Thursday, April 26, 2012

Week 2: Holding Steady

Day 12          Verses Memorized:  51          Working on:  Completing John 1

My Progress:  I'm thrilled with my progress so far.  I've continued to review the previous verses I learned and my confidence is growing each time.  I have a strong handle on the entire first chapter and will spend another few days making sure I have it down pat.  Some of it is getting tricky because the same phrase repeats but the wording is slightly different.  I really struggle with some of the dialogue because I can't remember if it's "said," "replied," "answered," etc.  But either way, I'm happy with how far I've progressed in two weeks.  I enjoy being ahead of schedule and feel good that I have a little insurance so if I get tripped up later, there is some room to relax without falling off my goal of 2 years.

Some Thoughts: 
After spending a week memorizing verses that were leading up to Jesus' appearance, I was honestly excited to see Jesus coming into the picture.  I got to the part that said "John saw Jesus" and my heart literally started beating faster. If that's how I felt after only a few days of just reading, I can't imagine how the actual people of that day felt when Jesus came for real!  (Then I began to think, "you know, Heidi, you have access to Jesus ALL THE TIME!)

How cool was John the Baptist.  I just admire him so much.  The humility he had in pointing others toward Jesus and not focusing on himself is so admirable.  I found it interesting that every time he sees Jesus, he says, "Look, the Lamb of God!"  It just paints such a clear picture of how he directed everyone's attention to Jesus.  As I was meditating on these verses, I kept questioning if my life points to Jesus in the same way that his did.  Unfortunately, my answer was no. 

Andrew and "the other disciple" (John) asked Jesus where He was staying and he said, "Come, and you will see."  Jesus was inviting them to come and spend time with Him.  He wanted them to get to know Him and build a relationship.  Isn't that how God treats us today? I have to admit, sometimes I ask God a question and get angry and impatient when His focus is on the journey while mine is on the final result.  If I were John or Andrew, I probably would've thought, "man, can't He just answer my question?  Why doesn't He just tell me?"  With Jesus, it's always about simply following, togetherness, closeness and an intimate, personal relationship.  While I may sometimes struggle with that in my task-oriented spirit, I'm thankful that He is who He is.

Additional Thoughts:
So after spending hour upon hour of memorizing Scripture, I was getting very excited when Jesus finally came on the scene.  I was expecting some deep philosophical life-changing words from the mouth of the Savior.  So I have to admit I was slightly disappointed when the first words he said were, "what do you want?"  It was a little anti-climactic for me.  (I hope there are no ultra-conservative people out there reading this who take offense.  I do indeed love God's word.)

The other morning I was doing my quiet time.  I am an early riser, so it was around 5:00am and I was sitting on my nicely made bed.  As I often do, I began drifting in and out of sleep.  I got frustrated with myself and aggravated that I had gotten up, showered, and set aside time to spend with God only to fall asleep and waste the effort.  So I prayed the usual prayer that I pray when this occurs, "God, please help me to be alert and stay focused on You."  I am not exaggerating when I say:  at that exact moment, I saw something out of the corner of my eye falling from the ceiling.  I looked up just in time to hear a "thump" and see one of those million-legger bugs land right on the bed about 6 inches from my feet and begin racing in my direction.  I instantly went from half-asleep to a full-body spasm as my arms and legs went flailing wildly in the air.  I had to use my Bible as a weapon to ward off the ferocious beast, which is probably still happily living somewhere under the bed.  Needless to say, be careful what you pray for!      Very funny, God.  Very funny...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Week 1: A Great Start

Day 5               Verses memorized:  28                    Working on:  John 1:1-28

My Progress:
Things so far are going surprising well.  I have a strong grasp of all 28 verses that were assigned for this month and am continuing to go over them to increase my confidence.  I'm pleased with my progress although I don't expect to keep up this pace.  I was very excited and extremely motivated to get started, so I figured I'd get as many verses in the bank as I could while I still had the energy!

I was using a CD but was having difficulty because the guy read it much differently than I would.  So I recorded my own voice reading the passage and that has been much more effective.  I listen to it while I'm cooking or cleaning up.

I began with the goal of reading the passage aloud 50 times.  That was working well but I got impatient and wanted to get to the real "memorizing" so I ended up straying from my initial plan.  It takes several minutes to read the entire passage.  There are times when I only have a brief moment to look over some of it but not enough consecutive minutes to read the entire thing.  So during those times, I'm going verse-by-verse.

