As the truck rumbled over the rugged African landscape, the villagers could hear it coming from miles away and were waiting to greet them. Bud and his dad began passing out the leaflets to the people, who were overjoyed to receive printed literature. They rushed to the truck to get a copy.

The small quantity was far from enough for everyone. Bud watched people walk away empty-handed, discouraged. Then he witnessed a fistfight break out between two grown men—fighting over a copy of the literature.

Standing in the bed of the truck that day, Bud was horrified. People should not have to fight over a copy of any piece of Christian literature—there should be enough to go around! If he could do something about it, he would.

That was the start of a dream. Bud decided to be a missionary printer, not knowing all that was involved in publishing.

In his teens, Bud moved from Africa to Oregon, where he stayed with friends of the family to finish high school in the States. From there, he went to Wheaton College for university studies. By then, the dream had grown into a plan: Bud and his father were forming a mission that would publish Christian literature in French specifically to distribute to French-speaking African nations for low-cost or free… (read more)

* * * * *

I recently wrote an article for The High Calling that featured my father-in-law, whose life experiences could fill a book, including adventures of growing up in Congo, traveling in the States, raising six kids in Belgium, and more recently, launching Congo Open Heart.

In the article I highlighted how he pursued his God-given dreams—my hope is that his courage and faith inspire you to continue pursuing your God-given dreams.

Read more at “Aligning Talents with Dreams: It Takes Courage.”

The post Pursuing Your God-Given Dreams appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

Each Wednesday I’m recording a Curiosity Journal, a recap of the past week. Tag words are: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing.

:::

Some of you have mentioned that you’re keeping a Curiosity Journal, as well. Leave your link in the comments so that we can visit and enjoy your weekly review.

Reading

Slow summer mornings, sunshine streams through waggling leaves that cast dancing shadows on the kitchen table. The season spoils me; I relish this temperature, this pace, this flexibility, this time to rest…and read.I sit with my Bible, The Imitation of Christ, and My Utmost for His Highest. Sometimes I scribble notes or copy passages into my blank book. Sometimes I just read and sit at the table sipping creamy coffee from a small red mug and thank the Lord for reminders, for truth, for hope, for pointing me to Him.Slow mornings give way to school schedules, and the freedom to sit is snatched away—replaced by appointments, deadlines, expectations. It is time to shift gears to a more disciplined life; to organize the days and follow a plan.The hardest part, I think, is this time of transition.I read my last “whim” book—the last book I randomly snatched from the shelf because it caught my eye. Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli. Set in Poland just prior to the Nazi invasion and written in the voice of a tiny street urchin whose naivete presents the atrocities endured by Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. Simply written, powerfully told. I’m going to give it to my junior high and high school daughters to read.

Playing

Claire Burge has given TheHighCalling photographers a PhotoPlay assignment:

For this month’s PhotoPlay, capture five images that represent your history. Each image must answer a question below, one question per image:

1. Who made up your DNA?
2. Where do you come from?
3. What object is precious to your past?
4. What memory resonates most deeply?
5. What moment in history marks your childhood?

Symbolism is important in recollection. To assist your photo search, find symbols to portray the memories that come back to you.

Claire may call this PhotoPlay, but it sounds more like PhotoWork. Deep, heart-probing work. I simply may not have the time or energy necessary to dig in and truly reveal who I am in this way; I doubt that in two weeks’ time I can isolate defining objects or moments from the muddle of memories that tumble in the recesses of my mind. Can I cope with what I unearth…at one of the busiest times of the year?We’ll see.Maybe I’ll participate, maybe not.But it does open up a set of questions and curiosity about myself.Reminds me of a phrase from Write to Discover Yourself that Ruth Vaughn proposed a writer ask herself. In chapter two, “The Diary/Journal,” she writes:

When I taught creative writing in college, I used to write two words on the board for the students’ first assignment:I WHY?I offer you that question as your first and ever-ongoing assignment in writing creatively. (Vaughn 7)

She recommends writing about one’s parents—descriptions of physical characteristics, memories, portraits of the past and how one feels about them. Write about the earliest memories: times you laughed or cried, times in a secret childhood spot, times in school that marked success…and failure. “Probe. Remember. Write it out,” Vaughn advises (11). Write in total honest and freedom, she says, with that diary or journal as a constant companion on the journey to discovering the answer to “I WHY?”

Take the time and effort to go back and try to capture the memories of your life from earliest childhood to present. Let nothing be too trivial to explore. It if survives in your memory, it was significant in some way. From such inner exploration will come self-knowledge, life-understanding, and increasing dimensions of wisdom…Also, you will be forming a reservoir of material which will provide the “stuff” of your writing in all future years. (11-12)

Because, she posits, as we write our way to the answer, we will be free to write creatively and powerfully for ourselves, for God, and for others.

Learning

I asked my doctor about the dangers of using a steroid inhaler for a long time, as she is recommending it for treatment of my lingering cough. She conceded that there are definitely some concerns, such as loss of bone density, though that is associated more with oral steroids than with inhaled. In any case, she said, “I’m more concerned that we need to be treating your lungs at this point. There are more serious side effects if they are left untreated.””Like what?”She looked me in the eye and said, “If you can’t control your asthma, you won’t be able to breathe.” She paused and stared at me.”And if I can’t breathe…” I said, nodding slowly, beginning to understand the severity of my diagnosis.She began to nod, as well, and then just said it: “If you can’t breathe, you die.”I now carry an albuterol inhaler with me all the time.

Reacting

Not a fan of Fall (Fall, after all, descends into stark, bleak winter), I grieve a little every day the morning temperatures feel the least bit crisp. I am clinging to every streak of sunshine, soaking it in, trying to absorb bone-deep memories of warm.

Writing

These days it seems I’m busier with start-of-school stuff than writing. Also, preparing to facilitate a high school writing class, I’m entering a coaching mode. But I squeak out a blog post now and then.

Works Cited:Vaughn, Ruth. Write to Discover Yourself. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1980. Print.Question mark image: “Question Proposed” photo by Ethan Lofton. Used under a Creative Commons license via Flickr.com.All other photos taken of a friend’s flower garden by Ann Kroeker.Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. If you just want to list your three favorite cookbooks, that’ll do just fine.When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button (the big one above or smaller option at the bottom) to paste at the top of your post and join us through Mr. Linky.Here’s a Mr. Linky tutorial:

Write up a post, publish, then return here and click on Mr. Linky below. A screen will pop up where you can type in your blog name and paste in the url to your own Food on Fridays post (give us the exact link to your Food on Fridays page, not just the link to your blog).You can also visit other people’s posts by clicking on Mr. Linky and then clicking participants’ names–you should be taken straight to their posts.Please note: I’ll do my best to update this post by hand. In the meantime, please click on the Mister Linky logo to view the complete list.

Food on Fridays Participants

Food on Fridays with AnnI had almost everything on hand to make Curried Chickpea Soup, a recipe that Breastfeeding Moms Unite included in last week’s carnival.So I tried making it, with modifications. I’ve annotated the recipe below.The biggest change was that I had to make a much smaller amount, but was too lazy to do any math. I also kept skipping over ingredients and then going back and adding things later. It got better and better. By the time I was done, this soup tasted so different from anything I’ve ever eaten and was so delicious, I wanted to cry. I ate three servings right away. Couldn’t stop myself.Curried Chick Pea Soup

• 8 cups vegetable broth (I used one can)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (probably less, but I rarely measure olive oil)
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced (I used a tiny bit of onion—too much and I have digestive issues)
• 2 tsp salt (much less)
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 garlic cloves (Whoa! That’s a lot of garlic. I used one clove in the mincer)
• 3 Tbsp minced ginger (Forgot the ginger—added a little bit upon reheating, but it was delicious without)
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded (Didn’t have these and can’t stand the heat; used part of a green bell pepper)
• 1 red pepper (I had part of one)
• 6 ripe tomatoes (I had one big one)
• 1 tsp cumin seed (I had some ground cumin)
• 1 tsp coriander seed (Didn’t have this)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garam masala (I didn’t have this, either)
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/8 tsp turmeric (I happened to have some of this)
• 3 cups canned/cooked chickpeas (I only used one can, which is why I had to monkey with the amounts of everything else)
• 1/4 cup prepared mango chutney (just a bit of Major Grey Chutney and once blended added sooo much to the flavor, wow)
• 1/2 can coconut milk (used almost this much, even though I made such a small amount of soup overall—gooooooood)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, minced (Obviously just a sprig for the smaller amoung, but yum!)

Directions:Heat the oil in a soup pot and add onion, 1 tsp salt and bay leaves. Sauté until onions are soft and golden. Meanwhile., places the garlic, ginger, peppers, and tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until the vegetables form a rough purée. Set aside. Note: What makes this soup so good is the purée!Next, grind the cumin and coriander seeds. Add these and all remaining spices to the sautéed onions and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable purée and another tsp of salt and simmer until blobs of oil pool on the surface. Add the chick peas and vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Cook several minutes, then add the chutney and coconut milk. Using a potato masher, gently mash the chick peas against the bottom of the pot to break them up slightly and thicken the soup. If this is something you don’t care about, don’t do it, as mashing the chick peas will cause their skins to come off, which many folks, including me and my kids don’t care for on their own. Simmer and season to taste with salt and cracked pepper. Add chopped cilantro just before serving.Serve with warm whole wheat chapati or pita bread and a salad.(Or just eat three bowls in a row without worrying about sides, because this is now what you crave more than chocolate.)

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A couple of years ago the kids and I were looking through the purses and bags at Goodwill, and our son announced that he, too, wanted a purse. I suppose he would have been about six years old at the time.A bag of his own could contain his wallet, ChapStick, a notepad and pen, his Nintendo DS—such a practical solution for easy transport! He started poking around the jumble of gently used purses, totes, and shoulder bags, considering the possibilities.His sisters were horrified, but he was determined.I had to decide what to do, what to say. I had to decide quickly…

This is the start of a post at HighCallingBlogs.com today, where I simply set up and highlight someone else’s boy-meets-bag moment of decision. I invite you to slip over and check out the excerpt from her post.

In the meantime, here’s what happened at Goodwill:Parenting is full of little moments like this that sneak up on me. We’re out picking up milk, returning books at the library, or browsing leather handbags at Goodwill—something utterly ordinary and mundane—and next thing you know, something small leaves me prickling with the possibility that the next word I utter or the look on my face will mark a defining moment in my child’s life.Will my reaction to his purse request change how he views the world or people or gender? Or will it amount to nothing?Standing in front of those Goodwill bags beside my son and daughters, I made a decision.“Some men do carry bags to contain their stuff,” I said. The girls conceded that their dad carries a backpack and a brief case … but those bags, they pointed out, were a far cry from a purse.“Some men, like Papa, use a backpack or brief case,” I continued, “but a few do indeed carry a smaller bag the size of a purse.” But I insisted that bags for men are usually a simple style in a quiet color with masculine details, like webbing for the strap, for example, and little in the way of decoration.I let my son have a bag.He narrowed down his selection, and the girls and I urged him to take a small, relatively manly canvas bag in sage green. He agreed to it and uses it to this day for small items.Defining moment? I don’t know about the far-reaching effects, but I can see that it’s practical. He doesn’t drop his DS on the concrete driveway when it’s tucked neatly into his bag, for example, and he can apply his own ChapStick to those frequently dry, cracked lips of his.If anyone questions it, we can always point to his father’s European upbringing (“Man bags are all the rage in France!”). Or maybe we could just rename it a satchel.

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My mom worked as the editor of our local newspaper, covering news all over the county. If a reporter couldn’t make it to an event, Mom would grab her camera, reporter’s pad, and pen—and quite often her daughter—to capture the news herself.

This meant that whether I wanted to or not, I visited sporting events, live nativity scenes, church bazaars, festivals, fairs, horse pulls, pie-eating contests, and a lot of parades. Most kids would relish frequent outings to festivals and fairs, but apparently I grew tired of being dragged from town to town. Even though it was an era when the Girl Scouts and local celebrities riding in Model T cars or standing on floats would heave generous gobs of candy to the spectators, apparently I moaned one time, “Not another parade!” Ah, what a cross I had to bear!

All because my mother was a professional writer and editor; a committed, working journalist.

When she was a child, her dream never wavered: she wanted to write. Mom majored in journalism at university and worked for years at our metropolitan newspaper, The Indianapolis Star, as a writer, editor and columnist. Her work in the lifestyle department allowed her to meet and interview movie stars as they came through town for a show or event. I always enjoyed telling my friends, “My mom met the woman who plays Ethel on ‘I Love Lucy.'” Mom said Vivian Vance was gracious and charming—one of her favorite interviews. And one of the most challenging? Jack Palance.

But continuing to work full-time at the Star became a challenge when my brother was born. When I came along four years later, Mom adjusted her writing life to accommodate motherhood … to accommodate me.

She gave up her work at the Star to take that position at the county newspaper in order to be available to her children; she gave up being the journalist she wanted to be, in order to be the mom she wanted to be. She could have been interviewing movie stars. Instead, Mom stood all day on Mondays, scrambling to get the paper ready, making editorial decisions about which photo of the county fair queen should make the front page, trimming school lunch schedules with scissors and pasting down stories of council meetings and road construction. But because Mom didn’t drive downtown to Indianapolis—because she was willing to work hard at a less prestigious job that was flexible and kept her close by—she was there to cheer me on at softball games and track meets. She could see my plays and band concerts.

