I’d love to hear from our memorizing community, what are you memorizing right now?
Tell us what you are memorizing, and either why you chose this project, what you’re learning, or anything else that might encourage us.
Personally, I’m not memorizing anything new right now, but I’d love a fresh project—just can’t decide on one. Got any suggestions for me?
Some of us (that would include me) need a little inspiration, and maybe a push, to plunge into the next project.
Janet,
I’ve been working on 1 Peter, but it’s going more slowly this year than last year’s “projects” — but I am also reviewing past passages, and concentrating on turning them into prayers
Big praise — I think a local group is actually starting! A sweet lady contacted me after consulting the website; we met in May and set up a meeting for June. She emailed me recently to say that she has invited another friend to attend. This new friend is memorizing Psalm 19
Thank you for your honesty and transparency, Janet. I want my memorizing to be truly digesting God’s Word, not just robotically parroting out strings of words. . .and I know that is your heart as well.
Blessings,
Hi Beverly, 1 Peter is one of my top favorites. It is so timely for the world we’re living in. Great news about the group. I hope it comes together. I love my group so much. It is a huge monthly encouragement.
I have just finished memorizing the last verse of Acts 3 and plan to continue memorizing Acts through Chapter 8. God has commanded me to be His witness and I want to learn as much as I can about how this was done after the church was empowered with the Holy Spirit. After that I hope to memorize Psalm 56 and learn to trust God even more; Psalm 27 as He hides me in His secret place and teaches me His ways; John 17 as the Lord prayed for us and we face increased persecution in the U.S.A.
Yesterday, our Pastor was speaking from Ephesians 5:18 and said that the way we are filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can walk in the Spirit is by having the word of Christ richly dwell in us. Another wonderful reason for memorizing!
God bless all of you and may he pour out a special blessing on those families who are remembering their loved ones who gave their all in defense of our nation.
Wow Barb, what a fantastic project Acts 1-8. Years ago I memorized Stephen’s defense in 6-7 and I still review it. It is so rich. I love it. And a bunch of other great passages. I had not considered Psalm 56 but it looks like a good one. Thanks for sharing.
Not anything right now, just refreshing Titus and Haggai occasionally. I am interested in Acts, but I can’t say which chapters. Yesterday I read 1 Kings 16 -18 and considered how amazing that would be to learn, esp. since Mr Prophet himself, Elijah, was afraid to die even after all God had done through him. Just a man after all, like the rest of us. Old Testament history and geography is very gripping to me. They are real places and people and some figure in our future.
Hi Lynette, Well it looks like Barb has a suggestion for you, Acts 1-8. As far as Old Testament, I think David’s thanksgiving in 1 Chronicles 16:7-36 would be wonderful to have in our heads, ready to praise him, or 2 Samuel 22.
I have not been memorizing a long time, but had chosen chapters or a short book. My partner had chosen individual verses or short passages. For some reason starting in 2015 we both chose to do the opposite. My church suggested 52 individual verses and if I was familiar with the verse I would expand it to a longer passage. My friend decided to do Psalm 119. I was glad that I chose the individual verses because they have become more a part of my thought processes. I find myself just randomly (or Providentially) dwelling on them. I am glad I went that direction. I think a long review is the next step for me and maybe finish a couple of small passages I left undone when I started.
Hi Lee, Great to see you on the blog. Thanks for sharing your memorizing journey. It’s important to find a system that works for us individually so that we stick with it. Meditation is a huge by-product of memorizing because it helps us internalize what God is teaching us. The goal, of course, is not just to know, but to live the verses.
I’m memorizing Hebrews and on chapter 10. I’ve learned 2 things.
Emotionally I realized that I LOVE thinking about what I’m gonna memorize next, and this has forced me to concentrate more on what I’m memorizing now, since “NEXT” is a long way off.
Spiritually, I realized the depth of ignorance I had and will always have (until I’m in glory,) about what the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ actually did.
I had wanted to memorize the book of Esther for my first LONG book, but living in Idaho, which I jokingly call MO-town (town full of Mormons) I am surrounded by precious LDS (Mormon) people. They are the kindest people you could ever meet and work their hind-ends off to “get to the celestial kingdom “. I chose to memorize Hebrews because it is chalk full of the truths they were lied to about by their evil ‘prophet’, joseph smith. (Sorry joe, your name doesn’t deserve to be capitalized.)
