Lisa notes

Favorite Bible verses to memorize

By LisaNotes January 27, 2014 Memorization 33 Comments

Memorizing scripture can be hard, repetitive work.

But it can also be one of the most rewarding spiritual disciplines you ever undertake. Not only does God use his words to bless you as you’re learning them, he’ll return them to bless you later in unexpected ways.

So when you find a verse special to you, write it down. Then make intentional efforts to capture it in your soul through memorization.

Here are some favorite Bible verses and chapters to memorize.

MEMORY CLASSICS (print all on one page)

Psalm 23:1-6
Proverbs 3:5-6
Jeremiah 29:11
Matthew 6:9-13
John 3:16
Romans 8:28
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Ephesians 2:8-9
Philippians 4:13

10 OLD TESTAMENT FAVORITES – individual verses

Exodus 33:13-14
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
1 Samuel 2:2
2 Chronicles 15:7
Psalm 4:8
Psalm 73:28
Proverbs 31:30
Isaiah 26:3-4
Daniel 9:18
Zephaniah 3:17

10 NEW TESTAMENT FAVORITES – individual verses

Luke 16:10-11
John 5:24
John 6:28-29
Acts 17:27-28
Romans 4:20-21
Ephesians 3:17-21
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
1 Timothy 6:6-8
2 Timothy 2:13
Hebrews 4:16

10 OLD TESTAMENT CHAPTERS

Psalm 1
Psalm 27
Psalm 34
Psalm 71
Psalm 91
Psalm 139
Psalm 145
Isaiah 12
Isaiah 43
Isaiah 55

10 NEW TESTAMENT CHAPTERS

Matthew 6
John 14
Romans 8
1 Corinthians 13
Ephesians 1
Philippians 3
Colossians 3
Hebrews 12
James 1
2 Peter 1

MEMORY VERSES FOR TRIPS

[see all 28 here, ready to print]

PRINTABLE RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR THESE

* * *

Do you have a favorite memory verse? A favorite chapter? Any tips you can share on memorizing? Please share in the comments.

More on scripture memorization here and here

Memorizing Isaiah 55:2

By LisaNotes January 26, 2014 Miscellaneous 4 Comments

Tomorrow begins week 2 of Hiding Isaiah 55 in My Heart.

This week’s verse (Jan 27-Feb 2):

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Isaiah 55:2 (ESV)

Try practicing with the first letters of each word:

W d y s y m f t w i n b,
a y l f t w d n s?
L d t m, a e w i g,
a d y i r f.

From The Message:

Why do you spend your money on junk food,
your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
fill yourself with only the finest.
Isaiah 55:2 (The Message)

* * *

What does this verse mean to you? Please share.

More tips here on memorizing Isaiah 55:2

Memorizing scripture – Book review “His Word in My Heart”

By LisaNotes January 24, 2014 Book reviews, Memorization 7 Comments

For me, memorizing Scripture has become an act of worship. It ushers me into God’s presence and keeps me spiritually renewed each day.
– Janet Pope, His Word in My Heart

Whether you’re a newbie at memorizing scripture or have been doing it for years, this book, His Word in My Heart, can help you.

Author Janet Pope provides practical tips and godly motivation on memorizing scripture to walk closer with God—the how and the why.

She clarifies the goal early in the book:

The Bible does not command us to memorize Scripture….The goal of memorizing should not be confused with the ultimate goal of knowing God and loving Him.

. . . Honestly, I have no aspirations of becoming the Bible trivia queen or even the Bible answer woman. I want God’s Word written on my heart so that my life reflects a close walk with God.

With that clarified, she goes on to provide examples of daily instructions on how to memorize Psalm 1 (she recommends you start with this one) and the book of Titus. She equates it with the ease of taking a walk, and says memorizing long passages is just eating an elephant one bite at a time.

She’s been memorizing for over 20 years, and has memorized 14 books of the Bible and 140 chapters (the book of Revelation alone took 2 1/2 years).

