Sorry I'm a little late today! I bet you were all sitting at your computers, tapping your fingers, waiting for me - weren't you? I'm glad I waited until after church today to post though, because I'm going to use a verse from the sermon.
Last summer I had the privilege of hearing Pastor Mark Sallade preach. In his sermon he said something along the lines of "talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself". It was a good lesson to me to speak truth to myself instead of listening to negative self-talk. Our pastor today brought up the same point and used Psalm 42:5 as an example where the psalmist had to preach to myself. So that's going to be my verse this time.
Psalm 42:5 NIV
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Verse 3
I will admit, I'm still stumbling over my last verse a little bit. But since my son memorizes Bible verses as homework for school, I told him that I'd practice my verse when he practices his. I think he's looking forward to quizzing me. :)
I'm choosing a verse from Philippians because that's what our church is studying right now. There are so many verses in Philippians that I love, but this week I'm going with 3:8.
Philippians 3:8 NIV
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ...
I'm choosing a verse from Philippians because that's what our church is studying right now. There are so many verses in Philippians that I love, but this week I'm going with 3:8.
Philippians 3:8 NIV
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ...
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Verse 2
So, how did the first verse go? Is it solidly locked away in your mind and heart? Make sure you keep reviewing the old one(s) as we move forward.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for peer pressure, but knowing that there were 20 other women out there memorizing with me gave me great encouragement. :)
Also, several of you told me your reason for the verse you chose. If you feel comfortable sharing that in your comment, please feel free!
My verse this time is 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
I chose this verse because when I let my mind wander and worry, I forget that my life is in God's hands. I hope this verse will remind me to keep my imagination in check by "taking captive every thought".
Maybe I'm just a sucker for peer pressure, but knowing that there were 20 other women out there memorizing with me gave me great encouragement. :)
Also, several of you told me your reason for the verse you chose. If you feel comfortable sharing that in your comment, please feel free!
My verse this time is 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
I chose this verse because when I let my mind wander and worry, I forget that my life is in God's hands. I hope this verse will remind me to keep my imagination in check by "taking captive every thought".
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Here We Go! - Verse 1
I'm so excited that you have chosen to memorize Scripture with me! A little bit of encouragement and accountability makes a huge difference in accomplishing a goal.
If you haven’t done so already, please read the instructions from the post on January 14. It will tell you everything you need to know.
Just a quick refresher: sometime today, post the Scripture passage you have chosen by leaving a comment below. Be sure your comment includes the following details:
If you haven’t done so already, please read the instructions from the post on January 14. It will tell you everything you need to know.
Just a quick refresher: sometime today, post the Scripture passage you have chosen by leaving a comment below. Be sure your comment includes the following details:
First name, verse, reference, and version.
Remember you don't need to be a superhero. Use a verse you already know or find a very simple, short verse. Maybe choose a verse that has a song to go with it. This helps make the challenge not feel overwhelming. Remember what Beth said in her instructions: "it's a marathon, not a sprint!" Another time you might want to have more of a challenge and memorize a multi-verse passage. It's completely up to you!
Be sure to handwrite the verse in your spiral notebook of index cards to help engrave it on your mind.
If you are the kind of person who likes to underline, highlight, or otherwise mark in your Bible, I thought it was neat last year to underline and date each verse as I memorized it. Now it's fun when I'm reading the Bible to come across verses I memorized last year. I stop and make sure I can still say them so that they stay in my long-term memory.
Be sure to handwrite the verse in your spiral notebook of index cards to help engrave it on your mind.
If you are the kind of person who likes to underline, highlight, or otherwise mark in your Bible, I thought it was neat last year to underline and date each verse as I memorized it. Now it's fun when I'm reading the Bible to come across verses I memorized last year. I stop and make sure I can still say them so that they stay in my long-term memory.
Finally, either follow this blog, add it to your RSS feed, or just mark on your calendar so that you remember to come back on the 1st and 15th of every month. (And please give me grace for when I inevitably forget to post on time.) :) Thanks for participating! I'm praying that we all know God more through His Word.
