Many people will (mistakenly) think that anyone who memorizes a huge amount of Scripture must be some sort of “super saint”. I have this to say about that, and that’s this: Super saint? NO I AIN’T! Not even close. (To echo the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh”.) In fact, just the opposite of their notion is true, because the more of the Bible I memorize, the more I realize how utterly and entirely sinful I am in and of myself, in my flesh. You see, as Psalm 19:7-8 clearly states, the Bible – and especially memorizing the Bible – “enlightens the eyes”. It breaks through the blindness which besets us from birth and opens one’s eyes. To the truth and existence and nature and will of God. To the nature and detrimental, destructive, and indeed deadly consequences of sin (Romans 6:23). And to the nature of man. Our flesh. Our fallacy. Our tendencies. Why we do what we do. Why we do what we should not and not do what we should! (Romans 7:19) So you can see why I say that the more Scripture one memorizes, the more one will see the righteousness of God and the sinfulness of oneself, of the flesh, to the extent that I can honestly say that I’m the BIGGEST SINNER I know, I’m the biggest sinner I’ve EVER known, and I’m probably the biggest sinner YOU’VE ever known, at least that’s how I see it, that’s my (believe it or not blissful) Bible-borne perspective.
But thankfully Psalm 19:7-8 doesn’t stop there! Because it’s just as clear that the Bible also “restores the soul” and “makes wise the simple” and “rejoices the heart”! It’s not just a win, not just a home run, memorizing and reciting Scripture is a GRAND SLAM! And not just spiritually, but humanly… not just in the spiritual realm, but in the human realm, not just in the life to come but also this present life (1 Timothy 4:8). And I can testify from firsthand experience that all of this is absolutely true: so long as I’m doing so on a regular basis, my spirit remains utterly joyful, rarely ever leaving the proverbial “cloud nine”. I find that I see things that many others don’t (heightened insight produced by the Word within). And I find that my heart remains filled with and focused on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2), not on the things which are seen, but unseen, not the things which are temporal but eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18) – what a wonderful way to go through life! And what’s amazing is that I’m just at the START this journey of memorizing the entire Bible, after which the Lord is leading me to turn this into a full-fledged, full-speed-ahead, full-time ministry – here’s the plan…
PHASE 1: Memorize the ENTIRE Bible as a “love/thank You” gift back to Him and also to prove, to demonstrate to the world the utter and tangible power and benefits of the ingested (memorized) Word of God! And for the first few months to highlight the need and leave room for the Lord to lead like-minded Bible-loving believers to support this in whatever ways they’re able and willing and excited to do so when learning about this historic endeavor and opportunity.
PHASE 2: After memorizing all or at least the vast majority of the New Testament, the next step will commence and entail totally changing the emphasis of this website from seeking one-time and especially Monthly Partners so as to get and keep this going to just giving back by meeting the needs of others, to “fulfill the law of Christ” by “bearing the burdens of others” (Galatians 6:2) and “serving one another” (Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 4:10).
Specifically, I will make myself available all throughout the day virtually every day so anyone will be able to:
- Ask and receive Bible-based answers to their questions about the Bible itself, God, sin, human nature, and whatever else might be on their hearts at any given time. Literally for the rest of my or their lives, they will have a ready and waiting friend and/or listening ear and/or shoulder to cry on according to their need at the time. Without reservation, and without judgment.
- Submit prayer requests to be prayed for by someone who is brimming with the living Word within him, which I firmly believe is the biggest key to effective prayer: the Word sanctifies (John 17:17) and cleanses (Ephesians 5:26) and keeps pure (Psalm 119:9) and away from sin (Psalm 119:11); now combine all of this with the fact that “the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12) and “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16b) and perhaps speaking most poignantly to the amazing link between memorizing Scripture and an effective prayer life, “If you abide in Me, and MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, ask WHATEVER you WISH, and it SHALL BE DONE for you.” (John 15:7). How will people’s lives literally change and be transformed by the supplication and intercession by one in whom such a massive amount of Scripture will be dwelling? GAME-CHANGER. Life-changer. WORLD-changer! (Literally. Just ask the people who were living in the time of Elijah.)
- Find a BIBLICAL – Bible-loving, Bible-believing, Bible-practicing – church near them, right in their local area! I am already in the process of putting together this network of churches; denomination will be irrelevant, the only criterion will be the extent to which they demonstrably adhere to the principles set forth in the Bible about “how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15) With a primary focus on how supportive they are of Bible memory. I expect even just the human-interest/intellectual aspect of this project to attract countless people who aren’t even religious or are very early on in their spiritual growth who’ll need and want to find a church that will foster and maximize said growth.
- Find the businesses in YOUR area that are owned and/or managed by fellow Christians who love the Lord and His Word and realize the importance of and support Bible memory. Galatians 6:10 and 1 Timothy 6:2 make clear that it is our responsibility as Christians that our everyday choices inure to the benefit of fellow believers whenever possible, so I’m going to make that super easy and convenient by posting a nationwide (but searchable by state/county/city) LIST of Christian businesses so we can all choose THEM whenever we need a product or service; once assembled, it will appear on the “Find A Christian Biz” / Yellow Pages section here at BibleMemory.ORG so please check back for that in the coming weeks.
