While still a tadpole himself, our son Tim liked fishing. Whenever we camped, Tim wanted to fish. But we were not always prepared. With two young kids in a pop-up camper, Diana and I thought we were doing great just to remember the cooler and the clothes, let alone bait for the fish.

One unprepared weekend, we were desperate and asked George—whose trailer was next to ours—if by any chance he had any nightcrawlers we could “borrow.” He did and was only too glad to share.

On another occasion, a fish swallowed Tim’s hook, and we had no extras. Would George have one? Of course. Years rolled by, and we realized that whatever I'd forgotten, George usually stocked—and was kind enough to share: bobbers, weights, worms, whatever.

Only when Tim was grown up did we learn the rest of the story. Diana and I took George and his wife, Julie, out to dinner, and we swapped stories about kids and camping. Eventually, the conversation turned to our many ill-stocked fishing expeditions—and George's routine rescues.

Julie smiled and squeezed her husband's hand, saying, "You know, George stocked up on worms just for you guys. Every week." The man actually bought worms "just in case."

Last weekend, we attended a memorial service for George, and lots of folks shared lots of memories. Me? I’ll never forget the kindness of that quiet friend who seemed determined that our little boy had a good time at the lake.

Know anybody who seems unprepared for the curveball life has thrown their way? They’re hurting, and feeling helpless—maybe even hopeless. I bet you’ve got something they could use: a meal, a hand, a card, a call, a smile.

Better stock up—just in case.

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. 

—Proverbs 11:25

Do you ever marvel at the speed of evil?

My dad will turn 89 this month. I recently asked him, “Is it just me, or do you feel like in the last 20 years or so, we’ve seen not just a shift toward evil, but a rush toward evil?” His response was a firm yes.

When it comes to American morality, it’s not just that we’re plunging deeper and deeper into evil. It’s that we’re sliding at such an accelerated pace. Just ten or twenty years ago, what would have been considered ridiculous (by our secular society!) is now mainstream—normal. Call it wickedness at warp speed.

One could understand a general spiral downward—inevitable in a sin-soaked world. But again, I'm talking about the rate of our rot, even over the last two or three years.

Consider these observations from God Himself about the workers of wickedness:

“Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning.” Isaiah 59:7 

Proverbs 6:18 speaks to the speed issue:

“a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong.”

And why this mad dash toward darkness? Jesus Himself told us in John 3:19,

“God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.”

Note—they don’t merely like darkness—they love it. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we have wickedness at warp speed.

Scientists talk about the speed of light.

Me? I'm pondering the speed of the dark. 

Sadie is possibly the most adorable brown-eyed little girl you could ever meet. She's also charming, intelligent—and too old to be sucking her thumb. Nor is this lost on her mother, as evidenced in a recent conversation:

Mom: Sadie! Take your fingers out of your mouth!

Sadie: (Bats her long eyelashes) But mo-om…Don't you always say God made me?

Mom: Yes…

Sadie: And don’t you always say He made me perfect? Just exactly the way I am?

Mom: Yes, but…

Sadie: And doesn’t He know I am doing it RIGHT NOW?

Mom: Sadie...

Sadie: So REALLY, if you think about it, He is ok with it because He made me a thumb sucker, and I am just how He made me to be!

Wow! Guilt avoidance and blame-shifting in one snappy sentence! If there's a pre-school award for twisted theology, Sadie must surely be a nominee.

But don’t most of us big kids also try to bend our bad behavior around our beliefs? Aren’t we just as glib and just as guilty at trying to explain away our conduct as we play the blame game:

• “I was born with a short fuse.”
• “I wasn’t raised to apologize.”
• “It’s just who I am.”

Jesus didn't die on the cross to give us better excuses for our crimes. He came to pay for the wreckage—and empower us to turn away from them. The word is repent.

Lord,

Forgive us our clever speech defending unholy deeds.

Help us own up to every crumb of our crummy behavior.

More than that, help us repent.

Amen!

He is relentless. Unstoppable. And he seems to turn up just about everywhere at just the wrong time. I'm talking about my nemesis—and yours: Shame. 

He’s the voice that accuses you.

He’s two shots of Red Bull—at midnight.

He’s the one who remembers every detail of every regret you’ve tried to forget.

He's the broken record whispering your faith is too small, your prayers are too short, and your guilt is too great.

That’s Shame. And he’s been on the trail—your trail—for a long time.

Shame has many brothers and sisters. Unless I'm mistaken, you've met fear, resentment, and jealousy. Many siblings. But they all have one father: the father of lies.

In his allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan shares this slice of conversation between Christian and Faithful who have just met with Shame on a journey to the Celestial City:

Shame tells me what men are. But he tells me nothing about what God or the Word of God is. …Therefore, what God says is best…though all the world is against it.

Faithful then makes this bold demand:

Shame, depart—thou art an enemy to my salvation.

Shame is an enemy to your salvation, too, and will leave if commanded in the name of Jesus. But rest assured, Shame will be back. As Faithful remarks in Pilgrim’s Progress, “Indeed this Shame was a bold villain. I could scarcely shake him out of my company.”

But shake him we must.

And shake him we can.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

-1 Corinthians 15:67

When I last spoke with Art Rorheim—at the age of 99—he was still memorizing the Bible. Wow!

You might be too old to play baseball for the Dodgers. You might be too old to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. You might be too old for lots of things. But I’ve got good news. You’re not too old to memorize Scripture.

You say, “Jon, I’m pretty sure I can’t.”

I’m pretty sure you can. I’m no whiz, but may I share what has worked for me over a long time?

First, choose a verse or passage that really connects with you. Something that smacks you in the face every time you come across it. Something you really WANT to commit to memory.

Second, write it down. Personally, I like to create a card (about 3 x 6 inches—fits in my shirt pocket). I print the verse out on a colorful background—and laminate it. It might take months for me to memorize a Psalm or passage, so it needs to be printed on something sturdy to endure rain, mud, wind and snow. Carry those Scripture cards with you wherever you go.

Now, maybe you’ll prefer using an app on your phone. I use “Remember Me,” but there are many out there. Choose one and stick with it.

One other thought as you begin: don’t beat yourself up for taking a long time to memorize.  There’s no prize for first place! Just get going—and do it every day. Learn to use tiny moments to get out that card or Bible app and memorize!

You say, that all sounds good, but how DO you actually commit the Word of God to memory?

Begin with just a phrase. Read that phrase ten times out loud. Now, close your eyes and say that phrase 10 times. Then read it again 10 times—out loud. Go back until you have confidence in the first phrase. Then move on. Don’t demand that you finish memorizing by a certain date. Just stay at it! This is a marathon, not a sprint. You’ll quickly develop a sense of when you’re ready to move on.

I suggest you recite at least one verse or passage every night before you go off to sleep. This is great for reviewing—and great for sleeping!

One last word. Do not underestimate how much reviewing you will need to do. Stay at it! Memorize your next verse or passage...but keep reviewing the old ones.

FREE OFFER: I’ll happily send you a one-page PDF Scripture Memory Tip sheet, along with a copy of the current Psalm I’m working on.  Let’s do this!  Just send an email to Jon@jongauger.com and ask for the Bible Memory tools.