For Your Benefit...

• The new quarter begins next Sunday, September 30. There will be 2 or 3 adult classes — "Fellowship" (info & sign-up sheet are on the table in the foyer); Jude & John's Epistles (Cloyce); and possibly Revelation (Reggie).
• Meeting fliers & business cards are now available in the foyer. The fliers are in the literature rack.
• There will be an envelope-stuffing extravaganza following this evening's service in classroom #6. I need about a dozen people to help send out meeting fliers to the area churches. No stamp-licking required.
• There is a "Thank You" note on the bulletin board from JoAnn Wilson.
• There are a supply of dishes in the Resource Room that need to be taken home.
• There is a new stack of support letters in the foyer from the various men we support. Please take a copy or take a moment to read them.

Calendar

• Sept 23-28 — Taylorsville Road.
• Sept 28-29 — Mt Washington (Teen & College Studies).
• Sept 29 — Ladies' Day at Lakeview (Columbus, IN).
• Oct 19-21 — Eastland!

For this week, a simple four-step plan to begin your day.

1. Anchor  — Stop. Catch your breath. Read what God's word says. Pick a small, bite-sized portion of Scripture. Read it and feed on it.
2. Appreciate — Pray a short, simple, to-the-point prayer. Don't worry about praying something noble or idealistic ("I ought to be praying about…"). Instead, talk to God about what is on your mind (Your busy day; your health; your bills; your anger; your relationships; etc).
3. Activate — Ponder an application drawn from the "anchor". Make it relevant to what you have prayed about.
4. Accelerate — Be challenged to take specific action to put the Scripture to work in your life today. Look for things that are relevant to your situation, your life, your problems.

It's as easy as 1-2-3-4!



Dr. Oliver Sacks was a neurologist with the New York City Home for the Aged. He tells the story of one of his clients, who he referred to as Jimmy G.

Jimmy had a very strange form of amnesia, known as Acute Retrograde Organic Amnesia (A.R.O.A.). This man could remember his name, address and hometown. He remembered many of the things he learned in high school. He could tell you the names of his family and friends and where they lived, even their phone numbers. He remembered enlisting in the Navy in the second World War, but he had no memory past 1945. In fact, his amnesia was so severe he no longer could remember anything for more than two minutes.

When Dr. Sack first met him, Jimmy introduced himself. He seemed to be intelligent with no obvious Challenges. After examining Jimmy, Dr. Sacks stepped out of the room for a few moments. When he returned, Jimmy reintroduced himself.

"Don't you recall meeting me?" asked Dr. Sacks.

"No sir, I don't think I've ever met you before," Jimmy answered.

Two minutes! Jimmy could not remember anything for longer than two minutes.

During one session, Dr. Sacks laid a comb, wallet and watch on the table and had Jimmy make a handwritten list of the objects. Then the doctor covered the objects with a handkerchief. After two minutes, he asked Jimmy what was under the handkerchief. Jimmy did not know, nor did he recollect having seen them before or making a list of the items. He couldn't remember anything for more than a couple of minutes.

I'm not sure what the term is for it, but I think I suffer from Acute Retrograde Spiritual Amnesia (A.R.S.A.). I come to church and am challenged by the message, or I open the Bible and I am convicted by the truth-but within a few hours, it's as if I've forgotten everything.

We were eating with some friends recently when someone brought up a sermon that I had preached a few, short months ago. One of them attempted to encourage me by saying what a convicting and powerful message it was. As my friend continued to tell me about the impact my sermon had on him, it became clear that he couldn't remember which message he was talking about.

I didn't let him off the hook. "Which message was it?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, it was the one where you showed that video," he said.

However, he couldn't remember much about the video either. So much for the encouragement.

But I can't be too hard on him. Even if I am the one preaching the sermon, I often forget what I said just a few weeks later. It's amazing how we can be convicted, inspired and determine that we'll never be the same, and just a few, short hours later, it's as if it never happened.

Over the years, I've come up with a few disciplines that have helped treat my A.R.S.A. and ensure that God's message takes root within me. Whether you're studying the Bible on your own, attending a small group or coming to a church service on the weekend, these ideas may help you get the most out of the experience.

1. Pray it up. If you drive to church by yourself or with your family, it's a great time to talk to God and prepare your heart. Before you study God's Word, take a minute and ask God to convict you, comfort you or inspire you.
2. Write it down. I don't take a lot of notes, but I've learned the hard way that if I don't write it down, I'll forget it. I often don't write down the teaching points I hear in a message, but I will write my response to it. Don't feel like you have to take notes as if you were sitting in a college class. Write down your thoughts, reactions and convictions to what you're learning.
3. Put it in. The Bible calls this meditation. In Psalm 119:11, David said, "I have hidden your word in my heart." Take your notes and put them in a place where you will be reminded of what God is teaching you. I often keep a Scripture card and a prayer card in my car. My wife keeps notes around the bathroom sink. Intentionally think about what you studied or heard.
4. Live it out. Don't approach the Bible as if it were a textbook. Remember God didn't give us His Word to teach us; He gave us His word to change us. James 1:22 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." Biblical knowledge and understanding only matters to the extent that it is reflected in your life.

The United States Air Force did a study and found that we forget 95 percent of what we hear within 72 hours. (That's a little depressing for preachers, but it does explain how hey get away with telling the same jokes.) If you suffer from A.R.S.A., try my "up, down, in, out" method. But try it quickly — before you forget.