thanksgiving: it's not trivial

“Count your blessings.” “Put a smile on your dial.” “Raindrops and roses and whiskers on kittens.” Thanksgiving has always seemed a bit trivial to me, a Hallmark greeting card sentiment next to the lyric poetry of praise.1

Here’s how my (faulty) reasoning goes: Isn’t thanking God for rainbows and puppies a little superficial when I could thank him for big things like salvation? Am I being presumptuous, thanking God for three square meals and more when, not so far away, others go without their daily bread? Shouldn’t my focus be on who God is in himself, not on his gifts to me?

Clearly, I think I’m wiser than God, who leaves me in no doubt that I am to thank him for anything and everything (Eph 5:18-20; 1 Thess 5:16-18). In fact, I’m more foolish than the humblest beast, for even mountains and trees know how to praise their Creator! (Isa 55:12) Stupidity and sin begin at the very point where we refuse to honour and thank the one who made us (Rom 1:21). To be a Christian is to thank the Giver for his gifts. Others should notice we give thanks instead of grumbling!2

Well, I learned my lesson the hard way. Take it from a chronic unthanker: down the end of the path of not-thanking you’ll find the marsh of grumbling, self-pity, discontent, envy, discouragement, misery and fear. This is a lot of bad for a small misstep, but that’s the way of sin. You take a pleasant looking by-path and end up nose-deep in a swamp.3

So I’ve retraced my steps and chosen a new path: the one marked “Thanksgiving”. I’ve been practising thanksgiving as a discipline: in other words, I do it whether I feel like it or not. As soon as woe-is-me thoughts pop into my head – which happens often, as I’m well trained in the art of self-pity – I push them aside with a new thought: “Thank you.”

• Not “I’m so tired! I’m so busy! I’m so overwhelmed!”, but “Thank you, Father, for the strength to obey even when I feel weak”, and “Thank you for tasks for my hands to do”, and “Thank you for the blessings of work and rest”.
• Not “Look at all the things that need doing around the house!”, but “Thank you that we have food and shelter”, and “Thank you for the community you’ve put us in”, and ”Thank you for abundant room for family and hospitality and sharing.”
• Not “Why do I have to make breakfast and school lunches and resolve yet another argument and get the kids’ clothes out and pack their bags and put on a load of washing for the thousandth time when I’m tired and just want to sit down and have a cup of coffee right now!!!”, but “Thank you for this opportunity to serve.”

Thanksgiving isn’t trivial. It’s bigger than roses and song-birds. I suspect that as we get to know Jesus, and travel the path of the cross, our thanksgiving, like our prayers, will grow in size. We’ll thank God not just for small things like healing for a runny nose but for big things like a friend’s growth in Christ.4 But hopefully we never become so super-spiritual, so much wiser than God, that we forget to thank him for the coming of rain and the crunch of an apple (Zech 10:1). We thank the Saviour who rescues us and the Creator who sustains us.5

Thanksgiving is childlike, but it’s not childish. It’s not just for babies and Disney princesses. It’s for times of sorrow, not just when we’re happy (Job 1:21).6 There are moments, even months, when giving thanks feels more like lifting weights than smelling the flowers. When I see my children suffer or face one of those dreary feet-dragging days, thanking God isn’t an easy discipline. It’s tough. It hurts. But it’s good, because God is good, and even the darkest moments come from his loving hands.

What lies along the path of thanksgiving? I can’t tell you much, because I haven’t travelled it for long, but here’s what I’ve found so far: Joy. A new willingness to serve. Trust. Cheerfulness. Eyes lifted from myself to others. Contentment. And did I mention joy?

So next time someone tells me to count my blessings, maybe I’ll do just that. I’ll include all the spiritual blessings I have in Christ (Eph 1:3-14), but I won’t forget the smaller blessings. And then I’ll thank God for them all.



1. This, of course, is a false dichotomy. In the Bible, the words “praise” and “thanksgiving” are often used in parallel (1 Chron 16:4, 8-9; 25:3; 29:10-13; Ezra 3:11; Neh 12:24; Ps 7:17; 28:6-7; 35:18; 69:30;105:1; Lk 17:11-19; 1 Cor 14:16). If there’s a distinction between praise and thanksgiving, it’s not that we “thank” God for his gifts and “praise” him for his attributes, but that “thanksgiving” is God-directed and “praise” is usually other-directed: we proclaim God’s glory to those around us.
2. It’s all over the New Testament: see Eph 5:4, 18-20; Col 1:11-12; 2:6-7; 3:15-17; 4:2; Phil 4:4-6; 1 Thess 5:16-18; 1 Tim 2:1-2; 4:4-5; cf. Heb 13:15; 1 Pet 2:9; James 5:13; Rev 19:1-9.
3. Readers of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress will know where I found my analogy.
4. Here’s a brief list of things we’re encouraged to thank God for in the New Testament: food (Mk 6:41; Ac 27:35; Rom 14:6); healing (Lk 17:11-19); salvation (Rom 7:25; 1 Cor 15:57); people coming to know Jesus and growing in him ((Rom 1:8, 6:17; 1 Cor 1:4; Eph 1:15-16; Phil 1:3; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2; 2:13; 3:9; 2 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 1:3; Phil 1:4); the opportunity to serve Jesus and make him known (2 Cor 2:14; 1 Tim 1:12); God hearing us when we pray (Jn 11:41); the generosity and prayer of other Christians (Acts 28:15; 2 Cor 9:11-12; Phil 4:10).
5. As I wrote this post, I was struck by how Psalms 103 and 104 open and close with the same words: “Praise the Lord, O my soul!” (NIV). Yet one is filled with spiritual blessings, and the other with physical blessings.
6. See my post Thanking God for suffering.

This post first appeared at The Briefing.

image is by Liz Grace at flickr

The delightful results of memorizing the Bible

This is the final post in my series on Bible memorization. Today I'll talk about the "why" of memorizing Bible passages and the impact this has had on me. You can read part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here.

God's word written on three-by-five inch index cards: it doesn't sound like much of a weapon. But there I was, sitting on the floor, staring out the window, repeating words scribbled on the index card in my hand: "...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own..." (Matt 6:34).

I was twenty-five years old, four years married, and filled with anxious questions about the future. I'd never set out to memorize whole Bible passages, and I'm not sure what prompted me now; but I chose Philippians 4:4-9 and Matthew 6:19-34 and committed them to memory. Slowly but surely - and I still remember how miraculous this felt! - my worries actually went away. The battle against anxiety was won with a set of Bible passages written out by hand, driven into my head through sheer repetition, and pressed into my heart by the Holy Spirit. Anxiety is still one of my chief struggles; but at least I now have a weapon close at hand.

