I'm an addict

I would think that schooling would be enough to fill my mind with knowledge. I guess I found that not to be true.

I ordered a book a couple of days ago so I could join a voluntary reading group at the Seminary that starts on Friday, and then today, used a gift certificate to order 8 more avenues of religious knowledge for myself.

I'm excited for those things to arrive so I can delve my brain further into things that excite me.

Without them here today, and prolonging working on my homework, I was doing lots of statistics research. Looking at Barna's site finding random statistics on church and church growth, prayer, salvation, heaven and hell and the like, and then on the Gallup site, looking mainly at political things.

I can't imagine life without learning. Hopefully my mental capacity will continue to allow and enjoy new information.

Random stat of note, only 12% of blogs that are created get published to after three months. Count me one of the dedicated.

The Memory Game

I wish I had more scripture memorized. I am pretty good at big picture stuff, and narrowing down the main points that an author makes in a particular section of scripture, but haven't been as good as memorizing scripture.

I would love that the things that get stuck in my head be verses of scripture (because my mind had been focused on those things) instead of song lyrics or movie quotes. If I spent more time trying intentionally to memorize scripture, I'm sure that my mind would wander to that area of remembrance more. I just never know where to start. Do I make a list of helpful verses to have commit ed to memory, a list of popular verses, or do I try to memorize a large chunk of scripture.

What do you all think? What method should I try and why?

It just isn't for me

History, it doesn't excite me. I like researching people groups (like ancient near eastern Jews), but History as a movement just doesn't excite me.

I never enjoyed American History (it's the only class i've ever failed), and haven't been able to put the focus into Church History either. I just don't get fascinated by dates and names, even if they are of movements (like the church) that I deeply care about.

I just can't get my mind to be interested in learning things about the past that seem of little value to me.

I'd rather be writing a research paper on a particular person from history (the research for such a project would be compelling to me) than listening to someone describe how someone's political structure influenced the next political structure, which caused some ruler to be a jerk, which paved the way for some person to be a hero.

Uggghhhhhh.... History frustrates me.

Appreciating the Other Senses

I hear the Bible much differently than I read it.

For that reason, I have an audio Bible on cd. I listen to it in the car sometimes, but now have put sections of it on my ipod as a teacher is requiring that we listen to all four gospels at least once, separately from also reading them.

It is amazing how much easier it is for me to see the big picture of what an author, or section of scripture is saying when it is delivered in big chunks and without paragraph headings.

I recommend anyone try it sometime.

What's a boy to do

There isn't football tomorrow. Sunday afternoon and no football. My heart weeps. I don't know how to spend my time.

I need to study and read, but football has always been such a great excuse not to. I might actually get my first Sunday afternoon nap in a while.

Good thing next Sunday there is football again. (Go Colts)