If you ever are interested in learning about their beliefs, I’m including a link to a FANTASTIC overview by James Walker a former 4th generation Mormon— now fellow Believer in the real Jesus.
I also wanted to take a second to tell y’all a great technique I figured out using SCRIPTURE TYPER. It did take a bit to set up and will need to be tweaked now and then as I add more chapters and books to my review list, but using the “Collections” tab, I made a collection for each day of the month. For instance today is the 30th, and I need to review 1 John 5 and 1 John 3, throughout the day. But also on this collection, I have Hebrews 9 as it was the chapter I recently finished and the first half of Hebrews 10 which I am working now.
It is really helping me with reviewing as I have all my chapters recorded with my own voice. I can play them if I’m driving or doing chores, or knitting, or getting ready in the am or getting ready for bed at night.
Hope that all made sense.
Keep Memorizing!
https://youtu.be/eEdVBzrYy00
Hi Cherie, Wow, Hebrews is such a rich book that will keep on teaching you new things all your life. Love it. Thanks for sharing your tips from SCRIPTURE TYPER. Many people use this tool and it is so helpful.
Hi Everyone!
I am new to this forum. I have been a believer since I was ten and am now 63. I love worship but have not memorized scripture. I want to change this. I believe God has been calling me to scripture memory for the past five years. I have started and stopped several times. I hope I can succeed this time. I have purchased your book Janet and hope to stay encouraged through your group here also. I will be reading your book and get on board.
Hi Kathleen, So glad you’re joining us on the great adventure. Let us know how we can encourage you and if you have any questions that we can answer. We’re a pretty enthusiastic group.
Thank you Janet. I watched your video. The one here on your blog reciting Luke. Wow!!! So encouraging!! It about brought me to both tears and huge smiles right here in my living room. Your calm voice and the way you told it like you were sharing because you knew it deep down made me say from my heart, God this is what I want to do with the rest of my days. Please help me LORD.” I thank the LORD for you and I thank you for being faithful to the call of scripture memory.
Hi Kathleen, I’m so thrilled that you were inspired to memorize by hearing God’s Word. If you haven’t started yet, may I recommend Psalm 1 as a good place to start. It is short, only 6 verses, and it is also motivational because it talks about the person who is blessed because they meditate on God’s Word day and night. After that, if you’re looking for a short book to start with, I usually recommend Titus. It is only 46 verses, and jam-packed with rich doctrine and practical life lessons. Our community is here for you, so ask us any questions that come up. Thank you for your kind words. It is my great privilege to speak God’s Word whenever I get the chance.
I’m currently reviewing romans chapter 8
i just finished philippians 1-4
i learned 1. that i can memorize a whole book 2. its good for the soul 3.i want to keep on memorizing
thanks for you encouragement to me through your blog
Hi Jane, I love point #2. You can memorize a whole book. It’s not as hard as people think. It’s actually just a matter of perseverance. Just one verse at a time over a longer period of time. Thanks for jumping in to the conversation.
Janet, I just finished Psalm 46 and am now memorizing Psalm 57. Psalm 46:1-2 says “God is [my] refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore [I] will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea…” I love personalizing that for whatever situation I am in at any given time.
I would love memorizing something with you as a group again. I so, so, soooo loved memorizing Haggai with this group. It’s a book I never would have considered memorizing had it not been for you inviting us to join you. I don’t have any suggestions but hope you share with us what you decide to memorize next because I will probably tag along 🙂
Holly
Hi Holly, I loved memorizing Haggai too. I learned so much from that small book. It’s now my favorite of the minor prophets. That’s what memorizing does. You grow to love what you are memorizing. That’s why its so addicting because there’s so many great passages. I too love Psalm 46, and you’re right, it applies to so many situations. Just saying it out loud gives strength to my weak heart, and courage when I want to quit.
A couple months ago I listened to a recording of a couple seminars you did in Wisconsin – I was so inspired and started memorizing Psalm 1 right away.
The changes in my thoughts and ways I view things have changed (my husband will validate that!) now that I am meditating on God’s Word instead of my circumstances!
I was so struck with the idea of loving God’s law from Psalm 1 & Psalm 119, so I decided to memorize Deut 5 & 6 next. I am almost done with ch 5 and it has been amazing to focus on the healthy fear of God’s power and God’s desire for His people to follow His law so that life will go well for us. Combining this memorization with a study of Romans has added such depth to my understanding of both.
