After a tragic banquet-hall collapse, of which he was the sole survivor, Simonides was asked to give an account of who was buried in the debris. When the poet closed his eyes and reconstructed the crumbled building in his imagination, he had an extraordinary realization: he remembered where each of the guests at the ill-fated dinner had been sitting. Even though he made no conscious effort to memorize the layout of the room, it nonetheless left a durable impression. From that simple observation, Simonides reportedly invented a technique that would form the basis of what came to be known as the art of memory. He realized that if there hadn’t been guests sitting at a banquet table but, say, every great Greek dramatist seated in order of birth — or each of the words of one of his poems or every item he needed to accomplish that day — he would have remembered that instead. He reasoned that just about anything could be imprinted upon our memories, and kept in good order, simply by constructing a building in the imagination and filling it with imagery of what needed to be recalled. This imagined edifice could then be walked through at any time in the future. Such a building would later come to be called a memory palace.

A memory palace! That’s what I need—an imaginary palace in which I can store the treasures of Scripture or the names of people I meet. But…a palace? I don’t know the layout of any palaces to use for my memory work.Not to worry! The author clarifies that these so-called “memory palaces” don’t need to be palatial; in fact, they don’t even need to be buildings. “They can be routes through a town or signs of the zodiac or even mythical creatures,” he says. “They can be big or small, indoors or outdoors, real or imaginary, so long as they are intimately familiar.”It could be, therefore, a building such as my childhood or current home, or a path such as my standard running route. I suppose it could even be the layout of my favorite grocery store.In that “palace,” I would paint scenes within its rooms and along its hallways, each scene “so unlike any other it cannot be forgotten.” I personally don’t have the goal to memorize material quickly, like the author did, but I would like to do it accurately. The author stated that many competitive “mnemonists” who enter speed memory contests claim that “their skills are less a feat of memory than of creativity.”He explains:

[O]ne of the most popular techniques used to memorize playing cards involves associating every card with an image of a celebrity performing some sort of a ludicrous — and therefore memorable — action on a mundane object. When it comes time to remember the order of a series of cards, those memorized images are shuffled and recombined to form new and unforgettable scenes in the mind’s eye. Using this technique, Ed Cooke showed me how an entire deck can be quickly transformed into a comically surreal, and unforgettable, memory palace.

The author is a bit crass in developing memorable images to help him make connections, but he practiced a lot and became a memory champion. I wonder if I could employ the basic ideas—without the crudeness—to improve my ability to memorize Scripture or names?Reacting: Gas prices may be soaring to $4/gallon in the months ahead. This has me thinking about our weekly schedule and driving habits, wondering if we should plan ahead and simplify in any way.Also, another study exploring the health effects of low-level radiation emitted from cell phones is “among the first and largest to document that the weak radio-frequency signals from cellphones have the potential to alter brain activity.” I recall the conversation I had  yesterday with a friend, chatting by cell phone. I had that gadget pressed against my head for half an hour or more. New resolve: locate my earpiece and use it!Writing: I’ve been working on four messages for a women’s retreat (March 4-6). It’s such a different process, writing something to be delivered by voice instead of the page or screen; but I’m looking forward to a weekend with a lovely group of ladies!There you have it. A Curiosity Journal that reveals what I’m reading, playing, learning, reacting to and writing.

Credit: Palace of Versailles image by Aaron White. Used under Creative Commons license via Flickr.

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Mega Memory Month January 2011

Final Celebration

It’s the last day of the month, January 31st, and Mega Memory Month comes to a close.Let’s share our projects, our progress, our successes…no matter how much or how little you were able to absorb. Seriously, every word is progress. Link up your posts via Simply Linked or create something to publish on the Facebook Event page for Mega Memory Month (write comments on the wall).Ann’s ProgressSo…this wasn’t my best Mega Memory Month, to say the least.Memorizing has rarely come easily, but this time I was extra sluggish. Also, I tried a new technique—starting at the end instead of the beginning—and I’m not 100 percent sure it was the best approach for me.My goal was to memorize John 15. I couldn’t put it all together, however, so I’m disappointed with myself.But I will begin at John 15, verse 15.And the only way I will be able to present this is to go over it beforehand and then when I am kinda-sorta ready, I’ll type it out. I will require prompting along the way, marking the spots where I needed a prompt like this {prompt} and missed material inserted in pink.

