It’s hard to believe, but Mega Memory Month officially ends today.And that means today, Friday,[Updated: Obviously too many snow days threw me off–today is Saturday], January 31st, is MMM Celebration Day!
Not only have I ordered this modest fireworks display, I also decorated the blog in honor of this event — I’ve situated the promised balloons you previewed the other day. My kids are delighted, as I’ve never put balloons on my blog before — not even for one of our birthdays:
Scripture Stickies giveaway!
[Deadline is past for entering the Scripture Stickies Giveaway!Winners will be announced Monday.]And there are gifts, too! You can enter to win one of three packs of Scripture Stickies memory tools by leaving your name and contact info in the comments of this post — you have until 5:00 p.m. EST Sunday to enter. At that time, I’ll draw three names from the comments. I’ll contact the winners right away or after the Superbowl and announce the winners on the blog Monday, as well.Scripture Stickies work like Post-It notes – just peel off the backing and stick the printed verses wherever you’ll see them often (for example, on the back of your child’s high chair, around your travel mug, or in the laundry room….sigh.). They’re a convenient way to get started with memory work. Visit their site to see the different themes and packets they’ve created. Take advantage of a special offer for my blog readers: Enter “MMM” as a coupon code, and you’ll receive 20% off your entire order!And Now…The ProjectsWithout further ado, let’s enjoy the final presentations of some of our Mega Memory Month participants.If you’re an official participant in January 2009’s Mega Memory Month, fill out your name and provide the url for your own MMM Celebration Day post in Mr. Linky. I’ll update when possible to put them right in the text of this post (Mr. Linky doesn’t do that automatically in WordPress, for which I am a tad resentful).
Official January 2009 MMM Participants Celebrations
- Laura at Laura’s Imperfect Blog
- Kathie at A Sparrow’s Home
- shepherdsgrace at Beauty in the Mundane
- Andrea at hopeannfaith
- The Butterfly Catcher at Butterflies of the Moment
- Dea at For His Glory…By His Grace
- Jennifer at PeaceLedge
- Amy at Lavender *Sparkles*
- Pauline at Him in the Everyday
- Esther at Outward Expression
- Erin at erinstraza
- Ruth at Caribbean Wordkeeper
Here’s my offering:For Mega Memory Month, I attempted to finish John 14, which I started back in October, and dip into John 15. I also memorized a poem.First is a recitation of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost.I suggest you turn down the volume, as the combination of my loud voice and some wind noise at the beginning might surprise you or damage your equipment. It’s up to you. I just don’t want you to ruin your speakers on a poem. That would be embarrassing to explain to the Geek Squad:(Young man takes laptop and begins dismantling it after you explain that your speakers are toast.) “What blew out your speakers?” he asks. “Van Halen? AC/DC? Lynyrd Skynyrd?” “No,” you begin, “it was, uh, well, a mom-blogger reciting a pensive Robert Frost poem.”[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjbnPylE-YM]You know, you probably should just go ahead and tell them you were cranking up U2. Don’t tell them it was Frost.Anyway, I shall now commence to put you all at ease regarding your final presentations by typing out John 14 & the first few verses of John 15 (NIV) imperfectly, from memory (mistakes are crossed out and then corrected in orange).
John 14″Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will send give you another Counselor to be with you forever–the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father. My Father will love him, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”I will not speak with you much longer. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I leave with give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.You have heard me say, ‘I am going away and I will come am coming back again to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”Come now; let us leave.”John 15I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off any branch that does not bears no fruit, while any every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will bear even more fruitful. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit on its own by itself; it must remain in the vine. So you must Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.
Updated:Many thanks to all who participated in Mega Memory Month and the Celebration Day! Please stay tuned–in a few months MMM will return to give you another 30 or 31 days of memory accountability and inspiration.Meanwhile, if you want to take on another challenge, consider Tim Challies’ “Memorizing Scripture Together”, and ongoing memory commitment where you tackle long passages recommended by Tim; or, WalkSlowlyLiveWildly’s yearlong project of memorizing the entire book of James: The James Challenge.
well this is really incredible and moves me to tears.
The Robert Frost poem is well done! It reminds me that I had better get off the computer soon…
I would love to have some sticky-note Bible verses to put around the house. What an excellent idea!
beautiful poem video, Ann–and look at all that Scripture you memorized! great work! I’ll be posting a celebration today, Lord willing, but probably not until late afternoon or evening. can’t wait to come back and see everyone else’s celebrations.
