Five Fun Tricks to Help You Memorize Scripture

If you are one of those who say, “I just can't memorize Scriptures,” this message will encourage and help you, because I've learned

five fun tricks to help you memorize Scripture. 

When I began learning Bible verses, all my brain could handle was one at a time, and I had to repeat it a thousand times to make it stick. Now I can memorize entire passages of Scripture with less effort than it takes to get on my exercise bike once a week. 

Because our brains are like a muscle, the more we exercise them the stronger they become. Here are five fun tricks I've learned to help me memorize Scripture:

1.      Write the verse or passage on note cards or a paper in your own handwriting. Writing helps our brains retain better than if we simply read something.

2.      Say the verse or passage aloud when you first arise in the morning and when you go to bed at night. These are the times our brains are most relaxed, so things will sink in deeper and stick longer. And when your ear hears it, you retain it better.

3.      Carry the cards or pages with you and go over them at odd moments throughout the day—on your lunch break, stopped at a red light, in the elevator, waiting in line at the post office, etc. You don’t have to repeat them aloud—you can mutter them under your breath if you like. 

4.      Use word pictures to help you recall a certain word or phrase. “Your word have I hidden in my heart” from Psalm 119:11 can become a picture of you opening your heart and putting a treasure chest inside it. If you draw little pictures—even stick figures—to accompany each phrase or next to keywords, you'll remember them sooner.

5.      Use word cues to link one word or passage with another. From Romans 12: 9, I linked two words with PRE in them. “Do not let your love be a PREtense, but sincerely PREfer good to evil.” I drew a little arrow from one to the other, and it cued me when the first PRE popped up.

I’m sure there are other tricks that will help you memorize God’s word. The main thing to remember? God loves it when we do this, so he’ll commission his Holy Spirit helps us. And that gives me hope that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Are you memorizing any Scripture? 

Which verse or passage would you like to memorize? 
Can you make a Scripture memory goal for the new year? 

Five Ways Memorizing Scripture Enriches Your Life

Five Ways Memorizing Scripture Enriches Your Life

When I began memorizing single verses of Scripture as a child in Sunday school, I had no idea how I was enriching my life. Decades later, after graduating to learning chunks and chapters of the Word of God, I see the benefits of this fun exercise. Here are the five I've discovered:

1.      Because our brains are like a muscle, the more we exercise them the stronger they become. Memorizing Scripture increases our ability to retain other facts and tasks we learn. It improves our memory!

2.      In Joshua 1:8, God promised to “make our ways successful” if we meditated on His word.  The translation of the word “meditate” is “to mutter,” or “to chew, as a cow chews its cud.” When we memorize—or chew on—verses or sections of the Bible, our lives become more successful!

3.      If we “hide God’s word in our hearts,” according to Psalm 119: 11, it keeps us from sinning. That’s reason enough for me to work at memorizing the parts about taming the tongue and keeping my flesh under control!

4.      Knowing the Bible gives us boldness to witness to those who don’t yet believe.  We’re more likely to have answers for pre-believers with questions if we have a few verses about Jesus and salvation tucked away in our minds.

5.      The Word of God comforts, encourages, and strengthens us when we go through trials. If I’m broken-hearted or in anguish of soul, Scripture is my #1 source of help. As I pray, verses I've memorized come up from my heart and out my mouth to God’s heart. I find my faith growing and my fears leaving. The Holy Spirit shows up to embrace me and tell me, “God’s got your back. Everything is going to be okay.”

Next week I'll be sharing some tricks to memorizing Scripture that have helped me. I hope you'll join me!

Have you memorized Scripture verses or passages?

Which ones have enriched your life the most?

12 Ways to Increase Your Brain Power

We already know how smart you are, since you're reading this blog post! But if you'd like to increase your brain power, these 12 ways will help. I found the first 11 on brain specialist Dr. Daniel G. Amen's blog, and the 12th--a fun method I use to stretch my brain muscles--is my own idea. I have also added some of my thoughts to Dr. Amen's.

1. Learn something new--an obscure president's name, a variety of flower, even a little-known verse to a song.

2. Learn more of something you already know about, on a deeper level. Are you an expert on cats? Study a particular breed. Do you know a lot about novel writing? Read an article or a book about non-fiction techniques.

3. Make new friends. Meeting new people and getting to know them keeps our brains active, and helps our emotions thrive as well.

4. Hang out with smart people. Go to the library, the art museum, or join a history club. Smart people will pull us up to new levels of intelligence.

5. Analyze, compare and contrast. Don't just say "Mom and I are nothing alike." Tell us how Mom loves to cook, clean and sew, but you would rather plant a garden and read romance novels. These type of mental comparisons  are good workouts for  our minds.

6. Cross train with someone at your job. Even if you only work with one other person, ask them to show you how to create a spreadsheet or make a car part, while you teach them mail merge.

