It’s almost Christmas which means it’s almost time for 2017. That means a time for new dives into our faith and hearing what God has for us. If you’re like me and you’ve followed God for years or most of your life, then sometimes it can be a challenge to slow down and think about what His word says in a fresh way. Or it could be that you want to try that crazy, crafty Bible journaling, but maybe the perfectionist in your head is warning you like the perfectionist in my head that you’ll just mess it up. Here are a few books that will help you start the New Year right merging creating with God’s Word.

First up are these fun Scripture Doodle devotionals. Think of these as a combination adult coloring book, devotional, and art class. Each starts with an intro followed by some basic coloring and art tips. Then you launch into the devotional.

The first one is six-weeks of exploring God’s promises. Each day has a verse followed by a short devotional thought and ends with an invitation to create. Some days there’s a full drawing just ready for you to grab your pencils and color. Other days it’s a prompt to help you interact with a key verse while creating an image or page on your own. Still other times, you’ll interact with a started image. What I love about it are the prompts. I’m creative and I long to create, but there’s still the part of me that is very much a perfectionist and needs a little encouragement to step out and create art as part of worship. Odd since I completely get that creating is a reflection of that part of God’s personality.

It’s been fun to see my eight-year-old grab these and color in them, too. We are a crafty-ish family, so it was a natural extension to give these a go. Either would be a great gift for the woman in your life who loves God and might like a new way to worship Him. I would say that a teen to adult would get the most from the experience, however, just think of my eight-year-old and her eagerness to interact with these high quality books.

Also, if you go to the website, you can sign up for a free, weekly Scripture Doodle devotional. It’s a great way to get a flavor for the books.

Next up is the Inspire Bible. I have been eyeing this one for months, and am delighted it is under my Christmas tree. Happy squee!!!! This takes the idea of journaling Bibles, but instead of staring at pages of blankness, there are some illustrations for you to color with plenty of space for you to then launch off and add your own designs and art.

This one is GORGEOUS. It comes at a variety of price points — from $16 up to a very nice imitation leather version. What I love about it, again, is that like the Scripture Doodle books, it allows me to worship through creating without the stop of a blank page.

So if you have friends who love art or maybe want to try these are some great resources to get them started. And the price points make them great last minute Christmas gifts.