 I promised I would post the results of the Bible Verse Survey, so, in a nutshell, here they are!
Over the summer, members of the Lutheran church I attend, as well as their families, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, submitted their favorite Bible verses for this survey. Eighty-two people responded: 67 females and 15 males. The total number of Bible verses supplied was 138 (many provided two favorite verses; others supplied one favorite verse). Ages varied, from a few teens to a handful of seniors, with the majority falling into the middle age range. The most popular verses are listed below, beginning with those that received the most responses: Women: Theme of verse: Beginning of verse: # responses: 1)John 3:16 Affirmation of Salvation "For God so loved the world..." 9 2)Phil. 4:13 Strength "I an do all things through Him..." 6 3)Phil. 4:6 Peace "Do not be anxious..." - 6 4)Jer. 29:11 Hope "I know the plans I have for you..." 5 5)Prov. 3:5-6 Trust "Trust in the Lord with all your heart.." 4 6)Isa. 41:10 Fear "So do not fear, for I am with you..." 3 7)Matt. 7:7-8 Seeking God "Ask, and it will be given to you..." 3 Fifty-four percent of women surveyed chose from the verses above Men: Theme of verse: Beginning of verse: # responses: 1)Jeremiah 29:11 Hope "I know the plans I have for you..." 3 2)John 3:16 Affirmation of Salvation "For God so loved the world..." 3 Forty percent of men surveyed chose from the the two verses above What Might our Choices Say About our Spiritual Needs? Based on the most favorite verses chosen, spiritual needs or interests seemed to coincide with key words, phrases, or the subject matter within the scripture. For Women: Based on the verses chosen, and in order of greatest importance, the interests or needs expressed by women were: Affirmation of salvation, desire for inner strength and peace, having hope for the future, seeking the Lord's guidance, not fearing, and seeking God. The most popular books of the Bible, according to verses submitted by all particpants: Of the 138 verses submitted, the most verses came from the book of Psalms (19 verses), followed by John (10 verses); Isaiah (9 verses); 1 John & Romans (7 verses each); Matthew (5 verses); Phiippians (4 verses); Timothy, 1 John, Proverbs, Jeremiah, Luke, 1 & 2 Corinthians (3 verses each), and Hebrews and Peter (2 verses each). The list at the top of the page shows only the most popular verses. If you would like a copy of all 138 verses submitted (too long to post here) feel free to click onto "Comments," enter your name and e-mail, and I will gladly send you the attachment. For those who attend my church, I will place copies of the survey results in the Narthex, as well as the article, "What Does Your Favorite Bible Verse Say About You?" from my website, Nancypelanderjohnson@weebly.com Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey; I couldn't have done it without you! It was a fascinating project, and I came away with a discovery. The verses we choose just might define our spiritual needs, wants, and may even indicate our "spiritual" personality traits. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment! Thank you! Blessings, Nancy Johnson
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For a long time, my favorite scripture has been the one from Proverbs 3:3-5. As I wrote the words of this verse for the survey, I pondered a thought. What does it mean to really favor something?
This may sound trite, but what we favor is special to us. But wait...there is more. To call something "favorite," is to prefer it over other things. Maybe it is a food you can't pass up, a movie you would see a thousand times, or a Bible verse that fills you with peace, encouragement, or hope. The things you love the most hold a special meaning to you. Remember the tender, picture-painting lyrics of "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music? The words prompt us to think of our favorite things if we feel sad. Spiritually speaking, it is this way, too. Feeling downhearted? Focus on the words of a well-loved Bible verse. It just might offer the comfort you need. I revisited my favorite verse from Proverbs, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..." I'd never given deep thought to why I loved this verse, but the simple theme, trust, resonated in my heart. Then I realized it was because the verse spoke to me personally. Trust: It fit my desire (to have complete confidence in God), and it fit the nature of who I was (a trusting person). An idea sparked. We know about personality traits. But what about "spiritual" personality traits? If they existed, I was certain mine would say: Trusting. Excited, I put my second verse, from 2 Chronicles 15:7, to the test, "Be strong and do not give up..." "Be strong." Yes. I needed to hear that. I'd lived my share of hills and valleys. My father, of Finnish descent, taught me about inner strength. The Finns call it "Sisu." It refers to dogged determination, grit, and resilience for life, despite the adversity. Later, I learned about strength of faith, too. Bingo. There was the spiritual connection. I was excited about the discovery of the spiritual personality traits. I wanted to trust God, and to remain strong in faith. Intrigued with my findings, I thought of my family. Would the scriptures they chose connect with their spiritual nature, too? I pulled out the paper with the verses my husband and daughters provided. Yes. Their choices coincided with their spiritual desires, and the themes of the verses matched their individual makeup. I couldn't