Verse 21 - Scripture Memory Challenge

Can you believe we only have 4 verses to go before our year's challenge is up?? 20 verses locked in our minds ladies (and a few gentlemen and kids out there!)! We can make that 24 verses!

I just want to give you a huge hug for doing the hard work that is promised to enrich our thought life and flow out into our relationships;  focusing us on our God and His Truths and working it out in our every day life. We can't lose doing this. It IS for our good. 

So… don't give up. Keep training your memory and recall muscle. Strengthen it by daily repetition and meditation. Lets let God's Word do His work in us. 

I just want to give a shout-out to Beth in Palapye… she teaches a class of FIFTY (!!) girls age 10-12 years old… that alone deserves a prayer request. :) In her comment on the last post, she said 17 girls said their verses from John 1 (I think 23 verses, but I might have misunderstood)  almost word perfect. I was encouraged reading that and it also motivated me to work on my memorization for the last half of October! Thanks for sharing Beth. God bless you with your class!

So let's hear it - what's your verse to kick of November?

Scripture Memory - Verse 20 :)

Here in Canada we have enjoyed a beautiful long Thanksgiving weekend. The weather has been amazing - warm and sunny most of the time! Our little family of four have had a mini-vacation away from the city... it's been so nice to relax together doing fall-like activities -- a hike through a conservation area (love that crisp dead-leaf fall scent!), a visit to a farm with a horse-drawn wagon ride and a corn maze, eating turkey, playing in leaves... and a bit of summer thrown in with time at the beach playing in the sand and listening to the waves. No swimming this time! :) 

Down time like this and getting out into nature is good for the soul. It causes me to pause and to count my blessings... a true time of Thanksgiving to the Giver of all good gifts.

It's only fitting that my verse for October 15th is:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Ps 118:29

What have you been enjoying lately? What verse will be your theme to focus on the last half of October?

Scripture Memory - Verse 19

Good morning friends!

Such a beautiful morning today - the sun always shines brighter after a grey drizzly day, don't you find?

A sunny fall day makes me feel all optimistic - like maybe I will actually be disciplined this October and memorize my verse properly?! ;)

I can't remember if I've confessed this here before or not... but I'm a blog-reading addict. I spend too much time reading all sorts of wonderfully encouraging blogs that urge me to walk closer to God... many tips and suggestions are given to live more disciplined and to faithfully serve Him. I am wowed and encouraged by the faith-walk of so many others and long for such faith in my own life.

Now, reading these isn't a bad thing. We ARE to encourage each other and to build each other up, and I believe that's what a lot of these blog posts I read are meant to do. 

But if one doesn't take the message/truth and apply it in our own lives, than it's useless. 

So that leads me to my verse for October 1st.

James 1:22 - Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 

Praying THIS becomes more than words to me, but the Truth that it is.

How about you friends? What are you choosing to focus on for the first half of October?

Verse 18

Good evening friends,

It's that time of month again, and my brain is a bit foggy tonight. I would love to come with a little something to encourage you but I'm hardly stringing to words together, let alone THOUGHTS! :)

I'm writing from Prince Edward Island, where I travelled with the two kids this week for my grandmother's funeral. It's been exhausting, but I'm so thankful I was able to get "home" to be with everyone at this time. My grandmother has left such a testimony, and I love hearing everyone's memories of her. Her faith-filled life and reputation as a prayer warrior is a fresh reminder that the only life to live, is a life that counts for God.  And the only way to get there, is that deeply personal relationship with Him. I can truly say my grandmother knew and loved her Saviour... her life showed it!

A hymn that she often sang was quoted at the funeral and the words were new to me... thought you might like them too!

There is singing up in Heaven such as we have never known,

Where the angels sing the praises of the Lamb upon the throne.....

Holy, holy, is what the angels sing,

And I expect to help them make the courts of heaven ring;

But when I sing redemption’s story, they will fold their wings,

For angels never felt the joys that our salvation brings.

So, although I’m not an angel, yet I know that over there

I will join a blessèd chorus that the angels cannot share;

I will sing about my Savior, who upon dark Calvary

Freely pardoned my transgressions, died to set a sinner free.

So...

Back to verses. :) Let's hear your 18th verse!

Enjoy the last half of your September. :)

Verse 17 Roll Call -- September 1!

September is here and we enter a season of new beginnings.

School starts up, outreaches ramp up again, new programs begin. Like January, September always feels like a fresh slate for me - a time to get back on track or to get organized in some area.

How about we use this fresh start for our commitment to memorize scripture in 2013?!

Maybe you've been like me and kind of slacked off over the summer and spent time hitting "refresh" on the verses from the first half of the year... or maybe you're one of the few who continued steadfast (grin) in your commitment throughout the busy summer months (I seriously applaud you!)...

Either way... September is here and we can get back on track for the last part of the year.

You in?? Good. Me too. :)

What verse have you chosen to kick off the Fall season?

Aug 15 - Verse 16

Good evening friends,

My apologies for the late post. We are enjoying a family visit from the West Coast grandparents, so the busy days are zipping by.

I'm still taking August as a month for review and am thankful to report that I HAVE been reviewing. ;) *Thank you accountability partners!*

It was great getting some of the comments on the last post from those who are continuing to plug away at memorizing their verses. You're doing great - whatever pace you're taking. Keep it up!

I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer. Make the most of it! :)

Aug 1st - Verse 15

Good morning friends :)

Are you a last minute crammer, or do you give yourself plenty of time to study? Throughout my entire school career, I was the classic last minute crammer and all-night-before-due-date essay writer. No wonder I can't recall much of what I learned!

I think I mentioned before that this method was also my go-to for Sunday School verse memorization... so not proud of that.

So I determined that this challenge would be different for me... that I would be disciplined in my memorization and review. And it worked.

 Until about a month ago.

Obviously my pep talks of continuing on and the importance of faithful review throughout the busy summer months were for myself!! Unfortunately the last couple verse selections have been worked on with the "cramming" method. I keep realizing that the 1st or 15th is only a day or two away and YIKES!!! I DON'T KNOW MY VERSE!! And it feels hypocritical to to do a regular post and choose a new verse when I'm behind in my memorization and review.

So hence my confession. ;)

I'm going to use August as a review month.... no new verses until I'm positive I have my last 14 selections down pat. Feel free to admit you're doing the same. *grin*

But if you are the faithful student that I dream of being, I want to sing your praises and give you a big high five (my 2 yr old is big into high 5's)! Please keep up your good work... and let us know what verse you are memorizing for the first half of August.