My Thoughts:
  • "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."  All sorts of translations use different words for "understood".  I got a little aggravated this week because I realized I've misunderstood this verse for years as a result of a poor translation.  One would think this verse means that Jesus is the light shining in our dark world but the world doesn't understand who Jesus is.  But that's not what the verse means.  "Understood" is better translated as "Overcome".  Therefore, the real meaning of the verse is that Jesus is the light of the world and sin and darkness has not and will not overcome His light.
  • "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" gives me chills no matter how many times I read it.  I don't even have words to discuss the significance of that verse.
  • Being a mother of 4, I took notice of verse 12.  "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."  I was walking around the house Monday cleaning up and reciting some verses.  I had my baby boy on my hip happily bopping along everywhere I went.  When I got to the "children of God" part, I started thinking about how that baby is completely dependent upon me.  He would be lost and eventually die without me.  I provide for him everything that he needs and carry him with me everywhere.  The Bible is telling me that I am God's child.  What an honor!  He is all I need and I should follow Him everywhere.  It seems so simple - why do I choose to disobey and go my own way?
Additional Thoughts:
  • I burned meatballs the other day because I was memorizing verses instead of watching them.
  • I had to put a flashlight next to my bed so I can peek at the passage as I go over it in my mind before I go to sleep.
  • Sometimes I wonder how on earth I'm going to memorize 879 verses considering there were multiple times this week when I found myself in a room and couldn't even remember why I was there.
  • I flipped out on my husband this week (respectfully and submissively, of course) when he told me he was glancing at his verses while he was driving. 
  • I admit I get frustrated when he only works on his verses during his 20 minute commute and comes home knowing more than I do when I study them the entire day.  Grr.  Then I found myself telling my 6-year old not to compare herself to others when she could only remember 2 verses.  I am a hypocrite indeed.
  • All in all, this is fun so far.  It's fun to recite so many verses in a row without making a mistake.  I'm enjoying meditating on them throughout the day.  I'm finding myself more spiritually-minded and less distracted by the world. 
  • I was amazed to hear our daughters fill-in-the-blanks when my husband and I practice and get stuck at certain parts.  Those little ears sure do listen and soak everything in.
  • "John Project" already had great success in memorizing the book of John (partly why I am so encouraged and know that it can indeed be done)!  He has just begun memorizing the book of Mark.  You can check out his blog to keep updated on how he's doing.
  • I'm just so thankful for my mind and that God has given me the desire, energy, and strength to do this.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

An Overwhelming Response

It's a revolution!

I'm amazed at how many have come forward and made the commitment to join me in this endeavor.  To be quite honest, I thought I would be doing this on my own.  (Well, along with my husband, but we're one flesh so he doesn't even count, does he?) 

Since I had a small discussion at church and shared my thoughts regarding this experience, I have had an overwhelming amount of people volunteer to come alongside me and attempt this great and rewarding task.  (12 officially and several more considering it.)

I set out to simply obey.  I had a sense that I should invite others but didn't have any serious hopes that people would even consider doing such an outrageous thing.  I have had many tell me that they've been inspired.  I am truly humbled - I didn't expect to be so inspired myself by the outpouring of support and encouragement from my brothers and sisters.

Kevin (my husband) and I were talking yesterday and we were imagining what great things God could do if there were enough people deeply immersed in His word.  Imagine the positive changes that could take place within a church if enough of its body was diligently sowing God's word into their hearts. 

A very sincere "Thank you" to all those who have agreed to join me.  I pray for your success in this endeavor and am happy to have you along for the ride!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

An Invitation to My Brothers and Sisters

"OK, Thanks, I'll pray about that and get back to you." 

How many of us have heard that when we asked someone to serve in a ministry?  How many of us have used that as a response?  It's a polite, "Christian-sounding" answer as it tells the listener, "I am going to speak to the Lord about this to make sure I'm in His will before I commit to anything."  Now I am sure that there are some instances where that is genuinely the case.  I am not here to judge anyone's true intentions or heart, but in the other cases, do I dare say - this is a wimpy excuse! 
 
