As part of our homeschool this year, I want to be more intentional in memorizing scripture. I don’t want to live in fear, but I’ve been increasingly convinced that it’s SO IMPORTANT we steep our hearts and minds in scripture, because there could come a time when it’s not so accessible to us as we’re used to. We need to study to know the Bible (more thoughts on building a Bible study habit here), and do it enough that it comes to us quickly to apply to our everyday life. Since I’m smitten with my discbound planner, I decided to create a discbound scripture memory system to help me memorize the Bible more effectively.
I’m not sure who actually invented the discbound system, but I think the thing I love the most about it is its versatility. You can create your own notebooks in any size and swap the rings to make your notebooks “fatter” as you add more to them. I still have some 3-ring binders, but to be honest, I have created discbound notebooks for my meal planning and recipes, my blog planning, my life organizing, and even for managing my speaking and work in ministry social media.
Want to make your own discbound scripture memory system?
I printed my cover on colored cardstock. I created a copy of the cover I printed, in case you want your own. Grab yours by using the form below!
Once you start to see all the possibilities in using a discbound system (I’m dreaming about this one for my next year’s life planner!), you’ll find it totally worth it to invest in a discbound punch. I have a smaller size Happy Planner punch and a larger 11-hole discbound punch like this one, but as we downsize I think I’ll sell the smaller one because the larger one covers all my needs. The spacing is the same for either, which is one more reason this system is so versatile!
I love that with discbound planning, you can change the look of your notebook by swapping the cover and the discs. I do this for all my notebooks. 🙂 After I got my scripture memory system all put together, my youngest noted that maybe rose gold discs would be more “me” for this project. I agreed, so I swapped them out. Aesthetics.
Speaking of studying with your kids:
I’m passionate about encouraging moms to actually study alongside your children. Doing Bible study with your kids builds lifelong memories, it grows you both in your spiritual walk, and it fulfills the command God gave the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6 to pass on His story to the next generation. I have a free short Ephesians study you can do with your kids that I’d love to share with you – sign up here!
I used my discbound punch to create binding holes in 4×6 cards. You could use smaller cards, but I like having plenty of room to write, and this size seems to be perfect for keeping track of it and holding it in my hands to study! I also find the discs easier to turn than a more expensive, spiral-bound system. The more you invest in your time reading the Bible, the richer your growth and interaction with God and others becomes. (Some of my favorite Bible study resources are here.)
Punch enough cards to have a solid mini-notebook (if you don’t start with enough cards, your scripture memory “notebook” will be floppy and not super durable); I used about 30 to start.
In our homeschool scripture memory time, we’re incorporating some Charlotte Mason principles for 7th grade that we haven’t used before, and this list of well-known and character-based verses to memorize from Simply Charlotte Mason has some great ideas. I’m also adding verses that I’ve been writing down in my own personal study time that I really want to commit to memory. Leigh Ann at Intentional by Grace describes an alternate method of using a memory box that many use, as well… but I’m finding having my own mini-binder for verses is really convenient and portable.
I lead an incredible team of women in a monthly Bible study for our community, and I’m constantly amazed at the way God’s word rolls off the tongues of some of the women I deeply respect. Inspired by that, we’ve incorporated scripture memory into our monthly gathering time, as well as during the weekly online study I’m part of. I’m adding our study-themed scripture for memorizing to my scripture-memory notebook. Each morning I try to go over my current memory passage, and we review our family verses together as we start our school day.
Sometimes, I think we find it hard to make scripture memory a priority. Honestly, I’ve ALWAYS found it hard. (Except when I was a little girl in Wednesday night club at church and we got a special sash and badges for memorizing selected Bible verses! Man, those badges sure were motivating.) My friend Kathi has suggested we give the ladies at our Bible study gold stars – actual stickers – when they learn their verses. Still need motivation? Here’s some inspiration for you:
{Recently, I found and fell in LOVE with this video from Kim Cash Tate on how to memorize scripture.}
Each day, I plan to review the past week’s verses I’m still memorizing. I’ve been having a family member look at my verse to check my progress. As I learn each passage thoroughly, I’ll pop it out and move it to the back of my notebook, where I can review it periodically or refer to it when needed. (If I want, I can even add tabs later to categorize the verses I’ve learned.) This is something else I love about using the discs; you can easily remove and replace “pages” over and over.
Have you heard of Seeds Family Worship? They have tons of sets of FREE printable scripture cards. These could be printed on cardstock and added to your collection, too. I love that they’re in themed groups. You could use these as part of daily family devotions, reciting the scriptures aloud as you commit them to memory.
When I shared this project on Instagram, my daughter-in-law asked if the notebook could stand on its own. It can! So you can prop yours wherever you’re working or sitting and easily review during the day. (One person suggested keeping it by the kitchen workspace so you’ll always see it.) Mine is pretty enough that I can leave it out and it goes great with my home’s decor. And, um, what better to “decorate” our homes with than reminders of God’s truth for our lives?!
Don’t forget to download your cover to make your own discbound scripture memory system using the form below!
Man, this list of why we need to memorize scripture from Daily Grace Co. is so powerful! I want to be transformed by God’s words, and one of the best ways to do that is to have a scripture memory system!
Other resources for a scripture memory system:
- A huge set of discs for binding your scripture memory cards
- Buy spiral-bound 4×6 cards already done for you!
- These pre-printed Bible verse cards are beautiful and so are these from Alisa Nicaud, and you could add them to your collection as you memorize scripture.
- Many people love using the single ring with cards – this set is already punched and includes the rings (and I love the colors!).
- Gospel Coalition on memorizing whole books of scripture.
- Benefits of long-term scripture memory.
- Here’s a video about the Charlotte Mason method of scripture memory.
How are YOU hiding God’s word in your heart? What makes it a struggle for you to memorize scripture? Share your thoughts below!
