Scripture memory....verse #2

Well girls....we are now up to two scriptures!!!! I love when its time to flip the card over in the spiral!!!  I don't know about you, but this past memory verse has been spoken out loud over situations and NOT just for the sake of memorizing. Don't you just LOVE that???  There is absolute life in the scriptures when you begin to speak them out over a person or situation!!!

I knew my scripture would be focused around the theme "courage."  Courage was a word that kept coming up for me about being a momma. It surfaced in my prayer group. It surfaced in some one on one conversations. It surfaced in my mind at a funeral last week. I just knew that courage would be my focus. It was hard to find the scripture that I was looking for though.....the word courage didn't necessarily need to be in the scripture just the theme.

Well...after much thought and prayer....God took me to the place in Proverbs 31:27 where it started for me a week ago. I was watching a parenting teaching for moms from Beth Moore out of her "Wising Up" series and she spent time on this verse. It takes courage to be alert to the things of our homes. It's not easy being a mom. There are seasons that require us to be bold and brave to do the hard thing.  So.....here is my verse...lets stick with our format...

Fran Thomas, Jackson TN
"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27 NIV

I can't wait to see what you have chosen!!!  It is ministering to this soul to read through each scripture as you post them.

Love y'all so very much!!!   

February 1st!!! Scripture Memory is here!!!

Well, girls......here we are!!! IT'S TIME!!!!!!!!! (jumping up and down!!!!)

Let me just say that I am like a kid at Christmas over this one....I am so excited to see February 1st finally get here! We are going to have us some fun memorizing scripture this year, girls, so get yourself ready!!

This is what I know about scripture memory from last year. One of our beloved bible teachers, Beth Moore, challenged us to memorize 24 scriptures during 2011. That means only two scriptures a month. TWO A MONTH!!! That's it. Since we are starting February 1st, we will be memorizing 22 scriptures. Of course if you have been steady going since January 1...then that is AWESOME!!! But, I will be learning 22. I don't know if 22 scares you or excites you, but I can promise you, we will get it done! I need all the encouragement I can get too. 11 months won't come quickly. It's a marathon....not a sprint.

I highly suggest posting your scriptures here each time. I learned that when someone is expecting to see a scripture from me, then I'm being held accountable in a way. I will always post on the 1st and the 15th about scripture memory. You will find yourself knowing those dates and thinking about scripture before you know it. It will be 2nd nature to you. :)

I also know this.....the 1st year that Beth started scripture memory, I failed big time over the summer. Just flat out quit. My brain got lazy and I just didn't even try. Maybe I was overwhelmed or afraid....I'm not sure. But...I can clearly look back over last year's verses and see that I picked very short verses that spoke directly into our season of rest, peace, joy, and family. I joked over and over that I would pick John 3:16 or "Jesus wept" this past summer so I could keep at it! I DID NOT WANT TO QUIT AND BLAME IT ON SUMMER.  I fell off  the structured band wagon once and I was determined to not do it again. So, keep it simple over the summer if you think it will be a challenge for ya. 

Finally...if you don't have note cards that are bound by a spiral or ring, grab one quick. It's so much easier to have all your scriptures right there together. I would keep mine in my car, in my purse, somewhere quick and handy and always in front of me! I got my current spiral from Office Max.

Before I share  my scripture, some of you have heard me share this, but I want you to personally know what scripture memory meant for me last year. 2011 started out in a very difficult place with some things happening outside of our home, but very dear to my heart. As I looked back over that spiral and memorized and memorized, I could see God's faithfulness in all its beauty. I could see Him take me from dark to light. I could watch a movie of my life called "2011 in Scripture...the Fran Thomas story" unfold and I would just sit and stare by the time December rolled around. In my 42 years of life, I have documented record of my life through His Word that I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world. As I rattled off each scripture to my dear friend, Robyn, in Houston....I would say with just about every one a story of why that scripture was picked. It was a trip down memory lane, but most of all, a trip with God. He was so faithful to me this past year. I grew in ways I could never articulate. I just want you to know Him and experience Him as I did in 2011. Once you have that....you won't ever want to stop memorizing scripture.

Let's keep with Beth's format so we can see where we are all from as well as the translation chosen for your verse. You will love reading other girls verses and knowing what translation they are from. Ok, here is  my scripture for February 1, 2011....

I chose this verse because it was the very first verse in my bible study, Duty or Delight. My goodness...how awesome this study is. Find some friends and dig into this too if you can!

Fran, Jackson, TN  "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."  Ephesians 1:4 NIV

Ok....let's hear it!!!  Chime in! I can't wait to read the verses you have chosen.

I sure do love y'all~