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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for March 19, 2010
“I Am Remapping My Brain”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Have you heard of brain remapping?
Well have you ever seen one of those brain diagrams that says things like, “This part of the brain controls your breathing, this part controls your coordination, and this part your personality”?
You might call that a “brain map,” but what we’ve discovered is that the brain is organic, and its “map” is not quite as rigid as you might think.
For example – stroke victims. A stroke can damage part of your brain. Does that mean you have completely lost the abilities that were in that part of your brain?
Not necessarily. Researchers discovered that a kind of morphing can take place, where another part of the brain takes over the duties of the damaged part.
Some call it brain remapping.
Our brain is an astounding gift. According to livescience.com the human brain has “about 100 billion neurons and tens of trillions of synapses that represent millions of miles of wiring between neurons.”*
And now let me tell you what I’m doing.
I am remapping my own brain.
At least that’s what I call it. I’ll get into that in a minute, but right now I want to bring up something else.
I read an article this week about men hooked on porn who gave it up cold turkey. They found that, after a few weeks, they were more social and more confident. They could look people in the eye. Their whole outlook on life changed as they distanced themselves from their daily intake of filth.
To me, that’s a form of brain remapping. The synapses that were firing for the porn were no longer firing. Meanwhile, other synapses were coming to life, and it changed the outlook of the brain.
That may not be the same remapping the scientists are talking about, but it does occur. You can change things in your brain, and that’s what I’m calling brain remapping. It’s like your brain was wired for one thing, but you are rewiring it for something else.
Now back to what I said about remapping my own brain. I think that’s what I’m doing through extensive Bible memorization. By constantly repeating and dwelling on lengthy passages of Scripture, I think it is restructuring the landscape of my brain.
Now maybe it’s not literal. Maybe a brain scan wouldn’t reveal it. But if you could scan my mind it would be there.
I’ve said before that my current project is to memorize the entire book of John before I turn 50. I’m 46 now, and I’m halfway through chapter 2. Last year I memorized the book of Colossians, and before that Ephesians.
So now I spend a lot of time repeating the new verses in the book of John, and every week or two I review all the verses in Ephesians and Colossians. And I must say, I am amazed at how well I can recall all those verses, even if I go 2 or 3 weeks without thinking about them. As long as I do a tune-up every now and then, I can keep those synapses firing.
Fifteen or 20 years ago I memorized the book of James, but I did not maintain it. Yes, I can still remember what James says, but I certainly can’t rattle it off verse by verse. This time I’m not going to let that happen, so I keep going over the verses so I don’t lose them.
And by doing that I’m “remapping” my brain. I think in some way I am actually rewiring my brain.
There is a scriptural precedent for such a thing. Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
It says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world…” I think that includes this world’s pattern of thinking. How do we change our pattern of thinking? One way is by changing what we spend time thinking about.
All the time I’ve spent memorizing the Word of God has really changed the pattern of my thinking.
Ephesians 4:23 tells us to be renewed in our mind.
Philippians 3:19 says that some people’s mind is on earthly things, but Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our mind on heavenly things.
The more we dwell on earthly things, the more our mind bends in that direction. But the more we dwell on the things of God, the more our mind bends in that direction.
So with all this Bible memorization and Bible study, I really do think it’s remapping my brain.
The result is a change in the way I see the world. When I read something, I read it with my remapped brain. When I come home to my family, I come home with a remapped brain – not with worldliness but with godliness.
I can literally tell the difference. It has really changed the way I see life.
So are you in a funk? Is your thinking in a rut? Do you wish you could just trade your brain in for a fresher model?
Well you don’t need a new brain. Your current edition has a million miles of wiring to work with; you just need to do a little cartography, so here is my advice.
Use the Word of God to remap your brain.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
* http://www.livescience.com/health/human-brain-map-challenges-100310.html
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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