EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeff Iorg is president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, located in the San Francisco Bay Area.
MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP) — A few days ago, I received an email that almost didn’t get opened. I receive so much email that unless it is clearly personal to me, it just doesn’t get read. There’s just too much to handle it any other way.
But something about the subject line piqued my interest. The email was from a girl named Ayu (whose father has a connection to our school). She wrote a beautiful email telling me about her plan to help people memorize more Scripture. It includes one or more verses for each letter of the alphabet, complete with YouTube videos she has made to reinforce the memorization for people who struggle with this discipline.
Her email touched a nerve with me. I was preaching on Scripture memory as part of my sermon the following Sunday. I remember when memorizing the Bible was more of a priority I was even part of a Scripture Memory Club that encouraged accountability and focused effort. It was a meaningful time in my life and I regret it ended.
Ayu has come a long way in her life from a pre-mature birth to a gifted reader and musician who loves God and wants others to know him.Her challenge and her program are more than cute — they are insightful and helpful. Ayu told me since seven is the biblical number for completion, she wants to find 7,000 people who will memorize Scripture with her plan.
Sounds like a good idea to me. So, with her parent’s permission, here is a link to her website — http://www.a-zscripturememory.com/. Look, if a 9-year-old can do it, so can you. If you have ever wanted to memorize more of the Bible (and would like to have some fun doing it), check it out.
Thanks Ayu for thinking of me and for including me in your project.
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Jeff Iorg is president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, with campuses in the San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, Denver and Phoenix. This column first appeared at the seminary’s President’s Blog.
