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Journible
- 10/07/10
- 18
What happens when you smash a Bible together with a journal? You get a Journible (get it?). What’s a Journible? Well, essentially it’s a Bible study tool. It’s a book, rather like a journal, with a place to write a Scripture text on the right leaf and a place to write notes and observations on the left. It’s rather difficult to describe, so let me turn to the official description to see if they can do better.
The Journible series of books are hard-backed with gold foil and a bookmark ribbon. As you open the book, you will see chapter and verse numbers on the right-hand pages. These are conveniently spaced according to the length of each verse. However, these pre-formatted lines are left blank for you to hand-write your Journible book of yourself. The idea for this comes from Deuteronomy 17:18, where God commands the kings of Israel to hand-write their own copy of the Torah, or book of the law. The purpose of this was so that they would carry it with them always, read it, learn from it, and lead the people accordingly. It’s interesting to note that 3400 years later, educators have been discovering that most people learn kinesthetically, by doing or writing things out for themselves.
From these two ideas together then, comes the conception of this series of books: The 17:18 Series. As you look at the left-hand pages, the lines are left blank for personal notes and comments on the text. There are also some questions scattered in light print throughout these pages. These questions are meant to guide you in thought as you study the book of Proverbs and to help you understand the types of questions you should be asking of the text.
Does that make sense? If you want to get a bit more of a taste, here are two page samples you can download: Galatians sample page | Proverbs sample page.
You see how it works? Every day you right a Scripture text on the right side of the page and then you write notes and observations on the left. Occasionally there will be a question there to guide your notes and focus your study. And that’s it. It’s meant to be a tool that will help you get into the Word as you write it out yourself and as you seek to understand and apply it. How cool is that?
Why would you buy one? For your personal devotions; as a gift for someone else; as a tool for group Bible study or youth group Bible study; as a means to help you memorize long portions of Scripture.
One of the unfortunate things about Journibles is that they suffer from quite an ugly and uninformative web site. The site really does not offer a good view of what will actually show up at your home should you order one. I had seen the site and been unimpressed; it was only when I bumped into a Journible at a conference that I was impressed. So you may just have to take my word for this one.
You can buy Journibles (exclusively for the time being) at Reformation Heritage Books. The current volumes are:
- 1 Timothy - Hebrews
- Galatians, Ephesians, Philipians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians
- James - Jude
- John
- Proverbs
- Romans
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Published in 2008, this book
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Comments (18)
Imagine a lifetime of personal study, reflection and insight recorded in these books. Then imagine passing them on to your children or grandchildren years later. That would be something else.
Interesting product.
Terrible name.
Makes me think of Garanimals — clothing for kids.
A great idea but why not just buy hardback notebooks and make your own? Much cheaper.
Writing down Bible verses and making notes next to them?! Brilliant!! They have just made spiral notebooks obsolete… wait, is there going to be an app for this?
HAHAHAHA! Love the comment! Gonna buy some for my guys and see how well they respond!
Gotta agree with Jim and JB. Why on earth would you pay for this? Perhaps the questions/comments are worth “something” but I imagine you could do as well with your own. I can’t beleve this will catch on. I can do the same thing (and often do) using Logos Bible Software as I do my daily Scripture reading. I often insert a “note” in the passage with how I was struck by it or a personal application. This note is then accessable (kinda like a footnote for those who don’t use Logos) in any translation I am using at the time, never gets lost, is always with me wherever I have my laptop (almost always) or iPhone (if I had one). The legacy angle is kind of interesting, but I’m sure I could accomplish the same thing if I or Logos really thought about it.
The creator of Journibles, Rob Wynalda, stopped by our study group table early one morning here in Michigan and gave each of us a copy of his Proverbs edition. I’d not met him before that day, nor have I seen him since then. It seemed unusual at first glance, but Josh’s comment recognizes Journibles’ potential value, and I intend on using my own copy at some point.
