Congrats on 80 million. Hope you decide to work on memorizing the Gospel of John. I almost went with John before settling on Mark. One day, maybe, I will go through it as well.
Thanks, joosep and PeterP! I look forward to you joining us in Hebrews, too, joosep! PeterP, how cool that we are in the same book and pretty close. I have just started putting Hebrews 4:6-11 in rotation (and the breaks are odd for me,). I hope to get CH 4 soon, so I can work on the logic in my head.
Well, I am in the middle of Hebrews 4. The first 2 chapters came really easily. They have a nice flow. Three got trickier, and I am struggling with the logic of chapter 4. It's all true, of course. I just mean that the writer is making and argument that is hard to hold together in chunks.
How are you doing? Have you settled on a system you like yet?
Well, I am in the middle of Hebrews 4. The first 2 chapters came really easily. They have a nice flow. Three got trickier, and I am struggling with the logic of chapter 4. It's all true, of course. I just mean that the writer is making and argument that is hard to hold together in chunks.
How are you doing? Have you settled on a system you like yet?
Using a spreadsheet for a list of passages. Some of them I "memorized" long ago but now have reset. The spreadsheet determines the next review date. I use the hints and a lot of repetition. Hebrews is a wonderful epistle and I'd love to add that one to my spreadsheet .... someday lol.
I too am working through Hebrews now. I’ve reached the middle of chapter 5. But I know what you mean about the ‘logic’ of chapter 4. As I review it, I’m increasingly realising that I don’t have a very firm grasp of God’s offer to us to enter his eternal rest ‘today’, and to live in the reality of that rest.
Thanks, joosep and PeterP! I look forward to you joining us in Hebrews, too, joosep! PeterP, how cool that we are in the same book and pretty close. I have just started putting Hebrews 4:6-11 in rotation (and the breaks are odd for me,). I hope to get CH 4 soon, so I can work on the logic in my head.
Thanks, joosep and JDJD! BTW, joosep, I use hints very rarely. There are times when I do, but I really try to avoid them. I use the opportunity of getting it wrong to reinforce the correct response.
Also, sometimes you get an error on the last word and you can't correct it. I don't worry about it, but my goal is to get it right.
As for adopting my method, I can say that I have tweaked it here and there, and I am happy with this method. Let me know how you are doing and how it is going.... and if you like it. Also, I can send you my excel spreadsheet if you want.
Great questions. Repeat and review always involve typing for me, and I use the first letter method. Additionally, if I make an error mid-verse, I toggle the "Test instead of read" button and start the verse fresh until I get a perfect entry. It is tedious because most of my errors at some point are just typing errors not memory errors. Finally, I did the full word method a few months ago for a while. It really impacts how much you can go through, but I didn't feel like it did any more for my reinforcement.
I use a spreadsheet. For Hebrews (I tried a different strategy for I & II Peter).
For Hebrews I started with a block of 4 verses. I would repeat/review 10 times a day for a week. At the beginning of the next week, review the first block once AND then tackle the next 3-5 verse block 10 times a day for a week. When I get to the end of a chapter and have reviewed the last block for a week, I create a chapter block which I review once a day, along with the new block.
So, Hebrews right now goes: Complete - Hebrews 1 Review (1 time) Hebrews 2-1 vs 1-4 (1 time) Hebrews 2-2 vs 5-9 (1 time) Hebrews 2-3 vs 10-13 (1 time) Hebrews 2-4 vs 14-18 (10 times)
On monday, all of that will change to: Complete - Hebrews 1 Review (1 time) Complete - Hebrews 2 Review (1 time) Hebrews 3-1 vs 1-4 (10 times)
Once I get another chapter or so, I will no longer review every chapter each day, but I will put them in rotation, so that I do Hebrews 1 on Monday, Hebrews 2 on Tuesday, etc.
This is currently what I do with Mark, and I & II Peter. Today is II Peter 3, I Peter 2, Mark 11, for example.