She says she has an ordinary memory and a busy schedule like everyone else, yet by intentionally using pockets of time, she continues to learn new verses as well as review old ones on a regular basis.

The basic key is repetition. (Disappointing, I know—I wanted a painless magic potion, too.) But like anything else worth doing, sometimes you’ve got to sweat it out. She suggests repeating a verse over and over, phrase by phrase, until it starts to stick, while also reviewing previous verses. (She can learn a new verse every day. I prefer a verse or two per week—I’m not as disciplined as she is to review, so I have to go slower.)

People often ask me if I have a great method for memorizing Scripture. I tell them, “You don’t need a great method as much as you need great motivation. If you’re highly motivated, any method will do.”

Here’s an excerpt from Day 4, memorizing Titus 2:4 (after learning verses 1-3),
“Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children.”

Get out of bed thinking about God and His invaluable word. Review your three verses.
Tackle today’s verse, another short one. What is God saying here?
Notice the connection to yesterday’s verse. Today we get the reason behind verse 3.
We hear a lot of talk these days about mentoring. This is where it comes from—Titus.
Say all four verses over and over as you reflect on their meaning.
Pray this verse for the young women that you know.
These four verses will take less than thirty seconds to review. Time can be found.
Use waiting time to review: at the bank, at the fast-food drive-thru, at the dentist.
Come back to these words before bed. Then drift off to sleep, thinking and praying.

I like this approach and will be adapting it as a guide to memorize Isaiah 55 this week through Easter at Do Not Depart.

Other tips include:

Memorize in a version you like and stick with it
Start with verse 1 on Day 1 of the month, then continue matching verses with dates (v 2, Feb 2; vs 3, Feb 3…)
Alternate longer projects with shorter ones
Leave days (weeks?) open for reviewing long books
Recite in front of others
Find a partner
Listen to an audio version of the text
Study what you’re memorizing

More from His Word in My Heart:

* I trained myself to use moments throughout my day to memorize Scripture when my hands were busy but my mind was free. Household chores required busyness but not thoughtfulness, so I included Scripture memory in my daily routines.

* Distraction comes easily without something specific to focus on.

* Do not lose sight of your goal. It’s not the memorization itself that is important but the constant reflection on God, His character and His ways.

* His Word ushers me into His presence and feeds me at His table. This has been, by far, the greatest benefit of knowing God’s Word. If to know Him is to love Him, then to know Him greatly is to love Him greatly.

Janet Pope also recommends learning in community. She shares ideas in the book on how to set up a group, and her website lists a few cities with existing groups.

I’ve personally benefited greatly from the active online community through the Do Not Depart blog and the Facebook group Hide His Word.

If you’d like to give it a try, join us; we’re a no-pressure group, I promise.

* * *

What’s a favorite Bible verse you’ve learned? Have you ever tried memorizing a chapter? How did it go? Please share.

Is beauty evolutionary?

By LisaNotes January 22, 2014 Compassion, Discrimination, My stories 19 Comments

What do you think about this drawing?

Richard Seymour in this TED talk asked his audience what they felt as they viewed this picture. He looked at their faces. Then he told them the story behind it . . .

But first. I knew Jody had a story behind her, too.

The first time I saw her, I wouldn’t have said, “Wow! She’s beautiful!”

But sitting in the folding chair the Saturday morning of her memorial service, I definitely thought, “Wow! She’s beautiful!”

What made the difference? She had lost all her hair in the meantime. She had grown skinnier. I saw her less often.

But the stories I learned about her grew. I heard about the rough lifestyle she’d been living just a few years ago. About her coming through Manna House to pick up food, and how one of the volunteers insisted she decide herself which meat she wanted because her opinion mattered.

About how she found Jesus and he changed everything for her.

