Working Ahead...Working Behind?

At this point, it is possible that some of you are operating at a different pace than the rest of us. In fact, maybe there is no real pace established. Perhaps we are ALL in different places. That's okay. In case you have fallen behind, you can simply work at your own rate without feeling pressure to "pick up the pace". Others of you, may be doing the two a week, without feeling the need for an occasional week off for review. Therefore, you desire to keep plugging away. That works too.

My suggestion for either of these two groups would be to look to the column on the right-hand side. Click where it says "Navigator Scripture Memory Plan". The plan for the rest of the year is spelled out there. You can print that off and post it someplace. From this point on, you can work at a rate that works for you.

Now again, I would strongly recommend you don't go past two a week. Remember, it's not just a matter of memorization. It is memorization AND meditation. The more you meditate upon the verse throughout the week, the more likely the verse is to stay with you. But if you don't feel the need for the occasional week of review, you can check out the plan for the year, and work on ahead.

So, keep plugging away... any questions, thoughts, or comments? Feel free to contact me. My e-mail address is printed below. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but I've been involved with scripture memory since my college days (eh-hem) a few years back, so I do have some understanding of it.

gdpogue@yahoo.com

Find a System

Some of you may be using a system of caring 3x5 cards with the passages for the week written on it. That can certainly work well. However, you may find that as time goes on, keeping track of all the cards can become an issue. It may become more difficult to have the cards you need when you want to review while "on the run".  Therefore, you may want to consider purchasing the Navigator's card set. I actually posted the link for this a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn't had the chance to really mention it until now. You can find the link in the column to the right, under the heading that says "Scripture Memory Kits".

As of this writing, Navigator's is selling it for $15.99. Amazon sometimes has it in stock new, and when they do, it is usually cheaper than that. However at the moment they have no new sets in stock AND the four used sets that are available range in price from $113 to $137 (I kid you not). 

What do you get with the kit: first, you get a handy little card hold with three pockets. One pocket is for the verse you are currently working on. It has a clear window, so you don't even have to pull the card out to read it. The second pocket is for cards that you have already memorized and are carrying with you for review. The third pocket is for the verses coming up. It's a little bi-fold, which is basically the same size as personal card holders, thus it's easy to slip into a shirt pocket.

I would greatly encourage to invest in this, if you are feeling that your current system isn't quite working for you. In case you are wondering if it comes in your translation, I wouldn't worry.  Each kit comes with the complete set of cards in the following translations:  NIV, NASB, MSG, ESV, NRSV, NLT, NKJV, and KJV. My guess is your translation choice is in there somewhere!

Anyway, if you have a system that works for you...keep using it. And, I would ask, that you would share it with me. I'm hoping that we can learn from one another as we commit ourselves to the task at hand.

Blessings! 

The Plan for the Week: Review!

Hopefully you now have six verses down. If not, use this week to "catch up".

If you do have all six verses down, I would suggest that you review the verses from the previous weeks. After all, there's not much point in learning new material, if you're just going to forget what you previously learned. So what that thought in mind...this is the week to review.

This also gives me the opportunity to stress some things that I haven't stressed already.  When you are learning the verse, it is important to remember ALL aspects of the verse.  By that I mean this: you need to memorize the overall theme of Set 1, Living the New Life. Of course, you will use that heading with the first twelve verses. After that, you need to memorize the heading that goes with the two verse set. For example, the heading for last week's verses would be The Word.  After that, you memorize the scripture reference.  And then, after you've gotten through all of that, you memorize the actual verse.

Thus, let's take a look at our current verse. When reciting the verse you should begin as follows:

Live the New Life  (the heading for the set)
The Word (the heading for the sub set)
Joshua 1:8 (the reference)

At this point, you state the verse in whichever translation you are using. I would argue strongly that you should go for perfection. You need to memorize the verse perfectly - even incidental words. If you don't have it, keep at it.

After I recite the verse, I always end with repeating the scripture reference again. The repetition helps reinforce the reference.

