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Late in the tournament, question 19, the score is 130, 130, 130. As a quizzer these are the types of situations that I both hate and love. It’s great to be in those situations and survive. Even if you win, the nerve-racking nature of the situation is terrifying, and to be so close and yet still lose is utterly depressing.

While it is quite enjoyable to win, I think my best memories of Bible Quiz come from the fun and fellowship surrounding practices and tournaments. Long car rides, mental exhaustion combined with lame jokes, card games, inordinately large piles of flash cards, interaction with other quizzers, and intense theological discussions all contribute to my favorite memories of Bible Quiz. In fact, these memories and experiences are closely linked to the motivation of Bible Quiz. Without the element of competition I would have memorized very little, and if it were not for dedicated teammates, parents, and coaches who provided accountability I would have memorized even less.

The most important and most extensive benefits of my Bible Quiz experience have risen from consistent contact and familiarity with the Scriptures. At the very first Bible Quiz meeting at Calvary I remember Mrs. Warren, who at the time was introducing some at Calvary to Bible Quiz, stressing the phrase “quiz to memorize.” Due to my godly parents I knew God’s Word was important, and as a competitive individual Bible Quiz motivated me to memorize. Consequently, through the accountability and competitive incentive of Bible Quiz I interacted with God’s Word on a level and to a degree which I doubt I could have duplicated through participation in any other program.

Though memorizing God’s Word guarantees very little, it provides extreme opportunities for growth. The ability to perfectly quote a passage of Scripture at a given moment guarantees practically nothing—not even the certainty of correctly answering “quote this verse” questions in a quiz. Scripture however does guarantee that God’s Word will not return void, and entrusting Scripture to memory provides interaction with God’s Word that stimulates spiritual growth.

The Lord used Bible Quiz in my life in many ways, especially to strengthen and purify my thoughts and to increase my understanding and knowledge of God and His Word. This occurred not only on an intellectual level but also a personal and relational level. The sheer demand of Bible Quiz aided me in controlling my thought life. When an individual strives to memorize verses, chapters, and books of Scripture any concept of mental free-time rapidly disappears. Even under these circumstances I constantly battled wrong thoughts, but I cannot imagine how much worse the battle would have been if I had not participated in Bible Quiz. Beyond occupying mental capacity, Scripture memorization armed me to combat wrong thoughts and unbiblical worldviews. Knowledge of specific locations in Scripture where God has revealed His truth decreased my efforts to justify sin and increased my motivation to obey God.

David Tyrrell Calvary FL Class of 2010 The Bible Quiz through the Eyes Series

As a seventh grader, my parents informed me that I would be in the Bible­-quiz class at Faith Christian School in Clinton Township, MI. I proceeded with mixed emotions. I loved competition but was a little unsure about the “write 10 or say 20” verse memory policy in the class. Nonetheless, my parents had made their decision, and so I found myself in a position in which I would need to learn to memorize, and memorize quickly! It was not long before I realized that Bible Quiz was really fun and that the fun increased in direct proportion to the amount of time that you studied and the amount of verses that you had memorized.

That first year, I quizzed on our school’s Jr. High B team. My coach, Mrs. Lee (an incredible lady!), always pushed me harder and encouraged me that I could be a good quizzer if I would just take it to the next level, learn references, and memorize more chapters. I took her up on the challenge. I went on to quiz in high school for Coach Matt Fenton. My freshman and sophomore years, our team won several tournaments throughout the season: State, Marquette Manor, and our own tournament in Michigan. We made the trip to SCQANIT and AACS those years and finished in the top-­3 in both tournaments for two consecutive years (I distinctly remember getting absolutely annihilated by Woodside in the finals at Nationals my sophomore year)! Second, was the best any other team could have hoped for!

At that point in my life, Bible Quiz was life! At the start of my junior year, our state pulled out of the AACS. Naturally, that decision meant no more Nationals for quizzing, and left our team devastated and without much motivation for study or practice. Quite honestly, this situation revealed that I had not participated in quiz with the best motives. I loved competition. I loved winning. I loved going on trips. I loved spending time with our team and coach. Sadly, loving to quiz on the Word of God did not flow from a love for the God of the Word. When God took Nationals from our team, God was actually lovingly removing an idol from my life. I’m thankful for the wisdom and grace of God!

Even though my motives for quiz were fairly self-­centered, I rejoice that God providentially placed me in quizzing and, more importantly, that His Word was poured into my heart and simultaneously burned into my memory. During my senior year of high school, God got a hold of my heart through the godly friendship of a great friend. I was amazed at how all the memorized Scripture starting coming to life to me and how God began to transform my desires from the inside out. After graduation, I went off to Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, WI. I finished my B.S. in 2007, my M.A. in 2008, and joined the staff as the Director of Student Activities and Ministries.

During that time, the Lord directed my wife Emiley and me to plant Lakewood Baptist Church in Delafield, WI (a Milwaukee suburban community). As a scared 22 year old, when we first started Bible studies in our community, I taught the book of Philippians, a book that I had memorized well in Bible Quiz. We have served here for just over 2 years and have seen God work through His Word in some amazing ways. As a young pastor, I thank God that the Word of God became part of me as a high-­schooler. I cannot begin to count the number of times that the Holy Spirit has brought the Word of God to my mind in the midst of a sermon, a counseling session, or an opportunity to speak the gospel. Jesus prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” I’m thankful for the Word’s power to sanctify!

David Marriott Faith MI Class of 2003 The Bible Quiz through the Eyes Series

The Inaugural Camp Joy event is now available online. Click Here to see the results.

Do you feel like the Camp Joy Bible Quiz passed you by and you just don’t know what happened? Listen to Matt and his review of the tournament. He also speaks about how he thinks the landscape of Bible Quiz is changing. Please email us at podcast@BibleQuizzer.net to let us know what you think. Please give us some more ideas for who can host the show into the future! Oh yeah, click here to listen.

If you have ten minutes, you have enough time to listen to this podcast and then change your socks.  Matt West made some basic announcements about the Camp Joy Bible Quiz.  At 8 PM EST, you can click on “Live Podcasts” above and watch Round Robin Quizzing in Matt West’s room.  Please email us at podcast@BibleQuizzer.net to let us know what you think. Please give us some more ideas for who can host the show into the future! Oh yeah, click here to listen.