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“Write down the insights and life lessons God teaches you about Him, about yourself, about life, relationships and everything else. Record these so you can review and remember them and pass them on to the next generation.”—From the best-selling book,
The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren
All around the world, scrapbookers are doing just what Warren suggests: creating layouts about their spirituality to tell future generations about their beliefs. They come together in places of worship, retreats, scrapbooking stores and homes with the purpose of recording what they believe. Others find it a personal journey and work on the projects and pages individually, recording their own experiences and explaining the meaning of their spirituality. Whatever the environment or beliefs, more and more people are finding meaning in recording their faith in their scrapbooks.
“Scrapbooking your faith is about showing how it forms all aspects of your life, from the joyous moments, to the inevitable trials and struggles. If a scrapbook truly reflects your life and the meaning you see in it, then faith can be an extraordinarily important component,” says Sarah Heidt, moderator of Praisebooking.com, owner of Sarah Heidt Photo Craft Product and designer of Colorbök’s “Life’s Blessings.”
In some cases, spiritual pages reflect not only beliefs, but also a deep history and way of life. “Jews have been blessed with such beautiful, rich traditions. Our ancestors clung to their faith through
much adversity and it makes me proud to celebrate my own faith,” says Terah Brossart of KosherCreative.com.
In its simplest form, spiritual scrapbooking can be a lesson in gratitude. “I am scrapbooking for my family, my boys and to remember the blessings that God has given us,” says Theresa Irizarry of Coral Springs, Florida.
meaningful projects
There are many different ways to record faith in everything from individual pages to mini books that outline beliefs and practices. Or, entire albums can focus on just one area of faith. In the Prayer Plannerizer Workshop from A Passion to Pray (apassiontopray.com), teachers/owners Merry Graham and Rachel Bye teach how to create a visual prayer book with scrapbooking tools. The interactive planner helps to keep a record of prayers asked and answered.
Group projects are also being made available for children and adults. Janet Taylor of Evangel Assembly of God, Tallahassee, Florida teaches a class geared toward expressing personal faith through scrapbooking. “Those pictured and presented in our pages know they are loved and valued; our God is glorified and each page is a testimony of His sustaining power,” says Janet.
For many, a spirituality scrapbook project is not a one-time scrapbook or layout. Since a spiritual journey permeates every facet of one’s life, often themes, sentiments or bits of journaling related to faith pop up on traditional pages. Birthdays remind us of the significance of our existence, so birthday pages may include a spiritual reflection on life. A trip to the zoo is a reminder of the beauty of life, and religious celebrations and holidays are a time to celebrate one’s beliefs. The faith scrapbooker sees this project as a life-long pursuit.
Scrapbooking can also be a way to work through spiritual struggles. As a place to record and reflect on trials, questions, and choices, you can track your own spiritual growth.
scrapbooking products
With the growth in popularity of faith scrapbooking, the amount of products available for this type of project has expanded. Though any product will work, the use of religious or spiritually-themed product simplifies and enhances the experience of faith scrapbooking. Old and New Testament verses, religious symbols, and general spiritual themes are all available on stickers, stamps, tags, patterned paper, rub-ons and vellum. Big and small companies such as Reminders Of Faith, Colorbök, Crossed Paths, Be Blessed, Kosher Creative and Ruth’s Jewish Stamps have all met the need for faith-based scrapbooking products.
getting started
Don’t know where to start? A great way to begin scrapbooking your faith is to take time to chronicle your spiritual journey. Perhaps you were raised in a family with strong beliefs, and faith was present in your daily activities. Maybe spirituality wasn’t important growing up, yet became something you sought out as an adult. Document the source of your faith.
Think about times when you’ve questioned your beliefs or possibly changed them. What events gave you reason to doubt, and what happened for you to overcome them? The loss of a loved one is often a cause of such doubt and confusion. “After my miscarriage, I felt that my prayers weren’t being answered,” says Sarah Kelly, Memory Makers editorial assistant. “I made a scrapbook page about all the questions I had, and it was incredibly therapeutic for me. Now, when a friend is struggling with grief, I can share how scrapbooking helped me heal and grow as a spiritual person.”
Our faith is also a source of great joy in our lives. People make connections with others through their faith, and strengthen their family bonds during spiritual traditions and activities. “Our scrapbooks are a snapshot of our hearts—what lies within, and the blessings God has showered on us and those dearest to us,” says Lisa Vines, owner of Crossed Paths. Celebrations such as weddings, baptisms, bar/bat mitzvahs, are wonderful times to share stories of faith on a scrapbook page.
Take the time to record the joyful moments and quiet reflections of your faith. The scrapbooks that you make will be a reminder to you and future generations of the depth and the strength of your spirit.
