My Not-So-Mega Mega Memory Month Project

  My search for a passage to memorize started with John 16:33.When I was a young girl, I went through a time when I felt like I was trapped in a disheartening situation that I couldn’t escape, and many days I felt very alone. I was rather low on hope.One day I was reading the book of John, and I came to John 16:33. I stopped. I read it again. And again.It felt like a direct communication from Jesus, my Savior, to my weary self:

With that truth, I got through those times by placing my hope in the One who has overcome the world. This was a level of trust in Him and His Word that was new to me. And real. So real.In this world I knew I had and would have trouble. But I could take heart. I did take heart–in Him, through Him, and because of Him.So when I started to think about what I wanted to memorize, my first thought was to tackle the chapter that concluded with “my fave verse,” John 16:33. So I read John 16. There’s a lot of good stuff in there. I could have just stopped there, but I read more.I read the preceding chapters and those that follow it, and I kept thinking, “Ohhhh, I really want to memorize John 13, too, where Jesus washes the disciples’ feet.But the stuff in John 14 is so wonderful–Jesus promises that in His Father’s house are many rooms, and that He’s going there to prepare a place for us. And John 14 is where Jesus responds to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And He says that if we ask Him for anything in His name, He’ll do it. And Jesus also talks about sending the Spirit and how the Spirit will live with us and be in us! And “Because I live, you also will live” is in John 14, as is “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” That’s some great stuff.Well, then comes John 15, with the vine and the branches, and if a man remains in Jesus and Jesus remains in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. I’d love to memorize the whole context. And it also includes the whole part about love. It’s the chapter where Jesus says quite clearly: “Love one another!”And then in John 16, he tells the disciples what they’ll go through and ends with that verse of hope that I “owned” in my youth.Well, I kept going into John 17, where Jesus prays for Himself and his disciples and even “those who will believe in me through their message.” That’s…me. Today. The message was passed all the way down the timeline of history from Jesus’ time to now. And so I didn’t know what to do, because I wanted to memorize it all!But, I know myself. I often bite off more than I can chew and end up disappointed in myself. I need to stretch myself without overwhelming myself.So now that you know my grandiose dreams, I shall reveal to you the scaled down selection I settled on. You might be disappointed in me, after imagining I might have tackled John 13 through John 17. And you may be puzzled, because it doesn’t even include John 16:33.Well, I’m no Memorization Hero, folks.And my mega-fantastic, memorization extravaganza plans have ended up more modest than I might have hoped.I’m planning to memorize John 14.I am, however, hoping to add on the chapters before and after in the months to come.Not only does John 14 have some great stuff in it; it also has 31 verses, making it handy for a month-long memory project.Here’s what I did to launch my personal Mega Memory Month project:

1. Bible Gateway Cut-n-Paste: Even though it would have been good for my memory work to type or write out the passage, I’d already cut-and-pasted all those passages from Bible Gateway into a Word document while I was pondering how much to tackle.
2. Grouped verses: Without a lot of careful calculation, I grouped verses into sections that looked like they would fit on a 3×5 card (I ended up with nine groups). I changed the margin so that it would be the right width.
3. Print, Trim & Paste: I printed it off, trimmed each section, and stuck them on 3×5 cards.
4. Hole punch: Punched a hole in the corner of each card.
5. Attach to make a packet: I attached them with my high-tech ring (see below).

(I’m feeling kind of Frugal Zealot-y. Remember the Tightwad Gazette?)Anyway, I’m ready to begin.Throughout the month, I’ll be implementing several of the memorization techniques I’ve already mentioned in previous posts along with some new tips I’ve discovered.Check in tomorrow for a Mega Collection of Memorization Tips & Techniques to serve as a helpful resource for you. I’m assembling them all into one spot for easy reference.On this inaugural day of Mega Memory Month, may your hearts be encouraged;may your souls find hope;and may your minds easily retain your memory work.

Visit this Mega Memory Month post to see the list of official participants.And please…jump in any time.