She was around for school award ceremonies where I received some minor recognition—nothing newsworthy that would draw a reporter, but Mom would come … as a mom.

And I didn’t appreciate her sacrifice one bit when I was young.

When I was little, I woke up early to watch morning kids’ shows, which would have been limited to Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street, and a few cartoons. Mom says one morning I slipped into her bedroom in my jammies and asked, “Mommy, can you watch car-coons with me?”

Touched that I requested her presence, she dragged herself out of bed, pulled on a robe, shuffled into the living room, and eased herself onto the green vinyl chair as I snuggled down on her lap.

After a few minutes, I chirped, “That’s good, Mommy. You can go back to bed. The chair’s all warmed up now.”

For a lot of women, it takes becoming a mother to appreciate their mothers. It takes a humbling vinyl chair moment to realize everything our moms put up with.

For me, I think that the tension and pull between motherhood and writing has opened my eyes to my mom’s sacrifices. Mom sought to balance work and motherhood, respecting and honoring both.

Now I’m attempting the same thing.

I’ve grown to appreciate the challenges she faced to make her life work. Mom knows all about “imperfect conditions.” I think I finally feel the pang of those compromises she made, of her grief at the loss of a position that really fit who she was as a writer in order to choose a life that allowed her to be there.

For me.

And my writer-mom has celebrated the life I’ve chosen, as well; also the life of a writer-mom, seeking a both/and instead of an either/or life.

Thanks for modeling how to write in the midst of motherhood, Mom. Thanks for being there.

Thanks for supporting and celebrating my work while carrying on your own. And thanks for loving my biological babies … and appreciating my word-babies.

Happy (early) Mother’s Day!

Visit HighCallingBlogs today for an early Mother’s Day celebration, where you can read a collection of mom-themed vignettes and poems.

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Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—it doesn’t have to be a recipe.

Food on Fridays Participants

Food on Fridays with Ann

Late Sunday night I returned home from Grand Rapids, where I attended the biennial Festival of Faith & Writing held at Calvin College. The past few days, I’ve tried to share some of my encounters and interactions with you. The following is a scene from last Saturday (root beer falls loosely into the category of food, doesn’t it?).

My editor and I arranged to meet for lunch on Saturday along with another David C. Cook colleague to discuss potential projects.

Ideally, I’d handle myself in a professional and poised manner. I dressed for it, wearing black slacks, a suit jacket and black pumps.

We couldn’t find a place on campus to eat, so we jumped in my car and drove to the first quick restaurant we spotted: Culver’s.

I placed my order and filled my large cup with root beer. I glanced at the lids and straws, but my hands were full. I decided that trying to secure the lid would be too awkward. I carried the open cup carefully to a small table that was the only one available at the time.

We sipped our drinks for a couple of minutes, chatting, waiting for our food to arrive. Finally I offered to launch into my ideas. I slipped some papers from a Kinko’s bag to hand to both of them as I pitched the first concept.

At that moment, our trays of food arrived. I set my papers down and reached for the tray.

As I brought it toward me, the tray blocked my view of the cup, and—thunk!

The entire cup of root beer tipped over, cold drink pouring onto my lap and down my pant leg. I was saturated. Sopping. The liquid soaked my pants and continued to flow all the way down to my shoe—into my shoe.

“Save the papers!” I exclaimed. My editor whipped up the stack of papers while the other lady rushed over to grab a wad of napkins. I blotted my pants a little, but it was too far along to make much of a difference. I resigned myself to sit in root beer pants.

Someone watched the spill from a big table in the corner. She came over. “I’m just one person at a big table, and you’re three at this small one. Why don’t we trade? You [she glanced at me compassionately] look like you could use the space.”

I thanked her with a sheepish grin. We gathered our trays and bags to walk the few steps to the bigger table.

Squish-squish-squish.

The root beer had filled my right shoe.

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But it occurred to us one cold winter evening that we only have a few more trips with our almost-16-year-old daughter before she heads off to college, assuming we have the resources. And when we asked where she hoped to go as a family, she confessed that there’s only one place she’s ever dreamed of visiting: Walt Disney World.

I caved.

Instead of packing the camper and driving to a state park for a budget-friendly, spirit-refreshing week of reading and relaxing beach time (a more typical family vacation for us), I said, “Okay, let’s do it. Let’s just go.”

So last week for Spring Break we bought the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, drove a thousand miles to Orlando, stuffed peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and granola bars into a backpack, laced up our athletic shoes, and took the plunge.

We relied on the touring plans from the Unofficial Guide.I highly recommend that when visiting Walt Disney World (WDW) in peak season, buy the book and follow the plan. If the plan says to walk briskly to one side of the park and grab a FASTPASS, do it. Even if the wait for that ride is only ten minutes, stick to the plan.Otherwise, the park is too full of people trying to do the same thing at the same time. If you don’t follow the plan, you’ll wait in line at some point for two hours (or more) and ride only a few rides all day. It was that full.In fact, the tram operator said they almost closed the parking lot, which is considered full at 75,000 vehicles. He said that they had just under 73,000 that day. It means that at some point, the Magic Kingdom may have been near its capacity of 100,000 people.One hundred thousand people, most of whom want to ride Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain at least once.Thanks to the plan, we rode every major ride once and saw most of the shows that interested us.But. Following the plan also meant we arrived at opening and left just before closing, adrenaline surging nonstop as our family of six wove through crowds, stopping only to eat our peanut butter sandwiches on a stone bench outside the Haunted Mansion. While sitting there, we looked up to see a skywriter starting a message.On a different day in a different park, we spotted his handiwork again.That second skywriting message was above Hollywood Studios (a fascinating contrast to see Jesus’ name appearing in the sky over the “Tower of Terror”).We went to all the parks.Even saw a couple of hidden Mickeys, including this one.I took migraine medicine every single day.I let two of my girls spin me around in a teacup on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party ride and almost fainted when I tried to stand up. Then I almost threw up. I was shaky for hours. Epcot was nice. I liked a ride called “Soarin‘” that simulates a hang-gliding flight over various terrain in California. And I’ve always liked the little boat ride in Mexico. It’s tame, I know, but I needed some tame in the midst of the crushing, manic masses.While the kids rode something called Test Track, I held onto that day’s supply of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and read Our Town.Yes, I really read Our Town at Epcot.How high does that score on the nerd-scale?There is something quite charming about watching one’s kids wave at the cheery characters during the parades.But the thing that charmed my son more than anything else—more than meeting Mickey and getting his signature; more than a Mickey pin his bought with his own money—was finding a heart jewel on the ground at the Magic Kingdom.He kept pulling it out of his pocket to turn it over in his hand and hold it up to the light.We warned him that if he kept messing with it, he might lose it.I was so sure he’d drop it, I tried to offer a positive spin by pointing out that if he loses it, he’ll just be passing along the joy of the heart to some other child.But that cheap little plastic heart survived all four of the main parks and two water parks.The heart survived a sloshy side trip into the washing machine and a tumble in the dryer at the place where we stayed.The heart magically made it all the way back home with us in one piece.And, thankfully, so did I.Barely.Thank you for your patience with me. Without a moment to breathe or think during those Disney days, I was unable to write any posts other than those I scheduled ahead of time.

Photos by Ann Kroeker.

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In A Circle of Quiet, Madeleine L’Engle wrote:

During the long drag of years before our youngest child went to school, my love for my family and my need to write were in acute conflict. The problem was really that I put two things first. My husband and children came first. So did my writing. Bump.

The conflict—or collision—of work and family summed up in a word:  Bump.Ouch.

• How do you handle the collision of work and family?

• How have demanding seasons of work affected your family life?

• Is your current pace “sustainable”?

• What changes have you already made—or what changes could you make—to create a more sustainable life? Have you “trimmed your day,” for example, and simplified?

“Remember, there is no Bump” photo by Ethan Lofton available through Flickr under a Creative Commons license.

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“Tired Woggers” photo by Ann Kroeker © 2010

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“Snow Jog” photo by Ann Kroeker © 2007

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Not long ago I wrote about Destructive Criticism vs. Healthy Critique when working with writers. The post generated a variety of responses as the conversation continued in the comments.

Shepherdsgrace, for example, had a terrific experience in a writing workshop that included input from the professor and classmates. She explained:

when I was in college I had the audacity, I was a chemistry major through and through, to take a creative writing class…and although an instructor was a fellow student and they all “lived” writing, reading…and were steeped in all things literature…they were very welcoming and friendly to me…I think it was because I was from “outside” their hallowed building, just a curious interloper…they were helpful and gentle at the same time…a little healthy criticism that isn’t couched in petty meanness and caustic barbs will go very far with me…that was one of the funnest classes I ever took…ever…for curious minds, it was a short fiction writing course.

Joyce’s writing workshop experience, however, was quite different from that of shepherdsgrace:

Several years ago I took a university course in creative writing. How I wish that the professor had understood the difference between [Destructive Criticism] and [Healthy Critique]. Not only was he merciless in his comments—written, of course, in red ink on our papers—but he encouraged the class to “critique” each other’s work in the same vein. One student obviously enjoyed this activity and was permitted by the instructor to savage his classmates’ efforts. As a result, many students dropped the class. I continued to the end, but didn’t write another thing for over a year until I had gotten over the experience and realized that the opinions of mean-spirited people really shouldn’t count. That professor has been invited to be the keynote speaker at the awards ceremony for a poetry competition I entered recently. I don’t think I will attend.

LL Barkat described her positive approach when working with writers and other creative types (emphasis mine):

Okay, honestly I don’t believe in critique. I believe in saying what works. Again and again and again. This gets tricky if I’m editing a piece, but even then I want to communicate the idea… hey, if I pulled something out it was only to make sure the good stuff shined the way I knew it could if it was left to itself.

Finally, I’d like to highlight what Gretchen wrote after exploring this topic with others. I’m so grateful she took time to share her findings (I’ve taken the liberty of emphasizing some statements):

I have discussed your post over the last several weeks with colleagues, co-workers, family, and friends.  Many points for discussion—including the definition of criticism vs. critique, sensitivity of an aspect of our lives to the perception of others, and the value of what we hold to be dear.There has been varying degrees of agreement and disagreement with the interpretation of criticism as outlined in your reference of Scribes Alley but all generally agreed that it is how one conveys the tone and character of that analysis which is important and what profoundly affects that memorable experience.I think that it can be argued in evaluating  the merit of a piece or performance, one should not omit the deficits as it can lead to continued weakness with lack of correction concluding with underperformance or the loss of potential of what could be.  In an effort to be “kind” it is really doing no favors.What is true is that no one person wants the “mean girls” to come “knock’n” on your doors of creativity or the things we hold dear.As for the comment that was essentially tasteless ridicule (and lacking in substantial value), I say kick it to the curb and leave it there as I suspect you already have.

Yes, Gretchen, I have indeed kicked to the curb that comment about my poetry—and I appreciate the time you took to explore this topic thoroughly.

All of the comments gave me much to consider, especially as I evaluate the papers of enthusiastic students who are emerging or developing writers. It’s tempting to focus on the mistakes—on what needs to be fixed—and ignore what’s working. I want to applaud what students are doing well so that they can recognize the places where they expressed themselves effectively; yet, I also want to mark errors in hopes of training students to develop good writing habits early on in the same way a piano teacher might correct posture or hand positions.

As Gretchen said, if I omit deficits, students may take much longer to reach their potential. That said, I have been curious to attempt an all-positive approach; or, as LL Barkat described it, “saying what works. Again and again and again.”

Back in 2006 I read an article in The New York Times called “What Shamu Taught Me About Marriage,” by Amy Sutherland. Tired of nagging her husband to change minor habits such as habitually misplacing his keys or leaving used tissues in his wake, Sutherland switched to positive reinforcement. The idea came to her while researching exotic animal trainers and how they could get “hyenas to pirouette on command, cougars to offer their paws for a nail clipping, and baboons to skateboard.” Sutherland wrote:

The central lesson I learned from exotic animal trainers is that I should reward behavior I like and ignore behavior I don’t. After all, you don’t get a sea lion to balance a ball on the end of its nose by nagging. The same goes for the American husband.

She began to thank her husband when he placed just one dirty shirt in the hamper. Meanwhile, she would step over soiled clothes that remained on the floor without saying a word about it—thus rewarding desired behavior and ignoring the rest. As he basked in her gratitude, the piles of soiled clothes shrank. Success came from pointing out what worked and ignoring what didn’t.

Sutherland did, by the way, confess her techniques to her husband. He was not only amused; he learned how they worked and tried them out on her, as well.

Another place I’ve seen the rewards-only technique is online with “TAGteach,” where clickers (yes, the same clickers used by dolphin and dog trainers) are used for training people to learn new skills. In the following video, kids learn basic high jump techniques:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH63lywm_Sc]

The TAGteach blog explains a few key points:

Note the self assessment and absence of frustration when they miss the tag point. This video shows rapid learning of a complex skill without ever pointing out mistakes. It also provides a good example of backchaining… starting with the last part of the skill and gradually adding pieces to move toward the completed skill.

The positive is reinforced with a reward—a “Click”—while the undesirable is ignored. Here’s another example in which a young boy learns to tie shoes from a teacher who uses only positive reinforcement (and a clicker…and apparently a few beans).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlA8lK1_lII]

What do you think?

