When you remember something, neurons fire signals down particular synapse pathways to other neurons which in turn fire signals to other neurons. The particular sequence represents a memory.

For example, consider remembering your cell number. Since this is a number you use on a regular basis it probably comes very easily to mind. When you try to recall the number some neurons fire of a signal down some synapses that carry a very strong signal to other neurons which do the same thing. The number comes with very little effort.
Now consider a number that you will have trouble remembering. Lets say your drivers license number. For most people an attempt to recall this number will cause neurons to fire down very weak synapses. If you are like me, the signal is so week that it will probably not create the necessary chain reaction to recall the number.

This is the crucial concept of any type of memorization. The act of reading something you want to memorize fires different connections than the act of recalling. This means that simply reading a particular piece of text over and over again is going to be the long road to memorization. You need to let your brain practice recalling the data so it can strengthen the same pathways that will fire when you need to remember the information later on.

Our goal is to create a method that will force our brain to practice recalling the scripture–even before we have it fully memorized. So first of all we need to get it into our mind so our brain has it–even if we can’t recall it. It is important when you first memorize text to give the process your full attention. Here are a few methods that will work:

1. Read through it aloud.
2. Copy the text by hand.
3. Read through the text and create a short outline.
4. Have someone else read it to you.

Now you want to impregnate the text with all of our sense memory while only ever recalling it. (only look at the real text the first few times to make sure your not getting anything wrong) It easiest for people to remember things that they experience so we simulate experiencing the text.

Visual, Draw the text. Make some very simple drawings that represent the sequence of thought in the texts. Almost like a storybook with no words. You can use words to clarify parts of the images, and use symbols like a heart for love, or a heart with sunbeams shining from it for God a cross for Jesus or salvation etc. You may find yourself making up symbols to represent complex things that occur quite often like a rectangle with a B on it to mean “bible” or “holy scriptures” or “text”.

Alternate visual, Live the text in your imagination. Be one of the characters, or place yourself into the meanings of the words so you can experience it, doing both visual techniques works best.

Translation:  Or from mind to paper, expressing the text in different ways will also help plant the seed. Write the text a few times, some research suggests that using the color green for the first letter of each word can help plant the word sequence in your mind.

If you know multiple languages translate the text in them as well.

Listen: repeating the text aloud, or with an accent, then saying it in your mind along with all the sounds that would be taking place with the text in the visual exercise will help even more neurons to become involved in the memory.

Feel: use gestures, or charades to express the text, I would like to get some clay and sculpt the words or ideas across a table, spending the time with each word and feeling its shape can also connect more parts of your brain to the new memories.

If one of these methods works best for you to get the text well enough in your head that with effort you can recite it with no reference to the original that is good enough. You don’t need to do them all, all your doing is making the words attainable.

Repeat: Now as you go about the day set aside several minutes here and there to recall the text. It wont just flow from your mouth yet. You will remember the exercises you did for the text and find yourself recalling the words that way, this difficult time of first repeating is where your brain is doing most of its learning and memorizing. After rehearsing the text originally it is best to practice several times that day. The next day a few times. Then within a week, a month, and a few times a year. This will provide maintenance for the text which can eventually vanish if never used. Try to remember your last address. Then the one before that. If you had tried to maintain these addresses by periodically revisiting them they would still be clear.

I enjoyed Passion of the Christ. It does a good job of showing the hidden half of the gospel. Not only that Jesus endured the punishment that the most horrible human deserves. But that he also showed us that WHO GOD IS is… one that wont even get bitter, or manipulative, or anything close to sin, even during the most horrible times. If WE were sexually abused by a priest, Jesus knows what it is like to be stripped naked and abused by religious authorities (the Pharasies) were we ever verbally abused? Jesus was to the last degree. Have we ever been rejected (Peter), betrayed (Judas), accused wrongly (his trials), insulted, unappreciated, beaten...what about tempted. And still God had the character through it all to restrain himself from escaping the torment, so that he could experience the worst humans have to go through. And still he blessed and loved the men who were crucifying him “Father forgive them”. Jesus is amazing. We should all take opportunities to get to know him. But I will caution you. No one is a perfect teacher. Your cousin who tried to convert you, or your grandma who is praying for your soul. They will exhibit very un-Godly behaviors often. And so will I, its called hypocracy. Don’t let other humans who claim to know Jesus destroy your perception of who he was by their actions. Just know that if you got to know the real him (by reading about him in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that only then will you really get to know God. Oh and Pray that he will help you to get to know him. He promises that those who TRULY SEEK HIM will find him.