And I definitely have a spreadsheet. It has points on it. I used to average 140k points a day when I was going through Mark, and I found that unsustainable. So, I have reduced my goal to 50k a day, but I am eclipsing that at my current rate. That is why I have instituted a method of just doing 1 chapter a day of the books I have completed in rotation.
Everyday, I begin with Hebrews 1, then move through Hebrews 2 in sections with repetition of the most recently learned. Then I do a chapter of 2nd Peter, 1st Peter, and Mark. So, today, after my Hebrews work, I will go over 2nd Peter 3, Ist Peter 2, and Mark 11.
Everyday, I begin with Hebrews 1, then move through Hebrews 2 in sections with repetition of the most recently learned. Then I do a chapter of 2nd Peter, 1st Peter, and Mark. So, today, after my Hebrews work, I will go over 2nd Peter 3, Ist Peter 2, and Mark 11.
May I ask a question: how do you determine when you will again review a portion of Hebrews? Does a spreadsheet or chart determine that, or do you use the website to tell you when something is due?
I use a spreadsheet. For Hebrews (I tried a different strategy for I & II Peter).
For Hebrews I started with a block of 4 verses. I would repeat/review 10 times a day for a week. At the beginning of the next week, review the first block once AND then tackle the next 3-5 verse block 10 times a day for a week. When I get to the end of a chapter and have reviewed the last block for a week, I create a chapter block which I review once a day, along with the new block.
So, Hebrews right now goes: Complete - Hebrews 1 Review (1 time) Hebrews 2-1 vs 1-4 (1 time) Hebrews 2-2 vs 5-9 (1 time) Hebrews 2-3 vs 10-13 (1 time) Hebrews 2-4 vs 14-18 (10 times)
On monday, all of that will change to: Complete - Hebrews 1 Review (1 time) Complete - Hebrews 2 Review (1 time) Hebrews 3-1 vs 1-4 (10 times)
Once I get another chapter or so, I will no longer review every chapter each day, but I will put them in rotation, so that I do Hebrews 1 on Monday, Hebrews 2 on Tuesday, etc.
This is currently what I do with Mark, and I & II Peter. Today is II Peter 3, I Peter 2, Mark 11, for example.
And I definitely have a spreadsheet. It has points on it. I used to average 140k points a day when I was going through Mark, and I found that unsustainable. So, I have reduced my goal to 50k a day, but I am eclipsing that at my current rate. That is why I have instituted a method of just doing 1 chapter a day of the books I have completed in rotation.
Thank you very much for taking the time to write that in detail. I'm thinking of imitating your method. When you say repeat or review, do you always type it here on the website? and then you tick the box that says type instead of read? 2nd Question, do you type the word out fully, or do you use the first letter method?
Great questions. Repeat and review always involve typing for me, and I use the first letter method. Additionally, if I make an error mid-verse, I toggle the "Test instead of read" button and start the verse fresh until I get a perfect entry. It is tedious because most of my errors at some point are just typing errors not memory errors. Finally, I did the full word method a few months ago for a while. It really impacts how much you can go through, but I didn't feel like it did any more for my reinforcement.
Also, sometimes you get an error on the last word and you can't correct it. I don't worry about it, but my goal is to get it right.
As for adopting my method, I can say that I have tweaked it here and there, and I am happy with this method. Let me know how you are doing and how it is going.... and if you like it. Also, I can send you my excel spreadsheet if you want.
Thank you for those offers :) I already started developing my own Google Sheet, but thank you kindly for the offer. I'm using the first letter method also. One more question, do you use hints, or not? (Thank you very much for your time)
Thanks, joosep and JDJD! BTW, joosep, I use hints very rarely. There are times when I do, but I really try to avoid them. I use the opportunity of getting it wrong to reinforce the correct response.
Thanks, Moviegoer, for sharing your method in such detail. It is encouraging and inspiring to see your commitment. I’ve just added Hebrews 1 and 2 too, but I’m content with the partial memorisation that I get from following the website’s built-in schedule. Until now, I’d never noticed how wonderful Hebrews 2:14-18 is as a summary of the eternal covenant that God has made with Jesus on our behalf.