Could this work with writers, focusing on one skill at a time and rewarding them with the equivalent of a “click” when I spot it effectively woven into their assignment? Perhaps writing a simple “Yes!” next to the skill performed well (attempting simile or alliteration, for example), while ignoring all other problems?

It must require tremendous restraint. But what a great atmosphere the positive approach could create. As people discover what works, they can duplicate results, perfect that skill and move to the next level.

It builds confidence that’s based on substance. Positive reinforcement recently worked with me. I wish I could say it was in the area of professional development, but the reality is that it’s a bit more vain. This week I wore a new (well, new-to-me) striped blouse with a vest and nice-fitting jeans. I’m never confident putting together outfits, and my friends were seeing this combination on me for the first time. I worried a little. Did it work? Or did I look like a Goodwill goofball? Two people went out of their way to tell me, “You look cute!”

“Click.”

“Click.”

Guess what I’m wearing today?

Please leave a comment if you’ve applied an all-positive technique to a unique area (such as writing or skill-building with humans), rewarding the good behavior and ignoring the bad—I’m curious to hear real-life stories and results.

Flickr photo “Writing” by Jonathan Kim. Available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

Flickr photo “little boy thumbs up” by Michele Truex. Available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

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Writers write to be heard, which means writers must brace themselves for input, whether it ends up being destructive criticism or health critique. J.C. Schaap describes this kind of input among students in his blog post “Witless Fear and Hug Lines.”

In it, he tells how scary it is for a student to lay out something he or she has written in front of her peers and “let them go at it.” I remember classes like that. They were painful.

We turned in a poem or story to the teacher, who made copies to pass out in class. He would hand us a packet with a submission from every student. One by one we critiqued each piece, pointing out what worked (and what didn’t), trying to explain why it worked (or didn’t). For the young and/or insecure writer, this process can be discouraging and at worst, destructive, demeaning the person for taking creative risks and trying something new. If handled well by the instructor, however, the input can be invaluable, making us (and our work) stronger, pointing out weak spots that need editing.

Some of Schaap’s students sent e-mails telling him that they were scared, witless. So he gave them a trial run with an anonymous piece he found in his files. At first, they were reluctant to say anything negative. But someone spotted a scene in the story that seemed unrealistic and hesitantly pointed it out. That first comment opened up the rest of the class, and Schaap reported that “condemnation starting rolling down like justice is supposed to. Right before my eyes, a bandwagon appeared.” He continued:

There was a hangin’ coming, I knew, so I told the madding crowd that next week—when their own workshopping begins—the same darn thing is likely to happen, only they’ll be looking at the actual writer, not thinking of her in the abstract, because next week the writers R US or whatever.

That quieted the mob into stony silence.

Teaching can be fun. If it wasn’t, I’d quit in a minute.

“So,” one of them says, meekly, “when we’re done, can we have a hug line?”

If we know we’re helping people become stronger writers, our critique can be constructive; especially when followed up by specific encouragement … and a hug.

This weekend I received a comment at an abandoned blog associated with a long-ignored website I created in 2001. On that website, I published some poetry. Someone apparently visited the poetry page.

This person saw that there was no convenient way to leave a comment (that website is static, without a familiar blog-platform), yet he or she was motivated enough to find the old blog (which would have required a click or two) and leave an anonymous comment. Anonymous went to all that trouble to tell me this:

“Your poetry—it sucks. I mean, it really sucks. Really.”

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.

But if someone studied my poetry closely enough to form that strong opinion, I wouldn’t mind finding out what he or she thought made the poems “suck” so badly.

In her opinion, how could I improve these poems? What should I practice? Is there something this person would recommend that I could try in the future? This one comment has reminded me that when I review and critique someone’s work—especially something as personal as poetry—I need to be constructive.

For those who may be involved in a writing group or workshop, check out “The Difference between Critique and Criticism,” from Scribe’s Alley:

• Criticism finds fault/Critique looks at structure
• Criticism looks for what’s lacking/Critique finds what’s working
• Criticism condemns what it doesn’t understand/Critique asks for clarification
• Criticism is spoken with a cruel wit and sarcastic tongue/Critique’s voice is kind, honest, and objective
• Criticism is negative/Critique is positive (even about what isn’t working)
• Criticism is vague and general/Critique is concrete and specific
• Criticism has no sense of humor/Critique insists on laughter, too
• Criticism looks for flaws in the writer as well as the writing/Critique addresses only what is on the page

Taken from Writing Alone, Writing Together; A Guide for Writers and Writing Groups by Judy Reeves

Specific, insightful, kind critique is welcomed. This can be gleaned from a healthy writing group (learn more about forming writing groups in Charity Singleton Craig’s article at Tweetspeak), a trusted writing partner or colleague, a writing coach (as a coach, I offer clients ongoing constructive, encouraging input), or a gentle editor.

The cry for gentle, kind, constructive input comes from so many of us. Even Emily Dickinson:

This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,
—The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.
Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me!

Writers have to develop a thick skin and deal with criticism, even that which is destructive. But when we are dealing with someone else’s words, whether in the form of a poem, post or story, we would do well to assume that they would like our input followed up by a “hug line” and that their heart’s cry is: “Judge tenderly of me!”

* * *

Flickr photo “Making Poetry” by Aurelio Asiain available under a Creative Commons license for noncommercial use, requiring attribution and no derivative work. Post originally published in 2010; updated with minor edits and updated links August 2015.

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Mega Memory Month January 2010

Final Celebration

Mega Memory Month comes to a close.

The last day of the month, January 31st, falls on a Sunday. I love that. Those of us who have memorized Scripture can post our passages and share them on a day of rest and worship.

Let’s share our projects, our progress, our successes!

Link up your posts via Mr. Linky or create something to publish on the Facebook Event page for Mega Memory Month, which you can access (write your comments on the wall!) HERE.

Mega Memory Month Participants(visit! encourage! be inspired!)

Ann’s Mega Memory Month Project:Colossians 1My original goal was to memorize all of Colossians 1, but I couldn’t finish. So I focused on what I could manage—verses 1-18.My final celebration isn’t fancy. I’m simply going to type it out from memory. I wish it were error-free, but I’m not quite there (I proofed my from-memory version against the original NIV text, adding missing words in red and crossing out words that shouldn’t be there):

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse:Grace and peace to you from God our Father.We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints–the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel has been is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has already been doing among you since the day you first heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You heard it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a fellow ministry of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking the Lord God to fill you with the knowledge of his will with through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you might may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. In For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. And He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

Part of me wonders, Is this worth celebrating? Look, it’s only a little over half what I said I’d tackle, and it’s full of errors!Yet, if it weren’t for Mega Memory Month, I might not have bothered with it at all. So I think it is worth it, and I hope you think so, too.Thank you for joining me in the challenge. Thank you for holding me accountable. Thank you for committing to something mega.In the paraphrased words of Paul from his letter to the Colossians, I hope that this project helped you grow in the knowledge of God; that He strengthened you with all power according to His glorious might. I hope you developed great endurance and patience through it.May we now, at the conclusion of this month, joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.In everything, Jesus Christ has the supremacy. Amen.

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Final Progress Report (#4)This coming Sunday marks the end of Mega Memory Month January 2010.Now don’t panic. Don’t scramble to cram in whatever is left.This week, I urge you to simply stay focused and work steadily each day to add what you can and review what you’ve already managed to memorize. Take some time to relax and plan out your Final Celebration. Remember that? I encourage participants to come up with a final project to commemorate and celebrate this month-long memorization journey. You can recite your passage or project and upload the audio file, create a YouTube video of your recitation, type it up, write it out in calligraphy, or create artwork to accompany the words. It’s up to you.We’ll celebrate with you, no matter how close or far you came to achieving your MMM goal!For this week’s Progress Report, leave a note on your progress at the Facebook Event page I set up for Mega Memory Month (write your comments on the wall!) HERE. You can also summarize your progress in the comments of this post and/or link your own Progress Report post here via Mr. Linky.

Mr. Linky instructions:Click on the icon and a separate screen pops up. In one box, you type in your name and/or website; in the other box, paste in the url to your post. It’ll be saved and accessible by returning to this page and clicking on the icon again.I’ll return later in the day and embed the pop-up links into the text itself here for easy access.

Ann’s ProgressI’m getting to know Max McLean’s voice pretty well these days. I could hear his voice in my head when I was mentally reviewing Colossians 1: 1-23 on Sunday afternoon.I don’t even have verses 1 to 21 solid, however, let alone the entire chapter (which goes to verse 29). So this week, I intend to focus in on Colossians 1:17-23 in particular while reviewing the preceding verses, and that may be where I have to stop. I don’t think I can get the rest in a week.And I’m okay with that.Because I can get the rest eventually—verse by verse, week after week—even after MMM Jan 2010 comes to a close.This passage from Colossians 1 is what I’d like to leave you with today, not so much as practice or to report on my progress, but to encourage everyone involved…know that I’m:

asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…

May the Lord strengthen you during this final week with all power according to his glorious might…that you may have great endurance and patience. Amen.For your convenience, I decided to keep these memorization resources right at your fingertips each week:• Click HERE to read “An Approach to Extended Memorization” by Dr. Andrew Davis, an article highly recommended by Amy at Lavender Sparkles.• Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Click HERE for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture from Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s book.

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Progress Report #3Mega Memory Month January 2010 is over halfway through. Are you halfway through your project?Leave a note on your progress at the Facebook Event page I set up for Mega Memory Month (write your comments on the wall!) HERE. You can also summarize your progress in the comments of this post and/or link your own Progress Report post here via Mr. Linky.

Mr. Linky instructions:Click on the icon and a separate screen pops up. In one box, you type in your name and/or website; in the other box, paste in the url to your post. It’ll be saved and accessible by returning to this page and clicking on the icon again.I’ll return later in the day and embed the pop-up links into the text itself here for easy access.

Ann’s ProgressI’m behind. Dreadfully behind.The idea was to work on one verse per day. This would work if I’d keep up. But I haven’t.What’s motivating, though, is that as I catch up, I’ll be working on a powerful section that describes Jesus as “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” I especially want to know this part by heart.This section reminds me that “by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (verses 16-17).All things were created by Him and for Him.He is before all things.In Him, all things hold together.That’s big.I want to have those words inside of my head, inside my heart…So, to try to catch up, I decided to pull out every memorization tip and technique. For example, I realized I pick up things well through listening, so I decided to hunt down an audio recording of Colossians 1 (NIV). I found it. Who wouldn’t want to hear Colossians 1 read to them by Max McLean (complete with a smooth British accent)? To listen, click HERE. And thanks, Bible Gateway.Search for an audio recording of your own passage and translation at Bible Gateway HERE. (They offer Contemporary English Version, ESV, NIV, Today’s NIV, NASB and KJV).

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17)

Lord, hold these words together in my head.

For your convenience, I decided to keep these memorization resources right at your fingertips each week:• Click HERE to read “An Approach to Extended Memorization” by Dr. Andrew Davis, an article highly recommended by Amy at Lavender Sparkles.• Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Click HERE for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture from Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.comto learn more about Ann’s new book

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Progress Report #2Mega Memory Month January 2010 is in full swing.How are you doing?Care to share your memorization methods or unload your ups and downs with those of us who are sharing the struggle?We’re in this together, so please let us know!Leave a note in the comments and/or link your own Progress Report post here via Mr. Linky.Click on the icon and a separate screen pops up. In one box, you type in your name and/or website; in the other box, paste in the url to your post. It’ll be saved and accessible by returning to this page and clicking on the icon again.I’ll return later in the day and embed the pop-up links into the text itself here for easy access.

MMM Participant Reports:

In addition, you can post on the wall of the Mega Memory Month Facebook event page.If you’re just finding out about Mega Memory Month, jump in—there’s still time to dig in to something big!Click HERE for the MMM Headquarters.Ann’s ProgressI owe my progress in Colossians this week in part to technology.My plan has been to add a verse each day. One night when I was nestled in my bed, warm and cozy, I was ready to learn the new verse but didn’t have my Bible on hand.I did, however, have my laptop nearby. So I logged onto Bible Gateway. After all, the words are exactly the same whether they’re printed on the physical page of my NIV study Bible or on the virtual page of Bible Gateway (many more translations are available at the site).All this week, I’ve been repeating the verses, adding a few hand motions to emphasize key words. And just two days ago, to reinforce what I’ve been working on, I added the first-letter prompt method explained in THIS website article.After pasting my text into the converter, I printed out the automatically generated prompts:As you can see, I fold this paper up and carry it with me. When I need to review, these letters prompt me when I’m stuck and nobody’s around to help.One time I was at a coffee shop. I remembered to stick my prompt sheet in my bag, but I didn’t have my Bible with me to remind me of the actual words.So I used my new phone—we added the data plan for one month as an experiment, so my new free phone is, at least temporarily, more than a phone! What do you think of that, Lisa? Yes, thanks to mobile Internet access, I logged onto Bible Gateway again and brought up my passage, which showed up in teeny-tiny font and presented as a long, slender column.It worked just fine, clarifying a section I couldn’t recall.I’m still a little shaky on the most recent two verses, but I’m making progress. I don’t know if I’ll make it all the way through the chapter, but I’m not worrying about that right now. For now, it’s just verse by verse.And I don’t suppose it matters too much whether we review our verses/poems/speeches as handwritten words on card stock taped to our car dashboards, or as pages on a website.Either way, they’re going into our minds.And, hopefully, our hearts.Also, if you need ideas or inspiration, here are some resources right at your fingertips—you, too, can use technology to aid your memorization efforts! • Click HERE to read “An Approach to Extended Memorization” by Dr. Andrew Davis, an article highly recommended by Amy at Lavender Sparkles.• Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Click HERE for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture from Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.comto learn more about Ann’s new book.

