I'm Sonya Shafer with Simply Charlotte Mason.
Our family has been using a Scripture memory system for years.
It works great whether you're memorizing a single verse, a paragraph, or a whole chapter.
But the best part is that the system makes it so easy to review.
By using this system every day, you are constantly reviewing every verse you ever learned, and
it takes only five minutes a day—or less.
Now, sometimes I get raised eyebrows when I say that.
So what I want to do in this video is walk through it, and we will time it, so you can
see for yourself.
Imagine with me that there are four buckets in this box.
The first bucket is labeled Daily.
The second bucket is Odd and Even.
The third bucket contains the days of the week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and so on.
And the fourth bucket contains the dates of the month: 1 through 31.
Now, here's what it looks like each day.
I will pull a verse card out of the box and read the reference aloud.
You repeat the reference after me.
Then we will read or recite the passage together, and we'll all say the reference again at the
end.
Got it?
The first bucket is the Daily bucket, and it contains the new passage that we're working
on memorizing.
So I will read it and you listen closely, and join in on any parts that you know.
(I tried to select Bible passages that I think will be familiar to most of you.
Of course, if you are doing this as a family, you will all have memorized the same verses.
Use any Bible translation that you like.
For this demonstration, I’ll be using the ESV.)
All right, let’s start the timer and see how long this takes us.
Here we go.
Under Daily we have Mark 12:30 and 31.
Now you say that reference: Mark 12:30 and 31.
Here’s how it goes: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30 and 31.
Now that’s the only new one.
All of the others are going to be review.
Let’s say today is Monday, the 9th.
Is 9 an odd or an even number?
It is odd, so today we will review the verse card behind Odd in that bucket.
That verse is Genesis 1:1.
(Genesis 1:1.)
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1.
Good.
Now we’re going to the Days of the Week bucket.
We said that today is Monday, so we will review the verse card behind Monday.
This one’s a passage: Matthew 6:9–13.
(Matthew 6:9–13)—also known as the Lord’s Prayer.
Say it with me: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.
Amen Matthew 6:9–13.
By the way, God’s Word is living, so quote it that way; recite it that way.
All right, let’s move on to the last bucket: the Dates of the Month.
We said today was Monday, the 9th, so we’re going to review the verses behind 9.
Now, there are several verses back here, because the numbers are the final home for all of
the verse cards.
So behind number 9 we have John 3:16 (John 3:16): For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16.
We also have Philippians 4:13 (Philippians 4:13): I can do all things through him who
strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 And we have Psalm 23 (Psalm 23):
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters] He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
All right, let’s stop the timer and see.
How long did it take us?
And that was with explanations as we went along.
Enough said.
So tomorrow you will do the verse cards behind Daily, Even, Tuesday, and 10.
And the next day you’ll do: Daily, Odd, Wednesday, and 11.
And so on.
That's all there is to it.
You see how it works.
Very simple.
Very effective.
That's how the system works each day.
Now let me show you the big picture.
These buckets are really dividers, or groups of dividers that are in the box.
Once everyone in your family can recite the passage behind Daily—remember, that's the
only new passage.
As they hear the new passage read each day, it will become more and more familiar and
pretty soon your children will be able to join in on more and more of it, until eventually,
they can all recite the whole thing.
It doesn't matter whether it takes you a week to learn it or two weeks or six months.
This is not a competition or a race.
It is a lifelong spiritual habit, a privilege.
So take your time and make sure everyone who is able to talk can recite it.
It's a great opportunity to help the children learn to encourage each other and be patient
with each other . . . and with you.
They might learn it faster than you do.
So once everyone in your family can recite the passage behind the Daily divider, it graduates
to the next bucket.
Now you have three verse cards in this bucket and only two dividers: Odd and Even.
So take out the oldest verse card in this bucket; it will graduate to the next bucket,
and replace it with the card that you're moving out of Daily.
You might want to jot the date in the corner whenever you finish memorizing a new passage.
That can be helpful as it works its way through the system.
With that older Odd or Even card graduating to the next bucket, you now have 8 cards in
the Days of the Week bucket and only 7 dividers, for the 7 days of the week.
So again, the oldest card here moves to the final bucket.
It doesn’t matter what day it is behind.
If it’s the oldest one, move it on.
Remember, this final bucket, the dates of the month, are the final home for the cards.
Once they make it here, they stay here and accumulate.
Eventually you will have several cards behind each date of the month divider; but it still
takes only 5 minutes or so to review it all.
Then simply put a new card behind Daily, and you're ready to keep going.
You can create this system with an index card box that you have around the house.
I’ll link to a video that shows you how to set up the system for yourself, step by
step.
We also have hundreds of verses on cards available as a free download that you can use.
Or if you would prefer pre-printed cards on heavy paper, we have those available in our
bookstore on our website.
And if you want to make your Scripture Memory time really special in your family, you might
want to invest in one of these beautiful heirloom-quality boxes.
These are handmade by a lovely homeschooling family in Tennessee.
These boxes are so solid, so beautiful—as you can see, I can't stop petting it.
We'll put links to all of these resources in the notes.
Or feel free to make your own cards and use your own box.
The main thing is make it a habit to memorize Scripture.
This system is a great tool to help you make it very simple, very doable.
Give your children the heritage of God's Word in their minds and hearts.
Corporate Scripture memory will knit your hearts together as a family like nothing else
can, and those verses will become a lifelong treasure of worship, of comfort, and of guidance
for each person.
And all it takes is five minutes a day.