Hello! How are you guys doing? It's been a pretty cool season so far. We've got the Olathe Invitational this weekend, and then the St. Louis Top Ten tournament is coming up here in about a month. The 2017-2018, 1-2 Corinthians quiz season is moving fast - but we don't have to get nervous or discouraged if we're not where we would like to be. There is still a lot of time to figure out, and then implement how we're going to get there. Today, I'm just going to talk a little bit about the matter of understanding our quiz material this season. So here's how we can practically go about understanding what Paul writes...
He gave us the Holy Spirit as a comforter, and as a teacher - to explain the Word to us, as we're seeking God. We have to go into it (studying for quizzing and in general) with an attitude of "I'm going to understand this", and not, "I probably won't have any idea what this is talking about, but I'm just going to have to study it anyway". As awesome as 1-2 Corinthians is, and as much truth is in it, it won't profit us anything if we don't really know what it means - and a lot of it is confusing to begin with. PLUS, if we really understand the material, we will be able to challenge, rebut, appeal, and answer questions from that firm foundation.
I didn't realize that I needed to do this my first one or two years of Bible quizzing, and because of that, it didn't really do anything for me. But when I started to try and see it as the Bible (imagine that :P), it began adding to my motivation to study and do well in quizzing. There's this verse in Psalms, that says "the Lord is my strength and my song; He has given me victory". I don't know about you, but the Lord being "my strength and my song" makes me think of two things: 1) marching into battle with the singers up front, and totally demolishing the enemy, and 2) singing, and as you do, being filled with so much confidence, and inspiration, and passion, and love, and awe for God. Whoo. That's such an awesome verse. BUT ANYWAY The Word of God has a life that no other book in existence has ever had, or will will have. That life is what causes the change in our hearts (and thereby our lives) as we learn from it, and meditate in it. That life is the only way that we're going to start living the kind of life that God wants for us - a life full of joy, prosperity, love, and healthy friendships and relationships. Of course, how can I say all of this without John 1:1 and John 14:16, where Jesus is described as "The Word", and, "the Way, the Truth, and the Life". I would invite you to go back a reread the last paragraph with this in mind, before reading the next one, because I'm making an illustration. The Word, being Jesus, has a life that no other person in existence has ever, or will ever have. That Life, "THE Life" (Jesus), is what causes the change in our hearts and lives, as we learn from Him, and spend time with Him. That Life, Jesus, is the only WAY that we're going to start living the kind of life that God wants for us. Bible quizzing, as fun as it is, is an instrument of God in our lives that He wants to use to lead us deeper into His love - not just while we're kids, but in a way that will carry over into the rest of our lives. If you're struggling to find motivation to quiz, try looking at it as the Word instead of quiz material. Because God's Word is the most perfect, most EPIC source for long-lasting, and deeply-rooted motivation.
