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I was recently featured in an article in the Record Searchlight newspaper of Redding, CA. You can read the article here.
By Shannon Calder, Record Searchlight
May 11, 2006
"Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. "And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you." (Jonah 1: 11, 12.)
If you had been in the Record Searchlight library last Thursday, you would have heard this, in addition to the rest of the entire book of Jonah dramatically recited verbatim. Let me rephrase: You wouldn't have heard it exactly, but watched as if sitting in front of an Oregon Shakespeare Festival performance while Tom Meyer of Redding performed the book with fists pounding, voice varying from shout to whisper, with veins pulsing at times beneath his red, impassioned forehead. All in an eight-minute performance.
Q: Give us a little background, Tom.
A: I'm 29, moved here from the suburbs of Chicago in 2003. I'm graduating from Shasta Bible College with a bachelor's of art in Bible and theology.
Q: And how did this memorizing the Old Testament start with you?
A: I was challenged by a pastor three years ago to memorize a short section of the Bible. You could say it kind of grew from there. It's what I do now for churches, Sunday schools, special events, conferences, you name it. This has opened some incredible doors for me. And before we go any further, I would really, really like to thank Dr. David Nicholas, the president of Shasta Bible College. He's been a mentor for me.
Q: Only three years ago?
A: Yes, not very long, huh? It just started me thinking about the Old Testament and memorizing and how those that believe in the word of God.
Q: Why the Old Testament?
A: Because I think it's a basic key to Christianity; a key to the foundation of the whole book. I think the majority of the Old Testament is neglected in this day and age. And, I think it's important to memorize the Bible because it changes and conforms you more to the image of Christ. It puts His word in you, and makes you think and meditate on it more. I don't have the entire Old Testament memorized. But I do have 10 complete books, and several chapters of other books here and there. Also, this weekend at the Shasta Bible College graduation ceremony, I will be quoting Psalm19.
Q: Do you have a favorite verse, chapter or book?
A: Yes, the book of Jonah. Would you like me to recite it?
Q: Here, now?
A: Yes, it only takes eight minutes.
Q: Sure. Go for it.
A: "Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying ... "
So goes the entire book of Jonah in the King James Version of the Bible verbatim. Eight minutes later, the three of us in the room clapped, a supervisor came to check and see if we were OK and what was going on that required so much shouting and pounding of file cabinets. Soon after, the questions continued.
Q: That was great, and much more dramatic than I expected. When you tell someone that you've memorized a good chunk of the Bible, I'm not sure they expect that you actually perform the Bible. How did you discover that you had an innate ability to memorize?
A: Technically, it started when I was a kid. I grew up in a Christian home, but it wasn't strict by any means. I started memorizing the back of baseball cards for fun. I guess that was God preparing me for where I am now.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I'm going to seminary in Jerusalem in August for one year. I'd love to stay for two years, but that takes money. You know how that goes. After that, I plan to stay in this ministry. I've gone to conferences of up to 500 people and done dramatic recitations, and I go to churches and Sunday schools. I'll do it for anyone interested.
Q: On your Web site, www.thescripturecannotbebroken.com, you have an icon that says "How to memorize." Do you teach people how to be better at memorization?
A: Yes, again, Sunday school children, seminars, anyone who wants to learn. It's kind of cool because my memorizing has inspired other students to memorize.
Reader of the Week is a weekly feature that spotlights Record Searchlight subscribers. For more information, or to nominate someone to be featured, call Shannon Calder at 225-8218, or e-mail to scalder@redding.com |
Copyright 2006, Redding. All Rights Reserved.
URL: http://www.redding.com/redd/features/article/0,2232,REDD_17508_4688833,00.html