So, this week use the time to catch up or review. If you feel the need to press ahead, you can find the new verses in the overall Navigator's Scripture Memory Plan page. Otherwise, report back next week as we continue with the series.

The Adventure Begins!

Greetings everyone!  It's New Year's Eve and the adventure starts. Just in case you are wondering, I moved the Navigator's Scripture Memory Plan to a page of its own. Just look above at the tabs and click on the one that says: Navigator's Scripture Memory Plan.  Not only will it have the first set of verses, it will have the sets for the whole year. But again... don't work ahead. Keep at the pace of two per week and you will do fine. Anything more tends to be a killer as time goes on.

Also, you will see that I posted the verses for the first week on the right-hand column. I will do that throughout the year. I will be posting the NIV 2010, the NASB, and the ESV, but obviously, you can choose some other translation to memorize. However, it is best to choose a translation and stick with that one, though you may want to make some exceptions to that. For example: I have memorized Psalm 23 and portions of Luke 2 in the King James Version, but the rest of my verses are in the NASB.

So, blessings to you in the year ahead. Keep at it. Don't give up. And encourage one another in the process.

The How To's of Scripture Memory

Here are five basic steps to successfully memorize scripture:

1. Attempt no more than two verses per week. At the beginning, you will be tempted to do more than that, but resist that temptation! You need to remember that in the weeks ahead, you will still be memorizing two passages per week, plus reviewing all the previous weeks of verses. That will be easy at first, but as time goes on...
2. One of the reasons for studying only two verses is because you should be involved in more than just memorizing them. You should also read the verse in it's context. What precedes the verse and what follows it? Who is saying it? To whom are they saying it? Why are they saying it? These are questions that you need to ask. Besides, it will help you to better understand the passage. You only need to do this once, but you should plan on doing it.
3. While you are memorizing, you should also reflect upon what you are reading. To reflect on a passage, you should ask yourself:  What does this passage say to me? What does God want me to learn from this? What does He want me to do?  This stresses the importance of taking your verse with you to prayer. Ask the Lord what he wants you to do. Your focus should be on what this passage says to you and about you, and NOT on what it says to Christians or humankind as a whole. During reflection you keep it personal. If you are into journaling perhaps you would want to write your thoughts down, but if not, as long as you do this in your head, or in prayer, that will be sufficient.
4. To memorize the verses, you should write them down on cards -- something that you can easily slip into a shirt pocket. Perhaps you can even put it on some type of electronic device that you carry with you and can easily access. Regardless, you should carry the verse with you. Then when you have the time, you can slip it out and go over it. Perhaps God will provide a traffic jam just so you can learn the verses for the week!
5. Be sure memorize the verse, the scripture reference, and the headings. For example, the first verse to be memorized is 2 Corinthians 5:17.  That is the scripture reference.  The verse begins, Therefore, if any man is in Christ... that is is the verse.  The heading is The Wheel: Christ the Center. Obviously, the heading is man-made and somewhat subjective, but it does help in memorization. The heading becomes something like a hook from which to hang a verse. Thus making it much easier to mentally find a specific verse when you need it.

So that's it. The Reader's Digest Condensed version of all of this is this:  memorizes one or two passages a week, carry the verse with you, read the verse in it's context, and meditate upon while you memorize it. 

The Purpose of this Blog

The purpose of this site is to provide both encouragement toward scripture memory and a means to go about it. Once a week, two verses related to a particular bible theme will be recommended for memorization. These verses will be based upon the Navigator's Scripture Memory Program. In addition to that, once a week, I will write something to encourage scripture memory or tips to help you be more successful with it. The first two verses will appear next week, so come back then to see where we start. But between now and then, it is my plan to give you some basic reasons for memorization as well as a quick plan to go about it. If you have any questions or comments from anything related to articles here or on the subject of scripture memory, please feel free to e-mail me. My e-mail address is posted with my profile.  One last comment, this site is dedicated to Mr. John Lee, a man would believed firmly in hiding God's word in one's heart, and then living in accordance to it.