“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” – Joshua 1:8
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119:11
Memorizing scripture is something we talk about frequently on the show. As we’ve been discussing, it has reminded me of where I actually started the habit of memorizing scripture. It’s not new. It was, like most things, instilled in me from my Mama (affectionately known as “Miss Bev”).
Below is a true story from my childhood. It’s from my forthcoming book: “Holy Ghost Mama: 25 Old School Lessons That Saved My Life.”
I hope it’s fun and entertaining for you. And sneakily, I’m hoping to encourage you to memorize more scripture this coming year and maybe make it an activity for the whole family.
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“The Lord is my light and my salvation, who shall I fear,” I whispered to myself. After a moment I bent forward, took a sip of water from the fountain, and continued my recitation. “The Lord is the . . . uh . . . the Lord is . . . what is it?”
“Miss Johnson!” Mr. Kauffman, the high school principal, belted out from the end of the hall. I didn’t have to look at him to see the pencil behind his ear and the pocket protector, stuffed into his button-down shirt pocket, filled to the brim with pens.
“I’m coming!” I hollered, lifting my head, water dripping down my chin. I walked down the hall past three or four open-door classrooms toward him. I heard a few snickers: the direction I was heading could only mean one thing. Everyone knew.
“Shut up!” I yelled into a classroom in which one of the students had dared elevate their amusement past a snicker to a full-on guffaw.
“Miss Johnson! Can you speed it up, please?” Mr. Kauffman’s veins were popping out from the side of his head. I wondered how that pencil stayed put.
I finally made it to his office. He was staring down at me, as was the plaque hanging directly above the door that read principal. He rolled his eyes, a look with which I had become all too familiar. “Come in. Take a seat, Miss Johnson.”
Before I entered, I heard the sound of keys. That meant there was another Miss Johnson there. A taller one with a lot more authority.
I slowly walked into the office and sat down next to my mother. Her face was stern and resolute. Leaving work to come to my school was not one of her favorite activities.
Mr. Kauffman closed the door and began to detail my latest infraction. Something about some smart-mouthy ways in Spanish class that my teacher could no longer tolerate. As he began to suggest a possible corrective action—
“STRENGTH OF MY LIFE!” I burst out with excitement.
“What?” he said, bewildered.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; who shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”[1]
“I’m sorry, is that directed toward me?” Mr. Kauffman asked, genuinely confused.
“You’re not the Lord, Mr. Kauffman.”
“SHERRI!” my mom exclaimed in horror.
“Sorry,” I mumbled with all the authenticity I could muster.
“I have a little box of cards with Scriptures on them at the house,” my mom attempted to explain. “Before Sherri and her brother leave every morning, they have to take a card and memorize the Scripture. I ask them to repeat it at dinner that night. Today, Sherri’s was—”
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; who shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ Psalm twenty-seven, verse one!” I burst out proudly.
They both stared at me for a long minute, until Mr. Kauffman broke the silence and turned to my mom. “That’s a wonderful tradition to have with your children, Miss Johnson.”
He then took a deep, abiding look at me.
“Any Scriptures in that box about the mouth?” he asked with a chuckle.
“We gone find some tonight!” my mom replied quickly.
And that we did. That we did . . .
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Morning Show Host, STAR 93.3
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