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Progress Report #1We’re only four days into Mega Memory Month January 2010, so progress will be minimal. Still, you may have something to say about it.If so, leave a note in the comments and/or link your own Progress Report post here via MckLinky. I’ll come back later in the day and embed the pop-up links into the text itself for easy access.

Powered by MckLinky

Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

1. Erin at filling my patch of sky
2. Amy @ Lavender *Sparkles*
3. Stand and Consider

Ann’s Progress Report:Colossians 1 has 29 verses.January has 31 days.That equates to about one verse per day. If I stay on track, I’ll get two extra days to review the whole thing at the end of the month; if I get behind, I have a couple of make-up days for the verses I’m lacking.Perfect.I’m starting out with Dr. Andrew Davis’s method as recommended by Amy at Lavender *Sparkles* (Amy summarizes the method in this post.)• Click HERE to read “An Approach to Extended Memorization” by Dr. Andrew Davis, an article highly recommended by Amy at Lavender Sparkles.• Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Click HERE for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture from Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.comto learn more about Ann’s new book.

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For Mega Memory Month January 2010, I’ll be working on Colossians 1.The thought is (I admit this may be a bit idealistic—even unrealistic—nevertheless…) that I might add on to this chapter over time; that is, for future Mega Memory Months I could continue with Colossians 2, 3 and 4.For now, I’m going to focus on Colossians 1 without fretting about the rest. Colossians 1 has 29 verses, so that’s approximately one verse per day. Now, I know that’s a lot for my feeble mind to tackle, but surely it can be done.After all, “all things were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). My mind, including its aging synapses, was created by Him and for Him. To use it for this purpose—to concentrate on memorizing a chunk of God’s written Word—seems right and good. There will be much to ponder and celebrate along the way. For example, this passage includes a long prayer, so that my memory work can take on dual purpose and meaning, breathing life into my own prayers:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:9-14)

Toward the end of the month, if I make it through the entire chapter, I’ll arrive at this verse:To [the saints] God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Christ in you.

I’ll cling to that this month, as I struggle through the paragraphs and stumble over phrases. It’s not just about the words in me … it’s about The Word in me.Christ in me.Now that right there puts the “mega” in this month.

Dove ornament photo © 2009 by Ann Kroeker.

To participate in Mega Memory Month, visit its Headquarters post HERE.

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It’s back!  Just in time to support your New Year’s Resolutions!

Mega Memory Month (MMM): January 2010 Headquarters

It’s day one of Mega Memory Month! Those of us participating now have 31 days to pack into our minds whatever it is we’ve selected to memorize: a poem, speech, passage of Scripture, or song lyrics.Here’s how to participate:

• Pick something to memorize. Challenge yourself with poetry, a famous speech, or a passage of Scripture. This month my focus will be on portions of the Bible.
• Announce it on your blog or in the comments of this post when you’re ready. (Note: If you find out about MMM late or forget about it until halfway through the month, no problem. Jump in and do what you can in the time that remains.)
• Leave a link (in MckLinky below or in the comments) that will take readers to your own blog’s MMM post. Help spread the word about Mega Memory Month (and share your progress) via Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Include the MMM button to tie us together visually. It helps interested readers find and join the challenge!
• Start memorizing!

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Click HERE to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

1. Begin With Bread
2. Erin at filling my patch of sky
3. Amy @ Lavender *Sparkles*
4. Pursing the Kingdom
5. Lindas Patchwork Quilt
6. A New Year…A New Decade…New Beginnings
7. Ann Kroeker (Christ in you)
8. Zoanna @ A Penchant for Pens
9. Hiding Gods Word in My Heart
10. Leann at Good Neighbors
11. Power @ A Lettered Legacy
12. Amyazed by Him
13. Soli Deo Gloria
14. Adventures in Unsell Land

Monday Progress Reports (Jan. 4, 11, 18 and 25) will include an additional MckLinky for those who want to chronicle their progress. Feel free to include struggles, disappointments, surprises, memory tips, breakthroughs and victories.

• Progress Report #1
• Progress Report #2

Final Celebration scheduled for Sunday, January 31. For the Final Celebration, I encourage participants to plan some way to wrap up the month’s challenge. You can create a presentation as simple as writing or typing out from memory your passage. Or you could get more involved, creating artwork or a video or audio file to preserve and share your recitation with us.I’ll be right here with you all month.• Click HERE for suggestions on how to select a passage to memorize (courtesy of Helen at A Work of Heart).• Click HERE to read “An Approach to Extended Memorization” by Dr. Andrew Davis, an article highly recommended by Amy at Lavender Sparkles. • Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Click HERE for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture from Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience.Our minds (and hearts!) can hold more than we think they can.

Improving Your Memory for Dummies minibook photo © 2009 by Ann Kroeker.

It’s easy to subscribe to annkroeker.com updates via email or RSS feed.Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s new book.

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Mega Memory Month Returns January 2010!

Our extended family’s white elephant exchange included some bags stuffed full of odd items picked up at a dollar store, included this minibook:Can you believe it?Just in time for Mega Memory Month January 2010 I secured a copy of Improving Your Memory for Dummies, by John B. Arden, PhD, Director of Training for Psychology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers.Here’s an excerpt to get us thinking about memory work from the heading:

Feeding your brain properlyYour ability to remember depends on a number of factors, first of which is maintaining a healthy brain through adequate nourishment. To ensure that your brain works at an optimum level, follow these guidelines:

• Maintain a balanced diet. What you eat affects your brain’s chemistry. Eating the right foods at the right time gives your body the building blocks to manufacture brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters not only affect your mood and ability to think clearly, but also your ability to remember. A simple, balanced meal consists of a carbohydrate, a protein, and a fruit or vegetable. Eating a balanced meal three times a day can provide you with a sound foundation for your brain and its memory.
• Take the right supplements. Vitamins and herbs can support your brain’s ability to produce good memory skills. Specific vitamins, such as some of the B vitamins, help form the building blocks for healthy brain chemistry. Other vitamins, such as vitamin E, help your brain cleanse itself of bad chemicals. Herbs such as ginkgo, have been used to enhance the circulation of blood in the brain.
• Get regular exercise. Exercise enhances your memory because it helps your brain get the nutrients that it needs. Every time you exercise, you increase your respiratory rate, your metabolism, and your energy level.

Avoiding foods, drinks, and drugs that depress memoryFoods, drinks, and chemicals that your brain is exposed to have major effects on your memory.Warning: If you eat junk food loaded with sugar, you set yourself up to crash, finding yourself full of anxiety and short of short-term memory. Similarly, if you drink too much caffeine, the liquid anxiety scatters your thoughts and shatters your memory ability. If you consume caffeine and sugar on an empty stomach, your mood and memory skills will plummet quickly. (Arden 13-14)

In summary, it appears that as we work toward memorizing something meaningful … something mega, we can support (or avoid impeding) our efforts by eating a balanced diet, taking the right supplements (he didn’t provide much guidance on that topic), and exercising.Will you join me in January?Memorizing something is a mega-powerful way to start out the new year. You can work on almost anything and reap benefits—I’ve enjoyed including poetry in my Mega Memory Month selections during previous MMM challenges, for example—but this time my focus is exclusively Scripture. I want to exercise my mind and feed my soul; for me, memorizing a passage from the Bible is an important thing I can do to make truth readily accessible to ponder and pray.Here’s what I recommend as you prepare:

1. Pray about your selection.
2. Type up and print out the passage you plan to memorize (consider using card stock for durability as you tote it around with you for a month).
3. Devise a plan. Try to come up with an approach to memorizing that you can try out from the start. See the two links below for suggestions. (And according to Dr. Arden’s Dummies advice, be sure to eat right, take supplements and exercise your body!)
4. Join the challenge!

On January 1st, I’ll create a January 2010 Mega Memory Month carnival headquarters.For an entire month, we’ll all work on our passages together and report back each week on our progress (Mondays).At the end of the month, we’ll celebrate together whatever we managed to take in.You won’t be alone.I hope many will join the Mega Memory Month challenge in January, but you will have me along for the ride, at the very least.I’m not an expert at memorizing, but I’ll be working hard.And I’ll do my best to encourage you along the way.• Click HERE for my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.• Visit Holy Experience for more inspiration and practical suggestions for memorizing Scripture.Our minds (and hearts!) can hold more than we think they can.

Work Cited: Arden, John B.  Improving Your Memory for Dummies. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2009. Print.

Get ready … Mega Memory Month returns January 2010!

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The post Improve Your Memory: MMM January 2010 appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

Mega Memory Month Returns January 2010!

Imperfect but hopefully charming photos of a lifelong learner exploring the dictionary by Ann Kroeker © 2009

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The post Big Books and Mega Memory: The Stuff of Lifelong Learning appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

Mega Memory Month Returns January 2010!

As you wrap gifts and place them with anticipation under the tree, would you wrap up one more item?Because there’s a gift I’d like you to give yourself: the gift of memorizing something meaningful … something mega.When we commit something to memory—passages of Scripture, poetry, famous speeches, hymns—we give ourselves a gift … a gift that keeps on giving, because whatever we commit to memory is internalized and accessible to revisit, ponder and share.As someone who has placed her faith in Christ and turns to Scripture as her source of truth, I aim to make Scripture memory work a priority. I have enjoyed including poetry in my Mega Memory Month selections during previous MMM challenges, but this time my focus is exclusively Scripture.Will you join me in January?Memorizing something is a mega-powerful way to start out the new year.

1. Pray about your selection.
2. Type up and print out the passage you plan to memorize (consider using card stock for durability as you tote it around with you for a month).
3. Wrap it up and place it under the tree with your name on it.

On Christmas Day, when you open it, celebrate the joy of the Word made flesh by committing to take to heart His words of truth.

Selection from Ann's July 2009 MMM

Photo showing some of my well-used, crumpled July 2009 Mega Memory Month work.

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Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s new book.

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“Nestled Apple” photo by Ann Kroeker (2009).

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Visit NotSoFastBook.com to learn more about Ann’s new book.

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July 2009 Mega Memory Month has only barely begun. In fact, it’s been less than a week since the kick-off.

So I assume that today’s progress reports will be modest.

Also, feel free to invite others to jump in, because there’s still plenty of time to accomplish our goals.

Here’s the Mr. Linky to connect your progress report to this master list. If I have time, I’ll swing back by and edit the post to make them more prominent. Non-bloggers and those who don’t want to dedicate an entire post to memory work, feel free to offer your progress report in the comments.

Progress Reports

1. Denise at Butter and Honey
2. Amy at Lavender *Sparkles*
3. Jen at Scraps and Snippets

Ann’s Progress Report #1Did I bite off more than I can chew?My mega selection is:

• “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost
• Philippians 2:1-11
• Psalm 121
• Psalm 145

I fear I may have taken on too much.On the other hand, I was somewhat familiar with the Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken,” so piecing together all those familiar fragments wasn’t too bad. In fact, it came together so quickly, I might be able to type it out right now. I think I’ll try (corrections crossed off or added in red):”The Road Not Taken”by Robert FrostTwo roads diverged in a yellow wood;,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth.;Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that, the passing thereHad worn them really about the same.,And bBoth that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh!, I saved kept the first for another day;!Though ,Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted I should ever get come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I;—I took the one less traveled byAnd that has made all the difference.Okay. Not so bad.Philippians 1:1-11 is also a familiar passage. I wanted to truly memorize it, because I can only pull up snippets from my mental files. So I tore off the first few verses from the paper I’d printed off and took that scrap with me this morning on my jog. It got pretty wrinkled and a little smeary from sweat, but I think I’m close to having the first section down. I’ll try typing out Philippians 2:1-4:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you must should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Hey, I did better than this afternoon, when I recited it to my daughter and flubbed a section.Here are some random thoughts on memory work:

• It’s great to have family support. My ideal would be for us to work on a passage together, but the next best thing has been to have them patiently and happily check my progress, encouraging me along the way.
• It has been an advantage to select a poem and some passages that are somewhat familiar already.
• I’m not generally effective at multi-tasking, but I have to say that memorizing while jogging worked well. It was a little bit awkward to unroll the paper and read it while in motion, but the repetition helped a lot. In fact, having a little project to work on may have helped pass the time.
• Memorization Tips and Techniques. Check out this collection of helpful methods for memory work. Actually, let me paste them in here for easy access. See below.

Online Articles & Resources:

• At a site called Productivity 501, I found an article called How to Memorize Verbatim Text. It has a simple online tool you can use to help reinforce what you’re working on. The author uses the Gettysburg Address to illustrate his technique.
• Memorizing Techniques that cleverly uses a mneumonic device to present its suggestions: CAMP!
• A tip from a website called Remember Anything: Read out loud and write it out (see the site for more details).
• An eHow 8 step article about how to memorize Scripture.
• A long list of Scripture memory tips and suggestions.
• Ann V. described and photographed some of her memorization methods here.
• Stretch Mark Mama wrote about her basic index-card-propped-on-the-kitchen-table method.

