My name is Rosa Goss and my family has been attending FUMC Sylva since we moved here a decade ago.  I grew up in the Southern Baptist church, which had a strong focus on knowing scripture by heart.  You may recognize Psalm 119:11, which declares, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  Looking back, this verse calls to mind many of the churches I attended in my youth and the emphasis they place on memorizing scripture.  It was a discipline that was reinforced in children by tying it to rewards.  I recall finally being old enough to attend a week-long sleep away camp in middle school and one of the pre-requisites for registration was to recite a section of scripture. (Philippians 3 comes to mind!)

As with many disciplines of youth, I got a little lazy with this one when I left home, though many of the verses I learned stuck with me.  Fast forward quite a few years when I was in the throes of working motherhood, hungry for God’s presence.  Podcasts had increased in popularity and I began listening to a variety during my daily commute.  I found during audio bible studies that certain verses caught my attention.  I wanted to remember them and sometimes I wanted to chew on them for a while.  Suddenly a former discipline was reborn into a passion!

For the last several years, my commute remained the best time for me to recite and pray scripture.  To do this safely without looking at my phone while driving, I downloaded a flashcard app, which has a feature that reads aloud to me.  I simply set the deck of flashcards to shuffle the citations and I recite the verses, adding new ones as the Lord calls them to my attention.  The best part has been the conversations I have with God through this process.  I often start with rote recitation, but the verses often lead into prayers, which sometimes are answered with subsequent verses.  Scripture has come alive to me like never before since I reprioritized writing God’s words on my heart.