Resolve.

Avascular Necrosis of the Talus.  That's the sweet name for my "condition" that I couldn't remember last night.  AVN for short, in case you need a nickname.  You can even read about it here, if you'd like:  <http://www.mdmercy.com/footandankle/conditions/ankle_arthritis/avascular.html>

I don't know where the acronym "AVN" comes from...wouldn't it be ANT?  ANT would be WAY cooler!  But then everyone would get the giggles, I suppose, because ANT spells ant.

"Why yes, fine sir, I have a condition called ANT.  Uhh....why....no.  It has nothing to do with ants.  It has to do with your Talus bone.  What's a Talus bone?  Well, I don't really know.  I've never seen one before, but I hear it's shaped like a turtle.  Why don't they call the condition TURTLE?  Well.  Because there is no A, V, or, N in "turtle".  What?  Yes, I know.  There is no V in ant either."

That's the conversation I just had with a hot guy in the grocery story two months from now.  Apparently, we live in the late eighteenth century, which is why I called him "fine sir".  (I've been watching too many BBC movies...)  He thinks I'm weird because I'm talking about having ants in my feet.  Let's stick with AVN, shall we?

You know, sometimes when I think of all the things I have forgotten, I wonder where my memory went.  Right?  You know what I'm talking about.  Either you have lost yours as well, or you know me well enough to know that I no longer possess one.  I mean, I remember the weirdest stuff, but I can never remember the things I need to remember.  Or what I'm supposed to remember.  Names.  Dates.  Times.  Birthdays.  Family members.  What my faces looks like.  What my legs look like without hair.  To squirt Shout on my mustard stains.  You know.  Normal stuff that most people can remember.

I can, however, remember random things like people I met in the most random of places, such as the bathroom of the Brewer's Stadium.  I might even remember your favorite ice cream flavor, or when I last went poop.  Weird stuff.  Not helpful for everyday living.  Except for the pooping bit, that's important for daily living, in my opinion.  But, God has gifted everyone differently, and I've been doing puzzles.  So, maybe I'll have a better memory?  Ha ha.  What do puzzles have to do with memory.  I don't know.  But Sudoku is supposed to keep you from getting Alzheimer's.  I'm not very good at Sudoku, (but I'm working on it, thanks to a dear college friend that send me a GIGANTIC book of it.  Ms. Hberger is a wonderful friend.)

Tonight, (at my AMAZING Small Group with Springbrook Church young adults!) I got to thinking about how I can never remember what I need to remember when I need to remember it.  I kept thinking of verses that could have been an encouragement to others, but I couldn't quite remember all of the words, or I couldn't quite remember where it was found.  It is incredibly frustrating!  So.  I've come up with my New Year's Resolution.  Are you ready for it?

I hereby declare my on this day of January 13th, 2011, (not 2010) that I will:

(deep inhale)

memorize25versesfromtheBibleandbeabletosaythemcompletelyandwithareference.

(GASP)

You know I'll forget it tomorrow.  And, at first it was 100 verses.  Yeah.  Right.  It's not really a resolution.  It's more of a long-term goal.  I mean, the word "resolution" has no meaning to anyone in our society.  It might have a certain stigma attached to it, one that brings either laughter or sheer shuddering, but it doesn't mean anything.  The only other resolution I've heard this year is "To meet Tim Tebow", and we can all guess who that one's from.

But this is where you come in.  You need to help me remember to do this.  I'm serious!  I'm talking to YOU!  All of you!  I need some major help here!  Friend me on Facebook if we aren't already friends, and remind me tomorrow of my New Year's resolution.  And, if you know Tim Tebow, you could hook me up there too.  For..er..my friend.

One of the reasons that I want to memorize more verses is because I know God wants me to!  I've always had this aversion to it, which is quite sad.  Growing up, I never really thought it was "the cool thing to do", or important enough, even though it was what I needed to do.  To me, saying something over and over again (that included words I didn't always understand) was really quite boring.  And hard!  And the prizes offered in Pioneer Clubs weren't always enough to tempt me to try and cram three sentences in my brain.  I was perfectly okay with being the only one who didn't know the "verse of the week".  I could handle the shorter sentences.  Man.  I was lazy.

But now.  God has changed my heart in so many ways.  Even at my church, there is a church-wide effort to memorize more Scripture.  It came at a perfect time, too.  And, as for my nuclear-familial attempt at memorizing verses?  It's going fairly well!  We're still doing it.  The bonus is that I get to include those verses in my resolution!  Muah ha ha!  My evil plan is working!

1 Peter 3:15.5-16 says:
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

I looked up the Message's version of the verse, mostly because I never use the word "slander", and here is what it says (same verse, different word-usage/interpretation):

"Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath."

I'm starting with this verse.  I'm going with the Message's version, even though I'll probably study both.  Wanna memorize it with me?  Seriously.  If you do, go to this website called "Facebook.com" and search for a girl named "Catie Wollard" (two L's, not two O's).  Then click on the "Send Message" button, and say "I want to memorize 1 Peter 3:15.5-16 with you!"  Then, I will proceed to follow-up with you, and make sure it's going well.  And then, you could even "Add a Friend" me, and we can be friends.  Then, I will stalk you for an hour, and comment on all of your pictures.