Yeah I have the attention span of a goldfish....
Every week I seem to have new goals and aspirations for what I want to accomplish this year. A few months ago, it was to write a new book. I wrote ne back in 2007 and decided it was time to get the pen moving again. However that really fell on the back burner...Quick lol
No real reason other than....Read the starting sentence of this blog post.
Attention span of a gold fish :)
And it's come to my realization that this is not a good way to live. If I set a goal, especially a spiritual one, I need to see it through. At the beginning of the year I set my goals for 2025 and that included of course...Reading the bible multiple times. Happily, I'm still on the path to do that at least 2 times this year. Grateful for that.
However there is something that has fascinated me over the years that I thought could become a fun and rewarding project for yours truly. And that is to memorize scripture!
Now everyone has their favorite bible verses or chapters. And I'm sure everyone and their mother can recite John 3:16. However I'm talking.....Entire chapters. Even the entire bible.....WHAT!!!!!!
This weekend I flew through a book that really captured my attention and made me ask, what if I could actually....Memorize the bible? Is it possible? Can anyone do it? And more importantly how?
The biggest take away from this book is two fold....
You have to start small. Break things up into small chunks and just focus on one verse at a time.
But here's the secret, making it a habit! Actually committing to memory the bible verses every single day.
The author showed some very interesting methods on how he has been memorizing scripture for decades and how it's helped him in his walk with Christ. And it brought to mind one of my favorite pastors on the planet....His name is Randy Skeete. And if you haven't listened to one of his sermons, I highly recommend you do a YouTube search for him and watch one.
You'll notice something unique....
He rarely, if ever, has a bible in hand. Now sadly this is rare for most 'pastors' and preachers in the Christian world. Most of the time, they interject their opinions and thougths on how we should live, yet rarely mention the bible or any verses.
What's unique about Pastor Randy is....He quotes scripture in every single one of his sermons. From memory! Verse by verse, line upon line..It is remarkable to watch and hear. This man of God truly knows the bible, front to cover....In his memory!
(Here's a short clip on suggestions on how to memorize the bible from the man himself and reasons why you should!)
I have my reasons too....
And now it's time for conspiracy theory Jongo!
People think I'm crazy because I own so many physical copies of the bible. And when I say people...I mean my wife :)
The reason I want to own so many physical copies of scripture is because in today's day and age...The bible is on a phone or iPad. Rarely it seems, people carry a physical copy of it. And with how technology is moving along, it won't take much for 'AI' or some nefarious power to change the Word of God to fit their agenda.
We're already seeing it in many modern day translations, and I don't think it's going to get any better.
So for me, it's simply...
Philippians 4:8 which states:
I want to think about God and His Word all day, every day! I want to think of pure things. It will keep me from sin and temptation and His promises are true.
But most importantly it's because I truly believe a future is coming where the bible won't be what we know now....It'll be corrupted and there will be a time when we won't have access to a physical copy of it. We have to KNOW what is taught in it, and live by...
'It is written....' and 'Thus saith the Lord.....'