Dear Hope Chest friends,

I don't know about you, but I often wake up in the wee hours of the morning (like 4 AM!) and lie there trying to get back to sleep.  There is something about that time of semi-consciousness that tends to exaggerate the anxiety that often assails mothers.  My mind runs through the assorted stresses of life, adding in "what if" and "if only" liberally and even irrationally.   Sigh.  This morning, as I tossed and turned, a verse of Scripture suddenly popped into my head, a gracious little gift of our Comforter, the Holy Spirit:

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee:

be not dismayed; for I am thy God:

I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;

yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." 

Isaiah 41:10

Ah...  Relief!  Yes, God is with me.  I don't need to fear.  He will strengthen me for my motherly tasks, and uphold me with his righteousness, not mine.  As this verse came to mind, I searched my brain for another one to help me through the day (which already, before 9 AM, includes two kids with strep throat, glue spilled on the carpet, a teenager tense about a school assignment, etc.)  I thought of this one:

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk and not faint." 

Isaiah 40:31

Where did these verses come from?  Well, the fact that I memorized them in the King James Version (which I rarely ever read) reminds me that I learned them in 1979, when I was 15 and on a Teen Missions team to Scotland.  We each received a little red vinyl packet of verses, which I still have, along with the blue packet from the following summer when I went to Israel.  Thanks to the constant memory verse review and repetition that our fearless team leaders enforced upon us those two summers, these verses are still ministering to me over a quarter of a century later.  As a home school mom, that is a potent exhortation to me to make sure that my own children are hiding God's word in their own hearts.

As long as I am on this subject, I thought I would include an excerpt about Bible Memory from my book, Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade.  For more information on this and my other books, visit my resources page at www.TheHopeChest.net/resources.html.

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BIBLE MEMORY

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,

and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:16-17

Why is Bible memory such a big deal for home schoolers?  Since Scripture is the cornerstone for our lives, we should always have it instantly accessible to our hearts, our minds and our tongues.  When we have decisions to make, what impressions will come to mind?  It will be the ones we have taken the time to hide in our hearts.  Children are like sponges, ready to soak up Scripture -- if we make it a priority and a regular habit!    That’s the why, now for the how.

Use relevance. The verses you choose should have some interest to a child.  Basic theology (who is God and what is he like?) and Christian living (how should I act?) are the best choices at this age level.  You might find that the memory verses that your child brings home from Sunday School are sufficient.  You could also choose a series of verses that will reinforce a certain principle.  If your child is struggling to develop a character quality like patience or kindness, this is an obvious topic for memory verses!  Here is a list of good starting verses:

q     Psalm 119:105 and 119:111 and 139:14

q     Proverbs 17:17

q     Matthew 4:4 and 11:28-30

q     Mark 16:15

q     John 14:15

q     Romans 3:23 and 5:8 and 6:23

q     Philippians 4:7 and 4:13 and 4:19

q     1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

q     James 1:22

q     1 Peter 5:7

q     1 John 4:7-8 and 4:11 and 5:14

Use repetition. A non-reading preschooler can memorize Bible verses by listening to you say them over and over, and eventually repeating after you phrase by phrase.  Before I ever had children, I remember my friend Mel telling me that her two year old daughter had memorized a large portion of Proverbs 2 just by overhearing her two older brothers do their memory work each day.  An older child can look at the verse while saying it out loud.  If he is memorizing more than one verse in a passage over a period of days, he can recite as much as he knows every day, and then add a little bit more. “For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there."  Isaiah 28:9-10

Use explanations and vocabulary. If there are any words that he doesn’t understand, take the time to explain them to him, and see if he can tell you what they mean in his own words.  How can this Bible verse be applied in his life?  This is a vital time to learn basic theological words like: Heaven, eternal, everlasting, faith, mercy, grace, sin, transgression, deceive, salvation, sacrifice, Lamb of God, high priest, Pharisee, Gentile, ransom, redeem, witness, holy, pure, righteous, obedient, command, exhort, evangelize, and gospel.

Use a chanting rhythm.  Ephesians 6:1 can be emphasized this way: “CHILdren, obey your PARents in the LORD for this is RIGHT.”  Proverbs 20:12 is another good one for young children: “EARS that HEAREYESSEE  -- the LORD has MADE them BOTH.” that and

Use hand motions. “Everyone who hears (put your hand to your ear) these words of mine (point up to God) and puts them into practice is like a wise man (tap head) who built his house (make a roof with your hands) on the rock (make a solid place with your hands).”  Matthew 7:24. 

Use music. You can also listen to and sing Bible verses set to catchy tunes. I’ve made up my own little ditties for verses I want my family to learn. 

Ø      Hide 'Em In Your Heart by Steve Green -- two volumes of Scripture memory songs for children on tape or CD. 

Use games. Simple games can also be quite effective for teaching Scripture memory.  Write the verse on a chalkboard or a whiteboard.  Erase one word at a time, and try to recite it from memory.  Write a verse in large letters on paper, and then cut it apart.  Can your child arrange it in the correct order? (For more adventure, hide the pieces around the room first!) Or, for an even more tactile experience, write each word of the verse on a different pebble.  A kinesthetic child might want to recite the verse while jumping rope.

Use verse cards. My first introduction to this was on a Teen Missions team when I was 15.  We had packets of about 40 verses each year, and I can still recall many of these over 20 years later.  I wish I had started as a young child!  You can make your own using index cards.  If you want them to look professional, you can print them from your computer on special business card paper.  You can also purchase a verse card set.

Use little homemade booklets.  Fold over several sheets of paper and staple at the edge.  Write out a Bible passage in large letters throughout the pages, and draw simple illustrations.  Read through the book every day for a few weeks with your child and see how easily she remembers the verses.

Ø    Responsible Hearts Scripture memory materials  http://responsiblehands.com/ResponsibleHeartsIndex.html

Use writing.  Let your older child copy the verse several times, first looking at the text, and later doing it from memory.

Use review.  Check periodically to see if your child can say the verses from memory.  Go back to the verses you have learned in past weeks and months.  If you don’t take the effort to make this a priority, it is unlikely that your child will stick with Bible memory. Many families have quiz nights, or brief daily review times.

Use discretion. My only caveat about using games or other memory activities (including hand motions) is that some are so silly that they trivialize Scripture.  A memory method should help your child focus on the true meaning of Scripture rather than distract him with puns that will put distorted images into his head. 

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May God bless you as you seek to teach and train your children for his glory!