Religious Scrapbooking - Scrapbooking Our Personal Faith

RELIGIOUS SCRAPBOOKING - WHY?

Religious Scrapbooking, also known as faith-scrapping, has become an important part of scrapbooking about our families as well as ourselves. The bent of this article will be toward Christian scrapbooking, but there is no reason why anyone of any other religious faith could not find information of value here to apply to your own experiences.

Religious scrapbooking is good in that it should help you to focus on what it is you actually believe. Certainly you have a right to allow others to see the whole you, which includes in one aspect or another, your particular viewpoints or spiritual principles. What are the many ways we express what we believe? Prayers and meditations, blessings, traditions and symbols, as well as those people who inspire us are different facets of our expressions.

What are the lessons of faith you have learned that you would like to share, to express in your religious scrapbooking experience?

We all believe in something even if it is only in ourselves. Our beliefs make up who we are. They are our core.

Religious scrapbooking of those beliefs lets future generations know the real you. Make a page about things you might never speak about in mixed company. Be it religion, politics, or controversial issues, you have a right to include these also in your scrapbooking albums, even if you rarely mention them in real life.

Don’t leave this all too important part of you out of the picture.

Many religions have that one core belief, the one that cannot be debated if you are a believer of that faith. It’s important to record that core belief. If everything else were to fall away, get lost, then, the one big one will remain.

Religious scrapbooking can be empowering. In your prayers and meditations, record your revelations so that they won’t be forgotten. Consider filling an album with thoughts and ideas on God and the promises He has for you. Recording them is a powerful way to insist they come to pass.

As you think on those who have been an inspiration to you, highlight what it is you see in that other person. Inspiring people are everywhere. Their stories are powerful. Retell them over and over again by placing them in a religious scrapbooking album. Let their inspiration inspire someone else too.

TRADITIONS, SYMBOLS, AND FAITH PRINCIPLES

Religious traditions and symbols can seem ridiculous if you aren’t a part of a particular religion. Consider clearing up the myths that might keep future generations from understanding the inner-workings of your faith. Use religious scrapbooking to take away that mystery. Don’t make everyone wonder why you wore that cross necklace or sported a seemingly odd tattoo on your shoulder. Show them in your scrapbooking pages.

I am sure you have heard of the idea of the “gratitude journal”. It can ward off depression and help you focus on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. Count your blessings and write them down, one by one and then, in your religious scrapbooking quest, put them in a beautiful scrapbooking album.

A saying exists which goes like this: History is doomed to repeat itself. We are supposed to learn from others so that we may either do what worked or avoid that which did not work. We all have something of value to pass on to others.

This is your legacy you are leaving. If you passed away tomorrow, what words of wisdom would you want credited to you? Scrapbook them!

Others look at this part of life in terms of spiritual principles. What spiritual principles or virtues hold the most meaning for you? Scrapbook those too!

THOUGHTS OF INSPIRATION

I know that for me, certain verses have much more meaning in different times of my life than they did in others. For instance, remembering the Lord’s instruction to be still and know that He is God and that in order for me to hear the Lord, I might need to find a quiet place where I can hear that still, small voice, I scrapbooked a simple layout to remember this idea, taking from the scriptures, the passage of 1 Kings 19: 12.

Scrapbooking yourself in life can mean many things, and who knows, but you will find a reason to include religious scrapbooking as part of that experience too.

SOME MORE INSPIRING IDEAS

• Have you used phrases in church that only make sense to other people in your religion? Learn what they really mean and do a religious scrapbooking page about it. In the future, no one will have to wonder what you were talking about.

• What in your life have you witnessed to strengthen your faith? Document this in religious scrapbooking so that in a time when your faith isn’t quite so strong, you can recall what God has already done for you.

• Challenges and trials are a part of any life. But then as we come out the other side, able to stand, and stronger than before, there is a hint that God had his hand on your circumstances all the way through. Remember to document these moments—the kinds of moment’s words by themselves may never completely communicate.

• Which of God’s traits do you most admire? Why? Are they ones you possess or maybe ones you know are far from your reach? Do a religious scrapbooking page that glorifies Him.

• How do you hear God’s voice? How do you know it’s God? What do you believe about God speaking to us?

• What do you believe about God’s nature? Do you see Him strictly as a disciplinarian, or have you found the softer side just as often? Find time to explore Him. You might discover more similarities than differences.

• What are your fundamental beliefs? Consider making a list of the most important aspects of your belief system –those beliefs that won’t change. The ones that make up who you are.

• When you step outside, what are your reflections on the personality of God? How do you see God in nature around you?