:::

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. {prompt} You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then my the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. {prompt} They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken these words to them, they would not be guilty of sin: Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.{prompt} He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their law:  They hated me without reason.When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also will must testify about me for you have been with me from the beginning.

:::

I can get bits and pieces toward the beginning. Starting with 15:1:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it might be even more fruitful. {prompt} You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

[blank brain…skip to verse 5]

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

[blank brain]This section was a mess at verse 12: “My command is this: love one another each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you love one another do what I command.”It’s like puzzle pieces are floating around in my cranium, waiting to be placed correctly. I can say some of the remaining/missing phrases independently: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” And “I have told you this that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”Now I just have to stick them all together in the right order.Is it an “epic fail,” as my teen daughters would say?Yes.I did not finish well, as I set out to do on January 1.But I have my 3×5 cards and will continue. I will. Because failures, even “epic fails,” show us where we can pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off, and continue forward, making progress. We fall down; we get up.Also, Mega Memory Month can serve to kick-start the habit of memorization. I plan to continue on a small scale and will build in regular review, revisiting John 15 until I get it all straightened out. I hope you share that vision of continuing with less mega and more reasonable everyday effort throughout the months to come.My concluding thought for this Mega Memory Month project is this:Our brains can hold more than they think they can (but maybe not quite as much as we wish they could).

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

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

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

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

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

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Welcome to Mega Memory Month (MMM) Progress Report #3.Please note that if I counted correctly, we have 15 days left in January counting today (Monday). I thought I’d mention it, in case you’re running a little behind (like I am).If you’re just stopping by, you can learn more about Mega Memory Month by clicking on this highlighted link. Visit our previous progress reports by clicking below:

• Progress Report #1
• Progress Report #2

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

Ann’s MMM Progress #2

I wish I were a more consistent, sequential, dependable personality. Instead of possessing those admirable traits, I’m known more for curiosity, creativity and spontaneity.The first set of personality traits are better suited for memory work.But I’m reminded of a recent conversation—okay, so it might have been more of a parental lecture—with one of my teen daughters who brought home disappointing semester grades in two major subject areas.I said, “When you realize your areas of weakness, you don’t shrug your shoulders and say, ‘I’m just not good at that.’ You figure out how to make up for it by working harder. If you’re not organized, you come up with some kind of system to compensate. If math doesn’t come easily, you study twice as hard. If you don’t understand the material in a chapter, you read it and discuss it with others, make vocab cards and drill them until you’ve got them down.”As I lectured my daughter on all of this, I realized I needed to hear it myself. If memorizing doesn’t come naturally due to my personality traits, I need to figure out how to make up for it.A recent problem I faced was that my inconsistent self let two days pass without reviewing the passage.Humbled and frustrated, I pulled out my cards and reviewed them over and over. I repeated them in my head. I tried to visualize them on the cards.Now, here is my imperfect attempt at recalling the words of John 15, starting at verse 18:

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.Remember the words I spoke spoken to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken these words to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, I they have no excuse for their sin.Whoever He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated hate both me and my Father. (I don’t know…) But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also will must testify about me, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Like I said, we have 15 days left, including today (Monday). I have 17 verses left to memorize. I’m a little behind, but I did memorize the first few verses a year ago. Hopefully I’ll recall those without too much difficulty.Also, I think that starting at the end and working my way verse by verse toward the beginning fits the non-sequential part of my personality.I’m getting there. I just need to keep at it.What techniques work best for you and how far along have you gotten?(Check out my Mega Collection of Memorization Tips & Techniques for more ideas.)

Learn all about Mega Memory Month (MMM) at MMM Headquarters (additional buttons available)!

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It’s not too late to join Mega Memory Month (MMM).Check out details at MMM Headquarters (additional buttons available)!

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Welcome to Mega Memory Month (MMM) Progress Report #1.

This is intended to be a place and time to encourage one another—we’re in this together, right?But if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, you may be wondering: January just got started…how much progress can a person make in two days?Every word is progress, friends. Every single word.For that matter, just getting organized is progress, too. Don’t you think?Take a minute to describe your memory tools and share the first words you’ve attempted to lock down—or if you are just finding out about MMM, stop by the headquarters and announce your intentions. It’s definitely not too late.Check in using Mr. Linky if you write a Progress Report on your own blog (you can link up any time during the week).Or just talk to us in the comments.