7. Learn a new word. Then use it at least 12 times in the next month, to keep it active in your brain.

8. Read a book or take a class on something you never considered studying. For me, that would be astronomy, oil painting, or Asian history. What about you?

9, Forgive. The mental and spiritual work of telling the Lord, "I release this person to you--deal with them in Your love and mercy," opens your mind to new levels of creativity and sets your spirit free from judgement.

10. Do something kind. Stepping out of our me-me-me world to help someone else is a lovely way to relax and rejuvenate our brains.

11. Turn off the TV. TV is a mindless way to entertain ourselves. We watch others do their lives--whether exciting or silly--rather than experiencing life for ourselves.

12. Memorize Scripture. This one is the most fun, as it helps you overcome the devil while five ways memorizing Scripture enriches your life and Fun tricks to memorize Scripture. 
increasing your brain power. For some fun ideas on how it can help, see my posts on

Which ways to increase your brain power stood out to you? What will you do today to help yourself to grow even smarter than you are already? 

P.S. Tomorrow, March 16, is the final day to enter the Goodreads Giveaway for a signed copy of my new book Shock the Clock: Time Management for Writers and Other Creatives. 

Fun Tricks to Memorize Scripture

If you are one of those who say, “I just can't memorize Scriptures,” this message will encourage and help you.

When I began learning Bible verses, all my brain could handle was one at a time, and I had to repeat it a thousand times to get it to stick. Now I can memorize entire passages of Scripture with less effort than it takes to get on my exercise bike three times a week.

That’s because our brains are like a muscle, so the more we exercise them the stronger they become. I talked about this in my short post on Five Ways Memorizing Scripture Enriches Your Life.

Here are five fun tricks I've learned to help me memorize Scripture:

1.      Write the verse or passage on note cards or a paper in your own handwriting. Writing helps our brains retain better than if we simply read something.

2.      Say the verse or passage aloud when you first arise in the morning and when you go to bed at night. These are the times our brains are most relaxed, so things will sink in deeper and stick longer. And when your ear hears it, you retain it better. 

3.      Carry the cards or pages with you and go over them at odd moments throughout the day—on your lunch break, stopped at a red light, in the elevator, waiting in line at the post office, etc. You don’t have to repeat them aloud—you can mutter them under your breath if you like. 

4.      Use word pictures to help you recall a certain word or phrase. “Your word have I hidden in my heart” from Psalm 119:11 can become a picture of you opening your heart and putting a treasure chest inside it. If you draw little pictures—even stick figures—to accompany each phrase or next to keywords, you'll remember them sooner.

5.      Use word cues to link one word or passage with another. From Romans 12: 9, I linked two words with PRE in them. “Do not let your love be a PREtense, but sincerely PREfer good to evil.” I drew a little arrow from one to the other, and it cued me when the first PRE popped up.

I’m sure there are other tricks that will help you memorize God’s word. The main thing to remember? God loves it when we do this, so he’ll commission his Holy Spirit helps us. And that gives me hope that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Are you memorizing any Scripture? 

Which verse or passage would you like to memorize? 

Five Ways Memorizing Scripture Enriches Your Life

When I began memorizing single verses of Scripture as a child in Sunday school, I had no idea how I was enriching my life. Decades later, after graduating to learning chunks and chapters of the Word of God, I see the benefits of this fun exercise. Here are the five I've discovered:

1.      Because our brains are like a muscle, the more we exercise them the stronger they become. Memorizing Scripture increases our ability to retain other facts and tasks we learn. It improves our memory!

2.      In Joshua 1:8, God promised to “make our ways successful” if we meditated on His word.  The translation of the word “meditate” is “to mutter,” or “to chew, as a cow chews its cud.” When we memorize—or chew on—verses or sections of the Bible, our lives become more successful!

3.      If we “hide God’s word in our hearts,” according to Psalm 119: 11, it keeps us from sinning. That’s reason enough for me to work at memorizing the parts about taming the tongue and keeping my flesh under control!

4.      Knowing the Bible gives us boldness to witness to those who don’t yet believe.  We’re more likely to have answers for pre-believers with questions if we have a few verses about Jesus and salvation tucked away in our minds.

5.      The Word of God comforts, encourages, and strengthens us when we go through trials. If I’m broken-hearted or in anguish of soul, Scripture is my #1 source of help. As I pray, verses I've memorized come up from my heart and out my mouth to God’s heart. I find my faith growing and my fears leaving. The Holy Spirit shows up to embrace me and tell me, “God’s got your back. Everything is going to be okay.”

There are many fun tricks to memorizing Scripture. Next week I’ll share a few that have helped me. I hope you'll join me then! 

Have you memorized Scripture verses or passages? 

Which ones have enriched your life the most?