Draw Near

Ted Turnau

This is a delightful book for those who want a deeper, creative engagement with the Bible. Artists sometimes say that they think with their pen or brush. What they mean is that their deeper thoughts and feelings surface as they are expressed creatively. In Draw Near Sophie Killingley invites us into a space where we can do the same—wrestling with our hearts as they encounter God's word, and seeing muddy waters clear as we write and draw our responses on a page. If your Bible reading has gotten dry (or even if it has dried up altogether and needs a reset), this book is for you.

Ros Clarke

In Draw Near, Sophie Killingley draws on popular bullet journaling techniques to give us a book that will help us draw near to God as we engage our God-given creativity. Habit-trackers come filled with reminders of God’s grace, monthly verses have creative prompts, and each weekly spread includes space for sermon notes as well as daily devotions. It is peppered throughout with helpful tips for prayer and Bible reading. Ideal for new Bible readers, and a delight for those of us who have been at it a while! I can’t wait to get out my coloured pens and washi tape and start filling it in.

“Love it!”

I really like this! I hope GBC and Sophie are planning another one so you can have new material for a second year.
My only negative feedback is that I don’t like having Saturday on the same day as sermon notes page. You could want to write something personal on the Saturday and then have someone read it over your shoulder during the sermon (this has happened to me…). Also, more notes pages and a ribbon bookmark. But, I love it :)

“Great spiritual creative journal”

This book is a creative spiritual journal for teenagers and adults that takes you through Psalms 103 and Ephesians 1. It has 12 months of creative prompts and 52 weeks of note taking which are undated. In the months section you have a verse, an activity and an arty calendar. In the weeks section there’s a box for every day except Sunday which has sermon notes. There are pages for you to do drawing or making lists in-between. This book has helped me to keep track of my spiritual life while encouraging me to be more creative.

“Daily Time w/God...”

I'm only a month in using this journal for my daily time with God and love it. It's the bright spot of my morning and i look forward to.spending time w/God. The freedom in tracking what I'm studying is terrific. The creativity and freedom to make it your own along with the structure built in is just what I need and appreciate about the book. I'm blessed to have found it.

“Daily routine boost!”

It looked like a cool idea to give to people (youth, young adults, new believers...) so I bought one for my wife to "try it out"! She loves it and uses it. Like all things that encourage times with the Lord, it has its limitations but it's a good way to boost the daily routine (or make it more of a routine!). Having a section for notes in church is a good idea too and means you're more likely to use it and keep using it. I thought it was a bit pricey when I bought it, but makes for a good gift for someone you love. If it can encourage someone to spend time with God, it's a small price to pay! I hope they keep printing them and make different ones (or at least change them) every year, so it can become a yearly present that is different to the previous year.

“A Lovely Spiritual Journal”

Draw Near is a prefilled bullet journal for your spiritual journey. By prefilled, I mean it already includes monthly and weekly spreads. All you have to do is add some colours.

The journal is undated and features 12 unique monthly pages, followed by weekly pages. Each week has a two-page spread for sermon notes and applications. The journal also has blank pages to use however you want.

The theme of the first six months is Psalm 103, while the last six months are on Ephesians 1:1-14. All months feature daily habit trackers.,

I like the flexibility of Draw Near. You can use it as a planner, journal, or both. The designs are fantastic, and a pleasure to adorn them as you meditate on the Word. I also love the sermon notes space and the little suggestions throughout the journal.

My most significant drawback is its lack of ribbon marker. I don't understand how they missed putting ribbons, especially since it is updated and you need to keep track of the current month and week. I have to keep two bookmarks there, which is not very smooth.

Also, the pages are not very thick, and pens easily bleed through, which can be mildly annoying.

Other than that, the journal is lovely, and it is perfect for Christians to engage with the Lord creatively. Even artistically challenged people like me.

If you are into bullet journalling, give Draw Near a try!

The Good Book company graciously gave me a copy, and this is my honest review.

“Spark Creativity, Encourage Curiosity”

How can you find the space to be creative in your spiritual life? In Draw Near, Sophie Killingley presents a spiritual journal for creative Christians.