Ann’s MMM Progress #1:Guess what? I found my old cards. This is progress, folks, and a sure sign that 2011 is going to be a really good year.I used them last time when I focused on John 14. I didn’t get far into John 15 that time. What I managed to tackle was shaky and didn’t stick.Or so I thought.I went ahead and read through the first card several times on my way to church. Despite my meager efforts from the last Mega Memory Month, I got some of it back. It’s not locked in or anything, but I think that the little I dipped into last time will find a home in the old noggin.Without looking, I typed the first section, then corrected afterward by crossing out what shouldn’t be there and adding new in pink:”I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off any every branch in me that does not bears no fruit, while any every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bears fruit on its own by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither will can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”It’s not perfect, but the fact that I retained any of it shocked me.Maybe I really will finish well?Our minds can hold more than we think they can.

Visit Mega Memory Month Headquarters to get started!

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Whether it’s a year (Happy 2011!), a project, a commitment or a lifetime, I long to finish well.So as I launch Mega Memory Month 2011 (MMM), I start to worry a little.Will I finish well?It’s interesting to look back at some of the the passages and poems I’ve undertaken: Colossians 1; Philippians 2: 1-11; Psalm 121; John 14 & 15; Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.”I achieved some of my memory goals, but sometimes fell short. I didn’t always finish well.So instead of starting something new, I decided to return to John 15. When I first dove in, I only made it to verse 17 and retained very little.This time, I would like to make it all the way to John 15, verse 27, “And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”So, for Mega Memory Month 2011, I intend to memorize John 15.As I refresh my efforts from previous attempts, I will also revisit John 14. The words of that chapter are tucked away somewhere in a dusty, neglected drawer of my mental filing cabinet. I would like to bring it back to the forefront.How about you? Have you announced your intentions at the Mega Memory Month headquarters? Click HERE to head over and link up! As we commit to our mega memorization efforts, let’s turn to “the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father” (John 15: 26) to help us finish well.

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(I make my own buttons. Can you tell? Smaller version and html code available below)

It’s back and bigger than ever:

Mega Memory Month 2011!

As we launch the new year, we’re also launching Mega Memory Month 2011.Mega Memory Month (MMM) began back in 2008, when I invited people to join me in a month-long memorization extravaganza. Over the years I’ve hosted MMM during the months of January, June and October; but I’ve concluded that the best time to undertake a mega memory project is in January, when resolve is high and few holidays distract us from our goals.So here we are: January 2011 is just days away.What would you like to hide in your heart?Take the next few days to pray, plan and prepare. Then launch your memory project on Saturday, January 1, 2011 (detailed instructions below).

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5, 7-8, emphasis mine)

Mega Memory Month Participants:

Here’s how to participate:

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.) You could select a passage of Scripture, a poem, a classic hymn and/or a famous speech. It’s up to you.
2. Announce it on your blog whenever you like.
3. Return to this post to link up, talking about how you’re going to take the challenge and participate in the Mega Memory Month carnival. Facebook users can interact at the MMM 2011 FB headquarters.
4. Mega Memory Month Progress Reports. On Mondays (because it offers the best alliteration), I’ll write a Mega Memory Month Progress Report. Chime in with your own progress report that day (or any time during the week) in the comments or link to your own MMM Progress Report post. That way we can visit and encourage each other.
5. Share memory techniques you’re using, so we can borrow ideas that work. Click here for a list of memorization tips and techniques I’ve collected and here for a great resource someone else has compiled.
6. Final Celebration! By the end of the month, present a creative culmination of your work (ideas: a video of you–and your family, if they’re participating–reciting it by heart; write it out by hand and take a photo; type it up on the blog).

Join me?

Don’t want to post a brain coral button on your blog? Here’s an alternative:

And…a little one with the “splat” motif.

Large Brain Coral button html code:<p style=”text-align: center;”><a href=”https://annkroeker.com/” target=”_blank”><img title=”MMM2010″ src=”https://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/MMM2010-300×214.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”214″ /></a></p>Small Brain Coral button html code:<p style=”text-align: center;”><strong><strong> <a href=”https://annkroeker.com/”><img title=”MMM2010small” src=”https://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/MMM2010small.jpg” alt=”” width=”200″ height=”166″ /></a></strong></strong></p>Large Splat button html code:<p style=”text-align: center;”><strong><strong><a href=”https://annkroeker.com/”><img title=”mmmsplat2″ src=”https://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mmmsplat2-300×214.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”214″ /></a></strong></strong></p>Small Splat button html code:<p style=”text-align: center;”><a href=”https://annkroeker.com/”><img title=”mmmsplat2011small” src=”https://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/mmmsplat2011small.jpg” alt=”” width=”200″ height=”143″ /></a></p>

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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.