By the time I met her, she’d already changed sides of the line, from receiving food to handing it out, from feeling hopeless to sharing her Jesus hope with overflowing enthusiasm. She was a faithful volunteer that everyone seemed to know and love. So when her cancer wouldn’t let up, everyone’s heart was hurting.

Because Jody had evolved into a beautiful soul.

When I looked around at the people who wanted to pay last respects at her memorial service, I saw her beauty reflected in their eyes as well. These were people she loved, people she served, people she did life with.

When we learn the story, we uncover the beauty.

. . . Now here’s the rest of the story about the picture above.

This drawing was the last physical act on earth that a 5-year-old named Heidi did before she died of cancer of the spine.

Scroll up to see the picture again.

Now do you see it as amazing? As hope-filled?

As beautiful?

Listen for the stories. Discover the beauty.

* * *

What (or who) have you seen grow in beauty the more you learned the story? Please share.

Memorizing Isaiah 55:1

By LisaNotes January 21, 2014 Miscellaneous 6 Comments

It’s week 1 of Hiding Isaiah 55 in My Heart!

This week’s verse (Jan 20-Jan 26):

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Isaiah 55:1 (ESV)

Try practicing with the first letters of each word:

C, e w t, c t t w;
a h w h n m, c, b a e!
C, b w a m w m a w p.

From The Message:

Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water!
Are you penniless? Come anyway–buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money–everything’s free!
Isaiah 55:1 (The Message)

* * *

Want tips to help you memorize and study this verse?
Suggestions here at Do Not Depart.

Download free resources here.

What does this verse mean to you? Please share.

But what will happen to me? On discrimination

By LisaNotes January 20, 2014 Community, Compassion, Discrimination 34 Comments

I imagine that the first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But by the very nature of his concern, the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

I read from Karen Armstrong that Step 1 on leading a compassionate life is to learn about compassion.

So I read sacred writings on compassion. I read from different faiths, different people: Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi (“Compassion is a muscle that gets stronger with use”).

And this week I read Martin Luther King, Jr.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

And I want to cry.

I watch a Martin Luther King video in community. We’re all moved and clap when it’s over. But I watch my black friends nod a little extra when the speaker says we’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

I remember losing friends who fled to private schools when our public school integrated in 3rd grade. I remember being scared in 6th grade when a black/white riot broke out in the hallways.

I see Auburn University celebrating 50 years of Integration, because before Harold Franklin on January 4, 1964, no African-American students were allowed in.

I hear modern voices, like Osheta Moore and Brittney Cooper, reflect on the silence about racism from white bloggers.

I wonder how much discrimination is still felt by those I know, those in minorities, whether by race or by sex or by whatever way we draw our lines. And I’m shamed by prejudices in different shapes still in my own heart.

But what can I do about it?

I know the call. It’s to “do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17).

But how?

See the face behind the stereotype.
Hear the voice under the cries.
Lift the hand of the struggling.

Speak up when I have a voice. Do something when I have the power.

And sit with the bullied, the slandered, those made to feel “less than” just because of who they are.

Because it’s not enough just to stand for something; I need to sit with someone.

Be with, not just for.

Our missionary efforts fail when they are based on pity, rather than true compassion. Instead of seeking to do something with the African and Asian peoples, we have too often sought only to do something for them.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

What will happen to us when we interfere with discrimination? When we let down our privilege and shake off our blindness? What will happen when we flip the question

from
“What will happen to me if I do?”
to
“What will happen to her if I don’t?”

Maybe life gets a little harder. But compassion never makes us weaker. It makes us stronger. More like love.

What will happen when a once-silenced voice starts to sing? We all get to dance to the music.

We’re not finished yet . . .

In the final analysis, I must not ignore the wounded man on life’s Jericho Road, because he is a part of me and I am a part of him. His agony diminishes me, and his salvation enlarges me.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

[If you can’t see the video (it’s less than a minute), watch here “Put racism in the right place”.]

* * *

Where do you still see discrimination? Feel discrimination? What could change things? Please share.