Since that time, I’ve seen Journibles mentioned elsewhere online - so word is getting around about them. And I’ve also been learning how children look to parents as faith role models. That Scripture has been written along with accompanying thoughts in a hard-bound book, I have to think, could make an impression on an adolescent or young adult. As the world turns seemingly ever faster, a product like this given as a gift from a dad to a son could make time stand still.
Personally, I’ve developed the habit of writing sermon notes while I listen, and I can attest that doing so allows me to remember and organize the points more effectively, similar to the product description that Tim provided above. In that way, I also see their value as a study tool.
They may not be for everyone, but I have a hunch that my copy will suit my learning style well and will force me to slow down my thought processes in reading the Bible. Journibles likely lie at the opposite end of the learning spectrum as Prof. Horner’s “10 chapters per day” reading schedule does, and both approaches are doubtless beneficial in different ways.
For those who are skeptical about this product, I would suggest that you get one first. I received one as a gift from a dear brother and it has been a true blessing to go through Scripture in this way. Now all of my notes are in one place, and I am remembering more Scripture as a result as well.
The concept is based on the following passage regarding the king of Israel. “And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:” Deuteronomy 17:18 (KJV)
Each king was to write his own copy of the laws. Just think, if it is good enough for the king of Israel, why not ourselves.
My 12 year old daughter and I each have one and, together, we are working through the book of John. We’re enjoying the conversation that each reading prompts and we’re using it as our ‘handwriting’ curriculum for school.
Looks like a great tool for someone who is not great at organizing. For someone like Norm, it would appear that this isn’t a problem for him. I actually might buy one just to see if it helps me out in this area.
I think think this could be an excellent tool for some people. But my concern is how many people are disciplined enough to maintain it, or will they tire of it and stick it on the shelf.
I have used the ESV Journaling Bible for the past 2 years. As I study, there is room on each side margin to write notes, comments or prayer requests. For most of my daily journaling I use the moleskine notebook.
Those are my thoughts exactly, Josh!
I am getting married soon and I can’t help but wonder what a gift it would be if on our wedding night I handed my wife a Journible and then we each spent the next year filling it out.
hrm….
Oh boy Alex, now that is the kind of talk a newly wedded woman likes. You are going to gain points with her and that is coming from someone who has been married over 28 years.Keep it up.
The advantage of buying a Journible opposed to a spiral bound notebook is to have a quality bound product with quality paper. These aren’t meant to just last a few years, they really are meant to last a lifetime. The advantage of buying a Journible over inserting footnotes in a Logos software program is immense. If you choose to do it for legacy purposes it leaves children/grandchildren with handwritten material—far superior to type. It also ensures access for future generation(s). Hand writing has also proven to be far more beneficial in regards to memorization than typing. Just think about it.Cheers!
FYI - Search on Moody Radio’s Prime Time America for Journibles. Apr 15 2010, hour 2, 20 minute mark to 28 minute mark features a discussion of Journibles with creator Rob Wynalda.
I can remember doing something like this in Bible class when I was a freshman in high school about 14 years ago. In a spiral notebook students wrote out assigned passages on one page and had the other page left blank for notes in class. It was very beneficial.
It’s definitely an interesting product, but hearing about it just made me want to look into the ESV Journaling Bible. I’ve been looking at different personal Bible study methods to employ, and most of them emphasize the need to write (or type) out your thoughts to organize them and to be more diligent in applying the Word to your life.
I admit that the “legacy” value of this product falls flat on me. With how different technology-wise my early adulthood was from my parents, it seems evident that this will continue with my own kids, if not even more so. I suppose I could leave them a Journible, but it might have the distinction of being the only paper book they own!
This leads me to thought of the future, where dads pass on down .txt files and email archives to their kids…
I have seen them personally, which is exactly why I am buying not one, but several. I have friends that I meet with who state their struggle to stay accountable, even reading their Bible more than the once-weekly setting. Not everyone is at the same place. The person who recommended it said they said they were organized & didn’t need it… until they began to use it. I am excited to have a different way to journal, to encourage me in the Word, and to be able to encourage my friends as well. I love friends who encourage me with gifts that strengthen my Christian walk!