DIY: Scripture Memorization

I have recently been motivated to memorize scripture. I've found that it's not actually as hard as I've always made it out to be. :) In fact, it's really quite fun and has been super helpful in my daily walk.

Here's the benefits I have found in memorizing scripture:

1. 
   
   When I'm talking with people and a verse comes to mind I actually know where to find it and can give more than just a vague description of it if I happen to not have my Bible.


2. 
   
   When I'm anxious, fearful, tempted, etc. I can call these verses to mind to combat the enemy.


3. 
   
   It gives me something to do during those awkward down-times of 3-15 minutes.


4. 
   
   It has given me a greater thirst for the Word and has motivated me to dig into it more.


5. 
   
   I got to do a craft! Who doesn't love crafts??? :)

So, I thought I'd show you how I have chosen to memorize scripture... and the craft that went along with it!

You will need:

• 
  
  Spiral-bound index card book (I chose this so all my cards will stay together and I can just throw the book in my backpack)


• 
  
  Storage Box (Any index-card sized box would work. I used an old gift box that just happened to be the perfect size!)


• 
  
  Mod podge or other glue


• 
  
  Scrapbook paper


• 
  
  Misc. Craft supplies

Get creative!

Decorate the cover of the book and the box by mod podging paper on, adding scripture or quotes, or even try adding some 3-D elements!

 

All done! You now have a box that will be able to hold multiple little scripture books... now get memorizing! :) 

 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130

His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:2

I  delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.

Psalm 40:8 

Flow Blocker: Apathy

When we trust in Him we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. - Ephesians 3:12

Gosh that's hard to remember. And even harder for me to live out. I know that God created me to be a fighter. To go after the things I know are right and true. To seek justice. To live with passion. To speak truth into situations. But sometimes that can be a really scary thing to do.

Because that means that I can't live under fear. And I can't live under apathy. Can I be real with you? Those are two of the biggest things I fight. Apathy hits me hard. Especially if I'm in the middle of something, if I've kind of gotten in the groove. And I think Satan tempts me with apathy because apathy is so opposite of who I'm created to be. The opposite of apathy is flow.

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity (Wikipedia).

I want flow. I want to be fully immersed, involved, energized, and focused. I know that when I am enabled through the Holy Spirit's power to have flow in my life, I am much more effective in my activities, projects, and relationships. But I cannot be experiencing flow when I am giving into apathy. Apathy blocks me from living the life I know I am supposed to be living, the life I want to be living.

So now for a little dose of truth:

Truth: I get to be whoever God says I am and walk that out however I feel God is telling me to walk that out.

Truth: I cannot live out who God says I am by walking in apathy.

Truth: In order to be who God says I am, I cannot give into apathy, instead I need to be enabled by the Holy Spirit to experience flow in my life.

You might have noticed I kind of skipped over fear. Well, that's for another day. My soul can only take so much life-changing truth at once. :)

In Him

It's bedtime. But I can't seem to drag myself into bed quite yet. Because it has only been a few hours since I stumbled upon this beautiful verse.

For in Him we live and move and have our being.

Acts 17:28a

What could be more simple, straightforward, heart-moving as that? I just can't get over it. God has wrecked me with these simple 11 words. I know I have heard them before- most likely countless times. But this time I paid attention. This time, I heard the question behind the words- "Are you living, moving, and being in ME? Are you recklessly abandoned and completely reliant on ME alone?" As tears streak down my face and I realize that everything I have and do and am is in Him, I pray that there will be less of me and more of Him. That those words would always be on my lips- "less of me, more of YOU." 

A work in progress

"Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert."

Isaiah 43:18-19

I am in a constant state of being sanctified, changed, taught, and molded. Praise the Lord that He loves me too much to keep me where I am. Now, I just need to remember to not dwell on the former things and instead focus on what He is doing in my life now, how he is bringing forth a new thing.

Ask, Seek, Knock.

Today was the first day of training for the VYC Internship I am a part of this summer. And it was a pretty paradigm-shifting day. The topic was the Spirit-Filled Life. We talked about the Holy Spirit. How to receive Him (repent and be baptized. Acts 2:38-39), the fruits He nurtures in our lives (love, joy peace, patience, etc. Galatians 5:22-25), and the gifts that He gives us (words of wisdom, teaching, prophecy, encouraging, etc. Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:28-31, & Ephesians 4:11-15).