 Old fashioned. Unpopular. Weird. Those are a few words that spring to mind when I think about Bible memorization; but I've experienced the delightful results of this neglected practice, and I can't shut up about it. Here are seven of the benefits. I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that stand out for me.

• Memorization won't let us skim the surface of God's word. The Hebrew words for "meditate" literally mean to "mutter",1 and that's what happens when you memorize: whether you write, sing or speak, you tell God's word over and over to yourself. When I read silently, or even study a passage, it's easy to skip words and phrases, and see only what I expect to see. Memorization forces me to stop and say every word, so that passages I thought I knew well surprise me. Even when I forget what I learned, the act of memorization forces me deeper into the Bible and the Bible deeper into me.
• Memorization fuels meditation and prayer. One of the signs we belong to God is that we delight to meditate on God's word "day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2; 119:97, 148; Josh 1:8). But how can we do this if God's word isn't available, right there in our minds, in the odd moments between activities and during the empty hours of the night? JI Packer says,

  Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God...It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace.2

  More than any other practice, Bible memorization fuels my meditation, helping me to preach God's word to myself and turn it into prayer and praise.
• Memorization transforms our minds, emotions and choices by turning our thoughts to Christ. How does true change come? By the renewing of our minds, as we look to Jesus and set our thoughts on him (Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:1-17; Heb 12:1-2). Our thoughts and desires are, of all things, most difficult to master; yet discipline them we must. Memorizing God's word lays a new set of thought patterns over those that come naturally to us. It transforms our hopes, desires and choices as God's truth cajoles and pummels them into a more Christ-centred form. Most amazingly for me, it even shapes my emotions, slowly but surely changing despair into hope, fear into trust, and self-pity into joy.
• Memorization is a help in times of struggle. Some of us face suffering when we are younger, some when we grow older; but suffering comes to all of us, bringing sorrow, doubt and fear. Grief over a child's sickness, the struggle with depression, the temptation to grow weary and give up: in times like this, passages like Romans 8:18-30 and  1 Peter 1:3-9 have become my solid stepping-stones in the dark. They give words and purpose to my pain, affirm the faith I don't feel, reassure me that God hasn't let me go, give me courage to endure, and remind me that Jesus trod the path of suffering and is now in glory.
• Memorization puts the Spirit's weapon in our hands. The word of God is a sword in the Spirit's hands, uncovering sin and equipping us for the fight (Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12).3 But a sword isn't much use if we leave it in its scabbard. In a battle with envy, despair, lust or anger, I don't need my only offensive weapon in a book on my shelf or on my iDevice. I want the words of God inside me, ready to be picked up and used by God's Spirit. "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11 cf. Matt 4:1-11; Josh 1:8).
• Memorization is for others. It's tempting to turn memorization into just another pious practice, another means to personal change; but the Bible is not just for me, but for others. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom" (Col 3:16). Like a glass so full that it overflows, the words of God poured into our minds will spill out through our lips, encouraging our brothers and sisters and equipping them for service (2 Tim 3:16-17) and helping others to come to know Jesus through his powerful word (Isa 55:10-11).
• Memorization is an expression of love. What we choose (and don't choose) to remember shows what matters to us: the words of a song; a child's birthday; a friend's phone number. A miser counts his gold. A collector pores over her treasures. And we leave our Bibles on the shelf! Perhaps, in the end, the best reason for memorizing the Bible is simply because we love it and want to make it our own (Psalm 119:72, 103, 127, 131): the wisdom in our thoughts, the music of our hearts, the power in our words.

Why memorize the Bible? There's no "have to" about Bible memorization! If I spend time reading and studying and reflecting on God's word, it will make its way inside me without me deliberately remembering it. In fact, if memorization becomes mechanical or magical or the indispensable mark of spiritual maturity, we'd be better off engaging with God's word in other ways.

(But here's another question: why not memorize the Bible? Why do we emphasize Bible reading and study so much, and not memorization? My guess it's got something to do with the fact that we're an electronic and print culture, not a memory-based culture. We assume that we will always have our Bibles with us, forgetting that, one day, they may be unavailable to us or taken from us. Perhaps it's time to revive some old skills.)

They said that when you pricked John Bunyan, he bled Bible. That's my goal. I want to bleed Bible all over my death-bed and my life as well. I want to carry my lamp with me so it can illumine my path. I want my tools to hand so I can teach and train others. I want God's sword in my heart, probing my actions and motives. I want to open the door and invite his word in to dwell in me richly. I want it written across my forehead and my doors and the inside of my skull, so I can think it and speak it and pray it and live it day and night.

That's why I memorize God's word.

Have you tried memorizing God's word? What have been the benefits? Share them with us, and challenge and encourage us.

1. From the Olive Tree article Meditating on God's word.
2. From chapter 1 of JI Packer's "Knowing God".
3. Spirit and word go together: compare the parallel passages  Eph 5:18-20 and  Col 3:15-17.

This post first appeared at The Briefing.

image is by chefranden at flickr

a smorgasbord of Bible memorization methods (and one way to learn whole books)

This is the second post in my series on memorizing Bible passages. You can read part 1 here and part 2 here. Next time I'll conclude with the "why" of Bible memorization, and the impact it's had on me; but today I want to talk about the "how".

They say that memory is dead. Socrates sounded its death knell back in the days when books began to replace oral culture - for who needs to remember what's been written down? Now we've gone one better with the outsourcing of memory to electronic devices.1 It's said that human beings have forgotten how to remember.

I'm sure there's some truth in that, but I won't accept it. The human brain is infinitely adaptable, and we can re-learn skills we've long forgotten. As we exercise our brains, we lay down new neural pathways, and what was once difficult becomes easy and even enjoyable.2 We might be a little rusty at first, but memorization will come easier with time.

Every Bible memorization method has one or more of the three Rs at its heart: Repeat, Recall, Review. Repeat a passage over and over until you're familiar with it; practise recalling it until it's worn a path in your memory; then review it so you don't lose it. But there are different ways to do these three things,3 and not all of them will suit you.

So what I want to do today is give you a smorgasbord of ways to memorize the Bible: twenty suggestions that cover everything from preparing a passage for memorization to reviewing the passages you've learned. You might like to sample a few of these ideas, separately and in combination, until you develop a method that suits you.

Prepare
Survey it. Before you start memorizing a passage, it's helpful to familiarise yourself with it: read through it a few times and notice the structure and key themes; draw a diagram or mind-map of the passage; or write it out and circle repeated words and ideas.

