Hi friend,

This week's edition is crammed full of goodness.

• A passage to reflect on
• An interview with a community member
• A selection of tools to explore
• Two articles on methods.

Let's dive in!

Passage

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,  

- John 11:25 ESV

I've been thinking about the seven I Am's in John a lot as we've gone through his gospel at Church. Perhaps you'd like to start on note on this one.

Interview with Joschua

I've been really blessed by my conversations with Joschua after coming across his walkthrough video on taking biblically connected notes in Obsidian. His resources on the Obsidian forum have been fantastic too. I'm sure you'll be blessed from this conversation too.

Could you Introduce yourself to anyone who doesn't know you?

Hi! My name is Joschua and I’m 23 years old. I am a German but live in Sweden where I work with a Christian non-profit organisation. I love reading, tinkering with code and cooking!

You coined the term "Biblically Connected Thinking", could you summarize it for anyone who's new to it? 

The idea is to take the wisdom of the fresh note-taking approaches like Zettelkasten or Linking Your Thinking and apply it to the way we engage with our faith and Scripture. The ideas surely aren’t new: the Bible itself is heavily connected. But new technology allows us to connect ideas with an ease like never before.

I found that this connecting of ideas turned into a discipleship tool. I keep all my notes, including the Bible, in one Obsidian vault. Whenever I create a new note about an idea or interest I am encouraged to evaluate it against Scripture. What does the Bible have to say about the way I work, design, view finances, …? I find myself engaging with Scripture so much more.

What brought you to taking connected bible notes in Obsidian? 

I used Evernote for a while, more of a filing cabinet than a note-taking app though. Obsidian came around during a time when I started reading more and therefore thought more about how to take notes on what I read. The likes of Andy Matuschak and Nick Milo taught me that effective note-taking is about connecting. With a summer full of travel plans being cancelled, I had plenty of time to dive deep into Obsidian. 

For a long time I was frustrated with the notes I took on the Bible. They’d be in the margins of multiple physical translations, notebooks, the Bible app, notes on sermons – scattered everywhere and always inaccessible when I needed them! Obsidian solved this issue wonderfully.

What are your primary uses for your note taking app? 

It is mostly driven by my inputs. I create a note for each book I’ve read. If it’s non-fiction I add all interesting ideas. If an idea stands out to me, I’ll branch it off into its own note. Over time these idea notes get rephrased, expanded or contradicted. I add my own thoughts or others sources and the ideas keep shifting and growing. 

More personally, I also use the note taking app for journaling. I connect the events of the day with people, ideas or Scripture.

What is one tip you'd give to someone new to taking linked notes?

Start writing! Before worrying about setting up your perfect system, create notes for a week and connect them. Then evaluate. Systems, tags, folders, MOCs are all supportive structures but the key is to get your thoughts out of your head unto notes.

How can people connect with you online? 

I write on my digital garden online (https://joschuasgarden.com/), there you can see how I approach note taking more practically and also get in touch with me!

chris: Thanks, Joshua.

Want to be interviewed? Fill in this short form. (Yes, you do have something worth sharing even if it’s your questions).

Tools 

Essential Obsidian plugin roundup - The Sweet Setup

The sweet setup takes us through some great Obsidian plugins that you may want to try or adopt.

Upgrade Obsidian

Craft.Do Update Improvements and new features

Craft users can now benefit from improvements to the sidebar and calendar in the new Craft release. Check our what else has improved.

Explore What's New!

Articles 

How I Use Notion to Study the Bible - Medium

I had a brief fling with using Notion for my bible study but it didn't quite gel with me. Still, this article shows how useful it can be and why you might want to consider using Notion.

Study the Bible with Notion

3 Bible Study Methods to Jump-Start Your Time in the Word - Logos

Logos shares three classic approaches to Bible study, all of which could be used with your BKM.

Pick Your Bible Study Method

Why I stopped highlighting notes (and what I do instead)

I used to be a prolific highlighter but that’s changed over the last year. What the video to find out what I do instead.

Watch the video

Thanks for dropping by this week.

I'd love it if you shared this newsletter with one person who might benefit.

Till next week,

Peace

Chris