saying no to fear and yes to Romans

I have been afraid of telling you about something I have decided to do.  Every time I think, “Maybe I should tell them,” another louder voice says, “NO!”.   The reason?  The road behind me is littered with things I’ve taken up to do, only to put them down again, sometimes rather quickly.  Goals I’ve set aside, plans I’ve failed to execute, there is quite a mess of failure back there!

But fear is a liar, and today I’m not listening…are you with me!  **I’m sure I can hear an Amen!!**

So here goes: I am spending 2013 memorizing Romans 1, 8 and 12, along with Ann Voskamp and lots of others.

A couple of years ago I printed out all of the Colossians materials Ann so graciously provided and I purposed to memorize it with my kids.  I think we got through the first chapter.

I never even considered memorizing the Sermon on the Mount with her last year.  Too afraid of failing again.

But when I read Ann's post about how memorizing the Sermon on the Mount affected her last year, it touched a deep place in me, that place of “yes” and “I know this is true” and “this is what I want”.

I have purposed to listen to those “yeses” this year, so I downloaded the materials and have taken some steps down the road.  One new resource I am using is ScriptureTyper, which, as Ann says, is seriously fun and very helpful in the memorization process.  I have also set up this journal, where I can paste the materials Ann provides and which gives me space to write the verses down.

I'm pasting the  memorization cards on one side,
leaving space for my own writ ing on the other side of the page.

During his temptation in the desert, Jesus said we live on the words of God, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

I study the Bible in many different contexts every week: sermon at church, personal study in the mornings, two focused small group studies.  

Memorization feels like a different kind of consuming, like turning the bread I have eaten into muscle, useful and strong. 

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What are you saying “yes” to today? 

Interested in memorizing Romans?  Click the button below to find all the information.  It’s not too late to jump in!