Deb: "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12, NIV
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
The Details
A few years ago, a friend included me in her challenge to memorize scripture. She used a format that she had done in the past with a Beth Moore study. I'm going to stick with that format, so this is a copy of Beth's guidelines:
1. On the 1st and 15th of every month, you will find a post where I will ask for your memory verse and give you mine. This will begin February 1. You are committing to 24 Scriptures in 12 months. In previous years, I’ve found this to be a very doable pace. If you do much more, you’ll tend to fall behind and not retain. If you do much less, the impact is negligible. You really can do this. So many of you will surprise yourselves with what you’re capable of doing in the power of the Spirit. Yes, it takes work but it’s tremendously fulfilling and the results are nearly immeasurable. Look at it this way: you’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Choose Scripture! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Sweet Thing. Never – NOT ONCE – have I ever known anyone to get to the end of a Scripture memory commitment and say that it didn’t make any real difference. Not a single time.
2.You are to enter the verse you’ve chosen to memorize for that two-week period within twenty-four hours of the post going up. I’ve been asked many times if it’s okay if you’re late supplying your verse and, yes, of course it is, but try to avoid doing it often. The people who make it to the very end of the year are overwhelmingly those who stay up with it month to month. Please know up front that one of the important parts of this process is the exercise of self discipline. This culture is mass producing wimpy narcissists. Year-long commitments like these that require punctuality and focused energy push back on that degenerating trend. All that to say, please don’t drop out if you get behind. I just want you to know that this will be much more successful if you treat it as a real, live commitment you are willing to work hard to keep.
3. When you clock in with your verse those two times a month, include your name, the verse, and the translation (i.e. NIV, NASB, the Message, etc.) Feel free to also add a brief comment about how the challenge is going for you.
4. As often as possible, choose a verse that means something to you in your present season or circumstance. This is the reason why we don’t all memorize the same Scripture. We’re not all going through the same things. The more you let God lead you to verses that direct you or edify your soul in your present circumstances, the more He will renew your mind toward your challenges. This is a huge part of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 where we’re told to demolish strongholds and take our thoughts captive to Christ. If you don’t have a verse on your mind or you’re drawing a blank when the 1st or 15th rolls around, you are welcome to share mine. I will always include it in the post. You might also look at a few of the comments and see if one of theirs resonates with you. I say this next part with a grin: try to refrain from memorizing Scriptures that you think your spouse or your children need to learn. Memorize what you need to learn. That means do your best to avoid jotting your verse on a sticky note and planting it on your bathroom mirror where your man can see it and repent of his sins. He probably won’t because he’s got your game. I bet you can guess how I know that.
5. I strongly recommend that you stick with only one verse to memorize each time. (This is just a recommendation and not a rule. You’re free to do whatever works for you.) Keep it simple and meaningful. (If I were addressing you live, I’d have you repeat that sentence back to me so just go ahead and say it out loud in order to nail it down. That sentence could be your best friend through this process.) If you do too many verses or get too complicated, you will soon be overwhelmed and want to drop out. Better to do 24 simpler verses over a 12 month period of time than a chapter over the first month then quit. We want this to be a discipline we practice for the rest of our lives. Think marathon. Not sprint.
6. Either shortly before or after making your entry each 1st and 15th in the blog comment, write the verse by hand in your own spiral notebook of index cards. (Again, that’s a recommendation and not a rule. I’ve discovered that there’s something about writing it with your own hand and picturing it later in your own handwriting that helps it sink into your memory bank. I’m not entirely sure why. Index card spiral notebooks can be found at Walgreens, CVS, etc.) Take that spiral with you everywhere you go. Read it and read it and read it and read it. Do mental gymnastics with it. Flip that baby over and over. Many women have told me along the way that they’re not good at memorization and I truly understand that. I also beg to offer two responses: First, that may change. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to do something brand new with you. Second, even if you don’t get your verses down word for word, you are still meditating on them as you read and reread them. You still, thereby, accomplish one of the most important goals: captivating the mind to Christ. You just can’t lose on this one. Either way, it has a powerful effect.
So, if you'd like to join the challenge, come back on February 1st!
1. On the 1st and 15th of every month, you will find a post where I will ask for your memory verse and give you mine. This will begin February 1. You are committing to 24 Scriptures in 12 months. In previous years, I’ve found this to be a very doable pace. If you do much more, you’ll tend to fall behind and not retain. If you do much less, the impact is negligible. You really can do this. So many of you will surprise yourselves with what you’re capable of doing in the power of the Spirit. Yes, it takes work but it’s tremendously fulfilling and the results are nearly immeasurable. Look at it this way: you’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Choose Scripture! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Sweet Thing. Never – NOT ONCE – have I ever known anyone to get to the end of a Scripture memory commitment and say that it didn’t make any real difference. Not a single time.