Visualise it. As you read the passage, pay attention to how it looks on the page. Notice paragraph breaks, patterns and repeated words. Fix an image of how it looks in your mind so you can "read" it mentally.

See it. Stick the passage over the kitchen sink, on your shower screen or mirror, or on your screen saver. The more often you see it, the better you'll remember it. In fact, if you see it often enough, you'll never need to consciously learn it.

Carry it. Print out the passage, write it on index cards, or put it on an electronic device, stick it in your bag or pocket, and take it wherever you go. That way you can revise it when you're in the doctor's waiting room, on the train, or have a few spare minutes during your lunch break.

Repeat
Read it. This is the simplest method of memorization: read the passage over and over, perhaps once a day, until it's in your head. It's a great method to use with those you live with: read the passage out loud together daily; as you get to know it, recite it together from memory; and conclude by testing each others' knowledge and celebrating what you've learned.4

Say it. Out loud or under your breath. Whenever you get the chance. When you're waiting in traffic, going for a walk, or in the shower. Hearing yourself say it will help you remember it.

Write it. Copy a passage from the Bible over and over, perhaps daily, until you're familiar with it; then write it from memory and check it against the Bible. When kids learn spelling, they call it "Look. Cover. Write. Check." It works well for Bible memorization too.

Hear it. Listen to the passage in an audio version of the Bible, or record your own voice reading it and play it back to yourself using whatever technology you prefer. Listen to it over and over, while going about your normal life, until it sinks in.5

Walk it. Repeat it out loud as you walk or run - or even dance. It's said that this engages both hemispheres of the brain. You may find it useful to walk a repeated sequence, either physically or in your head, as you learn each part of the passage.

Sing it. Many mums, Sunday school teachers and kids have learned their Bible verses from Colin Buchanen.6 Listening to Sons of Korah or other sung versions of the psalms is a great way to learn them.7 Lots of Bible passages have been set to music; ask a musician from church, or source them online.


Recall
Read. Recall. Check. Read the first phrase, sentence or verse of your passage out loud a few times, then cover it and repeat it, saying or writing it from memory. Check it. If you got it wrong, repeat it again, then check it again. Once you get it right, repeat it three times without looking. Learn the next verse in the same way. Join the two verses together, repeat from memory, and check. Practise any phrases you got wrong three times, then say it all together again. Continue, adding a verse at a time until you can say a whole paragraph correctly. Come back to it the next day and repeat the process, adding a few more verses.

Reflect and pray. Once you've lodged a passage in your brain, meditate on it. Say it, out loud or in your mind, one phrase or verse at a time. Pause and think about the meaning of each phrase, and turn it into prayer or praise. Suck every drop of goodness from God's word.

Use it. Lying awake at night? Repeat a Bible passage (don't worry about getting it word-perfect, just let it run through your mind and check it in the morning). Chatting with a friend? Share an insight from a passage you're learning. Discouraged? Pray through a passage, driving it deep into your emotions. The more you recall it, the better you'll know it.

Reinforce
Trace word patterns. If you're stuck on a verse, you'll recall it more easily if you make a mental note of the word patterns: for example, it might include three words starting with "s". Lists are tricky to learn, but easier once you see the patterns: when I say "T(hrones), P(owers), R(ulers), A(uthorities)", it traces a curve down and up and down the alphabet in my mind (see  Colossians 1:16).

Know the "why". It's easier to be motivated if you know why you're learning. When I memorize a book of the Bible, I know I'll remember the passages I have a reason for learning, so I assign a meaning to each paragraph as I come to it. Will I pray it for my children? Will it help me not to worry? Will it teach me a new truth about God?

Learn it with others. Agree to memorize Bible passages at the same time as your friends, family or small group, then get together and test each other. Many of us are more motivated when learning with others. And you'll be encouraging them too!

Study it. The more time you spend in a passage, the better you'll remember it. Ask questions of each verse. Note down the main themes and observe the flow of the argument. Read a commentary or listen to a sermon on the passage. Do whatever you can to make it yours.

Teach it. It's often said that we recall 90% of what we teach. It worked for me with the gospel outline Two Ways to Live, and that includes a series of solitary verses, which I find harder to learn than passages. Once I taught the course a few times, the outline was fixed in my mind forever.

Review
Forget it. John Piper says he forgets 90% of the verses he learns. I'd say this is pretty accurate for me too! Far from finding this discouraging, I'm glad God's word has become familiar and worked in me as I've memorized on it. But there are some passages I've made my own. It's worth selecting a few passages to remember forever, and making the effort to review them.8

Review it. You will gradually lose passages you don't review, and the ones you remember will develop blank spots and mistakes. So take time to review what you learn. Perhaps every time you memorize something new, you could stop to review a few passages learned previously. Or use a pattern like this: once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, once a year for a lifetime, and it's yours forever.

What if you want to learn whole books of the Bible? This is surprisingly achievable. It's a fantastic exercise, because it helps you put verses in context, absorb every part of a book, and see how it fits together. Start with a single chapter like Isaiah 53, or learn a book of 4 to 8 chapters like Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians or Romans 1-8. Here's the method I use:9

I print out the chapters I want to learn in two columns on A4 paper, which I fold lengthwise and then a couple more times until it's pocket-sized. (An electronic version would do just as well for the technologically endowed.)

I put it in my pocket and go for a walk. I find that the rhythm of walking perfectly accompanies the rhythm of memorization.

I pull the printed passage out of my pocket, and memorize the first few verses using the "Read. Recall. Check." method, glancing at the words and saying them under my breath.

On the next day's walk, I revise the verses I've already learned and add a few more. To revise a section, I cover it with another folded piece of paper, and move it gradually down the page to check each line after I've said it.

Once I've memorized a whole chapter, I put it to one side and learn the next; at the end of each chapter, I go back and revise earlier chapters.

I memorize as much as I can during the first ten minutes of my walk, then stop for the day. This segues beautifully into prayer during the rest of my walk, as I reflect on and pray through what I've learned.

You may love or hate the sound of this method, and that's fine! Learning Bible passages is a bit like exercising: until you find a method you enjoy, you probably won't stick at it.

Your preferred method will depend on your circumstances (what times and places are available?), your personality (for example, do you like to learn alone or with others?) and your learning style (aural learners may need to hear and say; kinaesthetic learners may need to walk and learn with others; visual learners may need to see and write). The more ways you interact with a Bible passage, the better it will stick in your memory.

If your memory is sluggish, don't be dismayed: you can train your brain, and it will get stronger with use. And even a single verse imperfectly learned will be used by God's Spirit to transform you and others (Isa 55:11; Eph 6:17; Col 3:16; Heb 4:12). Just make a start, and you'll soon have a whole treasury of passages tucked away in your head and heart.


