare not stop writing and learning, I have to order another topics journal. I have the Conference journal started, and these should keep me busy through the summer! Bless you for putting these together!

  41. I am soon interested. I am in charge of putting a packet together or he youth of our church for Book of Mormon reading. How much are these? Please let me know. These are great!

  42. I would like to order 10 of these journals I am a seminary teacher in franklin ky with the bowling green first ward. I was wondering what kind of deal you could help me out with. My email address is [email protected] or you can face book me Keri Diven. I am needing to know soon so I can make arrangement in ordering them.

    Thank You Sincerly Keri diven

  43. I’m wanting to get some study journals for a Christmas gift for my missionary and his companion. I really need to find them ASAP… don’t have time to wait for them to come in the mail. Where are they sold? I know at one time I bought mine at a Quilted Bear, but can’t remember which one. They aren’t available for download, are they?

    I’d love to know where to find them quickly. 🙂

    Thanks,
    Kara

    1. Hi Kara!

      Yes – you can get them at the Quilted Bear in Midvale. There should be a good supply there for you to choose from. I am sorry – we don’t have those in a download.
      Thanks Kara!!

      Shannon:)

  44. Hi Shannon, by chance do you still have these scripture study and topic journals? I really like the outline that you have.

    Thank you for your time,
    Suzanne

    1. Hi Suzanne!

      Yes! Just click on “books” at the top right of this site and you can find all of the books there.

      Thanks Suzanne! 🙂

      Shannon

    1. You can buy all of our spiral bound journals by clicking on “shop” at the top of the page in the main menu and then going the the spiral bound book category. There you will see all of our physical books. Everything else on the site is instant download.

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