Write it! Print it! Illustrate it!

Write it! Print it! Illustrate it! Whatever you do -- get your verses in front of you! While I love to listen to verses and sing them, I also think it's important to get them in front of me (to use multiple senses and learning styles).  Many people prefer memorizing from their hard-copy Bible, but I usually write or print out mine, so it doesn't necessarily have to match the translation I use for reading.

Here are some of the things I've done in the past and what I'm doing currently: 

To memorize it...

• write it in a notebook. Usually one of the first things I do when learning new verses is to write them out, skipping every other line so that I can go back and write the chords.  My mother-in-law writes hers in a notebook alongside the prayer requests for each week from her Sunday School class.  While she is still learning it, she writes out the whole verse. Later in the month, she may just make a note of the reference to remind herself to review it.   

• write it in different ways.  The practice of writing out the verse is beneficial, but I like to spice it up a bit with using cursive or ALL CAPS or doodles.  This creates a memorable visual in my mind.  Here is what that might look like:                                          
• And here are the cards from my first Scripture memory challenge back in 2015. These verses are so precious to me! I picked a new one every two weeks based on what I needed to learn in that season.  

• illustrate it. A few years ago, I spent Sunday afternoons creating art in my journaling Bible based on what I had been reading the previous week. If you spend time creating, you're unlocking different parts of your brain, and the act of coloring/drawing/doodling is one way to meditate and mull over the verse. Here are some entries that involve specific verses: 

  

• post it where you'll see it. Last summer, I had our boys write out their memory verses on an index card that I would post on the bathroom mirror. They'd review their verses while brushing their teeth or washing their hands. 
• print out your verses. For Philippians, I copied and pasted different sections into columns in a Word document that I printed and laminated for durability. I remember standing in the gym during dismissal with my verses (occasionally pausing to remind students to be quiet as they waited for their parents). For Romans, I color-coded them to hopefully help me remember which chapter I'm in (in ROY G BIV color order, of course!). 

To review it...

• write your cumulative verses or passages in a spiral index card notebook.  These are super portable, and I put them on the school supply list when I taught 4th and 5th grades so that my students could have a spot for their cumulative verses from the year.  I remember having one in college when I memorized Psalm 139, 40, and 63. I would flip through my spiral on my walks across campus or to the local elementary school. I can't find that spiral (sad!), but I have this one from when I memorized the Sermon on the Mount using these cards from Ann Voskamp's website. 

To demonstrate mastery...

• have your "hearer" sign their name after listening to your recitation. In the picture above, you can see where two of my students signed off on my recitation (I have to admit that I was always super nervous on Fridays when I would recite my verses to them. They loved the opportunity to "grade" me and listened for the slightest errors). 
• write out your verses from memory.  This is one of my "tests" for proving to myself that I have mastered a passage (the other two are mastering them on the BibleMemory program and reciting them to someone).  You don't have to do this, of course, but it is a good way to see how well you know the passage.  I usually don't do it all in one sitting because my hand cramps. Romans 1 took me about a half hour.  

       

Which of these methods have you tried? What works for you?