Believe it or not, in years past, I heard the instructions, “Attention! Draw swords! Charge!” all the time in the Bible Sword Drills’ practice at my church. Participants (which included me) in our children’s or youth groups memorized Scriptures and where they were found in the Holy Bible.

We stood in single file facing the adult leader. At “Attention!” we made sure the heels of our shoes were touching, our posture was straight, our eyes were looking forward, and our Bible was held in one hand at our side.

At “Draw swords!” we raised our Bibles in front of us to waist level, one hand underneath and the other hand on top. Then the adult leader would say in a loud voice a Bible reference (such as I Corinthians 13: 13) before giving the last instruction of “Charge!”

The child or youth would flip through the Bible, find the reference, and placing the index finger on it, take one step forward. Finally the participant would read the Scripture when recognized by the adult leader.

Our adult leaders at the local church, associational level competition, and state level competition gave me an invaluable gift. They helped me tuck in my mind and in my heart Words of Wisdom which proved to be reliable guides for the direction of my life.

Sayings I Grew Up With
Connie Carlisle Polley, 2023
ConnieCarlislePolley.com
NonnyDay.com

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