I’m not sure there is much more fundamental to spiritual growth than memorizing Scripture. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts has been an important part of our home and homeschool since Ben was a little guy. I still remember his first year in AWANA when Ben memorized John 3:16.
In addition to the spiritual aspect, it is frequently discussed in our home how blessed we are to have access to the Bible, with freedom to own it, and to have it in our own language, in multiple translations. Ben was shocked to learn that so many people around the world either don’t have a Bible in their own language or live in a country where Christianity is so persecuted that owning a Bible may cost you your life (or at the least, your freedom).
It is inspiring to read about those who secretly meet underground for the purpose of memorizing Scripture so they can share with their friends and family. How many times do we have the opportunity to share Christ with someone (or need reminders ourselves) when we don’t have a Bible handy? Just like these persecuted Christians, it is important for us to be able to recall God’s Word.
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I was excited to be invited to participate in the launch of Kimberly Garcia’s Bible Memorization Made Easy curriculum– we chose to use Memorize the Sermon on the Mount over the past few weeks. I first became aware of Kimberly’s writing when Ben was in first grade, and I found her Charlotte Mason-inspired Fun with Spanish curriculum on Lulu! It was exciting to connect with her work again for this review!
Memorizing large passages of Scripture can seem a daunting task. Ben can tell you the Sermon on the Mount is 111 verses. That’s a lot of memorization. He was a little unsure at first about being able to commit such a large passage to memory. But he quickly discovered that using a combination of repeated readings, copywork, and filling in the missing words, memorizing Scripture, even 3 chapters worth, could not be easier than using Bible Memorization Made Easy. It takes time — about 23 weeks if you follow the prescribed schedule, but it is time well spent, and the ability to look at it as just few verses per week helps keep things in perspective.
There is freedom with Bible Memorization Made Easy.
If your child needs more time, then there are suggestions for how to slow things down. And certainly, if you have kids who are a whiz at memorization, you can speed it up as well. The book gives guidelines for doing both. Ben preferred not to do as much copywork (boys and writing!), but he enjoys the filling in of the missing words, so we just did more of that. And because he is great at memory work, we haven’t found the copywork as necessary. Flexibility at its finest! The book contains all of the Scripture readings, so a Bible isn’t necessary to use this tool.
I love that Kimberly begins each lesson encouraging users to pray before they begin.
It is obvious that her desire is not just for us to be rote in our memorization of Scripture, but to meditate upon it and allow God to speak to us through His Word. There are important truths (both encouraging and admonishing) in the Sermon on the Mount. Whether your family has not developed the habit of memorizing Scripture or is well-versed, these words from Jesus are a great place to start.
We are accustomed to memorizing Scripture in a different translation from KJV (ESV). Ben has heard KJV read, but we don’t commonly hear this translation in our church or use it in our home. While it did stretch him a bit to memorize in KJV, and I certainly don’t mind stretching him, I would really love it if there were more choices for translation.
To purchase any of the Bible Memorization Made Easy curriculum, visit the Brookdale House website, where in addition to the Sermon on the Mount, you can choose from books to memorize Galatians, Philippians, and Psalms for Praying. Both PDF eBooks ($15.99) and print books ($21.99) are available. Use the code: 20PERCENT to save 20% on your purchase.
There are other reviews of various Bible Memorization Made Easy books here.
