Well, so far it's only two of us sharing scriptures, but that's okay. And if anyone else is led to commit to some low-key but valuable scripture memory, please join us. We're just getting started.
Here's my 2nd verse for January:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
I have written this verse in my little flip book of index cards along with Psalm 19:14 from last time (which I have now memorized after reflecting on it for two weeks plus!) as well as some others that I jot down as I come across them - not necessarily to memorize but to have close at hand when the need arises. Beth Moore posted a great little video tutorial to help us meditate upon and memorize scripture - take a 15-minute break and check out the January 8 posting: www.livingproofministries.blogspot.com.
To record your own verse and share it with me and other ThySpace readers (about 20 subscribed), simply comment on this posting. Don't forget to include your name, book, chapter and verse, and the Bible translation (NIV, NLT, KJV, etc.). Delia, please go ahead and post your first verse, too, even though we're running a little behind :-). You never know who needs to see it!
Blessings to you as God waters these seeds in our hearts - even in the wintertime!
Eleanor
Friday, January 16, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Here's a New Year's Resolution we can all benefit from - and maybe even keep!
Happy New Year to All!
I just happened to check in with Beth Moore's LPM blog the other day (which I hadn't done in months), and that very same day (12/27) she had posted a challenge to her readers to embark on a 12-month discipline of memorizing scripture. I immediately decided to do it, recognizing not only the value of internalizing scripture, but also the simplicity and "doability" of Beth's goal and framework. Check out her 12/27 and 1/1 postings to see all the details.
In a nutshell, every month on the 1st and the 15th, each participant chooses a passage she'd like to memorize (or at least meditate on), and enters it as a comment on the blog. Beth doesn't tell us what to memorize, although we can use hers or anyone else's if we want to. The only problem is, about 2400 women signed up to do this with Beth Moore! So, while I'm sure that Beth's posts will be encouraging throughout the year, any feeling of accountability on my part kind of gets lost in anonymity.
That's why I thought we could do the same thing through this blog on a more personal level. There's absolutely no obligation to participate, and no condemnation if you don't see it through for whatever reason. But just think - a year from now we could all have the benefit of having committed to memory 24 passages of scripture, and along the way reap the harvest as God cultivates the Word he plants in our hearts. We just need to choose our seeds!
I do plan to let Beth Moore know that I've taken her idea and blatantly copied it on my own blog. Somehow I think she will not be offended, but rather thrilled that the Word of God is spreading in such a manner.
So who's with me? Even if nobody is, I've just boosted my accountability tremendously merely by sharing this with you! Here's how it will work: Each month on the 1st and the 15th I will be sure to post the verse I have chosen for myself. You can either choose your own or use mine, but either way, please let us know your passage by posting a comment with your name, verse(s) and translation (i.e. NIV, NLT, KJV, etc.) Feel free to share the reason you've chosen a particular verse, but this is not required. Beth Moore suggests we each use spiral-bound index cards to record our verses - this makes them portable and readily available. Again, refer to her 12/27 post.
Since it's already the 2nd of January, consider this kick-off and the first official "Seeds for Your Heart 2009" posting. Here goes -
Eleanor
Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
I have heard this verse quoted almost exclusively as a pre-sermon prayer by preachers, but a Bible study I'm doing made me realize the plea can (should?) be much more personal and informal. All my words, not just prepared talks, should be God-pleasing - in fact, it's the unplanned words that usually aren't! And we learned in "Conversation Peace" a few years ago that if we want our words to be God-pleasing, our thoughts and hearts need to be God-pleasing. I now find myself reciting this verse numerous times a day - I'll have no problem memorizing it over the next two weeks!
I pray you'll join me in this oh-so-important discipline, and I look forward to encouraging each other throughout the year, while we see our lives transformed by His Word.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Eleanor
I just happened to check in with Beth Moore's LPM blog the other day (which I hadn't done in months), and that very same day (12/27) she had posted a challenge to her readers to embark on a 12-month discipline of memorizing scripture. I immediately decided to do it, recognizing not only the value of internalizing scripture, but also the simplicity and "doability" of Beth's goal and framework. Check out her 12/27 and 1/1 postings to see all the details.
In a nutshell, every month on the 1st and the 15th, each participant chooses a passage she'd like to memorize (or at least meditate on), and enters it as a comment on the blog. Beth doesn't tell us what to memorize, although we can use hers or anyone else's if we want to. The only problem is, about 2400 women signed up to do this with Beth Moore! So, while I'm sure that Beth's posts will be encouraging throughout the year, any feeling of accountability on my part kind of gets lost in anonymity.
That's why I thought we could do the same thing through this blog on a more personal level. There's absolutely no obligation to participate, and no condemnation if you don't see it through for whatever reason. But just think - a year from now we could all have the benefit of having committed to memory 24 passages of scripture, and along the way reap the harvest as God cultivates the Word he plants in our hearts. We just need to choose our seeds!
I do plan to let Beth Moore know that I've taken her idea and blatantly copied it on my own blog. Somehow I think she will not be offended, but rather thrilled that the Word of God is spreading in such a manner.
So who's with me? Even if nobody is, I've just boosted my accountability tremendously merely by sharing this with you! Here's how it will work: Each month on the 1st and the 15th I will be sure to post the verse I have chosen for myself. You can either choose your own or use mine, but either way, please let us know your passage by posting a comment with your name, verse(s) and translation (i.e. NIV, NLT, KJV, etc.) Feel free to share the reason you've chosen a particular verse, but this is not required. Beth Moore suggests we each use spiral-bound index cards to record our verses - this makes them portable and readily available. Again, refer to her 12/27 post.
Since it's already the 2nd of January, consider this kick-off and the first official "Seeds for Your Heart 2009" posting. Here goes -
Eleanor
Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
I have heard this verse quoted almost exclusively as a pre-sermon prayer by preachers, but a Bible study I'm doing made me realize the plea can (should?) be much more personal and informal. All my words, not just prepared talks, should be God-pleasing - in fact, it's the unplanned words that usually aren't! And we learned in "Conversation Peace" a few years ago that if we want our words to be God-pleasing, our thoughts and hearts need to be God-pleasing. I now find myself reciting this verse numerous times a day - I'll have no problem memorizing it over the next two weeks!
I pray you'll join me in this oh-so-important discipline, and I look forward to encouraging each other throughout the year, while we see our lives transformed by His Word.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Eleanor
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