Memorizing Scripture

One of the main things we have concentrated on this year in homeschooling is memorizing scripture--not so that they can impress others with how much they know but so that God's Word will penetrate their hearts. God's Word tells us that it will never return void and there are many references in Psalms regarding meditating on His Word day and night. My prayer is that: 1) by memorizing scripture they will meditate upon it unceasingly and that it will cause them to have a hunger and love for the Lord and His statutes 2) that they will have not only head knowledge of what God's Word says, but that they will more importantly have heart knowledge. I also believe that their generation more than any other is going to have to be grounded in scripture through and through. Who knows if Bibles will even be tolerated twenty years from now? Who knows if we will be allowed to be a professed Jesus follower? Maybe this is far fetched, maybe not. But one thing I do know--I want scripture to be so ingrained in their minds and hearts that they can recall it if they are sitting in a prison cell with no access to God's Word...or if they are meeting secretly with other believers and Bibles are unattainable. Hopefully, things won't be that grim but either/or, our children need to know God's Word and be lovers of God's Word so that they can share His truth with others!

Memorizing hasn't always been the easiest thing for my oldest son, Joshua (I think he gets this from me!), while my daughter and second son have a natural knack for memorizing. However, for what he lacks in skill, he makes up with his tenacity. It has been so rewarding to watch him work so hard at this this year. If I was giving Homeschool Awards, he would get one for 'Hardest Work Ethic'. And what I love most about his memorization effort is that he has found a way to memorize that works for him. He makes up 'raps' about the scripture that we are memorizing. It reminds me of Potsie on Happy Days when he learned the names of the bones of the body by making up a song about it (remember that?)!

This year--for the most part--we have been memorizing passages of scripture rather than single verses. The scripture we have been learning recently is 1 Cor. 13 -- the love chapter. So, here you go--here is the 'Love Rap'. It took about six trys videoing this because I kept busting out laughing in the middle of it! I just couldn't help it! It's just so funny :) . Joshua may not have a future in hip hop but rapping these bible verses has even stuck in my brain-dead head! I can say it from memory now, thanks to this rap! (by the way, make sure you hit the pause button on my playlist at the bottom of the screen before watching this video)