Speaking Scripture

I recently read a new, self-published work devoted to the spiritual discipline of Scripture memory, simply titled Speaking Scripture. If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know that I enjoy memorizing long passages of Scripture. (You can find out why here.) So I was happy to read and review Rachel Eernisse’s small volume on the discipline.

Structure of the Book:

Speaking Scripture is broken into two main parts. The first half is more or less devoted to the nuts and bolts of Scripture memory. Eernisse begins with why we memorize Scripture. While she recites lengthy passages as full-time ministry (more on that in a minute), she certainly does not endorse Scripture memory for the sake of performance. In fact, she emphasizes that the greatest benefit of Scripture memory is not reciting the finished product for someone else. It’s actually all about the journey of storing up God’s words in your heart.

After laying a philosophical foundation for memorizing Scripture, she dives into the brass tacks of how to get it done. Eernisse advocates for the memorization of passages—paragraphs, chapters, or even whole books—and gives a concise method for how she accomplishes this. She also devotes an entire “mini chapter” to eleven other techniques.

The second half of the book deals with the recitation of Scripture. This is obviously a ministry near to Eernisse’s heart, as she is the founder of a ministry called “Scripture Speakers,” in which she travels to churches to recite Scripture and share her passion for hiding God’s Word in her heart. This section covers just two full-length chapters and one “mini chapter” of the book. Eernisse understands that the types of “performative” recitations that she does are not going to be for everyone. However, she gives broader application for the rest of us, and gives good reasons that we all ought to pursue reciting Scripture to someone.

Eernisse also includes several recommended resources for those who are looking to take the next step in their Scripture speaking journey.

Things I Found Helpful:

While I haven’t founded a ministry for reciting Scripture, I have found my own groove for treasuring God’s Word in my heart. That means I’m not a total rookie to this game; however, I still found several things helpful in this book. I’ll share a few, not to steal the author’s thunder, but hopefully to whet your appetite for what she has to offer.

• The purpose of Scripture Memory: Delight and Invite. This provided a good reminder that memorizing God’s Word isn’t about a prize of some kind or impressing other people. It’s about relishing God’s Word and allowing it to accomplish its work in my heart.
• Road trip analogy: Several times, Eernisse compares Scripture memory to the “best road trip ever.” What she means is that it’s not really about the destination. It’s about the journey. There’s no verse quiz in heaven, where if you mess up on a word you’ll be downgraded to a smaller mansion. No, memorizing the Scripture is about the journey we take in hiding the very words of our Creator in our hearts.
• Notes of experience: Eernisse is obviously writing from a wealth of experience in this area. She deals with several very practical topics, which may be helpful to you, as they were to me. Things like, Should I switch translations in memorizing? What should I do when I get frustrated with a passage? and How should I deal with mistakes in public recitation?
• Gaining further understanding from recitation: I really appreciate Eernisse’s term “living recitation.” By this she means capturing the essence and meaning of the passage in your recitation (or even reading) of it. We’ve probably all had the experience of understanding something much better when hearing it read aloud rather than reading it silently to ourselves. We ought to strive to do the same thing for others (and even ourselves) any time we recite (or read) Scripture out loud.

What Makes This Book Different?

Speaking Scripture is not the first book of its kind. So, maybe you’re thinking, “Aren’t all books on Scripture memory pretty much the same? After all, what more is there to say?” While I certainly can’t claim to have read them all, I have read and heard other books, blogs, podcasts, and talks about Scripture memory. However, I have never encountered anything that gives a case for public recitation quite like Eernisse’s work. While I readily admit  have no plans to ask to recite a chapter in front of my church, I will certainly think more about how I ought to say a passage as if I were going to do that. And the next time I say something for my memory accountability group, I’ll try to capture its meaning better through how I say it. This is an area in which I need to grow. I’m grateful for Speaking Scripture giving me insight into this area.

This is a quick read, and if you’re interested in diving into Scripture memory, or if you want to renew your passion for it, Speaking Scripture is a good way to go.

You can find some of Rachel Eernisse’s public recitations on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@scripturespeakers

You can purchase the book from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Speaking-Scripture-Memorize-Purpose-Delight/dp/B0BMZP8T2R/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=speaking+scripture&qid=1688410159&sr=8-1