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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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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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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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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(alternative button below)

Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome. Recipes are enjoyed, but you can simply tell us if you’re hosting Thanksgiving—link to your post quickly and then by all means, return to your shopping and cleaning!In other words, the Food on Fridays parameters are not at all narrow. I think of it as a virtual pitch-in where everyone brings something to share; even if the content of one item is unrelated to the rest, we sample it all anyway and have a great time.When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button (the big one above or the new 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 return when possible during the day and update this post by hand to include a list of the links provided via Mr. Linky. If I can’t get to the computer to do so, you may access them all by clicking on the Mister Linky logo.

Food on Fridays Participants

Food on Fridays with Ann

I insist that to participate in Food on Fridays, you can link to posts that aren’t obviously about food; your content can be subtle. In the introductory paragraph (see above), it says that “any post remotely related to food is welcome.”So this is a chance for me to demonstrate how to jump in with barely applicable content. The kids and I went to the orchard recently to pick apples.We hunted for a “Potimarron” in a bin of squash, but only saw these:There were pumpkins, of course—lots of them. When the kids spotted them, one of them exclaimed, “The frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock!”You see, many mornings, I read a poem aloud to the kids.A week or so ago, the poem I selected was “When the Frost is on the Punkin” by Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley.As you know, I’m trying to respect copyrights. To do so, I have to be cautious about posting poems and songs. Therefore, instead of typing out the poem in this post, I encourage you to click the title above or here to read the poem. It’s charming.And if you have a few minutes, I found a YouTube video of a cigar-smoking country gentleman named Ken Rislev reciting the poem by heart. Before Mr. Rislev begins, he explains that he memorized the poem to please his father. If you have 4 minutes 45 seconds, you can listen to the whole thing, including his personal story that provides context for the recitation. But if you only have time to hear the poem, move the counter forward to 1:45 and enjoy Mr. Rislev’s presentation of “The Frost is on the Punkin,” in a voice perfectly suited to deliver Riley’s humble, rustic dialect.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEY9iYQ-Ves]Bonus: Recipes from Ann that use Punkin

• Creamy Harvest Soup
• Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Pie
• Chocolate-Chip Pumpkin Bread

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It’s July 31st.July 2009 Mega Memory Month is coming to a close.You can leave a link to your final project right now; or you may wish to link up tomorrow, because technically you do have until midnight July 31^st to finish up. You might as well make the most of it!I hope you’ve had some success tucking a few stanzas of a song or lines from a poem into your head. Even if you weren’t able to complete your project, perhaps you absorbed some truth from Scripture if you chose a passage from the Bible to memorize.Hopefully you were able to stretch yourself a little, expand your memory capacity, and enjoy sharing your projects with friends and family.Now it’s time to wrap things up. As always, I encourage a final project to celebrate how far you’ve come. Create something to commemorate your own Mega Memory work!Post your links, summaries, and final thoughts in the comments … people can visit from there (I’m very sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get Mr. Linky up in time).Ann’s MMM Final ProjectHere at family camp, I’m fortunate to have any Internet access at all. What I do have is limited, however, so I’m unable to upload any audio or video.Therefore, I’m going low-tech on my final project.I’m just typing it out. (Sorry to be so uninspired.)I’ll add color, though, to jazz it up. This time, red does not indicate a mess-up.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 fairAnd having perhaps the better claimBecause it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that, the passing thereHad worn them really about the same.And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I saved the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever 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 by,And that has made all the difference.Philippians 2:1-11If 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 should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with Godsomething to be grasped,but made himself nothing,taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!Therefore God exalted him to the highest placeand gave him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.Psalm 121I lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from?My help comes from the LORD,the Maker of heaven and earth.He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber;indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.The LORD watches over you–The LORD is your shade at your right hand;The sun will not harm you by day,nor the moon by night.The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life.

The LORD will watch over your coming and goingboth now and forevermore.

Thank you for joining me throughout Mega Memory Month!

Our minds can hold more than we think they can.