This is probably one of the TOP ways that I've been able to start to understand some of what is in 1-2 Corinthians this season. One of the hardest things for me so far, has been what (if taken just at face value) sounds like misogyny (dictionary definition: hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women, or prejudice against women). But I know my God - that's the important thing. I know that my loving Father and Friend would never oppress me, or cause me hurt, or force a way of life on me that is anything less than beautiful and happy. Why? Because I'm His baby, not His vessel. He loves me so much, His favorite shirt has a picture of my face on the front of it! :P Remembering who I've grown to know my God to be, reading these tough verses and passages is less crushing. On the contrary, I'm learning to not react with anger when I come across a verse like 1 Corinthians 11:7, but rather take a breath and smile, and know that God has PERFECT reasoning in what His Word says. We just can't take the Word at face value. We have to dig in and seek God's heart, before jumping to any conclusions, and causing ourselves unnecessary hurt that God never intended. In the next part of this series, I'm going to give you some practical steps to take to understand 1-2 Corinthians, when you come across a weird verse/passage. But until then, I love you guys so much, and our Father loves you so much too. He calls you blessed coming in and going out, He calls you the head and not the tail, He calls you highly favored in His sight. He has lifted up His countenance upon you - He has smiled on you - He is singing and dancing over you right now, and He has given you incredible, in-explainable peace. Because of that, you have the right, you have the capability, you have the blessings, to quiz and live victoriously. And through you grabbing on to that victory, God is going to explode through you with insane, blackout love for His people, and send tidal waves of change through the world. Have an awesome week, guys, and I will see you at Olathe on Saturday! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory
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Hey guys! Here is today's vlog - I hope you enjoy it! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hey guys! Sorry this post is up so late; it's been a crazy day :P. But I hope you're having a good one! Here in Colorado, it's starting to get a little more chilly, and... I don't know about you, but I am already SO ready for Christmas time to roll around! The Olathe Invitational is coming up FAST, am I right? It's just a little less than two weeks away, and boy, do I have some prep to do. But it's okay! I'm very much looking forward to seeing all of you guys there, no matter how tired I may be by the time it arrives :P (JK). BUT ANYWAY Today we're going to be continuing our new(ish) series on question specialty, by talking about when and how you can pick a question type to focus on! If you haven't read the first part of this post (which talks about what "question specialty" is, and the benefits of having one) I'll leave the link to that right here. So without any further ado, lets get into today's post! Before we start, I want to make a quick note about having multiple question specialties, or changing your question specialty later on. Some people have succeeded in having multiple question specialties, meaning that they study for, practice, and jump on a couple different types of questions (or all of them). This is obviously a very handy thing to be able to do, because it benefits your team, and yourself as an individual competitor. Changing your question specialty later on, on the other hand, is something that fewer people do (from what I've seen). But, like in my case, I've been transitioning from being a general question quizzer, to being an according to quizzer - even though I still lean on generals at higher competition. I began this transition, both because it seems to benefit my team more than generals, and because doing according to's are just plain fun :P. As a side note, I always loved watching all of the according to quizzers give multiples during my first year, because they looked so cool while they did it - and that's one of the reasons I enjoy according to's! *smooth transition to next subject*... When is a good time to choose a question specialty? Now, take note that no matter what I'm going to say (type), all you need to do is gauge your current situation, and take action from there. That being said, this is my take on when you should begin the process of "choosing a question specialty". If you're just kind of starting out, or if you're kinda figuring out how quizzing works, you don't need to worry about having a question specialty. Although, there have been really good quizzers who have just gone for it, and competed (and placed) really well, even though they weren't exactly sure what all was going on (:P). If you're thinking that you are ready to get serious about the competition, and if you believe that you're ready to step up your game, it's game time! You should go for it! Choosing a question type to focus on doesn't put any pressure on you - it's just a tool you can use to get to where you want to be, and to excel in quizzing. That's all. How do I choose the right question type? This is pretty simple for a lot of people, but for others, it's a little more confusing and challenging. Sometimes, people just naturally gravitate towards a certain type their first year of TBQ - and this works out really well for them. As an example, I gravitated towards generals, and they helped me to learn more about how quizzing works, and how I could get better at it. But the thing is, that when you choose a question specialty (as a tool), you not only get to learn more about that question type and how to do it well, and be the best in it, but you also involuntarily learn about everything else in the sport. Yes, I chose general questions, but through the process of placing well that season, making the district and regional team, and competing at nationals in Kentucky, I also learned...
BUT what the point is, is that your question specialty will teach you how to do quizzing (and even life, in some cases) better, because it's an easier way to carve your path to success. So it's not so much WHICH question type you choose to specialize in, but more so about IF you can actually become a specialist or technician, within that question category. That's what will make you a better quizzer. But, you still need to pick one, at least to start out with - so here are a list of questions I've thought carefully about, and that I would like you to ask yourself. After you have answered all of these questions, I believe you will have found the question type that is perfect for you. Here we go!
And there you go! Once you've picked your question type, the next step is (of course) to learn how to do it well. And I may be writing a special post about that, but for now, I'll just link a few of my favorite posts about different question types, that you can check out! That's all I have for you guys today - I hope you enjoyed it, and that you now feel equipped to either choose your question specialty, or to continue to succeed in the one you've already chosen.