PHASE 3: Turn this burgeoning history-in-the-making effort into a full-speed-ahead, full-fledged, full-time ministry to Educate, Encourage, and Empower others to memorize and recite Scripture on a regular, systematic, verse-by-verse, book-by-book basis! Tall goal, but totally doable, because something very interesting happened as I memorized my very first book of the Bible, the New Testament book of James. That goal seemed not just tall but downright monumental. Undoable. Right? Wrong! Because, amazingly, the more of it I memorize, the EASIER it gets! The more of it I memorize, the more I am able to memorize. By the time I came to Chapter 5, I knew this large task was indeed going to be accomplished. BIG difference than when I was facing Chapter 1 Verse 1.
This is a fantastic real-life demonstration of Matthew 19:26 which says, “With men, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Including memorizing the ENTIRE Bible! You see, in the physical realm, the more water you pour into a glass, the less capacity it will have for more water to be added. But in the spiritual realm, when it comes to God and His Word, the Bible, the exact OPPOSITE is true! The MORE you pour into your mind, the MORE capacity you’ll have for additional verses and chapters and books to be added! Not less. And this amazing power is exponential in nature: I saw a large increase in capacity from James 1 to James 5, but double or triple the capacity by the time I finished memorizing Hebrews 1-5, and then quadruple or quintuple the capacity by the time I finished memorizing Hebrews 6-10, and so on. This finding is literally historic, and indeed the closest thing to a bona fide miracle in recent history of which I’m aware: it’s verifiable, it’s tangible, and – due to the “living and active” nature of the Bible (Hebrews 4:12) – it’s even repeatable. While the specific extent of this phenomenon might vary from person to person, the essence of the Word does not. Ever. This is how I’ll be able not just to Educate and Encourage the masses to memorize and recite Scripture on a regular, systematic basis but also to EMPOWER them to do so (the Word through me). (Believe me, once a person gets a taste of this, his or her life will never be the same. Human metaphors don’t really do it justice but in terms of the Christian life, it’s like trying filet mignon for the first time after a lifetime of eating hamburger.)
This will primarily be accomplished by producing a course, a syllabus, an entire series of videos, CD’s, and even audio cassettes, which will take all of this and make it SUPER EASY and CONVENIENT for people the world over to learn and apply this at their own pace and as their individual schedules permit. I am utterly convinced that another worldwide spiritual revival will occur, but I’m even more certain that it will only occur as people start ingesting the living Word of God by memorizing and reciting it regularly – “all the day” (Psalm 119:97) and even “day AND night” (Psalm 1:2-3).
By the way, this would be a great time to let you know that as I’ve been memorizing Scripture, a very specific METHOD of doing so is coming into focus, which, as noted above, I can testify firsthand is making it MUCH EASIER for me to memorize and retain – not just the Bible but EVERYTHING: to-do lists, schedule and meetings, various events that occur, etc., a true “sponge” effect! – and I’m 99.9% sure that it will do so for virtually anyone and everyone who applies it. It’s still coming together but seems to be getting close to the point that it can be rolled out. This one aspect alone of this one phase alone could easily and literally change the world and people’s everyday lives.
PHASE 4: Set up new and/or work with established addiction centers to specifically address the huge need for healing, curing, and then preventing from recurring (relapse) the massive crisis of addiction to pain killers, opioids, and other drugs, as well as the dreadful disease of depression. I am absolutely certain that the best and probably only way to truly beat, to truly eradicate, overcome, and conquer an addiction is to turn to something even more addictive – and I am equally certain that the most addictive thing in the universe is the BIBLE, the living and active Word of God, the Word ingested. No doubt about it. The main challenge is that so relatively few ever really give regular and systematic Bible memory a try, but I – with your and the Lord’s help – intend to change that!
It won’t happen overnight but I have no doubt that change is indeed coming. And just in case you don’t think the Bible extends or has relevance to the physical realm of human existence, I humbly give you Proverbs 4:22 which, referring to the Bible, the “my words” of verse 20, clearly states that His words “are LIFE to those who find them, and HEALTH to ALL their WHOLE BODY.” Is that an amazing verse or what?! We have a super-duper health “pill” readily available to us (the Bible is the most-published and available book of all time) yet SO FEW EVER ACTUALLY SWALLOW IT! To their utter “missing out” yet few if any are even aware of this because nobody has trumpeted it from the proverbial mountaintops but with your help I intend to change this, too, and do just that!
I didn’t start memorizing entire books of the Bible as a child but did memorize a lot of single Bible verses and – totally not surprisingly in light of that verse/truth/fact – I haven’t had to see a doctor or go to the hospital my entire adult life. Not even a single time. No emergencies. No health surprises. Not one. I don’t think the two are unrelated or that this remarkable health history is mere coincidence or the result of “good genes”; no, I’m certain it’s that verse at work.