These are excellent faith affirmers and a great way to “stock up” for creation/evolution debates in your own life.

Keep in mind though, that Hovind is not a Seventh-Day Adventist and as such has not done as much research on things like the Sabbath and the state of the dead as he has on creation, and may still have non-Biblical views on those matters.  I post him here as an expert on creation science alone.

Part 1 - The Age of the Earth
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8463129851563631666
This session introduces the creation/evolution debate, demonstrating that creation and evolution are irreconcilable worldviews. It also illustrates the impossibility of the Big Bang, and reveals a multitude of evidences that the world simply cannot be billions of years old. It concludes with a demonstration of brainwashing, and how many have been brainwashed by evolutionary theories.

Part 2 - The Garden of Eden
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7815613109692636650
This session discusses the reason people disbelieve the Bible, unscriptural theories that try to reconcile the Bible with evolution, and the incredible differences of the pre-flood world. This is supported with evidence from the Bible and from science. Also covered are “cave men” hoaxes that are still taught today.

Part 3 - Dinosaurs and the Bible
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6833722951687298593
For many years, some thought the existence of dinosaurs discredited the Biblical account of creation. In part three of the seminar series, Dinosaurs and the Bible, Dr. Hovind traces the Biblical and historical references to dinosaurs and interviews people who claim they have seen living dinosaurs.

Part 4 - Lies in the Textbooks
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5665691163985573518
In part four of the seminar series, Dr. Hovind shows how public school textbooks are permeated with fraudulent information in order to convince students that evo
lution is true. Lies in the Textbooks is a must-see for every public school student, teacher, parent and school board member.

Part 5 - Dangers of Evolution
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5240112600444883198
In The Dangers of Evolution, Dr. Hovind reveals the terrible effects that evolutionary beliefs have had on societies throughout history. Giving examples of evolution-based philosophies being used to rationalize the brutal acts of rulers, he exposes evolutionary propaganda in its effort toward the “New World Order.”

Part 6 - The Hovind Theory
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7151934276297772786
The Hovind Theory blends scientific observations with Scripture in a fascinating explanation of what caused Noah’s Flood, the Ice Age, the formation of coal, mountain ranges, and the Grand Canyon. Dr. Hovind gives logical answers to the physical anomalies that geologists cannot explain with the evolutionary theory.

Part 7 - Questions and Answers
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-24125197328580007
The last in the seminar series, Questions and Answers, covers a variety of topics including radiometric dating and the speed of light in relation to star distance. In addition to “primitive man” and race origins, Dr. Hovind discusses the mark of the beast and supposed contradictions in the Bible.

Hovind has also debated some of the top evolutionists.  Check these videos out to see evolutionists get schooled:

Kent Hovind versus Mike Shermer, chief editor of Skeptic Magazine
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1410330225420430733

Kent Hovind versus William Moore
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2411795968386591557

There are many more, check out this Google Video search: http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=kent+hovind+debate

When I learned this I realized that we too shall be called patriarchs and prophets. Walking on water, healing, casting out demons, converting thousands, does not have to be the privilege of the the people in the Bible only. A life on the edge, a life working beside HIM, has got to be exciting and fulfilling. None of this motivation is as paramount as knowing that the ONE who imagined you and caused your birth, also loves every one else and has requested that we who know him, help others to also know him.

