Seven Memory Techniques

To Help You Memorize

God’s Word

Mark Pennington
 The Scripture
Memory Workbook

Mark Pennington
Pennington Publishing
El Dorado Hills, CA
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Pennington Publishing

Printed in the United States of America

NOTICE TO THE READER

All rights reserved Pennington Publishing 2009. Permission is hereby granted to the
individual purchaser to reproduce materials in this book for noncommercial individual or
family use only. In other words, please be honest and don’t share these materials.
Other than the heretofore specified limited permission for reproduction, the text of
this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronics or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an
information retrieval system, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.
The Publisher makes no representation or warranties of any kind, including but not
limited to, the warranties of fitness for particular purpose or mechantability, nor are any such
representations implied with respect to the material set forth herein, and the publisher takes
no responsibility with respect to such material. The publisher shall not be liable for any
special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting, in whole or part, for the readers’ or
students’ reliance upon, this material.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan. All rights reserved.
The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United
States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark
requires the permission of International Bible Society.

To God be the Glory

Mark Pennington
 The Scripture Memory Workbook

Table of Contents

Sections Page Numbers

1. Introduction 1

2. Lesson One—GROUPING MEMORY TECHNIQUE 2—5

Luke Chapter 15

3. Lesson Two—ASSOCIATION MEMORY TECHNIQUE 6—7

Ephesians 6:10-18

4. Lesson Three—LOCATION MEMORY TECHNIQUE 8—11

Genesis Chapter 3

5. Lesson Four—LINKING MEMORY TECHNIQUE 12—14

Isaiah 6

6. Lesson Five—CATCH WORDS MEMORY TECHNIQUE 15—16

Psalm 23

7. Lesson Six—CATCH SENTENCES MEMORY TECHNIQUE 17—20

Matthew 24

8. Lesson Seven—THIS OLD MAN MEMORY TECHNIQUE 21—26

Genesis Chapters 2 and 3

 The Scripture Memory Workbook helps the student of God’s Word
memorize seven of the most important extended passages and/or chapters of
Scripture. The workbook is designed to accompany the Scripture Passage Flashcards
(a free separate download). The careful reader will also learn the tools to memorize
other passages and chapters. These tools consist of seven memory techniques that
help place information into the long term memory. Different techniques work better
on different sources of information. For example, the Bible has a wide variety of
genre: historical narrative, poetry, letters, etc. Having the ability to memorize in a
variety of ways assists memorization of the different genre.

Memorizing extended passages will enable thoughtful reflection of Scripture in its

intended context. Memorizing isolated verses has its place; however, there is always
the danger that the application of an isolated verse may be used out of context. The
meaning of The Bible is not only in the words themselves, but in the linguistic and
literary contexts in which the words appear. In fact, much of today’s sloppy theology
derives from piecing together unrelated Scriptural texts to serve the predispositions of
those who would “cut and paste” Scripture to further their own agendas.

For example, The Scriptures that read “‘Everything is permissible for me’” in both 1st
Corinthians 6:12 and 1st Corinthians 10:23 have been quoted out of context
countless times over the centuries to justify clearly anti-Christian behaviors. The
notion that Paul was encouraging any misuse of Christian freedom is certainly not
what the apostle had in mind in the context of these passages. In fact, these words are
actually not those of the Apostle Paul. Paul is quoting someone else here-maybe
someone who was taking this saying out of context to further his own agenda back in
the First Century A.D.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 1

LESSON #1: GROUPING MEMORY TECHNIQUE

For some reason our brains tend to remember items best when similar items are
grouped together. A good way to memorize lists of people, places, or things is to group
together similar items in easily recognizable categories. Remembering the categories will
help prompt you to recall the items within these categories. This technique works best with
Scriptures that have clearly related ideas which can be divided into memorable categories.
Parables and proverbs work particularly well with this technique.

Directions

Decide upon the categories that that will most fully represent the information that you wish to
learn. Select key words to help you recall the information in each category. If there are
isolated items that don’t quite fit into a category, memorize them by themselves. It is much
easier to remember a few exceptions than to remember everything as an exception. To
memorize information in order, picture the information alphabetically, in clockwise order, or
in sequence as part of a short story. Most people find it best to develop a memory picture by
closing their eyes. Make sure to imagine bright colors, interesting, embarrassing or unusual
situations in your pictures, as these are definitely the most memorable. Substitute concrete
objects for any key words that are too abstract to remember well. For example, substituting a
red Valentines heart for the abstract love would be a much more memorable object to place in
a category.