Well I am here to invite my brothers and sisters to join me in this quest.  Nay, I am here to challenge my brothers and sisters to join me in this quest!  Let's do something hard for crying out loud!  How long are we going to sit around and claim to be Christians without showing a true commitment to put the word of God into our hearts? 

No more "I'll pray about that and get back to you" on this one!  Because I've got news for you...  The Lord has already made His answer clear.  He wants you to learn His Word!  Period!  There is no need to pray and seek the Lord's will on this one. His commandments are clear. We are to learn His word. We are to deposit it permanently into our hearts. Forever.
    
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”  Psalm 1:1-2
 
 
“How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word.  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  Psalm 119:9-11

“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9


God is so sweet. I especially like those last verses from Joshua. After telling us to meditate on His word day and night and to obey it - he immediately tells us not to be terrified! How can I tell God that memorizing His word is too hard or that I'm afraid to make this kind of commitment? He is clearly telling me to be strong and courageous and that He is with me wherever I go. That's all I need. How about you?


Join me!
  I am going to begin memorizing on April 15, 2012.
     

Monday, April 2, 2012

No Excuses!

 

Believe me, I understand the "large-ness" of this task. I know what it's like to hear for the first time that you're being challenged to memorized an entire book of the Bible. But I am committed to pursuing this goal and will not allow Satan's lies to get into my head. Below are a few of his favorite lies that we need to stop using as excuses!

"I just don't have that kind of time." Well what the heck are we doing all day? I have 4 small children and I UNDERSTAND what it's like to be busy! Our fallen world has a multitude of responsibilities and distractions. But how on earth can we afford to go through this life without being armed with God's Word? Let's take a minute and look - I mean really take a good, hard look at the way we spend our time. Especially since prayer, reading His Word, and memorizing Scripture does not require extended periods of time (although all the more wonderful when we are able to linger in His presence). Are you really going to tell God you're too busy for Him?

"It's impossible for me to memorize much at my age. Old people just don't have the brain ability anymore." Now I'm not what one would consider "old", but I am indeed able to relate to difficulties learning. To all our Seniors out there, I would say, please try! What about "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me?" Take hold and trust in His promises! He is on your side and wants you to do this so you can be certain that He will equip you for what He has called you to do. No, you might not memorize a chapter a time, but don't you want to be obedient and persist at putting His Word into your heart? Just as your body slows down and it takes longer to walk through the grocery store, your mind slows down and it takes you longer to memorize things. Well you didn't give up buying groceries, did you? So what if it takes a little longer to get the verses down! Take your time and keep plugging away at them - who cares how long it takes? Would you rather your heart be completely void of His word or have your Savior smiling down at you with pleasure for your efforts?

"Why bother doing all that work to memorize it when it's right here in my Bible or literally a click away on my handheld device?" You need to go back and read my page about Why Memorize Scripture. It's about so much more than just 'having access to information.' Memorizing Scripture is a beautiful, intimate process through which the Holy Spirit communicates with us. He spends time with us, He speaks with us, we grow infinitely closer as His Words take root in our hearts. His Words change us. They change our hearts and minds and give us the strength to resist conforming to the pattern of this world. His Words are the bread of life. Let's feast on them together! There is nothing else I'd rather deposit into my heart than the sweet, life-giving words of my Father.

Don't let Satan lie to you. God has asked you to meditate on His word, to put it into your heart. After all He has done for us, is that too much to ask?

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Schedule

 

I have created a schedule that I will use as a guideline during my memorization. I realize that there may be months when I might learn extra, or months where I struggle and do not meet my goal. Having it charted out will keep me visually updated on my progress.

John has 879 verses. Over 2 years, that equals 36.6 verses per month. Rather than just assigning 36 verses to each month, I tried to divide them as equally as possible using the different subject headings that my Bible has. This way, I have clear beginning and ending points rather than stopping in the middle of a section.

Using the memorization techniques that I have studied, I plan to read the monthly passage aloud 50 times. Then I will go through and memorize the passage verse by verse. When I can recite the entire passage 10 times without making a mistake, I will move onto the next passage.

Click here to see the chart I have made so that I can keep track of how many times I have read and recited each passage.

For all the tons of people who will be faithfully memorizing with me, I also created a daily schedule to follow (which works out to be 1-2 verses per day). Click here to see the daily schedule.