Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Preview....memorizing article for Journey

To my loyal readers...

I'm blessed to be in the process of publishing my first article in Journey Magazine

I thought I'd give you my list of how I memorize/meditate on scripture ahead of time... believe me when it's in print. I'll share this again with the rest of the article!! I've been working diligently the past 6 weeks to memorize God's Word, and I'd love to hear your additions to WAYS you use to get it in your brain for the long term. I've finished Psalm 103 and am 8 verses into Psalm 71, and have really found memorizing in the shower each day is my best protection to memorizing. 

Here's part of my article as it is today...


Memorizing is important to people at Emmaus, the challenge is figuring out strategies to make it a regular discipline.  Here are some ideas that are helpful.
  • ·         Use hand written notecards or print verse cards.
  • ·         Make them prominent in your life (on mirrors, by the sink, in the car).
  • ·         Use first letter cards (of each word) to practice a verse.
  • ·         Use audio files or music to hear the Words.
  • ·         Make up motions, actions, or find images to go with the concepts in the verse.
  • ·         Play games.  Erase words on a small white board. Jump with each word. Cover words.
  • ·         Attach memorizing to a task like showering or washing dishes.
  • ·         Choose verses that you NEED and memorize by theme.
  • ·         Choose to memorize in NKJV because of the cadence and rhythm of the words.
  • ·         Listen to Seeds Family Worship. They have produced  7 CDS of scripture set to music for adults and children.   Each CD has a theme: Courage, Faith, Encouragement, the Character of God…
  • ·         Memorize scripture with your kids and take turns reciting.
  • ·         Find a system or program like AWANA or verses with your Bible study.
  • ·         Use the Fighter Verses from Desiring God (cds, notecards, and an app).
  • ·         Use the Navigators topical programs. 
  • ·         Listen to scripture, YouVersion (an app) will read it, or Faith Comes by Hearing has scripture as an mp3 file (kids or adult) . 
  • ·         Post Scripture in your home where you do repetitive tasks.
  • ·         Make the posted scripture beautiful artwork.
  • ·         Print and frame scripture texts.
  • ·         Write and post scripture with dry erase markers on mirrors/windows, a white board, a shower wall, or a frame with colored paper in it.
  • ·         Use a computer program like Biblememory.com (You can measure your progress by typing speeds, get email reminders, print your own cards, join a community working on the same verse/passage, and you can choose your translation!)
  • ·         Join a blog: Do Not Depart.com (and Facebook group) to encourage memory work.  They choose a passage to work on over several months.  They provide tons of resources to make it easy. (They’ve done Romans 8, Sermon on the Mount, and now Psalm 71). 
  • ·         Watch a YouTube video of someone reciting an entire book of the Bible.
  • ·         Set a goal and create a plan to memorize a passage or collection.


Everything mentioned above and MANY more examples are in the links at the end of this article.
Need more motivation?
·         I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart. 
Psalm 40:8 (NLT)

·         This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.  Joshua 1:8

·         All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness   2 Timothy 3:16

·         How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.  Psalm 119:9

Online Resources:  http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=403242  www.whisperingtheword.blogspot.com, and http://pinterest.com/sarah_poling/spiritual-disciplines/

Monday, February 4, 2013

No More Perfect Moms SPECIAL deal

If you but they book this week....  here's info about free stuff..

If you've ever forgotten to pick your kid up from soccer practice or accidentally worn two different shoes to the grocery store, this book is for you. Being a mother is not for those who display symptoms of the "Perfection Infection." There is simply no such thing as a perfect mom. And there are no such things as perfect kids, perfect homes, perfect bodies, perfect marriages, or even perfect meals. With refreshing honesty, author Jill Savage exposes some of her own parental shortcomings with the goal of helping mothers everywhere shelve their desires for perfection along with their insecurities of not measuring up to other moms.

When you order the book online or purchase it in a brick and mortar store between February 3 and February 9, 2013, you will be given access to well over $100 worth of resources that will help you on your mothering journey – absolutely free!

Send a copy of your receipt to NoMorePerfectMoms@moody.edu. Scan it, take a picture of it – just be sure to send it to the email!

What will you receive?

6 Sixty Minute Audio Workshops (MP3 format) from Hearts at Home
■ Desperate for Wisdom – Dr. Juli Slattery
■ How to Fight for Your Marriage – Dr. Juli Slattery
■ It is Well with Your Soul – Jennifer Rothschild
■ Multiple Intelligences – Dr. Kathy Koch
■ Ten Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs – Jill Savage
■ The God Who Sees You- Tammy Maltby

4 Printables from Hearts at Home
■ 10 Stress Strategies Every Mom Needs
■ “Love Is”–I Corinthians 13 for Parents
■ Mom Rules
■ How to Fight Fair In Marriage

3 Free E-book’s (including PDF, Kindle, iPad, and Nook editions!) from Moody Publishers
■ Live Free by Kendra Smiley
■ Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larson
■ Real Moms Real Jesus by Jill Savage

1 Contest Entry

You will be entered in a drawing to win hotel accommodations and two Hearts at Home Mom Conference registrations for you and a friend at a conference of your choice! (If unable to attend a conference, a Hearts at Home Conference To-Go will be substituted for the winner and a friend.)

This offer is available for this week only!

It’s “mom university” delivered right to your computer!

Tell your friends, share it on Facebook, and Twitter, and with your girlfriends, neighbors, and moms at your kids school!

For more information about the book, including where to buy, visit www.NoMorePerfectMoms.com.

No More Perfect Moms Review



The review of this Mom book I shared on amazon and goodreads.... 

Have you fallen prey to the perfection infection? Do you need the antidote to this ugly disease?  I encourage you to seek the cure for the mom comparison game.  It not only shares real stories of imperfect moments, but helped me see “our imperfect lives are counter balanced with a perfect God.”  It leads me to be honest about my emotions.  To seek the One true source of perfection who challenges me to see myself through His eyes, and recognize that the Bible is my guide.  “You were taught to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires… and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” Ephesians 4:22-24. 

It helps me remember: God’s love and grace is the source of strength for becoming who He designed me to be. It challenged me to embrace humility, confidence and grace rather than pride, insecurity and judgment and to recognize that when I seek to be the ‘perfect mom’: I am comparing my insides to other people’s outsides or to media that is airbrushed to perfection.  It encourages me to share authentically with others that life is imperfect. But it’s okay to embrace the imperfect as the character building life God has given me and pushes me to LOVE it! 

As a believer, I love that Jill’s wisdom was authentic and biblically based. She gave practical advice and you feel like she’s having a cup of tea, chatting with you as you read her thoughts and you wonder, how does she know me so well?  A great book for women to rethink life and love every moment of it!