Congratulations! Ellen Lawrence, who attended a Journey to the Heart in September of 2007, won 3rd place in the Senior division of first-ever National Bible Bee!
“As Christians, there is nothing more important than studying God’s Word and memorizing it,” Ellen said.
Over 17,000 students from around the nation learned the importance of hiding God’s Word in their hearts as they competed for the prize. In the Senior division, this meant memorizing over 1,500 verses!
It wasn’t easy, and the competition was intense. “I’m very competitive, so I get very, very nervous,” Ellen said. “But I kept remembering Philippians 4:6-7: ‘Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’”
Ellen was educated at home in the ATI program and is looking to attend the Verity Institute next year as she continues to structure her life around the principles of God’s Word.
Daniel Staddon, who captured 1st place in the Senior division, is also a homeschooled student in the ATI program who plans to attend a Journey to the Heart in the near future. Though winning the $100,000 grand prize was pretty incredible, it really only underscored the inestimable value of God’s Word. Daniel wrote, “Studying God’s Word and getting to know Him on a deeper personal level will yield a lifetime of rewards and benefits far more valuable and precious than any amount of money!”
Though memorizing huge portions of Scripture is certainly a formidable undertaking, the biggest challenge for everyone involved in the Bible Bee is only just beginning. “Now my biggest challenge is to just start to apply this to my life,” Ellen shared in an interview with the Huntsville Times Living. “I have to try and take it and really apply it to my life, to make sure it’s heart knowledge, not just head knowledge.”
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November 18th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Hey there, Ellen! That is so exciting! I never dreamed that someone from my Journey would take third place! May Jesus bless you as you seek to apply all those verses to your life!
KD
November 18th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Congratulations, Ellen! Isn’t it a small world? I never would have guessed I would be competing against a fellow ATI student in Washington, D.C. at the National Bible Bee!
I am looking forward to meditating on the passages we memorized as well. The past couple of weeks I have been reviewing them a little slower, taking the time to think about each one and apply them to current questions/situations I am facing. I have really enjoyed taking it in smaller bite-size amounts. May you reap much blessing, insight, and encouragement from the rich fields of Scripture you planted this summer!
November 18th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Ellen, You are amazing! It was a blast competing with you and Daniel! May the Lord firmly plant you like a tree by streams of living water all the days of your life. You have provoked a generation with the preciousness of the Word of God! I look forward to meeting you again!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:54 am
Daniel, not having the pressure you had when you were there doing your thing, I was able to take a look at the photo from the comfort of my office, and think, “Is that girl ATI?” I figured she was. I had a 50% chance I was right!
You are both an inspiration to us all. May God richly bless you! Have a great time meditating on God’s Word.
Neil Smith
ATI Father – New Zealand.
November 21st, 2009 at 12:47 am
It was awesome to be there in DC to see you win! Enjoy the rewards of having God’s Word engrafted in your heart!
November 24th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8).
Daniel, Ellen, & Trumann too – thank you for being a testimony of this passage. The spiritual blessing will be even more valuable.