Hi, PeterP! Mark is great. And done. I just routinely go back over it to keep it fresh. I have also memorized I & II Peter. Contemplating my next book to tackle. Probably Hebrews!
Hi, PeterP! Mark is great. And done. I just routinely go back over it to keep it fresh. I have also memorized I & II Peter. Contemplating my next book to tackle. Probably Hebrews!
Yes! It is a delight to see and hear from you, PeterP! And I agree with joosep... all by the grace of God. And that grace includes those who have built this site and the people on it who share such encouraging words.
What a joy, Joosep! It is truly good to hear the honest, heartfelt desire to grow closer to God through His word, while at the same time recognizing that it make take time to find the best process to do it. It is funny how much I recognize many of the difficulties you have faced with using the site. I may have told you this, but I started memorizing Mark because I was reading a commentary that would present a passage and then spend several pages unpacking it while referencing earlier parts of the chapter. Well, I would get frustrated because I would have to relook up the earlier passage and reread it to understand what the commentary was referring to. I said to myself, "it would be easier if I just had the gospel memorized. Sure enough, I googled it, and found a guy on the web who while preparing to write a commentary on I Corinthians, took time to memorize the book first. I was so inspired, I found this site and jumped in with both feet. Years on, I feel like you. I believe I have been richly rewarded with insight, recall, and a sense of knowing the word more. But at the same time, I don't want to get fanatical or obsessed improperly. I can see why you changed motives, methods, etc. over the years. But to me, the most important thing is that you are still committed to the word. It is our most powerful and best means to know our lord and savior. For that, I am super grateful. Keep up the good work, brother! I hope when I am 68, I am still going strong in the word as well!
This is very commendable, joosep! I do believe there is great value in your approach. There is another user on the site that has at least started each verse of the Bible (A1, I believe). I am probably the opposite as I really try to thoroughly commit and refresh the passages I work on. However, moving through as you described and achieving a high percentage of recitation is awesome. My question for you is open... What is the greatest benefit of your method? Or How have you most enjoyed or been challenged by your process? I believe I am still learning some ways to benefit from my own approach (cooky as it is at times). However, I am always curious about how this site and memorization as a whole informs people who undertake it. You mention some things, like getting the feel for author's intent (and God's of course), but internalizing and the relational are more subjective and harder to understand. To me, I love that when reading through the OT, I see things differently for having memorized Mark's Gospel and Peter's letters. Some direct reference and some not so direct. I just hope I can keep going. I find this much better than my previous devotional approaches.
Thanks, Joosep! I am just finishing up II Peter. So, now I have Mark, I Peter, and II Peter memorized. But I really appreciate what you are saying about internalized passages. There are two things that are difficult for me, which are hard on this site too through no fault of the site.
1. Memorization doesn't really take hold when you don't understand the passage. I memorize first, and then eventually get a better understanding of the passage, so I am doing things in reverse.
2. The way verses break sentences make things really difficult to memorize well. For example, in II Peter 2 it says (and i don't usually memorize the verse numbers), "But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matter of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction," Now this ends the verse mid sentence and feels like a sentence. But the next verse starts... "suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure..." That phrase "suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing" is the end of the sentence, but because of the verse breaks, you have to really work at getting the thoughts completely right.
Anyway, sorry to launch into a bunch of weird struggles, but it does matter when you are trying to understand the passages well.
Now I will watch the video you sent.
Always good to hear from you joosep! You are such an encouragement.
Amen! Comment when led, and always keep up the good work... not because it makes you good (it doesn't), but because it moves you toward Him! Peace be with you always!
Thanks, joosep! As always, I love to hear and see how you are approaching things. I am still amazed at the work, and I am glad to see that you have a great plan. I am still working on 100% per selected book. Just started 2nd Peter, so I have time to consider what is next... but likely NT. Originally, I had thought either Hebrews or Romans next. In a way, we have the same goal. Keep me posted when you can. It is always encourage to hear about your progress.