Kroeker-Generated Suggestions:Here are a few memorization techniques that have worked for our family (a repeat from an earlier post included for consolidation purposes):

1. Record someone reading your selection (then listen to it…lots). I once wrote about using my MP3 microphone for verbal note taking. Record someone else reading the passage out loud (we usually hate our own voices when played back, don’t we? So have someone else do it), and then put it on your play list to listen to over and over.
2. Song. Set it to song or at least a rhythm, and it sticks pretty well. We have to get creative with Scripture, because some translations don’t have all that much rhythm to them. We’ve also applied this to skip counting for math. And can’t most of us remember our conjunctions thanks to Schoolhouse Rock (”Conjunction junction, what’s your function…”)? Anyway, I try to find some beat to the verse and say it that way. It helps.
3. Hand motions. Get all the senses involved and take in those words every way possible. We come up with hand symbols for God, Jesus, salvation, and other basic words like “all” and “world.” If you actually know American Sign Language, all the better. We don’t, so we just invent motions. They can recall the signs and bam! The words follow.
4. Pictures. For complicated verses, I’ve drawn little pictures to accompany the phrases. This helped the daughter who scoffed at my overblown hand motions and dance steps. She preferred the more civilized method of memorizing pictures to remember the flow of words.
5. Key words. If they remember the first word of a phrase that represents a shift in the verse, then often the rest of the words will tumble out automatically. So as we repeat it out loud, we emphasize the key words with exaggerated volume. I probably raise my eyebrows and open my mouth like a clown when I say them, too. I can’t help it. I’ve got Elasti-Face. Might as well use it for good.
6. Write it out. Okay, now these are the simple, low-tech, basic ideas coming out. Write it out lots of times, and it’ll enter the brain through another avenue.
7. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This is such an obvious one, but it bears repeating (sorry). But, well, that’s what we do. We go over and over the verse (out loud) until it’s drummed in there. Write it on a piece of paper and stick it in your pocket, or tape it to your cell phone and make yourself say it as you reach in your pocket for something or before making a call.
8. (NEW!) Practice while exercising. This works for most repetitive exercise except, if you’re holding a note card or paper, swimming. If it’s already in your head, however, reviewing the words as you move can work even while in the water. I find that the repetitive nature of the activity actually marries well with the memory process. Plus, it helps pass the time.

Ideas Submitted by Readers:

• Denise said that she sings along with Scripture memory CDs (I also thought of those “Hide ‘Em in Your Heart” Steve Green videos for kids). And she has her children write memory verses as part of their handwriting.
• Recommended by Joni: His Word in My Heart by Janet Pope “offers one of the best techniques and explanations for the benefits to memorizing.” Pope’s method helped her memorize longer texts such as the Sermon on the Mount by just doing a verse a day and then reviewing them, using index cards.
• Katrina described what worked for her kids–recording and reading it.
• Helen’s final celebration post details her step-by-step method and displays a colorful, creative, poster-sized final product. I was inspired.
• Ruth provided this helpful link to a website dedicated to helping people memorize Scripture.
• Amy explains how she tackles memorization (with long-term retention success) and links to a pdf article with helpful Scripture memory motivation and tips.

Let us know how it’s going. It helps to know that we’re not alone in this undertaking.And remember:Our minds can hold more than we think they can.

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Join Mega Memory Month for the month of July!

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Today, July 1st, marks day one of Mega Memory Month!

Participants now have 31 days to pack into their minds whatever it is they’ve selected to memorize: a poem, speech, passage of Scripture, or song lyrics.

The month is in motion, so it’s time to begin.

Refer back to the main Mega Memory Month page for July 2009 for suggestions and directions. There you will find a Mr. Linky to link a blog post announcing your plan. You may also explain in the comments, Twitter, or Facebook what you’re intending to memorize. If you will be tweeting or updating your efforts on other social networking platforms, please leave some kind of link for us to find you.

Don’t forget that Tuesdays will be the day we post Progress Reports. I’ll have a Mr. Linky on those days if you choose to write something up.

Here’s my personal month-long memory plan (along with fascinating explanatory notes):

1. Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” (if you click on the link, press play to hear it read … by Frost himself, I presume). I chose this because I memorized “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” last time for Mega Memory Month (click on the “Stopping by Woods” link to hear me recite it, not Frost). “The Road Not Taken” feels like a nice complement. Plus, as I said yesterday, I mention the poem in my book’s dedication and want to have it inside my head. I know the poem; now I want to know the poem by heart.
2. Philippians 2:1-11. I selected this passage for two reasons: 1) We started memorizing part of it during VBS, so I have a head start; 2) I love this passage so much that we had it read in both English and French in our wedding ceremony, yet I’ve never memorized it. Now is a good time.
3. Psalm 121. This short psalm starts with a line that’s familiar to many people in the King James version, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” I’ll be using the NIV, however (“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?”).
4. And because I want to go mega, I’m going to try to add Psalm 145. Why 145? Well, why not? It’s a great praise psalm with lines like, “Every day I will praise you,” and “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom,” and “I will meditate on your wonderful works…I will proclaim your great deeds.” It’s longer than 121, though, and my mind isn’t exactly a steel trap. It’s more like a shoebox propped up with a stick to catch bunnies. I’ll try to pull the string on the stick and trap these words under the shoebox. If they squeeze out from under it, I’ll be disappointed but accept my limitation.

So, how about it? Join me for Mega Memory Month and exercise your mind this summer!

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Join Mega Memory Month for the month of July!

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At Make-Do Mondays, we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via Mr. Linky. Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on Mr. Linky and then clicking on people’s names.Here’s a mini-tutorial on Mr. Linky:

Click on the icon and a separate page will pop up. Type in your blog name and paste in the url of your new Make-Do Mondays post. Click enter and it should be live. If it doesn’t work, just include the link in the comments.

To visit people’s posts or check that yours worked, click on Mr. Linky and when the page comes up, click on a name. You should be taken right to the page provided.

 Make-Do Mondays Participants

1. Feels Like Home (homemade ice cream)
2. Sunnydaytodaymama (caterpillar cake)
3. Coupons, Deals and More (Cool Whip)
4. My Practically Perfect Life (Camping Food)
5. Like Mother, Like Daughter (Decorating Hack)
6. Mama Long (Ceiling Fan)

Make-Do Mondays with AnnCamping turns a vacation into one big make-do extravaganza. You already read about the Belgian Wonder’s portable coffee gadget, so he can drink make-do coffee. But there’s always something we have to rig up to meet a need using whatever we have on hand. An obvious make-do activity is stringing clothesline all around like a drunken spider building a wobbly web. You can check out our initial clothes-web in the first photo below:Later in the week, after a thunderstorm blew through and dampened many items, we greatly expanded the web, weaving and wrapping the extra length of rope around tree trunks and limbs. We also used many plastic grocery bags for trash (shame on us for having so many—but we were trying to recycle).And when my sister-in-law saw the printer box, she suggested I snap a photo for Make-Do Mondays.Contrary to how things may appear, we did not bring along our printer.The Belgian Wonder grabbed it to store some pots, pans, and our electric skillet (I know what you’re thinking! Is it really camping if I have an electric skillet? You decide…). Storing them in the box, each stuck inside of a paper grocery bag, kept them from banging and clanging against each other and other items stuffed in the camper on the bumpy ride.We saved the big Cheerios box in case we needed it for storage, too, but ended up burning it in the fire pit (make-do kindling).Our dishwashing system was all about making-do. Two tubs, dish soap, a sponge, and a scrubbing gadget. The dishwasher squatted down by the faucet and worked while voracious mosquitoes buzzed around ears, arms and legs.Camping is a great way to practice making-do for Americans used to the comforts of hot water on demand, comfy mattresses, well-lit bathrooms with reliable showers, ovens and air conditioning. We don’t rough it like wilderness campers hiking in with everything on their backs and pitching camp in the mountains, but every time we camp we come back appreciating simple pleasures, like kitchen cabinets, hot water on demand, washing machines and sturdy shelter.How do you make do?

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This man, Garrett, brought his son and a friend along for a few days at the beach.

We noticed him because he was the only one on the beach with a surfboard. Actually, he rented two: a large one for himself and a smaller one for his son. A novice, Garrett told us he has only been out surfboarding four times.

He was taking a break on the beach, chatting with his friend.

Meanwhile, my brother, sister-in-law, my husband, and I would count heads periodically to check that our kids were all accounted for. Most were playing in the sand, but three were bobbing in the water along the sandbar.

At some point, one of ours drifted just past the sandbar on a boogie board and was struggling to get back on account of this:

All of us had studied the sign on the way to the bath house.

1. Go with the flow; don’t panic.
2. Wave for help on shore.
3. Float parallel to shore.
4. Swim diagonally back.

She was trying her best to follow all of those recommendations. She knew it wouldn’t help to panic. Floating along, she tried to break through and swim diagonally, but it didn’t work.

Well, Garrett saw that she was struggling, grabbed his surfboard and sprang into action. He paddled directly to her and extended the surfboard.

“Grab onto my board!” he told her. “Whatever you do, don’t let go!”

She gripped tightly and he started to paddle back. Then he realized the current was too strong; he couldn’t break through it, either. They both tried kicking as hard as they could without moving an inch.

Garrett started waving for help and signaling for someone to call 911. A woman leaped up and grabbed the son’s surfboard, but Garrett waved her back. “Don’t come out!”

In the commotion, we were gathering our kids, counting, realizing we were missing one.

He said at a key moment, a big wave crashed through and broke up the current. He was able to get a toe-hold and push them into safer waters and on toward shore.

Our daughter walked calmly back to us on the sand, wide-eyed, shaky.

Garrett walked back with his surfboard, wide-eyed, shaky.

We realized what just happened and met her, wide-eyed, shaky.

We sat with our daughter for a long time, rubbing her back, hugging her, hearing about it from her own perspective.

Then we talked with Garrett and his friend, piecing it all together.

How do you thank someone for that?

How do you honor his fast-action and the risks he took?

What do you say? What do you do?

After everyone went back to their beach umbrellas, soft drinks, and sand castles, Garrett went back out to try some more surfing. I went over to talk with his friend. I said, rhetorically, “How do you thank someone for something so huge? How do you thank someone for rescuing your daughter?”

You know what his friend said? He said, “You can’t, not really. You just thank Jesus and pray that He’ll give you a chance to help someone else in some other way in the future.”

Garrett won’t be written up in the newspaper for his heroic action nor featured on Good Morning America.

But I want to thank Garrett publically on my little blog here, honoring a real-life hero.

Thank you, Garrett.

And, like his friend advised, Thank You, Jesus.

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Frenzied families find themselves fragmented in this high-speed, fast-paced, goal-oriented society. Even while racing to second jobs, appointments, lessons, practices, games and clubs, we crave an antidote. How do we counteract the effects of our over-committed culture? Replenish our depleted selves? Restore our rushed relationships?Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families offers hope to families struggling with hurried hearts and frantic souls. Through stories, practical ideas, insight and research, readers will discover the rejuvenating power of an unrushed life.

I’m imagining the day the book is available to future readers—it still seems kind of far away, but it’ll be here soon enough:The release date is August 1st.We still have to wait a while, but as the author of a book on slowing down, I don’t feel free to complain when things take time.I’m telling you kind of early. In fact, now you’ll have to wait, too.But I wanted you to be among the first to know.

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Progress Report #4 Participants

1. Laura at Laura’s Imperfect Blog
2. Amy at Lavender *Sparkles*
3. Jennifer at PeaceLedge
4. Pauline at Him in the Everyday
5. Amy’s bonus post at Lavender *Sparkles* (reasons to memorize)
6. Joy at Bucket of Joy
7. Andrea at hopeannfaith

Final Celebration ReminderOkay, so here’s the thing–this is the last checkpoint before the Final Celebration.On January 31st, I will put up a Final Celebration post, where all participants are encouraged to create something that illustrates their Mega Memory Month project.You can:

• Record a video
• Create an audio recording
• Type it out
• Design something visual with scrapbook art
• Illustrate your passage with photos, like a PowerPoint presentation

It’s up to you how involved and creative you want to be. It’s a chance to learn a new technology (I learned to upload YouTube videos and others learned to record and link to audio files), or just have some fun with a calligraphy set.So as you finish up your last few days of memorization, be thinking about how to celebrate on your blog. Don’t be intimidated–just have fun! Be yourself and reflect your personality, just like you always do on your blog.Mega Memory Month Giveaway!The lovely folks at Scripture Stickies have provided a great giveaway to accompany the MMM Final Celebration. Scripture Stickies are packs of printed Scripture passages grouped by theme that you can use to stick in strategic places–the bathroom mirror, the kitchen door, the car dashboard–in order to review frequently.If you win, I’ll mail you a pack to try out. You can use them yourself for the next Mega Memory Month project, or give them as a gift to someone who wants an easy way to kickstart their own attempts at Scripture memory.For a chance at winning, stop by on January 31st and leave a friendly comment!P.S. My Apologies for Technical GlitchBoy was I aggravated when I realized that somehow in the process of “freshening up” my blog, the main Mega Memory Month post lost all the links.All of you precious participants–I apologize for that! I put links to your blogs back in. If your link doesn’t work, please let me know and provide me with the right one.Ann’s ProgressWell, I love the Frost poem. During church, through big windows on the side of the sanctuary, we could all see enormous downy snowflakes the size of quarters drifting from the sky–it was like worshiping in a snow globe. One of the pastors quoted from Isaiah 1:18“Come now, let us reason together,”       says the LORD.       “Though your sins are like scarlet,       they shall be as white as snow.”I hoped the flakes would continue so that we could swing by the park. I wanted to watch the snow piling up in the woods, Frost-like. But by the time church let out, the flakes were no longer the size of quarters; they were tiny flecks. And by the time we got near the park, it wasn’t snowing at all.With or without the inspiration of snow, I can recite “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost.And I continue to piece together John 14. I hope to have it all flowing smoothly by Saturday–still have some hiccups.I was inspired by the link Amy (Lavender *Sparkles*) provided–it took me to a video of a guy who recites long passages in a somewhat theatrical style, like a dramatic reading, only entirely from memory.Years ago I directed drama sketches. Maybe I need to “direct” myself, to finish it off? This will be my experiment during the final few days of memory work.What about you? Report on your progress–bring us up to date!