What other memorization methods can you recommend? What methods do you find work well for you, or would you like to try? Any resources that you can suggest to others?

1. See Tony Reinke, Lit!, Page 140
2. See Norman Doidge's The Brain that Changes Itself.
3. Just google a bunch of words like "Bible" and "memorization" and "system", and you'll see what I mean.
4. We've used this method with our children; see my post Bible and breakfast.
5. There are apps that will help you do this like Memorize Anything HT Ian Carmichael.
6. Especially from Baa baa doo baa baa, a collection of memory verses set to music.
7. The advantage of Sons of Korah is that they stick very closely to the words of the Bible; another good collection is Sovereign Grace's Psalms.
8. See Nothing will help you more than Scripture memory.
9. Another useful method, far more thorough than mine, is Andrew Davis’ An approach to extended memorization of Scripture

This post first appeared at The Briefing.

image is by chefranden at flickr

a three-course banquet of Bible memorization

This is the second post in my series on memorizing Bible passages. You can read part 1 here.

A couple of weeks ago, I invited you to commit Bible passages to memory. The fact that you're still reading encourages me a lot, because I know that memorizing the Bible - especially whole passages! - isn't popular:

Once, I thought that memorising anything longer than two verses was for old people or super holy people. - Anna

In my late twenties was challenged by some Navigator friends to memorize Scripture...I thought they were saying that because Navigators sell Scripture Memory courses. - Duncan¹

When I encourage people to memorize the Bible, I sometimes feel about as popular as a peddler of bad-tasting, expensive medicine. And yes, this is medicine for our sickly souls. But memorizing Bible passages isn’t just medicine: it’s sweet-tasting food that will feed and nourish us and others for years to come (Psalm 119:97-104). God's word is a feast, not a box of pills.

Today I want to tantalize your spiritual tastebuds with a three-course banquet of Bible memorization. In other words, I'll talk about the "what" of memorization: what kinds of passages should we memorize? Here's our menu (you'll notice that the third course isn't actually Scripture, but it's worth devouring all the same):

• Psalms
• Bible passages
• hymns and songs.

Here are some of my favourites in each category to get you started. This is not in any way an exhaustive list! I've chosen these because, of all the passages I've learned, they've stayed with me through the years.

Entree: Psalms
When your emotions are out of order, memorize a psalm.²  When you need to express wonder, fear or grief to God, memorize a psalm. When you want to recall God's mighty acts of creation and salvation, memorize a psalm.

Like most poetry, psalms are relatively easy to remember. When he was young, my husband performed the remarkable feat of committing all 150 psalms to memory, including Psalm 119. I've never made it that far, but I find it helpful to memorize a range of psalms so I have one on hand for different situations and moods.

Here are three ways the psalms have helped me. If you want to learn some psalms, you might like to start with some of the ones I mention.

• The psalms reshape my emotions. There have been black times in my life when a psalm was my lifeline (Ps 103, 130)³ and anxious times when only a psalm could soothe my fears (Ps 23).
• The psalms give me words to speak to God. They help me express longing (Ps 24, 84), confession (Ps 51) and praise (Ps 148).
• The psalms grow my faith. They give faith sold food to chew on (Ps 1, 139) or help me to rest quietly in God (Ps 121, 131).

Flicking through the psalms, it's clear I've only begun to absorb the riches they have to offer. Maybe my husband's idea of memorizing them all isn't so crazy after all; but I doubt my brain's capacity is that big. Still, I'll keep packing more in!

Which psalms have you found particularly helpful over the years?

Main course: Bible passages
You could memorize any Bible passage and it would yield unexpected delights and satisfying goodness every time you call it to mind (Matt 4:4; 2 Tim 3:16-17). But unless you have the memory of the proverbial elephant, I doubt you'll memorize the entire Bible any time soon. So how do you choose which passages to learn?

I usually memorize passages of about five to fifteen verses: not too many to be intimidating, but enough to give me something satisfying to chew on. (I also learn whole books, but that's another story, and I hope the next post in this series will equip you to do even that.⁴) Here are six kinds of passages I've found particularly helpful. You might like to use these categories to choose what to memorize:

• passages that help me fix my eyes on Jesus - John 1:1-18, Philippians 2:1-11; Colossians 1:15-20
• passages that pack great truths about God and the gospel into a small space, growing faith, assurance and joy - Romans 5:1-11; Ephesians 1:3-10
• passages that equip me for obedience and the battle with sin - Mark 8:34-38; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 6:10-20
• passages that address my particular struggles, like anxiety (Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:4-9) and discontent (Philippians 4:12-13)
• passages that give me hope and comfort in suffering - Psalm 73:23-26; Romans 8:28-39; Hebrews 12:1-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9
• passages that give me words for my prayers (Colossians 1:9-14) and my encouragement of others (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

There's not a lot of Old Testament on my list, except for the psalms. I'm eager to learn Isaiah 53. I'd also love to learn more of the New Testament, from Matthew 5:3-12 to the last chapters of Revelation. All in good time!

What passages would you add to my list?

Dessert: Hymns and spiritual songs
While most hymns and songs aren't directly from the Bible (unless you count Scripture in song) they're well worth memorizing, along with Christian poems, prayers and other kinds of writing. Often when I pray, I start by singing or reciting a hymn; this is helpful when I struggle, as many of us do, to put my adoration and thankfulness into words. (Col 3:16)

When I select a song to memorize, I don't usually pick a modern chorus: I choose one of the grand old hymns, bursting with great truths about God and the gospel. How rich we are if we fill our minds with great words about God from the past, words that speak through time as well as space! Here's a selection of timeless hymns I've learned that have encouraged me.

Before the throne
Crown him with many crowns
My song is love unknown
Before the throne
None other lamb
When I survey the wondrous cross
I cannot tell
Be thou my vision
Be still my soul
My hope is built on nothing less

The only reason And can it be isn't on my list is that I don't find it very singable, which is an important quality when choosing hymns to memorize. And even as I write this list, I think of others that should be included, like Amazing Grace, Rock of ages and It is well with my soul. Clearly, it's time to learn some more.

What hymns and songs have I forgotten?

So there you have it, a three-course banquet of Bible memorization. Don't be overwhelmed by the number of passages I've suggested: this is the fruit of twenty years of memorizing the Bible. Just start by learning a single passage. Every bit of God's word is packed with sweetness and sustenance, and those few words will continue to feed you abundantly twenty years from now.

