Bible Marking Tutorial Series: Back to Basics, Pt. 2 - Simple Pencil Marks

Dear Lissy,

We're going to continue with pencil marks that draw attention to the text today.  After years of multi-coloring my Bible, I've learned which marks are valuable for future use, and which ones just obscure the text. 

Remember:   Marking less helps you remember more. 

In lesson 2 I'll cover:

•  How to mark a whole verse.
•  How to mark an entire passage.
• A quick pencil trick so you can find a passage quickly without relying on a bookmark or dog-earing.
• A neat idea for using the cross-references and helps to minimize marking.

Mark a whole verse either by framing the verse or circling just the number.  

• Frame the key verse for a book.  An old-time preacher used to say the key was hidden under the front doormat or the back doormat.  You may also want to draw a small key symbol in the margin next to the frame.
  
• Mark a verse that signals a transition.  Psalm 73:17 is a classic place to practice marking a transition verse for a chapter.
• Mark a verse your pastor or trusted speaker encourages you to mark for future use.

Circled verse numbers

• I'll cover how to mark verses used in personal work in a later tutorial, but the principle of framing is important.
• Avoid framing topical verses:  we'll learn how to use symbols for those later.

Mark an entire passage by running a vertical line down the margin.

• Mark prayers.  Few things will energize your prayer life like praying the Word of God.
• Mark significant portions:  Armor of God, Virtuous Woman, Fruit of the Spirit, Beatitudes, etc.
• Mark stories that illustrate a principle in another part of the Bible and cross-reference the two.
• Mark songs:  add a little note symbol beside or within the line.

A vertical line marks a beloved Scripture song.

Mark a passage you refer to often with a 1/2" x 1" bar shaded right onto the edge of the page. 

A "book mark" that replaces dog-ears and sticky notes.

 I use edge marks to assist in soul-winning.
To make this mark, place a card or piece of scrap paper underneath the edge of the page, and shade heavily right out to the edge of the page.  Repeat on the other side.  Mark the reference beside the bar.

 To quickly find the note, simply look along the edge of the page where it is easily visible.  The metallic lines are bookdarts, my favorite bookmark.

Circle or underline information in the "helps" rather than trying to annotate it again yourself in the margin. 

Instead of writing in the Psalm and Proverb references, I simply underscored them.  I've since switched from pen to pencil, but the idea is the same.













I hope these simple pencil marks make sense. In our next tutorial we'll start using a little color, ok?

Lovin' you,
Momma

P.S. The Bible Marking Series starts here and continues here.