Mornings with Tom and TabiMadelene Miller introduces you to a concept that is similar in execution to “Adopt-a-Highway.” Rather than volunteering to adopt a stretch of road to keep clean and tidy, this process is designed to have you focus on a section of the pathway of your life that needs attention. Consider using the power of scripture to help you be transformed by renewing your mind with a verse of scripture to help you care for a particular area of concern.
Madeline Miller. She's a Bible study leader, a speaker, pastor's wife, serves on two committees for the Generosity Trust, the Dora MacLellan Brown Scholarship Committee, and Sharing God's Goodness. And she loves sharing God's goodness in the Tennessee Valley. So, Madeline, thank you so much for being with us at the start of 2025. Good morning.
Well, good morning. I'm blessed to be with you today and happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you.
Happy New Year, Miss Madeline. And you know, I've got a question for you. Um, you know, we spend a lot of time memorizing scripture here on mornings with Tom and Toby, but you've really come up with an interesting way of really focusing on the word. Tell us a little bit about that.
Well, yeah. Thank you for asking. Um, the new year, it always comes with, like, a new opportunity for a new start. I think that's one of the people, one of the reasons why people make resolutions. And I know in the past I've made all kinds of resolutions. One of my favorites. Lose weight or get more exercise. Learn a new language. But this year I have a new plan and it's called the Adopt a Verse plan.
Okay, so. Oh go ahead. No.
I'm sorry. I said, you may be familiar with the Adopt the Highway program. Have you seen some of those signs on the side of the road?
I have.
Yeah. Well, this program, um, it the people who adopt the highway or this portion of highway they promised to clean their stretch of adopted highway. Um, it says you might see a sign that says something like, uh, this stretch of highway is maintained by the Good Neighbor Group or something like that. And the group has to have a plan to pick up the trash on their stretch of adopted road for at least four times in the year. Now it's a government sponsored program. If you're under 18 years of age, you have to have parental permission to participate. But in my Adopt Diverse program, anyone can participate regardless of the age, although younger participants may need some help in which birth to adopt.
Okay, no, I love that some of us older people might need some help in trying to figure out which verse to adopt as well. And so, um, tell us a little bit more about this.
Well, in the Adopt the Verse plan, the participant asked the Lord to show them what area of their life needs a cleanup. Then you, that person, adopts or chooses a verse to help them keep the road clean. Clean, so to speak, in that area. Uh, you can include friends or accountability partners to help and encourage you in your area of choice. But but the main, the main partner is the Lord and His word, and he is there to remind you, to strengthen you, to encourage you, and to help you in your, if you will, road maintenance.
Yeah, I love that.
Okay. So I keep thinking about that verse that talks about, um, that he is a light for our paths. You know that the word I think the word of God is that? And so the path is a is like a highway in our in our soul. And we're moving along that highway to a destination. But then there are roads, parts of the roads that have potholes and sticks and debris in them, and those have to be cleaned up. And that's what this verse does.
It absolutely. That's that's a perfect verse. Perfect verse from Proverbs. Absolutely. And in choosing a verse or a spiritual marker as a guide, you know, that's not really new. We do it. I know in Christian University where I did my graduate work, it was popular to choose a they said a life verse. And so people would go around saying, what's your life verse? What your life verse? And it was a scripture that held special significance in your salvation experience or guide in life in general. Um, but now we're using a choosing. We're not doing choosing a life verse because things change in your life, but we're changing. We're looking at a particular area that God has pointed out that he wants to join you in cleaning up.
The.
World, to be a light unto your feet and a light unto your path, as you pointed out to me. Very well.
Madeline Miller is our guest right now, and she's helping us really take a look at Scripture and maybe adopt a verse for 2025.
And so, Madeline, you were sharing with us about basically the overarching concept of this path that we could take to adopt a verse, to clean up some things in our lives and to declutter that, that road that we're on and choosing a verse for that. But how how do we find these verses to adopt?
Well, that's the question, right? And in this adopted verse we are really focusing on this one particular area. So the first place to check is really just your Bible. And depending on the Bible you have there, there may be helps in the back of the Bible to help you. And one of the most common is a concordance. Now most of the people know what a concordance is, but just for those who might be new to them, it's an alphabetical list of important words frequently used in this case in the Bible. For instance, if you're trying to find some verses on anger, you would find the word anger, and then under it would be a list of the books and verse in which that word is found. Now, most of our Bibles, this is not going to be an exhaustive list, meaning it's not going to list every single place, but it's going to be the most prominent ones that they consider. If you want an exhaustive list, you need to go to a concordance that has the exact the exhausting everything list.
Um, yeah. Madeleine, I usually, uh, pronounce concordance. Google.
Oh, you know, that's right. You know that. That's another thing. Uh, you can and I hesitate sometimes to mention the internet, but because there's a lot of negative. Yes. There are. It. Uh, but if you do a search for, say, inspirational Christian Bible verses for every occasion, or if you say, um, Christian Bible verses on stress or your topic of interest, then they will lead you to some verses that can help you in your search for an adopted verse for your for your area.
That's awesome. And also in some Bibles there's like some topical indexes too, along with a concordance, usually in some Bibles as well. Right?
You're right, you're right. I'm glad you brought that up, because some Bibles do, as you just mentioned, have a topical index. And then they will have they'll they'll send you to a certain page and they'll have a paragraph or two on the subject, and then they'll give you an additional references also sometimes related to your, to your area. So if it's anger, then they might mention things such as bitterness or emotions or forgiveness also in that discussion on your target area.
Okay. So these are some specific ways that we can find those verses and find topics that we can work on in our lives. Internet search concordance topical index, even trusted friends or church leaders. What about that?