I'm going to talk about the "why" of Bible memorization soon. But the best argument for learning Bible passages is to commit one to memory and seeing what comes of it. I'll make you a promise: once you've done that, you won't be able to resist learning more. Tell me how it goes!

1. From the comments on my post Why you shouldn't memorize Bible verses
2. See Christ Brauns' post In the wrong place emotionally? Memorize a Psalm in order to be moved.
3. See my posts Psalm for the discouraged part 1 and part 2.When I encourage people to memorize the Bible, I sometimes feel about as popular as a peddler of bad-tasting, expensive medicine. And yes, this is medicine for our sickly souls. But memorizing Bible passages isn't just medicine: it's sweet-tasting food that will feed and nourish us and others for years to come.
4. You'll find one useful method in Andrew Davis' An approach to extended memorization of Scripture.

This post first appeared at The Briefing.

image is by chefranden at flickr

why you shouldn’t memorize Bible verses

Well, actually, you should. But I got your attention, didn’t I? And I want to suggest there is something even better than memorizing Bible verses. Here it is: memorizing Bible passages.

I can almost hear you sigh. Who wants to be told they should memorize more of the Bible? If you’re anything like me, you tried to learn some Bible verses once, and you’ve forgotten them all, except a few stray words. And now I’m telling you that you should learn whole passages?

Yes, I am; but it’s not really a case of “should”. The Bible never tells me that I have to memorize this much this way. Memorizing Bible passages (and even whole books) isn’t really work to me. It’s joy. And that’s from someone with a terrible memory, even at my sparkling best. I did the bulk of my Bible memorization while I was a brain-dead sleep-deprived baby-toting mum. I’ve been doing this for years now: years of revelling in the best words in the world. I’m not asking you to take up a difficult duty, but inviting you to a feast (Psalm 119:103).

Why passages, not just verses? Because they are easier to learn. They stick in your head in a way that individual Bible verses are never likely to – at least if your brain is anything like mine. That’s because they come with meaning attached. They come with context, and meaning opening like a flower, and movement and mystery and structure and poetry and – did I mention meaning? They’re not just stray bits of information floating around an overloaded mind.

Why passages, not just verses? Because they are more useful to remember. Instead of a single nail, they give you a shelf to rest your thoughts on. Instead of a dot point, they give you an argument to wend your way through. Instead of a hut, they give you a mansion where you can lay your anxieties down to rest. They give you expressions for your praise and poetry for your laments and words for your encouragement. They give you food for reflection and prayer when you can’t sleep or when you’re going for a walk or when you’re waiting for the bus.

Why passages, not just verses? Because they are a lot more fun to recall, so you’ll recall them a lot. Because they’re full of meaning and sweetness, you’ll call them to mind again and again; and this will drive them so deeply into your heart that you will never forget them. You’ll do most of your memorizing when you’re not memorizing, just recalling your favourite passages, in the same way that you remember a special place, your greatest experience, or the face of a lover or a friend.

Have I convinced you? Have I even begun to convince you? I hope so. Because this is the first in a series. Next time, I’ll talk about the what of Bible memorization (which passages would be good to learn first?); then the how of Bible memorization (how on earth do I get those passages into my sluggish brain?); and, finally, the why of Bible memorization (what’s the point of all this anyway?). If going from what to how to why sounds a little backwards, yes, it is. But you’ve heard it often enough around the other way around. So I thought I’d shake things up a bit.

Why passages, not just verses? Because God has invited us to a feast. Let’s not stop at the hors d’oeuvres.

What’s your experience (if any) of Scripture memorization? How well do you remember what you learned? And how do you feel when you hear the words “Bible memorization”:

a) jumping for joy (I can’t wait!)
b) yawning widely (I’ve heard this before)
c) bewildered (No-one does that any more!)
d) guilty and anxious (I know I should, but it all sounds too hard.)?

Be honest!


This post first appeared at The Briefing.
image is by chefranden at flickr

devoted to ministry and prayer

You know those times when you read a Bible passage so familiar that you barely see it any more? Then a word or phrase jumps out at you, your perspective shifts, and you see it clearly. It’s like those 3D puzzles where the picture suddenly comes into focus.

I’ve been leading some studies on Acts. We’re given an idyllic picture of the first Christians two times over, just in case we didn’t get it the first time (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37). They prayed. They listened to the apostles’ teaching. They ate together. They sold their possessions and cared for those among them who were in need. Ananias and Sapphira spoil the picture a little (Acts 5:1-11), but the general impression is of harmonious fellowship.

Then we come to the sixth chapter of Acts, and suddenly things aren’t so rosy. One bunch of Christians is neglecting another in the distribution of food. The twelve apostles solve the problem by appointing seven deacons to oversee the process. But it’s the reason for this that really caught my attention:

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. (Acts 6:2-4)

There are two things that struck me about these verses. The first is how much I’d like to say, next time I’m asked to cook for a church event, or five o’clock approaches and I have to pull together a meal for my family, “I’m sorry, I can’t serve tables, I have to devote myself to the ministry of the word.” (You’ll be glad to know I haven’t given into the temptation yet; after all, cooking is one of my responsibilities, and these days I even enjoy it.) The second is that, when God called the apostles to spread the news about Jesus (Acts 1:8), they saw this as involving two main tasks: prayer and the ministry of the word. They even mentioned prayer first.

You only have to look at the letters of Paul, that apostle “untimely born” (1 Cor 15:8), to see it’s true. He prays for all the Christians he can, including those he’s never met. He prays for their knowledge of God, their growth in the faith, their endurance in suffering. He does this every day, night and day, always, constantly, continually, ceaselessly, without stopping, whenever he thinks of them (Rom 1:9-10; Eph 1:15-23, 3:14-21; Phil 1:3-11; Col 1:3, 9-14; 1 Thess 1:2, 3:10; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim 1:5; 2 Tim 1:3; Philem 1:4-7). Of all of us, surely Paul could say, “I’m sorry, I’ve got more important things to do than to pray. God has called me to the ministry of the word” (Acts 9:15; 1 Tim 2:7). He had enough to do, what with preaching and tent-making and living in peoples’ homes as an itinerant evangelist (Acts 18:3; 1 Thess 2:9). Yet it’s clear that he spent much time in prayer, and not just any old prayer. For Paul, praying wasn’t the last item on a to-do list he never quite got through: it was heartfelt, strenuous, unremitting work (1 Thess 3:10 cf Col 4:12).