Example

Suppose you are asked to pack the following equipment for a vacation.
towel shampoo soft drink hairspray shoes
socks swimsuit nail clippers suntan lotion comb

Try reciting these ten items after reading the list over a few times. It’s easy to remember
seven or eight, but rarely will someone get all ten. Eight out of ten may sound pretty good,
but if this were a test you wouldn’t have earned an A. To get that A, you probably would
need a memory technique to ensure your success. Applying the principle of grouping, you
could group the camping items using the following categories: Sleeping, Light, and Eating.

Categories: Pool Feet Hair

towel shoes shampoo
soft drink socks hairspray
swimsuit nail clippers comb
suntan lotion

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 2

Now develop a picture in your mind’s eye of a big fluffy yellow towel laid out next to a
beautiful pool. Then, see the wet shape of your swimsuit where you were laying down. On
one side of the towel is an icy can of Pepsi®, and on the other side is an orange tube of suntan
lotion. At the top of the towel is a pair of your favorite tennis shoes with a pair of lime green
socks in one shoe and a pair of shiny nail clippers in the other one. At the bottom of the towel
is a bottle of your favorite shampoo, then on top of the shampoo is a can of hairspray
carefully balanced, then on top of the hairspray is a large pink comb.

Let’s Put It To Practice!

Memorizing the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son in Luke Chapter 15 works well with
the Grouping Memory Technique.

Luke 15

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with
them."
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses
one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep
until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home.
Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my
lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep
the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her
friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10 In
the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner who repents."

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 3

The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his
father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country
and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a
severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired
himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed
to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 "When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to
spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to
him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be
called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for
him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer
worthy to be called your son.'

22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a
ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a
feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found.' So they began to celebrate.

25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music
and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 'Your
brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him
back safe and sound.'

28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded
with him. 29 But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and
never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate
with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with
prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

31" 'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But
we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he
was lost and is found.' "

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 4

Application

Categories: Lost Sheep Lost Coin Lost Son

Word—Key Words: hear—ear ten coins—dime two sons
welcomes—welcome lamp—lamp estate—state map
mat
hundred—$100 bill sweep—broom wealth—dollar
sheep—sheep calls—phone famine—stomach
shoulder presence—presents pigs—pigs
senses—two
cents
heaven—cloud
kiss
robe
ring
calf
music—iPod
goat
celebrate—
birthday cake
For the Lost Sheep category, develop a picture in your mind’s eye of a large plastic ear on a
green welcome mat, listening to a $100 bill flapping in the breeze while attached to a white
sheep’s shoulder. The sheep pushes the front door open and you enter the house. The sheep
nudges the front door open and you follow into your house.

For the Lost Coin category, develop a picture in your mind’s eye of a shiny new dime
attached to a table lamp in your living room. You pick up a whisk broom to sweep the dime
off the lamp when the phone, sitting on top of two bright yellow-wrapped birthday presents,
begins to rings. You answer the phone and hear two brothers talking to each other.

For the Lost Son category, develop a picture in your mind’s eye of two brothers you know,
standing next to the lamp. The thinner left brother is wearing an orange tee-shirt displaying a
map of your home state and is dropping a dollar bill from his stomach onto the nose of a
pink pot-belly pig, sleeping at his feet. Two bright copper cents cover the pig’s eyes and the
gleam of the pennies reflects the blue sky with one fluffy white cloud from the nearby sliding
glass door. Through the sliding glass door walks your father, who blows a kiss to the
brothers, raising the sleeve of the fluffy white robe he wears. On the hand used to blow the
kiss, he wears a gleaming gold ring. He bends down and touches the ring to the calf of the
left brother’s leg. As your father straightens up, the earpiece from your father’s iPod falls out
and the music causes a goat, sleeping at your right brother’s feet to wake up and start
munching a pink frosted birthday cake on the nearby coffee table.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 5

LESSON TWO: ASSOCIATION MEMORY TECHNIQUE

We all experience sensory stimuli that remind us of something else. The smell of fresh baked
bread might remind you of your mom’s great apple pie. Hearing the end of the Sesame Street
theme song might remind you of your wonderful pre-school teacher. A good way to
memorize a smaller group of similar items is to relate each to one common visual. Picturing
the relationships of these items as part of the common visual can help you memorize items in
or out of order. This technique works best with Scriptures that have less than a dozen key
words. Most all poetry, stories, Psalms, and letters can be memorized with this technique.