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July 2009 is Mega Memory Month. Here we are at Progress Report #4.

(Progress Report #1)

(Progress Report #2)

(Progress Report #3)

How’s it going?

• Use 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 the links 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.

Mega Memory Month Participants’ Progress Reports

1. Hopeannfaith

This is the last official Progress Report for July 2009 Mega Memory Month.There are just a few days left to finish the month. We have until Friday, July 31, and then … time’s up.So, how are you doing? Are you plugging away at your selections and getting some of it solidified?Maybe you’ve tried a variety of techniques, or perhaps you’ve stuck with a tried-and-true method. This week, as I wind things down for Mega Memory Month, I’ve simply been repeating the three main passages. They came together fairly well. My main problem section is toward the end of Psalm 121.Ann’s Progress ReportHere at family camp, I went over Philippians 2:1-11 while in a kayak, paddling slowly through the clear, cold water as the beauty of that passage flowed through my mind and out of my mouth for the benefit of a few gulls and perhaps a quiet camper who was sitting in a folding chair looking like he was enjoying solitude.I repeated Psalm 121 while hiking in the quiet, mossy woods, asking the Belgian Wonder and The Boy to listen. We walked holding hands. In front of us, a family friend was listening in. When I said, “He will not let your foot slip,” he fake-stumbled over a root.In that same woods, I reviewed Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” and when I came to a place on the hike where two roads diverged, I couldn’t resist snapping a photo.

(That’s not the entire poem, of course. I just stopped typing when I ran out of space.)After dinner, I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was working on memorizing “The Road Not Taken.” She started up immediately with “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” and proceeded to recite the entire poem through perfectly. She already knew it.That’s what I want. I want these poems and passages of Scripture to be imbedded in me so deeply and become such a part of me that the words, ideas, thoughts, poetry, and truth can flow out effortlessly.Be sure to share your struggles, successes, and the tips and techniques that have most benefited your memory work this month.And if you feel motivated to share a final project, I encourage everyone participating to post something to commemorate their July 2009 Mega Memory Month project. We’ll do that on Friday, July 31.For your project, you could:

• Create a YouTube video of you reciting your memory work
• Type it out in the post itself
• Write it out and photograph the handwritten version
• Draw or paint something artistic to accompany the words
• Type it out 140 characters at a time on Twitter as a series of tweets
• Make a PowerPoint slide show and upload it somewhere on the Web.

I don’t know how to do all those things, but I think they can be done. Showcase your technological know-how as you showcase your memory work!(Mr. Linky may not allow me to have two different carnivals on one day, so I’ll have to give Food on Fridays that technology. We can leave links to people’s projects in the comments.)I hope you’re discovering that …Our minds can hold more than we think they can.

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July 2009 MMM is almost overWatch for Final Mega Memory Month Projects on July 31

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July 2009 is Mega Memory Month. Here we are at Progress Report #3.

(Progress Report #1)

(Progress Report #2)

How’s it going?

• Use 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 the links 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.

Ann’s Progress Report #2My Jog-My-Memory© method for memorizing-on-the-run is working pretty well!Thanks to my fairly regular jogging outings, I think I’ve got the main three selections down pretty well. That last psalm is still on hold, however. I’d better schedule a long run soon and focus exclusively on it, or else save it for the next Mega Memory Month.(If you’re visiting for the first time, my low-tech memorization method is to carry paper printouts of the passages or selections I’m working on as I go for a jog; I then practice while in motion for the duration of the exercise.)So here goes nothin’ (mistakes crossed out like this or added in red):The Road Not Takenby 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 both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I saved the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever 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 by,And that has made all the difference.Philippians 1:1-11If 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 united 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 should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,but made himself nothing,taking the very nature of a servant,and being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himselfand became obedient to death–even death on a cross!Therefore God exalted him to the highest placeand gave him the name that is above every name,That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lordto the glory of God the Father.Psalm 121A song of ascentsI lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from?My help comes from the LORD,the Maker of heaven and earth.He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber;indeed, he who watches over Israelwill neither slumber nor sleep.The LORD watches over you–the LORD is your shade at your right hand;the sun will not harm you by daynor the moon by night.The LORD will keep you from all harm–he will watch over your life;The LORD will watch over your coming and goingboth now and forevermore.Whew!Need ideas and encouragement? Check out additional memory tips, tricks and techniques on this page (when you arrive at the page, scroll down for the tips).Okay, I’m wondering … how are you doing?Is your mind holding more than you thought it could?