No, it won’t happen overnight but down the road I look forward to organizing some clinical/medical trials to demonstrate that this is universal and not just specific to me. I dare say that other than imparting the Gospel or giving one’s own life to save another’s, there is no greater act of love and kindness and therefore Christlikeness (since He epitomized and epitomizes both) than to free a person from the cruel slavery and bondage of addiction or depression, to provide them with the answer, the antidote, something that actually and permanently WORKS! So even just this phase of the action plan will likely be enough to revolutionize the nation and world.
CONCLUSION: If you like what you’ve heard here and found yourself nodding in agreement several times, please read on…
Why I’m Doing This
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryAs I did with the About page in this blog’s very first post, I think it would be good to paste the Why page in this one, so without further ado…
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Why
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When someone hears that I’m well on my way to memorizing the ENTIRE Bible, I’m sure the first thing that comes to their mind is “Whew, glad God didn’t call me to do that!” and then a very close second, “Why on earth would anyone want to do that?!”
My initial response would be that it’s definitely nothing “on earth” that’s motivating me to do this, that’s for sure. For reasons not totally known to me, God has laid this (very strong) calling upon my heart. In my humble opinion, it would’ve seemed far more logical to have picked and empowered someone who wasn’t the biggest sinner I know, the biggest sinner I’ve ever known, and quite possibly the biggest sinner you’ve ever known… but I think the likely answer for why God did just that, why he picked me anyway, is found in 1 Timothy 1:16 – “And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost [i.e., sinner, verse 15], Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” I wish I could say that my life mirrors the Apostle Paul’s in every way, like His mirrored the Lord probably more than anyone in human history (1 Corinthians 11:1), but this is definitely one which qualifies, perceiving oneself to be “the biggest sinner” – because the more of the Bible I memorize, the more and more (and more and more and more) I realize and come to see that I am such a sinner, a “filthy rag” if there ever were one (Isaiah 6:5 & 64:6), and then the Bible stored inside my mind immediately and automatically redirects it to dwell not on my sin but on His perfection and purity and righteousness which has not only become mine through the power and working and washing of the Word within but which I have literally become in the utter miracle of spiritual transformation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
Here’s a bullet-point then detailed (though certainly not complete) list of my motivations and reasons for dedicating my life to this whole-Bible-memorizing, Christ-glorifying, God-given task and calling and passion.
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The Summary:
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The Specifics:
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The first reason is that I couldn’t and can’t think of ANYTHING in the whole wide world which would bring the Lord Jesus more pleasure and delight than for someone to memorize every word of His “love letter” to humanity – every word of His Word – and then recite His own words back to Him. I discuss this concept more in-depth on the home page and in my Overview video but the gist is this: think how it would make you feel if you wrote a love letter to the love of your life and at some point in the future that person quoted it back to you by heart, from memory. Enough said.
The second reason goes hand-in-hand with the first: as a very unique “love You” and “thank You” gift back to the Lord for who He is and all that He has done and continues to do for us! He is worthy of no less. (I just can’t believe it took two thousand years for someone to do this!) (On second thought…)
The third reason goes hand-in-hand with the second: to give this gift back to the Lord not just from me but from and on behalf of all believers in general and in specific all who support this effort and future outflowing ministries in whatever ways they’re able. Under that umbrella of all believers, I specifically want this to be a special source of blessing and comfort and inspiration for believers who aren’t permitted to worship and carry out their faith in various countries around the world, yet do so anyway. That’s the spirit! (And that’s the Spirit, clearly.) It’s the least I can do since they have provided so much inspiration for me my whole life, ever since I was a child and from time to time would meet missionaries who have devoted their lives to smuggling in and handing out Bibles in various communist-controlled countries with religiously repressive regimes, so the “house Christians” can study and teach and share the Word. On that day when I recite the ENTIRE BIBLE from memory in front of the entire world (literally, thanks to YouTube.com/BibleMemory and BibleMemory.ORG) I will be thinking very specifically of all the “house Christians” around the world who will be “many, many, many rows ahead of me” in heaven since they have paid a much bigger price to practice our precious faith.
The fourth reason I’m memorizing the entire Bible is to raise funds for ministries and other worthy causes including Christian radio stations, which have had a huge, healthy impact in my life throughout the years. Bringing the Word of God to the public, via powerful preaching or mighty music or timely talk shows… talk about a worthy cause! I would love it if the Lord were to use this calling and passion in my heart to also help countless ministries in such a tangible, needed way.
And not just formal ministries but also individual Bible-loving believers whose social media pages’ profile paragraph proudly promotes the Word, especially ones which blare out a Bible verse, a specific Scripture near and dear to their heart and life. It will be my delight and indeed duty and sincere spiritual service to strongly support such individuals and ministries, my fellow workers in the cause of the Bible in general and Bible memory in specific, who too have been saved, sealed, set free, self-confirmed, sanctified and schooled by the Spirit (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:15; Romans 8:16; Galatians 3:3; 1 John 2:27), sustained and secured by the Son (Philippians 4:13,19; 1 John 5:18), because of the unfettered favor of the Father (Psalm 5:12, also 30:5 & 84:11 and countless other verses), by the true grace of the Triune God.
