The subject of "verse memorization" was chosen for a home Bible study, which got me thinking about how to memorize a current verse I have chosen for memory, Pro 5:21. "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings." The word "pondereth" stuck out to me, and even my computer underlines it in red as misspelled or unrecognized by the computer. So as I thought of how to memorize this verse, I remembered one of 10 ways I just put together, which is by "association". Looking at the word "pondereth", "Ponderosa" and the TV show "Bonanza" came to mind. It is an old show, and if you are unfamiliar with it you can "Search" it on "Youtube" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRxr069c4FY) and relate to what I am writing here. The first word of a verse is important, because if you don't remember it you will not quote the verse exactly right. The first word in Pro 5:21 is "For". Now it is not spelled the same, but in the beginning of the show "Bonanza", one sees FOUR men riding on horses towards the camera; Ben, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright (to use their character names). I associate that with the first word of Pro 5:21 to remember how it starts. "The ways of man" comes next in the verse, and is "what he does." "The ways of man" I associate with the Cartwrights sitting in their living room, Ben at his desk, Adam cleaning his gun by the big fireplace, and Little Joe and Hoss playing checkers at the dining room table. Even Hop Sing, their cook, coming to the table to set it for dinner and getting mad at Hoss and Joe for being in his way. (Use "extreme" or "detail" in your association and it will help to memorize the verse.) Next "are before the eyes of the LORD." I imagine the Lord looking down from Heaven upon this living room and the men in it. (See the picture below that has the 4 men standing as if they are standing before the Lord.) Next "and he pondereth." The Cartwrights lived on a very huge ranch called "The Ponderosa" that bordered with Lake Tahoe to the west. The Cartwrights had a large map of it hanging on their living room wall. During the opening of this show, one would see this map on the wall burn up while the opening theme song of the show began to play. Of course being ranchers on such a huge ranch, they didn't just sit around the house all day. No! They were GOING places, and that brings me to the last phrase of the verse, "all his goings." Not only were the Cartwrights GOING places, I personally use to know a lady in a rest home whose name was Mrs "Goings." The Cartwrights often housed guests in their home, and (for my ASSOCIATION) I have them housing Mrs Goings and her family. I will better remember Pro 5:21 because of what I have written above, and because I have shared it with others by way of posting this blog on-line. If you have a verse to memorize, you might try this method of "Association."
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