Directions

Select a common visual with clearly identifiable parts that represents the main idea or “title”
of the majority of objects, or key words, to be remembered. Substitute any abstract objects
with more concrete ones. Connect the object or key word to one part of the common visual. If
the exact order is important, connect each in clockwise order. Substitute concrete objects for
any key words that are too abstract to remember well. For example, substituting the yellow
“Have a Nice Day” smiling face for the abstract happiness would be a much more memorable
object.

Example

Suppose you needed to remember the following errands for Saturday afternoon:

1. Pick up the cleaning.

2. Mail Kenny’s birthday package.
3. Buy a jar of Best Foods®Mayonnaise.
4. Buy a three-pound can of Folgers Coffee.
5. Pick up a dozen roses for Mom.
6. Call for reservations at Luigi’s Italian Restaurant.
7. Make a doctor’s appointment for your yearly physical.

Picture a large orange “seven” standing up in the middle of a green, grassy field. Picture
yourself leaning up against the “seven” with a plastic bag containing your cleaning on your
right arm and a birthday package with a bright red bow hanging from your left arm. Then,
picture your right foot stuck in a jar of mayonnaise and your left foot stuck in a coffee can.
In your mouth is a long stem rose. Hanging out of your nostrils is a few spaghetti noodles
and hanging around your neck is a doctor’s stethoscope.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 6

Let’s Put It To Practice!

Memorizing Ephesians 6:10-18 works well with the Association Memory Technique.

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so
that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put
on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your
ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and
with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition
to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Application

Picture a knight in shining armor with his right arm flexed to show his strong muscle,
gripping a squirming little red devil in his fist. The devil is in the middle of saying one of his
obnoxious RAPS (Rulers, Authorities, Powers, Spiritual). The knight holds a golf putter in
his left hand which extends to the ground, like a cane, to help the knight stand. A bright
yellow belt with a red T (for truth) surrounds his waist and a white dinner plate covers his
breastplate with a blue R (for righteousness) on the white plate. The knight’s feet are both
fitted with red (for readiness) tennis shoes with the peace sign on the toes. The knight
throws down the squirming, rapping devil, and he picks up the shield of faith, with which
he can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (The devil has begun shooting
flaming arrows at the knight’s shield, but the flames are extinguished as they hit the shield).
On top of the knight’s helmet is a bright red plume in the shape of an S (for salvation) to
match the color of the tennis shoes. On the right side of his belt of truth hangs a sword,
which extends to the ground like the putter. The knight drops the sword and putter and clasps
hands to pray he will remain alert.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 7

LESSON THREE: LOCATION MEMORY TECHNIQUE

The ancient Greek orators such as Socrates made use of a special memory trick that deals
with familiar object locations. The Greeks would think of taking a tour of their own homes,
beginning in the entryway. For each room of the house, they would picture a key word of
what they were trying to remember on or next to a special object in that room. Connecting the
unknown (key words) to the known (the floor plan of your house) helps place the key words
into your long term memory. This technique works best with Scriptures that have less
than a dozen key words. Poetry, stories, Psalms, and letters can be memorized with this
technique.

Directions

Picture the floor plan of your house or apartment. Visualize a clockwise walk throughout
your home, beginning in the entryway. For each room, picture the key word, or concrete
object, on or next to an especially memorable object in that room. Substitute concrete objects
for any key words that are too abstract to remember well. For example, substituting the
concrete bulging bicep for the abstract strength would be a much more memorable object to
picture in your dining room.

Example

Let’s say you want to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution.

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish
justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the
general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do
ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Key words memorized in order help prompt the memory. In the Preamble they might include
the following:
people in order justice ensure defense
general blessings ordain for

Using the location strategy, you might picture your entire family, linking arms together, in the
entryway of your house (people). Next, picture a playing card royal flush (A, K, Q, J, 10) in
order on the couch in your living room (in order). Then, picture a bright blue law book on
the table in your dining room (justice). Now, picture a can of Ensure® nutritional supplement
on top of the refrigerator in your kitchen (ensure). After this, picture a white picket fence
surrounding the beanbag chair in your family room (defense). Then, picture a GI-Joe general
saluting you on top of the thermostat in the hallway (general). Next, picture yourself
sneezing and then saying “God bless me” on top of the yellow desk in the front bedroom
(blessings). After this, picture a waiter asking, “May I take your order?” while standing on
top of the dresser in the middle bedroom (ordain). Finally, picture a florescent orange “four”
on the locked door of the back master bedroom (for). Got it? The image will stick with you
for as long as you need it, with a little practice.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 8

Let’s Put It To Practice!