And not just ministries or individuals who promote Bible memory and specifically this historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG but also people who promote it by word-of-mouth or pen and paper or however they’re able and the Lord leads. I want to be a fellow worker and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people like this. And I must admit that I have a special place in my heart and immediate affinity for those whose social media page(s) in particular has a Bible verse/reference prominently displayed, and I hope you’ll adopt my personal practice to support and “share” those pages: like the people in Paul’s day pointed-out in Philippians 1:17, some of those perhaps promote Scripture out of improper motivations… but I’m quite sure that such represents a super-small segment, that this is true of very few if any, because given the current climate in our country and worldwide, one risks paying a price for promulgating the Bible or anything closely connected to Christ, and this factor alone almost certainly will “weed out” the wayward ones, i.e., I think it’s very safe to assume that pretty much any person who puts a Bible verse/reference in their page-topping profile is doing it for the right reasons, with very pure motives: to do their part to promote the Word and words of our wonderful God and Savior.
The fifth reason but one of the most important on an ongoing basis is that when I started memorizing my very first entire book (James), the Bible itself – as I stored more and more of it within me – started revealing to my mind’s eye a very specific MEMORY METHOD which has made it both much easier and, yes, more FUN to memorize and recite Scripture! I’ll know when that process is complete or at least complete enough to share with others, to roll out to the public and that will be one of the main focus points in the future, for years and Lord-willing decades to come so I’m looking forward to that with enormous anticipation; right now I’d say that it’s around 75% complete so probably in the next year or so; I won’t know for sure until I start teaching it to others but my very strong sense, hunch, expectation is that it will prove to be universal in nature, meaning that it will be of benefit to virtually ANYONE (though probably to a different degree/extent for each person since we’re all different in certain ways but 95% similar in terms of how the human mind and body work, etc. – more about this in future posts… if you’d like to automatically be notified by email when new ones are published – including ones about this will-revolutionize-the-world-and-approach-to-education/learning breakthrough – simply click on the grey “Follow Bible Memory” button in item “3.” at the very bottom of this page or at the top to the right of that “Overview” video and consider it done! Your inbox – and life – will never be the same. The Bible in general and this Bible-borne memory method and process in specific have absolutely revolutionized my mind and heart and life and I’m sure it will bear similar fruit and you will reap similar results and rewards in yours!
The sixth reason is something which has been near and dear to my heart since I was a child: nationwide and indeed worldwide spiritual revival. I’ve literally been praying for the Lord to bring that about virtually my entire life and I’m 100% sure that such will occur. But I’m 1,000% certain that it will ONLY occur IF/WHEN a sufficient percentage of believers, of the Church, of Christ’s body on earth (Colossians 1:24; Ephesians 5:25-30) get “gobs and gobs” of the Good Book, God’s Word, “richly dwelling within” them (Colossians 3:16) and “hidden in [their] heart” (Psalm 119:11) and “binge” on big “bites” of the Bible, because it’s the Bible which sanctifies and cleanses us (John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26; Psalm 119:9), the Bible is the “mirror” (James 1:21-25) which, when “looked intently” into, “performs its work” (1 Thessalonians 2:13) in “transforming us into the [Lord’s] image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18), from one level of glory to another to another, and increases our faith (Romans 10:17) to the point that we go through life “seeing the unseen” (Hebrews 11:27) such that, to bring it beautifully full circle, “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18). And that, my friends, is the very picture indeed definition of spiritual revival. And it all stems from and is kindled and lit on fire by the Bible. The world is perhaps spiritually drier than it has ever been in the past 2,000 years… sounds like the perfect time for a spiritual fire to ignite and spread and do its purifying and winnowing work so we will wondrously be revived, be “refined by fire” (1 Peter 1:7).
The seventh reason I’m doing this is that the Lord didn’t put this passion and calling into a vacuum but rather into a person – me! Which includes all pieces and parts and components of my personality and traits and experiences, and one of those is that my grandmother was one of the biggest independent antique dealers on the east coast and probably the entire country, and whenever my family would visit her (once or twice a year on average throughout my childhood) she and I alone would wake up very early in the morning (around 5:00) and go down into her (massive!) basement (it was one of my earliest introductions of the concept of eternity, because that room just kept going and going and going and going, with one pile of boxes after another after another) and WORK there until around noon when the rest of my family would wake up and we’d all have breakfast together at that time but first, for me, there were a good seven hours of solid work to do. Moving said boxes to wherever she directed. Polishing the many silver teapots and silver dollars she’d be selling in the coming months (she’d make necklaces with a Silver Dollar as the centerpiece, they were among her best-selling items, those and picture frames, always in huge demand). Sweeping and cleaning the entire area. I totally understand why my other family members weren’t keen on getting up at 5 a.m. on their vacation to W-O-R-K, in a basement… but you know why I did, why I loved it so much? Because I loved her so much, that’s true, but so did the rest of my family, so I think the difference was that I loved listening to her talk, the entire time, the entire seven hours. About life and my school and her favorite TV shows, and a ton of stories about my father and uncles and aunts when she was raising them years before, but most of all by far we talked (okay, she talked, I listened 🙂 ) about business. As noted, she was a major antiques dealer, a real businesswoman the likes of which I’ve never personally seen since, the way she could “wheel and deal” and get the very best price on the items she would buy wholesale from yard/estate sales or the huge antiques market in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I accompanied her on my 13th birthday (which single-handedly and immediately made it one of my most memorable and precious) … a real businesswoman, and during those 7-hour sessions in her basement, she poured that knowledge into my young brain [we started doing those when I was in elementary school and after returning post-Christmas break I started buying a big bag of Jolly Ranchers candy at the local CVS store (called Peoples back then, before getting gobbled up by the behemoth) and then would resell them individually for a quarter to my classmates (I bought a bag of 100 for fifty cents so my pricing, my markup of fiftyfold was probably a bit much but I was in elementary school and didn’t know any better, hadn’t learned the concept of price-gouging but my grandma got such a kick out of that!].