I realize this message seems a little redundant, but I do hope you are well... AND that things are going well for you. Slight but important distinction. My guess is you're somewhere around Luke 12...
I realize this message seems a little redundant, but I do hope you are well... AND that things are going well for you. Slight but important distinction. My guess is you're somewhere around Luke 12...
Everything is going fine, TheMoviegoer, thank you for asking! I'm still working on Luke, but I've also broadened my focus somewhat. As to being on Luke 12 ... it depends on what you mean by that. I've at least started all of Luke, but many of those have a low progress %. I've been wanting to cover more of the New Testament for a long time, so I've expanded the number of verses I'm working on, while placing less emphasis on raising the progress %; rather taking every passage as seriously as I can, and then moving on to the next. I generally repeat each passage three times before moving on. I know it's not exactly what this website is designed for, but it's what I feel is right for me at this point in time, and it's been a blessing.
I'll be a bit more precise: I'm going through the NT in order. On January 14th I started with Matthew 1:1, and today I completed Matthew 24:58. Yes, I know I talked about working exclusively on Luke, and I feel bad about going in a different direction, because of how people have supported me here. But I've felt for a long time, that instead of focusing exclusively on maybe 1000-2000 verses which I am attempting to raise to 100% progress, I should instead be either reading or listening to or studying, or all of those, the Entire Bible. And so I decided to commit to that on 14 January. I'm doing the NT here, and I'm attempting to finish in 144 days, after which I'm planning at the moment to repeat the process. For the OT, I either listen to the audio, or I listen to several Bible teachers whom I respect as they go verse by verse. It's just what I feel the Lord would have me to do, and it has been a wonderful blessing, just as Luke also was to me and still will be, when I get to it. The bottom line in this is that my aim here is not memorisation. It's rather to go through the NT in order and to give each passage some meditative and / or study time as I repeat it 2 or 3 times. If the progress % ends up going backwards, I'm not letting that trouble me :) I won't get into heaven based on anything I've achieved on this website. Rather my desire and my hope is that I will better know the Lord and also know His ways. See Jeremiah 9:23-24. To anyone who read all of this, thank you for giving me a listen and may God bless you greatly as you use this website in whatever way the Holy Spirit may direct you. May He bless you as you meditate upon and commit into your hearts His Holy Word. Each word of God is a treasure.
Thanks, joosep! As always, I love to hear and see how you are approaching things. I am still amazed at the work, and I am glad to see that you have a great plan. I am still working on 100% per selected book. Just started 2nd Peter, so I have time to consider what is next... but likely NT. Originally, I had thought either Hebrews or Romans next. In a way, we have the same goal. Keep me posted when you can. It is always encourage to hear about your progress.
TheMoviegoer, thank you so very much for the encouraging words -- it truly means a lot. We in the Body of Christ are meant to hold one another up in support. I will try to share more often -- perhaps I will make one of my sets public from time to time, and then use that to comment on what and how I'm doing. Blessings to you and yours.
Amen! Comment when led, and always keep up the good work... not because it makes you good (it doesn't), but because it moves you toward Him! Peace be with you always!
It is always encouraging to hear what you are up to and about your process. Not because there is a particular process that should be followed, but rather that the process reveals much about your heart. Keep up the good work.
First, I applaud your efforts on Luke without aiming for perfect recitation. While my work on Mark was with a desire for perfect recitation, I am still not there. I am not sure I will ever get there. It is a monumental task, and by way of encouragement, I have benefited much much more from a more thorough knowledge, emphasis, and focus on Mark than recitation can give. I Peter is radically different. I feel like letters are easier to get right in terms of recitation, but they are much more compressed in terms of depth. So, I am progressing ok (1st three chapters done), I don't feel like I get it yet. It's coming.
Always good to hear from you Joosep. Thanks for your faithfulness to the work!