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Our Story
In 2017, our family received devastating news: our beloved mom had been diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer.
As the surgeries and treatments took their toll, they affected her memory so severely that she could no longer remember the names of her own children. But we discovered something remarkable: she could still remember anything she had learned to music.
So we began putting Scripture to song—word for word — for her to memorize.
To our amazement, even with significant damage to her brain, Mom was able to memorize entire chapters of the Bible this way.
She went to be with the Lord later that year. But through her illness, God had built our character and led us to one simple tool that could bless many.
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We began putting more Scripture to rhythms for children in our church and homeschool community. Soon enough, these ordinary families with ordinary schedules and busy lives began memorizing not just individual verses, but entire chapters and books of the Bible with ease.
Our first Memory Camp took place in our living room, where a group of children memorized Proverbs 31. The following year brought memory resources for James and Ephesians 6, a camp for Congolese refugees memorizing Ephesians 6 in Swahili and English, and an early digital world called "Memory Land" that children could explore while memorizing Scripture.
We tried things. Some worked. Some didn't. And with each experiment, our vision became clearer.
As By the Book grew, so did our understanding of what we wanted it to accomplish. We soon discovered that some well meaning families were handing over the responsibility of their children’s Biblical literacy over to By the Book, rather than using By the Book as a tool. This was far from the Lord’s intent for parents to be the primary disciplers of their children. So, we decided to intentionally focus on equipping families rather than trying to do their job for them.
Memory Camp grew from a simple day camp into a family experience. Families camped together, began memorizing a chapter of Scripture, and continued working toward the rest of the book throughout the year. In God's incredible providence, we discovered a property not too far from us that was an exact physical match to the digital "Memory Land" world we had created. After prayerful consideration, we moved to Memory Land and made it our headquarters. We experimented with curriculum, family worship resources, classroom teaching, animated videos, CDs, and all kinds of resources that would equip parents along their journey of training up children in the love and fear of God.
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In 2023, we took another important step: after operating independently as a parachurch ministry, By the Book joyfully came under the spiritual oversight and authority of the elders of Cornerstone Bible Church in Lake Stevens, Washington.
The story is still being written.
What began with one family putting Scripture to music for their mother has grown into Memory Camps, musical memory tools, family and church resources, live educational experiences, and a whole lot of experiments along the way.
We're still learning. We're still creating. And we're still asking the same basic question: How can we help ordinary families internalize large portions of Scripture—and know the God who gave it?
Today, By the Book continues creating tools and experiences to help families memorize Scripture in context, understand what it means, and live in light of it.
And, Lord willing, there are plenty more chapters to come.