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Participants’ Progress Reports #3

1.  Ann Kroeker (see below)
2. Jennifer at Scraps and Snippets
3. Amy at Lavender *Sparkles*
4. Ruth at Caribbean Wordkeeper
5. Dea at For His Glory…By His Grace
6. Jennifer at PeaceLedge
7. Esther at Outward Expression
8. Pauline at Him in the Everyday
9. Joy at Bucket of Joy

 It’s okay if you’re inching along. There’s still time! You still have all of this week and most of next–it’s not too late for things to jell!Ann’s Personal Update:You all were so encouraging to me last week. You may recall that I compared my brain’s absorptive powers to a rubber ball–boing! John 14 and John 15:1-17 (and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening) just kept bouncing off my cerebral cortex and out into the air again. Thank you for your kind comments and creative ideas.I’m pleased to report that this week, by the grace of God, my brain was a little more like the spongy coral that has startled so many unsuspecting readers. I was able to retain and recall some of the words!I truly want to get into my head some of Jesus’ amazing words recorded in the Gospel of John. If I don’t bother to get them into my head, then they don’t have much of a chance to make a deeper, more profound impact. But if they are in there, then they are accessible.It’s just that they can’t stop there. Cramming words into gray matter is just the start:

The journey from head to heart is one of the longest and most difficult that we know. (Donald Coggan, former archbishop of Canterbury*)

I’ve got to do more than cram these words into my head; I must let these truths pierce my heart.Amy at Lavender *Sparkles* pointed out in this post (one of her MMM updates), that the words of Scripture need to make their way to the heart, slicing it open if need be, to change us. Amy advised:

It’s quite possible (ask me how I know) to repeat a text daily, to remember it perfectly, yet to not let it penetrate your soul. And that’s the last thing I want. “Knowledge puffs up” (1 Corinthians 8:1)–and I don’t need any help getting puffed up. So this month I’ve added a step to my memorization process, in an effort to slow down and really meditate on the text. Spending five or ten minutes repeating sentences requires little of me; interacting with the words in my journal takes me deeper.

What a great, practical plan: Slowing down and spending time interacting with the words in a journal–that takes it deeper.Still, getting the words into my head in the first place is a critical starting point–thus, the importance of a commitment such as Mega Memory Month. In order for an idea or truth to embark on the long, arduous journey from head to heart, it must actually make it into the head.I’ll type out (from memory) what’s been “sticking.”Please keep in mind that the first part of this was tackled in October for the first-ever Mega Memory Month. So a huge hunk of what I’m about to type is review:

“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 whenI 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 you may ask me for anything and I will do it, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask 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 give you send 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 do 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 realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. I am in you, and you are in me. Whoever has my commands and obeys keeps them, he is the one who loves me. Whoever does not have my commands does not love me. These words are not my own. They belong to the Father who sent me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father…(forgetting this next section. Let’s see where I can pick up again)Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said to him, “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. obeys my command, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love Him and show myself to Him. (Rats. I think this belongs up higher.)…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.

I’m going to stop now. I have several additional chunks that I can spout, but it’s all out of order. I’ve got a plan for this coming week, however, to try to straighten it out.Pray for me, and I’ll pray for you (really)!Meanwhile, let me finish with a lovely poem by Robert Frost that was much, much easier to memorize:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy EveningWhose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village, though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queerTo stop without a farmhouse nearBetween the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shakeTo ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound’s the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark and deep.But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.

Ah, I do love that poem. That was typed out from memory, too. Thank you, Mr. Frost, for prefect rhythm and rhyme. * Coggan quoted on p. 41, Knowing Christ, by Alister McGrath, a Galilee book by Doubleday, a division of Random House, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY, 10036, copyright May 2002.

The post January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #3 appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

Participants’ Progress Reports #2

1.  Shepherdsgrace2.  Dea at For His Glory…By His Grace3.  Amy at Lavender *Sparkles*4.  Ruth at Caribbean Wordkeeper5.  Jennifer at PeaceLedge6.  Pauline at Him in the Everyday7.  Joy at Bucket of Joy

8.  Esther at Outward Expression

 

 

 

Also, I want to apologize for anyone who has been a little grossed out by January’s MMM button. It’s far too late to turn back at this point, but I promise you that the next time MMM rolls around, I’ll select something other than the startlingly brain-like photograph of coral when making my homemade bloggy-button.

Now for my Progress Report:

Memorizing is difficult for me!

My brain is more like a rubber ball than a sponge–instead of soaking in and retaining the beautiful truth of John 14 and part of John 15, the words are bouncing off.

This is not something that comes naturally, so I’m going to have to work at it and use all the tips I posted at the first Progress Report (if you visit the link, scroll down for memory tips).

I plan to record it on my Mp3 this week so that I can listen to it over and over. I also intend to start writing out the trouble spots. I’ll also make new cards in a new type font with some c o l o r. It’ll freshen it up for me mentally.

I started to type it out, but it was too depressing.

Anyone have any personal revelations?

The post January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #2 appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

 If you’re still looking for ideas on how to plug those words into your head, here’s a collection of memorization tips and techniques that I’ve updated from an earlier post:Online Articles & Resources:

• At a site called Productivity 501, I found an article called How to Memorize Verbatim Text. It has a simple online tool you can use to help reinforce what you’re working on. The author uses the Gettysburg Address to illustrate his technique.
• Memorizing Techniques that cleverly uses a mneumonic device to present its suggestions: CAMP!
• A tip from a website called Remember Anything: Read out loud and write it out (see the site for more details).
• An eHow 8 step article about how to memorize Scripture.
• A long list of Scripture memory tips and suggestions.
• Ann V. described and photographed some of her memorization methods here.
• Stretch Mark Mama wrote about her basic index-card-propped-on-the-kitchen-table method.

Kroeker-Generated Suggestions:Here are a few memorization techniques that have worked for our family (a repeat from an earlier post included for consolidation purposes):

1. Record someone reading your selection (then listen to it…lots). I once wrote about using my MP3 microphone for verbal note taking. Record someone else reading the passage out loud (we usually hate our own voices when played back, don’t we? So have someone else do it), and then put it on your play list to listen to over and over.
2. Song. Set it to song or at least a rhythm, and it sticks pretty well. We have to get creative with Scripture, because some translations don’t have all that much rhythm to them. We’ve also applied this to skip counting for math. And can’t most of us remember our conjunctions thanks to Schoolhouse Rock (”Conjunction junction, what’s your function…”)? Anyway, I try to find some beat to the verse and say it that way. It helps.
3. Hand motions. Get all the senses involved and take in those words every way possible. We come up with hand symbols for God, Jesus, salvation, and other basic words like “all” and “world.” If you actually know American Sign Language, all the better. We don’t, so we just invent motions. They can recall the signs and bam! The words follow.
4. Pictures. For complicated verses, I’ve drawn little pictures to accompany the phrases. This helped the daughter who scoffed at my overblown hand motions and dance steps. She preferred the more civilized method of memorizing pictures to remember the flow of words.
5. Key words. If they remember the first word of a phrase that represents a shift in the verse, then often the rest of the words will tumble out automatically. So as we repeat it out loud, we emphasize the key words with exaggerated volume. I probably raise my eyebrows and open my mouth like a clown when I say them, too. I can’t help it. I’ve got Elasti-Face. Might as well use it for good.
6. Write it out. Okay, now these are the simple, low-tech, basic ideas coming out. Write it out lots of times, and it’ll enter the brain through another avenue.
7. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This is such an obvious one, but it bears repeating (sorry). But, well, that’s what we do. We go over and over the verse (out loud) until it’s drummed in there. Write it on a piece of paper and stick it in your pocket, or tape it to your cell phone and make yourself say it as you reach in your pocket for something or before making a call.

Ideas Submitted by Readers:

• Denise said that she sings along with Scripture memory CDs (I also thought of those “Hide ‘Em in Your Heart” Steve Green videos for kids). And she has her children write memory verses as part of their handwriting.
• Recommended by Joni: His Word in My Heart by Janet Pope “offers one of the best techniques and explanations for the benefits to memorizing.” Pope’s method helped her memorize longer texts such as the Sermon on the Mount by just doing a verse a day and then reviewing them, using index cards.
• Katrina described what worked for her kids–recording and reading it.
• Helen’s final celebration post details her step-by-step method and displays a colorful, creative, poster-sized final product. I was inspired.
• Ruth provided this helpful link to a website dedicated to helping people memorize Scripture.
• Amy explains how she tackles memorization (with long-term retention success) and links to a pdf article with helpful Scripture memory motivation and tips.

The post January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #1 appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

It’s back!  Just in time to support your New Year’s Resolutions!Mega Memory Month (MMM): January EditionHere’s how to participate:

• Pick something you’d like to memorize. Something long. Something formidable. Something mega. (Mega to you may not be mega to me–simply challenge yourself relative to what you’ve tackled in the past.) Could be poetry, a famous speech, or a passage of Scripture. Your choice.Need ideas? Visit Lavender Sparkles, who posted some suggestions for thinking through your selection.
• Announce it on your blog whenever you like. If you find out about MMM late or forget about it until halfway through the month, no problem. Jump in and do what you can in the time that remains.
• Leave me a link (in comments or via e-mail) that will take readers to your own blog’s MMM post. Non-bloggers of course may participate as well. I’ll update this post and place names and links in a prominent spot.
• Please include the new MMM button to tie us together visually. It helps interested readers find and join the challenge!
• Start memorizing!
• Consider a final celebration project. I’m encouraging MMM participants to come up with some kind of end-of-month project to celebrate how far they’ve come. MMM Celebration Day will be on the last day of January–Saturday the 31st. For celebration ideas, see this post and visit MMM participants’ sites to see what they did.

I’ll update this post so that participants are front-and-center (as I did for the first-ever MMM).

Official Participants List

1. Pauline at Him in the Everyday (Romans)
2. Joy at Bucket of Joy (John 14 & Psalm 1)
3. Dea at For His Glory…By His Grace (1 Peter 2:13-25)
4. Amy at Lavender *Sparkles* (“A Gospel Narrative” from A Gospel Primer for Christians)
5. Jennifer at Scraps and Snippets (the Beatitudes–Matthew 5:3-12, and a poem “Grammar in a Nutshell”)
6. Danielle at Dance by the Light (Romans 8 )
7. Esther at Outward Expression (Alma 32:21-43–from the Book of Mormon)
8. Teresa at The Life and Times of a Cool Single Mom (Ecclesiastes 7)
9. Jennifer at PeaceLedge (Solidifying the first 2 1/2 chapters in Philippians and adding on to the end of chapter 3)
10. Me (or would it be “I”?) at AnnKroeker (John 14 + John 15:1-17 and Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”)
11. Andrea at Hopeannfaith also here (Philippians 1)
12. Dana at Think Pink (Jeremiah 17  and William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”)
13. Sarah at Beauty in the Mundane (Psalm 139 and maybe a bonus poem)
14. Lori at A Work in Progress (Ephesians 5)
15. Ruth at Caribbean Wordkeeper (1 Peter 1 & Romans 12)
16. erinstraza (John 15:18-27 & the map of the United States)
17. Trish and her daughter at trishsouthard (“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”)
18. Zoanna at A Penchant for Pens (Philippians 2:1-11)
19. Laura at Laura’s Imperfect Blog (Psalm 103 & the hymn “Praise to the Lord, The Almighty,” a paraphrase of Psalm 103)
20. Kathie at A Sparrow’s Home (Ephesians 1–and someday, Ephesians 2)
21. Withajoyfulheart at Little Homeschool in the Village (Ephesians 5)
22. Ann at A Holy Experience (Philippians 2: 1-18)
23. Runningamuck (Psalm 33)
24. Amy (Philippians)
25. Sarah at Because of Abigail (Ephesians 1:1-14)
26. The Butterfly Catcher at Butterflies of the Moment (James 1)

Optional Progress Reports:  I’ll be posting my own personal MMM Progress Reports on Mondays (same day as Make-Do Mondays–it’ll be a busy two-post blog day for me throughout January). My MMM Progress Reports will serve as a host site, providing a Mr. Linky for you to tie in if you like. Feel free to chime in with your own progress report any time during the week. Write in the comments or at your own blog. That way we can visit and encourage each other.