Memorizing Genesis Chapter 3 works well with the Location Memory Technique.

Genesis 3

The Fall of Man

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.
He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God
did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must
not touch it, or you will die.' "

4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you
eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and
they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for
themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the
garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the
garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I
commanded you not to eat from?"

12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree,
and I ate it."

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 9

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,
"Cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel."

16 To the woman he said,

"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."

17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I
commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And
the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He
must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live
forever."

23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which
he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of
Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of
life.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 10

Application

The key words of the third chapter of Genesis can be divided into three symbols per room.
Beginning in the entry, picture a yellow serpent curled around a small orange tree. The
serpent is wearing dark sunglasses (eyes). Continue to the living room, where a mortar board
(flat hat with tassel worn at a graduation ceremony—wisdom) is worn by a naked sculpture
covered with fig leaves. Enter the kitchen and see the refrigerator door (cool) open with a box
displaying a black skull and crossbones (afraid) on the top shelf and a red number 10 (eaten)
on the shelf below. Proceed to the den in which a potbelly stove covered in dust is next to a
table with an orange lamp shaped like an Orange crush®. Enter the hallway and see to
children—one child holding a black bowling ball with a white X for strike marked on it and
the other child holding a yellow ruler (rule). Walk into the bathroom and see an earth floor
(ground) with a thorny red rose bush (thorns) on top of the sink, and notice how the mirror
above the sink is “fogged-up” (sweat). Enter the bedroom and see a leopard skin dress
(garments of skin) lying on the bed in the shape of a hand with the index finger pointing
toward a sword laying next to the skin.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 11

LESSON FOUR: LINKING MEMORY TECHNIQUE

Relationships between two concrete objects can be easily established. Connecting one object
of the paired relationship to another object establishes another memorable pair. In this
manner, an unlimited number of pairs can be linked together into an unbreakable chain. This
technique works best with Scriptures that have many concrete objects. Poetry, stories,
prophesies, and letters can be memorized with this technique.

Directions

Select two concrete objects that have a clear relationship at the beginning of the Scripture that
you wish to memorize to form a memorable pair. Link one object of the paired relationship to
another object to create a second connection in the chain. Continue in this manner to create a
memorable chain of paired objects. Substitute concrete objects for any key words that are too
abstract to remember well. For example, substituting the concrete Liberty Bell for the abstract
liberty would be a much more memorable object with which to pair.

Example

If memorizing a tree, bucket, grass, policeman, horse, cow, Snickers® bar and a golden ring,
you might link them as follows:

Picture a tall oak tree with a golden ring hanging from one of its branches. The ring drops in
a red bucket at the base of the tree on the bright green grass. A cow is busy nibbling the
grass next to the bucket, while swishing its tail. At the end of the tail a king-size Snickers®
bar is attached. A policeman on a white horse is frantically trying to grab the Snickers® bar.

Let’s Put It To Practice!

Memorizing Isaiah 6 can be accomplished with the Linking Memory Technique.

Isaiah 6

Isaiah's Commission

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and
the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With
two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were
flying.
3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled
with smoke.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 12

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a
people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with
tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your
lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

9 He said, "Go and tell this people:

" 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'

10 Make the heart of this people calloused;

make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed."

11 Then I said, "For how long, O Lord?"

And he answered:
"Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,

12 until the LORD has sent everyone far away

and the land is utterly forsaken.

13 And though a tenth remains in the land,

it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

Application
Picture a series of chain links, linking these paired symbols. Some symbols are substituted for
the key words of this scriptural passage to make the words more visual.

