Memory

Just thought i'd drop you a note and let ya'll know what i'm up to. Our wonderful Bible college has started offering evening classes! yeah! it's on Monday evenings from 6-9, and yes, the whole thing is class except the 15 min break we get after 90 min (reminds me of high school!)

anyway last Monday was quiet the experience. it's been a while since i've been a student. and i've forgotten how disciplined you must be to be a student. after my experience i think you have to be more disciplined to be a student than an teacher (then again maybe not.) anyway, there are 33 people in the class which adds a different dynamic because it's so large. Felicity (our teacher) handed out the SOP (standard operating procedures) last week, which showed us what the class was going to "look like".

because of the nature of the class (in case i forgot to tell you, it's called disciplines of life talking about spiritual disciplines), it will be hard to give a grade, so most of it is objective. which translates into, if you turn in your homework, you will pass. we have these journal entries we are required to do, which is interesting, i love to journal! those are due every week, and the bigger projects are a fasting project, and the one that made me most nervous is the memory project.

it sounded so overwhelming at first, all of this memory work, it's Psalms 103 out of any translation we like. we have 4 weeks i think to memorize the first 2 verses, then every week after that we add two more. so i've been working on it. the problem with it is that there are so many of the verses in songs that we sing, that it's hard to keep the songs separate from the rendering that i choose! but so far it's going pretty good. i even put it in my phone so i can memorize it while i'm at dr. offices waiting and such as that.

so without further aude, here is the chapter out of the translation i choose, it's the HCSB translation. enjoy, and maybe challenge yourself some to begin to memorize Scripture again, i know for most of us it's been a while.

Psalm 103
The Forgiving God
Davidic. 1 My soul, praise the LORD, and all that is within me, praise His holy name. (A)
2 My soul, praise the LORD, and do not forget all His benefits. (B)
3 He forgives all your sin; (C) He heals all your diseases. (D)
4 He redeems your life from the Pit; (E) He crowns you with faithful love and compassion. (F)
5 He satisfies you [a] with goodness; (G) your youth is renewed like the eagle. (H)
6 The LORD executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. (I)
7 He revealed His ways to Moses, (J) His deeds to the people of Israel. (K)
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and full of faithful love. (L)
9 He will not always accuse [us] or be angry forever. (M)
10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our offenses. (N)
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him. (O)
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (P)
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. (Q)
14 For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust. (R)
15 As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower of the field; (S)
16 when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known. (T) [b]
17 But from eternity to eternity the LORD's faithful love is toward those who fear Him, and His righteousness toward the grandchildren (U)
18 of those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His instructions. (V)
19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. (W)
20 Praise the LORD, [all] His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command. (X)
21 Praise the LORD, all His armies, His servants who do His will. (Y)
22 Praise the LORD, all His works in all the places where He rules. (Z) My soul, praise the LORD!