The main point is that business has been not just an interest or hobby but a real part of me since I can remember. So what on earth does all of that have to do with this website and historic endeavor? That when the Lord put this calling in my heart a couple years ago, he also gave me a strong desire to help as many Christian professionals and businesspeople (like my dear grandmother… it’s been a few decades – she died when I was 13, less than a year after that trip together to that antiques market when I saw her in action, saw her doing her thing, saw her wheeling and dealing like never before – and I still miss her) succeed by getting the word out not just about their product or service but especially the fact that they are fellow Christians! One of the main purposes and missions of this website is to make it as easy and practical as possible to help my fellow man in general and believers in specific experience massive blessing in their lives – the one to come, absolutely, but also this one (I Timothy 4:8, 6:6) – and the path to blessing can best be summed up in one word: obedience. To the Lord. To His Word, the Bible. And one of the most practical and immediate ways to do so would be to heed the Ten Commandments as well as verses like Galatians 6:10 and I Timothy 6:2 which couldn’t be clearer about how crucial it is that we Christians put a priority on producing as much benefit and taking as much of our business as possible to, yep, fellow Christians! So along with memorizing all 66 books, the entire Bible, a secondary target of my time in the coming months and years will be spent putting together a nationwide network of Christian businesses and professionals, thus making it EASY for my fellow Christians to identify and take their business to fellow Christians and thus receive the blessings and benefits of obeying these two verses in specific. But wait, there’s more! By generating much more business/benefit for Christian companies and professionals, it will generate more tithes for their local church so that’s a major motivation, too! It might just be the greatest win-win-win-win ever this side of salvation. After I assemble a sufficient number of Christian-owned/run businesses in a given state, I’ll list them in the “Find A Christian Biz” section which is also ChristianBizPages.com so please (a) be praying for BibleMemory.ORG in general including this aspect in specific, and (b) starting soon, whenever you need a product or service, please check ChristianBizPages.com or BibleMemory.ORG/YellowPages (same exact webpage) first so as many of us as possible can apply/obey Galatians 6:10 and 1 Timothy 6:2 (benefitting fellow believers as much of the time as possible) and reap the rewards for all eternity!
The eighth reason I’m pursuing this history-making undertaking is one of the other few ways an aspect of my life can be compared with Paul’s: just as his heartfelt, passionate, all-consuming pursuit in life was to preach the gospel, mine is to memorize the Bible – such that, respectfully paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 9:16, “woe is me if I do NOT” memorize the Bible. Because, having tasted it, I’d be utterly miserable if I didn’t EAT (memorize) ALL of it!
The ninth reason I’m doing this is very similar to number four above: along with ministries in general, I’d love to help missionaries in specific raise much-needed funds. While most of the public probably wouldn’t be inclined to give money to missionaries, they are happy to contribute to the cause of Bible memory especially in such a big, historic context, and I’ll be thrilled and can hardly wait to share a large portion of incoming donations with many missionaries in the very near future, stay tuned to the blog for further details about that. Missions was a massive part of my childhood: every other month or two, a missionary couple or family would stay at my family’s house for up to a week and my jaw dropped regularly as we all sat around the dining table or living room and they’d tell story after story about amazing things God had done when they were on the mission field (usually in South America or Asia or Africa) … sometimes bone-chilling and hair-raising, always amazing. And missions and missionaries have held a special place in my heart ever since! So, yeah, I can barely wait to help raise funds for them via this website and historic endeavor.
