Field Report #026

 

Made it! I reached my goal today of learning the first chapter of the Gospel of  John by heart. I had been shooting to do it by the 15th (today) so it went to the wire, but we have success!

The test was a recitation for my wife, where I had to get the whole chapter correct, word for word, and notice and self-correct any mistakes that I might make.

It definitely worked better to focus on a singular task (this memory challenge) and not split my efforts in as many directions. The Watchman's Prayer and the Rhythm of the Sword - Daily Office were also key to the effort in keeping me on track to make progress with the passage.

Next up will be Psalm 37, which I need to get done by December 31st. The Psalms can be a little easier because of the use of song for memorization, which helps things stick more easily.

I'm really excited about John and looking forward to what's next. Chapter 2 has the wedding at Cana and Jesus cleansing the temple. Chapter 3 includes Jesus' famous encounter with Nicodemus. 

Finally, it's special to be able to do something that I know Silvester Krčméry was working on, too. He memorized the entire Gospel in preparation for imprisonment under Stalinist Russia, and it turned out to be a life-saving move. This Gospel is prison-tested and absolutely priceless for the Christian sojourner here on earth.

I will try to keep things updated with progress on Psalm 37! We are currently through verse 10.