Bible Memory

"I spend this much time on Bible memory because I believe in the power of the indwelling Word of God to solve a thousand problems before they happen, and to heal a thousand wounds after they happen, and to kill a thousand sins in the moment of temptation, and to sweeten a thousand days with the 'drippings of the honeycomb.' ... This is the path to solid joy and all the service of love that it sustains. Christ will be seen as the fortune he is when we treasure his Word more than money, and when the joy it wakens overflows with sacrificial love (2 Cor. 8:2)." (When I Don't Desire God, 123) by John Piper

Scripture Memory Presentation

This week at Kajijis, I led a simple workshop on scripture memory.  Since I delivered it via Powerpoint, I thought I would try to upload it to the blog here so those not in attendance can still benefit from the tips presented.  The presentation has links in it, but they don't show up as links in the presentation so I will list them below. I want to caution you that this is my very first Powerpoint presentation ever so please forgive my amateur delivery.  Remember everyone's learning style is different so not all of these tips will be your way to scripture memorization success.  Do what works for you!  Hopefully, it will be beneficial to you on your journey to hiding God's Word in your heart.

Scripture memory workshop from Cryket

Slide #4 - John Piper's Why Memorize Scripture? video
Slide #11 - Bible Gateway audio narration (very cool feature where you can listen to a person narrate your chosen scripture)
Slide #12 - YouTube example
Slide #14 - Scripture Typer (If you know your way around a keyboard, you must try this!  Amazing tool...)
Slide #15 - SCM Scripture Memory Box System video
Slide #16 - The Easy Way to Memorize Scripture video

Born Again

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes so has this little blog of ours been reborn.  God works differently through us in different stages of life, and it hasn't been until now that it's been impressed mightily on my heart to pick up His Word and commit it to memory.  Because we are going through the latest Beth Moore study of James, we were challenged to memorize the book of James.  Yes, the Whole. Book. Of. James.  So now, after many failed attempts at committing a verse here and there to memory, I've been challenged to memorize an entire book of the Bible.  Talk about jumping into the deep end when you're not even sure you know how to swim!  So come join us on an adventure of knowing by heart the sacred words of God.  Even if it's not an entire book, you are welcome to join with us on this journey.  Let us know what you're studying/memorizing so we can encourage each other on this path.  Amen?

Scriptures From Memory

I am three passages into my commitment, and so far, so good. Here's what I have in my heart now:

Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally Brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything be excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

Philippians 4:4-8

This passage was memorized in three separate chunks, over the month of January and the first half of February. I am finding this pace and this commitment VERY MANAGEABLE.

Won't you consider joining me? ;-)

If at First You Don't Succeed

TRY TRY AGAIN!
Here's an option for attempting to make Scripture Memorization a bigger part of our lives in 2012:
Join Beth Moore's online blogging community in their Siesta Scripture Memorization Team. Go here to check it out:
http://blog.lproof.org/2010/12/siesta-scripture-memory-instructions.html/comment-page-20#comment-156401

I have signed up and, by God's grace will have 24 passages memorized by next year!

~Erin

My Next Attempt

Just when you thought I had given up all hope, I am resurfacing - attempting once again to create the HABIT of Scripture Memorization. Here's my off-the-cuff acronym for how to make this a habit in my life. (Please note I can neither confirm nor deny this will work! lol)

H - Hear from God - Look to Him for guidance on What to memorize and look to Him to give you the desire and ability to follow through.
A - Accountability - which apparently needs to take a more tangible form than online! Nonetheless, I still think this is a biggie - someone else needs to be asking you if you've done your homework.
B - Bite-sized Pieces - Don't bite off more than you can chew (like the longest Psalm in the Bible, for example). Select a passage and set a goal or create a system that works for you, taking into consideration things like your personality, your schedule, your stress levels, etc.
I - Intentionality - Schedule it in, prioritize it, have a system in place that will make this happen. (Going with the flow sooo doesn't work here, people!)
T - Team Up - This is slightly different than accountability in that you are working with someone else, on the same passage. For me, this will be my children for now.

Here's my game plan:

We are going to use the Scripture Memorization System found on www.simplycharlottemason.com. We are starting with Galations 5:25 (the fruit of the Spirit passage). From there we are going on to a smattering of other verses. Eventually, the verses will coincide with the rest of our education and will mainly focusing on character development and habit forming.

So there you have it. Here's hoping the umpteenth try is a success!

Some Encouragement