The tenth reason is definitely the least likely and somewhat of a subset of numbers three and nine but worthy of separate note. Even just a year or two ago, before the pandemic and certain responses thereto, this would’ve been unthinkable. Absolutely unthinkable. But now I think almost every believer and indeed countless unbelievers, too, can envision a future time in which the Bible could be banned. Yes, even here in the liberty-loving, freedom-fostering U.S.A. I place the odds of that’s actually happening at around 0.0001%, not very likely but when it comes to something SO BIG, SO HUGE, SO MASSIVE, SO ESSENTIAL as the Bible, well, let’s just say that even one-in-a-million is enough for me to foresee this tenth motivation’s potentially coming into play some day: my memorizing the entire Bible will, if the unthinkable does occur, allow me to reproduce it in full and to distribute it around the globe, regardless of the consequences or costs (even if such included the death penalty – indeed, I’d be HONORED beyond words if I were to die for the cause of Christ and, under that umbrella, the Bible). I just mentioned how my whole childhood saw many missionaries spend up to a week at a time at my family’s home; one of those was an elderly Chinese couple who dedicated their lives to going back to China and smuggling in Bibles. The husband was one of the most humble people I’ve ever known, and the wife was very loud (they definitely proved the adage that “opposites attract”, at least in terms of their personalities, it was really funny to behold) and would get so passionate when giving an update in front of the whole church that she would start SCREAMING “Bibles for China! Bibles for China!” Screaming and crying. Tears would literally start rolling down her face just at the thought of how hard her fellow Chinese citizens had it (and still do). (Now THAT was something to behold, which I’ve never forgotten and never will.)
Anyway, a century or two ago, I’m sure that a lot of the Chinese people never thought for a minute that the day would come when they wouldn’t be able to readily and legally discuss much less read much less possess a Bible. What if that were to spread to the rest of the world? Especially after what we’ve seen various governments do during the ongoing (but tapering) pandemic even in (formerly) famously free countries like England and Canada and Australia, those odds have gone from one-in-a-trillion to one-in-a-million. Still small, but much, much bigger than just months ago. Still very unlikely, but no longer unimaginable. Remember hearing about how all-out many people went during America’s “Prohibition” era? Well multiply that by a ZILLION and you’ll understand how all-in and all-out diligent and creative and relentless I would be to fulfill that role. Especially since I’d likely be the ONLY person on the planet who COULD fulfill it, since no one in known human history has ever memorized the entire Bible. Super-duper-duper-duper-unlikely that we’ll ever actually cross that bridge, but given how BIG a blessing the Bible is and how absolutely essential it is in terms of both salvation (Romans 10:17) and sanctification (1 Peter 2:2), in terms of both spiritual birth and growth, such a “back-up plan” or “safety net” is definitely worth making my “Top Reasons/Motivations” list. [Side note: this is a great example of how the Bible and the Holy Spirit work hand-in-hand, as the latter is equally essential in terms of both salvation (Titus 3:4-7) and sanctification (Galatians 5:22-23).]
The eleventh reason is probably the least weighty but nonetheless noteworthy: frankly, I’m dying to see exactly what would happen when the incomprehensibly powerful Word of God is placed IN FULL, IN ITS ENTIRETY, into ONE mind, one brain, one vessel. In a previously-published post, I noted several ways in which the Word and the Lord are inextricably linked, and surely enough, just as Colossians 2:3 says of the Lord Jesus, “in whom are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”, there’s no doubt in my mind that this similarly applies to the Bible. What would happen, what could occur if the totality of it were to be stored in a single human mind? A finite mind filled and overflowing with the infinite Word. We’ll all find out soon enough but I am certain that it will produce not just amazing but mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, historic results, things that our finite minds can’t even imagine in advance. Like I said, not the weightiest reason but I can hardly wait to find out!
The twelfth reason I’m doing this is that, as discussed in-depth in that same post, Bible memory has proven to be the best HEALTHCARE PLAN ever! I’ll bet that the majority of even Christians think that the Bible is very powerful in the spiritual realm but doesn’t extend to the physical. WRONG! Why can I say that with such certitude? Not just because I haven’t had to go to a doctor or hospital my entire adult life and have enjoyed practically perfect health after memorizing Bible verses since I was a child and that has been even more the case now that I’ve memorized several entire books of the Bible en route to all 66… but not just because of that first-hand experience but infinitely more so because the Bible itself testifies to this truth! Don’t believe me? Think this sounds too good to be true? Well here’s a verse I’ve never heard a single other person or preacher or teacher discuss and of which even most mature believers probably aren’t aware which absolutely stuns me since it is one of the most clear and directly-applicable-in-the-tangible/physical-realm I’ve come across in the entire Bible. I’ll bet the vast majority of believers do know, have heard and even memorized Proverbs 4:23 (“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”) – but not the verse right before it, Proverbs 4:22, and brace yourself because it’s a game-changer, life-changer, world-changer, true gem: ”For they [referring back to the “my words” of verse 20, i.e., the Bible] are LIFE to those who find them, and HEALTH to ALL their WHOLE BODY.” You can refer back to that previously-published post for an in-depth analysis of this verse but suffice it to say that it, that God (it’s His Word and words) says as clear as day that the Bible’s power and efficacy is NOT limited to the spiritual or emotional/mental realms (verses 23-27) but indeed extends all the way to the PHYSICAL realm: ”life”, “health”, “body”. And not just the body of those who “find” His words, the Bible, but “ALL their WHOLE body.” Amazing. Simply amazing. Stunning. Powerful. And I can attest firsthand that it is indeed totally true, that it is indeed “a thing”. And while reading is good and studying is even better, I don’t think anyone would disagree that memorizing the Bible, that Bible memory is the BEST way to “find” His words. Why? Because it most fully and ongoingly gets the Word and words of God Himself, the Bible, INTO a person’s mind and thus (verse 23) life.
