Recently a couple of friends of mine (Kelli and Tracy of All Your Heart Ministries) told me about a cool new service project. It’s called the Loved Bible Project, and it is right up my alley! Basically you start with a new bible, love on it, and hand it off to someone in need (need is relative: They could be in need financially, or just in need of hope and comfort. I’ll get to that later…). They receive God’s word, pre-highlighted, hand-annotated, and filled with encouraging notes, just as if they had inherited a much-loved bible from a loved one. I love to doodle and write, and I love God’s word, so I knew I wanted to be a part of this.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

No sooner had I decided that this was a service project I wanted to do, then Christian Book Distributors emailed me about a sale event and free shipping promo. I scoured their website and found a number of bibles in various translations for under $5 each. I went with the NIV version, because that’s a common and trusted version, and one I’m familiar with. I got two plain bibles and two with huge pink daisies on their green, faux-leather covers. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m a boy mom or if it was God’s leading, but I was smitten with the idea of using lots of color and pretty doodles and sending it off to a girl or young woman.

The cool thing about this project (well, one of the cool things) is that God already knows the young woman who will own this bible. He knows her needs now and in the future. He knows what verses she will need to cling to and what encouragement she will need to hear. It is not in my power to minister to this stranger because I know nothing. But God knows. So I started this project by praying for her. I prayed for inspiration and direction as I prepare this bible for this stranger. And I continued to pray as I added to the bible.

I’m a scrapbooker, so I had lots of fun things to use to decorate the bible! I used stickers, craft tape, markers, metallic gel pens, and more!I found this cool assortment pack of sticky notes at Dollar Tree. I especially love the little flag/arrow notes for pointing out special verses.

I got this set of special highlighters from my secret sister last year. They don’t bleed through the thin pages of a bible. You can find them on Amazon.

As you can see, I had a lot of fun with this project. I want to add a few more things to it, but when it’s done I’m mailing it to my friend Renee at ReBuild, a ministry to the down and out of the Huntington WV area. Figuring in the cost of the bible, shipping it to Renee, and the few supplies I bought to supplement my scrapbooking stash, I completed this project for about $10. It is my prayer that God would take my little investment of $10 and a couple hours and turn it into something priceless!

If you are interested in more information about the Loved Bible Project, check out the Loved Bible Project website or the All Your Heart Ministries website. There is a ton of inspiration there, pics of projects, etc. You can also search “scripture journaling” or “loved bible” on Pinterest to get some ideas. I did my first bible without a theme, but they can be specific as well. For example, you could love a bible for a single mom friend, someone in cancer treatment, or someone experiencing a loss. You could gather with a group of women, share supplies, and love bibles together as a church or bible study women’s event.

Finished bibles can be sent to the Loved Bible Project (see their website for info), and they will be distributed to the homeless, or you can send them to ReBuild – Renee says they’ll take as many as they can get and will distribute them to the people they work with. Other ministries local to you may be interested in taking loved bibles as well. You just have to ask!

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4