2.You are to enter the verse you’ve chosen to memorize for that two-week period within twenty-four hours of the post going up. I’ve been asked many times if it’s okay if you’re late supplying your verse and, yes, of course it is, but try to avoid doing it often. The people who make it to the very end of the year are overwhelmingly those who stay up with it month to month. Please know up front that one of the important parts of this process is the exercise of self discipline. This culture is mass producing wimpy narcissists. Year-long commitments like these that require punctuality and focused energy push back on that degenerating trend. All that to say, please don’t drop out if you get behind. I just want you to know that this will be much more successful if you treat it as a real, live commitment you are willing to work hard to keep.
3. When you clock in with your verse those two times a month, include your name, the verse, and the translation (i.e. NIV, NASB, the Message, etc.) Feel free to also add a brief comment about how the challenge is going for you.
4. As often as possible, choose a verse that means something to you in your present season or circumstance. This is the reason why we don’t all memorize the same Scripture. We’re not all going through the same things. The more you let God lead you to verses that direct you or edify your soul in your present circumstances, the more He will renew your mind toward your challenges. This is a huge part of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 where we’re told to demolish strongholds and take our thoughts captive to Christ. If you don’t have a verse on your mind or you’re drawing a blank when the 1st or 15th rolls around, you are welcome to share mine. I will always include it in the post. You might also look at a few of the comments and see if one of theirs resonates with you. I say this next part with a grin: try to refrain from memorizing Scriptures that you think your spouse or your children need to learn. Memorize what you need to learn. That means do your best to avoid jotting your verse on a sticky note and planting it on your bathroom mirror where your man can see it and repent of his sins. He probably won’t because he’s got your game. I bet you can guess how I know that.
5. I strongly recommend that you stick with only one verse to memorize each time. (This is just a recommendation and not a rule. You’re free to do whatever works for you.) Keep it simple and meaningful. (If I were addressing you live, I’d have you repeat that sentence back to me so just go ahead and say it out loud in order to nail it down. That sentence could be your best friend through this process.) If you do too many verses or get too complicated, you will soon be overwhelmed and want to drop out. Better to do 24 simpler verses over a 12 month period of time than a chapter over the first month then quit. We want this to be a discipline we practice for the rest of our lives. Think marathon. Not sprint.
6. Either shortly before or after making your entry each 1st and 15th in the blog comment, write the verse by hand in your own spiral notebook of index cards. (Again, that’s a recommendation and not a rule. I’ve discovered that there’s something about writing it with your own hand and picturing it later in your own handwriting that helps it sink into your memory bank. I’m not entirely sure why. Index card spiral notebooks can be found at Walgreens, CVS, etc.) Take that spiral with you everywhere you go. Read it and read it and read it and read it. Do mental gymnastics with it. Flip that baby over and over. Many women have told me along the way that they’re not good at memorization and I truly understand that. I also beg to offer two responses: First, that may change. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to do something brand new with you. Second, even if you don’t get your verses down word for word, you are still meditating on them as you read and reread them. You still, thereby, accomplish one of the most important goals: captivating the mind to Christ. You just can’t lose on this one. Either way, it has a powerful effect.
This is Deb again: At the end of the year, the ladies on Beth's blog who have been faithful all year in memorizing the verses meet in Houston to have a Scripture Memory celebration. We'll see how it goes, but I thought it would be fun to try to do something like that as well (but in Akron, not Houston). In order to participate in the celebration here are Beth's requirements (slightly altered by me):
* Clock in with your name and verse at least 21 out of 24 times. (But please make your goal 24 out of 24!) Let me reiterate that you can be late with your entry on a 1st or 15th of any month but, by the end of the year, there has to be a record in the comment sections of you signing in at least 21 out of 24 times on a post. Make sense?
* Bring your spiral notebook to the celebration. That’s your ticket in.
* Be prepared to share one or two of your verses with the group (or we'll do small groups if there are a lot of us).
So, if you'd like to join the challenge, come back on February 1st!
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