The thirteenth reason I’m doing this is to give my fellow Christians a super easy and convenient and direct and immediate way to turn some of the earthly funds God has entrusted to their stewardship into eternal treasure and blessing – not only in the life to come in heaven, but in this life, too! (1 Timothy 4:8) There are many worthy ministries, I’m but a very small cog in the wheel of God’s kingdom and plan… but I’m not aware of very many if any (a) which is so destined to make church and human/intellectual history (not because of me but in spite of me; not because of me but because of Him!) and (b) which supporters will be able to literally see the results and fruit of their support in real-time, with their own eyes (again thanks to YouTube.com/BibleMemory and BibleMemory.ORG) which is most conducive to what the Bible teaches and instructs us about financial stewardship.
And last but definitely not least, the fourteenth reason I’m doing this is to give Christians everywhere something to ROOT for, to root ON, to hopefully give them a sense of hope and inspiration and something POSITIVE on which they can actively and in real-time set their mind even (especially?) when in the midst of one trial or another. I’ll never be able to play basketball like Michael Jordan or quarterback like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or jump and run like Jesse Owens, but the Lord has granted me the desire and (Bible-borne) ability to memorize Scripture “like nobody’s business” as the saying goes. And like Michael Jordan gave the citizens of Chicago ongoing reason for hope season after season, and like Tom Brady gave the citizens of New England something to enthusiastically root for, so also I want to give the earthbound (for now!) citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20) – i.e. Christians everywhere – the same thing, for them to be able to root on someone as he memorizes the ENTIRE Bible for the first time in known human history so he – and, vicariously, everyone who supports this in whatever ways they’re able – can quote Christ’s own words back to Him by heart, and from the heart… I want to see the Lord receive this very special and historic gift!
One of the things I love and appreciate and am most awed about the Bible is that, while it has so many verses, even just ONE of them can literally and absolutely change and REVOLUTIONIZE a life. For eternity. And at the end of the day as they say, that, in a single blurb, is why I’m doing this, why I’m dedicating my life to memorizing the entire Bible. Not just for the massive benefit and benefits it will and indeed has already produced in my life but also because I know it will do so in the lives of countless others and is, without a doubt, the BEST “love/thank-You” gift I can give back to the Lord Jesus Christ which will bring Him the most pleasure. And like the famous children’s song says, “That’s what it’s all about!”
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and the future flow-forth-from-it ministries in line with 3 John 8 and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are nine different ways – eight of which don’t cost a dime and barely any time! May God bless you richly for helping out in any or all of the following ways:
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1. Spread the word about this real-time historic event by simply sharing this page with your friends, family, fellow congregation members, and social media followers with a single click – simply select one or more of these platforms (or the last icon to share by email), it’s that easy!
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2. Add your name to my Prayer List!
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3. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here and select your platform(s) or the email icon on the far right, it’s that quick and easy!
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4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to support this God-pleasing, Christ-honoring, Bible-centered, inspirational, real-time historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here and select your platform(s) or the email icon on the far right, it’s that quick and easy!
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5. Simply SHARE the Bible memory Videos page with everyone you know and encourage them to share it with everyone they know by going to BibleMemory.ORG/videos (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here and select your platform(s) or the email icon on the far right, it’s that quick and easy!
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6. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to become a Bible Memory Ambassador by simply referring them to BibleMemory.ORG/amb (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here and select your platform(s) or the email icon on the far right, it’s that quick and easy!
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7. Encourage everyone you know to listen to and SHARE the (very catchy) Bible Memory theme song with everyone they know by going to BibleMemory.ORG/song (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then select your platform(s) listed below the video or the email icon on the far right, it’s that quick and easy!
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8. Regularly read every new post published on the Blog page! (Reading it every day is best but even just catching up each weekend will work wonders.) If you think a post would be a blessing to your friends, family, social media followers or fellow congregation members, SHARE it with them by simply selecting your preferred platform(s) listed at the end of each post! Or to do so by word-of-mouth, simply encourage them to check out BibleMemory.ORG/blog (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com)
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9. If and ONLY IF you’re comfortably able, you are encouraged to “go the extra mile” by becoming a valued Monthly Partner of this historic event! Simply select one of these monthly support levels:
$9 $20 $30 $50 $100 $200 $500 $1000
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“Norm!”
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryAs we all know, given God’s gracious sovereignty there’s no such thing as “accidents” or “coincidences”, such simply don’t exist. So it was a double blessing when I was researching car batteries and “stumbled upon” a certain webpage which was such an immediate and immense (and ongoing) blessing to me that I just had to share it with you, my readers, here on the BibleMemory.ORG website:
https://www.interstatebatteries.com/about/leadership/norm-miller
Our brother in Christ Norm Miller is a great example of the power of the Bible to truly, tangibly, totally transform a life. From alcoholic at the bottom of the spiritual barrel to the very top of corporate America, that’s the Bible’s revolutionary power. (How fitting that he became the Chairman of a battery company.)