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Join Mega Memory Month for the month of July!

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July 2009 Mega Memory Month is moving right along. Already we find ourselves at Progress Report #2.

How’s it going?

• Use 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 the links 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.

MMM Participants’ Progress Reports

1. erin at filling my patch of sky
2. Jen at Scraps and Snippets

Ann’s Progress Report #2Familiarity is my friend.This month, I chose passages and a poem that were familiar, but not yet memorized.I believe that familiarity has been key to helping me progress smoothly (that and a daily does of God’s grace).I have incorporated the memory work into my jogs. My routes are repetitive, so I don’t need to use much brainpower to decide which way to turn. This frees up valuable brain cells to focus on memorizing.As I mentioned last week, I clutch little scraps of paper on which the passages are printed and refer to them as needed. Something about the steady pounding of feet against asphalt provides a sense of rhythm to the rhyme and phrasing as I repeat them over and over and over.I’m happy to report, therefore, that I think I can type out the Frost poem, the Philippians passage, and part of Psalm 121 this week. I have not yet attempted Psalm 145 and fear I may not get it down before the month is through. We shall see.So.Here we go…(I’d like to disclose that while reviewing my tested typed-out text against the originals, I chose repair incorrect punctuation without showing the changes; all other word deletions are shown crossed off and additions are 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 both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I saved kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever 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 by,And that has made all the difference.Philippians 1:1-11 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 should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,but made himself nothing,taking the very nature of a servantand being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himselfand became obedient to death–even death on a cross!Therefore God exalted him to the highest placeand gave him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.Psalm 121A song of ascentsI lift up my eyes to the hills–where does my help come from?My help comes from the LORD,the Maker of heaven and earth.He will not let your foot slip–he who watches over you will not slumber;indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber not sleep.The LORD watches over you—He The LORD is your shade at your right hand;the sun will not harm you by day,nor the moon by night.The LORD will not let you be harmed. will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;He The LORD will watch over your coming and goingboth now and forevermore.Psalm 145 (Status: Not begun)For me, this has been the smoothest Mega Memory Month yet!I don’t know if I’ll get very far in Psalm 145, but I’m starting it this week as I try to solidify Psalm 121 and review the others.How about you?Is your mind holding more than you thought it could?

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Join Mega Memory Month for the month of July!

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

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!

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

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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!

The post Mega Memory Month is in Motion appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

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It’s back—with a groovy new button!

July 2009 is:

Mega Memory Month

As we head into the dog days of summer, why not give our minds something to chew on?Mega Memory Month kicks off this Wednesday, July 1st.Here’s how to participate:

• Pick something to memorize. Try memorizing something long. Something formidable. Something mega. (challenge yourself relative to what you’ve tackled in the past.) It could be poetry, a famous speech, or a passage of Scripture.
• Announce it on your blog or in the comments of this post 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 a link (in Mr. Linky below or in the comments) that will take readers to your own blog’s MMM post. Non-bloggers are encouraged to participate as well through comments, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Include the new MMM button (by all means, use the smaller one below) to tie us together visually. It helps interested readers find and join the challenge!
• Start memorizing!

Mega Memory Month Participants

1. Denise at Butter and Honey
2. Me, annkroeker.writer.
3. Amy at Lavender Sparkles
4. Hopeannfaith’s Well
5. Jennifer at Scraps and Snippets
6. Erin at filling my patch of sky
7. Kate Mills at Little Mills

Progress Reports: I’ll be posting my own personal MMM Progress Reports on Tuesdays (they used to be on Mondays, but now that’s reserved for Make-Do Mondays). Mr. Linky will be provided for you to tie in, if you like. Chime in at any time during the week. Reports will be posted, Lord willing, July 7, 14, and 21. The 28th will be iffy, as I’ll be traveling and may not have Internet access.Final Thoughts: Nobody is judging how well we complete this month-long memory project—it simply provides public accountability.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, click HERE for 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 during the past Mega Memory Months:Our minds can hold more than we think they can.

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

(Consider participating in the Food on Fridays carnival tomorrow!Any and all food-related posts are welcome to link up!)

The post MMM Celebration Countdown appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God.