Here is a very long series of videos in which Walter Veith goes through Jesus’s life, human society as it exists today, and what the future holds.  They’re part of the Total Onslaught series published by Amazing Discoveries.  The 36-DVD set can be yours for only $300 at http://amazingdiscoveries.org/store/home.php?cat=23

201 - Just Another Man
In this video, Biblical evidence that Jesus is the Messiah is presented in multimedia format. The ancient prophecies are unravelled, particularly the prophecy in Daniel 9 on the seventy weeks which pinpoints the exact time of the Messiah’s arrival on Earth. The study of this prophecy has even been cursed by some theologians who do not wish to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. Study the evidence revealed in this video and you make your own conclusions. 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2186139888647125398

202 - Where Jesus Walked
This video takes us on a journey through ancient Palestine retracing the steps of the Master and highlighting His great teachings, including the Sermon on the Mount, and key parables. The life and ministry of Christ, His birth, and death on the cross are portrayed in multimedia format in a though-provoking study. You will enjoy this look into the life of Christ.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7173306843735981175

203 - An Advocate For Our Time
The sanctuary in one of the great typological features of the Bible. Every aspect of the sanctuary points to the ministry of the Messiah. By a study of all its features, the plan of salvation unfolds before our eyes. In this lecture, the significance of each and every article of furniture in the sanctuary in explained and the depth of meaning unfolded. The sanctuary was not arbitrary. It was a lesson book for all generations.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1422520548257359631

204 - The Mists of Time
In Daniel chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream in which he sees a great statue through which is to be revealed the history of the world to the very close of time. The startingly detailed vision tells us where we are in the stream of time and what events are about to occur on Earth. This vision is analyzed in detail and history vindicates its authenticity.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6754415431004017927

205 - The Man Behind the Mask
The Bible and the Bible alone are used to identify the Antichrist power. The little horn power of Daniel 7 with its twelve clear identifying features points to the only one who can qualify as Antichrist. Modern day deceptions regarding the little horn power, the doctrines of preterism, and futurism, are contrasted with plain Biblical teachings.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1919988998963596497

206 - The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Introduces the book of Revelation and its Author. It is a verse by verse exposition of Revelation chapter 1 highlighting the deity of Christ, the method of interpretation and the great battle between good and evil. It takes us back to the time of ancient cultures right up to the present showing that apostasy towards the truth in the past finds its mirror image in the present.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6220331441630575039

207 - Seven Churches
A look at the prophetic interpretation of the seven churches of Revelation 2 & 3. In this video, we are taken on a sweep through the history of the Christian church, from the time of Christ through a time of spiritual declension and apostasy, a time of compromise and to a time of gospel restoration. These chapters set the stage for the unraveling of the great controversy between Christ and Satan.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7160343444274322489

208 - Seven Seals
An expose of Revelation 4 to 7 exposing the battle surrounding the gospel herald. It is a fascinating tale of the war between light and darkness which culminates in the final onslaught on salvation in Christ alone. It reveals the good news that there will be a people standing on the platform of truth who will not submit to compromise.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-14462869974745117

209 - When Trumpets Sound
The trumpets have always been a bone of theological contention. In this study, the various interpretations are compared using Biblical exegesis based on the structure of the book of Revelation and startling evidence is brought to view regarding the trumpets. Trumpets in the Bible are heralds of judgment and it is within this context that we seek the meaning of the trumpets of Revelation.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2856547482129621640

101 - What do the rocks reveal?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5521410965822202656

102 - The fossil record speaks
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5751334720524652729

103 - More fossil secrets unveiled
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8125356705195694723

104 - The origin of variety
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9071672012355164709

105 - The spade unearths the truth
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5137714343759729803

106 - A day to remember
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2325203804217803233

Things certainly are going crazy.  Some hold the Middle East as a key to the time of trouble.  I don’t necessarily see that in the Bible because we are all spiritual Israel and the predictions about attacks on “Israel” are pointing to all God’s people, not some geographic area.  However, Jesus did say there will be wars and rumors of wars right before the end and I think the extremists are providing that piece in the region. 

