Teaching Memory Verses

Teaching memory verses is something that I think is important.

One of the most interesting tests to set yourself is to find a friend and have a memory verse-off with them. You say a memory verse then they say one and so on...

I've been teaching memory verses to full grown adults this week and apart from being fun it's allowed myself, and others to brainstorm great ways to teach memory verses.

There are three rules to follow when teaching memory verses.

1. The teaching must be engaging and preferably be fun!

2. You must repeat the memory verse at least six times.

3. You must explain the memory verse; don't just leave it hanging. No point knowing something without knowing what it means!

Here are some of the best that we've come up with.

1. Memory Verse on my Washing

Pull out six or seven items of clothing that have 'magically' appeared out of the washing machine with part of the memory verse written on them. Put them in order and 'hey presto' you have a memory verse.

2. Tennis Ball Game

Two teams of three. (Boys V Girls works nicely.) Two people get a tennis ball and one person is the 'hoop' from each team. The players throw the ball into the hoop and if it goes in, they get a piece of the memory verse. Put them in order and 'Bob's your Uncle', you have a memory verse.

3. Toilet Paper Memory Verse

Write the memory verse on a roll of toilet paper. Roll it back up and unroll it in front of your audience. Just be careful that it doesn't rip! You'll need to put it on powerpoint or a poster to practice it afterwards.

4. Lick it Up!

Write the memory verse on paper plates. Cover the plates in Nutella and have the players lick until the find the words. Put them all together and 'hey hey' you have a memory verse. (Note: Can't do this with contestants who have nut allergies.)

5. Email it

(Will only work in some contexts) Email your 'class or subjects' a word that they must print out and bring to the lesson. Put the words in order and 'voila' you have a memory verse.

6. Order it

Put the memory verse on one side of card, and a picture of something else on the back that can be ordered (like numbers, months etc) Put the cards in order. Then turn the cards around and 'ba-da-bing, ba-da-boong' you have a memory verse.

7. Sing it

Put the memory verse to the tune of a really silly song (I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts etc).

8. Ice Magic

Write the memory verse of laminated card. Freeze it in a bucket of water. Then the 'kids' have to back the ice off the memory verse and hold it up. Put them together and 'whatdoyaknow' it's a memory verse.

9. Silly Actions

Take a simple memory verse and put silly actions to it so that not only does everything feel 'goofy', but they learn a valuable verse.

10. Balloon Man

Put the memory verse into balloons. Take the six or seven balloons and safety pin them to a shirt. Then the shirt is put into the contestants (two or more) and the contestants need to roll around on the floor trying to pop the balloons and take the memory verse pieces out. Put them together and 'drumroll' you have a memory verse.

(11. Hangman

This is the standard memory verse learner which is quick, easy, but potentially boring and dull. However, if you do it with energy you can pull it off. Put the memory verse in standard hangman format and go your hardest.)

There you go; now blog away and add to these ideas. I think these ones are really great and cover a lot of contexts, but I'm convinced we can think of more. When we come up with some goodies, I'll type them up and post them out (either online or unonline).

(BTW: The credit for the above list must go to Serena, Jocelyn, Matt T, and John. )

Josh

The Wandering Trolley

I was lucky enough today to park next to a trolley return bay at the shops. Subsequently I returned my trolley and actually felt quite good about it; not arrogant, or snobbish, but warm and fuzzy. It got me thinking... (See what having your own blog makes you do!)

I very rarely hand my trolley back into the trolley return bay. Why? Because I don't feel that I have to. Let's take a closer look at this process. There are three sections to this process; borrowing a trolley, returning the trolley, and complications. Let me explain.

1. Borrowing a trolley

When you shop in a major shopping chain, you are usually presented with the privilege of borrowing a trolley in which you can place the items you wish to purchase. This is usually a privilege that goes un-thanked. Have you ever thanked the check out operator for letting you use one of the trolleys that supermarket chain has purchased? No of course you haven't. (Although, this could be a fun thing to do next shopping trip.)

If you didn't have a trolley, you wouldn't be able to shop in relative comfort and in fact you would be faced with the very real dilemma of not being able to purchase everything that you want. This is a negative reality for both the company and the consumer.

a) Company - if you cannot fill a trolley, you cannot purchase a trolley's worth of stuff. The trolley well and truly pays for itself in a very short period of time.

b) Consumer - if you can only purchase what you can fit in your arms or in a self-purchased trolley you will either have less money in your pocket, or less time in your day (have to visit the shops more regularly).