So when I say paradigm-shifting, I mean it really changed the way I think about a lot of things. One of the big themes we really dove into was the idea of asking, seeking, and knocking. Now, I had definitely heard the verses in Luke where Jesus tells the parable of the man knocking on his friend's door at midnight (Luke 11:5-13). It is only because of his persistence that the friend finally gets up, answers the door, and gives his friend what he needs. However, I had never really looked at the context of this parable. In the following verses, Jesus goes on to say that whoever asks, it shall be given to him, whoever seeks will find, and whoever knocks, it will be open to him. But asks for what, exactly? Verse 13 says "how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

So this whole time, I have been using the "ask, seek, knock" concept for everything else in my life, BUT the Holy Spirit! I ask God for money for school. I seek to know God's will for my life. I knock, wanting to know when the next big thing in life is going to happen. These are not bad things. But I am not asking, seeking, and knocking for the Holy Spirit. I am not desperately pounding on the door, asking for my life to produce other-centeredness, patience, and self-control. I am not seeking, as for hidden treasure, what gifts God has for me and how He wants me to use them to bring glory to Him.

Enter 30 days of intentional asking, seeking, and knocking. Thirty days where I am going to be searching out the Holy Spirit and having Him truly flow through me. Thirty days of surrendering to Him, allowing Him to produce fruit in me and use me in whatever capacity and through whatever gifts He chooses to give to me. And hopefully, this thirty days will turn into a lifetime of complete surrender and abandonment to the Holy Spirit in my life.

So as a little reminder of this, I took the chair arm that I got from the old seats in Valleybrook as a souvenir, and made it into a token of remembrance.

Scribbles

This accurately describes my life right now. Messy. Not bad, just messy. Good thing that's Jesus' specialty.

"On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Mark 2:17

Face in the Water

I've been thinking about this verse lately. How often do we really see people's hearts? Not often. Because we don't live out of our hearts. Because then, like this verse says, people would see the REAL us. And we don't want people to see the real us. Because the real us is messy and really good at sinning and not really good at loving. At least on our own strength.

But you wanna know a little secret? A lot of times, even if we are trying to hide our hearts and what's inside of them, our actions and words give us away anyways. So why do we try to hide? Not only does it put us in bondage since by hiding we are choosing to not live out of our hearts and who we really are, but rather out of a lie. But it also doesn't usually work very well and people end up seeing into our hearts anyway and seeing all that mess. So instead of hiding our hearts, why don't we, as Pastor Doug puts it, "face the truth of our situation?" Why don't we see our hearts for what they are and then ask God to shine his spotlight on the whole big mess and start an overhaul on us.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

-- Psalm 139:23-24

Lord, search me. KNOW my heart and remove the sin. I want to be able to live in freedom, from my heart, without fear of what people will see. Because they should be able to see You. Like a face reflected in the water, I want my heart to reflect you, Lord.

Shame on You

Shame messages are lies that you feed yourself about who you are or who you are not.

Shame messages can look like this:

• I am too big a mess to deal with


• I am powerless to change


• I don't belong


• I am dirty, worthless, dumb


• I am not worthy of love, grace, gifts of kindness


• There is something the matter with me

Can you relate to any of those? Shame can lead to idolatry when we form images of ourselves and let that tell us how to live, rather than let God tell us how to live. Shame can lead to hiding who we are or contempt for who we are. Shame can lead to performance- based acceptance where we feel we must earn others' and God's love. Shame can lead to addictions and isolation. Shame can rule us. BUT, this isn't how it has to be. This isn't how it's SUPPOSED to be!

Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. - Isaiah 54:4

Shame is something I have had in my life.
Shame is not something I want in my life.

I am going to allow God to define me. I am going to stop believing the lies that Satan feeds me. I am going to allow God's purpose to become my purpose. I am going to impact this world. I am going to allow God and others to pursue me in my shame. I am going to let love in. I am going to believe God when he says that I will forget the shame of my youth, and look to my future.

*Ideas adapted from The Journey Guide by Open Hearts Ministry.

Possibly the Coolest Poster EVER

This is about the coolest thing I've ever seen... Color coded and everything!