What is the Ponderize Challenge?
On October 5th, 2015, Brother Devin G. Durrant said this as part of his address:
My second invitation is quite different from and much more important than the first. It is this: I invite you to “ponderize”3 one verse of scripture each week. The word ponderize is not found in the dictionary, but it has found a place in my heart. So what does it mean to ponderize? I like to say it’s a combination of 80 percent extended pondering and 20 percent memorization.
There are two simple steps:
First, choose a verse of scripture each week and place it where you will see it every day.
Second, read or think of the verse several times each day and ponder the meaning of its words and key phrases throughout the week.
Brother Durrant made this an invitation, but for many this is a challenge. The challenge is to follow his advice for as long as we can and gain an “increase in spirituality” and the ability to “teach and lift those you love in more meaningful ways.”
Out of this invitation, I felt I needed to construct this program to invite and challenge others. And in this way share the gospel on a deeper level than I have been able to do before.
The first part is choosing a verse of scripture. This should not be a verse at random, but a verse that has some meaning. I started to look at the Seminary scripture mastery references. But they are already used in that program, and brother Durrant advised us not to replace current scripture study program but to add this to what we are doing.
So I started asking people for their favorite scriptures. And then I had another thought. In General Conference, many scriptures are quoted, I should use those. So this is what I started doing.
Won’t be enough to have one per week, but it’s a good place to start. And if you are reading this now, I have a favor to ask. Please take a moment to visit the suggestion page and share one or more of your favorite scriptures with me. You will help me, and the others who are doing this challenge to increase in spiritual strength and ability to share and teach the gospel.
The second part of the invitation and challenge is to think about the verse and ponder it’s meaning several times during the week. To help me do this I created a short PDF document that outlines how and what to talk about with my family. It’s only a guide so when you have something better to share, do that instead of following the guide.
To get the guide, hope over to the challenge signup form and join me. I’ll send you the link to the PDF. Then you’ll get the scripture for the week on the next Monday in an email.
Getting the email each week can help keep you engaged in the challenge and process of ponderizing scriptures. It will keep the invitation fresh, and keep you from forgetting your commitment.
I hope and pray that you and I will both follow through and be able to receive the spiritual blessings offered with this invitation.
Roy
[Top]