You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:11
The Recess with Jesus Story
It’s the answer to the question, “What do you do for fun?” It sounds almost like a confession, doesn’t it? “Hi. My name is Tess, and I paint in my Bible.”
It’s the truth but I don’t paint in my Bible just for fun, it’s also a spiritual discipline.
Recess With Jesus was born in a busy season of family, work, and online classes. Priorities had to be chosen carefully. Painting in my Bible killed two birds with one stone – fun AND discipline. Pretty cool, right?!
In August 2017, doors began to open for me to teach Bible Art Journaling with an invitation to lead my local Christian bookstore’s own Intro to Bible Journaling Workshop. Since then, God has given me the opportunity to encourage, equip, and inspire hundreds of people to find joy in fellowship with Jesus in the pages of their Bible with a pen or paintbrush in hand. It’s a wonderful gift that I could never have imagined!
So here it is… the Recess With Jesus story.
We purpose to teach people to engage with God in His Word through creativity.
Our goal is that your relationship with God would grow more intimate as you get to know Him more deeply in the pages of the Bible. It’s our experience that the Creator of the universe becomes more real in our lives as we meditate on Scripture and interact with it in color.
We lead Bible Art Journaling Workshops from beginner to advanced and Scripture Art Events to encourage, equip, and inspire you. We want you to know that you can do it and so we show you that it’s doable at no matter what level of creativity you see yourself. And we also want you to see that it doesn’t have to cost a ton!
Recess With Jesus also goes on the road! From bridal showers, teas, and private parties to conference breakout sessions and retreats, Recess With Jesus is flexible to fit with your time frame and theme to create a fun creative event or to simply be a small part of your event.
Pair a Bible Art Journaling Workshop with a Recess With Jesus Scripture Art Event and you have a great one-day retreat. Make it shorter or longer depending on your needs.
If you read all the way to the end, thank you! For details on how to bring Recess With Jesus to your group or event no matter the size, message us here on this page. Blessings on your journey to know Jesus more deeply, follow him more closely, and to do so in color!
“You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.” Matthew 5:13
Gallery of Favorites
I want to encourage you and inspire you. Bible Journaling has changed my relationship with Jesus. It has brought life and color and joy in his presence. Below is a collection of my favorites. Each page has special meaning to me.
My very first page is in this gallery. Can you spot it?
Bible Journaling is a personal thing. Maybe you feel like you can’t draw or paint. It’s not about the art. Just get into God’s Word! Bible journaling can be as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be. You get to decide! There are no rules. Just get in the Word of God to draw closer to the heart of God!
They all are beautifully designed! Do you supply the items to do this except the bible? Is there a teaching with each class?
Hi Brenda, thank you so much for your kind comments. I do supply all the items needed (except for the Bible or journal) for our workshop projects. In each workshop we have a devotion based on the verse or passage we will journal together, we demonstrate a technique, and we journal a page together using the technique. At the end of the workshop we give attenders verses or passages related to the devotional and leave them with enough images (if there is a printable) and encouragement to journal another verse on their own before the next workshop.