My husband and I would like to memorize a Psalm together with our 3 young children this summer.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and tips so that I could start my own journey! I have been sharing this concept with all my friends because it has made such a huge impact on my life!
Elissa, I love hearing how God connected our paths. And wow, so thrilled to hear how you’re learning and growing from Deuteronomy 5. I memorized Deut 6 and I love that chapter. You will love it too. I taught a portion of it to my granddaughter who was 4 at the time. What a great section of Scripture. Keep going Elissa, so proud of you.
I am just finishing memorizing John 15:1-8 and am about to start the book of James. My husband, who had surgery for cancer, is going through radiation and chemo treatments. John 15:1-8 have been encouraging to me during this time.
As I have been doing some reading for encouragement through this trial lots of verses out of James have been used. That is why I decided that the LORD was directing me to memorize that book next.
Hi Janna, So sorry to hear about your husband. During life’s supreme challenges God’s word is a balm for the soul. Press on dear sister. I believe that James will take you deeper and hold you tighter than you can imagine. It will be God himself speaking to you and keeping you hopeful and intentional. Blessings upon you and you and your family.
Dear Janet,
So great that God is blessing everyone in different ways through Scripture memory! Two weeks ago I invited four friends to my home for breakfast. I decided to review three passages that I had memorized to recite to them. I picked Ephesians 1:3-14, Psalm 16, and Psalm 23. I printed out the passages for them to check my accuracy. They really enjoyed both the breakfast and Scripture that morning. Two of them had already started Scripture memory, having read my copy of your book. That morning a third asked to borrow His Word in My Heart !
I continue to persevere through the 52 key passages which I started in Nov. 2014. I usually study the recommended 1-3 verses and read the whole chapter. Most of the time I expand the verses to be memorized. I love to memorize while taking walks, at the end of which I pray using that same Scripture passage.
After my friends left, I drafted a plan for learning new verses as well as committing them to long term memory through systematic review. So last week I worked on (1) learning/relearning in ESV Romans 8:26-31, (2) reviewing three more memorized key passages for recitation (or recording) (3) committing the recited passages to long-term memory by weekly review. As I master new verses, they will continue to be reviewed until they are in my long-term memory. I see that I have about 20 weeks left of the year. Let’s see if I can be more consistent using this plan.
Hi Shan, I loved hearing about your friend get-together and your new system. Scripture memory is contagious so I hope they all caught the bug! When a person devises their own review system it works a lot better for them. I always say to adapt someone else’s system and make it work for you. That way you’ll stick with it. Thanks so much for taking the time to share with all of us.
Hi everyone! I sure wish there were a “like” button on these comments because they are all really awesome! It’s great to see what everyone is memorizing. Right now I am working on Colossians 2 as I work through the book. It’s going a bit slow but I’ve noticed that that happens when you’re not working on it as much as you could be (of course!). I mainly work on my verses in the shower so I need to add memory work back into more of my day. I’m trying to get through Galatians thru Colossians just because of the great theology. At least the major portions. I’m done with Galatians and what I wanted to learn in Ephesians (mostly 1-4), and haven’t done any of Philippians so that will come next. On the other hand, there is a list of indiv verses to learn on the subject of the doctrines of grace, so that might actually be next. I’m so intimidated by individual verses! I’m afraid I won’t be able to learn them long term! How do you review when there’s a list of isolated verses like that?
Hi Angela, Great question about reviewing individual verses. That’s one major reason to do passages, because its easier to review. For me, I don’t do a lot of individual verses, but when I find one I write in my 3×5 spiral on its own page, and then I review it when I get to that page. I was thinking about memorizing Colossians but skipping 3:18-22 because after memorizing Ephesians I think I would get too mixed up trying to do the Husbands, wives, children, slaves portion with slightly different words. I know some people have memorized both Ephesians and Colossians but I don’t know how they keep those sections straight. Oh well, maybe someone has an answer for that.
Hi Janet! Me and my ‘Scripture Sisters” here in Proctorville, OH finished up Psalm 121 and we are working on John 14 now! We are meeting once a month and really enjoy this time together to encourage and recite! I love how with John 14 you can imagine being in the scene with Jesus and his disciples and trying to imagine what it was like to have been one of His disciples and to recite it with feeling as being in a play 🙂
Hi Vickie, I’m so glad to hear about what your group is up to. Psalm 121 is one of my favorites (really!) and I’ve also done John 13-17, which I highly recommend. What a fantastic passage. So proud of you and your group. I know it is a monthly encouragement to be together and recite God’s Word. thanks for sharing with us.
