MMM: Just Running Through

I don't really have a whole lot to report this week as far as memory work goes. I didn't spend any time on John 1 over the weekend, since we were with friends the whole time. So I'm behind where I could be, but I think I can still finish the chapter this month. Narrative is much easier and the two-verse-a-day pace seems to be working.

This is the part where I stop and say, if you are on Ann Voskamp's plan of two verses a month for Colossians in a year...don't be impressed with me, please. As I told a friend recently, I think there's a lot to be said for slow and steady (think tortoise and hare!). A fast and furious January pace works for me when I'm extra motivated, but there's so much benefit in lingering longer on smaller chunks and really letting them seep into your soul. However fast or slow you're memorizing, you're memorizing the Word of God! And that's the point.

Also, a faster pace works well for John--at least this part of John--because there are lots of verses that aren't particularly meaningful for extended meditation. I mean, I had a hard time turning "(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, 'Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the Prophet?'" (John 1:24-25) into a reflective prayer.

This morning I discovered the joys of multi-tasking--pressed for time, I decided to do the first part of today's memory work (the out-loud repetitions) while getting my minutes in for an exercise challenge I'm also doing this month with some friends. It's hard to talk while you're running on an elliptical, but it was great to kill two birds with one stone. I guess you could say it gives a new layer of meaning to "run through your memory work"...OK, that was a terrible pun.

Elijah also got a little off track with our weekend travels, and his second memory verse (Matthew 6:24a) didn't come quite as quickly as Genesis 1:1. I think he's got it now, though, so yesterday morning we started on number three, Proverbs 3:5 - the familiar "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."

How's your memory work going this month? Keep pressing on!