• A bright white cross (died) is propped up on the blue seat of a golden throne.
• The throne surrounded by a train track with a black steam engine going around in a
circle.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 13

• The smokestack of the steam engine train has a Star of David (temple) with six
wings of gold, three on each side of the star.
• The six wings fan the faces of two angels seated at the base of the throne as the train
goes round.
• The two angel’s faces are staring at the two front legs of the golden throne, which are
shaped as two bare feet.
• The feet detach themselves from the throne and begin flying around the throne.
• The flying feet each land on a pink phone (calling) which is ringing loudly in front of
the throne.
• The pink phone (calling) sits on top of a lighted globe (earth), sitting on a black
stand.
• On the lighted globe (earth), the green continent of North America opens up like a
creaking door (doorposts).
• From the open North American door (doorposts), puffy white smoke billows out into
the throne room.
• The smoke rises up to your father (man) standing in front of the globe.
• Your father (man) purses his lips.
• His lips blow the smoke into the eyes of the seated angels.
• The angels’ eyes begin to glow red like burning coal.
• Their coal-red eyes shine on a pair of silver tongs, lying next to the globe.
• Your father picks up the silver tongs, walks up to the angel on the right and pries
open the angel’s mouth.
• Out of the angel’s mouth comes a loud voice, singing one note.
• The loud voice causes your father to cover both of his ears (hearing) with his hands.
• His ears (hearing) begin to bother him so much that he closes his eyes in pain and his
vision (seeing) blurs.
• The blurred vision (seeing) scares him and his heart begins to pound in his chest.
• The sound of the pounding heart causes the angel on the left to close the mouth of the
other angel.
• As soon as the angel’s mouth is closed, your much-relieved father will turn around
and walk back to the globe.
• As he begins to turn around, he sees silver skyscrapers representing the world’s
major cities begin to rise out all around the globe.
• Around the cities’ skyscrapers, green Monopoly® houses begin to pop up to the
surface of the globe.
• Your father goes over to the globe and picks up ten houses, placing one on each of his
ten fingers, but the tenth house will not fit on his pinky finger.
• Your father throws the tenth green house into a yellow wastebasket.
• The yellow wastebasket has a picture of an oak tree on it.
• The oak tree wastebasket sits on a large oak stump.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 14

LESSON FIVE: CATCH WORDS MEMORY TECHNIQUE

A powerful way to memorize words or ideas that relate to each other is to develop a new
word (or words) from the first letter of the key words that represent those words or ideas.
This technique works best with Scriptures that have many concrete objects. Poetry,
Psalms, hymns, stories, prophesies, proverbs, and letters can be memorized with this
technique.

Directions

For each key word that you want to remember, use its first letter as one of the letters in a new
word. Then select another key word and use its first letter as another one of the letters in the
word, etc. Substitute concrete objects for any key words that are too abstract to remember
well. For example, substituting the concrete nose for the abstract smell would be a much
more memorable object with which to pair.

Example

Perhaps you remember a few of the common Catch Words taught in school.

HOMES --for the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior
ROY G. BIV --for the colors of the spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo, and violet
NEWS --for the chief points of the compass: north, east, south, and west
MAIN --for the main long term causes of World War I: militarism, alliances,
imperialism, and nationalism

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 15

Let’s Put It To Practice!

Memorizing Psalm 23 is easily memorized with the Catch Words Memorization Technique.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Application

Using the first letter of the following key words in order of the narrative:

shepherd pastures leads in name’s

through evil rod staff table
oil overflows Surely all dwell

Putting together the first letter of each of these words produces these Catch Words: Splinters
too sad. Picture a little boy you know, holding up two index fingers with splinters, who is
just too sad for words.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 16

LESSON SIX: CATCH SENTENCES MEMORY TECHNIQUE

Another way to remember many words or ideas is to develop a new sentence that uses words
beginning with the first letter of the key words that you wish to memorize. This technique
works best with Scriptures that have many concrete objects. Poetry, Psalms, hymns,
stories, prophesies, proverbs, and letters can be memorized with this technique. This memory
technique is especially helpful for memorizing items or facts in an exact order.

Directions

For each key word that you want to remember, use the first letter of each word as the first
letter of a new word that will fit into a memorable new sentence or phrase. You can add in
other words to your sentence if they won’t confuse you. Substitute concrete objects for any
key words that are too abstract to remember well. For example, substituting the concrete
eyeball for the abstract sight would be a much more memorable object with which to pair.

Example

Do you remember these catch sentences from school?

