In about three weeks it will one year since I began really diving into God's word and storing it in my heart. It started with a men's retreat I went on with church. I remember Jason challenging us to learn 1 John 2:14 that weekend...it had been a long long time since I was in Sunday school and had to remember a verse. I remember sitting there thinking, there is no way I can remember all those words.

I was surprised at how easy it was for me to learn that verse, I think the difference from now and then was that I was storing them in my heart. As I think back to my Sunday school days and even my 13 years of Christian education there were a lot of verses I regurgitate back to my teachers but there isn't one I still remember. I think after 24 hours those words were erased from my brain.

Fast forward 10-20 years from my Sunday school and Christian education days and I am now a man who truly understands what Christ did for me. I think it is also that I understand the importance of storing up God's words in my heart. So I slowly began putting more and more of his words into my heart. I still have a bit of pessimism in me though. Just about everytime I set the goal to learn new verses I start out thinking that I won't be able to do it.

So as I look back today, with my pessimistic side, I can't believe that in one year I memorized 20 verses...21 if you count John 11:35. A year ago, sitting around that circle of men, I never would have guessed that verse would turn into what it is...God living in me.