Bible verses to hide in your heart

Okay, I said I would make this list available, so here it is. These are the Scriptures I'm memorizing with my 8 year old daughter, Tabitha.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Psalm 119:11
Your word have I hid in my heart so that I might not sin against God.

John 14:6
Jesus said, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.

Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength!

Mark 12:30
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.

Luke 6:31
Do to others what you would like for them to do to you.

Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

That should be enough to get you started. We made flash cards to practice them. Tabs had fun decorating the cards.

Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?

I just finished reading Philip Yancey's new book: Prayer, Does It Make Any Difference?

I rate it three out of four stars. Like many of Yancey's books, it's not an easy read. You have to mine for the gold. And gold can be found! Two chapters located in his section on "Prayer Dilemmas" are worth the price of the book: Chapter 16 Unanswered Prayer: Whose Fault? and chapter 17, Unanswered Prayer: Living With The Mystery.

Here are a few gems . . .

"If I had to answer the question 'Why pray?' in one sentence, it would be, 'Because Jesus did.' He bridged the chasm between God and human beings. While on earth he became vulnerable, as we are vulnerable; rejected, as we are rejected; and tested, as we are tested. In every case his response was prayer."

"I remembered reading the account of a spiritual seeker who interrupted a busy life to spend a few days in a monastery. 'I hope your stay is a good one,' said the monk who showed the visitor to his cell. 'If you need anything, let us know and we'll teach you how to live without it.'"

"When I am tempted to complain about God's lack of presence, I remind myself that God has much more reason to complain about my lack of presence. I reserve a few minutes a day for God, but how many times do I drown out or ignore the quiet voice that speaks to my conscience and my life?"

One more:

"Peter Marshall, former chaplain of the U.S. Senate, once remarked that God has equipped us to go deep-sea diving and instead we wade in bathtubs. What makes the difference, I firmly believe, is how seriously we take prayer."

Okay, I need to go pray now . . .