What about us? How do our priorities compare to Paul’s? We may be “ministers of the word” or we may serve in other ways, but do we pray for those we teach and serve? Do I pray for my children as well as teach them the truth about God, or am I too busy cooking and cleaning and heading off tantrums? Does the average pastor give focussed time to praying for the people in his congregation, or is he too busy writing sermons, visiting people and running church events? What about Bible study leaders, Sunday school teachers, and youth group leaders? What about the rest of us, to whom God has given the responsibility of speaking his word into each others’ lives (Col 3:16)? What about those with ministries of evangelism or giving or leading (Rom 12:4-7; 1 Pet 4:10-11)? Do we pray? Are we devoted to prayer? Or do we say, by our actions and choices, that it’s really us running the show, growing Christians into maturity, helping our friends to know Jesus? We can do it without God, thank you very much! We don’t need help! People’s hearts are in our hands, to be changed by us – aren’t they? Well, aren’t they?

Lest we think that sweaty, struggling, unceasing prayer is only for important people like apostles, Paul holds us to a similar standard. Our prayers are to be four kinds of “all”:  all the time, all kinds of prayer, with all perseverance, for all believers (Eph 6:18). But how can we possibly pray in “everything”, “steadfastly”, “without ceasing”? (Phil 4:6; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:17 cf. 1 Tim 2:1; Luke 18:1) Clearly, we can’t pray consciously at every moment. But we can fall asleep and lie awake at night and get up in the morning and shower and love our babies and go to work and drive home and wait in traffic and walk in the door with prayer never far from our minds and our lips. We can pray our worries and our joys and our anger and our tears. We can keep praying for people even when our prayers seem to go unanswered. In some ways, prayer is as natural as breathing: the first expression of our thoughts and the first outlet for our emotions. But prayer is also earnest, dedicated labour, requiring attention and organisation and perseverance and, for most of us, the commitment to pray, with God’s help, for certain people at regular, planned times; not in obedience to a rule, but in the love that flows from God’s grace.¹

There will be seasons of life when long disciplined prayers are out of the question – for example, when we’re depressed or chronically ill or during the baby years – but we can still get into the habit of praying brief prayers whenever and however and for whoever. Perhaps we can stick the names of people to pray for on the wall or write them on a bookmark, associate prayers for particular people with different daily chores, or make a commitment to pray for people when we go on Facebook or before we spend time together or after we chat on the phone. We don’t have to pray in long blocks; we can pause to pray for a shorter time here and there throughout the day. When we’re really struggling to pray, we can ask others to pray with and for us. There’s no need to wait until we’ve got our act together, or we’re in the right frame of mind, or we have a clear time and space: our Father is there, ready to hear us, and all we need do is speak to him about the mess and the people and the need.

I know. You’ve heard it before. Prayer matters. God listens to the prayers of his people (Prov 15:29; 1 Pet 3:12; 1 Jn 5:14-15). He works powerfully when we pray (James 5:16-18). He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20 NIV). We say we know this. But I wonder how many of us, as we think about our Christian service, should write these two words on our hearts and minds, our diaries and calendars, and our Bibles and bathroom mirrors:

• ministry (or service: ministry just means service)
• prayer.

How would this change our priorities and shape the way we use our time?

1. I have a list of people that I gradually pray through over a number of days, as well as some individuals that I try to pray for daily (the beauty of this method is that it doesn’t matter if I skip a day); others use prayer cards or a journal or a diary. The key, I’ve found, is finding a simple, flexible method of organisation that works for you. ↩

This post first appeared at The Briefing

image is by notsogoodphotography from flickr

what I'm reading: how prayer is like marriage from JI Packer's Praying

Oh, for goodness sake! I keep forgetting to post my Monday quote! Hopefully it will get easier once the kids are back at school...

Here's the quote I meant to post earlier this morning. It's by JI Packer, and it's on prayer: a bit of a theme in my reading at the moment. Which is a bit ironic, since I just realised I haven't prayed yet today: I got distracted by making the boys' breakfasts.

Our praying should be a regular routine...similar to the way that wise couples who live busy lives plan the time of day when they are going to talk about how the day has gone and just enjoy being together... It is like scheduling an afternoon where husband and wife will go for a walk together; where nobody will interfere, since there is a lot of stuff that they need to go over together and much they have to do for refreshing their relationship to each other. There is endless benefit to be gained from a regularly scheduled appointment for your time alone with your Lord and from planning ahead some of the ground that you will cover when you and he are alone together.

From JI Packer and Carolyn Nystrom Praying: Finding our way through duty to delight pages 14-15.

reading through the Bible in a year (or two)

I'm doing something I haven't attempted since I was at university, many years ago. I'm reading through the Bible in a year. Make that two years: after twelve months, I'm half way through my Bible reading plan.

There's something exciting about reading the Bible in big gulps. I feel well-fed, like I've been at the richest of banquets all year long. I've discovered long-forgotten treasures, and I've seen familiar verses shine with unexpected colours in their setting. I've been reminded how, verse after verse, chapter after chapter, the Bible tells the same story. I can't wait to turn the pages and watch the history of salvation unfold.

I know you may not be in a season of life where you can read or listen to the Bible in a year - or even two.1 If your circumstances make it difficult, but you're still reading a small amount regularly, then I thank God! But perhaps you can manage more. With the new year approaching, you might like to consider using one of these plans:

• ESV Bible reading plans


• NAV Bible reading plans.

Here are six of the best, trialled by me or people I respect.2 (Whichever you choose, you'll find it more meaningful if you read or listen to an introduction to each book as you come to it, especially with tricky books like the prophets.3)

• My friend Melanie likes the ESV Chronological Bible Reading Plan, where you read a few chapters in one place a day. The chronological order means you can see, for example, how the different psalms fit into Bible history. I'm looking forward to trying this one!


• Meredith enjoys the ESV Daily Reading Bible plan, where you read in three places a day - Old Testament, New Testament and a Psalm (she talks about her experience in my Bible reading plan, mid-year review and this interview-with-self).


• Justin Taylor recommends the ESV Study Bible Plan, where you read in four places a day: Psalms and Wisdom, Pentateuch and History, Chronicles and Prophets, Gospels and Epistles (you can even print out four snazzy little bookmarks to mark the places in your Bible!).


• John Stott faithfully used the M'Cheyne One Year Bible Reading Plan, where you also read in four places a day, chosen to give the big picture of salvation history. He said, "Nothing has helped me more to gain an overview of the Bible, and so of God’s redemptive plan". Don Carson's For the Love of God gives you daily readings to use with this plan.


• I'm using the NAV Book-at-a-Time Bible Reading Plan, with two readings a day: a short reading from the wisdom books or Isaiah, and a longer reading which swaps between testaments and spreads the gospels through the year. I like the variety and the focus on one book at a time, and it's very forgiving, with twenty-five readings a month; similarly forgiving is the four-places-a-day NAV Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan.