Love you guys, and I look forward to seeing you this Saturday for the TBQJ Vlog #6! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hey guys! How are y'all doing? Corinthians treating you alright so far this year? I don't know about you, but even this early into the season, I'm already impressed and encouraged by all of the progress I'm seeing in the quizzers around me - both in the competition, and in Godly character. Today I've got something pretty awesome for you... a Q&A with a (very) experienced according to quizzer, Nathan Bizeau! After the Q&A, I'm going to come back in and wrap up the post with the three top things that I've learned, in my (much less impressive :P) according to experience. So lets do it! Question #1: Why have you chosen to specialize in According To's in the past? A: "Three reasons: (1) doing them makes me more helpful to my team, (2) they are a tremendous asset to me in high-level competition, and (3) According To's are AWESOME, and great fun to do!" Question #2: Can you describe the most effective review strategy you've found for According To's? A: "After memorizing a chapter, quoting it backwards, verse by verse (beginning with the last verse in a chapter and working back towards the first) is the review method that I most often use. This helps me to be able to identify each verse individually, without depending on the verses preceding it." Question #3: What is a good answering strategy for beginners in According To's? A: "Go through the verse in your head, phrase by phrase, and ask questions so as to cover all the information in the verse. Then go through it again, giving complete answers to your questions. That's the general idea, but you can always experiment with it to find a good answering process that works for you specifically." Question #4: What is the number one thing that has helped you compete well in According To's? A: "Jumping on them... at practices, at quiz meets, basically anywhere I can. That way, when it comes time for the end of the quiz season and the highest levels of competition, I don't have to do much differently than I've been doing all season long." Bonus Question (#5): What is your number one tip for being a captain? A: "Remember that you're not there to make sure the round goes your way; you're there to help keep the round fair (for your team especially)." Woah, guys... that's what a ton of great value looks like! Thank you again, to Nathan, for taking the time to write out all these answers, and for being more than willing to share some of your insight into your question specialty with us! And I know I have no chance at topping the previous section, but since I already promised, here are the three top things that I learned about doing according to's, in my quizzing career:
Memorizing for according to's is a big job - you're memorizing whole books of the Bible, after all - so do your best to stick to your schedule, but remember that it's okay to allow some healthy deviation from the plan. Because, let's be honest, rigidly keeping your schedule isn't the funnest thing ever :P.
Exactly like in an actual round, practicing quoting the verses in a completely random order causes your brain to make the jumps between all the different passages and chapters. I've found that this teaches me how to quickly perform the process of (since I'm a visual person) envisioning the chapter, and finding the page, section, passage, and verse that I'm looking for. When I have practiced like this a good amount before a quiz, I usually always see an improvement in my recall time and accuracy in the actual tournament.
According to's are probably (at least in my opinion) the question type that employs "multiple-ing" the most. Because of that, it's good to know how you can multiple the best. This can include anything from learning how to talk quickly and enunciate well, to having a strategy of how you will cover the entire verse (like Nathan talked about), to remembering the questions you asked so that you can correctly match them with your answers. So there you have it! I hope that you enjoyed this post, and that you feel more confident if you are pursuing a question specialty in according to's. Well, I just got word that my family will be coming to the Olathe invitational next month! I'm looking forward to seeing you all there, and I will be making an effort to speed up my studying between now and then, so that I can compete with all the great quizzers! Next Monday we will be returning to our new series, "Question Specialty", with part two, and I can't wait. Until then, quiz and live victoriously like the royal son/daughter of the King you are. I love you guys! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Related Posts:Hello there! This is the FIFTH episode of The Bible Quizzing Journey Vlog! I think we're starting to get the hang of this (maybe) :P. Enjoy! I hope you have an absolutely phenomenal weekend, and I'll see you on Monday (I'm posting an awesome Q&A, so you won't want to miss this one ;)). Of course, don't forget to keep quizzing and living victoriously! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory |
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