Progress Report #1

Progress Report #2

Progress Report #3

Final Thoughts:  Nobody is grading or judging us on how well we complete this month-long memory project. But making our intentions public may spur us on to finish successfully.Don’t let the word “mega” discourage you from participating. Participate even if your selection is modest. In fact, my own might be pretty puny compared to those of some mega-memorizers. The bottom line is that we will be better for it.So jump in and join the carnival, whether you chip away at something short or long.I hope to encourage you along the way. For starters, here’s a link to my mega collection of memorization tips and techniques.Let’s take a risk.Stretch ourselves.After all, Mega Memory Month is hosted by someone who feels that her mind is more like a sieve than a steel trap; yet, as I discovered in the first-ever Mega Memory Month:Our minds can hold more than we think they can.  Note: Mega Memory Month button utilizes a photo of coral. In case you wondered. Here’s the code for the MMM button–you can paste it into your blog post in HTML mode:<p style=”text-align:center;”><a href=”http://annkroeker.wordpress.com/2009/01/01/january-2009-is-mega-memory-month” target=”_blank”><img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-1807″ title=”mmm” src=”http://annkroeker.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/mmm.jpg” alt=”mmm” width=”266″ height=”190″ /></a></p>

The post January 2009 is Mega Memory Month appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

In today’s devotional from My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers excerpted from Isaiah 52:12, which reads:

But you will not leave in haste or go in flight;for the LORD will go before you,the God of Israel will be your rear guard.Chambers assures us that as we go forth into the coming year, “let it not be in the haste of impetuous, unremembering delight, nor with the flight of impulsive thoughtlessness, but with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us.”Our world likes to head off in haste, sometimes without remembering with humility what’s past.Or, perhaps I should be honest about myself. I often head off in haste without remembering where I’ve come from and what the Lord has done in my life. Remembering takes time. One must slow down, sit down, and dig down.Part of New Year’s Eve is best spent looking back and remembering with gratitude what the Lord has accomplished. I have cause to celebrate many moments and events as I think back on the year or years before–joys and surprises, insights and encouragement, laughter and love, disciplining and pruning, growth and change.In remembering, however, I dredge up regrets, as well…opportunities lost. Duties neglected. Love left unspoken. Failures. Harsh words slipping out. Goals unmet. Deadlines missed and late fees shelled out. Sins committed, confessed, repented of.Chambers acknowledges this, as well. “Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but…”(take note of what he says next, because it is key to looking ahead)”…God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future.”And that’s how I like to approach any kind of review and goal-setting–with constructive thoughtfulness, resting in Christ for what is past and what is yet to come.I would like to offer Chambers’ closing words as the closing words for 2008 on my blog, before the ball drops, the calendar page turns, and the permalink date on my posts pops up one number to 2009:Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.

The post The Irreparable Past Meets the Irresistible Future appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

Mega Memory Month: January Edition

This is not the announcement.

This is just a teaser–January 1st is MMM Opening Day!

If you’re new to Mega Memory Month, you can familiarize yourself by visiting the initial post for the first-ever MMM in October 2008.Each person determined what “mega” meant personally. As I pointed out a few posts ago, some participants, with more nimble minds offering greater capacity, tackled vast swaths of Scripture; while a few of us nibbled what tidbits we could. Regardless of the actual serving size, I believe we all feasted. We stretched ourselves. We swallowed as much as our systems could handle, and were nourished.

Most people chose a passage of Scripture, but I’m inviting and encouraging any category of memory work. If you would like to work on a poem, some music, a speech, or Scripture, it’s entirely up to you.

On January 1st, you can announce your own intentions, link to the host page here (scheduled to go live a few minutes after midnight EST), and dive right into another month of memorization accountability and encouragement.

A Sneak Preview and Unveiling: Below you’ll find the new-and-improved Mega Memory Month icon/button you can use for your own MMM posts. Grab it now to use in your blog’s introductory post on January 1st–you can link to the main MMM post that day ready to go (the button links to the January 1st post that isn’t yet published).

I hope you’ll join me the month of January in another attempt at memorizing more than we thought possible.

Our minds can hold more than we think they can.

[*UPDATED TO EXPLAIN BUTTON* The image in the bloggy button is of CORAL. Not an actual brain.]

The post It's Almost Here: The Return of MMM! appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

Click on Mr. Linky to see who is revealing his or her final presentation.If you have time today or this weekend, drop by and celebrate with these MMM friends.

Official Celebration Links(contact me if yours is missing)

• Check out Angela’s Scripture memory notebook at Drawing Nearer
• Erin Straza offers a synopsis of the MMM experience at a personal level
• Jennifer at Peace Ledge typed it out after a technological uploading challenge.
• Ann V. offers what she calls a “farm hick’s quiet recitation of Phil. 1:19-30” (I heard it — sounds more like the voice of an angel to me)
• Katrina of Callapidder Days summarizes the month with helpful reflections on what worked well.
• Pauline at This is the Day learned to put pictures on her blog while sharing her final project–not only do you see her MMM notes, you also get to see some bonus shots of Australian sweet peas!
• Helen at A Work of Heart posted pix of her memory tools/system…and a sweet summary of how the Romans passages impacted her.
• Caribbean storms delayed Ruth from posting on Friday — but it’s never too late to celebrate! She created a podcast for the occasion in her wonderful voice.

Please note: Mega Memory Month will return in a few months, sometime in early 2009. Once again, you’ll be able take the challenge to memorize something bigger than you ever thought possible. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OHl6RcHsJU]

A portion of John 14 recited by Ann Kroeker.

(with a view from my hammock)

(in the name of precision, you will hear where I self-corrected, but at verse 16, I said “send” instead of “give you.” Later I inserted an unnecessary “do.” You can check my accuracy by following along at this Bible Gateway link to John 14.)

The post It's Here! The October 2008 MMM Final Celebration! appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

• Write it out in calligraphy
• Write it out in colored pencils or markers (have the kids decorate it, or doodle something yourself)
• Print it out on fancy paper and frame it
• Videotape yourself reciting it and post somehow on your blog
• Audiotape yourself reciting it and post somehow on your blog (anyone know how to podcast in WordPress.com?)
• Or, if you’re low on time and creativity, simply type it all out one last time.

I’ll post my own final presentation that day and include another Mr. Linky.Be sure to sync up at some point, so we can celebrate with you!Also, please take a few minutes to visit MMM participants who link to a Celebration/Presentation Post and leave an encouraging comment.Now, back to this week’s progress report.Let us know your current status by linking back.

And now I shall entertain you with my lack of retention:

John 14(or, rather, as much of John 14 as I can drag up from my memory bank):

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 asked said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him 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 he 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 my 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.

something I can’t quite remember, and I have the feeling I’m mixing it all up… 

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.

He who Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love him and show myself to him.“

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) askesaid, “But, Lord, wWhy do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus replied, “Whoever keeps my commands is the one who loves me. And If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. Mmy Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Okay. I give up. I’ll go back through and mark in green the things that need restored, repaired, or rearranged (green seems happier than red).

I don’t think I’ll get the rest of John 14 in my brain before Friday, and I may not even get that which I have worked on perfect for the celebration.

But I hope that frees you.

No matter how much or how little you managed to memorize:

Every word counts.

The post MMM Progress Report: Week 4 (and reminder of Final Celebration/Presentation Day) appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

The purpose of memory, in my view, is not to up the word count and be able to spout off verses at will. It is so that we will be transformed by the word that is written on our hearts, that we will recognize the Father’s voice more easily, that we will draw ever closer to Him.So don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged. Let the words you DO know steep in your soul, and let the Lord breathe life to you through them.Press on dear sisters!

Esther at Outward Expression wrote a similar thought at her blog — that as she works on memorizing, “the goal is to, in countless small ways, come closer to Him whose Word it is.”Great stuff.With their words as a lead-in (and without further ado), here are my Top 2 MMM Memorization Tips:Tip #1: Pray the Passage.In these waning days of October, make Mega Memory Month more meaningful (forgive the alliteration overkill) by praying the words. Even if you need to open your Bible and have the words right there for easy reference, use the passage, phrases, verses, truths, as part of your interaction with the Savior in prayer. The words can be a launching point to dialogue with the Lord and prompt specific, powerful worship.Tip #2: Speak and Discuss it. Ask someone to listen to you recite it. Then talk with him or her about its meaning. By saying aloud the words to someone else, its truth can communicate. By talking about our passages with someone else, we can turn this memory challenge into a couples devotional time or meaningful friendship discussion, adding interpersonal connection, depth and insight to what we otherwise might simply be privately cramming into our mental storage units.These two tips may not be the most efficient or effective for sheer word-preservation — but by adding meaning and purpose, they may cause the passages to stick  more deeply not only in the mind, but also in the heart and soul, where we’ll ultimately need it most. And these tips may also allow you to experience something richer and more meaningful with the Lord Himself.No matter how “mega” your challenge is ending up, whether long or short, mega or modest, please try these two tips. Like Jennifer advised, let the words you do know steep in your soul, and let the Lord breathe life into you through them.A few practical notes:This coming Monday I’ll post my final Progress Report including Mr. Linky (so you can link your posts, as well). It will be the last progress report before the end of October, when we’ll post our last hurrah (see next note).This coming Friday, October 31st, marks MMM Final Celebration/Presentation Day. It’s a day to celebrate any and all words that have been tucked away for safe keeping. If you’re so inspired or inclined, I’m encouraging some kind of final presentation.No ideas? You could:

• Write it out in calligraphy
• Write it out in colored pencils or markers (have the kids decorate it, or doodle something yourself)
• Print it out on fancy paper and frame it
• Videotape yourself reciting it and post somehow on your blog
• Audiotape yourself reciting it and post somehow on your blog (anyone know how to podcast in WordPress.com?)
• Or, if you’re low on time and creativity, simply type it all out one last time.

I’ll post my own final presentation and include another Mr. Linky.Be sure to sync up at some point, so we can celebrate with you!Please visit participants who link to a Celebration/Presentation Post and leave an encouraging comment.Tomorrow’s Sunday. The perfect day to test run these Top 2 MMM Memorization Tips. May they help you recognize the Father’s voice and draw you closer to Him.If I may close by expanding on Jennifer’s exhortation:Press on dear sisters — and brothers (I know you’re out there)!

The post Top 2 MMM Memorization Tips appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

I have to be honest. I didn’t make much progress.

I had some other work to do, and MMM kind of stalled out. I think I can manage to tap out what I already worked on, but any new verses are muddled at best.

And that’s okay, right?

I’m not going to feel guilty about this. I’m simply going to do what I can this week.

Here’s what I can do now, pleased that I have been able to memorize some of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ that were preserved for us, for me, for this time, for this day:

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 can  may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

[oh, my; I am tired and have forgotten this part…I’m scanning my brain…searching…the search is fruitless. It’s just not coming up. I have to look it up. It should begin: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”]…[A]nd I will ask the Father, and he will 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 left out “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” The next part is in the wrong place] Anyone who loves me will keep my commands. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I also will love him and make myself [That whole part should be somewhere else and isn’t worded right.]

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 keep has my commands….

I think I did better last week.

As progress reports go, I made very little progress.

How about you?

* Posted late Sunday night to be available for early rising MMM Monday Progress Report participants.

The post MMM Progress Report: Week 3 appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

No guilt.

The last thing I wanted was for participants to feel guilty or discouraged during this month-long challenge!Whatever you’re able to tuck away in your memory bank — no matter how much or how little — is valuable.One of my sisters-in-law told me that she ran a race in Belgium one time, and as she plodded along, it occurred to her that instead of hearing footsteps right behind her, she heard the sound of an engine. She turned around and realized that she was dead last in the race. She was bringing up the rear, with race organizers in a small truck right behind her. When she turned around, they called out encouragement to her to keep going. “Don’t stop now,” they shouted in French. “You’re doing great!”I kept thinking about coming in “last,” because is it ever really “last”? I think about the millions of people who never get out and jog around the block, let alone sign up for a road race! When you think about it that way, her every step was a success, a personal “win”!That’s kind of how I feel about this memory project.We may not meet the goal we set at the beginning of the month, but every word and every phrase we manage to memorize is already success. Just attempting to memorizing anything is more than the rest of the world. If you actually get a phrase or two down, all the better!Now that’s not to say we should stop mid-month and call it quits. I hope everyone keeps plugging away — after all, it’s partly what keeps me going, knowing that 20 or so people are out there doing the same thing.But please be encouraged with every effort, however humble it may be.And keep in mind that MMM will return! If you don’t make it through this month, just wait!In a few months, MMM will return, hosted by yours truly, to invite you to set another lofty goal, or to pick up where you left off.I’m thankful for every participant, and every word that every participant has been able to capture.Every word is progress.May God bless your efforts, friends!

The post Every Word is Progress appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

“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 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 more than these things  even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Ask me anything you wish  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, and I will do it so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Techniques Used:

• Read the cards through several times.
• Repeated phrase by phrase until I had each phrase correct.
• Tried to memorize the transition word or the first word of each sentence. Sometimes something had a natural rhythm (“Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” had a rhythm and a rhyme).
• I said it out loud a lot.
• Had the kids test me to be word perfect. They had to stop me if I got a single word wrong.
• I tried drawing pictures, but that didn’t seem to help much. I think I’m very auditory.
• I tried to do hand motions, but that didn’t seem to help much, either.
• Next step: I plan to use my MP3 to record one of the kids reading it out loud this week. I tried the memo feature on my phone, but it didn’t have enough space to record much more than a sentence or two. With the MP3, I can listen numerous times, which will help an auditory gal like me.