Engage the Bible

With an emphasis on engaging the Bible, this journal is meant for those who want to connect creativity with their faith, develop consistent patterns of Bible reading and prayer, and maintain better focus with sermons and quiet times.

I am a big fan of taking notes at church, and I think everyone should try writing and journaling just to see how it helps their spiritual life. Monthly artistic prompts can serve as themes to focus on, giving you Scripture to meditate on over 30 days.

Spark Creativity, Encourage Curiosity

Weekly sections include prayer request tracking, and it’s always encouraging to see how God answers prayers over periods of time. Every Sunday comes with a sermon notes section, including a Bible timeline so you can mark where you are in the teaching passage. What I most appreciated were the weekly suggestions – tips to form better spiritual habits.

This journal is perfect for youth and young adults who want to get serious about their spiritual life. For older saints, it will spark creativity and encourage curiosity. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

I received a media copy of Draw Near and this is my honest review.

“A celebration of God-given creativity for time with the Lord”

This is a wonderfully creative and engaging resource for anyone like me who loves to doodle, and yet doesn’t really know where that fits into my daily time with the Lord. So often my mind wanders, and drawing is my natural response. Sophie’s journal is the perfect habitat for me to embrace those wanderings, and channel that creativity back into prayer. This journal is a joy bringer, and a gift to anyone looking to grow their daily time dwelling on the riches of Christ.

“A fun, enjoyable and creative journal”

Fun, imaginative, enjoyable and creative, are all words I think of when I think of the word ‘journal’. I love any kind of journal that can provide you with a creative outlet; a way to not only write on the pages, but to be creative and to creatively note down thoughts, ideas, questions, prayers, reflections and so on. As a Christian, a journal can be used alongside your Bible study time, your quiet time with God, to write down the prayers that are on your heart, to list prayers that have been answered, to thank God, share your praises to God and to list all the things you are thankful to God for. A journal can be used for many different things which is why it’s always special when you come across one that lets you do all that plus more. I especially love a journal when it helps you in your journey of faith.

Draw Near by Sophie Killingley, published by The Good Book Company, is just that sort of creative journal, and exploring it has brought me so much joy. It does all the above and more. Sometimes I find it’s rare to find a journal (and specifically a Christian journal) which is affordable, has lots of pages, is designed to cover a whole year, and one that is undated, so that you can start and finish it any time you like and use it flexibly. The reason I say this journal does so much more, is because it helps you in your daily journey of faith. It helps you to form and maintain good daily habits such as reading the Word of God, reflecting on scripture, prayer, a companion to your Bible study time, a reminder of particular verses that you have read along with notes, thoughts and questions that you want to jot down. This journal also has a specific section for each week to use during church, a space for sermon notes, Bible verses that really stuck out, your take-home points, and anything else you want to note down.

“Track Your Time with God Creatively”

The journal consists of undated pages of months and days.

This is so nice, because you can start this journal anytime. And if you happen to get out of the habit of filling out this journal, you can pick it back up later and you can start it again.
There is no color in this book. That’s your job.

There are shapes, corner art, and other elements to color so that you can make this your very own.

The object of the book is to obviously read your Bible and pray every day, but you keep track of your progress by coloring in a section on your tracking sheet for each day.

There is plenty of space for notes each day. You can write out your to-do’s, journal your thoughts, place your prayer requests, or even write down what you read in the Bible that day.

After every monthly spread is two pages of dotted pages.

These dots are here for you to design your own pages. You can create anything that you need in your journal: charts or tables, check-off lists, etc.

Ms. Killingley has graciously provided reminders for us in her tracking sheets that if we don’t get to read our Bible or pray that day, that God still loves us.
Weekends are included in the Draw Near journal. On each weekend page there is space provided for sermon notes as well as space to write the life application that you can apply that day.

Emphasis is placed each month on specific Bible passages.

The first six months is Psalm 103 and the second six months is Ephesians 1:1-14.

A small creative prompt is placed at the beginning of each monthly tracking sheet.

This creative prompt talks a little bit about the scripture passages above, but also gives you a “to-do” that will help you meditate on God’s word.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that would like to have a spiritual journal as well as a place to be creative during their personal devotion time.

Many thanks to The Good Book company for this complimentary book to review.