• Sometimes talking to teenagers about God proves to be a difficult charge. Include these challenges in your religious scrapbooking instead.

• Do you know someone who could easily be working in one of the top 10 companies, but who chooses to use their gifts for the Lord? What an admirable trait, and one that will likely inspire you to do the same.

• We all have other people in our lives who are exactly the opposite of us. Sometimes those people possess the qualities we strive to have. What traits do you see in someone else that you don’t possess? How does he or she inspire you to be a better person? How does it challenge your faith? Do a religious scrapbooking page about that.

• Is there a leader in your church who mentors you? Create a layout to show what you’ve learned from them. Give them a mini-album as a thank-you.

• Friendships play a huge part in our faith. Being surrounded by like-minded people helps keep us going in the right direction. We all have those friendships that go deeper than just the occasional greeting. These friends inspire us to walk our faith every day. Don’t forget them in your religious scrapbooking project.

• How do you feel about your church? Visit your church on a day when a service is not in session. The quietness or busyness may surprise you. What kind of feeling do you get inside? Have you thought about all the other people who have walked through its doors?

• What is the meaning behind your name? How about your children’s names? You might be surprised by the kind of clues they can give you about your character or their character and personality. No one is here by accident, so your name means something. Unlock the mystery of your name and you may discover your purpose -- one that is worth reinforcing for yourself or your child on a scrapbook page that you can refer to again and again for strength.

For instance, I have discovered that my name has several different meanings. It is a name that means rose. It is a name in another language that means harmony.

Verses read:

"A rose by any other name is still a rose." --Shakespeare

"A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose...."

"With the rose the butterly's deep in love, a thousand times hovering round, but round himself, all tender like gold, the sun's sweet rays hovering found. --Heinrich Heine, "New Spring"

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." --Rabindranath Tagore.

Different Answers

• How many times have you prayed for something only to have the complete opposite happen? How many times have you been wrong about what you thought you needed in your life? After getting over the initial disappointment, were you able to see a better plan for your life? Document these instances as reminders of how God blesses us even when it’s not what we think we want. I know that was me.

What happened before?

• Sometimes when we are going through something, we don’t think to document the “before”. We fear there may never be an “after.” Don’t forget to photograph the hard things, even the ugly things, we’re faced with. You never know when they are going to be proof that God is a healing God.

Dealing with Change

It is also a way to note change. I know that as a writer, I have written many things concerning my own life and looking back over them, I can see the changes in me from then to now. It’s like a “before” and “after” picture of our circumstances.

Tools for the Family

• Bible stories are great teaching tools for kids. Take your favorites and apply them to their lives. It would make God’s Word more relevant, more real to them, giving them a lasting sense of gratitude for the Bible.

• What kind of insight do you have about the areas of your life that would be easy to resent? How has God helped you change your thought process? Create a small album on how God has turned your frustrations into blessings.

• Think back on things you wish you had known growing up. The generations to come will pass through these same phases and you never know when your experience will help them pass through their own difficulties safe and sound.

• How do you feel about your faults? Do you hide them from others, or are you open about the areas in which you need a little extra attention? Does it affect your relationship with God, thinking you have to be perfect before you can reach out to Him? Do you know He loves us just as we are?

The Things We Learned in Our Beginnings

• Remember your early church days when everything was new to you? Maybe you are new to your religion now. What lessons do you hope you never forget? Write them down. Express them on a religious scrapbooking page. One of your greatest tools in life is education. Don’t re-learn what you already know.

Some people move beyond the fascination with the colors and textures of scrapbooking into a place where they begin to see how the art connects them with life, often on a spiritual level, a “religious scrapbooking” level for some. For those of us who are artistic in one way or another, yes, I can agree that there is “something deep within scrapbooking that fulfills us even beyond our artistic sensibilities.” (Richardson-Lauve, C., The Scrapbooking Journey, p. vii.). It is my hope that you find this to be true as well.

Again, what principles of faith have you learned that you would share out of your religious scrapbooking experience?

Share Your Religious Scrapbooking Thoughts here:

What are your lessons of faith? What difference have they made in your life? What experiences of faith or trust have you learned? Use your imagination and supplies to show a picture of what your personal faith means to you?

If you are having difficulty with this concept, try going over the ideas again listed in the article. Let them spark something important in you.

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

The Scrapbooking Journey: A Hands-on Guide to Spiritual Discovery

Scrapbooking Your Faith: Layouts That Celebrate Your Spiritual Beliefs

Imperfect Lives: Scrapbooking the Reality of Your Everyday

God's Good Gifts: A Scrapbooking Bible Study for Women's Groups (Group's Scripture Scrapbooks)

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