MMM 2011 Progress Report #4

Welcome to Mega Memory Month (MMM) Progress Report #4.Please note that if I counted correctly, we have one week left, my friends.I thought I’d mention it, you know, to send you into a memorizing frenzy, cramming it in last minute. I’ll send you some Mountain Dew if you think you’re going to do an all-nighter.Don’t forget: next Monday is our Final Celebration! Plan ahead now for how you might present a creative culmination of your work. Some ideas: a video of you–and your family, if they’re participating–reciting it by heart; write it out by hand and take a photo; type it up on the blog. We’re pretty relaxed, and believe me I can commiserate with technological difficulties and kinks in one’s plans. We don’t have to create a beautiful slide show or PowerPoint presentation (though you can, if you are inspired).And don’t be discouraged if you don’t meet your goal. No matter how humble your final results are, please share! Every word taken in is precious and needs to be celebrated.If you’re just stopping by and wonder what in the world is going on, you can learn more about Mega Memory Month by clicking on this highlighted link and/or visit our previous progress reports by clicking below:

• Progress Report #1
• Progress Report #2
• Progress Report #3

Each Progress Report is an opportunity to encourage one another along the way and celebrate our progress.How are you doing? Has it come easily or are you facing struggles?Check in using Linky Tools if you write a Progress Report on your own blog (you can link up any time during the week).Or just talk to us in the comments.[Linky Tools is shutting down, so have to add this]

Ann’s Progress (or lack thereof)I was hanging out with Charity this weekend, and as each of us shared our sorry progress, I realized with frustration that I couldn’t recite anything to her without reviewing first.This morning, on the way to church, I could only barely pull up the most familiar verses, which for me are the last few because of my last-verse-first approach.So I’ll be cramming this week. Oh, yes, I’ll be reviewing like crazy to see if I can get it in before next Monday.I’m not going to bother trying to type it out, as it will be an epic fail.One of my favorite verses of all time is in this passage, however, and I can recite it by heart:

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.

And it serves as a reminder that remaining in Jesus is key to bearing fruit, even in locking in these memory verses.By the way, I looked up John 15:5 in Bible Gateway online, to check my work, and I gasped because I thought I had that wrong. This is what Bible Gateway’s NIV translation of John 15:5 is bringing up: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” But when I look it up in a print copy here at home, it is the same as I memorized it years ago (see above). What’s happening? Did Bible Gateway get it wrong? Is the NIV changing its translation of that passage (and others), updating for some reason?