Chambers advises that we let work, clothes and food be set aside if it threatens our focus on God. The list could go on to include writing, TV, Twitter, shopping, reading, clubs, blogging, kids’ activities…it’s so easy to let busyness of all kinds obscure my concentration on God. If some activity threatens my focus on the Lord, I need to seriously evaluate its place in my life. I need to keep myself open to Him. If something disrupts that, I need to examine the trouble-spot.

Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . .”

Did you catch that warning? Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. I have seen it happen in my life–busyness distracts me from the Lord, and I must guard against it.I’m going too fast if my relationship with the Lord is off-kilter and deteriorating.During Mega Memory Month, I’m trying to polish off John 14 while dipping into the first 17 verses of John 15. I don’t think I’ll make it through to verse 17 in the days that remain, but as early as the first few lines, Jesus talks about us needing to abide in Him in order to bear fruit, just as a branch remains attached to a vine to bear fruit.A hurried lifestyle can disrupt a commitment to abiding in Him.And so I have chosen a slower pace. For years, I’ve been resisting the things that speed up my days or even my mind (Twitter appears to be a recent threat). I don’t want to let the temptation of a hurried lifestyle disturb my relationship of abiding in Him. I want to keep my life open to Him and concentrate on Him, even if it means managing those good things that distract.Because I want to choose what is best.

The post Choosing What is Best appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

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!

The post January 2009 MMM Monday Progress Report #4 appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

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.

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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>

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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.

Mega Memory Month: January Edition

In the next few weeks, you might come across a poem, some music, or passages that you’d like to commit to memory. Write down the top picks in a journal or on your blog, so you don’t forget.And then, as part of your New Year’s resolution or just to start the year off right, you can choose from your options and dive right into another month of memorization accountability and encouragement.For a little inspiration, here’s a recent Desiring God devotional from John Piper. Some highlights from his intro:

I have it third hand, that Dr. Howard Hendricks (of Dallas Seminary) once made the statement (and I paraphrase) that if it were his decision, every student graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary would be required to learn one thousand verses word perfect before they graduated.Dallas Willard, professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, wrote, “Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization” (“Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, p. 7)….Luther knew so much of the Bible from memory that when the Lord opened his eyes to see the truth of justification in Romans 1:17, he said, “Thereupon I ran through the Scriptures from memory,” in order to confirm what he had found.

I hope you’ll join me in another attempt at memorizing more than we thought possible.Take note of something mega to memorize, and drop in here for Mega Memory Month (MMM): January Edition!

The post Coming Soon to a Blog Near You: The Return of MMM appeared first on Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.

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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.

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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!

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“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!

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• 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.

As so much news about the economic and political challenges swirls around us, it feels like we’re caught in a tornado of change.It might seem kind of trite, simplistic or disconnected to commit to a month of memory work in the midst of all of this. But for me, the thought of it is offering a burst energy and focus. I like the thought of ending the month with my head packed full of good stuff–besides, the month otherwise ends with Halloween. This year, October will culminate not only with costumes but also, hopefully, a long stretch of Scripture stored in my noggin’ for instant recall and contemplation.I’m looking forward to solidifying my choices. I think it’ll be a lengthy passage from John. Regarding family buy-in: The kids are committed to their AWANA work, and The Belgian Wonder hasn’t said one way or another.As for the length of my personal selection, I’m torn; because part of me wants to choose a smaller section so that I can guarantee success–after all, I could always add more if I perfect it quickly. If not, I can celebrate and be relieved and grateful that it’s in there.The other part wants to set a big goal, take on a huge chunk, and really cram in a bunch o’ words; but if I fail, then I’ll kick myself and wonder what in the WORLD I was thinking. I might start using question marks and exclamation points together (Mega Memory Month?!?! What was I thinking??!!).So I’m not sure yet what I’ll do. But I mention my dilemma, because either approach is totally valid.You, too, can choose something modest and reasonable in length and be pleased to get it done in a month’s time. You could, if you like, add a bit more to it to take up the last week or so.Or you could dive into the deep end and go for it, risking failure. That could be a let-down, or a huge success story, or something in-between. You can spin that story however you like in your blog.So have fun exploring the possibilities and experimenting.And as you ponder, enjoy a few links with memorization tips and techniques:

Memorizing TechniquesA tip from a website called Remember Anything: Read out loud and write it outAn eHow 8 step article about how to memorize Scripture.A long list of Scripture memory tips and suggestions.

The post Mega Memory Month–Time to Prepare! 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. 

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