Ooooh…I want the stickies! Thanks for your awesome post Ann! And I am not just saying that because I want the stickies!…It’s because I want the muffins too! JUST joking. I do love to read what you have to say!
whoot, whoot…that is one of my favorite poems…miles to go before I sleep…so true of life…
and your memory work…hoorah!
Great job Ann! I love your rendition of Robert Frost – and what a beautiful passage to meditate upon. I have my post up. Thanks for the inspiration!
Great job…and I did not have to turn down the speakers! Mine are probably already weak from Third Day and Addison Road! Geek Squad won’t know who those bands are either.
=)
I’d like to have those Scriptures stickies too…a great addition to my new work space, provided by God! I’ll post about that soon!
I enjoy your blog…it is a wonderful place to come and recharge after a long day…and miles to go before I sleep….
Blessings.
Andrea
B R A V O!!!!!
Oh. Robert Frost! That was ridiculously awesome! Thank you.
I just reminded my husband about Out!Out! this morning as he went out to use a chain saw (how manly, huh?).
And your poetry voice is perfect. I love it.
Thank you so much for hosting this! I hope that I’ve planted the seeds for a lifelong habit of memorizing and meditating on His Word! Blessings to you!
I must confess, I used Jemima on my own children, esp. oldest daughter number one who was braking me in…
…and she took her and did spank her most emphatic…we always giggled at that part…
but when she was good, she was very, very good…so true!
but when she was bad, she was horrid…true of her mum as well!
Hi Ann,
Thanks so much for tyour encouragement in the area of scripture memory!
I have put up my final mmm update on my blog.
http://dea-frommyhearttoyours.blogspot.com/2009/01/final-mmm-update.html
Blessings to you. Look forward to more MMMs to come!
Dea
My family loves stickies!
Hi Ann,
Thank you. Thank you for lighting a fire under me to move on something that’s been sitting on my heart for years (literally). I’ve made so much progress in memorizing Philippians that I actually believe that I WILL finish memorizing it. I love this book of the Bible. So many passages in it are ones that are familiar, quoted often. And now I feel like it is really MINE!
My celebration post, such as it is, is up at PeaceLedge. I’ll be spending time over the next week checking everyone else’s celebrations! What a terrific way to spend time. 🙂
Jennifer
by the way – once a person knows that it’s coral, the MMM button is actually quite amazing! Look at all those curls and contours. Another remarkable work of our Creator. 🙂
OK, my celebration is finally up. I did a video…and now I know why you do videos of lovely scenery so you only have to hear yourself, not see yourself!! Ugh!
http://schmamy.blogspot.com/2009/01/mega-memory-month-celebration.html
thanks so much for hosting this–what a blessing it has been. I know there is NO way I would have completed this memorization project in such a short time if not for the community of encouragement, challenge, and accountability through Mega Memory Month! I’ll definitely look forward to the next one.
Hi Ann
I had TONS of delays in uploading my masterpiece!!! Took hours!!!!!! to upload “O( Anyway I had plans to post yesterday but it wasn’t meant to be so here I am now FINALLY. Thanks again for such a wonderful and inspiring idea!
And I also wanted to say great Frost poem it was beautiful and you have a beautiful speaking voice too “O)
Wonderful post, and awesome job. Thank you so much for the inspriation to get going on this. I’m addicted…I have a monsterous list of things I want to memorize next. We may need to address addiction next MMM, as I’m sure I’m not the only one 🙂
lovely youtube video…
I’m not sure if Mr. Linky is working for me…maybe he’s taking Sunday off, so here’s the direct link to my celebration post. Thanks!
http://outwardexpression.blogspot.com/2009/01/celebration.html
I just LOVE all these comments–the encouragement to each other (and to me–thank you!) for this big event. Again, please accept a big hooray and joyful thanks from me to you for joining me in Mega Memory Month!
Well, Ann, I just listened to your recitation of Frost’s poem, and it was lovely. Thank you. I really like the phrase “the woods are lovely, dark and deep”.
Thanks again for MMM and for your very kind words on my celebration post at PeaceLedge.
Blessings to you and all who stop here.
Jennifer
Well, I am a bit late checking in for the end of Mega Memory Month. I did want to let you know that I reached my goal of memorizing all of Ephesians Chapter 5. I plan to do Chapter 6 in February, and then I will have completed the entire book. Thanks for having memory month, it was really helpful in spurring me on to complete this goal.
Hello, Ann! I just tapped Mr. Linky. 🙂
Also, my pastor has been preaching in John. The messages for chapter 14 reminded me of you, and now he’s just starting chapter 15. Great stuff! You can listen from the message archive if you have time. http://www.ewo.org/sermons/sermonarchive.asp
Enjoy!