I got a lot farther than I thought I could. I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised.But there are a lot more verses ahead of me. So I must be careful not to get too confident and of course we must all resist being “puffed up” by success.So I’m grateful — very grateful — that my mind is capable of any of this.Looking forward to your reports!

The post MMM Monday Progress Report: Week 1 appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

• At a site called Productivity 501, I found an article called How to Memorize Verbatim Text. It has a simple online tool you can use to help reinforce what you’re working on. The author uses the Gettysburg Address to illustrate his technique.
• An eHow 8 step article about how to memorize Scripture.
• A long list of Scripture memory tips and suggestions. Click HERE for how to memorize long passages.
• Ann V. described and photographed some of her memorization methods here.
• Stretch Mark Mama wrote about her basic index-card-propped-on-the-kitchen-table method.
• Start by memorizing the last verse first. The next day, work on the next-to-last verse and then say the two together; the next day add the verse before that and so on until you get to the last verse, which is actually the first verse of the passage. Though counter-intuitive to start at the end, the brain seems to integrate them well this way.

Kroeker-Generated Suggestions:Here are a few memorization techniques that have worked for our family (a repeat from an earlier post included for consolidation purposes):

1. Record someone reading your selection (then listen to it…lots). I once wrote about using my MP3 microphone for verbal note taking. Well, here’s another one. Record someone else reading the passage out loud (we usually hate our own voices when played back, don’t we? So have someone else do it), and then put it on your play list to listen to over and over.
2. Song. Set it to song or at least a rhythm, and it sticks pretty well. We have to get creative with Scripture, because some translations don’t have all that much rhythm to them. We’ve also applied this to skip counting for math. And can’t most of us remember our conjunctions thanks to Schoolhouse Rock (”Conjunction junction, what’s your function…”)? Anyway, I try to find some beat to the verse and say it that way. It helps.
3. Hand motions. Get all the senses involved and take in those words every way possible. We come up with hand symbols for God, Jesus, salvation, and other basic words like “all” and “world.” If you actually know American Sign Language, all the better. We don’t, so we just invent motions. They can recall the signs and bam! The words follow.
4. Pictures. For complicated verses, I’ve drawn little pictures to accompany the phrases. This helped the daughter who scoffed at my overblown hand motions and dance steps. She preferred the more civilized method of memorizing pictures to remember the flow of words.
5. Key words. If they remember the first word of a phrase that represents a shift in the verse, then often the rest of the words will tumble out automatically. So as we repeat it out loud, we emphasize the key words with exaggerated volume. I probably raise my eyebrows and open my mouth like a clown when I say them, too. I can’t help it. I’ve got Elasti-Face. Might as well use it for good.
6. Write it out. Okay, now these are the simple, low-tech, basic ideas coming out. Write it out lots of times, and it’ll enter the brain through another avenue.
7. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This is such an obvious one, but it bears repeating (sorry). But, well, that’s what we do. We go over and over the verse (out loud) until it’s drummed in there. Write it on a piece of paper and stick it in your pocket, or tape it to your cell phone and make yourself say it as you reach in your pocket for something or before making a call.

Ideas Submitted by Readers:

• Denise said that she sings along with Scripture memory CDs (I also thought of those “Hide ‘Em in Your Heart” Steve Green videos for kids). And she has her children write memory verses as part of their handwriting.
• Recommended by Joni: His Word in My Heart by Janet Pope “offers one of the best techniques and explanations for the benefits to memorizing.” Pope’s method helped her memorize longer texts such as the Sermon on the Mount by just doing a verse a day and then reviewing them, using index cards.

The post Mega Collection of Memorization Tips & Techniques appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

• Mega could refer to the result of memorization, rather than the size of the selection. That is, your memory will grow with every effort, leading to a “mega memory.”
• Mega could refer to the number of participants in the carnival.
• Mega could refer to the length of the month of October. It is, after all, a 31-day month as opposed to a 30-day month making it one of several “mega” months.
• And, yes, “mega” could also refer to the length or magnitude of the passage you’ve chosen to tackle, as I suggested in the initial Mega Memory Month announcement post.

So I’m not backing off of the challenge altogether, but I want people to feel free to participate even if their selection is modest. In fact, mine might be pretty puny compared to some of these people who have been really working at mega-memorization regularly.And as I mentioned to Rachel Anne, a way to reduce any anxiety associated with “mega” is simply to break down whatever you’ve chosen into small chunks. A few words or phrases per day or week will add up quickly over the 31 days.Instead of being intimidated by the idea of one long mega-memorization task, think of it as several mini-memory assignments tackled one after the other.So jump in and join the carnival, whether you want to memorize something short or long.Finally, I don’t know about you, but with what I’m reading in the news, it’s a volatile world out there, with every day bringing another shocking announcement.I need something to steady my mind. That’s why I’ve decided that whatever I end up memorizing, it’s going to be from the Bible. I see it as an excellent low-risk, high-yield investment to dwell on the steadying truth of God’s Word in tumultuous times.

The post Don't Let the Word "Mega" Scare You Off appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

1. Pick something you’d like to memorize. Something long. Something formidable. Something Mega. (Mega to you may not be mega to me–simply challenge yourself relative to what you’ve tackled in the past.)
2. Announce it on your blog whenever you like.
3. Return with a link to your blog post talking about how you’re going to take the challenge and participate in October’s Mega Memory Month carnival. I’ll update this post so that participants are front-and-center. (I’d use Mr. Linky, but it doesn’t seem to like WordPress.com very much.)
4. On Mondays, because it offers the best alliteration, I’ll write a Mega Memory Month post. Chime in with your own progress report that day (or any time during the week) in the comments or at your own blog (it won’t be instant, but I’ll update to your linkage if you supply it). That way we can visit and encourage each other.
5. Try typing out what you’ve mastered little by little.
6. Post any memory techniques you’re using, so we can borrow ideas that work.
7. By the end of the month, present a creative culmination of your work (a video of you–and your family, if they’re participating–reciting it by heart; or write it out by hand and take a photo; or just type it up on the blog).

Borrow the button if you like, to tie us together visually.Nobody is grading or judging us on how well we complete this month-long memory project. But making our intentions public may spur us on to finish successfully.Let’s take a risk. Stretch ourselves.Our minds can hold more than we think they can.

Official Participants List

1. Katrina at Callapidder Days is in! She says she’s working on her “rememberingness”
2. Rhonda at Whatever… has launched hers. (Check out how she’s going to mark her progress using a simple little text tool.)
3. Ann V. at Holy Experience has provided us with motivation as well as announced her participation.
4. Erin Straza is taking advantage of the MMM challenge to help achieve her bigger 101 in 1,001 goals.
5. Laure at Weaving the Hours chose Ephesians 1. During MMM, I hope we can become, as she wrote, “a very real community of encouragement” to her–in fact, to all of us.
6. Shepherd’s Grace at beauty in the mundane suggests plugging passages into wordle.net as a fun way to see key words presented creatively.
7. Dea at For His Glory…By His Grace says she’s had a head start, so she’s forging ahead in 1 Peter.
8. Kelly at Generation Cedar is digging into a portion of Psalm 119 and has set several passages to music with CDs she’s created.
9. Ruth at Caribbean Wordkeeper is hopping in with Romans 8. It may be daunting, she said, but as she pointed out (and this should reassure all of us): in Christ, all things are possible!
10. Helen at A Work of Heart chose Romans 12.(If you’re still undecided, you could select from Tim LaHaye’s list of Scripture passages he feels that all Christians should master. Helen kindly typed it up for us.)
11. Veronika of God-Writing is joining MMM, “definitely ready to challenge [her] soul.”
12. Pauline at This is the Day. What is she memorizing? Romans. All of it!
13. Michele at Ramblings of Mine will announce her goal later, but is “glad that God can lead us and guide us by people that we don’t even know in person.” She’ll be praying for us. Thanks, Michele.
14. Alisa at All Is Grace has chosen to memorize the Apostle’s Creed–a memory project that’s doable for her with all of her kids, ranging in age from 2 to 14.
15. For Tammy at This Pilgrimage, it’s Psalm 91. And she already has the first two verses down.
16. For her family’s memory work, Jennifer at Scraps and Snippets chose Psalm 1, along with a poem from A Child’s Garden of Verses.
17. Scott at The Aging of a Not So Superhero is memorizing three hymns: “This Is My Father’s World,” “Be Thou My Vision,” and “Be still My Soul.”
18. More music with Haley at New Jersey Nest. Including John Denver!
19. Jennifer at PeaceLedge is memorizing a parable from Matthew 20 with her family.
20. Trish Southard, a non-blogger (but she does have Facebook), is working on 2 Peter 1:3-11.
21. Angela at Drawing Nearer is taking on the quiet task of memorizing Isaiah 53.
22. Kate McDonald at The Accidental Traveler has jumped in with Colossians.
23. Esther at Outward Expression jumped in, and I apologize for adding her so late!

    (If you’re participating, just provide the link to your post, and I’ll drop it in. However, you don’t need a blog to participate! Let me know in the comments if you’re blogless and memorizing along with us–I’ll put your name and goal up there.)

EDITED: Here is the Mega Collection of Memorization Tips & Techniques. I’ve dropped all memorization links and other resources into this one post and will update over time.For memorization tips, you can visit my last post. (That post’s info can be found at the master list in the mega collection above.)I already gave you the link to Ann V.’s memorization posts, but here they are again.Stretch Mark Mama wrote about it back in January.By Grace Alone posted a cute video of her son singing the fruits of the Spirit to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to illustrate the power of memory work with music. 

The post Announcing Mega Memory Month appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

• Your kids exercise poor judgment in new and painful ways. Examples include slamming a window on one’s hand, falling and skinning a knee, breaking glassware, stubbing toes, and acting grumpy most of the day.
• After approximately four hundred twenty trips up and down the stairs, the entire contents of your bedrooms and closets are now piled in your living room, family room, and dining room. The resulting labyrinth aggravates and complicates tasks such as, oh, walking and sitting.
• You’re thrust into the role of a general contractor, hiring plumbers, electricians, tile installers, carpet-layers, painters and handymen to try to work in concert to resolve eight years of neglect. You’re fielding phone calls all day long, trying to schedule things in the right order. Comments from each team indicate you’re throwing off everybody’s schedule by at least three days. Feel bad.
• Every conversation you and your spouse enter into revolves around such tiresome subjects as ceramic tiles, pedestal sinks, and paint swatches.
• You have no time to interact with blog visitors in the comments because of the steady stream of questions and urgent requests coming from all directions in “real” life.

How to embrace (and occasionally counteract) the chaos:

• Hang clothes on the line. This productive activity also serves as a few moments of quiet and calm in the flurry of drywall dust and paint fumes.
• Declutter! Take this opportunity to sort through all those closet drawers and under-bed boxes. When they’re sitting in front of the couch, it’s convenient to dig through and make aggressive decisions. After all, every item that leaves the house is one more item you don’t have to carry back upstairs to the closets.
• Bake chocolate chip cookies. While this adds to the chaos (it’s hard not to question one’s judgment when cleaning up piles of flour in the middle of everything else), it also makes everybody smile.

Thank you for your patience as you faithfully comment and await my reply…only to be met with silence.Imagine me dotted with paint and dust, moving boxes and clothes, pausing from that to bake a batch of cookies to pass out to the gracious, patient, hard-working teams who are enduring chaos brought on by our neglect.As soon as I log off, I’ve got to make room in the garage for materials.Enjoy a few moments of calm in a hammock for me, would you?(Follow-up: If you’re so inclined, you can read a follow-up post that I composed after a comment to this one humbled me.)

The post How to Invite Chaos into Your Life in Four Easy Steps appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

The interviewer pointed out that Dara’s two-year-old daughter Tessa won’t remember this Olympics, so what will Dara tell her? Dara responded that she’d tell her:

“You don’t have to put an age limit on your dreams.”

What do you think? Is she right?

Obviously with Torres as Exhibit A, we would have to admit that the upper age limit on competitive swimming needs to be re-evaluated.

Are there age limits on our dreams?

Are there any limits on our dreams?

For your consideration, here are some inspiring examples of people overcoming what would normally be viewed as “limits”:

• Grandma Moses, who took up painting very late in life (some say she started in her 60s, others cite that she began when she was in her 70s).
• Amputees with artificial legs competing in marathons and the Ironman Triathlon.
• The 33-year-old gymnast winning a silver medal in vaulting at this year’s Olympics (quotable quote: “I could go to London in 2012…I will only be 37”).
• A 38-year-old Romanian woman (a mom) winning the Olympic marathon.
• And of course 41-year-old Dara Torres securing the silver in the Olympic 50 meter freestyle and the women’s 400 meter medley relay (at least I think I got that right–I already messed up Torres’ name, so I’m unsure of myself when listing her accomplishments).
• That surfer gal who lost an arm in a shark attack. She had barely recuperated, and went right back out there to ride the waves. She said she wants “to encourage other people to follow their dreams despite obstacles that seem insurmountable.”

Is that sufficient evidence not to place any age limits on our dreams?

What do you think?

What’s your dream?

Do you feel that too many limitations keep you from pursuing it? 

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