The H.O.P.E. Method

After having memorized my first ten chapters/passages, I was able to reflect and determine this was the process that led to my success.  These were things I did naturally as a Language Arts teacher. This is how I taught my students to comprehend and remember challenging content.  I call it The H.O.P.E. Methood.

When using my H.O.P.E. method, you will inevitably be forced to take part in meditating on the scripture you are memorizing. You will reflect, think about, concentrate on, focus (shutting everything else out), absorb, understand, and glean the scripture.  The steps to the method I recommend to memorize scripture are also interrelated and cannot be separated. Although you may start with highlighting and determining what you want to memorize, it’s an open-ended, overlapping  process.  You may have to make changes to what you thought was your final draft, and repeat the process again.

The goal of Scripture memory is to give us hope, confidence, and positive expectations in the promises of God.  We memorize scripture to remind us that God is faithful;  He cannot fall, and He does not lie.   A life of faith is lived in believing and clinging to the promises of God.    Simply put, The HOPE Method allows you to eat scripture! It’s scripture memorization and  meditation for be like Jesus transformation!  Let’s look at each step of the HOPE Method.

Highlight

Once you have decided upon a verse or passage to memorize, you must become familiar with it.  Before reading any text I provided for my students, I would create background knowledge.  This step is probably the most important step to help your memory of the passage easier.  We are more likely to remember that which touches our emotions.  The biggest mistake people make when trying to memorize scripture is trying to memorize something they don’t understand or with which they haven’t made deep connections.  

Highlighting is the means I used to gather background knowledge in “The H.O.P.E. Method”.  When in a formal classroom setting we automatically began to highlight material we think we will be held accountable for learning.  We also highlight material that we wish to remember because it “spoke to us”.  We didn’t want to forget it.  When reading or attempting to memorize scripture, we may not automatically think to use highlighting, but we should.

Below I’ve listed tips and tasks to consider as you complete multiple and various reads to highlight your scripture and supplementary texts.  The assumption is that you will not only be reading the scripture, but you will also be reading additional related scripture and literature to enhance your background knowledge of the scripture you have chosen to memorize.

Highlighting may include using different color highlighters, underlining, circling and/or taking notes.  Use your preferred method of highlighting or a combination of methods. Just as when you are highlighting to prepare for a test, you are highlighting to gather the most important information to revisit and memorize later.

• Highlight words or phrases that help with identification of the scripture’s structure. (sequence, chronology, problem/solution, cause/effect)

• Highlight words or phrases in the scripture that challenge or improve your comprehension.  Use the dictionary and other sources to gain a better understanding of the words or phrases.

• Highlight words or phrases you find interesting in other people’s explanation of the scripture.

• Highlight words or phrases that could provide a sense of rhythm for the scripture. (as with poetry or music)

• Highlight different versions of the same scripture for increased clarity and preference of wording

• Highlight the lines that really speak to you.

• Highlight the parts of the scripture you have decided to memorize.

Organize

A Latin proverb tells us that repetition is the mother of learning, and I agree.  I have always used repetition generously in my teaching and learning.  I attribute a great deal of my success and my students’ success to repetition.  If you’ve ever tried to memorize scripture or any content, I’m sure you might also agree with this proverb.  Without disagreeing with the proverb, I will present a thought that can coexist with the proverb.  In “The H.O.P.E. Method” for scripture memory, repetition is the mother or queen, but organization is the father or king. 

Organization is king in the HOPE Method because it allows for a less rigid, dogmatic approach to memorizing scripture.  No more frustration and giving up on memorizing scripture because it’s too hard, or because you keep forgetting one little word.  The goal of the HOPE Method is to create a scripture poem-  a verse or passage of scripture that you can more easily memorize. This means you can choose only the parts of the chapter or verse that truly speaks to you.  You may include lines from the beginning, the end, or several parts throughout the scripture to memorize.  You can leave out little words or add little words that do not change the scripture’s meaning.  Song writers do this all the time.  Below I’ve listed tips and tasks to consider as you write to organize the scripture. I have previously given up on memorizing chapters that I now memorize easily because I use the organization tips outlined below.

• Organize the scripture to change the format.

• Organize the scripture to combine, shorten or rearrange lines you choose to memorize. 

• Organize the scripture without using the verse numbers.