Powering vehicles is his secondary job in life. Powering vessels of a spiritual nature and instilling a sense of hope in everyday people and glorifying God is clearly his primary job and focus in life. After reading his life story and testimony via the link above, I’m sure you’ll agree that it has already been a job “well done” by that good and faithful servant, our fellow Bible-loving believer and brother, Norm Miller.
One of the main motivations and missions of BibleMemory.ORG is to encourage and make it as EASY as possible for folks to apply/obey the Bible, as that is the key to true blessing – not only in this life but also in the one to come… not only in the life to come but also in this one – and I’ve found that the key is to imitate Christ but that can be made much easier to do if we focus on imitating those who imitate Christ which is why the beloved Apostle Paul wrote this:
In other words, imitate Christ, imitate those who imitate Christ, and imitate those who imitate those who imitate Christ.
Praise the Lord for making it easier to imitate Him by giving us people who do such a good job modeling that behavior.
Like Paul.
Like Norm.
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Trumped: Two Truths
/in Uncategorized /by Bible MemoryNo, this post isn’t about politics. Rather, I’m talking about two facts of human existence.
It’s in the Bible so it’s an absolute fact that “Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)
But also in the Bible and equally true is the fact that God’s compassions and mercies “are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) Which is why we can count on the crystal-clear claim that “joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
Each day brings new potential pitfalls but starts with NEW MERCIES from God to us to HANDLE those troubles, to avoid those potential pitfalls with flying colors.
Fully. Completely. To turn those lemons into delicious lemonade as it were.
On this end, from our standpoint, it’s almost as though that second truth trumps or counteracts or conquers the first one! If we let it.
The best (only?) way to do so is to meditate all day, every day on the Bible…
… and it’s obvious and logical and self-evident that the best way to truly meditate on the Bible (or anything, for that matter) “all day” is to memorize it.
I hope that noise I just heard wasn’t many groans! Because while memorization probably holds all the allure and appeal of a dentist visit to most people, even many believers, I’m here to tell you that, as discussed on the home page and Overview video, the more of the Bible I memorize, the more I’m ABLE to memorize. The more of the Bible I store in my mind, the more I’m ABLE to store. The more of my mental capacity I fill up, the MORE capacity there is to put/fit even more of the Bible in there, not less as is the case of, say, water in a glass. It truly is a miracle, smashing the (literal) laws of nature. In other words, when I first set out to memorize my very first entire book (James), it was downright daunting. “NO WAY am I going to be able to fit this ENTIRE BOOK in my head!” I thought at 1:1. But by 5:20 I had come to see this miracle, this power in action. But of course, human nature being what and how it is, when I contemplated memorizing my second entire book (Hebrews) I thought to myself – yep, you guessed it – “NO WAY am I going to be able to fit THIS entire book in my head, too!” But by the end of Chapter 5 I was like, “Wow, that wasn’t so hard after all and in fact was EASIER than the five chapters of James” and by the end of Chapter 10 those five chapters were EVEN EASIER than 1-5 and so forth, and this miracle has been playing out like clockwork for SIX entire books of the Bible so far!
It’s not a fluke. At all. Just the opposite. You see, ever since that very first verse of that very first chapter of that very first book, the Bible itself has been revealing to my mind’s eye a specific memory method, which has made each chapter and book noticeably easier to memorize than the one before. I’m 100% about this, and 99% sure that it will be universal, that it’ll work for virtually everyone, not just me. I certainly hope and pray it plays out that way because it will R-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N-I-Z-E your life! It will BLOW YOUR MIND because it will UNLOCK and UNLEASH your mind. Just look at the Videos page and you’ll see with your own eyes what I’m talking about!
It’s impossible to say for sure since this mind’s-eye-opening process is ongoing, but my sense, my hunch is that it’s around 75% of the way complete… and I can hardly wait to share it with you and with the world! But in the meantime, while memorization still seems so difficult and/or boring to many no doubt most of you, one way you can still receive much of the blessing and many of the blessings of Bible memory is to spend as much time as possible, as practical, with someone(s) who HAS stored a huge amount of Scripture in his or her heart/mind, as the principle of osmosis definitely works in that realm, too.
Another way is to support this historic endeavor which is unfolding in real-time and before your very eyes at BibleMemory.ORG! Via your prayers and “shares” and, for those who are comfortably able and strongly Lord-led, with a one-time or, far better, a monthly donation as the latter will provide much more visibility and capacity to plan for the months and years ahead so as to best fulfill the Plan of Action discussed on the home page.
And unlike, say, a fast-food meal, investing in THIS will produce eternal fruit and results which you will be able to see with your own eyes for the next several years as, one by one, all 66 books of the Bible make their way onto that Videos page. 🙂 I’m trusting the Lord to lead a sufficient number of like-minded Bible-loving believers to support this so we can please Him in this special way!
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