Every Good Boy Does Fine

--for the notes of the scale: E G B D F

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

--for the order of operations in math: parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division,
addition, subtraction

King Henry Died by Drinking Chocolate Milk

--for the units of measurement prefixes: kilo, hecto, deca, base, deci, centi, milli

To develop a catch sentence for the following list of the first ten United States presidents (in
exact order), you could form this sentence: “Why are jerks making money always just very
happy tycoons?”

1. Washington 2. Adams 3. Jefferson 4. Madison

5. Monroe 6. Adams 7. Jackson 8. Van Buren
9. Harrison 10. Tyler

Notice that “jerks” takes care of the confusion between Jefferson and Jackson by using “je” at
the start of the word and “making money” does the same for Madison and Monroe.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 17

Let’s Put It To Practice!

Memorizing Matthew 24 works well with the Linking Memory Technique.

Matthew 24

Signs of the End of the Age

1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his
attention to its buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not
one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us,"
they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of
the age?"

4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name,
claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of
wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to
come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines
and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by
all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray
and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands
firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the
whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,
'spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are
in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take
anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How
dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your
flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress,
unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 If
those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those
days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or,
'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and
perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25 See, I
have told you ahead of time.

26 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the
inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in
the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the
vultures will gather.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 18

29 "Immediately after the distress of those days
" 'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the
earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power
and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather
his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves
come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you
know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not
pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown

36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of
Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what
would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be
grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43
But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So
you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.

45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the
servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for
that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will
put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to
himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow
servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a
day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to
pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 19

Application

Using the first letter of the key words in this chapter produces the following historically-
based Catch Sentence:

The sequence of details was not exactly prophesied, and all future generations always
recognize prophetic signs in their own lifetime. Very soon afterwards, armies of Rome
destroyed both city and temple; however, the Christians escaped to Petra and survived
persecution.

The (temple) sequence (stone) of (olives) details (deceives) was (wars) not (nation) exactly
(earth) prophesied (persecuted), and (all) future (false) generations (gospel) always
(abomination) recognize (roof) prophetic (pregnant) signs (Sabbath) in (if) their (time) own
(out) lifetime (lightning). Very (vultures) soon (sun) afterwards (appear), armies (angels) of
(one) Rome (right) destroyed (day) both (but) city (coming) and (ark) temple (two); however
(hand mill)), the (therefore) Christians (coming) escaped (expect) to (truth) Petra
(possessions) and (away) survived (servants) persecution (pieces).

Catch Sentences

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 20

LESSON SEVEN: “THIS OLD MAN” MEMORY TECHNIQUE

One other way to remember up to ten items or concepts or more in exact order is with the
“This Old Man” memory trick. This technique works best with Scriptures that have
concrete objects. Poetry, Psalms, hymns, stories, prophesies, proverbs, and letters can be
memorized with this technique.

Directions

The trick is to memorize a list of key words and relate each to a number from one to ten.
Then associate the items you which to memorize with each key word in a memorable way. As
much as possible, relate each key word to each other to form one connected visual.

This is the list of key words that I suggest using. Use the old nursery rhyme:

“This Old Man”

This old man, he played one.
He played knick-knack on my thumb.
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone.
This old man came rolling home.

From the “This Old Man” nursery rhyme your associated key words each rhyme with their
assigned numbers and consist of the following:

1. thumb
2. shoe
3. knee
4. door
5. hive (picture a bee hive)
6. sticks
7. heaven (picture an angel or fluffy white clouds)
8. gate
9. spine
10. hen (better than “again”)

Substitute concrete objects for any key words that are too abstract to remember well. For
example, substituting the concrete ear for the abstract listening would be a much more
memorable object with which to pair. If you need to memorize more than ten key words,
simply start over with a second set of ten, etc.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 21

Example

Say you have a list of fruit to purchase for a nice summer picnic. The list includes lemons,
oranges, watermelons, grapefruit, bananas, cherries, raspberries, apples, green grapes
and yellow pears. Pretend that you also need to know them in order for some silly reason.

Your job is to associate the key words with the fruit which you need to remember for your
summer picnic. Once you make this association and practice the visualizations a bit, you will
have the entire list memorized in order.

