by Gene Cornett, Teaching Elder
I studied New Testament Greek for two years, but I don’t remember it very well. Like many before me have said, “I would be a better student now, if I knew then what I know now.” My first Greek professor was Dr. Lacoste Munn. Students nicknamed his class, “fun with Munn” and his class lived up to his reputation. I learned from him three important ideas and practices that have little to do with Greek but still influence me today.
He encouraged us to:
- Do your memorizing right after breakfast when you are most in danger of being alert 😉
- Memorize by repeating vocabulary words three times, first while looking at it and then without looking at it.
- Read the New Testament in 30 days and gave us a plan for doing so.
That last one wasn’t a class assignment but his encouragement to us. He challenged us to stick with the plan no matter what and that it was better to do our Bible reading fast than to skip it altogether. I have not repeated the 30 days exercise often, but that first time especially set my heart on fire.
His thoughts continue to influence the way I study the Bible whether for my own sake or to prepare to preach or teach. For instance, I do my best work early. I want to hear from God before I hear from people. Checking my phone for news, not good, or email, worse, or social media, worst of all, always interrupts what my soul craves. My current practice is to get out walking as quickly as possible and while walking I listen to my daily Bible reading plan. I’m not doing the New Testament in 30 days but do follow a plan that takes me through the New Testament twice and the Old Testament once annually.
When I move from reading to studying, I first approach that for my own spiritual well-being, even when I study to prepare to preach. I am convinced that any believer could do this first step and have great spiritual benefit for themselves and everyone they care about. Let me explain. I slowly hand-write the first verse I want to study, thinking about it as I write. Then I write observations about the text. Any believer could do this for 10 or 15 minutes a few times a week if not daily with great spiritual benefit. I spend far more time than that because I have more scripture to cover. However, this is my favorite part of preparation because it’s a feast for my soul and provides the healing my heart and mind need after pouring my heart out in ministry the day before. This is why I love Mondays!
If you think you would have no idea what to write, allow me to share my final secret. I turned Dr. Munn’s idea about how to memorize by repeating words into a tool for meditating on scripture. So, for a simple verse, like the second verse in my passage for Sunday, I will repeat in writing like this, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord,” “but his delight is in the law of the Lord,” “but his delight is in the law of the Lord.” I don’t understand how this works, but the very small effort to meditate in this way pays big dividends. Even right now, as I did that repetition, the message of the text stirred in my soul. I experienced what the text describes, my delight meter went up. I began to care more about what I was reading. Then I went on, “and on his law he meditates day and night” “and on his law he meditates day and night,” “and on his law he meditates day and night.” The effort to meditate in this way makes me want more and this process is how God restores my soul so that ministry may come from the overflow of what God has poured into me.
I long to share the rest of how God has delighted my soul this week on Sunday morning. I look forward to seeing you here.
In Christ,
Gene