My Scripture memory partner and I are working on our 50th chapter right now!!! We are memorizing Psalm 16. We just finished Genesis 3. This has been an amazing journey. We have grown closer to the Lord, and enriched our friendship by focusing on God’s Word together. We get together once a week to review what we have memorized for that week. And we sometimes get together another day of the week to do review together (we have individual review plans that we work on each week but also like to review together when we can).
Oh Teresa, I love hearing about this. How wonderful and sweet to have memorized 50 chapters together, and best of all to have grown closer to the Lord through it all. Wow, this is so inspirational. Can you tell us what city you are in?
Peoria, IL
Hi, Janet, I also feel the same way Angela does, that I’d like to memorize verses that are related to the doctrines of grace and other verses often quoted in good preaching. For example, I would like to remember Isaiah 55:10-11 and Romans 11:33-35 in addition to the key passages I’m working on. I put the passage on one side of the index card and the reference on the other. After I have about 5-10 memorized, I play a memory game by myself. I put them the cards down with the references showing. I get to keep any passage that I can recite without looking, and the rest will be kept for further review. It gets trickier as I learn more, but it’s very helpful when I’d like to refer to a certain passage or hear one referenced in preaching and know where it’s from. I agree with you that it’s much simpler if we do a whole chapter or book, but since I got a late start, doing 1-3 verses from a key chapter helps to assuage my hunger for a better grasp of the whole Bible.
Love your enthusiasm. We really can never get too much Bible.
Janet, I just read your book and found the section on review especially helpful! We started a memorization group here in So. Calif (in Beaumont) about 3-4 years ago and just launched a second group (Yucaipa) last month. Between the two groups, we have about 15 memorizers. I believe the Lord is laying this on a lot of hearts now! What a blessing it’s been. We all started with I Peter (I LOVE that book!), then decided we’d memorize as the Lord led us. I’m currently working on James. How wonderful that will be to have those words hidden in my heart! I was originally convicted of the need to memorize when I read Nik Ripkin’s book, “The Insanity of God.” If anyone needs some motivation, try that book. So many lessons for us from the persecuted church! Thank you, Janet, for your encouragement through your books and presentations.
Hi Anne, I’m so thrilled to hear about your Scripture memory groups. Are you open to some new members? I have a place on my blog where I list cities of existing groups and anyone interested can email me for contact information. Let me know if you’d be open to this. So many people would love to be in a group if they could only find one. The richness of God’s Word plus the deep fellowship centered on his word has been such a treasure for group members. The group that I am in is a monthly highlight for me and the others. So glad to hear about your 2 groups.
Yes, by all means, we’d love new members! And, as we learned last night at our every other week meeting, there is more than one way to join a group! One of our 20-something members left last week & is now in Tex. settling in to train for the mission field. BUT he was with us last night via Face Time! It worked great. He stayed with us for our whole session, and when his time came to recite, he did a few verses of I Peter — in Spanish! He’s re-memorizing the book in Spanish to use in his contacts across the border. I see there’s someone in Sacramento looking for a group. If you have their email, why not see if they’d like to join our group via computer!
I will put your city on my blog front page and who knows, maybe someone in Sacramento will be looking for a group. I love hearing about your FaceTime connection. Thanks for sharing.
I just started Hebrews 12-13. I did chapter 11 a number of years ago and would like to eventually learn the whole book.
Before that I started Isaiah 40, but after a few verses I decided it would be difficult because of being familiar with Handel’s Messiah in the King James, and because there are a few passages I’ve learned that quote Isaiah 40 in the New Testament in different words, so it seemed like it would be confusing. I decided to just learn/relearn Isaiah 40:28-31 because they are so good.
I am also thinking about maybe starting Ecclesiastes at some point. I’d really like to learn that book too but didn’t feel ready to start a longer project like that since I am still trying to review all of Romans every week.
Hi Ruth, Wow, a great passage in Heb 12-13, especially since you’ve done 11. I know what you mean about Isaiah 40, not that I’ve done that one, but I do try to avoid messing up my brain with similar but different words. Some passages are too much like another one so I avoid those. I think Ecclesiastes would be awesome. There’s also a lot of sarcasm in it, so you have to keep your thoughts straight. For example, “Money is the answer for everything.” Ecc 10:19. Don’t want to mess up our theology.