You could picture two bright yellow lemons stuck on both of your thumbs (1),
two oranges on the toes of your two shoes (2), a half watermelon plastered onto both knees
(3), half grapefruits glued to a yellow door (4), a group of bees carrying a banana to their
hive (5), a stick acting as a baseball bat with a pitcher throwing cherries (6), an angel eating
raspberries and drooling some juice out of her mouth onto her white gown (7), a shiny
apple, waiting to be bartered, sitting on top of Tom Sawyer’s gate, attached to his white-
washed fence (8), a string of green grapes hanging around your neck and down your spine
(9), and a chicken hen laying a bright yellow pear (10).

Let’s Put It To Practice!

Memorizing the creation narrative in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 can be accomplished with the
“This Old Man” Memory Technique.

Genesis 1

The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good,
and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness
he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."

7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above
it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was
morning—the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground
appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he
called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 22

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the
land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The
land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit
with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was
evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the
night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be
lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two
great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He
also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to
govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was
good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth
across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every
living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every
winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and
said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds
increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock,
creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it
was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to
their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And
God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the
fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and
subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature
that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and
every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts
of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—
everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was
morning—the sixth day.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 23

Genesis 2
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he
rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it
he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Adam and Eve

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- 5 and no shrub of the field had yet
appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not
sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from
the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground- 7 the LORD God formed the man
from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man
became a living being.
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he
had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that
were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four
headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of
Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are
also there.)13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of
Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And
the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care
of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the
garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when
you eat of it you will surely die."

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable
for him."

19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the
birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever
the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the
livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall
into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the
place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the
man, and he brought her to the man.

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 24

23 The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman, '
for she was taken out of man."

24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they
will become one flesh.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Application

Use the following key words in order of the narrative:

Genesis Chapter 1
1. globe (earth) 2. flashlight (light) 3. water 4. sky 5. trees
6. signs 7. birds 8. cows (livestock) 9. ruler (rule) 10. green plant

Genesis Chapter 2
1. rain 2. nostrils 3. book (knowledge) 4. gold 5. Tigger (Tigris)
6. garden 7. soil (ground) 8. rib 9. bone 10. wife

For Genesis Chapter 1, you could picture a globe (earth) spinning on your one right thumb
(1), while a flashlight (light) on top of your right shoe sheds light on the globe. (2) Water
drips slowly off your bare right knee as you watch the globe. 3) You go to the front door and
open it to see a bright, blue sky (4), with two oak trees in the front yard, suspending a huge
yellow bee hive between them. (5) You walk into the yard and tear two brown sticks off the
oaks and walk to the corner to bang the sticks against two stop signs on opposite sides of the
street. (6) The banging sound causes two blue birds soaring in and out of fluffy white clouds
(heavens) above to start screeching. (7) You cross the street to a fenced field where a herd of
cows (livestock) bang their horns up against a bright white gate, making the same sound as
you did when banging the stop signs. (8) On top of the gate, you pick up a yellow ruler
(rule) and use it to scratch your itchy spine. (9) At the bottom of the gate you pet a red
chicken hen sitting on top of green plant. (10)

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 25

For Genesis Chapter 2, you could picture rain beginning to pelt down on you at the gate,
which causes your left thumb to begin swelling. (1) As you begin to walk home, you notice a
funny smell, and you hold up your left shoe to your nostrils and gasp. (2) Arriving back
home on the front porch (out of the rain), you pick up a black college textbook (knowledge)
from a white wicker chair and press it against your right knee to stop the dripping water. (3)
You open up the front door and you squint from the shining gold door handle. (4) You smile
as you pick up the stuffed Tigger (Tigris) and Winnie the Pooh toys your child has left on
the floor, remembering the story you both read last night about their adventures with the
angry bee hive. (5) You walk out the back sliding door to the fenced-in garden and pick a
perfect yellow daisy, trapped underneath two small sticks under one of the fence pickets. (6)
You brush the soil (ground) off the daisy and bend down to place it in the halo of the
ceramic angel (heaven) that guards the entry gate to the garden. (7) Bending down brings a
sharp pain to the upper right rib that you bruised, play-wrestling with your son after last
night’s story time, so you lean against the gate as you wince in pain. (8) Your painful rib
makes you wonder about what happened to the rib-eye steak bone that you gave to your dog
after dinner last night. You find your dog sleeping with the clean rib-eye bone lying atop his
spine. (9) As you approach the back sliding door to go back into the house you see into the
kitchen, where your wife is cooking a chicken (hen) for tonight’s dinner. (10)

Memorizing God’s Word www.penningtonpublishing.com 26