Memorizing Ephesians

Last Sunday we started Paul's letter to the Ephesians at Redeemer. In my sermon, I encouraged people to read one chapter of the letter each day of the week, and then read the entire letter on Sunday. I also encouraged people to consider memorizing the entire letter with friends.

I've had several people contact me about the resources I mentioned for memorizing extended portions of Scripture. The things I had in mind were:

- Why Memorize Scripture? (John Piper)
- An Approach to the Extended Memorization of Scripture (Andrew Davis)
- How Do You Memorize Scripture (John Piper)

The gist of what you're going to get in both of these is the simple strategy of Repetition & Review. Piper summarizes his method essentially as "Ten Times Read. Ten Times Said." Read the portion you're trying to memorize out loud ten times in the morning, and then repeat the passage ten times throughout the day-- even if you need help. I write my verses on a 3x5 card and carry it with me throughout the day.

Those that use the Andrew Davis book will notice that he uses Ephesians to create his "Sample Schedule."

I also wanted to draw attention to Timmy Brister's modified Ephesians schedule. The greatest part of his schedule is that he includes moleskine sized pages containing each weekly section to memorize. Moleskine users can simply paste these into their journals, or they can try Timmy's Moleskine cahier hack

Comments

[Zach Nielsen]

A year ago a couple buddies and I did the first two chapters of Eph. before we fell off the wagon. It was very very enlightening to see the whole thrust of Paul's argument in those first two chapters. You really get a sense for what he is after when you memorize that way. So much better than isolated passages in our Bible reading.

z

[Ryan Wentzel]

I've also worked at memorizing Ephesians (I used 3x5 cards too). I didn't make it past chapter 3 though and have wanted to finish the book.

Thanks for the links. I think I'll give Ephesians another shot.

[Christopher]

Hey, this is Christopher and I surf the waves of the internet looking for people who encourage others (and need encouragement) to memorize the word of God. Awesome post by the way!

My wife and I have been going through Ephesians. She had to take some time off, simply because we had our first born almost a year ago. She is now reviewing where she left off. I am 6-7 verses away from finishing the entire book. This will make my fifth book memorized and my wife's third book. I can only say awesome things about this discipline and encourage others to take part in it. Keep up the good work and stop by and see us sometime at www.dwelling-rich.org

[Jimmy Tidmore]

Dr. Davis' plan is a great way to memorize Scripture. I found it a couple of years ago and used it to memorize the Book of James. I am currently using it to memorize Romans. I am doing Romans 4 chapters at a time and am currently in the recite everyday for 100 days part. I am glad to see someone encouraging others to do this. It is very doable and much easier than I thought it would be.

Also, this is my first time on your site. I enjoyed it.