• A great method to get young Christians started (it got me started) reading through the Bible is the three-year Bible reading plan from Tim LaHaye's How to study the Bible for youself, which is designed to introduce newcomers to regular Bible reading (first year gospels and epistles, second year wisdom and epistles, third year the lot).

Happy reading!


1. When I had babies and toddlers, a shorter passage was all I could handle; I enjoyed using The Daily Reading Bible.
2. If you want to know more about the different plans available, I recommend Justin Taylor's Bible reading plans.
3. Try Mark Dever's book-at-a-time overview sermons, one for every book of the Bible: you can download the audio versions at Capitol Hill Baptist (search: the message) or read the print versions in The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made and The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept. Another option is to read the introductions to each book in a study Bible or William Dumbrell's The Faith of Israel. Graeme Goldsworthy's Trilogy and According to Plan will help you see how the different bits of the Bible hang together in Jesus.


This post first appeared at The Briefing.

image is by jjreade from flickr

finding a "quiet time" in a mother's life that's far from quiet

Back in the old days, when I had two children, it was pretty easy for me to find time to read the Bible and pray. This seemed a little unfair. Other mums said, "It's so hard to pray and read the Bible! Every time I try, my kids climb all over me! My baby cries! My son wants me! They won't keep quiet long enough for me to pray!" But quiet times were still "quiet" for me.

At six o'clock I woke up, made myself a cup of coffee and a bowl of muesli, and sat on the couch with my Bible.1 The kids were often asleep. If they weren't, they'd watch a DVD for half an hour or (I admit it) an hour.

In winter, it was dark when I woke. I watched the sun rise, reflected in the windows of the university building we can see from our house, turning the curved wall orange against an indigo sky, until the sky lightened and the pale trunks of the gums glowed silver. Of course, it wasn't always idyllic - there were months of pregnancy nausea and early-waking babies - but I picture it through the soft focus of nostalgia.

***

Fast forward to the present day. My two older children have been joined by a five and eight year old who are, let's say, just a little more demanding than their brother and sister at their age. At six o'clock you'll find me on the couch, legs stretched along its length, Bible in hand and lemon-scented gums in view. My husband is in bed.2 But I'm not alone.

There's a five year old squashed into the tiny space between me and the couch back, begging for warmth and kisses. There's an eight year old seated at my feet playing on his handheld games console. I read the Bible through a barrage of comments - "Look, Mummy, I've beaten the boss!" (don't ask) - and demands for breakfast, for cuddles, for attention.

This, I know, is normality.

I've been feeling squeezed and breathless, as introverts do when they get no time to themselves. I can read the Bible despite the noise (my family call it "ignoring", I call it "concentrating"). But it's hard to pray. Often I give up, go to the computer and check my emails.

***

There are two things you can be sure of with motherhood (or life, really). The first is that God won't change. The second is that everything else will. Just when you think you've found the one, true solution - the cure for sleepless nights, or disorganization, or prayerlessness - circumstances shift sideways.

What works for me won't work for you. What works for me won't work for me. Babies wake all night, then sleep through, then - surprise! - start waking again. The morning routine runs smoothly, then falls apart. One child loves "alone time"; another craves constant attention. Sometimes there are no quiet moments. Sometimes you have to create them out of nothing.

My friend Heather used to sit in the corridor and pray on the phone with a friend during the morning rush; her grown sons still treasure her example. Nicole and Dave took turns to shut the bedroom door and spend time with God.3 Cathy came up with a plan to make the most of the moments between feeding and settling a newborn - even if, like her friend Carolyn, it meant sticking up Bible verses in the shower. Some mums read a few verses a day with their kids; others ask a friend or husband to read to them; still others listen to the Bible while driving or walking. These are just some things that have worked for some women some of the time.4

***

Starve me of prayer, and eventually I get desperate (this takes far longer than it should). The other day, I'd had enough. Kids on the couch and all, I closed my eyes, only to be interrupted: "Mummy, look at this!"; "Mummy, I'm hungry!"; "Mummy, mummy, mummy...". For once, I was determined not to give in: "Sssh, boys, I'm praying. Wait till I've finished, then tell me."

Tucked into my invisible prayer-bubble, I felt a little like Susannah Wesley when she threw an apron over her head and quieted her ten children so she could pray. I could shut my children's voices out (almost). I could concentrate (kind of). My gaze shifted from myself to Jesus, and I was able to pray for others too.

The kids learned some helpful lessons. They were reminded, once again, that they're not the centre of the universe. They realized that I'm not always available: there are things more important, even, than their demands. They learned that prayer is worth setting aside time for.

And me? I've found a way to pray that works for me - for now. When that stops working, I'll find another way. There will be days when I don't manage it, but I'm not giving up. Because I need God's strength, my kids need my example, and others need my prayers.

Maybe I'll even get out an apron.


1. This was no great feat of godliness: I love waking early.
2. As so often happens in marriage, my husband and I are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I am an early bird, but he is a night owl.
3. This was sometimes accompanied by the sound of tears on the other side of the door; Nicole got the "first glimpse of the kindness in the cruelty" when their young son went to his room, shut the door, and read his Bible too.
4. I'd love to hear what's worked for you!

This post first appeared in The Briefing today.

image is by bluebirdsandteapots at flickr

forming godly habits

Since I haven't had time to post anything this week (I'm working hard on a writing/editing job and it's school holidays) I thought I'd point you in the direction of this helpful article by Lionel Windsor about forming godly habits:

Creatures of Habit

Happy reading!

how we change (11) strategies that support change

Remember that long-lost series on change? No, I haven't forgotten it! We were working through Tim Chester's You Can Change. Now we come to chapter 8: strategies that reinforce faith and repentance (and yes, I'll try to finish the series by the end of the year if you want to read along!).

A few years ago, I planted a lemon tree. By now, it should have produced its first fruit. But it's a stunted, sad excuse for a tree. It's rarely watered and never fed, and it's shoulder-deep in weeds.

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Gal 6:8)

Change is like my tree. It grows in the soil of the Spirit-changed heart, from the roots of faith and repentance. But it only thrives when you water it and pluck the weeds. Temptation and harmful influences are two weeds that stunt change; God's word, prayer, Christian community, service, and (surprisingly) suffering, all feed change and help it grow.

Tim Chester says,

Not sowing to sin = saying "no" to whatever strengthens my sinful desires = reinforcing repentance.

Sowing to the Spirit = saying "yes" to whatever strengthens my Spirit-inspired desires = reinforcing faith.