Yes, absolutely. So many times, if you ask people when they leave church on Sunday and they'll say something like, boy, that really touched me, or pastor really said something. And then if they mention a verse or something, that that's a good one to think about. Well, maybe that's something that, because it apparently has, has really touched something in your life. So that could be something that you could use. But one of my favorite ways is that when God himself points out a verse to you in your time with reading and studying the Bible, and if you've been walking with the Lord for any period of time, it doesn't matter how how new you are to to Christianity, to be having a relationship with Jesus, or how long you'll have those moments when a particular verse just seems to jump out on the page to you? It could even be from a passage that you've read many times before, but on this day you have special insight into its application and meaning and the way that you hadn't experienced before. It's almost like God highlighting it for you without a yellow marker and asking you, hey, have you considered this verse in regard to your situation? Yeah, I remember the first.
Go ahead. Go ahead. Madeleine.
No, I remember the first time it happened when I was a new Christian, and I had been a long time church attender, but had just recently received Jesus as Savior. And the verse was brought to my mind, and I didn't even know where that verse was in the Bible. But I knew it was a Bible verse and I received it as God talking to me. And then I started using it that way also.
Okay. Yeah, I love that. And to be quite honest, that's one of the reasons, um, I kind of prayerfully picked the verse of the month that we're actually studying here at 88.9 Moody Radio, which is Proverbs 22, verses 17 and 18. And we I actually did what I call the wisdom challenge, going through the book of Proverbs with somebody else and seeing what verses and ideas and thoughts come out of that. And from my study it was like, oh my word, I have to not just read this stuff. I need to pay attention. I need to listen to it. I need to put it in my heart and then have it on my mouth so it's ready for me. I mean, that really impacted me. So that's really a great way to develop one of these adopted verses.
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You know, the Word of God is a living word. And its author, God, he is more than able to make perfect application for his children.
It's great to have you with us on mornings with Tom and Toby. And Madeline Miller is our guest. And she's introducing a new old concept about adopting a verse of Scripture to maybe help that area of your life, that area, the road of your life. Maybe where there's some construction or reconstruction that needs to happen. Shared a couple of great ideas about where to find these verses to adopt. So, Madeline, let's say we've done that. We've found a verse. We know what we want to do. But but how do we actually use it in our lives on a daily basis?
And that is the key right there. How do I use it? Well, very first thing you need to do, I believe, is just to memorize it. If you memorize it, it's available for your use anytime without the use of a Bible or your iPad or smartphone. We need to remember that the Word of God is our offensive weapon in our armor of God. So if you memorized it, it's ready to be used immediately in any situation. It's your offensive weapon in life's challenges.
So memorize it. I mean, it's one of those things where it feels like school to some people. I know it did for me for years about memorizing scripture. I know I'm supposed to do it, but, you know, if I just show up to class, I'll get a C, right? But if there's something special that can happen when you actually decide to memorize scripture and put it in your life, I truly have not invested in it as much as I have over the last four years. And it's Toby's fault, really. She introduced this idea of taking a verse of Scripture and soaking in it for a month, and that's really been transformative for me.
It is transformative. And you pointed out something really, really important. There is a little word with it. Memorizing it. You know, just like if you want to play the piano, you're not going to be able to play it. If you just think about doing it and you tap the keys like one or once or twice every couple days at all. But memorizing it, I always tell people repetition is your is your friend, and when you are memorizing it and you're going over it, if you're writing it on a card, you you see it in the card. See, you're also meditating on that verse as well as you rehearse it and rehearse it. And in meditating, you gain a deeper understanding of the verse, and then many times you'll start realizing how it relates to other scriptures that you know. And then as you are repeating it and memorizing it and meditating on it, it can have a calming effect on you and challenging times. And it kind of reaffirms your position in Christ, and it helps you to stand strong in the face of adversity. And as a result, you also develop a deeper connection with the Lord.
That's what we're after. That deeper connection. And one of the other ways that we form a deeper connection with the Lord is through prayer. And you can actually use verses of Scripture for prayer together, right?
Absolutely, absolutely. Like if you have a problem with your mouth, you know, you just there's no control. Ephesians 429. So when you're. You can paraphrase it in your own words or insert your name in the first or substituting pronouns such as you or yours for mine, so I can say, Lord, today, please don't let any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth, but only what is helpful for building up others according to their needs, that they may benefit those who. That it may benefit those who listen. Or I could use Psalm 141, verse three. Say, Lord, please set a guard over my mouth and keep watch over the door of my lips. So I'm using it as a prayer, but I have memorized it, so I'm kind of paraphrasing, paraphrasing it, using it as my own. But then I'm using it as a prayer to God, and I'm also remembering that it is my sword.
Yeah, I love that. Thank you so much for just sharing some different ways that we can take these verses and implement them into our life, you know, really memorizing it, meditating on it, using it as a prayer. But this is something that, um, Madeleine, I think you have to not just say, I'm going to do this for the rest of my life. Maybe it's it's something as simple as committing to it on a daily basis.
Absolutely. Absolutely. I was talking about learning the piano. And when you take lessons, they want you to commit to practicing a certain amount every day. So when you get up in the morning, you know, committing using that verse today, you know, begin, begin your day by reminding yourself of your desire to include God and keeping this stretch of your life's journey today clean with his help. So and then every morning, and then sometimes throughout the day, if necessary, ask God to remind you of your decision to be obedient to His Word and to bring this verse to your mind. When challenges come. So now, if you've done all these things, you know you've prepared yourself for battle. For instance, when you go into your next section meeting at work, or you see that irritating person's name is displayed on your smartphone, then you can remind yourself that God is helping you. Set a watch over your mouth. And then you can ask him to help you in your speech so that what is said will benefit the hearer.