help but smile. Would these connections be true for my friends, and others, too? I felt certain this could be the case. "Favorite." It has a deeper meaning for me now. As I turn to my most loved Bible verses, I feel the depth of the words in my heart, and find I am living the traits of trust and strength. Because of the survey, I learned there was more to the choice of a favorite Bible verse than I ever imagined. I was amazed at the discoveries I made, related to my own spiritual nature, as well as that of the members of my family. Understanding who I am spiritually has enabled me to more clearly put my faith into perspective. I am doing my best to trust in God, and to stay inwardly strong. With these spiritual gems unearthed, it is time to work on the polish so I can do my best to shine... # What might your favorite Bible verses say about you? What spiritual gems await that you might unearth? # I would like to thank those who participated in this survey. It meant a lot to me, and your responses made the survey, and the information gleaned from it, possible. (If you did not have an opportunity to partake of the survey, simply choose two of your favorite Bible verses, and put them to the test, as I did. You might just enlightened with the results). Blessings, Nanc' :) P.S. - Be on the lookout for the tabulated results of the Bible Verse Survey. They will be posted to Facebook soon, via Weebly. Over the summer, I conducted a survey of favorite Bible verses. In doing so, I found a few simple words, like spiritual gems unearthed, that showed me the nature of who I was spiritually. There are treasures that might await you, too, and if you are curious, read on...  For those unfamiliar with the survey, it consisted of one task: Choose two of your favorite Bible verses.
"Favorite." It is a word we use often, isn't it? We have favorite foods, favorite movies, favorite songs, and, perhaps, favorite Bible verses, too. My personal verse of choice is Proverbs 3:3-5, a scripture close to my heart. As I penned the words on the survey form, I pondered a thought. What does it really mean to favor something? It may sound trite, but what we favor is special to us. But wait. There is more to it. To call something "favorite," is to prefer it over other things. Maybe it is a food you can't pass up, a movie you would see a million times, or a Bible verse that fills you with peace, encouragement, or hope. Whatever your favorite things are, they hold a special meaning for you. Remember the tender, picture-painting lyrics of "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music? The words prompt the listener to think of their favorite things when they feel sad, to feel better again. Spiritually speaking, it is like this, too. If you feel downhearted, focusing on the encouraging words of a best-loved Bible verse can provide great comfort. I looked back at the words of my favorite verse, Proverbs 3:3-5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..." I'd never given deep thought to why I liked the verse so much, but the simple theme, trust, was one that resonated in my heart. Then I knew why. The words spoke to me personally. Trust. It fit my desire to have complete confidence in God, and it fit the nature of who I was, a trusting person. An idea sparked. There are personality traits. We all know about those. But what about "spiritual" personality traits? If these existed, I was certain that trust would be on the list for me. Feeling excited, I would put my second verse of choice to the test. I'd chosen 2 Chronicles 15:7, Be strong and do not give up..." "Be strong." I always needed to hear that. I'd lived my share of hills and valleys. Also, my father, who was of Finnish descent, taught me about inner strength. The Finnish term for this is called "Sisu." It refers to grit, determination, and resilience in the face of adversity. Later, I learned to be strong in faith, too. Bingo. There was the spiritual connection. I felt an excitement about the discovery of my spiritual personality traits. The themes fit. At my best, I was trusting...and strong. Excited, I thought of family and friends. Would the scriptures they chose connect with them, too? I pulled out the paper with the verses my husband and daughters provided. Yes! Their choice of scripture connected with their spiritual desires. The themes matched their individual makeup. I couldn't help but smile. Would these connections be true for friends and acquaintances, too? I thought perhaps so. "Favorite." It has a deeper meaning for me now. When I turn to my best-loved Bible verses, I feel the depth of those words in my heart, and find I am living the trust and the strength. Through the survey results, I realized there is more to the choice of favorite Bible verses than I imagined. I was led to the discovery of my own "spiritual" personality traits, as well as those of my family. Spiritual gems, unearthed, and ready for polish. Understanding my spiritual personality traits, I have been able to put my faith into perspective. I do my best to trust in God, and stay spiritually strong. With these gems unearthed, there is work to do. Time to work on that polish, so that I can do my best to shine! # What might your favorite Bible verses say about you? What spiritual gems will you unearth? Please feel free to comment. I would love to hear from you! I also want to thank all of you who responded to this survey! Blessings, Nanc' P.S. - Be on the lookout for the tabulated results of the Bible Verse Survey, coming soon. |
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