But wait a minute. Isn't change about grace, not rules? To grow, do we have to forbid pubs, parties, and popular movies? Do we have to practice certain disciplines: 30 minutes' prayer and Bible reading every day? Of course not! Dos and don'ts can't change our hearts. So how do these things fit into change?

Sowing to the Spirit (watering change).

The longer I'm a Christian, the more I realise that things like prayer and Bible reading aren't a matter of rules, but a natural response to God's grace. It's hard to imagine a relationship with God that doesn't include listening to his voice (the Bible), seeking his help (prayer), encouraging his people (Christian community), and reaching out to others (service and evangelism).

I think of these things not as "spiritual disciplines" (as if there's a set of disciplines I do to gain God's blessing) but as outworkings of faith that grow my faith. Yes, doing them requires discipline; but I don't do them to get close to God, or to get God's grace - I have these already! I do them because I love Jesus, and long to grow deeper into his grace.

Not sowing to the sinful nature (weeding change).

It's the same with things that provoke or strengthen sinful desires. What matters is not whether a certain practice is "forbidden", but the impact it has on me. I'd be crazy to do anything that jeopardises my growth. If a book fills my mind with impure images, why read it? If a certain place leads me into sin, why go there? Am I trying to be wiser than Jesus, who said to cut temptation out of my life? (Matt 5:29-30 cf 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22)

As Chester says, we'll want to be aware of two things: places, people or things that provoke sinful desires by exposing us to temptation, perhaps because they appeal to our particular weaknesses; and places, people or things that strengthen sinful desires by influencing us, perhaps by subtly shaping how we think.

Some practical steps to take.

How do I make these guidelines personal? Here are two suggestions. (When I'm struggling, I do this as well as the kind of heart-work we've already talked about).

1. Take a close look at when you're tempted. What mood are you in? Where are you? What are you doing? What have you been viewing or reading? Write a list of situations, people,* places and things that it may be helpful for you to avoid.

2. Think about how to support change. Are there some Bible passages you could memorise? Would it help if you got more sleep and exercise? Is there someone you can call or text when you're tempted? Write a list of positive steps to take to support godly attitudes and actions.

Here are some examples from my own life:
- impatience and irritability: I try to get enough sleep
- gluttony: I don't buy food that is a weakness for me
- introspection: I find ways to serve others
- poor time management: I pray about my day before it begins
- perfectionism: I keep accountable to good friends
- shopaholism: I stay away from shops when I can
- anxiety: I've memorised verses about God's loving sovereignty.

Of course, none of these things replaces dealing with the deep-seated unbelief and idols of my heart. Only God's grace, working through faith and repentance, changes me on the inside. But doing these things feeds my faith, buys me time, starves sin, and supports my repentance.

If I want the tree of change to grow, it may be time to pull out some weeds and do some watering.

*I'm not saying we should avoid all the people that rub us up the wrong way, or we'd have to live on a desert island! People help us grow as we learn to love them. But we may need to stop spending time with a friend who consistently leads us into sin.

Today's post is based on chapter 8 of Tim Chester's You Can Change.

images are by GasBombGirl, Kit Keat, ashley.adcox and Flying House Studios at flickr

Shopping for Time: book review

Written last Wednesday, during the first week of our school holidays.

I read - actually, I re-read - a superb little book today. In fact, I gobbled it up in a single sitting (or two, or three) as I lay on the couch while the kids were playing, during the times I wasn't spending time with them. It's wonderful what you can do during school holidays!

The book is called Shopping for Time, and it's by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters from girltalk. It's written for women "who may be overwhelmed, miserable, and exhausted" (13). You're speaking to me, sisters!

My priorities are in much better order this year, but I still feel like I'm drowning under life's demands: mountains of laundry, people who need encouragement, urgent needs like finding a high school for my daughter, and ministries like Sunday School and Bible Study. I've attempted and failed to keep so many plans for organisation that I've abandoned them and slipped into disorganisation.

Into this familiar womanly scenario steps Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters with their chatty, homespun wisdom. Shopping for Time is a short and easy read (I wouldn't be reading any other kind of time management book right now!) and it's thoroughly gospel-centred. Here are their five tips:

Rise early. I won't be joining the 5 AM club anytime soon (last time I attempted something like that it ended in exhaustion!) but I've been a happy member of the 6:00-6:30 AM club for years (although the kids are starting to beat me to it, so I think I'll have to shut the door while my husband arranges another quiet time for me ... ).

Sit still. "Choosing not to sit at Jesus' feet makes a statement. It says to the Lord, 'I can do it without you.' (43). Guilty as charged! I'm far too quick to replace personal Bible reading and prayer with busyness and Bible Study preparation. This chapter includes some excellent suggestions for mums of babies.

Sit and plan. It's reassuring to know that Carolyn Mahaney, like me, has felt "weary and burdened by the demands of motherhood" so she "lacked perspective and joy" (52). The solution? Her husband gives her bi-annual retreats to read the Bible, pray and reflect on her priorities. My hubbie and I are going to follow their example - tomorrow! I'll work my way through her list (godliness, family, church, fellowship, evangelism, work, health) and prayerfully examine my priorities.

Consider people. An excellent guide to evaluating relationships which I'll use to evaluate mine. I haven't been caring for some people as well as I should, and I often let relationships happen rather than being thoughtful about them.

Plan to depend. Lots of practical advice about daily planners, overcoming procrastination (by doing the things you least want to do first), and tackling big projects (a bit at a time). I need some help in this area. I've just created out some simple weekly and daily planning sheets (which I took from Peter Brain's Going the Distance 181): let's see how they go!

This book has its flaws: I think that God's call to "make the best use of the time" isn't about time-management but about making the most of every gospel opportunity during these last days (Eph 5:15-16 cf Col 4:5-6 ESV).* And while I agree that rising early may be wise, I think Christians easily turn this into legalism and undervalue God's gift of sleep (something I learnt, ironically, from Carolyn's husband CJ Mahaney's talk on sleep).

But this is a wonderfully grace-filled and gospel-centred book. It's interesting to see how much of the book is about sitting rather than doing. That's because Carolyn and her daughters want to encourage us to take time from our busyness to read God's word and pray, drawing our strength from him rather than ourselves; and to plan our lives carefully and prayerfully, with God's priorities in mind.

So if you're feeling "overwhelmed, miserable, and exhausted", or simply like your life could do with a bit more organisation, I commend this little book to you!

And yes, I had a great day praying, reading the Bible and reflecting on my priorities! I've only just started to process all the conclusions I came to. I'll be in touch ...

* See Tim Chester The Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness 49-51.

images are from JonathonCohen and pritam at flickr