So the company cannot say, 'It's the consumer who demands the trolley,' and the consumer cannot say, 'The company is responsible for providing trolleys'.

2. Returning the trolley

When you arrive back at your car and empty the contents of your trolley you are then faced with the decision of returning your trolley... 'To return, or not to return.'

As far as I'm concerned you have a responsibility to return your trolley if you:

a) are parked next to a trolley bay;
b) don't have kids and are parked a short distance to a trolley bay (20 metres);
c) cannot place the trolley anywhere where it won't run into another car.

3. Complications

The major complication in this morality-buster is that of the trolley boys. Obviously the major shopping centres have realized that people were not doing the 'right thing' and putting their trolley in the returning stations and have hired people to do just this. They obviously have money to spare and feel that this is a service they can provide to the consumer to keep them coming back.

Therefore if we leave our trolleys in our car space (or nearby); knowing with comfort that it's keeping the trolley boys in business (and fit), and fulfilling the management's desire to keep you returning, then technically you are doing the right thing.


But then I remember that Jesus tells us to go the extra mile.

Whether that includes those extra metres to drop the trolley in the trolley bay... well I suppose it does.

Josh

My Blog-osophy

So it appears that although each blogger is their own entity and follows their own set of rationalised blogging etiquette, there is some blogging etiquette that appears universal. However, this exact etiquette is harder to pin down than a decent Australian spin bowler; I believe it is more of a blog philosophy. A 'blogosophy' if you like.

PC Advisor lays it's blogosophy out ten-commandment-like here - http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=9550

bloggingtips.com says, 'Unless you have permission, it’s never OK to post someone else’s words on your own blog. '

So of course; I had to post their words here.



... and I'm sure that the fact that GOOGLE is a larger world than the one that exists between Venus and Mars, means that you could probably find a gazillion blogosophies, none of which, and yet, all of which are helpful.

So I decided to create my own blogosophy. Or perhaps, it created itself regardless of a decision on my part. Either way.

Blog, short for web log, is individualistic. This means, that you can do whatever the heck you want to do on your blog. If you are a post-modern twat, and believe in the notion that something is right as long as you believe it's right, then you can write and post whatever the heck you want on your blog and if anyone finds it offensive at least you can justify yourself to yourself...

However, if you have a set of values and morals that coincide with the general cultural idea, then you have a responsibility to make sure that 'whatever the heck' you post, coincides with this.

I think however that there's more to it than that.

Living as a Christian means being in the world, yet not of the world. Therefore blogging is a great ministry tool. People are more and more turning to internet-onal communication and being able to entice a group of followers to participate in your blog, may just be one part of the process of leading someone to Christ.

In that sense; a blogosophy becomes crucial. As I blog, and as I read, I'm sure I'll come up with aspects of my blogosophy that are different to that of Joe Normal, and when I do...

I'll be sure to let you know.

I've just got to figure out how to entice a group of followers...

Josh.

My Blog Experiment

I've always thought I was intelligent.

That is until I got to thinking about it. Then I changed my mind.

Here are the reasons why -

Firstly, I constantly find myself second guessing myself. Secondly, I taught high school Mathematics for two years and still don't understand ratios and fractions (let alone algebra - though who understands algebra!). And thirdly, why is it that when someone wants to know the reason for the hope that I have, I stumble around like an old lady in a dark attic?

And then, just when I was about to accept that fact that I was indeed, unintelligent; I realized that there is still some hope. A light, whether by destiny or coincidence, is still shining at the end of the intelligence tunnel.

You see, I recalled the fact that I now teach high school English. Now, I'm not saying that because I am an 'English teacher' that this makes me smart. No. I'm saying that the fact that I'm still an English teacher, even though I'm not exactly sure what an adjectival clause is, (even though I may or may not have just used it), makes me smart. Does that make sense?

Because if it doesn't, then I'm back to square one.

But regardless of the fact that I'm not sure whether I'm intelligent or not; I realized that a blog is a great way for me to test my intelligence theory. It's simple; I write some stuff, and anyone who bothers reading it, can tell me whether I'm right, wrong or just plain stupid.

And anyway, even if nobody ever reads anything I write, at least no one will be able to tell me that I am, after all, as slow as dial-up internet.

Enjoy my blog experiment.

Josh