• Organize the scripture to personalize the thoughts.  (change person, tense- powerful when meditating)

• Organize the scripture to create a rhythm. (think poetry or music)

• Organize the scripture to showcase patterns with similar words and phrases you previously highlighted  (alliteration, repetition, rhyme)

• Organize the scripture to showcase the structure elements you previously highlighted

• Organize the scripture by using the version of the Bible  that makes more sense and brings more clarity to you.

• Organize the scripture by combining language from different versions of the Bible. 

Poetize

Did you know that thirty-three percent of the Bible is poetry.  According to the Paris Review, “The presence of poetry in the Bible is the key to  a more pertinent and more faithful reading.”  Based on my recent successes with memorizing scripture, I would venture to say that the presence of poetry in the memorization process is the key to a more productive and fruitful scripture memorization experience.  Poetry and music invites relaxation and freedom.

A highly effective teacher always wants her students to work at the highest level of the Bloom's Taxonomy.  Creating is the highest level of learning.  Poetizing means you create scripture poems or even modify or recreate scripture that is already written as poetry.  Learn, then create;  you never forget it.

Now it’s time to add final touches to complete the poem.  Depending upon what scripture you chose, you began the process of either creating or modifying a poem in the highlighting and organizing phases of “The H.O.P.E. Scripture Memory Method.” You have identified patterns and rhythms of the language in the scripture.  However, the first two steps are done more with a learning and comprehending focus.  At this third step, there should be more of an art focus.  The art of poetry.   Below I’ve listed tips and tasks to consider as you poetize the scripture to memorize it more easily. 

• Poetize the scripture by choosing the more creative or succinct language from the different versions of the bible 

• Poetize the scripture by being free to mix language from the different versions of the bible.

• Poetize the scripture by changing words to create more repetitive patterns of sound. (alliteration, assonance, consonance)

• Poetize the scripture by developing a rhyme scheme that doesn’t already exist. (especially good for combining different verses from various books of the Bible)

• Poetize the scripture by mimicking popular line patterns or rhyme schemes.

• Poetize the scripture by arranging scripture into stanzas.

• Poetize the scripture by creating abecedarian (abc) poems.

• Poetize the scripture by creating acronyms, acrostics, and other tricks for memorization. (Made-up words are the best! Personal experiences play a part!  Make connections!)

• Poetize the scripture by starting each line with the same word

Express

As a language arts teacher, I have always used echo and choral reading in my classes to provide support to my low-level readers.  This allowed me to expose them to more challenging content that they may not have been able to read and comprehend on their own. Choral and echo reading allowed me to model reading with appropriate fluency.  An emphasis is placed on my students’ ability to express the words out loud.  Notice, I didn’t use “repeat”.  I used “express” instead.  There is a significant difference in just repeating words as opposed to expressing words.  Refer to their definitions.

So instead of your usual monotonous rote way of repeating the scripture over and over for memorization, The HOPE Method requires you to express scripture for memory.  This means you must say the scripture aloud in a manner that expresses your heart’s feeling.  It is assumed that you have chosen to memorize the scripture because it inspires you, it gives you hope!  So, instead of using a dull I’m trying to memorize this voice, use an I got this, look at what God has promised me voice!  Expressing allows you to meditate and truly comprehend the magnitude and wonder of the words you are repeating.  You not only hear yourself while expressing the words, you are touching your emotions.  Remember, research shows that emotions play an important part in the memory process.  Your interaction with the words not only determine how well you commit them to memory, but also how well you retain what you have memorized. This kind of interaction with the words will make a tremendous difference in your ability to memorize scripture.   It may  also expose areas in need of change for the poetry you have created.  Below I’ve listed tips and tasks to consider as you express the scripture. 

Vocal Expressions

• Express the scripture aloud as often as possible.

• Express the scripture even when reviewing silently.

• Express the scripture with reflection in your voice. Emphasize words and sounds.

• Express the scripture with emphasis on fluency and intonation 

• Express the scripture with attention to punctuation and phrasing

• Express one line of scripture at a time to memorize long passages or chapters

• Express one line of scripture until you can recite it comfortably without looking at your notes before moving on to another line.

• Express scripture while you are writing to memorize.

By using the HOPE method and committing to a system of review, you have built a solid foundation for not only memorizing, but also for retaining what you have memorized.  For too long and too often I have heard others say scripture memory is hard, or boring, or unnecessary.  Hopefully you have been convinced that all three of these statements are false.  Whether you create your own or memorize the scripture I’ve provided here at Scripture Memory Guaranteed,  give The HOPE Method a try!  I guarantee scripture memory will become one of the most anticipated, uplifting, energizing,  beneficial aspects of your life.