The App That Helps Me Memorize Scripture

Written by Bob DeAngelo, Pastor of Youth and Outreach

Like millions of people, the end of one year and the start of a new year seems to provide me with mental energy to reflect on the previous year, and to think about what I would like to accomplish in the coming year. And like millions of people, I write out resolutions for the new year (I call them dreams).

I do not take the writing of these dreams lightly, and I believe that one of the reasons that I may be somewhat successful in seeing these dreams come to fruition is that I review these dreams weekly, and I journal and track my progress each week (or lack of it). (For what it is worth, I have learned that if you do not track progress…you and I are very likely not to make much progress on a resolution or a dream.)

In 2018, I wrote out 23 dreams (which in reviewing 2018, I realized was too many). But as I reviewed my progress on these dreams over the course of a year, I realized that there was a clear dividing line between the areas in which I made progress, and the areas in which I felt that I did not make enough.

Here is that divider between success and failure for me:
1. I succeeded in dreams that included a scheduled meeting or task.
2. I succeeded in dreams that included a deadline.
3. I succeeded in dreams that included a very strong trigger to act.
* …And it certainly helped if I enjoyed the activities connected to pursuing a dream.

Obviously, the opposite was also true.

In 2019, I have reserved my dreams for areas that I would consider “new ground” for me. (I have 13 of them.) For me, one of those areas involves Scripture memory. In 2019, I plan to study the letters to the Thessalonians in the New Testament – word by word, really sinking my teeth into the truth of these two books. As I study them, I also plan to memorize them.

In 2018, our church had a visiting speaker’s wife who talked about a tool that had really helped her in memorizing Scripture. This tool was an app called Scripture Typer. (The app has since been renamed The Bible Memory App.) Toward the end of the year, I found my wife Kelly hammering through passages that she was memorizing on her phone using this app.

Anyone who has memorized Scripture knows that it is fairly simple.
1. You need to grasp the value of memorizing Scripture.
2. You need to give focused time to memorizing Scripture.
3. You need to just go over it and over it and over it and over it – review is key.
4. …And it certainly doesn’t hurt if it is fun!

At the end of last year, I downloaded The Bible Memory App and began to use it. My trigger is at night in bed before I go to sleep, I pull out my Kindle Fire and either review my verses, or I begin to work on new verses. I have already memorized I Thessalonians chapter 1 (granted, it is only 10 verses, but still!). Scripture memory, an area that I pursued last year, but not as much as I had set out to, is now a habit that is built into my life. It doesn’t take that long (about 10 minutes before I go to sleep), and working on these verses through the app is fun!

“Top people have very clear goals. They write them down and they make plans for their accomplishment.” – The Compound Effect by Darren Hary

I encourage you to dream, to shoot for something worthwhile in 2019. Write those dreams down and track your progress at least weekly. One area that you may want to consider is Scripture memory. The Bible Memory app is free (if you get going and learn more than 50 verses, you will have to pay a few dollars). Download it today and give it a try!