Starting the Year off Right (with Bible Quizzing)

The vast majority of people who know me probably know that I am involved with Bible Quizzing. It has been such a blessing in my life and molded me in so many ways. I began quizzing when I was five years old, and because of it, I have learned many vast passages in the Bible. While my experiences are slightly different (I am eleven months older!), my sister wrote a really nice summary of the role it played in our lives growing up.

One area that I differ is that after I graduated, I began working in the Florida Quizzing Association. This has been a tremendous blessing for me, as I have been able to see many students since that time. In that time, I have been blessed to work (to varying degrees) with students who are among the all time greats in Bible Quiz. I have also been blessed to work with a bunch of kids, who are just glad to be participating and probably won't win any competition anytime soon. Here's the great thing about it, though. Whenever you're memorizing Scripture in an attempt to win a competition, the means are superior to the end.

Since I began working with Bible Quiz again in 2000, one of the dates that has become a mainstay on my calendar is the first Saturday in January. It is the first major Bible Quiz tournament of the year. There are teams from all over the country who attend, which I get to see at the tournament, which makes me happy. While I missed the event a couple times in the last 12 years, it is something I chronically look forward to. It is the first event of the year and a wonderful time to get together with old friends.

I am about to leave to go there, and I really am excited to see many people who I haven't seen in a while. I have a friend at work who told me that our lives are crowded with many secret societies. I think Bible Quiz could be like that to an extent, though I am sounding the call to tell everyone about it, in an attempt to assure it will not be secret. Those of us who are in the Bible Quiz society of people are blessed to have such a gathering of friends.

This year is kind of unique for me, though, as I, for the first time, am bringing people from another sector of my life to participate. My nieces have joined my home school group and are now taking part in our Bible Quiz team. It is weird to think that two different sets of people that I have known for over a decade are colliding. How will it go? I fear what may happen, but really I am excited. It's always nice when you get to introduce another part of your life to people who have been such a part of it.

So that got me to thinking. If you know who I am (and really if you are reading this blog, I suspect you do) and aren't involved in Bible Quizzing, please ask me how you can be. Whether you are in your 50's and just want to learn 20 verses a year to keep the brain working or you are (or know some people who are) still in school and want to start to pocket away hundreds of verses into the corners of your mind, please let me know. Bible Quizzing is awesome and the people in it are awesome! And if you know me and don't know about it, I apologize for not telling you sooner!