S.O.U.T.H. Bridge Journaling Method
Published April 23, 2026
The SOUTHBridge Journaling Method helps you take your Bible reading to the next level. This method encourages you to slow down as you dive into a passage and learn to explore the full context and weight of what you're reading. To use this method as intended, spend five days in the same passage, each day going through one letter of S.O.U.T.H.
SAY
- What does it say?
- What’s the first thing that stands out to me as I read the passage?
- Is there a word or phrase that caught my attention?
OBSERVE
- What do I observe?
- Who’s writing? Who is speaking? Who is it written to? What is the setting? What is the emotion?
- Consider the context of this verse. How does it fit with the verses before and after?
- What is the style of the passage, poetry, story...?
UNDERSTAND
- What do I understand from this passage?
- What do I not understand?
- Are there words that I need to define?
- What does this passage mean today?
TRUTH
- What truth is taught in the passage?
- What do I not understand?
- What do you see in the passage that is true for all people, in all places, at all times?
HOW
- How do I apply the truth of this passage to my life?
- What is God saying to me personally?
- Consider the Mission Measures (Enjoy God Fully, Live As Family, Take A Risk): is there an area that God is leading me to grow? Is there an area where I feel convicted?