One of the things I’m watching in the U.S. is the sudden spiritual depravity and new strong attacks on Christianity.  A family movie with nothing at all offensive in it was just given a PG rating and the warning says that it may be offensive to some viewers because it contains Christian themes.  See article about this: http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=RELIGION-FAITH-06-07-06

At Oregon State U. their school paper published two pictures of Jesus in the nude with an erection.  In one of them He is kissing another nude man.  When asked by Christians to apologize they said they had nothing to apologize for.  The school also saw no reason to apologize or discipline these student editors.  Imagine if they had made the same pictures with Martin Luther King, Mohamed, Gandhi, or Buddha – the world would have gone crazy and these students would be kicked out of school for certain.  But for some reason it is ok to defame Jesus in this way.  You can see these sick pictures with pixilated areas at:  afa.net/images/jesus_and_man.jpg make sure to start with www. (I didn’t because these pics then would be shown with this article and they are very disturbing).

This last Easter I was shocked at how many new television shows there were that basically called the historical Jesus a lie.  One said He was a power hungry person who was thrust into popularity by His family.  There were other ridiculous theories on many other programs too.  Even though there is not one shred of evidence to be found any where at all, some person makes up a story to try to disprove Christ’s divinity and they actually make a show like it’s credible.  If anyone made any kind of claims like these about any other historical figure they would be laughed at and no station would ever air such ridiculous claims. 

It is ok to be gay, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, etc. But if you’re a Christian you are automatically a narrow-minded bigot, believing in some outdated fairytale.  Again, signs of the end.

Another thing I think is a sign of the end coming soon is global warming.  This planet’s environment is so stressed that nature is going crazy.  Plus, I can’t see how the human species could even survive on this planet at the rate we’re destroying it for more than 50 years unless there are some huge changes.  We’re bringing some of the end time plagues upon ourselves.

It makes one think that we have little time to do what God has called us to do.  What do you think? 

God bless!

Fire Insurance Evangelism is evangelism that produces converts to Fire Insurance Christianity.  It is not I believe primarily done by Fire Insurance Christians.  I believe that mostly it is done by Christians who genuinely love God and people and who wish to serve God faithfully, but they have not thought through clearly the implications of the gospel message.  One example of this type of evangelism is preaching Romans 6:23 and ignoring Rom 6:22.  They teach that eternal life is a “free gift”.  They then explain that to receive a free gift you simply need to ask for it.  Well, they ignore the previous context, especially 6:22 which says that eternal life is the result of a process which comes out of right relationship with God (we have becomes slaves to God- New American Standard Version).

True evangelism (the message I am wrestling with) must, I believe, teach that the motivation to convert must be a desire to enter into a love relationship with the LORD.  It also must include that sin is first of all defined by not loving God, to neglect this and go straight to sin means doing things like breaking the 10 commandments leads to a “Fire Insurance” world view and very possibly to conversion to false religion.

Fire insurance Christians can look very much like true Christians.  They may study the Bible diligently, attend church religiously and preach many of the proper doctrines.  The parable of the wheat and the tares tells us that you can only know them by their fruits.  Church attendance is not one of the fruits that distinguishes the two types of religion.  You want to look for things like are they/you partaking in the great commission? Are they/you feeding the hungry?  Are they/you involved in visiting those in prison or hospitals? Look at the sermon on the mount which Jesus concluded 4 different ways, all of which tell us we need to take his teachings very seriously.  The true differences are in the heart, not in outward manifestations of course, but a right heart produces right actions. 

I believe that there are many Christians who are too much in love with the world and the lusts of the world to be considered true Christians.  In James it tells us that if we would be friends of the world we make ourselves enemies of God. In I John it tells us that if we love the world the love of God is not in us.  The parable of the sower teaches us that the love of the world or the fear of it will cause the Word of God to not produce fruit in our lives.  In the Sermon on the Mount we see that if the Word of God does not produce fruit in our lives then Jesus will tell us on “that day” to depart from Him, that He never knew us.

What I am really interested in the most is how should the gospel be preached so that it does not result in “Fire Insurance” Christians.  I believe that “Fire Insurance Christianity” inoculates people against True Christianity in a way that other false religions do not do.  Like inoculations against physical disease, inoculation against Christianity has the real thing, but in a dead or extremely weakened form.  The result is a false hope which destroys the necessary spiritual hunger to be truly converted.  How do we preach the true gospel in a way that will not give people a false hope but will actually lead people into the arms of Jesus?